The Ruling on Seeking Nearness to Allah and the Ruling on Associating with Open Sinners

Q: Is it permissible to seek nearness to Allah through the status of such-and-such a person or the right of such-and-such a person? And is it permissible to associate with open sinners and keep their company?

A: This is one of the religious innovations that Allah has not prescribed, according to the majority of scholars. What is prescribed is seeking nearness to Allah through His names and attributes, His oneness, loving Him, believing in Him, and through righteous deeds, as He the Exalted said:through His names and attributes, His oneness, loving Him, believing in Him, and through righteous deeds, as He the Exalted said:[al-A'raf:180] And He the Exalted did not say: "So call upon Him by the status of Muhammad," or "by the status of the prophets," or "by the status of the awliya," or "by the right of His ancient House," or the like. Rather, He the Exalted said: meaning by His names and His attributes. One also calls upon Him through His oneness, as the hadiths have come with that, including the hadith: Among them is the hadith of the people of the cave, upon whom a rock fell when they took refuge in the cave on a rainy night. A rock fell upon them and blocked the mouth of the cave, and they were unable to get out. So they said among themselves: "Nothing will save us from this except that we seek nearness to Allah through our sincere deeds." So they sought nearness to Allah. One of them sought nearness to Allah through his dutifulness to his parents, the second through his chastity from unlawful sexual intercourse, and the third through his fulfillment of a trust. So Allah relieved them.
Thus, it is known from what we have mentioned that if a servant seeks nearness to Allah through His names, or through His oneness, or through his belief in Him and his love for Him, or through his belief in His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and his love for him, or through performing what Allah has made obligatory upon him of obedience, or through leaving what He has forbidden him, then it is a prescribed seeking of nearness, and its doer is deserving of a response.
As for associating with open sinners and sitting with them, it is not permissible; because they will lead one to their open sinfulness and misguidance. But if one mixes with them for the purpose of calling to Allah, denying the falsehood they are upon, directing them to good, enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong, then there is nothing wrong with that; because the Muslim is commanded to do so. As for one who takes them as companions and close friends, sitting with them, eating with them, and feeling at ease with them, that is not permissible.