The ruling on one who has become accustomed to uttering phrases of shirk (associating partners with Allah)

Question:
There are those who utter phrases involving seeking aid from the jinn, and supplicating to and swearing by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). When they are reminded, they say: “My tongue has become accustomed to it.” What is the ruling in that?

Answer:
It is obligatory for him to accustom his tongue to good speech and to guard against blameworthy speech. This is not an excuse. He must guard his tongue from what Allah has forbidden. Seeking aid from the jinn and supplicating to them is shirk (associating partners with Allah) with Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He). Allah the Exalted said: [Surat al-Jinn: 6]. Many of the Arabs in their pre-Islamic age of ignorance used to worship the jinn, seek refuge in them, and fear them.
Therefore, it is obligatory for the believer to guard against that, to trust in Allah, to rely upon Allah, and to seek refuge in the perfect words of Allah, night and day, from the evil of what He has created. Allah will protect him from their evil. He says: “I seek refuge in the perfect words of Allah from the evil of what He has created,” in his night and his day, in any dwelling, and in any place: “I seek refuge in the perfect words of Allah from the evil of what He has created.” He repeats it three times or more, constantly, morning and evening, and Allah will protect him from their evil.
Likewise, if he says: “In the name of Allah, by Whom nothing can cause harm with His name, on earth or in the sky, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing,” three times, morning and evening, this is among the causes of well-being from everything.
Likewise, reciting and the two protectors (al-Mu’awwidhatayn) morning and evening, three times: after Fajr (the dawn prayer) and after Maghrib (the sunset prayer), is among the causes of safety from all evil.
The point is that it is obligatory for him to guard his tongue from what Allah has forbidden of all bad speech: from supplicating to the jinn, from swearing by other than Allah, and from other such blameworthy speech. He has no excuse by saying: “My tongue has become accustomed to it.” Rather, he must guard and protect his tongue from what Allah has forbidden. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: , and Allah says in His great Book: [Surah Qaf: 18].
He is accountable for his speech, so he must guard his tongue from everything Allah has forbidden: from backbiting, talebearing, cursing, supplicating to the jinn, and seeking nearness to Allah through created things, such as seeking nearness through the Prophet, or through the status of the Prophet, or through the right of the Prophet. All of this is not permissible. Seeking nearness (tawassul) is done through supplicating to Allah and affirming His oneness (tawhid), through faith in Him (Glorified is He), following the Shari'ah, and seeking nearness through your righteous deeds. All of this is good.
“O Allah, I ask You by my faith in You, by my love for You, by my following Your Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), by my dutifulness to my parents, by my maintaining family ties, and by my fulfilling trusts.” So you seek nearness through your deeds, like the people of the cave who sought nearness to Allah through their righteous deeds; so Allah saved them and relieved their distress. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) informed us of three men from before us who were sheltered from the rain in a cave. They entered it because of the rain and the night, to spend the night there. So Allah caused a rock to roll down from the top of the mountain until it blocked the cave, and they were unable to move it. They said among themselves: “Nothing will save you from this rock except that you call upon Allah with your righteous deeds.” So they sought nearness to Allah with their righteous deeds, and Allah saved them from it.
One of them said: “O Allah, I had two old parents, and I used not to give the evening milk to my family or my wealth before them.”
The evening milk (al-ghuquq) is the milk at the beginning of the night. It was the custom of the Bedouins to pour the evening milk at night when they milked the camels.
So he would bring the milk to drink his parents before his family. One night, the search for wood took him far, and he was delayed. He came and found them sleeping, and he disliked waking them. He remained standing with the cup, waiting for them to wake up, while the children were at his feet, crying, wanting the milk. And out of the intensity of his love for his parents and his dutifulness to them, he remained standing until the dawn appeared. So they woke up, and he gave them the milk. Then he said: “O Allah, if You know that I did that seeking Your face, then relieve us of what we are in.” So the rock opened up a little, but they were not able to get out.
Then the second one said: “O Allah, I had a cousin who was among the most beloved people to me, so I tempted her with herself—meaning: with zina (unlawful sexual intercourse)—but she refused me.” So a severe year of need—meaning: a pressing need—struck her. She came to him seeking support and to meet the need. He said: “No, until you allow me access to yourself,” meaning: until she allowed him to commit zina with her. And out of dire necessity, she allowed it. When he sat between her legs, she said: “O servant of Allah, fear Allah and do not break the seal except with its right.” He had given her two hundred and twenty dinars. When she said that to him, he feared Allah, stood up, and left her, and left the gold for her. Then he said regarding this incident: “O Allah, if You know that I did this seeking Your face—meaning: I left the zina and left the gold out of fear of You—then relieve us of what we are in.” So the rock opened up a little again, but they were not able to get out.
Then the third one stood up and said: “O Allah, I had workers—employees under me—so I gave them their rights except for one who had a right remaining with me. So I increased it and made it yield fruit in camels, cows, sheep, and slaves, and I remained waiting for his arrival to take his right.” So he dealt with it and traded in it, and bought from the camels, while he only had a few sa' (a dry measure of about 3 kg) of barley, or of sorghum, or of rice. So he increased this wealth, traded in it, and bought from the camels, cows, sheep, and slaves. After a period, he came and said: “O servant of Allah, give me my right that I left with you.” He said: “O so-and-so, everything you see is your right.” All the camels, cows, sheep, and slaves are your right. “I made it yield fruit for you.” He said: “O servant of Allah, do not mock me.” He said: “I am not mocking you. It is from your right, so take it.” So he drove away all of it. He drove away the camels, cows, sheep, and slaves. Then the man said: “O Allah, if You know that I did this seeking Your face, then relieve us of what we are in.” So the rock opened up and they went out.
So because of their righteous deeds with which they sought nearness to Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He), Allah saved them from the hardship that befell them. So seek nearness to Allah with your faith, your mindfulness of Allah (taqwa), your dutifulness to your parents, your fulfilling of rights, and your righteous deeds. And so is seeking nearness through the oneness of Allah (tawhid), sincerity to Him, and faith in Him; for all of these are righteous deeds.
Seek nearness to Allah by testifying that there is no god but Allah, and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and that you believe in Allah and His Messenger, and that you believe in the Last Day. This is all a lawful means, like: “O Allah, I ask You by Your names and Your attributes.”
As for seeking nearness through created things, or through the status of the Prophet, or through the right of the Prophet, or through the status of so-and-so, or through the head of so-and-so, or through the honor of so-and-so, no. This is an invalid means that is not mentioned, and it is not a lawful means.