he said to him, “Pray again, for you have not prayed.” The man went back and prayed a third time, yet his third prayer was just like the first two—still incomplete. He returned to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, who repeated, “Pray again, for you have not prayed.” The man pleaded, “Messenger of Allah, this is all I know.” So the Prophet taught him how to bow, how to prostrate, how to stand, how to sit, and how to recite. Thereafter the man’s prayer became like the very prayer of the Prophet himself—without the Prophet having scolded or rebuked him. In this gentle lesson lies guidance for us regarding an issue in which many people err.
Once again he insists that polytheism is limited only to shirk al-rubūbiyya (assigning partners to Allah in His Lordship), and he openly asserts that seeking intercession through the dead is lawful and sound!
If someone errs and grasps the latticework around the tomb of a saint or a prophet, we tell him: “This grille, this stone, can neither harm nor benefit; it can neither advance nor delay anything. The one buried here is a servant of Allah whom He honored with prophethood and granted a lofty station. Do you believe that he is the one who gives or withholds from you?” Everyone asked in such a situation will reply, “No—but I believe he enjoys a distinction I do not. I am a sinner laden with faults, transgressions, and crimes—deeds that blacken the face and brow. I know my own condition better than others do; so how can I compare myself to this prophet or righteous man? For that reason I seek Allah by means of him.”
We therefore say to him: “Do not address your request to the saint or the prophet; while your tawassul (seeking a means) through him may be valid, the actual petition must not be directed to him. Ask instead the Lord of lords, the One who never turns away a supplicant nor rejects a beggar.” Yet that person, with [unintelligible words] a spirit of ferocity, harshness, and roughness, remains mistaken at the very root of his approach, and then compels others to follow it.