Section Two: Unlawful forms of tawassul: these comprise asking the dead to supplicate or intercede, seeking nearness through the Prophet’s status ﷺ, and seeking nearness through the very being or alleged “right” of created beings. The details are as follows:

1 – Requesting supplication from the dead is impermissible, for the deceased no longer possesses the ability to pray as he did in life. Likewise, asking the dead for intercession is impermissible. When drought struck, ʿUmar ibn al-Khattab, Muʿāwiyah ibn Abī Sufyān, and the Companions and Successors who were with them sought rain and appealed through someone who was alive—such as al-ʿAbbās and Yazīd ibn al-Aswad. They did not seek tawassul through the Prophet ﷺ, neither at his grave nor elsewhere; instead, they turned to a substitute—al-ʿAbbās or Yazīd. ʿUmar said, “O Allah, we used to seek rain from You by means of our Prophet and You granted it; now we seek rain by means of the Prophet’s uncle, so send us rain.” They adopted this alternative because the legitimate form of tawassul they had practiced with the Prophet ﷺ was no longer possible.