They could easily have gone to his grave and sought tawassul through him—that is (1), had such a practice been legitimate. Their deliberate avoidance of it is therefore proof that seeking tawassul through the dead is impermissible, whether by asking them to supplicate or to intercede. Had requesting his prayer and intercession been the same while he was alive and after his death, they would never have turned from him to someone of lower rank.

2 – Seeking tawassul by the Prophet’s status ﷺ—or by the status of anyone else—is not permissible. The report that says, “When you ask Allah, ask Him by my status, for my status with Allah is exalted,” is fabricated; it appears in none of the reliable Muslim sources, and no scholar of hadith has recorded it (2). Since no sound evidence supports this practice, it is unlawful; acts of worship can only be established by clear, authentic proof.

3 – Tawassul through the very being of created things is likewise impermissible. If the preposition bi is understood as an oath, then it amounts to swearing by a created being before Allah the Exalted,