As for the ḥadith that contains the phrase, “I ask You by the right of those who petition You,” it is not authentic, for its chain includes ʿAṭiyya al-ʿAwfī, whose weakness is unanimously agreed upon, as a number of ḥadith scholars have stated. A report of this standing cannot be adduced in so critical a matter of creed. Moreover, the narration does not entail tawassul by the right of any specific individual; rather, it speaks of the collective right of all who beseech Him—the right to be answered, as Allah has promised them. This is a right He has bound Himself to fulfill; no one compelled Him to do so. Hence the tawassul involved is through His truthful promise, not through the right of a created being.

(c) The ruling on seeking help (istiʿānah) and seeking rescue (istighāthah) from a created being

Istiʿānah means requesting aid and support in some affair, while istighāthah means asking for relief—that is, the removal of distress.

Seeking aid or rescue from a created being falls into two categories:

1. Seeking assistance or rescue in matters that the person is actually able to carry out. This is permissible. Allah, exalted be He, says, “Cooperate with one another in righteousness and piety” (Al-Māʾidah 5:2), and He says, “Then the one from his own faction cried out to him for help against the one from his enemy” (Al-Qaṣaṣ 28:15).