as Allah Most High says:

“If they seek your help in religion, it is your duty to help them.”

And as He says:

“The man from his own people sought his help against the one from his enemies.”

And as Allah Most High says:

“Cooperate in righteousness and piety.”

As for what none but Allah can accomplish, it must be requested only from Allah. For this reason, the Muslims did not seek relief from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, but sought rain through him and sought to draw near to Allah through him. Thus, Sahīh al-Bukhārī records that ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb, may Allah be pleased with him, sought rain through al-‘Abbās, saying:

“O Allah, whenever we suffered drought, we would seek to draw near to You through our Prophet, and You would grant us rain. Now we seek to draw near to You through our Prophet’s uncle, so grant us rain.”

They would then be granted rain.

In Sunan Abī Dāwūd:

“A man said to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, ‘We seek Allah’s intercession with you, and we seek your intercession with Allah.’ He replied, ‘Allah is far too exalted for that. His intercession is not to be sought with any of His creation.’”

He thus approved the man’s statement, “We seek your intercession with Allah,” but rejected his statement, “We seek Allah’s intercession with you.”

The Muslims agree that our Prophet will be an intercessor on the Day of Resurrection and that people will ask him to intercede. According to Ahl al-Sunnah, his intercession for those who have committed major sins will be accepted. According to the Wa‘īdiyya (those who insist that divine threats of punishment must be fulfilled), however, his intercession will be accepted only for an increase in reward.

The claim, “Whoever seeks to draw near to Allah through a prophet, saying, ‘I seek to draw near to You through Your Messenger,’ has actually sought relief from His Messenger, according to the language of the Arabs and of all nations,” is a false attribution to those peoples. Such usage is unknown in the language of any of Adam’s descendants. Rather, everyone knows that the one from whom relief is sought is someone through whom a request is made and who is invoked. They distinguish between the one who is asked and the one through whom a request is made, whether relief is sought from the Creator