Nonetheless, some people whose hearts feel no love for the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, have gone astray. They denounce tawassul through his very person after his death, claiming that the Prophet’s influence ceased when he passed away, so to seek a means through him is to rely on something that has no effect whatsoever. This claim bespeaks a truly astonishing ignorance. Was any intrinsic influence ever affirmed for the Messenger of Allah during his lifetime so that we should now investigate what became of that influence after his death? No Muslim may attribute inherent efficacy in created things to anyone other than the One, the Unique; whoever believes otherwise is, by unanimous agreement of all Muslims, outside the fold of faith…

The basis for seeking blessing and tawassul through him or through his relics is not the attribution of any effect to him. Rather, it lies in the fact that he is, without exception, the most honored of all creation before Allah and a mercy bestowed upon humankind. Tawassul, then, is by means of his closeness to his Lord and his supreme mercy toward creation. In this sense the blind man sought his intercession that his sight be restored, and Allah returned it to him.1 In this very sense the Companions sought tawassul through his relics and remnants, and he expressed no disapproval of their doing so.

We have already shown that it is recommended to seek the intercession of the righteous, the devout, and the Prophet’s Household in the rain-prayer and other matters, and that the vast majority of the imams and jurists—including al-Shawkani, Ibn Qudamah, al-San‘ani, and others—are in agreement on this. To draw a distinction after all this between his life and his death, peace and blessings be upon him, is a bizarre and astonishing confusion for which there is no justification.

We have many objections to these remarks, the most important of which we set out below:

1 – We have already noted on pages 76–77 al-Bouti’s insinuation against the Salafis and his accusation