—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—and then seek tawassul through al-ʿAbbās or anyone else if tawassul through the Prophet ﷺ were still possible. Nor would it have been reasonable for the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, ever to endorse ʿUmar in such a course, for abandoning tawassul through the Prophet ﷺ in favour of someone else is exactly like abandoning his leadership in prayer in order to follow another. The two cases are identical.

The Companions, may Allah Most High be pleased with them, knew their Prophet’s worth, rank, and excellence as no one else could. This is made plain in the report transmitted by Sahl ibn Saʿd al-Sāʿidī (Allah be pleased with him):

“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ went to the sons of ʿAmr ibn ʿAwf to reconcile them. When the time for prayer arrived, the mu’adhdhin came to Abū Bakr and said, ‘Will you lead the people in prayer so that I may pronounce the iqāma?’ Abū Bakr consented and led the prayer. While the people were praying, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ arrived, made his way through the rows until he stood in a line, and the congregation began clapping. Abū Bakr did not turn during the prayer, but when the clapping increased he looked back and saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. The Prophet ﷺ signalled to him, ‘Stay where you are.’ Abū Bakr, however, raised his hands, praised Allah for what the Messenger of Allah ﷺ had commanded him, then stepped back until he stood in the row. The Prophet ﷺ moved forward, completed the prayer, and then turned to the people and said, ‘Abū Bakr, what kept you from remaining where you were when I directed you to do so?’ Abū Bakr replied, ‘It is not fitting for the son of Abū Quḥāfa to pray in front of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.’ 1.

Thus you can see that the Companions (Allah be pleased with them) were unwilling to keep following Abū Bakr in prayer once the Messenger ﷺ had arrived, just as Abū Bakr himself could not bring himself to