so that he may grow in reverence, draw nearer to Allah by calling upon Him, and earn further reward.

The third category is to ask another person to supplicate for a benefit that accrues solely to yourself. Some scholars considered this permissible and said, “There is no harm in asking a righteous man to pray for you.” Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (d. 728 AH), however, maintained that it is not proper when your only aim is your personal interest, for this practice can slip into the censured form of asking. The Prophet ﷺ took a pledge from his Companions that they would not request anything from other people.

Furthermore, the petitioner may come to rely on someone else’s supplication and forget to pray for himself, thinking, “I have already told so-and-so—who is a righteous man—to pray to Allah for me; if Allah answers that prayer, that is enough,” and thus he depends on another.

Likewise, the person asked might grow conceited, imagining himself especially pious because people seek his prayers, and this harms him. In sum, scholars differ over this third case: some say there is no objection to telling a righteous person, “Brother, pray to Allah for me,” while others deem it improper. The better course is not to ask, for he may later remind you of the favor, and you may demean yourself by the request. Besides, who is there to stand between you