The people are in great confusion about the matter of Tawassul and its rulings in the religion, and they greatly differ concerning it, some declaring it lawful and others prohibiting it, some going to extremes and others being over-lenient. Also, a large number of the Muslims have for centuries been used to saying in their supplications such things as: 'O Allah by the right of your Prophet...,' or 'by the right of the Sacred House... forgive me.' and '0 Allah by the right of the Awliyaa and the pious, and so and so, etc.' or 'O Allaah by the honour of the men of Allah to You, and by the honour of those in whose presence we are, and under whose assistance we exist?, relieve us and the distressed from all distress.' Also: 'O Allah we humbly beseech You with outstretched hands, seeking a means of waseelah to You through the one deserving of waseelah and intercession, that you aid Islam and the Muslims. ' etc. They call this 'waseelah' and they claim that it is permissible and something prescribed in the Sharee'ah and that it is affirmed and prescribed in a number of Aayat and ahaadeeth, indeed that these texts order and encourage it. Some people even go so far beyond bounds that they even allow tawassul to Allah, the Most High, through some inanimate objects from the creation that do not even reach the level of the aforementioned, such as graves of the Awliyaa, metal structures built upon their tombs, and earth, stones and trees found nearby.
They claim that whatever is near to those who are honoured itself becomes honoured, and that the honour which Allah bestows upon the occupant of a grave passes on to the grave itself, so that it becomes a means of Waseelah to draw nearer to Allah thereby. Indeed some of the later people allow directly seeking aid from others besides Allah! So, what is Tawassul" What are its types? What is the meaning of the Aayat and the ahaadeeth which mention it? And what is the correct ruling for it in Islam? [End quote]
Here is lecture that deals with this subject matter, by Shaykh Badee Uddin Shah (rahimahullah Ta'ala) that deals with this subject matter. It is a lecture that is at the least over 30 years old.
Abu Hurairah (رضي الله عنه) narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said: "Whoever invites to guidance will be rewarded like those who follow him in the guidance are rewarded, and that will not decrease the reward of those who have followed him." [Collected by Imām Muslim]
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