This issue is one of the oldest debated issues that caused great division among Muslims to the extent that some scholars gave more concern to this matter than they did with Jihad, even during the time when Islam and Muslims were subject to many anti-Islamic campaigns staged by the enemies of Allah. While these enemies were amending the principles of sharia and changing Muslims’ lifestyle, the latter were busy with differences and disputation.
However, we would like to cite the following points from the book Dustur al-Wahdah ath-Thaqafiyyah (The Constitution of Cultural Unity) with regard to the issue of tawassul through the person of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and Allah’s love to him:
“Concerning the ruling of this form of tawassul, I have found two opinions:
i) There is nothing related in this concern and the supplications mentioned in the Glorious Qur’an and the Sunnah involve direct invocation to Allah. Therefore, it is more proper that we follow this direct style.
ii) Supplication to Allah through the person of Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was related in the narration which states that a blind man sought intercession of the Prophet with his Lord on his behalf in a supplication that he had learned from the Prophet, or from others, and when he said that supplication, his sight was restored. Those who state that opinion add that this form of tawassul was reported in more than ten ways (of transmission), and this is a testimony on its behalf, although it was not narrated in the two Sahihs of al-Bukhari and Muslim. However, the two parties disputed to the extent that they were about to fall into a prolonged rupture of relations. Both parties committed faults. For example, one of them accused the other of polytheism, and the latter described the former as hating the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). This resulted in more division among them. The issue became worse when the second sect drew analogy between the person of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and others whom they thought to be righteous and awliya’ (saints). They, moreover, neglected the authenticated supplications and indulged in formulas of supplications about which there is more than one opinion.
These people committed a mistake when they drew analogy between the person of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and others. Analogy should not be applied to acts of worship. They should have mainly used what is proven as authentic in the Qur’an and the Sunnah...