Tawassul in Supplication

Question

A certain pious elder was invited to our shop. Because business conditions had not been satisfactory, he told us to recite this wird: [ar]بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ، الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ، اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَىٰ سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَىٰ آلِهِ[/ar] “In the name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds. O Allah, bless our master Muhammad and his family,” — and at the end this wird: “O helper of the helpless!

Answer

This shows that asking of Allah is not what is intended; therefore such a wird should not be performed. Rather, one should ask of Allah and make tawassul (seeking a means of approach to Allah) through the Prophet ﷺ and other pious people, for example thus: “May Allah Most High have mercy on our wretched state by virtue of the noble Prophet ﷺ.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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