Post 2:

Tawassul is divided into two types: 1. Prescribed - مَشْرُوعٌ 2. Prohibited - مَمْنُوعٌ Prescribed Tawassul is subdivided into three types: (1) - Tawassul through Allāh's beautiful Names and Attributes. The evidence for this is the saying of Allāh ﷻ: {وَلِله ٱلۡأَسۡمَاۤءُ ٱلۡحُسۡنَىٰ فَٱدۡعُوهُ بِهَا} "To Allāh belong the Most Beautiful Names, so call on Him by them." [Sūrat Al-A'rāf 180] (2) - Tawassul through one's own good deeds. The evidence for this is the saying of Allāh ﷻ: {رَبَّنَا إِنَّنَا سَمِعْنَا مُنَادِيًا يُنَادِي لِلْإِيمَانِ أَنْ آمِنُوا بِرَبِّكُمْ فَآمَنَّا ۚ رَبَّنَا فَاغْفِرْ لَنَا ذُنُوبَنَا وَكَفِّرْ عَنَّا سَيِّئَاتِنَا وَتَوَفَّنَا مَعَ الْأَبْرَارِ} "Our Lord! Verily, we have heard the call of one (Muḥammad ﷺ) calling to Faith: ‘Believe in your Lord,’ and we have believed. Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and expiate from us our evil deeds, and make us die (in the state of righteousness) along with Al-Abrâr (the pious believers of Islamic Monotheism)." [Sūrat Āli-'Imrān 193] Point of evidence: they sought nearness to Allāh through their ēmān/belief (which is a good deed); as though to say, Our Lord! We have indeed believed, and because of our ēmān, we request that You forgive us our sins and save us from the punishment of the Fire. Likewise, another proof is the ḥadīth of ibn 'Umar, reported by Bukhāri, concerning the three trapped in the cave; all three invoked Allāh seeking nearness to Him through their (own) good deeds. Read the full ḥadīth here: ⤵️ https://sunnah.com/bukhari/60/132 (3) - Tawassul through the supplication of a righteous individual who is alive and present. The evidence for this is the ḥadīth of Anas, reported by Bukhāri; that whenever drought threatened them, ‘Umar Ibnul Khaṭṭāb, used to ask Al-Abbās ibn ‘Abdil Muṭṭalib to invoke Allāh for rain. And he used to say: "اللهم إنا كنا نستسقي إليك بنبينا فتسقينا، وإنا نتوسل إليك بعم نبينا فاسقنا" “O Allāh! We used to ask our Prophet to invoke You for rain, and You would bless us with rain, and now we ask his uncle to invoke You for rain. O Allāh! Bless us with rain.” And so it would rain. NOTE: It is major Shirk to request supplication from the dead, those who are absent, or to ask anyone for anything that is only sought from Allāh! These are the legislated forms of Tawassul, and aside from these three, all other types of Tawassul are acts of innovation for which Allāh has sent down no authority. An example of a prohibited form of Tawassul is seeking nearness to Allāh through the status/rank/personality of the Prophets and righteous, like one's saying: “O Allāh! I ask you in the name of so and so,” or "...by the right/status of so and so." This is not allowed! It is an innovation! And some scholars even consider this to be an act of minor shirk. The prophet ﷺ said in the ḥadīth of 'Ā'ishah, reported by Bukhāri and Muslim: ((من أحدث في أمرنا هذا ما ليس منه فهو رد)) ''Whoever introduces into this affair [religion] of ours that which is not from it will have it rejected." And in the wording of Muslim, he ﷺ said: ((من عمل عملا ليس عليه أمرنا فهو رد)) "Whoever performs an action that is not from our affair [religion] will have it rejected."