Yes, it's permissible to ask Allah for things by the Prophet!

Ahmad Ibn Taymiyah and his followers among the Wahhabis claim that he who asks Allah for things by the Prophet after his death or during his absence is doing an act of shirk, i.e., associating partners with Allah. Again, this is contrary to what is founded in the Religion of Allah. The hadith of the blind man previously mentioned indicates that this blind man left the session of the Prophet, i.e., he went away and was no longer in the presence of the Prophet when he made his wudu', performed his salat, and made his du^a'. How could this be classified as a shirk? If it had been a shirk, then the Prophet would not have ordered the blind man to do as he did. The Prophet is more knowledgeable than Ibn Taymiyah and all the others like him.

The scholars of Islam opposed those who claimed that the one who asks Allah for things by the Prophet after his death or during his absence is doing an act of shirk. The Wahhabis claim they are following the school of Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal. However, Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal and the scholars who belong to his school all agree that it is permissible to ask Allah for things by the Prophet--during his lifetime and after his death. Even the grandfather of Ahmad Ibn Taymiyah, himself, who was among the great scholars following the school of Imam Ahmad, used to say it is permissible to ask Allah for things by the Prophet during his lifetime and after his death. This was narrated by one of the greatest students of Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, Abu Bakr alMarwaziyy.

This scholar, in copying the saying of Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, said that it is liked during drought to ask Allah for rain by the Prophet. Imam Ahmad told about one of the great followers of the companions, Safwan Ibn Sulaym, who was a pious, humble, and very knowledgeable Muslim, that just by mentioning his name a person would hope the rain would come down as a sign of Allah's mercy to the people.

The meaning is if the people mention the name of Safwan Ibn Sulaym in their session, it is because of his great status, and as a blessing from Allah, the rain would start falling. One can observe for himself that Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal was among those who established it is liked for one to ask Allah for things by the status of the pious Muslims and by the Prophet, yet those among the Wahhabis who claim to be followers of Imam Ahmad, say this is shirk if it is done after the death of the Prophet. Imam Ahmad is in one direction, and those Wahhabis are in a totally different direction.

The first case was mentioned about Imam Ahmad in a book compiled by his own son, ^Abdullah, containing questions and answers about Imam Ahmad. The second statement, about Safwan Ibn Sulaym, in was narrated by alHafidh al Mizziyy and al-Hafidh al-^Ala'iyy and azZabidiyy. In a matter such as this, i.e., asking Allah for things by the Prophet, the teachings of someone like Imam Ahmad would be followed as opposed to those of Ibn Taymiyah and his followers--the Wahhabis. All of these reliable scholars have praised Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal.

He is the one among the scholars of hadith who narrated the most ahadith of the Prophet. It is not known among the scholars of hadith about another scholar who narrated in quantity as much as Imam Ahmad did. Those Wahhabis left Imam Ahmad and followed their own delusions. Those delusions are contrary to the rules of the Religion of Allah.

Be cautious! If you hear someone claim that it is not permissible to ask Allah for things in the absence of the Prophet or after his death, do not lend him a listening ear. Respond to him. Tell such a person about the hadith of the blind man, and the hadith of al-Bukhariyy regarding the three men who went into the cave.