Imam Ahmad bin hanbal and others narrated that the messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: whoever says when going to the Masjid:

دعاء الخروج إلى المسجد

روى أحمد وغيرهُ عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم أنه قال: "من قال إذا خرج إلى المسجد:

اللهم إني أسألك بحق السائلين عليك وبحق ممشاي هذا فإني لم أخرج أشَرًا ولا بَطَرًا ولا رِياءً ولا سُمْعةً، خرجتُ اتقاء سخطِكَ وابتِغاء مَرضاتِك فأسألك أن تنقذني من النار وتغفر لي ذنوبي إنه لا يغفر الذنوب إلا أنت،

أقبل الله عليه بوجهه _ أي رضي الله عنه _ واستغفرَ له سبعون ألف ملك . اهـ

"O Allah, I ask you (Bihaqis-Sa'ileen) by the virtue of those who ask you in supplication, and by the virtue of this noble walk, I did not come out out of arrogance, or insincerety, nor seeking the praise of the people, I came out to avoid your disobedience and to seek your acceptance (Rida) for me, so I ask you to save me from hellfire and to forgive my sins, no one forgives the sins except You, then Allah will accept and reward the one who says this du^a' and 70,000 Angels will do istighfar for him (asking Allah for forgiveness).

* In this Du^a' the Prophet taught us to supplicate to Allah, and do Tawassul by Asking Allah (Bihaqis-Sa'ileen) by the virtue of the pious ones who supplicate, and by the virtue of the good deeds, so this is a proof that tawassul by the Prophet, the pious ones, or by one's good deeds is permissible in Islam and not shirk, because nothing happens except by the will and power of Allah, the one who created everything, He created the good and the bad, the illness and the cure, the reasons and the results. Allah does not need anything, He does not resemble any of His creations, He exists without a place.

In the end, we ask Allah to make us amongst those who occupy their times with acts of obedience, Amin.