The Salaf approve Seeking blessings from our Prophet

It was confirmed in al-Bukhariy that the companions seeked blessings from the Prophet’s hair, clothes, and traces like his minbar. Imam Ahmad was asked about touching and kissing the minbar of the
Prophet for the blessing and about seeking the blessing by visiting the
grave of the Prophet. He responded by saying: “This matter is not
prohibited,” as was narrated by ^Abdullah, the son of Imam Ahmad, in
his book titled Al-^Ilal wa Ma^rifat ur-Rijal.

Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. May Allah raise the rank of our master Muhammad and his Al and Companions and protect his nation from that which he fears for it. Thereafter:

Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal who’s among the salaf was asked about touching and kissing the minbar of the Prophet for the blessing and about seeking the blessing by visiting the grave of the Prophet. He responded by saying: “This matter is not prohibited,” as was narrated by ^Abdullah, the son of Imam Ahmad, in his book titled Al-^Ilal wa Ma^rifat ur-Rijal. Imam Ahmad also said it was a liked thing to make tawassul by the Prophet when there is drought. Furthermore, Imam Ahmad said that blessings would descend on those present in a session when the name of Safwan Ibn Sulaym (Safwan Ibn Sulaym was a pious man at the time of the salaf.) was mentioned. How can Ibn Taymiyah and his followers claim to follow the school of Imam Ahmad? Imam Ahmad is in one valley and they are in another valley altogether.

Sufficient in proving the permissibility of seeking blessings by the traces of the Prophet is the narration of al-Bayhaqiyy in his book Dala’il an-Nubuwwah. He narrated, with a sahih (A Sahihhadith is one of the two types of hadith that can be relied upon in deducing judgments. The other type is the hasan hadith.) chain that Khalid Ibn al-Walid lost a headgear (qalansuwah) he wore during the Battle of al-Yarmuk. He asked the people to help him find it and they searched repeatedly until it was found. They saw it was a very old qalansuwah and thought it strange that Khalid Ibn al-Walid was so insistent on finding it. Khalid Ibn al-Walid told them: “The Prophet performed ^Umrah and then shaved his head. I rushed with the people to get some of his hair. I got some of the hair from the front part of his head which I put in this qalansuwah. Every time I went into battle with this qalanswuwah, Allah gave me victory.”

Khalid Ibn Walid, was a great Companion who sought the blessings from the Prophet’s hair–hoping by this Allah would give him victory in his battles. He was a great, brave hero, and he never lost a battle after that. Before the battle of Yarmuk, a Roman leader named Georgeah asked Khalid Ibn al-Walid: “Did Allah descend a sword from the heaven on your Prophet who gave it to you such that every time you fight, you win? Is that why they call you ‘The Sword of Allah’?” At that, Khalid Ibn al-Walid informed him about Islam. Georgeah asked: “What does one get when one embraces your Religion?” Khalid Ibn al-Walid told him: “He becomes one of us, and Allah forgives all his sins.” Then Georgeah asked: “What does one do to embrace your Religion?” and Khalid Ibn al-Walid taught him the Testification of Faith (two shahadas.) Georgeah uttered the Testification of Faith, went and made ghusl, performed two rak^ah and then stood with the Muslim army. He fought in that battle until he died–and he died as a martyr.

The aforementioned stand as a few of many documented proofs showing that the Prophet, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam, taught there is a benefit in seeking blessings (barakah) from the traces of the Prophets and the righteously pious Muslims and in asking Allah for things by them. Also, it shows this is the methodology of the Companions, their followers, and those after them among the People of Knowledge, until our present times. Hence, those who claim what is opposite to that are definitely not on their path and are following other than their methodology.

We ask Allah humbly to guide us to the right path and to let us die as pious Muslims.

Allah knows best.