Invoking anything besides Allaah in prayer is Shirk
30-4-2015 | IslamWeb
Question:
AslamualakuumI asked this question before but you reffered me to anothe fatwa that didnt answer it.some people say they call upon Jesus, Prophet Muhammad, big schollars, this person and that person, and they say that there duas get accepted. What is this, is it jinn, is it Allah misguding them. My brohter said to me that he read that Ibn taymiah wrote about this, he said somoe body was in trouble and called upon him (ibn taumiah), and he was saved, ibn taymiah then states that he didnt hear his call neither did he help him, he said it was the jinn playing with the person as he done shirk. Please can you explain and expand on this.
Answer:
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.
Allaah The Almighty is the Lord of the Worlds and the heavens and earth are in His control. All goodness is in His hands, and no creature, no matter how great, is without need of Him and His help. Allaah says addressing the best of His creatures, the Prophet Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, (what means): {Say, "Indeed, I do not possess for you (the power of) harm or right direction. Say, "Indeed, there will never protect me from Allaah anyone (if I should disobey), nor will I find in other than Him a refuge.} [Quran 72: 21-22]
If this was the case with the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, then how would the case be with other creatures! It is strange that people ask other poor people who are in need of Allaah The Almighty about matters that only Allaah is capable of, and they do not ask Allaah who is The Rich and The Generous. This is indeed ignorance and foolishness. For more benefit, please refer to Fataawa 7775 and 156805.
These people who invoke anything besides Allaah in prayer might be being gradually drawn in to destruction and their supplications might be answered as a test for them, and this may increase the misguidance of some people. Indeed, such an act is Shirk (associating partners with Allaah) and an innovation, and the fact that their supplication is answered in those instances does not render such an act permissible.
Ibn Taymiyyah 
himself related what happened concerning him to explain how the devils misguide people in this regard. He said in Majmoo‘ Al-Fataawa: “Many people I know related to me that they sought my rescue and they saw me in the air and I came to them and removed them from their difficulties… I said to them that I did not know what happened whatsoever, and I swore to them on that so that they would not think that I hid that from them as marvels (of Awliyaa') used to be hidden, and I know that what they did is not permissible; rather, it is Shirk and innovation.” [End of quote]
It is important to mention here the importance of reading the book Al-Furqaan bayna Awliyaa’ Ar-Rahmaan wa Awliyaa’ Ash-Shaytaan (The distinction between the allies of the Beneficent (Allaah) and the allies of Satan), authored by Shaykh Al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah .
Allaah Knows best.