What is the ruling on seeking intercession from the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and abandoning seeking it to avoid suspicion? And is one who seeks intercession from the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and claims to have evidence for it, considered ignorant? And does seeking intercession through the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, have the same ruling as seeking intercession?

Seeking intercession from the Prophet, peace be upon him, in this world is considered a form of tawassul (seeking proximity to God through an intermediary), unlike seeking his intercession in the Afterlife. A person may be excused due to ignorance if he claims to have evidence, but the Messenger did not legislate for his nation the invocation of the dead or prostration to them. This is part of the shirk (definition) (polytheism) that Allah has forbidden. However, due to the prevalence of ignorance, the one who commits such an act may not be declared an unbeliever until the truth is made clear to him. Not every act of seeking intercession is major shirk; there is a detailed explanation regarding this. It is recommended to be keen on learning Tawhid (definition) (monotheism) to avoid falling into shirk.