Is the saying attributed to Imam Ahmad, "Turn your face towards the Qiblah and ask Allah for your need, interceding with Him through His Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and it will be granted by Allah, the Mighty and Majestic," authentic in its attribution to him, and is it understood from it that he supported intercession through the Prophet and his status?

What was attributed to Imam Ahmad regarding the manner of greeting the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, was mentioned by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, who quoted it from al-Marwazi's Manasik. Ahmad stated the necessity of facing the Qiblah when greeting the Prophet and his two companions, Abu Bakr and Umar, and not facing the wall. Then, the servant should ask Allah for his needs, interceding through His Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. As for seeking intercession through the Prophet's status (Jah), it is one of the subsidiary issues upon which scholars have differed, and it is a permissible difference of opinion. The view of its permissibility is one of the two narrations from Imam Ahmad.