Imam 'Abdullah bin Mahmud bin Mawdud al-Mawsili [al-Hanafi] (d. 683 AH) recommends seeking intercession with the Prophet ﷺ:
He stated in his
al-Ikhtiyar li Ta'lil al-Mukhtar 1/176 (= major accepted Fiqh book of the Ahnaf / Hanafiyya!) that one should say the following during the visitation (Ziyara) of the grave of our beloved Prophet ﷺ:
وَقَدْ قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: {
وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ إِذْ ظَلَمُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ جَاءُوكَ فَاسْتَغْفَرُوا اللَّهَ وَاسْتَغْفَرَ لَهُمُ الرَّسُولُ لَوَجَدُوا اللَّهَ تَوَّابًا رَحِيمًا} [النساء: 64]
وَقَدْ جِئْنَاكَ ظَالِمِينَ لِأَنْفُسِنَا، مُسْتَغْفِرِينَ لِذُنُوبِنَا، فَاشْفَعْ لَنَا إِلَى رَبِّكَ، وَأَسْأَلْهُ أَنْ يُمِيتَنَا عَلَى سُنَّتِكَ، وَأَنْ يَحْشُرَنَا فِي زُمْرَتِكَ، وَأَنْ يُورِدَنَا حَوْضَكَ، وَأَنْ يَسْقِيَنَا كَأْسَكَ غَيْرَ خَزَايَا وَلَا نَادِمِينَ،
الشَّفَاعَةَ الشَّفَاعَةَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، يَقُولُهَا ثَلَاثًا: {رَبَّنَا اغْفِرْ لَنَا وَلإِخْوَانِنَا الَّذِينَ سَبَقُونَا بِالإِيمَانِ} [الحشر: 10] الْآيَةَ. وَيُبَلِّغُهُ سَلَامَ مَنْ أَوْصَاهُ فَيَقُولُ:
السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ مِنْ فُلَانِ بْنِ فُلَانٍ، يَسْتَشْفِعُ بِكَ إِلَى رَبِّكِ فَاشْفَعْ لَهُ وَلِجَمِيعِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ
"
Allah ta'ala says: { If they had only, when they were unjust to themselves, come unto thee and asked Allah's forgiveness, and the Messenger had asked forgiveness for them, they would have found Allah indeed Oft-returning, Most Merciful } [4:64].
So we've come to you, having wronged ourselves and asking [Allah] for forgiveness regarding our sins, so intercede for us to your Lord and ask Him that He lets us die upon your Sunna, and that He gathers us [on the day of reckoning] among your group, and allows us to get to your pond and drink from your cup without disgrace or regret.
Intercession intercession, o Messenger of Allah (al-Shafa'a al-Shafa'a, ya Rasulallah) - he (the visitor) should say this thrice -, { “Our Lord, forgive us and those of our brothers who preceded us in faith” } [59:10] [till the end of] the Aya.
[Then] he should deliver the greeting of those who have told him to do so by saying: 'Peace be upon you, o Messenger of Allah, from Fulan bin Fulan, he seeks intercession through you unto your Lord, so intercede for him and for all believers'."
- end of quote -
It should be noted that the above is supported by the Ahnaf in general (go and read any major Hanafi Fiqh book!) such that it can be found in their important works like Fath al-Qadir 3/181 (by Imam Ibn al-Humam al-Hanafi (d. 861 AH)), al-Fatawa al-Hindiyya 1/266 (by a number of Hanafi authors) and other than it.
It should be also noted that some ignorant, misinformed or dishonest people in our time will quote some of the Hanafi scholars, who stated that one should not ask Allah ta'ala "
by the right of so and so upon you", and then these people claim that this means that these Ahnaf disallowed Tawassul. The reality is that some of their scholars only disliked this wording (!), because they stated that no one has an absolute right upon the Creator (and NOT in order to disallow Tawassul).
And among those who have mentioned this very reasoning for disliking it - while clearly supporting seeking intercession with the Prophet ﷺ is Imam Ibn Mawdud al-Mawsili himself in the very same book quoted above (see
al-Ikhtiyar li Ta'lil al-Mukhtar 4/164: "قَالَ: (وَيُكْرَهُ أَنْ يَدْعُوَ اللَّهَ إِلَّا بِهِ) ؛ فَلَا يَقُولُ أَسْأَلُكَ بِفُلَانٍ أَوْ بِمَلَائِكَتِكَ أَوْ بِأَنْبِيَائِكَ وَنَحْوِ ذَلِكَ
لِأَنَّهُ لَا حَقَّ لِلْمَخْلُوقِ عَلَى الْخَالِقِ").
