Presenting and Criticizing Salafists' Analytical Argument on the Polytheistic Nature of Seeking Help in other than Allah

Beseeching for help and invoking anyone than Allah was considered a polytheistic act by Ibn Taymiyyah in the eighth century. It has ever since turned into one of the most contentious issues between Salafists on the one hand and Muslims on the other. Referring to some Quranic verses and what it calls consensus of the Muslim Ummah, the former believe that seeking help from anyone other than Allah takes one out of the fold of Islam. Since it considers this act to be polytheistic in nature, it has been forced to present an analytical argument also to substantiate its claim. In this argument, it has been claimed that seeking help in other than Allah involves ascribing particular qualities and attributes of God to His servants and thus likening them to God which is a polytheistic act. The truth of the matter is that even divine prophets sought help in other Allah, not to mention the fact that based on the Quran and prophetic tradition which the Salafists also accept, the qualities which this group claims to belong to Allah are not prerogatives of Allah and that God's servants can also acquire them.