How can one beseech Allah by mentioning one’s vulnerable situation?

Tawassul or beseeching Allah, may be done by virtue of His names and attributes; or by virtue of one’s righteous deeds, such as the supplicant saying: “O Allah, I ask of You by virtue of the fact that You are Allah, there is no god worthy of worship except You, the One, the Eternal Refuge,” or, “O Allah, I ask You by virtue of Your knowledge and Your mercy,” or, “O Allah, I ask of You by virtue of my love for You and my love for Your Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him).”

This tawassul is proven in the sahih Sunnah.

See the answers to questions no. 979 and 3297 .

Another type of tawassul that is prescribed is to beseech Allah by virtue of your need for Him, as Allah, may He be exalted, tells us that His Prophet Ayyub (peace be upon him) said (interpretation of the meaning): {Indeed, adversity has touched me, and you are the Most Merciful of the merciful} [al-Anbiya’ 21:83], or by virtue of your admitting your wrongdoing and your need for Allah, as He, may He be exalted, tells us that His Prophet Yunus (peace be upon him) said (interpretation of the meaning): {There is no god worthy of worship except You; exalted are You. Indeed, I have been of the wrongdoers} [Al-Anbiya’ 21:87].

If what is meant is beseeching Allah by virtue of your difficult situation, this is mentioning your need for Allah, and there is nothing wrong with that, because expressing your poverty, need and humility is one of the means of having your supplication answered, as Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning): {Call upon your Lord in humility and privately; indeed, He does not like transgressors} [Al-A‘raf 7:55].

Humility means humbling oneself and submitting. See: Zad al-Masir (2/129).

Mentioning one’s difficult situation and vulnerability comes under the heading of complaining, and complaining to Allah is prescribed in Islamic teachings and is not contrary to patience. If it comes in the context of supplication, it is good because it is expressing vulnerability and humility.

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Complaining to Allah is not contrary to patience, as noted above regarding the complaint of Ya‘qub to Allah, even though he said (interpretation of the meaning): {so patience is most fitting} [Yusuf 12:18].

As for telling other people about one’s difficult situation, if that is for the purpose of seeking advice or help, or seeking assistance to remove the harm, that is not contrary to patience, such as a patient complaining to a doctor about his problem, or one who has been wronged telling someone who could help and support him, or one who is going through trials complaining to someone who he hopes could relieve him of his troubles. When the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) visited the sick person he would ask him about his condition and would say: How are you? He asked that in order to find out about him and how he was doing."(‘Iddat as-Sabirin, p. 271).

So there is nothing wrong with a person complaining to his Lord, telling him about his situation and vulnerability and what he is feeling, then following that with expression of his humility and need by asking his Lord to relieve him of distress and meet his need. So telling Him about your difficult situation and vulnerability is a means of beseeching Him before offering supplication, whether that is done in the prayer or otherwise.

There is a hadith which mentions complaining about one’s situation by saying, “O Allah, to You I complain about my lack of strength, lack of resources and people’s careless attitude towards me…”, but its isnad is not sahih.

And Allah knows best.