Seeking Divine Blessing – Al-Shia The al-Shia Scientific, Cultural, and Doctrinal Website Fri, 05 Jan 2024 17:59:45 +0000 en-US Seeking Divine Blessing – Al-Shia 32 32 Seeking Blessings (Tabarruk) In Islam The Arabic term ‘Tabarruk’ is the religious practice of seeking blessing and favor from God, Almighty and sacred beings or things. In other words, In the terminology of religious texts, Tabarruk means seeking divine blessing and grace from a person or thing God has given privilege; whether a worldly blessing such as the increase of income or a blessing for the Hereafter such as the spiritual promotion. From this, it is obvious that the object of Tabarruk might be God Himself, the angels and some chosen servants of God [Awliyah] such as Prophets (PBUHH) and Imams (PBUH) or sacred things such as the Qur’an or sacred places such as Ka’aba. It is pertinent to mention that there are some similarities in the concepts and features of Tabarruk and Tawassul, particularly in those cases when through Tabarruk people seek to achieve a spiritual blessing. However, these two concepts have differences in that, the term ‘Tawassul’ is to seek the chosen servants of God to intercede on one’s behalf in order to beseech God for something but the term ‘Tabarruk’ is asking for a worldly or spiritual blessing which God has trusted some people or things with [1]. Evidence for the Permissibility of Tabarruk To establish the permissibility of Tabarruk, the proofs could be sought from the glorious Qur’an, the conduct or silent approval of the Prophet; the conduct of the pure Prophet household [], and the conduct of the companions. 1) The Holy Qur’an In the glorious Qur’an, several verses have referred to Tabarruk and we shall refer to a few of them here. For instance, verse 93 of Qur’an 12 [Surah Yusuf] discusses how Prophet Ya’qub sought Tabarruk from Yusuf’s shirt, it says: “Take this shirt of mine, and cast it upon my father’s face; he will regain his sight, and bring me all your folks.’” Based on the Qur’anic report, when Prophet Ya’qub placed the shirt on his face, he regained his sight: “When the bearer of good news arrived, he cast it on his face, and he regained his sight.” (Qur’an 12: 96). The acts of both Prophets Yusuf and Ya’qub were an indication to the permissibility of Tabarruk. First, if Tabarruk is not permissible or possible, Prophet Yusuph would not have sent the shirt, and likewise, his father would not submitted to such a request. Similarly, verse 125 of Qur’an 2 [Surah al-Baqarah] reports about the Station of Abraham [Maqām Ibrahim] on which the footprint of Abraham (PBUH) can be seen. It has been chosen as a place of worship and the people seek Tabarruk from that stone because of that footprint: “And [remember] when We made the House a place of reward for mankind and a sanctuary, [declaring], ‘Take the venue of prayer from Abraham’s Station.’ We charged Abraham and Ishmael [with its upkeep, saying], ‘Purify My House for those who go around it, [for] those who make it a retreat and [for] those who bow and prostrate.’” Therefore, seeking Tabarruk from the seat of the Prophet (PBUHH) and the place of his prayer is permissible. In a hadith, the place between the Black Stone and Abraham’s station has been introduced as the place where many Prophets of God (PBUT) have been buried and it is therefore considered a blessed place. 2) The Conduct of the Prophet (PBUHH) Apart from the glorious Qur’an, the conduct of the Prophet (PBUHH) or his silent approval is another to establish the permissibility of seeking Tabarruk. Some hadiths from the Sunni and Shi’a sources indicate that the Holy Prophet (PBUHH) used to encourage his companions to seek Tabarruk or silence when they were doing so. For instance, it is documented that on the night of Lady Fatima’s marriage, the noble Prophet (PBUHH) performed ablution and sprinkled the rest of the water of his ablution on the faces of Lady Fatima (PBUH) and ‘Ali (PBUH) and asked God to bless them and their progeny [2]. During the Battle of Khaybar when the Prophet wanted to give the flag to Imam ‘Ali (PBUH), he was told that Ali was having a severe eye problem. Then the Prophet spit on his eyes and he was healed and he (PBUH) never felt sore eyes again [3]. In another narration, it is mentioned that the Prophet (PBUHH) sprinkled the water of his ablution on a sick person and he was healed [4]. In the process of burying Fatima bint Asad, Imam ‘Ali’s mother, the Prophet (PBUHH) shrouded her with his own clothes [5] and before burying her, he laid in her grave for some moments so that the hardships of the grave become easy for her [6]. These Prophet’s actions are an indication to establish the permissibility and possibility of seeking Tabarruk in the relics of the Saints of Allah. If Tabarruk is not permissible, the Prophet (PBUHH) would not have embarked on it. 3) The Conduct of the Ahl-al-Bayt (PBUHH) The Prophet’s Household [] is the source of guidance after the Holy Prophet. Therefore, their actions are a role model to the entire Muslim Ummah. In light of this, there are several instances in history whereby the pure Prophet’s Household (peace be upon them) sought Tabarruk from the Prophet and other sacred things. For instance, it is documented that after the martyrdom of Hamza ibn Abdul-Muttalib in the Battle of Uhud, Lady Fatima al-Zahra (PBUH) made a rosary with the soil of his grave to visit his grave. Similarly, after the Prophet passed on, Lady Fatima al-Zahra (PBUH) used to visit his grave and rubbed the soil of his grave on her face [7]. In addition, seeking Tabarruk from the grave of the Prophet (PBUHH) has been reported to be practiced by the noble members of the Prophet’s household. Imam al-Hasan (PBUH) made a will to be buried beside the Prophet (s) in case it does not become a point of dispute [8]. Imam al-Husain [9]; Imam al-Sadiq [10]; Imam al-Rida [11] and Imam al-Jawad [12] have been reported to seek Tabarruk from the grave of the Prophet (PBUHH). 4) The Conduct of the and the Followers (Tāb’iūn) It is documented that the companions used to seek Tabarruk both during the lifetime of the Prophet (PBUHH) and after he passed on. Likewise, the Followers (Tāb’iūn) sought Tabarruk from him. Studying the lives of the Prophet (PBUHH) and his companions shows that early Muslims sought Tabarruk from him and what is attributed to him. For instance, during the lifetime of the Prophet (PBUHH), during the event of ‘Peace of Hudaybiyyah’, Bukhari writes: “ Whenever the Holy Prophet (PBUHH) was taking ablution, his companions used to take precedence to each other in collecting the drops of water of his ablution [13] “. In the chapter of ‘Last of the Prophets’, Bukhari narrates from Sa’ib ibn Yazid: “My aunt took me to the Holy Prophet (PBUHH) and informed him about my illness. The Holy Prophet (PBUHH) made ablution and asked Allah for blessings for me and I drank from the water of his ablution [14] ”. In the chapter on ‘The characteristics of the Prophet’, Bukhari narrates from Wahab ibn ‘Abdullah that: “People were rubbing the hands of the Holy Prophet (PBUHH) over their faces and I too took the hands of the Prophet and rubbed them over my face and his hands were more fragrant than musk [15] ”. Similarly, after the death of the Prophet (PBUHH), there are several reports of the companions seeking Tabarruk with the grave of the Prophet. For instance, The great companion Bilal who left