Tazkiyyah

What is Tawassul? Linguistically, it means that which brings you closer to an object. The Arabic is tawassul (توسّل) or wasiylah (وسيلة). Islamically, it means any good deed that brings you closer to Allah (سبحانه وتعالى)–so every single good deed can be called tawassul–though scholars use it specifically to mean things that increase our chances of having our du’a accepted.

The Qur’an and Sunnah only sanction four types of tawassal (with a difference of opinion on the fifth). These are the only acceptable types of tawassul. They are:

Now that you know what barakah is, you might ask, how can one increase the barakah in his or her life? Aside from visiting the places with barakah, and making use of times with barakah, what else can you do?

The answer is very simple. If you want Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) to bless you, then do anything for the sake of Allah, upon the sunnah (methodology) of the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم).

Thus every act can become a candidate for more barakah. Even things like going to work and shopping for food–properly done, with the right intention, can become something blessed. You’ll be more productive at work. The food you buy feeds you for a longer time. And so on.

Scholars say: there are no major sins with tawbah, and there are no minor sins with repetiton.

What does that mean? The one who commits major sins and performs tawbah is forgiven; and the one who commits minor sins repeatedly is overcome by them, and they reach the level of major sins.

Ibn Mas’ud (رضي الله عنه) said: A believer treats a sin as if it is a mountain over his head that may fall on him any moment; whereas a dissolute person looks at it as a fly that hovers around his nose and he waves it away with his hand.¹

Kindness to parents is pre-emptive–you fulfill their needs and wants before they can ask, before they even know it themselves.

Kindness to parents is pre-emptive–it means you fulfill their needs before they ask. It’s not antagonistic, where they ask and ask and ask until you give in and do what they say. It’s not passive, where they have to tell you every little thing they need. It’s active, so take the initiative and do what needs to be done, in order to earn the pleasure of Allah.

Answerer: Shaykh Yasir Qadhi

A: Strive. Show interest in the deen. Come closer to Allah (سبحانه وتعالى), and He will come closer to you. There is a hadith on how to gain knowledge: ‘ilm is only gained by studying. It’s not gained by hiding in a cave and worshipping Allah (سبحانه وتعالى). Studious study is the only way to gain knowledge. Don’t sleep with your head on a book and expect knowledge to osmosize into your brain!

The Qur’an and sunnah both praise knowledge. There are many blessings of knowledge–but first, we must define, “what IS knowledge?”

The Prophet said, in one hadith: “If Allah wants to do a favor to somebody, He bestows on him, the gift of understanding the deen.” [Bukhari 9/92/415]¹ From this hadith, we know that knowledge, as defined in the Qur’an and Sunnah, refers to knowledge of Islam, and not secular knowledge (such as Chemistry or Meteorology. Which is not to say secular knowledge is not important–Muslims need it to live in a halal way).

Patience is active, not passive.

What does this mean? It mains patience doesn’t just “happen”. You must strive for it. You have to actively remind yourself and make yourself patient.

Also, remember that Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) tests you with what you are not patient with. If He (سبحانه وتعالى) tested you with things you already succeed at, how could you ever learn and grow?

For a classic example of patience, consult Surah Yusuf. In Yusuf (عليه سلام) is an excellent, excellent example of patience. Every test becomes increasingly more intense, and yet, you see Yusuf (عليه سلام) bearing with patience, through to the end. (I suggest you read it with tafseer from tafsir.com.)

Continuing our discussion of barakah, you might ask “what times has Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) blessed with barakah?”

There are six blessed times:

1. Ramadan: The month of Ramadan, in general, is blessed. Also, the night of Laylatul-Qadr is specifically also very blessed. These are ideal times to worship Allah (سبحانه وتعالى), because the reward is greater. The last ten nights of Ramadan are the most blessed nights of the year–more then the days of Dhul Hijjah.
2. Ten Days of Dhul Hijjah: The first ten days of Dhul Hijjah are the most blessed days of the year–more then the days of Ramadan.
3. Sacred Months: These are the months of Dhul Qa’dah, Dhul Hijjah, Muharram, and Rajab. Allah has forbidden any kind of agressive hostilities against enemy nations in these months (this applies to Islamic state when it comes into existance inshaAllah). For details, consult tafseer of Surah Tawbah inshaAllah.
4. Friday: Friday, the day of jum’ah, is also blessed: in one hadith, the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said: On Friday, Adam (عليه سلام) was created; on Friday, he was expelled from Paradise; on Friday, the trumpet for the day of resurrection will be blown; and on Friday, the people will resurrect. [Muslim]¹.
5. Last Third of Each Night: In another hadith, the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said: “Our Lord, the Blessed and Exalted, descends every night to the heaven of this world when the last third of the night is still to come and says, ‘Who will call on Me so that I may answer him? Who will ask Me so that I may give him? Who will ask forgiveness of Me so that I may forgive him?’” [Bukhari]²
6. Early Each Morning: The Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) made du’a for Allah to bless the early mornings for the Muslim ummah. (You’ll notice your productivity increases sharply in the morning. Memorizing Qur’an is also easy in the morning. Subhanallah.)

Make use of the blessed times, and perform good deeds in them. And remember, a morning lost is a morning lost (same for a month, or a Friday)–once that time has gone by, it’ll never return.

Continuing our discussion of barakah, you might ask “what places has Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) blessed with barakah?”

To start, the three blessed massajid:

1. The Ka’bah: it is the most blessed place on the Earth, more-so then the surrounding holy sites.
2. Medina: The city is blessed with barakah, and also, masjid an-nabawi has been blessed with barakah.
3. Masjid al-Aqsa: the masjid, located in Jerusalem, in blessed, as well as the surrounding area of Sham in general.

How do we know Allah put barakah in these places? Because of the hadith of the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) where he said: “Do not set out on a journey except for three Mosques i.e. Al-Masjid-AI-Haram, Masjid an-Nabawi, and the Masjid of Al-Aqsa.” [Bukhari]¹

In the first hadith in Sahih Bukhari, the messenger of Allah (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said: “The reward of deeds depends upon the intentions and every person will get the reward according to what he intended. So whoever emigrated for worldly benefits or for a woman to marry, his emigration was for what he emigrated for.”¹ The majority scholarly opinion is that this hadith applies to all actions, natural or religious (read more about the distinction here).