['Aalim Network QR] Tawassul and Tabaruk (II)

[Mustafa Rawji <mrawji@sciborg.uwaterloo.ca>]

________________________________________________________________________
|                          w           w     w                          |\
|                           ||          ||   | ||                       |\
|                    o_,_7 _||  . _o_7 _|| 4_|_||  o_w_,                |\
|                   ( :   /    (_)    /           (   .                 |\
|                                                                       |\
|           ||  ||         |  ||   |T              |     | ||    |      |\
|   . _, _8 |_D_|| . _,_,_,_D_|| 4_|| q ]_o_7_o   _|_c 4_|_||   _|,_p q |\
|  (_): /         (_): . :            /        (_S           (_S      / |\
|                                                                       |\
|       In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the All-Merciful       |\
|  Greeting of Allah be upon Muhammad and the pure members of his House |\
|_______________________________________________________________________|\

Salamun alaykum,

	Following a request to define the terms TAWASSUL and TABARUK, Br.
Mohammad Soleiman-Peneh has defined these terms and suggested a couple of
references for further reading. 

Wasalaam,

Mustafa Rawji


QUESTION:

	I have just read the question/answer that the learned Brother,
Mohammed Solaiman-Peneh had just posted, and I find myself in a state of
confusion.  All of the details and quotes from the Qur'an are helpful and
enhances the response.  In considering shirk, Brother Mohammed answered
the latter question, but never seemed to answer exactly what Tawassul and
Tabaruk are.  I am sure that I am not the only one who does not know. 



ANSWER:

			Besmehi Ta'ala
Assalamu Alaykum. 

	This is a very brief response due to the nature of this medium of 
communication and I trust the readers would put enough intellectual 
efforts into further development of what is suggested here. 

	As to the meaning of the word TAWASSUL, it literaly means "seeking
or using a means or meditator for approaching and acquiring and end". The
TABARUK means "seeking blessing". 

	The critique of Tawassul and Tabaruk argue that it is shirk for you to
use any means or mediator except Allah (SWT) Himself for approaching Him
and receiving his blessing. In my response, I tried to demonstrate that
this critique is based on a childish notion of Tawhid and the holy Qur'an
itself encourages the correct way of Tawassul and Tabaruk. The case of
TABARUK was illustrated by the example of Hz. Yousfus shirt giving sight
to his father Hz. Yaghub. As for the TAWASSUL, I do not remember if I went
into detail discussion or not , however I will add a few points here. 

	We read in the holy Quran that " Believers, have fear of God and
seek the medidator to him " (5:35). Or we read that Allah (SWT) tells his
holy prophet "you ask for God's forgiveness on their behalf" (24:62), or
we see Hz. Yousuf brothers coming to their father and asking him " O,
Father! Ask for God's forgiveness on our behalf we were wrong-doers" and
their father says " Soon I shall ask forgiveness for you" (12:96). In
light of this approach we can define TAWASSUL as "an attempt on the part of a
believer (please note that I am saying a believer) to approach God and seek
his blessing by approaching a mediators whose status and respect before
God is viewed to be very high." 

	The question remains why not directly? The answer is very simple.
First of all he who thinks other being are realy independent and separate
from Allah (SWT) is the real Mushrik. Secondly the universe is a universe
of a network of relationships, God according to his supreme wisdom has
put some effects in some relationships and certain others in other
relationships. It is for our own benefit that God wants us to associate
and socialize ourselves with His true servant, therefore he puts a certain
type of blessing in those people and through their association we recieve
those blessings. Again I realize this extremely brief, but there is no
other choice, so I urge my respected readers to take up the challenges
themselves and develop this further.

	I know of no specific book available in English which may be
useful Except Imam Khomeini's "Kashf-u-l Asrar" if available, and the Shia
Encyclopedia under Shif'a. 


With Regards

Mohammad