Salaam!

September 10th: Chapter 12 - Permissible Acts of Du'a

(Today is a very special day cos..I became the proud aunty of another baby boooy! )

There are certain acts that people might presume are prohibited, but are in fact allowed. Some of these are listed below.

1. To Pray for a Person without Praying for One's Self

This is permissible since the prophet(saw) prayed for a number of Companions without making du'a for himself

2. To Wish for Death in Severe Circumstances

The proof for this is the following hadith. Anas ibn Malik reported that the prophet(saw) said: None of you should wish for death due to any calamity that has befallen him. If he has no choice but to wish for death, then let him say 'O Allah! Grant me life as long as life is better for me, and take me away (in death) whenever death is better for me!'"

Thus it is permissible, under extreme circumstances, to wish for death.

Imam al-Bukhari, due to the many difficulties that he encountered from people who were jealous of him, wished for death towards the end of his life, and made this du'a, after which Allah granted him his desire.

3. To Pray For and Against Non-Muslims

The prayer for non-muslims can only be when they are alive, for after they are dead, Allah has prohibited us from praying for them. The Quran says

"It is not proper for the prophet and those who believe to ask Allah's forgiveness for the pagans after it has become clear to them that they are the dwellers of the Hell-fire."

During their lifetimes however, it is permissible to pray that Allah guide them to islam.

4. To Request a Pious Person to Perform a Du'a

Chapter 13 - Tawassul

Tawassul, in islamic terms means to come closer to Allah through manners prescribed by the Quran and sunnah.

In regards to du'as, tawassul is a means of having one's du'a accepted as discussed previously.

1. Tawassul through Allah's Names and Attributes

In a hadith the prophet(saw) said "....I ask you by You by every Name which is Yours with which You named Yourself (regardless of whether) You have taught it to anyone from Your creation, or sent it down in Your Book, or have kept it to Yourself in the knowledge of the Hidden with You, that You make teh Quran the spring of my heart, the light of my chest, the removal of my sadness and of my anxiety!" then Allah will remove his anxiety and sorrow and replace it with joy.

2. Tawassul by Mentioning Allah's Favours

So for example, a person might say "O Allah! You have guided me to islam, and placed in me a love for knowledge,a nd its people! O Allah! Cause me to increase in this knowledge, and cause me to be amongst the righteous scholars!"

3. Tawassul by Mentioning One's State

So to mention to Allah the dire circumstances that one is in, and the desperate need that one has for His Mercy and Blessings.

4. Tawassul Through Good Deeds

So one can say "O Allah! Because of the charity that I gave to so-and-so, out of pleasing You.." or "O Allah! Because of my love for Your religion and love for You and Your prophet.." grant me my du'a.

The Quran is replete with this type of tawassul. In one verse the believers are described as: " Those that say: 'O Allah! We have believed, so forgive us our sins, and save us from the Fire of Hell!'" - Surah Al-Imran

In the above du'a, tawassul is sought because of one's iman in Allah and His religion, and there is no doubt that the greatest good deed that a person can use is his iman in Allah

This is a great incentive for one to do deeds purely for the sake of Allah, so that one may use them as a means of tawassul when one is in dire need of a du'a being answered.

5. Tawassul through Mentioning the Effect of the Du'a

Tawassul can also be made by attaching the response of the du'a to a good deed or benefit. So for example, a person can say "O Allah! I ask you to increase me in knowledge , so that I may teach my family and relatives" or "O Allah! Increase my wealth so that I can spend it in your way!"

Similarly, Ibrahim (as) asked Allah to bless his family (when he left them in a barren valley) with fruits and cause a community of people to live with them, so that they could establish prayer and give thanks to Allah.

6. Tawassul by Asking a Living Person to Make Du'a

Especially if you feel that such a person is a true and righteous person, e.g. a scholar, but it is better to not do so for personal du'as (This is in contrast to du'as that are related to the benefit of the entire ummah).

For the following reasons:

1) The general rule is that the person should pray for himself. Just like he does his other acts of worship, and takes care of his own affairs, so too should he make his own du'a.

2) Asking others is a type of request that is done to others than Allah and shows a need or poverty that a person feels towards mankind.

3) There is no one that will feel more sincerity than the one making the du'a for himself and his loved ones. It cannot be expected that a friend etc. will feel the same emotions and sincerity that the person himself is feeling. Yet it is these very emotions that are the cause of any du'a being accepted.

4) This act leads many people to leave du'a themselves as they rely on others to make du'a for them.

5) It might lead to arrogance on the part of the person being asked. For it is possible that he will feel that he is holy and pious and hence why people come to him to ask him to make du'a for them.

6) It has not been reported that any of the major Companions ever asked the prophet(saw) to make du'a for them, unless it was a matter that would benefit all of the muslims

These types of tawassul mentioned above are the only types sanctioned by the Quran and sunnah. So if a person does tawassul by any other means, he will either fall into shirk or bid'ah.

The most common type of tawassul that is done in our times, and yet is not sanctioned by the Quran and sunnah is tawassul through the status of the prophet(saw)

We should not raise the prophet(saw) above the level that Allah Himself chose for His prophet, and that the
prophet(saw) himself was content with

Tawassul through the prophet can be divided into 3 categories:

1) Through one's love for the prophet(saw) which comes under tawassul through one's good deeds

2) Through the prophet's du'a while he was alive. But since this isn't the case anymore, it is not possible to use this type of tawassul

3) Through the status of the prophet(saw) which has not been mentioned in the Quran or sunnah. Therefore this is a dangerous innovation into the religion of islam.