The Ruling on Seeking Nearness to Allah (Tawassul), Praying for Rain, Rebuking, and Taking Pride in One's Deeds

The questioner : It is said that this is correct, but it must be qualified, because this is in the interest of the entire Muslim community. And likewise, the tawassul (seeking nearness to Allah through a means) of 'Umar ibn al-Khattab. Yes. As for a righteous person seeking it for a personal benefit, yes, in that there is a display of his closeness to Allah, but there is no harm in it.

The Shaykh : In any case, if one asks another for supplication for a general benefit, there is no doubt that this is permissible, and the person is not asking for himself. For example, if you tell a person, "It is prescribed to collect money for a poor person," then your asking does no harm. Or if the prescribed matter is for the general benefit of the Muslims. However, regarding specific supplication, it is permissible for you to ask a person whose response is expected to pray for you. But Shaykh al-Islam says that in this case, one should intend by it to benefit the one being asked, not just to benefit oneself. Because if the one asked prays for you in your absence, the angel says, "Ameen, and for you the same." But if you ask for your specific personal benefit, this is something that should not be done, even though it is not forbidden. It should not be done because it involves a kind of showing off and asking for nothing else. This is a matter in which the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded.

The questioner : It is said that the repetition of the worshipper rebuking the sinner, the sinner falling into his desire, and the worshipper cutting off his desire, is the reason for its being disliked because of Satan?

The Shaykh : How? I mean, the author says.

The questioner : I mean, the dislike of the man for the sinner when the man comes upon him while he is in the midst of his sin, this is considered dislike.

The Shaykh : Yes.

The questioner : This is, for example, the reason that there were roads.

The Shaykh : Yes, but he dislikes the sins, not the rebuking of this man for the sake of Allah.

The questioner : He dislikes the worshipper repeating the rebuke upon him while he is in the midst of the desire. Is there a kind of dislike in that?

The Shaykh : I mean, he disliked the sins, not the...

The questioner : He disliked the man upon him and the reminder.

The Shaykh : And I did not show it to my grandfather, but the closest thing to what you said at the beginning is that repeating the rebuke is something a person does not like.

The questioner : Did you say that the quality of reliance (tawakkul) with the building that is being repaired, is this specific to the one being asked or general for the righteous?

The Shaykh : It is general for every righteous person. For this reason, 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) asked al-'Abbas ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib to pray for rain for them. Yes.

The questioner : First, based on the reliance we mentioned a second time, regarding the invalidation of his deed, that it invalidates the entire deed, and this is because of his pride and his invalidation of Allah. Yes. Now, someone might say that this pride is concurrent with the deed, so it must invalidate it merely by the deed. And the context of the hadith was that the invalidation occurred with this word.

The Shaykh : Perhaps this man, when the pride was in his heart, its effect did not appear. When its effect appeared, there was no sign of what was in his heart of pride. So when its effect appeared, what was in his heart became clear. Also, pride may be concurrent with the deed or may be after it. Even after the deed, a person might do the deed and then take pride in it and show off to Allah with it, and think that he has a right, as Allah the Exalted said: . Yes. But this word, "Allah will not forgive so-and-so," if said based on what he knows, based on what he knows of the rules of the Shari'ah, for example, and that this makes it likely that Allah will not forgive him due to the multitude of his deeds or his shirk (associating partners with Allah) if he is a polytheist, this was not the result. And it may also be said, as we mentioned, that attributing to Allah and having a bad opinion of Him invalidated his deed. Having a bad opinion of Him invalidated his deed.