Call out and trust in Allah alone

[Intellectual Resistance]

Disclaimer: This is not a discussion about 'Ya Ali Madad' and whether it is shirk or impermissible. This is about best practise.

 

Imam Ali a.s  , Advise to Imam Hassan a.s : "Do not seek help or protection from anybody but Allah. Reserve your prayers, your requests, your solicitations, your supplications, and your entreaties to Him and Him alone because to grant, to give, to confer and to bestow, as well as to withhold, to deprive, to refuse, and to debar, lies only in His Power. Ask as much of His Blessings and seek as much of His Guidance as you can."

 Letter 31 Nahjul Balagah

http://www.nahjulbalagha.org/Nahjul-Balagha-Letters/nahjul-balagha-letter-31.html
 

Imam Ali (as) has said: "Pleading before Allah for help is the key to success and the  input for one's well being. The best prayer is what comes out of  a clean chest and pious heart. In pleading before Allah for help  there is the means for salvation, in sincerity there is freedom and  when distress intensifies, Allah is the only One before Whom  one must implore for protection."  [al-Kafi]

 

"Amir al-Mu'minin, Ali ibn abu Talib (as) has said, :'The most beloved of deeds before  Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, on earth is pleading  before Him for help and the best worship is chastity.' The Imam  said, 'Amir al-Mu'minin, Ali ibn abu Talib, recipient of divine  supreme covenant, was a very prayerful man.' [al-Kafi, Volume 2]

 

 

The best means of seeking Waseelah is begging Allah for help

Waseelah: "O you who have believed, fear Allah and seek the means [of nearness] to Him and strive in His cause that you may succeed."[5:35]

Imam Jaffer as Sadiq (as) said has said: 'You must plead before Allah for help; you cannot seek  nearness to Allah by any means better than pleading before Him  for help. Do not leave your small needs without pleading before  Allah for help, just because they are small; both small and large  needs are in the hands of One and the same One.'"  [al-Kafi, Volume 2]

Allah is the best one to plead to 

"Once I said to Imam Jaffer as Sadiq (as):  'Sustenance has been delayed.' He became angry and  then told me to say, 'O Lord, You have undertaken to provide  me sustenance and the sustenance of every walking being, O the  best to beg from, O the best provider, O the best to plead to, O  the best hope, do for me so and so' . . . mention your wish in  place of ellipsis.'"  [al-Kafi, Volume 2]

Imam Muhammed al-Baqir (as) has said: ""When pleading for sustenance in the obligatory prayer during  prostration say, 'O the best to plead to, O the best provider, grant  me and my family sustenance from Your vast munificence; You  are the Great, the Generous.'"   [al-Kafi, Volume 2]

 

What should we cry out in times of fear and in need? (all from al-Kafi)

Imam Jaffer as Sadiq has said: "Whoever says, 'O Allah, ten times, it will be said to him,  ' Labbayka ' (your call for help is well heard and noted). What  kind of help do you need?"'  [saheeh]

Imam Jaffer as Sadiq has said: "Whoever says ten times, 'O Lord.' It will be said to him,  "Your call for help is well heard and noted. What kind of help  do you need?'" [Saheeh]

"When you are afraid of something say, ‘O Lord, no one is an alternative for You and You are the alternative for everyone of Your creatures, suffice me in such and such matters.’” (Muwathaq)

Imam Jaffer as Sadiq (as) has said: ""If one suffers from a misfortune, a hardship, or something  causes him pain he should uncover his knees, and elbows and  touch the ground with his chest then plead before Allah for help,  in a prostrating position.'"  

"The Messenger of Allah has said, 'Whoever suffers from  sorrow, pain, misfortune or poverty should say, "Allah is My  Lord and I do not associate any partner with Him, I place my  trust in the Living One who does not die.'"

"And to Allah belong the best names, so invoke Him by them" [7:180]

 

How the Aimmah responded when people complained for their needs

We don't find any instances whereby any of the companions of the Prophet or Aimmah asked them to directly grant them health, children or the like. Whenever people cam to ask the Prophet and Aimmah to pray to Allah on their behalf, many a time the Prophet and Aimmah gave them Duas in order to refer directly to Allah, the Almighty.

What did Imam Ridha (as) say to a man who came to him to ask him to pray to Allah , the Almighty for sustenance?

Once I said to al-Rida (as) : 'May Allah keep my soul in service for your cause. Pray to  Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, to grant me lawful  sustenance.' The Imam said, 'Do you know what lawful  sustenance is?' I said, 'That which we earn and is pure.' The  Imam said that Ali ibn al-Husayn, recipient of divine supreme  covenant, would say, 'Lawful sustenance is the sustenance of the  chosen ones.' The Imam then instructed me to say, 'I plead  before You for Your vast sustenance.'"  [al-Kafi, Volume 2]

The Imam, nauzubillah, was not telling him to plead to himself for sustenance, rather in saying 'I plead to you' he means Allah, the Almighty. As you can see, no-one of the companions of the Imams ever directly asked them for sustenance, they asked them to pray to Allah, and the Imams would often just give them supplications to directly address Allah himself. 

Imam Jaffer as-Sadiq (as) has said: ""When you are afraid of something say, 'O Lord, no one is an  alternative for You and You are the alternative for everyone of  Your creatures, suffice me in such and such matters.'"  [al-Kafi, Volume 2]

"Once a man came to the Holy Prophet and said, 'O Prophet of  Allah, debts and insinuation of the chest (mind) have overcome  me.' The Holy Prophet told him to say, 'I place my trust in  Allah, the Living, Who does not die, all praise belongs to Allah,  Who has not taken any companions, or children. Who has no  partner in His kingdom or supporter against defeat, and you  must say that Allah is greater than can be described. '   "The Imam said that he thereafter passed by the Holy Prophet  who asked him how was he doing. He replied, 'I continued  practicing what you had preached, O the Messenger of Allah,  Allah enabled me to pay my debts and removed the insinuation  from my chest.'"  [al-Kafi, Volume 2]

[Intellectual Resistance]

"When you want to get up you say Ya Allah!"

"When you want to rest and sit down you should say Ya Allah!"

"When you want to attempt to climb anything say Ya Allah!"

"When you want to help your children learn to ride anything you cry out Ya Allah!"

"When your mother is giving birth to you in hospital , she would naturally cry out Ya Allah!"

Why? Because every single Prophet, Imam, and individual of any wisdom including even the Zindiq Atheists when faced with an impending calamity by their Fitrah put their trust in Allah , the lord of the universe.

O those who possess intellect and reasoning! Let no-one dare tell you or ward you away from trusting in or calling on your creator.!

[Intellectual Resistance]

Dua is among the best forms of worship. It is essential because it builds the connection between we, the slaves, to our creator. Allah could grant us what we want, but the vocalisation and the vivid feelings of the emotions and sincerity we feel during the constant calling out to, and ultimate trust and reliance on our creator in and of itself creates in us that existential capacity to receive divine blessings and build our link with our creator. 

Allah is the best one you can plead to.

Allah is the first one you should ever think about pleading to.

Allah is the one the Prophet and Aimmah pleaded to.

Cry out to Allah! Cry out and call on him by his beautiful names! 

Sufficient for me is Allah, and sufficient for me are the reliable ways, means, and supplications passed down to be by Muhammed and his purified progeny (asws).

Ya Allah ! 

[MohammadAli1993]

Don't forget Dua Tawasul

[Sirius_Bright]

2 hours ago, Intellectual Resistance said:

When you want to get up you say Ya Allah!"

"When you want to rest and sit down you should say Ya Allah!" 

"When you want to attempt to climb anything say Ya Allah!" 

"When you want to help your children learn to ride anything you cry out Ya Allah!" 

"When your mother is giving birth to you in hospital , she would naturally cry out Ya Allah!"

I automatically read 'Ya Ali!' for all these. We should seek our hajaat with best means. 

Surah Al-Maeda, Verse 35:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَابْتَغُوا إِلَيْهِ الْوَسِيلَةَ وَجَاهِدُوا فِي سَبِيلِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ

O you who believe! be careful of (your duty to) Allah and seek means of nearness to Him and strive hard in His way that you may be successful.
(English - Shakir)

[Intellectual Resistance]

19 minutes ago, Sirius_Bright said:

I automatically read 'Ya Ali!' for all these. We should seek our hajaat with best means. 

Surah Al-Maeda, Verse 35:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَابْتَغُوا إِلَيْهِ الْوَسِيلَةَ وَجَاهِدُوا فِي سَبِيلِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ

O you who believe! be careful of (your duty to) Allah and seek means of nearness to Him and strive hard in His way that you may be successful.
(English - Shakir)

SubhanAllah.

I on the other hand, read 'Ya Allah', who is the lord Ali (as) himself cried out to for all of these and commanded me to cry out to. In times of need, in times of joy, in times of fear, in times of sadness, the first name that should leave your lips should be the creator of the universe. The one upon whom you rely on to even exist. The one who has bestowed on you the ability to even call out to him.

As for seeking a means of nearness:

Imam Jaffer as Sadiq (as) said has said: 'You must plead before Allah for help; you cannot seek  nearness to Allah by any means better than pleading before Him  for help. Do not leave your small needs without pleading before  Allah for help, just because they are small; both small and large  needs are in the hands of One and the same One.'"  [al-Kafi, Volume 2]

Edited June 7, 2018 by Intellectual Resistance

[Soldiers and Saffron]

Its hard for me to relate to the magnitude of Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى. Its easier for me in my day to day problems as a human to relate to the humans sent by Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى, when I think of hardships I say no day like your day Ya Aba Abdilllah! Ya Hussein! When I think of strength and showing strength I say Ya Ali! or Ya Abalfazl! Me calling their names makes me remember them and their hardships and that inspires me because they were also humans like me.

[Intellectual Resistance]

4 minutes ago, IbnSina said:

Its hard for me to relate to the magnitude of Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى. Its easier for me in my day to day problems as a human to relate to the humans sent by Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى, when I think of hardships I say no day like your day Ya Aba Abdilllah! Ya Hussein! When I think of strength and showing strength I say Ya Ali! or Ya Abalfazl! Me calling their names makes me remember them and their hardships and that inspires me because they were also humans like me.

I can understand where you are coming from, but no matter how great Allah is, the Prophet and Imams, and actually Allah himself have made it Wajib to beg Allah, talk to Allah, call on Allah, supplicate to him with beautiful words. I actually talk to Allah about all of my problems. I talk to him about my life more than i talk to anyone else. The beauty is, despite his infinite greatness, he has love , mercy, and kindness for an insignificant slave like me, and is there for me when all others have deserted me. How beautiful to cry out to someone who knows the innermost secrets of your heart, and has power over all things, and by your very call and cry showers you with bounties and mercy? 

Dua is our way of having a deeper relationship with Allah. We exist to know , serve and worship him, and it is one of the best forms of worship.

Edited June 7, 2018 by Intellectual Resistance

[Soldiers and Saffron]

Just now, Intellectual Resistance said:

I can understand where you are coming from, but no matter how great Allah is, the Prophet and Imams, and actually Allah himself have made it Wajib to beg Allah, talk to Allah, call on Allah, supplicate to him with beautiful words. I actually talk to Allah about all of my problems. I talk to him about my life more than i talk to anyone else. The beauty is, despite his infinite greatness, he has love , mercy, and kindness for an insignificant slave like me, and is there for me when all others have deserted me.

 

I do not see how what I do would prevent me from doing what you do at the same time. Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى makes his signs manifest in dunya thru the people He send for us, and I am remembering them.

[Intellectual Resistance]

3 minutes ago, IbnSina said:

I do not see how what I do would prevent me from doing what you do at the same time. Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى makes his signs manifest in dunya thru the people He send for us, and I am remembering them.

In remembrance , there is no harm brother and even i say it out of love and remembrance. But do not think of Allah as someone beyond your reach (in Dua). He is the best one to plead to  , to beg, to call on, to cultivate and have a relationship with through Dua.

Edited June 7, 2018 by Intellectual Resistance

[Soldiers and Saffron]

2 minutes ago, Intellectual Resistance said:

In remembrance , there is no harm brother and even i say it out of love and remembrance. But do not think of Allah as someone beyond your reach (in Dua). He is the best one to plead to  , to beg, to call on, to cultivate and have a relationship with through Dua.

As I said:

I do not see how what I am doing is preventing me from doing what your saying at the same time.

[Intellectual Resistance]

1 minute ago, IbnSina said:

As I said:

I do not see how what I am doing is preventing me from doing what your saying at the same time.

I understand dear brother, it was just a clarification (:

[KnowledgeSeeker36]

In all honestly tawasul has always been something that is difficult for me. I know about it and have heard all the arguments for it, but is there any wrong if I don't do tawasul? I've always just made my duas to Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى directly. Just wondering if one can identify as shia and not do tawasul? 

[Sirius_Bright]

16 minutes ago, Intellectual Resistance said:

SubhanAllah.

I on the other hand, read 'Ya Allah', who is the lord Ali (as) himself cried out to for all of these and commanded me to cry out to.

He is too great for me to directly talk to. Ahlulbait (ams) is His nearest and dearest of creation. Then why should I not go through them when He has clearly commanded us to do so. 

[Intellectual Resistance]

8 minutes ago, Lebanese36 said:

In all honestly tawasul has always been something that is difficult for me. I know about it and have heard all the arguments for it, but is there any wrong if I don't do tawasul? I've always just made my duas to Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى directly. Just wondering if one can identify as shia and not do tawasul? 

I'm not commenting on things like Ya ali Madad but there is no problem in not saying it, and i've never said it in my life. Ask Allah for the sake of Muhammed and his purified progeny, and send Salwat on Muhammed and his purified progeny. 

Look at Kitab al-Kafi, Book of Dua, and just follow what Muhammed (saw) and the Imams (asws) have taught: http://www.fourshiabooks.com

Edited June 7, 2018 by Intellectual Resistance

[Intellectual Resistance]

5 minutes ago, Sirius_Bright said:

He is too great for me to directly talk to. Ahlulbait (ams) is His nearest and dearest of creation. Then why should I not go through them when He has clearly commanded us to do so. 

Brother, read the traditions of our Aimmah. It is wajib upon you to directly call on Allah. To directly beg Allah is one of the best forms of worship. Your absolute prime method of Dua should be to call upon and beg Allah for your needs, and look at the beautiful supplications taught to us by our Aimmah in this regard. It is Wajib to beg him, praise him, cultivate a deep connection with him through Dua. The Imams have absolutely forbidden the belief that Allah is too great to talk to, rather they have absolutely made necessary upon us to beg to Allah, to praise Allah, to supplicate to Allah and have warned those who do not do so of a terrible consequence. 

Edited June 7, 2018 by Intellectual Resistance

[Intellectual Resistance]

Do you know, one of the reasons for Idol worship is that people consider Allah, the Almighty so above them, they need 'relatable' idols they can worship, and through them, they feel better placed to worship? 

Islam came to eradicate this mentality. 

Edited June 7, 2018 by Intellectual Resistance

[Intellectual Resistance]

Again: I am not commenting on acts like Ya Ali Madad, and what is shirk and what is permissible. This is about best practise and evidence for it. 

[KnowledgeSeeker36]

28 minutes ago, Sirius_Bright said:

He is too great for me to directly talk to. Ahlulbait (ams) is His nearest and dearest of creation. Then why should I not go through them when He has clearly commanded us to do so. 

I find the first sentence hard to understand because Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى in the Quran does encourage us to call upon Him. Again, I'm not fighting at all I just felt like following this thread on shiachat.

[Intellectual Resistance]

1 minute ago, Lebanese36 said:

I find the first sentence hard to understand because Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى in the Quran does encourage us to call upon Him. Again, I'm not fighting at all I just felt like following this thread on shiachat.

What he has said is not a proper belief brother. It isn't even what is considered mainstream. It is wajib to beg Allah, plead to him , and make Dua to him. 

[KnowledgeSeeker36]

30 minutes ago, Intellectual Resistance said:

I'm not commenting on things like Ya ali Madad but there is no problem in not saying it, and i've never said it in my life. Ask Allah for the sake of Muhammed and his purified progeny, and send Salwat on Muhammed and his purified progeny. 

Look at Kitab al-Kafi, Book of Dua, and just follow what Muhammed (saw) and the Imams (asws) have taught: http://www.fourshiabooks.com

Thank you for your reply!

[Reza]

23 minutes ago, Intellectual Resistance said:

Again: I am not commenting on acts like Ya Ali Madad, and what is shirk and what is permissible. This is about best practise and evidence for it. 

Yes, but you know that's where the discussion will head. 

Underpinning the whole discussion of best practice is the concept of mutual exclusivity, which posters above are trying to refute. In simpler terms, the notion that two events cannot occur simultaneously. 

[KnowledgeSeeker36]

1 minute ago, Intellectual Resistance said:

What he has said is not a proper belief brother. It isn't even what is considered mainstream. It is wajib to beg Allah, plead to him , and make Dua to him. 

Salam, I'm a sister. 

But yes, for me that statement was difficult to understand. 

[Intellectual Resistance]

49 minutes ago, Reza said:

Yes, but you know that's where the discussion will head. 

Underpinning the whole discussion of best practice is the concept of mutual exclusivity, which posters above are trying to refute. In simpler terms, the notion that two events cannot occur simultaneously. 

I think there's a very deep level of complexity if we go down the mutual exclusivity route. In terms of this thread, when you have users saying they can't ask Allah directly (in this very thread), this really shows there is a massive underlying problem which this thread helps to aim to completely refute and address. 

[Reza]

1 minute ago, Intellectual Resistance said:

However when you have users saying they can't ask Allah directly (on this thread)

That's mostly semantics, I feel. 

[Intellectual Resistance]

1 minute ago, Reza said:

That's mostly semantics, I feel. 

Sometimes the line between semantics and actual belief becomes very blurred and that is incredibly problematic.

[Reza]

1 minute ago, Intellectual Resistance said:

Sometimes the line between semantics and actual belief becomes very blurred and that is incredibly problematic.

The discussion focuses too much on semantics, and not enough on essence.

Almost like the idolatry of words, if you will. 

[Intellectual Resistance]

7 minutes ago, Reza said:

The discussion focuses too much on semantics, and not enough on essence.

Almost like the idolatry of words, if you will. 

Semantics aside, i guess in a way, i'm trying to work on the assumption people may have whatever views on other issues, but they should never forget that Allah is the one we should call onto , arguably before, and more than any other way or means. That Dua by extension is an indispensable form of worship and tool to cultivate a relationship with the Almighty. 

[Reza]

1 minute ago, Intellectual Resistance said:

Semantics aside, i guess in a way, i'm trying to work on the assumption people may have whatever views on other issues, but they should never forget that Allah is the one we should call onto , arguably before, and more than any other way or means. That Dua by extension is an indispensable form of worship and tool to cultivate a relationship with the Almighty. 

What makes you think people have forgotten, unless you are tied up in the semantics, such that led you to believe this? Then to make a thread about it, with alarmist intention? So perhaps the problem is we're not truly putting "semantics aside". 

[Intellectual Resistance]

2 minutes ago, Reza said:

What makes you think people have forgotten, unless you are tied up in the semantics, such that led you to believe this? Then to make a thread about it, with alarmist intention? So perhaps the problem is we're not truly putting "semantics aside". 

The evidence is in this very thread. Too many generally claim to say they feel Allah is too great to directly address, and even if one appeals to semantics, the lines remain blurred. I think using semantics and making quite bold statements blurs the lines. This thread presents clear evidence in a direct and unambiguous manner, i hope. 

Edited June 7, 2018 by Intellectual Resistance

[Reza]

22 minutes ago, Intellectual Resistance said:

The evidence is in this very thread. Too many generally claim to say they feel Allah is too great to directly address, and even if one appeals to semantics, the lines remain blurred. I think using semantics and making quite bold statements blurs the lines. This thread presents clear evidence in a direct and unambiguous manner, i hope. 

Many could say the same about the Aimmah (a) themselves, that they are too great to appeal to. People who visit shrines may be in awe, and feel unworthy to approach these personalities with their presence. Since we're not seeing living breathing personalities in front of us, the Imams can seem just as "abstract" and "too great to directly address" as Allah (s) himself in our present age. 

The main problem with this discussion (and this thread) is it's too technocratic. What we're describing is a deep spirituality, an essence that cannot be described through words, and doesn't follow the delineated proscriptions of our language (which can be a hollowed reflection at best).  The very concept of addressing what is beyond ourselves. Only those in a proper spiritual state can truly understand this. Clarity, not confusion, should follow. If confusion is the result, then such a state hasn't been achieved.

[Ahmed_516478]

We know Allah and experience Him by his signs. The greatest of His signs is are the hujjaj of Allah, the hujjah of our time being imam mahdi (aj). True tawheed is only possible with the ma'rifa of ahlul bayt  (as). As long as the actions people are doing helps them attain closeness to Allah and is permissible in the shariah it is fine in fact we should encoruage it. If what helps someone spiritually the most is zikr of Allah then do more of that instead of other 'amaal. Likewise if what helps someone spiritually is calling out to ahlul bayt (as) and the like then no problem. We are not robots and a lot of this is subjective but it is known to the individual through experience, not through robotic formulas.

Edited June 7, 2018 by Shi3i_jadeed

[786:)]

3 hours ago, Sirius_Bright said:

I automatically read 'Ya Ali!' for all these. We should seek our hajaat with best means. 

Surah Al-Maeda, Verse 35:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَابْتَغُوا إِلَيْهِ الْوَسِيلَةَ وَجَاهِدُوا فِي سَبِيلِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ

O you who believe! be careful of (your duty to) Allah and seek means of nearness to Him and strive hard in His way that you may be successful.
(English - Shakir)

Best means would be Rasoolallah (saw). You are infected by sectarianism.

[realizm]

3 hours ago, Sirius_Bright said:

He is too great for me to directly talk to. Ahlulbait (ams) is His nearest and dearest of creation. Then why should I not go through them when He has clearly commanded us to do so. 

Astaghfirullah brother. I do not say this out of disrespect or pride, but really because this is so wrong and goes clearly against His words. Qur'an is clear about making du`as to Him (not meaning tawasul is not right,), making tawba to Him, placing your trust in Him. Do you not read the Qur'an?

Never for these did Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى imply He is too great for us to turn to Him.

Sorry but you are making things up, and this is not a light topic.

[realizm]

And I did not mention du`as. Do you brothers not read du`a Kumail? Munajat? Jawshan?

What are these if not calls to Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى directly?