My view on Waseela

[Allah Seeker]

Salam alaikum,

Seasons greetings to all from here, for everyone. 

So this topic has been a hot topic here, and my view of the word 'waseela' and its meaning is very different than most shia on this website. 

So basically the meaning of the word in Arabic classical as well as contemporary Arabic in all Arab countries, is basically as a means to arrival. Like, if I say " wasalt " , then it means " I arrived " . So a waseela is purely a means to an end.

If I say "hawasalak", it means "I will take you there". 

So waseela is anything that takes you where, when in context to the Quran? And al ahl al Bayt? It is Allah.

They seek ( yibtaghu ) waseela liLah, right? Is that correct?

Anyway, so the objective is to reach God. Now, we all will return to God, however we need to look at this through a dunya lens, where we still have to wait before returning to our God. So how can we be close to God on this earth, in this life? To me the answer is clear. It is by consciously being in touch, by holding on to the thought and communion with God. (like a rope) Zikr Allahu Akbar. Zikr, or thinking of God, is greater - full stop. That's in the Quran for sure. 

So the goal in zikr is to reach salaam, in our hearts. Peace of mind and body and surrounding and country and worlds. In the Quran it is written at least twice very clearly " Fi zikr Allah titma2in El qulub", which means that in thought of God the hearts find security.

Then we get guidance to what kind of vibe we should think of while addressing God. We were given tools which are keys, which are the Names of Allah Al Husna.

So the main vibe of the Quran is Rahma, or merci, compassion, forgiveness, sensitivity, etc. This is how each chapter in the Quran , save one, is introduced. With two Names of God with the same root of r7m.

Then the end game is also clear. Read 10:10 and you'll see it will all be about peace (ya Salaam) hamd ( ya Hameed) and so on.

This above verse will basically be our state in JANNAH, inshallah 

However on earth we can find inspiration in any chapter, such as suret Kahf, or suret Nasr. Actually I advice all Muslims here to memorize this one and study it closely: it says we should 'sabih bihamd Rabuka'. We should float in the love of God, basically. I have my own interpretation of the word hamd, based on how it is understood in all Semitic languages other than todays known Arabic.

So whatever you think hamd means ( same root as names Muhamed Ahmed, etc ) , this is how we are to approach the zikr of Allah. 

Most importantly, this final verse of the Chapter of Victory talks to us in clear terms. It tells us to float/swim with God's Hamd of your Lord - that to me is basically to float through time and space with the Love of our Lord. And then a clear straight forward, and short order. God orders us to repent. Repentance is a great cure for anxiety and everything. God is the forgiver. When God forgives, anxieties and 'problems' go away and get solved by Al Wakeel (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) 

 

At the same time we train our eyes that everywhere we look, we see the 'face of God', as described in the Quran. So if we see a bacteria under the microscope, and we realize how amazing this very complicated and yet simple creature is, we might remember God and say subhan Allah for instance. So in those instance the bacteria is a waseela to God, as the simple vision through a lens of this creature reconnected us to the only thought that's worth it. It made us remember God, so it was a stepping stone, or a path to God in our hearts. So as we become better people, we remember God more, and everyday everything becomes a waseela. For the good, the bad is just a waseela too.

Ok, I can go on, but don't want to bother anyone with too long texts.

Good day everyone and hope you have a good life.

Blessings on this special time of the year,

Salam ***waves hand, nods , head , heart***

 

Edited December 24, 2022 by Allah Seeker

[layman]

Salam Bro @Allah Seeker,

I really enjoy ready your writings. Thank you.

The fact is when we see the surrounding us such as trees, sun, stars, humans, animal...that is already clear proof that Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) exist and His Mercy is right before us.  We see it clearly. There is no way not to praise Him (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى).

In your understanding, can we practice zikr of Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) our own ways or better seeking the companionship of Ahlul Zikr?

What i mean, if we are praising Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى), it is as if Rasul, Ali, Fatema, Hassan, Hussain up to al Mahdi (including all Prophets) are praising Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى).  Even though words of praising come through our mouth and from our heart.  The praising is NOT just from ourself alone. It is unifying way of praising of Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى)..

We are united with Ahlulbayt, and connected to them in praising Him (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى).

Wallahualam. 

[Allah Seeker]

9 hours ago, layman said:

Salam Bro @Allah Seeker,

I really enjoy ready your writings. Thank you.

The fact is when we see the surrounding us such as trees, sun, stars, humans, animal...that is already clear proof that Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) exist and His Mercy is right before us.  We see it clearly. There is no way not to praise Him (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى).

In your understanding, can we practice zikr of Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) our own ways or better seeking the companionship of Ahlul Zikr?

What i mean, if we are praising Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى), it is as if Rasul, Ali, Fatema, Hassan, Hussain up to al Mahdi (including all Prophets) are praising Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى).  Even though words of praising come through our mouth and from our heart.  The praising is NOT just from ourself alone. It is unifying way of praising of Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى)..

We are united with Ahlulbayt, and connected to them in praising Him (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى).

Wallahualam. 

 

Thanks dear brother for your kind words. It is not often one finds them these days anywhere.

Wa alaikum salaam ,

Well, it is my belief that it takes one to know one. So if one is in tune with God - and has been chosen for that - then you will be in tune with others like you . So for instance if a good person living in the depths of the Amazon finds out about Imam Ali when leaving the bushes, then it will feel like he's known him forever, because they are soul mates. I believe that if we aim for God, we will end up being guided and interceded by, the brothers and sisters in our faith ( and vice versa , like the prison partner of Joseph (عليه السلام) in Egypt, who interceded to get him out of prison eventually. Considering that not all people on earth know about our 'version' of Islam, they can get in touch with similar characters in their area, as God sends everyone their own messengers, with their own context and language.

So as Imam Ali said, and many others said .. friends are one soul in two bodies. We love each other and feel each other's pain, as if it was done to us. 

Hope that makes sense and is in any way helpful. 

[Allah Seeker]

Just want to add something to this thread to explain linguistically that the 'connection' created with God as a result of the zikr/remembrance/mental/conscious communion is the literal meaning of Sala. Sala is also the same root word as waseela. Tawsella is a connection, even if it is a bus or tuctuc. So Sala or "prayer" is just a simple connection between us and our God. 

Whatever we think of, we having a connection/sala with. 

So if you think of a cat, then you connect spiritually to the cat. If you think of God, then you are connecting - establishing a Sala - with God. And the Sala is the effect, while the zikr is the cause, and objective. (Remember how God said in the Quran 'remember Me and I'll remember you, forget me and I'll forget you."

These simple linguistic understandings really makes a difference, and I've found that most Muslims today are not aware of these basics, including native Arabic speakers, who also don't spend much time in making those connections and contemplating the words, especially using the summoning Names of God. God told us that we can use these Names he taught us to summon Him. And each Name is for unique situations. Then nobody is studying or discussing this? Thank God we are among the few chosen to discuss on this level in this day and age. La hawla walaqowata ila billah.

[Allah Seeker]

2 hours ago, Allah Seeker said:

Just want to add something to this thread to explain linguistically that the 'connection' created with God as a result of the zikr/remembrance/mental/conscious communion is the literal meaning of Sala. Sala is also the same root word as waseela. Tawsella is a connection, even if it is a bus or tuctuc. So Sala or "prayer" is just a simple connection between us and our God. 

Whatever we think of, we having a connection/sala with. 

So if you think of a cat, then you connect spiritually to the cat. If you think of God, then you are connecting - establishing a Sala - with God. And the Sala is the effect, while the zikr is the cause, and objective. (Remember how God said in the Quran 'remember Me and I'll remember you, forget me and I'll forget you."

These simple linguistic understandings really makes a difference, and I've found that most Muslims today are not aware of these basics, including native Arabic speakers, who also don't spend much time in making those connections and contemplating the words, especially using the summoning Names of God. God told us that we can use these Names he taught us to summon Him. And each Name is for unique situations. Then nobody is studying or discussing this? Thank God we are among the few chosen to discuss on this level in this day and age. La hawla walaqowata ila billah.

Correction! Sorry guys

the root word of waseela is actually slightly different than that of Sala. 

one is with a seen س  - for the waseela , which is this topic ( only used twice in the Quran), 

and the second one is with a Saad ص ( occurs 12 times) .. the one for arriving and for connecting and so on. However, them sounding so much alike probably has a significance.

personally I wouldn't change much of what I said in this thread, but it is important for people to know the simple beautiful details. And the technical mistake I did 

thanks

[ShiaMan14]

On 12/24/2022 at 4:06 AM, Allah Seeker said:

Salam alaikum,

Seasons greetings to all from here, for everyone. 

So this topic has been a hot topic here, and my view of the word 'waseela' and its meaning is very different than most shia on this website. 

So basically the meaning of the word in Arabic classical as well as contemporary Arabic in all Arab countries, is basically as a means to arrival. Like, if I say " wasalt " , then it means " I arrived " . So a waseela is purely a means to an end.

If I say "hawasalak", it means "I will take you there". 

So waseela is anything that takes you where, when in context to the Quran? And al ahl al Bayt? It is Allah.

They seek ( yibtaghu ) waseela liLah, right? Is that correct?

Anyway, so the objective is to reach God. Now, we all will return to God, however we need to look at this through a dunya lens, where we still have to wait before returning to our God. So how can we be close to God on this earth, in this life? To me the answer is clear. It is by consciously being in touch, by holding on to the thought and communion with God. (like a rope) Zikr Allahu Akbar. Zikr, or thinking of God, is greater - full stop. That's in the Quran for sure. 

So the goal in zikr is to reach salaam, in our hearts. Peace of mind and body and surrounding and country and worlds. In the Quran it is written at least twice very clearly " Fi zikr Allah titma2in El qulub", which means that in thought of God the hearts find security.

Then we get guidance to what kind of vibe we should think of while addressing God. We were given tools which are keys, which are the Names of Allah Al Husna.

So whatever you think hamd means ( same root as names Muhamed Ahmed, etc ) , this is how we are to approach the zikr of Allah. 

Most importantly, this final verse of the Chapter of Victory talks to us in clear terms. It tells us to float/swim with God's Hamd of your Lord - that to me is basically to float through time and space with the Love of our Lord. And then a clear straight forward, and short order. God orders us to repent. Repentance is a great cure for anxiety and everything. God is the forgiver. When God forgives, anxieties and 'problems' go away and get solved by Al Wakeel (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) 

At the same time we train our eyes that everywhere we look, we see the 'face of God', as described in the Quran. So if we see a bacteria under the microscope, and we realize how amazing this very complicated and yet simple creature is, we might remember God and say subhan Allah for instance. So in those instance the bacteria is a waseela to God, as the simple vision through a lens of this creature reconnected us to the only thought that's worth it. It made us remember God, so it was a stepping stone, or a path to God in our hearts. So as we become better people, we remember God more, and everyday everything becomes a waseela. For the good, the bad is just a waseela too.

Ok, I can go on, but don't want to bother anyone with too long texts.

Good day everyone and hope you have a good life.

Blessings on this special time of the year,

Salam ***waves hand, nods , head , heart***

 

Salaam brother,

Yes, waseelah is a means of seeking closeness to Allah which is a fairly streamline belief and not unique to this post.

It is also true that anything and everything can be used a a waseelah to Allah. However, it is not a question of what we think is a waseelah to Allah but what Allah considers the best waseelah to achieve closeness to Him. This important aspect is completely missing from your post.

 

On 12/24/2022 at 4:06 AM, Allah Seeker said:

 

Then we get guidance to what kind of vibe we should think of while addressing God. We were given tools which are keys, which are the Names of Allah Al Husna.

So the main vibe of the Quran is Rahma, or merci, compassion, forgiveness, sensitivity, etc. This is how each chapter in the Quran , save one, is introduced. With two Names of God with the same root of r7m.

Then the end game is also clear. Read 10:10 and you'll see it will all be about peace (ya Salaam) hamd ( ya Hameed) and so on.

This above verse will basically be our state in JANNAH, inshallah 

However on earth we can find inspiration in any chapter, such as suret Kahf, or suret Nasr. Actually I advice all Muslims here to memorize this one and study it closely: it says we should 'sabih bihamd Rabuka'. We should float in the love of God, basically. I have my own interpretation of the word hamd, based on how it is understood in all Semitic languages other than todays known Arabic.

So whatever you think hamd means ( same root as names Muhamed Ahmed, etc ) , this is how we are to approach the zikr of Allah. 

Simply reading the Quran is not enough because had it been, then the Khawarij would have been the most enlightened and compassionate Muslims but the opposite was true of them. 

More recently, we see ISIS, Taliban, Al-Qaeda having hafiz but fat lot of good that does.

Your article was a good read brother.

[Allah Seeker]

4 hours ago, ShiaMan14 said:

Salaam brother,

Yes, waseelah is a means of seeking closeness to Allah which is a fairly streamline belief and not unique to this post.

It is also true that anything and everything can be used a a waseelah to Allah. However, it is not a question of what we think is a waseelah to Allah but what Allah considers the best waseelah to achieve closeness to Him. This important aspect is completely missing from your post.

 

Simply reading the Quran is not enough because had it been, then the Khawarij would have been the most enlightened and compassionate Muslims but the opposite was true of them. 

More recently, we see ISIS, Taliban, Al-Qaeda having hafiz but fat lot of good that does.

Your article was a good read brother.

Thanks brother, appreciate your encouragement and brotherly one-team mentality. God bless you brother, and may our difference always without exception be a source of blessings and a waseela to Allah in this very precious race towards all that's good and right.

So the reason why I didn't say specific names of champions and leaders of mankind 1400 years ago in Arabia , is because there were many nations spread just as they are now, and each nation and geographic location has secrets and unique perspective to the path/road/tareeqa/sunnah to the same God. Every qawm or people have their own divinely connected leaders in every age. So when it comes to which waseela or means to an end is written for you to be the best, only Allah knows. If, for instance, Imam Hussein is your favorite holy person and spiritual muse, then maybe pray that you are side by side with Imam Hussein (عليه السلام) in judgement day and on the sirat. Then the natural consequence of this desire and passion will be that you will start to emulate his way, which is a bit different than his brother Hassan (عليه السلام). Some like to wear head bands with "ya zahra", and those people will be more in tune with her, and if they manage to really resonate with her true being, then automatically like attracts like. Birds of a feather flock together. Allah will help you because you help Him by helping his noble creatures. 

If we lend Allah a loan, then He will pay us back an interest of infinity. If we remember God, He remembers us. If we fight for Him, then He fights for us. I've tried it! It works each time without exception. I encourage you to try to deal in your next struggle against an open evil person, even if it is just a glance or thought warfare, make Dua. You will win, just like Imam Hussein won, even though it seemed to the dunya people that nobody remembers or cares about these days - that he lost. But who is the loser now. The ziara of Sayidna Al Hussein in Karbala can compete in number with the Hajj . And I swear to God I don't even remember the name of the low life loser nobody low class [Edited Out] who killed him. Or do you think anybody other than shia known who yazid even is? Those are forgotten and will only be resurrected in any way , just to be humiliated and tortured for eternity. It's a good deal. Give Allah a loan and get infinite guaranteed interest beyond measure inshallah.

So when we talk of which waseela for whom? Well, if you act like ahl Bayt, think like ahl Bayt, fight for Allah selflessly and dunya-fearlessly and uncompromisingly for the sake of Allah Alone, then you will automatically be among the category of believers called Al Sabeqeen. Those who are ahead of the game. You know, like in a marathon you have clouds and groups of people that stick together in order to benefit from the many benefits of formation. The closer you get to the champ (prophet Mohamed in our case), the more likely it will be that you will find yourself with them when it counts. Also the reason is that they would 'owe ' you as well. Not only Allah would owe you, but also the prophet, and anybody else in whose path you have mastered. Why? Because if you went on their path, then you probably did a lot of PR and marketing, and transmission of the spirit and meanings of their lives. This in turn gives them a commission of blessings, as you have caused more people in number and quality, to enter upon sabeel Allah in the way of this specific human. The focus of us all and this race is uni directional without interruptions. If you get the chance to ever meet the prophet or a real Imam, I DEFINITELY encourage you to use this opportunity as much as possible to ask them to pray for your forgiveness and much more, but that's if you really meet them. Other than that it is best to treat others as we like to be treated, which is we pray for those that we want to have pray for us. That is the purpose of salawaat. We have endless info on the vital importance for our nation to pray for our prophet and his ahl. Praying for their peace and connection to Himself .. Sala & Salaam. We are encouraged and actually ordered to pray for them. So praying for the ahl Bayt is definitely one of the best waselas - a means of an end , which is Allah.

But to come to some sort of conclusion on this post, I think that nobody can argue these points ( I hope anyway .. I've come to learn to expect the unexpected in this life) :

 

- the only aim in Islam is to seek as high as possible rank in the ranks of God, Rafia Daragaat. Raiser of the degrees. So we want to graduate from this life with God grades and repertoire. And the better the grades or thawab or hassanaat or good deeds, the higher we will get. Life is short, so we better hurry with our good deeds.

- if our God decides to raise someone in the ranks, then Allah can do it in any way, through any waseela. 

Best is we think of the One objective, keep our eyes locked at the mental qibla (and try to never let go that conscious connection to Allah), on the sirat Al mustaqeem road, which is our floating in justice through live time and space, in a unique fashion for each person. 

The goal is Allah, and who gets there based on their actions. Imam Hussein's actions won't help us, unless we learn from them and implement these teachings for ourselves, and in this way deserve the right to even be closer to them in the coming judgment day. And their way of dealing with much bigger problems than ours was clear. Just like all the purifiers of the world, it's all about uniting with the One, living for the One, and being content with whatever way Allah decides to guide us (usually involves lots of pain and suffering). And then be thankful for it and enjoy life as a result inshallah.

So it's all about zikr for me. It's all about reconnect mentally, which then makes a two way dynamic interaction between us and God. A personal relationship, independent from any other creature. Allah is enough as a listener, we don't need anybody else in the mental room when talking to God. 

So I think it's best to remain open to Allah to choose Himself who or what slave of His is best as a waseela for us. And how it happens, and when, and how much, and all that. It's not important, as long as the eternal goal is reached. To be among the best of creations. To hang out with superstars, usually one has to be an accomplished person oneself. One has to prove oneself in the same game and struggles that they struggled when walking the earth. Day to day things, as well as all other things. And those people were focused on God more than others, which is both the Alpha and Omega of being a mu'min filLah, I believe.

Sorry for the long text.

Wasalaam

 

[layman]

On 12/26/2022 at 11:27 PM, Allah Seeker said:

- the only aim in Islam is to seek as high as possible rank in the ranks of God, Rafia Daragaat. Raiser of the degrees. So we want to graduate from this life with God grades and repertoire. And the better the grades or thawab or hassanaat or good deeds, the higher we will get. Life is short, so we better hurry with our good deeds

Salam Bro.  Again i enjoyed benefited from your writings. Alhamdulillah.

Just the statement above, i find it a bit confusing to me.  I believe the aim of Islam is to worship Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) in the true sense.  I am not sure to seek high rank possible is the aim. I am afraid, people will worship the rank instead of Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى).

I am fully agreed with the statement that "Life is short, so we better hurry with our good deeds."

Wallahualam.

[Allah Seeker]

10 hours ago, layman said:

Salam Bro.  Again i enjoyed benefited from your writings. Alhamdulillah.

Just the statement above, i find it a bit confusing to me.  I believe the aim of Islam is to worship Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) in the true sense.  I am not sure to seek high rank possible is the aim. I am afraid, people will worship the rank instead of Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى).

I am fully agreed with the statement that "Life is short, so we better hurry with our good deeds."

Wallahualam.

Walaikum Al Salaam brother,

You are absolutely right brother.

Some fall in the trap in every level of worship. Whatever our goal is, be sure there is a 'remedy' to this disease, from shaytan perspective.

So for me on a personal level, with this resulting opinion - let me emphasise that opinion is purely a result of symptom of the state of affairs we are in. This state is governed by the reality of light or energy flow through our physical, mental and 'spiritual' bodies. ( Example: heart ) - 'Spiritual' being an infinite range of influential phenomena that our limited mind and senses do not perceive. But our physical bodies resonate and exists in a much more ethereal space as well, and one could argue an infinite number of space, as infinity exists. So this again makes us surrender to the fact that only the One Creator of us all can handle such mental capacity of fully understanding what is going on. So one lets oneself float ( tasbeeh ) with the love of God while focusing internally, and not externally. Much like 'sabih bihamd Rabuka wastaghfr. Inahu kana tawaba.' -  To repent, one must face ones own 'demons', and karmic cycle. To benefit from this incarnation we must leave here better than we came in. So this brings us back to the topic at hand. Waseela. Now, for me there is danger of worshipping the rank or the lifestyle that I imagine having in my head while thinking of the akhra. That is as possibility, and a way for shaytan to bring people like me off the sirat Al mustaqeem. God forbid!

That being said, the rank is not to be viewed from perspective of earth or creations, or rank of other creature FIRST! what I mean by first, is that comparative and relative rank viewing is an inevitability that usually leads to thankfulness and motivation to go on, and a feeling of having been 'chosen' or being 'mustapha'. But the sake of the rank, which is a station basically, is God. We want high rank not because it is higher than those below us. We seek rank to The One Above us. This thought and heartfelt motivation comes first, without partnership. There is no other reason. In this state of mind, when you look down at other ranks, you see them all in loving way, because they were all designed and written after having been spoken into existence by our Creator. So how can we hate? How can we wish to destroy anything or anyone? How can we seek to interfere, when everything is perfect just the way it is? Isn't it God who designed and wrote the script of everything that is? Everything in its current, past, future states, are exactly as Allah has written it. Every change happens with Allah. Every power is with Allah. Even the word 'no' or 'bad' are constructs of our Creator. Mashaallah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) 

for every level there are bigger challenges than the one before, until we get to the other side inshallah.

After the 313 and the whole shabang , inshallah, the world will be totally in Allah-Consciousness, which will create a totally free and peaceful and rich world inshallah. People will realize their potential power and creative facilities. They will be initiated into a much wider spectrum of abilities, understanding and reality. And so when viewing rank, it is for the sake of love. For the sake of desire. For the sake of obsession and holding onto that God tighter than anybody else. It means to be among the few who remember the pact we all made long ago with God that we worship Him, and then renew this pact on earth, that we sacrifice our minds to God. We summon God, then beg Him to possess us in every way, while only asking for more love and connection and closeness to this Eternal Being who created is all, and Who is Inevitable. They gained everything who lost their minds to the True, Just, Merciful, Kind God of Mohamed ((صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)) and all the messengers who walked on this same Earth. Because you give a loan. This loan is not only the soul and money. It is also the mind. Keep the loving, personal zikr going and enjoy. Once we are in a state of zikr, we will be safe. Inshallah 

So wishing you guys perpetual graduation every day to higher heights of Al 3li, Al 23la, Al Mtu3ali, Al Rafia Al Daragaat Al Samia Al Dua 

Fi aman ilah