The 10 Sources of Barakah according to the Qur’an and Sunnah
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Lily Syahirah Ramlan
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26 July 2021
Have you ever felt anxious, and what you have is never enough? Sometimes we find it perplexing why we work so hard, but our income is insufficient to cover our expenses. We ponder over the unexplained reason for the insufficiency. If you are discontent and worried over your sustenance, this article will help extinguish those thoughts and replace them with more optimism by understanding the concept and sources of barakah! It is never too late to learn and discover the essence of barakah and how to attain it through these sources.
The Origin of the word ‘Barakah’
Linguistically, the verb barakah means ‘to kneel down’. The Arabs would refer to a camel which knelt or sat down as ‘Barakatil Ibilu’, translated as “the camel has knelt down”.
The Concept of Barakah
Generally, barakah is a Divine Gift from Allah the Almighty. He is the Bestower of all things, and He is the Source of all barakah. Barakah can potentially occur at any time in your life. For example, you can gain barakah from the money you own, the time you spend, the work you do, the food you eat and others. Gaining barakah means making the most out of the resources you have, and you will never feel insufficient no matter how little you possess.
A well-known da`ee explains barakah as follows:
والبركة: هي ثبوت الخير الإلهي في الشيء؛ فإنها إذا حلت في قليل كثرته، وإذا حلت في كثير نفع، ومن أعظم ثمار البركة في الأمور كلها إستعمالها في طاعة الله عز وجل.
“Barakah is the attachment of Divine Goodness to a thing, so if it occurs in something little, it increases it. And if it occurs in something much it benefits. And the greatest fruit of barakah in all things is to use it in the obedience of Allah, Exalted and Majestic.”
Ways to Increase Barakah
Finding barakah in the things we do is highly encouraged in Islam, and we should always work for it to taste the sweetness of the fruit and appreciate the things we have in life. Interested to know the sources of barakah? Here is a list of how you can attain it:
1. Having Good Intentions
Everything you do starts from within. Before you do something, ask yourself: What is your intention in doing so and so? As a Muslim, it should be common practice to rectify your intentions for the sake of Allah the Almighty and His Messenger ﷺ.
According to the first hadith of Imam an-Nawawi’s 40 Hadith, the Prophet ﷺ mentioned:
According to the first hadith of Imam an-Nawawi’s 40 Hadith, the Prophet ﷺ mentioned:
“Actions are but by intention and every man shall have but that which he intended. Thus he whose migration was for Allah and His messenger, his migration was for Allah and His messenger, and he whose migration was to achieve some worldly benefit or to take some woman in marriage, his migration was for that for which he migrated.” [Bukhari and Muslim]
2. Putting Your Trust in Allah
Sometimes, we have high expectations in the things we do, hoping that the result will turn out positive and according to our plan- or perhaps, things do not go well, and we feel there is no hope left for us.
Remember, one of the sources of barakah is by putting our trust in Allah and believing in the Divine Decree that he has set for us. The most important thing is that we have done our best and put in all the extra effort, so we should leave the rest to Allah the Almighty alone.
3. Saying Bismillah
In one of our lectures entitled ‘Tafsir Surah al Fatiha’, Shaykh Allie Khalfe elaborated on the essence of the letter ب in Bismillah. He went to great lengths to explain how this significant letter is related to the concept of barakah.
Whenever you say ‘Bismillah’ before anything you do, you are invoking the Name of Allah on that particular activity; not only will that activity be blessed, but you will also be protected from the deception of Shaytaan. It is important to remind yourself to say ‘Bismillah’ before anything you do!
4. Eating with People
Have you ever had your guests come over to your house, and you feel anxious if the food is not enough? The power of barakah is that no matter how little or insufficient you think the food is catered to your guest, there is always more than enough. The Prophet ﷺ also encouraged us to eat in a congregation and to not eat separately:
Salim bin ‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar said: “I heard my father say: ‘I heard ‘Umar bin Khattab say: “The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘Eat together and do not eat separately, for the blessing is in being together.’” [Sunan Ibn Majah]
5. Be Honest in Trade
Some entrepreneurs make the most out of lying and deceiving their customers, leading to scams as a way to profit lucratively. However, this does not only decrease the barakah in the profit they make but it is forbidden in Islam! Always be honest when dealing with business, and if you think that there are many loopholes to your product, then find a way to make it better the halal way, InshaAllah.
Narrated Hakim bin Hizam: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “The buyer and the seller have the option of cancelling or confirming the bargain unless they separate, and if they spoke the truth and made clear the defects of the goods, then they would be blessed in their bargain, and if they told lies and hid some facts, their bargain would be deprived of Allah’s blessings.” [Sahih al-Bukhari]
6. Making Du’a to Seek for Barakah
Du’a is the essence of worship, and we should spare some time every day to make sincere du’a to Allah the Almighty, especially in seeking barakah in our life. Nothing is more powerful than du’a, so ask Allah the Glorious to give us barakah in these three things:
- time, so you can accomplish more goals in less time.
- wealth, so you can lead a moderate lifestyle whilst helping those who are in need.
- health, so you can help others and not depend upon anyone for your physical needs.
Here are also some of the du’as we can make in order to obtain barakah:
اللّهُـمَّ اهْـدِنـي فـيمَنْ هَـدَيْـت، وَعـافِنـي فـيمَنْ عافَـيْت، وَتَوَلَّـني فـيمَنْ تَوَلَّـيْت، وَبارِكْ لـي فـيما أَعْطَـيْت، وَقِـني شَرَّ ما قَضَـيْت، فَإِنَّـكَ تَقْـضي وَلا يُقْـضى عَلَـيْك ، إِنَّـهُ لا يَـذِلُّ مَنْ والَـيْت، [ وَلا يَعِـزُّ مَن عـادَيْت ]، تَبـارَكْـتَ رَبَّـنا وَتَعـالَـيْت
O Allah, guide me with those whom You have guided, and strengthen me with those whom You have given strength. Take me to Your care with those whom You have taken to Your care. Bless me for what You have given me. Protect me from the evil You have ordained. Surely, You command and are not commanded, and none whom You have committed to Your care shall be humiliated [and none whom You have taken as an enemy shall taste glory]. You are Blessed, Our Lord, and Exalted. [Abu Dawud, Ibn Majah, An-Nasa’i, At-Tirmidhi, Ahmad, Ad-Darimi, Al-Hakim, and Al-Bayhaqi]
مَنْ أَطْعَمَهُ اللَّهُ الطَّعَامَ فَلْيَقُلْ: “اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ لَنَا فِيهِ وَأَطْعِمْنَا خَيْراً مِنْهُ”،
وَمَنْ سَقَاهُ اللَّهُ لَبَناً فَلْيَقُلْ “اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ لَنَا فِيهِ وَزِدْنَا مِنْهُ”
Whomever Allah has given food, should say: Allahumma barik lana fihi, wa at`imna khayran minh.
Whomever Allah has given milk to drink, should say: Allahumma barik lana fihi, wa zidna minh.
Whomever Allah has given food, should say
: O Allah, bless us in it and provide us with better than it.
Whomever Allah has given milk to drink, should say:
O Allah, bless us in it and give us more of it.[At-Tirmidhi]
7. Following the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet ﷺ
As Muslims, we should all base our lives according to the Sunnah of our beloved Prophet ﷺ and try to incorporate as many virtues as we can. By following his lifestyle and the acts of Sunnah, we obtain a great source of barakah in our lives.
Hence, get up and enhance your knowledge on the Prophet’s ﷺ Sirah and Hadith to learn more about his life. If you want to access a trusted site with credible hadiths, head over to sunnah.com.
8. Saying Alhamdulillah
All it takes is to be grateful for the things we have now, even though it can be difficult at times. Allah has mentioned in the Qur’an in regards to thankfulness:
‘If you are grateful, I will certainly give you more.’ [Qur’an 14:7]
This verse highlights how Allah increases barakah in every little thing we are thankful for, and Allah is All-Knowing. To help you get through the days with the feeling of gratitude, you can always jot down the things you are thankful for in a journal. Here are just some of the journal apps available to help you feel more positive:
- Daylio Journal
- Friday (Planner & Journal)
- The Five Minute Journal App
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9. Giving Charity
Whenever you feel down in the dumps, give charity. Whenever you feel lost, give charity. Whenever you feel your life lacks barakah, give charity!
Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “Allah said, ‘O son of Adam! Spend, and I shall spend on you.” [Sahih al-Bukhari]
Let your heart out. Speak your mind and pour it all as if He’s right there by your side.
“And indeed We have created man, and We know whatever thoughts his inner self develops, and We are closer to him than (his) jugular vein.” [Quran 50:16].
According to the hadith mentioned above, giving charity increases barakah in the money you possess. So, encourage yourself to give a portion of your property to those who are destitute, InshaAllah.
10. Maintain your ties of kinship
To cut ties with brothers and sisters in Islam is not encouraged, let alone among your relatives. We should all strengthen the bond with each other to obtain barakah in our family members. The Holy Prophet ﷺ also advises us to maintain our ties of kinship and make amends if we have severed those ties:
‘Abdullah bin Amr narrated that:
the Prophet ﷺ said: “Merely maintaining the ties of kinship is not adequate. But connecting the ties of kinship is when his ties to the womb are severed and he connects it.” [Jami’ at-Tirmidhi]
These are just some of the sources of barakah all Muslims can have access to. We should all strive towards obtaining this essential component of blessing to live a happier and more contentful life, InshaAllah.
Reference:
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About The Author:
Written By:
Lily Syahirah Ramlan
Lily Syahirah is a Content Writer of SimplyIslam Academy based in Selangor, Malaysia. She recently graduated with a Bachelor's Degree of Education (Teaching English as a Second Language) from International Islamic University Malaysia in 2020. She is actively invovled in public speaking, English language debates, poetry and theatre and loves to express her work through writing. Her love for language arts and imagination has led her to produce, direct and write experimental plays she's passionate about during her degree years. She was also actively invovled as a Master of Ceremony (Emcee) where she hosts minor and major events in IIUM.
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