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Tawalli And Tabarri

TAWALLI and TABARRI
Question:

What is the meaning of tawalli and tabarri.

Answer:

If a person loves someone he will become close to him, and when he becomes close to someone then he will follow his example in his deeds and words. Similarly if he hates someone he will keep away from him and when he shuns him he will also oppose and be different from him in what he does and says.  Thus love and taking someone as an example to be followed are called tawalli (amity), and dislike and keeping distant from someone are called tabarri (hostility).  

Question:

To whom should we display real friendship and to whom should we display hostility? 

Answer:

We ought to show amity towards God, His Prophets, the Imams and the God-fearing, and hostility towards the enemies of God, of His Prophets, the Imams and those closest to Him.  We should do this because one who truly loves God will become nearer in his heart and in his actions to the pious, will obey them, and in so doing will gain well-being in this world and success in the hereafter. 

Similarly, if one displays hostility towards the enemies of the God-fearing he will also keep himself away from them, have nothing to do with them and contradict them in his actions and in all his doings.  Consequently he will not be made wretched like those people. Moreover, man must satisfy inevitably his inner instincts which include love and aversion, for there are three categories of people:

1.        Those among God’s servants who truly fear Him.

2.        The enemies of God and the enemies of the God-fearing. 

3.        Those who are neither with God or with His enemies, like the ignorant who are incapable of distinguishing truth or some of those who live in remote villages or desert places.

If man wants to fulfil his instinct for love he should channel it towards someone who is of beautiful character, whose friendship is beneficial, and if he wants to fulfil his instinct for enmity he should direct that towards someone who is of ugly nature with whom to make friendship would be dangerous and harmful.

Therefore, as we have outlined, adopting amity and hostility is, firstly, the way to satisfy these instincts which have to be expressed and, secondly, one will obtain benefit from such a stance in this world and in the hereafter

Question:

Can instincts be fulfilled?

Answer:

Any instinct be it love, hate, grief, joy, courage and so on has, like the stomach, to be satisfied. Islam has made clear what is the best nourishment for these instincts so that man will be aware of what makes him happy and what causes him distress and thus he will follow what is beneficial and discard what is harmful.

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