In many Muslim societies, believers instinctively seek blessings (barakah) through their attachment to holy men. We reach out to touch them, handle their clothes, or partake of their leftover food and drink, hoping that some trace of the nearness to Allah we perceive in them might reach us as well. Implicit in these gestures is a theology of proximity: we sense that certain servants of God live in a state of heightened awareness of Him, and that their bodies, garments, and morsels carry a lingering reflection of that divine nearness.
This impulse is especially visible in the way Ahmadi Muslims relate to the Promised Messiah(as), and to Khilafat-e-Ahmadiyya. We regard them not as independent sources of power, but as divinely appointed mirrors who reflect the light of Allah and the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet(sa). To touch their hand, to preserve an item they wore, or to cherish food or drink associated with them is, at its best, an outward expression of an inward desire: to draw closer to Allah by loving and honouring those whom He has chosen and reformed. An honest discussion of barakah and tabarruk must therefore distinguish between this yearning for God, which is rooted in love and obedience, and the subtle danger of turning physical contact and relics into a substitute for direct, living relationship with the Almighty.
“Barakah” means blessing, increase, and spiritual abundance that Allah places in a person’s life, time, wealth, or deeds. It is not simply material gain; it is enduring goodness that far exceeds outward means. The central principle is that “Barakah come only from Allah”, never independently from creation.
Allah describes Himself as the true Source of all blessing:
“7:55” – “Tabāraka Allāhu Rabbul-‘ālamīn” — “Blessed is Allah, the Lord of the worlds.”
The verb “tabāraka” is used in the Qur’an only for Allah, indicating His perfection, exaltation, and that all blessings originate with Him.
What is Tabarruk?
“Tabarruk ” means seeking Barakah. It is an act of devotion: turning to a source in the hope of obtaining blessing. Since Allah alone is the true Source of Barakah, “correct” Tabarruk is to seek blessing “from Allah”, through the means and avenues He has permitted like du‘a, ṣalāt, ṣadaqat, Qur’an, righteous deeds
When people, out of ignorance, begin to think that certain persons, shrines, or objects possess “independent power” to give Barakah, they risk slipping toward shirk. One of Allah’s names is “Al-Quddūs — the Pure, the Blessed One —reminding believers that intrinsic holiness and blessing belong only to Allah.
A beautiful expression of Allah’s mercy and blessings is:
“11:74” – “Raḥmatullāhi wa barakātuhu ‘alaykum ahla al‑bayt. Innahu ḥamīdun majīd.”
“The mercy of Allah and His blessings are upon you, O people of the House. Surely, He is Praiseworthy, Glorious.”
Here, mercy (raḥmah) and blessings (barakāt) are explicitly shown as something “Allah bestows” on His chosen servants.
Boorika and Tabāraka in the Story of Moses(as)
The distinction between “given blessing” and “the Giver of blessing” appears clearly in the story of P Moses(as) and the fire.
When Moses(as) came to the fire, the Qur’an states:
“27:9” – *Falammā jā’ahā nūdiyā, būrika man fī an‑nār wa man ḥawlahā; wa subḥāna Allāhi Rabbil‑‘ālamīn.*
“So when he came to it, he was called: ‘Blessed is he who is in the fire and those around it; and glorified be Allah, the Lord of the worlds.”
The phrase “man fī an‑nār wa man ḥawlahā” (“he who is in the fire and those around it”) has two well-known interpretive layers in classical commentary:
It refers to “Moses(as)”, who approached the fire to seek warmth and guidance, and those near that sacred valley.
Crucially, the word used is “būrika” — “blessed is [he who is]” — in the “passive form”, which is used for a “created recipient” of blessing. It does “not say tabāraka here, and it is “wrong” to read the verse as if Allah is “in the fire” in a physical sense.
Therefore:
- “būrika” = “was blessed / blessed is he” → applies to “the one receiving blessing” (in this case, Moses(as) and those around.)
- “tabāraka” is “blessed is He” → used only for “Allah, the Bestower of blessing”
This linguistic precision protects Tawḥīd: “blessings originate from Allah”, while creation only receives them.
In summary remember
- Barakah is divine blessing and increase in good; it comes only from Allah.
- Tabarruk is the *act of seeking* that blessing, which must be directed to Allah alone and through lawful means.
- Būrika refers to those who are blessed by Allah (recipient).
- Tabāraka is reserved for Allah, the eternal Source of every blessing (Giver).
Right understanding of Barakah and Tabarruk keeps the heart safe from subtle forms of shirk and roots worship firmly in the declaration: “Tabāraka Allāhu Rabbul‑‘ālamīn “— Blessed is Allah, the Lord of the worlds.