TABARRUKH:Derival of Benefits from the Traces of Rasulullah (SAWS)

Allah, the Exalted, put a blessing in the self, doings, sayings, and traces of the Prophet,sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam. The Companions, may Allah raise their ranks, used to seekblessings from the traces of the Prophet during his lifetime and after his death.

Following their example, Muslims of today continue to do the same. There are several proofs thatmake us know that seeking benefit from the traces of the Prophet (tabarruk) is permissible.

Narrations from al-Bukhariyy and Muslim confirm that during the last Pilgrimage performed by the Prophet (Hijjat-ul- Wada^), the Prophet distributed his shorn hair. The Prophet threw the pebbles at Jamrat-ul-^Aqabah, slaughtered a sheep and distributed itsmeat among the poor, then shaved his head.

He shaved the right side of his head and gavehis hair to Abu Talhah al-Ansariyy; then he shaved the left side of his head, gave the hairto Abu Talhah, and told him to distribute it among the people. Some received one hair,others two, and so on.

The Prophet personally handed some of his hair to people near him, including UmmSulaym (one of the female Companions) and Abu Talhah, for them to distribute amongthe people. In this way, the hair of the Prophet was spread in the Muslim countries.

The Prophet distributed his hair among the people in order for them to seek blessings(barakah) from it. Likewise, the Prophet distributed his nail clippings among the people,as stated by Imam Ahmad in his Musnad.

These actions clearly indicate the permissibility of seeking benefit from the traces of the Prophet.The Companions sought blessings from other traces of the Prophet as well.

Imam Muslim related in his Sahih that Asma', the daughter of Abu Bakr, showed some people an articleof clothing (jubbah) worn by the Prophet which had been at the house of her sister,^A'ishah, the wife of the Prophet. When ^A'ishah died, Asma' got the jubbah. The Companions sought the blessings from this jubbah of the Prophet by using the water inwhich it had been soaked to treat the sick and cure his illness.

[From AICP]