Worshipping God, or Idols ?

‘Your God is the one God: there is no god except Him, the Lord of Mercy, the Giver of Mercy. In the creation of the heavens and earth; in the alternation of night and day; in the ships that sail the seas with goods for people; in the water which God sends down from the sky to give life to the earth when it has been barren, scattering all kinds of creatures over it; in the changing of the winds and clouds that run their appointed courses between the sky and earth: there are signs in all these for those who use their minds.’ (2: 164 -165)

 

Islam privileges an uncompromising belief in the unicity of God as the true religion of people. In the Islamic tradition, the personal name of God is ‘Allah’, and in the Arabic language, ‘Allah’ has no plural, masculine or feminine form; the expression is never used for any other object or being. ‘He is Lord of the heavens and earth and everything in between so worship Him: be steadfast in worshipping Him. Do you know of anyone equal to Him?’ (19:66)

 

‘Say, ‘He is God the One, God the eternal. He begot no one nor was He begotten. No one is comparable to Him.’ (112: 2-5)

Many other Qur’anic verses also testify to the Lord’s awe-inspiring presence: ‘Allah is He besides Whom there is no god, the Ever-living, the Self-subsisting by Whom all subsist; slumber does not overtake Him nor sleep; whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth is His; who is he that can intercede with Him but by His permission? He knows what is before them and what is behind them, and they cannot comprehend anything out of His knowledge except what He pleases, His knowledge extends over the heavens and the earth, and the preservation of them both tires Him not, and He is the Most High, the Great.’ (2:256)

Muhammad in the Later Days

 

‘Sirat-un-Nabi’ Reflections

 

‘Exalted is He who put constellations in the heavens, a radiant light, and an illuminating moon- it is He who made the night and the day follow each other- so anyone who wishes may be mindful, or show gratitude.’ (25: 62-63)

 

‘There is a time set for every people: they cannot hasten it, nor, when it comes, will they be able to delay it for a single moment. O children of Adam! Whenever there come to you Messengers from among yourselves, relating My revelations to you, then whosoever (by accepting them) are conscious of God and live righteously, there will be no fear, nor will they grieve.’ (7: 35-36)

 

‘He it is Who has raised among the Unlettered people a Messenger from among themselves who recites unto them His Signs, and purifies them, and teaches them the Book and wisdom, although they had been, before, in manifest misguidance; And among others from among them who have not yet joined them. He is the Mighty, the Wise. That is Allah’s grace; He bestows it on whom He pleases; and Allah is the Master of immense grace.’ (62:3-5)

 

These verses of the Holy Qur’an, in their own mystical and subtle ways, allude to the philosophy of Divine guidance for humanity in darkened times. These verses unmistakably foretell a remarkable spiritual event of profound historic proportions: the advent of an Elect of God in the Later Days of Islam; the raising of an ‘illuminating moon’ [Qamaran Munira] who will reflect the pristine light of the Sun of Faith, Hazrat Muhammad^(sa), as though the Divine servant is a ‘mirror image’ or the second coming of the original Holy Prophet (sa) himself in this era, Alhamdulillah, Summa Alhamdulillah.

'Salah': Errors to Avoid- 3

  

Alhamdulillah, Summa Alhamdulillah, since last two weeks I have expounded before you on an important subject, i.e. the errors that all Muslim believers must avoid while praying [Salat]. Being an important pathway to Allah, each Muslim must see to it that he perfects his Salat so that his connection with Allah is perfected, the path leading to Allah is wide open, pure and clear. So, let us see the rest of the errors which the Mussalli does while praying.

 

21) Neglecting to sit in the Iftirash or Tawarruk position in the prayers during the last Tashahhud [i.e. sitting position].

 

It is praiseworthy to take Iftirash or Tawarruk position only in the last sitting position of prayer, i.e. during the last Tashahhud. So, what is Iftirash and what is Tawarruk ? How do we define them? The Iftirash position is to place the left foot on its side and sitting on it; and keeping the right foot vertical while resting on the bottom of the toes turning them towards the Qibla. 

The Tawarruk position is when a person sits with the left posterior on the ground; his right foot placed vertically with toes pointing towards the qibla; and the left foot on its side emerging from under the right foot. 

Concerning the Tawarruk position, Hazrat Abu Humayd al-Sa’idi (ra) narrated: “I have preserved for you the Prophet’s (pbuh) prayer; I saw him… when he would sit from two Rak’at he would sit on his left foot and raise his right. When he sat in the final Rak’ah, he would bring forth his left foot [from under the shin, i.e. the front of the leg below the knee], raise the other, and sit on his posterior.” (Bukhari)

 

Following the Hanafi School of thoughts, we Ahmadi Muslims follow the Iftirash position in the sitting position, especially the final one as the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) has sat in the Iftirash position in all sitting positions of his prayers for the greater part of his life. Even Imam Tirmidhi has stated this to be the practice of the majority of scholars. As for the few times the Messenger (pbuh) did practice Tawarruk - as some narrations do state - it was either due to weakness and not being able to sit in Iftirash position in the latter part of his life, or it was merely to show to his Companions [Sahaba] that it was permissible for them to do so.

A Good ‘Muslim’: 10 Signs

  

Say, ‘Follow me if you love Allâh’ (3:32)

 

A ‘Muslim’ is, literally, one who submits to the Will of God; someone who follows in the footsteps of holy prophet Muhammad ^(sa) in quest of Divine forgiveness and approval and salvation. Between the lines of its pure message, the Holy Qur’an gives us an intimate portrait of true believers. Indeed, the character-sketch of a sincere devotee of God is clearly discernible  in the Book of God. A Muslim is one who loudly proclaims ‘Laa Ilaaaha Illallah, Muhammad Rasulullah’ [There is no diety except Allah; Muhammad is His messenger’]. A true Muslim is the one who backs his/her verbal declaration or profession of commitment to Faith with actual good deeds in everyday life as evidence in support of his claims of belief.    

 

The Qur’an notes: ‘The desert Arabs say, ‘We have faith.’ [Prophet], tell them, ‘You do not have faith. What you should say instead is, “We have submitted,” for faith has not yet entered your hearts.’ If you obey God and His Messenger, He will not diminish any of your deeds: He is most forgiving and most merciful. The true believers are the ones who have faith in God and His Messenger and leave all doubt behind, the ones who have struggled with their possessions and their persons in God’s way: they are the ones who are true.’ (49: 15-16)

According to the Qur’an, most people know only the outer aspects of life in this present world and have no concern for the life to come in the Hereafter. On the other hand, believers are acutely conscious of the hidden realities of life in this universe. Even when they cannot see God, the believer understands that all journeys’ end in our Sustainer, the Great Fashioner of all destinies; and that 'free-will' entails the choice to abide by Law in exchange for Divine pleasure in Heavenly abode, or to earn the punishment of Hellfire for choosing to be a lawbreaker in this world, and that everyone will face their own records on the Day of Judgement before our Just Lord.

Indeed, what distinguishes true believers from the rest of the people is their sense of gratitude towards the Lord who makes it possible for us all to experience the blessings of life in this world. The human faculty of discernment is illumined when the clear guidance of Divine wisdom- taught by the Prophets- is followed and implemented in everyday life. A believer recognizes that through the creation of humans with free will, God wishes that we use our ‘brains’ and follow His revelations (the Scripture and the Balance), and thereby become perfect believers- the resplendent and illuminated women and men of Faith in this world- the real ‘trustees’ of God on earth: those who attain the true purpose of life and gain the high destiny He promises for the truly good in the Garden of Bliss, Insha Allah, Aameen.

'Salah': Errors to Avoid- 2

 

Alhamdulillah, Summa Alhamdulillah, I continue today the second part of my sermon on the correct way of performing our Salat (Prayers) and to thus avoid all errors which may annul our prayers.

 

8) Reluctance to stand in the front line in the congregational prayer.

 

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: “If the people knew what (reward) is in the call (Adhan) and the first row (in congregational prayers), and they found no other way to get that except drawing lots, then they would draw lots.” (Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmidhi)

 

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) also said: “If anyone goes out from his house after performing ablution for saying the prescribed prayer in congregation (in the mosque), his reward will be like that of one who goes for Hajj pilgrimage after wearing Ihram (i.e. the two pieces of sheet worn by the Hajj pilgrims).” (Abu Dawud)

'Salah': Mistakes to Avoid

  

Alhamdulillah, Summa Alhamdulillah, I am continuing my Friday Sermon of last week on Salat (i.e. Prayer), and today I would like to talk to you about some of the major mistakes which Muslim believers do when establishing the Salat. Like I told you, Salat is one of the fundamental pillars of Islam. It comes just after the Shahada [attestation of the faith in Islam’, i.e. Laa-Ilaaha Illallah Muhammadur Rassullullah – There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is His Messenger.

 

In other words it is to believe in Allah and in His Messenger Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh), and not associating anybody or anything else in the worship of Allah, to give Allah an exclusive and pure worship, and not worshipping even Muhammad (pbuh) who is only a Messenger of God and not a god or partner along with Allah. It is about believing firmly in the unicity of Allah and submitting oneself completely to His will.

It is only after one has established himself firmly in the Shahada that one establishes himself in prayer, as a sign of the very submission which he proclaimed, not only openly but inwardly, with all his intellectual faculties as well as his inner consciousness which we usually coined as the mind, as well as with his heart and soul. These three mind, heart and soul intertwined each other in nearly similar significance as these three concerns the spiritual side of the believer, which is beyond his body and carnal passions. If these three as well as his body are regulated in the correct way, then the submission to Allah comes naturally without any clash with external or even internal passions which may ruin his bond with Allah. To maintain his body and soul in harmony with Islam, Salat is thus very important. And the establishing of Salat in the correct way will assure the believer success in this world and the Hereafter.

'Salah' in Muslim Life

 

“Surely I, Ever I, am Allah; there is no god except I; so worship Me, and Aqimus-Salah (establish prayer) for My remembrance.” (Taha 20: 15) 

Salah (prayer) is of vital importance in the life of a Muslim. Allah (twt) did not just say to offer or perform prayer (Salah). He has commanded mankind, and especially His true servants to establish prayer, meaning that it goes beyond the mere performance of the prescribed movements and the servant of Allah is called to experience the feeling of perfect submission and humility before Allah the Almighty. It refers to the commitment one makes to Allah after His given command to obey Him and keep up regularly, and as ordained, the prescribed spiritual meetings between Allah and His servant. That spiritual meeting is manifested also through the physical demonstration of submission when the believer submits himself with all his heart, soul and body to the Grandeur and Majesty of Allah even though he does not see Him with his physical eyes.

 

Moreover, Allah (twt) commands the correct performance of Salah. Sometimes a believer’s Salah may seem empty of any pleasure or deep feeling of attachment with Allah, but with Sabr (patience) and perseverance, he will get the perfume of pleasure in his Salat (prayers). He may face deep difficulties and not see any issue, he may pray without putting any real trust in Allah. But what does Allah say?

 

Allah (twt) states in the Holy Quran: “O you who believe! Seek help in steadfastness and prayer. Surely Allah is with the steadfast.” (Al-Baqara 2: 154)

 

The Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) is quoted to have said: “Prayer is a light, charity is proof, and patience is illumination.” (Muslim)