Virtues of the Houses of Allah

 

The Houses of Allah: Part 2

 

Alhamdulillah Summa Alhamdulillah, after talking about the Holy Ka’aba, the House of Humanity on the occasion of Eid-ul-Adha, today I will talk with you about the Houses of Allah - the Masaajid of Allah (the places of prayer for the worship of the One True God) in general.

 

In a Hadith, it is reported that Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) said: “Verily, the Houses of Allah on earth are the Mosques (Masaajid/ Masjids).”

 

The honour of a property (i.e. an extent of land), a building or a place depends on the honour of the person to whom the property, building or place belongs. What a Muslim needs to understand or that he needs to try to understand is the degree of honour he owes to Allah. No building or place on earth will be able to equal the Masjid that Allah has proclaimed as “His House” in honour and sanctity.

 

Therefore, when you visit a Masjid, you are visiting Allah. When you honour a Masjid, you are honouring Allah. And how will you honour the House of Allah? The Islamic Law (Shariah) teaches us how we can honour the Masjids of Allah.

'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.

'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)

'Salaat-ul-Wustaa': An Interpretation

What is Salaat?

Haafizuu ‘alas Salawaati was Sala atil wustaa: wa quumuu lillaahi qaani-tiin.

“Secure your Salaat [God will guarantee your protection]. Observe the middle prayer strictly, and stand before Allah in submission.” (Al-Baqara, 2: 239) 

The etymological and semantic approach teaches us that, in the context of the aforementioned verse, it is grafted on the primary meaning of Haafizuu (protect, secure or rigorously observe), the idea of constancy and of fighting against an opposing force in the dynamic of protection. 

Hazrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad, second caliph of the Ahmadiyya Movement and Musleh Ma’ud (ra), has explicitly evoked the game of reciprocity to indicate that protecting (observing) the Salaat would be equivalent to benefiting in return of the protective umbrella of the Salaat. 

“Innas-Salaata tan-haa ‘anil-fahshaaa-’i wal-munkar” [The Salaat prevents turpitude and reprehensible acts] and “Wasta-’iinuu bis-Sabri was-Salaah” [And seek help in steadfastness and prayer] state and delve into the same subject. In other words, all the characteristics inherent in Salaat, as mentioned in the Holy Quran, will work together to ensure your protection forever. This gives an even larger dimension to the act of Salaat. 

Regarding the Middle Salaat [Salaat-ul-Wustaa], the opinions of commentators on the Holy Quran vary depending on the subjective criteria they set for themselves. For some, chronologically speaking, the Salaat-ul-Asr would be the Middle Salaat. For others, in terms of importance, it would be more the Salaat-ul-Tahajjud. 

With the advent of a new era of Divine Manifestation and my coming as a Reviver of Faith, it is my duty to clear up with the help of Allah the confused points that divide the Ummah.

Du'ah: Role in Spiritual Life- II

Du'ah: The Instrumental Role

Alhamdulillah, Allah has given me the opportunity to continue the second part of my sermon on Duahs which I started on Friday 07 September 2018.

The duah (i.e. in this context, Invocation to Allah) is a way to obtain from Allah the Exalted One the prerogative (exclusive right, i.e. in a most humble way) that He hears and satisfies our needs in the broadest sense of the word. It is therefore a factor that can affect even our fate and change our destiny. Surely, Allah the Exalted is always “closer to man than the vein of his neck (jugular vein)” as He explains in a Qur’anic verse (Qaf 50: 17).

Living Islam: Importance of 'Duah'

Invocations (Duah) in Islam

“Seek ways to get closer to Him.” (Al-Ma'ida, 5: 36).

“O Allah, You are forgiving and You love to forgive, so (please) forgive me.” Ameen.

The duah is an imploration, a prayer, a request, a supplication that we, the Muslim Ummah, address to Allah (swt) to satisfy our needs, to grant us His blessings, to forgive our sins, to help us overcome our difficulties, to solve our problems, to correct our faults, to find (and tread upon) the right path, to enlighten our hearts to make the difference between good and evil, to find the true path and inner peace and to draw closer to Him.

The duah is the favourite weapon of all prophets and true believers so as to carry out the difficult tasks assigned to them and to endure the ordeals they have often suffered and shall continue to suffer. That is to say, just like there were the prophets of Allah and the pious people who had to go through all kinds of ordeals in the past and they used to invoke Allah to help them, likewise, presently and in the future also, there shall be such elects of Allah and the pious people who shall also seek the help of Allah in all their ordeals through prayer (duahs). Through various verses of the Holy Quran, we learn how the prophets (Hazrat) Nuh, Ibrahim, Musa, Ayub, Zakariah and other messengers made duahs, especially during the difficult moments of their lives. 

And the Holy Book teaches us how the Seal of the Prophets Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) strongly urged believers to seek the help of Allah (swt) in all circumstances. So much so that to start any particular job/ task you have to do a very easy duah, saying: “Bismillah”. The duah is the best way to have a healthy, perfect, agreeable relationship between man and his Creator, as well as his rooting in the notion of faith, since even the prophets who represent the peak of humanity as to their closeness to Allah (swt) and their connection to Him always resorted to duahs.

We must in no case neglect this act of worship, this great and best worship of Allah (swt) – after Salat and Quran reading. For if you meditate of its importance, you shall find that in Salat (prayer), it is mostly Quranic verses and duahs which are recited. It is duahs which embellish our Salat. The Holy Prophet (pbuh) was right and he made it clear about duah: “Duah (Supplication) is the essence of worship.” (Tirmidhi). 

Qur'an: A Divine Favour

This is the Book; there is no doubt in it, a guidance for those who fear Allah. Those who believe in the unseen and keep up prayer and spend out of what We have given them. And who believe in that which has been revealed to you and that which was revealed before you and they are sure of what is yet to come. (Al-Baqara, 2: 3-5).

Today by the grace of Allah, I continue the same the sermon that I had started 3 Fridays ago on the subject of the Quran, by reciting the verses 3-5 of the Surah Al-Baqara.

The believers need to know when reading the Quran that there is not the least error, or contradiction in it. On the contrary, each verse of the Quran strengthens the other verse and do not create any doubt. But, there are also some people who instead of having their doubts cleared concerning the Quran, their doubts increase. Thus, these types of people need to know that they are not the category of people mentioned in the beginning of the Chapter (Al-Baqara), i.e. they are not the pious, God-fearing people as stipulated in the verse (Verse 3).

Those people who do not have any doubt that the Quran contains no doubt, and that it is sure guidance for them, those people are certainly the Muttaquun, i.e. those who have the fear of Allah, and who are truly pious. So, when you invoke Allah through supplications (and prayer), you also need to understand the subjects of the Quran or ask Allah for help to enable you to understand it and Insha-Allah, Allah shall give you the knowledge to well understand the contents of the Holy Quran. It is then that the heart shall be cleansed of any kind of doubt. But love for the Quran also demands that you seek this certainty directly from it (i.e. the Quran itself).

And the subjects (knowledge) of Allah are unlimited. A lot of times, for the people who have such (positive) thoughts, Allah (swt) enable them to understand certain points (from the Quran). And if they are Muttaquun, then there shall be no problem for them to understand what Allah (swt) has made put in the Quran. It becomes easy(for them). But if they are not Muttaquun, then the same knowledge that they have received becomes a source of doubt, fitna, and disputes for them.

'Taqwa': Path to a Spiritual Life

 The Perfect Book- Part II

ذَلِكَ الْكِتَابُ لاَ رَيْبَ فِيهِ هُدًى لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ ۝

الَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْغَيْبِ وَيُقِيمُونَ الصَّلاةَ وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ يُنفِقُونَ ۝

والَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكَ وَمَا أُنزِلَ مِن قَبْلِكَ وَبِالآخِرَةِ هُمْ يُوقِنُونَ ۝

This is the Book; there is no doubt in it, a guidance for those who fear Allah. Those who believe in the unseen and keep up prayer and spend out of what We have given them. And who believe in that which has been revealed to you and that which was revealed before you and they are sure of what is yet to come. (Al-Baqara 2: 3-5).

By the grace of Allah, Allah (swt) has given me the Tawfeeq to continue the second part of the sermon which I started last week there (Last Friday) in which I mentioned the absolute necessity for the Mumineen (believers) to undertake journeys/ voyages of the Holy Quran every day. Quran says that for this voyage, there should be all kinds of provisions.

The provision which has been mentioned is Taqwa, i.e. the fear of Allah. And that's the same provision which is needed to acquire (the in-depth meanings of) the Quran also. Taqwa and Quran do not concern the daily (mundane) voyages (of someone). There are not gained through only one such voyage which you may do only once a year.

You need the Quran everyday and every day with the support of Taqwa as a provision you would be able to obtain something from the Quran. This is indeed very important, fundamental. And for that, it is not necessary to organize programs. Certainly, programs create the interest for it (i.e. the Quran) all year long, but it is the interest of parents which is necessary (which needs to be awakened). Firstly, parents - mother and father should take interest in it for their own beings. At whatever age they (be them the parents themselves, or their children) have reached, they must determine that we start the journey to Allah. And this journey/ voyage is not possible without the Quran. And to enable the journey of the Quran, we should have provisions, just like when people travel, they take stocks/ provisions with them. And here the provision which is fundamental for that voyage is the Taqwa.

Allah (swt) states that this is indeed a perfect book in which there is no doubt. But there is no doubt also that this Book is guidance for the truly pious (God-fearing) only. Those who have Taqwa shall certainly receive guidance from the Quran. So, Taqwa has been linked together with the Quran. 

Muharram: New Islamic Year Begins

Naya Saal Mubarak!

The Islamic calendar begins with Muharram, which is considered sacred a month. Muslims today do not take into account the value of our Islamic year. The majority of them do not even know when our Islamic year begins. 

Allah (swt) says in the Quran: 

Indeed, the number of months with Allah is twelve (lunar) months in the register of Allah (from) the day He created the heavens and the earth; of these, four are sacred (that is to say, Dhul-Qaddah, Dhul-Hijjah, Muharram and Rajab): That is the correct religion, so do not wrong yourselves during them. (9: 36)

Allah (swt) has given us a sacred month and year based on the Islamic calendar but unfortunately a great number of Muslims - especially here in Mauritius - do not take this into consideration, whereas on the other hand they take into great consideration the Gregorian and Christian calendar, celebrated at the end of December. So in preparation for the Gregorian year, they go shopping, and moreover, those working as officers in the public sector (Government servants) and also the private sector - hotels, factories etc. - organize parties and also receive year-end bonuses (called also, “13^th or even 14^th months” – that is, a surplus in salary amounting more than the 12-month salary scale) to celebrate the new year.

It is during this time of year (end of year - December) that we see a lot of waste. People spend their money and their all their bonuses in firecrackers, fireworks, liquor, gifts and the celebration continues until New Year’s Eve whereby many families today prefer to spend these days in hotels or to meet in a place where food - especially the barbecue - and several alcoholic beverages are available in large quantities. As for alcoholic drinks, it is true that the vast majority of Muslims do not consume this poison, but this custom does exist for people of other religious communities. For them, they must have an alcoholic drink because without it their New Year’s Eve won’t be complete! So you can imagine how much money is wasted in the weeks preceding the end of the year and the beginning of the following year - especially on the 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd days of the first month (January) of the New Year, even going until the 6^th of January.

People do not realize that they must make savings. They wrongly spend their money in vain things such as in parties and preparations of the New Year’s Eve. Unfortunately, Muslims also have entered into the same circle as these people. They imitate them and their customs. There are many of them who do not even perform their Tahajjud prayers and even the Fajr prayer at the prescribed time. They are too busy partying with family and friends!

Significance of Surah Al Fatiha

'... I have chosen to talk/explain today on a never-ending subject. I can say that if the ocean was ink and all trees in this world and the universe were pens and the sky and earth were papers, therefore all these would have come to an end but not the commentary of the Surah Al-Fatiha. This is because of the high importance of this chapter in the life of a believer, and this chapter is the first chapter of the Holy Quran. It is so important that one has to start with the Surah Al-Fatiha when he begins his prayer (Namaz/Salat). And to start supplications (duahs) to Allah, the Surah Al-Fatiha needs to be recited first. This is because of the nature of its greatness as a chapter and duah. In whatever situation a person may be, be it a difficulty, an illness or a state of suffering or any other problems he finds himself in, therefore he needs to recite the Surah Al-Fatiha.

By the grace of Allah, today 22^nd August 2014, I have thought about explaining a bit again on this very important chapter – the Surah Al-Fatiha. I know that there is no end to the commentary of this Surah. Centuries after centuries after my advent, there shall come many more divinely-sent reformers (Mujaddid), caliphs of Allah (Khalifatullah) and other Men of God who shall keep on explaining on this chapter, Surah, which is the Surah Al-Fatiha.

The word “Fatiha” comes from the verb “Fataha”, which means in this context “to open”. “Al” is a defined article and Fatiha (feminine here because it refers to the word Surah which is feminine in Arabic) means the opening Surah, which starts the Quran because it is that Surah which comes first in the Quran, that is, when you open the Quran, it is that very important key which is required to open the Quran. It is also important as a key to open your heart to your Creator, to show the great extent of love which you have for Him and which enables you to recognise your Lord (Allah) as the Master of the Day of Judgement. And it is Him whom we worship and to Him alone we beseech forgiveness… In addition it is with the Surah Al-Fatiha itself that we are able to open our Salat/Namaz (prayer). It is the first Surah that we recite in the Salat.