'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.

'Aqiqah': On Islamic Birth Rites

In September 2016, a Muslim brother from India sought spiritual guidance from Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam Hadhrat Muhyi-ud-Din Al Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim Saheb (atba) of Mauritius on Islamic rites pertaining to the birth of a new born, and Hadhrat Khalifatullah (atba) provided a brief explanation of the main Sunnah/ Islamic practices following birth of a child, whether male or female. 

Reproduced below is the response provided by Hadhrat Saheb (atba) to the question on the occasion:

Birth & Purification (Bath)

After his/ her birth the baby should be given a proper bath, cleansed well.

Adhaan & Iqamah

Then he/she should be given the Adhaan in the right ear and the Iqamah in the left ear.

Tahneek

It is narrated about the Holy Prophet (pbuh) that when a child was born and brought to him soon afterward, he would moisten a small piece of a date with his mouth and then place it on the palate of the newborn.  (Bukhari, Muslim and others). – Therefore, in Islam it is recommended to follow that practice also. Sometimes if available, dates and also honey.

Naming the Child

The naming of the child can be done right away, or one can wait till the seventh day, before the Aqiqah is done.

It is reported that Hazrat Aisha (ra) said: the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) did ‘Aqiqah for al-Hasan and al-Husayn on the seventh day, and gave them their names.