Pearl of Wisdom (2nd night Ramadaan 2010)

Assalaamu'alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakaatuh,

I pray this note finds you all to be in the best of health and highest of Islamic spirits.

Alhamdulillah, during the second night of Ramadaan our journey through Surah alBaqarah continued as we witnessed the magnanimity of our Shariah.

Soorah alBaqarah is a chapter of several virtues. Abu Hurairah reported our Prophet (SAW) to have said, "Do not make your houses graveyards. The devil flees from the house in which Surah Al-Baqara is recited." [Muslim], It was also reported on the authority of Ibn Masud that our Prophet (SAW) said: “Whoever recited the last two verses of Suratul Baqarah at night, they will be sufficient for him.” [Bukhari].

During the second evening, over and above being educated about our Islamic Belief, we learnt about our Qiblah, the rights of Allah, the rights of man, the method of living and the principles of social interaction. It also outlines laws pertaining to Salaah, Zakaah, Hajj, charity, social welfare, mutual consultation, marriage, divorce, Iddah (waiting period after a woman is divorced or widowed), bequests, commercial etiquettes, loans, capital punishment and penalties, and the nursing of our young, amongst the several other lessons present!

It comes as NO surprise that Umar (RA) spent years studying the chapter of alBaqarah paving his way towards becoming one of the most prolific governors the world has ever witnessed.

Before logging off I would like to turn your attention towards the importance of Salaah, from an abstract perspective, since the second Juz begins with verses dedicated to our Qiblah.

The importance of Salaah is a topic well known to us all, Alhamdulillah- thus the essence of the next few sentences will not detail that already widely understood.

I instead would like to draw your attention towards our physical activities during the observance of our Salaah. Those who think deeply will come to realise that our Salaah is an actual physical trainer of our ethics, character and conduct...Alhamdulillah.

A magnified look at our actions during Salaah would make manifest that our Salaah teaches us-

1. The importance of having a direction in life -as It is a condition for the acceptance of one's obligatory Salaah that it is observed whilst facing the Qiblah. A life without direction is recipe for disaster in both worlds, and Allah Almighty trains us five times a day to ensure successful navigation.
2. Unity- as offering the obligatory Salaah in congregation is an obligation upon all qualifying males. Further recognition of this is manifest in the Jumu'ah and Eid prayer. ‘The Prophet (SAW)said, "The salah in congregation is twenty – five times superior in degrees to the salah offered by a person alone." ‘[in some ahadith twenty – seven] (Bukhari)
3. Equality- as our beloved Prophet (SAW) always ensured the rows being straight without an iota of presidence being given to a 'royal' over a 'peasant'. Our Prophet (SAW) said: ‘keep straight, don’t be irregular for there would be disagreement in your hearts.’ [Muslim].
4. Closeness- Abd Allah bin Umar (RA) reported that our Prophet (SAW) said, ‘set the rows in order, stand shoulder to shoulder, close the gaps, and do not leave openings for the devil. If anyone joins up a row, Allah will join him up, but if anyone beaks a row, Allah will cut him off.’ [Abu Dawood].
   
5. To be a good follower of successful leadership- During our Salaah behind the Imaam, we are obliged to act in accordance with his instruction. It is totally impermissible to act out ahead of the Imaam. This same rule applies to us in our daily lives today. Al-Bara’ ibn ‘Aazib said: When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘Sami’a Allaahu liman hamidah’, none of us would then bend our backs [to start prostrating] until the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) went down into prostration, then we would go down into prostration after him. Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 690; Muslim, 474.
6. Uniformity and synchronisation- Our Salaah trains us daily how to be a successful team player, since we bow, prostrate and observe the salaah together in synch!
7. Not to speak over the voice of another- Those who deliberate will come to learn this from the way we say out aloud 'Ameen' during our Salaah. A believer patiently waits for the Imaam to complete his recitation of alFaatiha before reciting the Ameen.

This is a mere tip of the ice-burg, and one cannot help but say:

"Allahumma lakalHamd" - "All praise is due to Allah."

May Allah Almighty grant us the understanding.

And Allah knows best.

I love you all for the sake of Allah, and until my next post,

Was salamualaikum warahmatullahi wa barakaatuh

Abu Abd Allah, Sajid Umar.

1st night Taraweeh (alFaatiha and 1st Juz)

Assalaamu'alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakaatuh

To help us with our Qur'aanic journey, I would like to share when ever possible short pearls from some of our taraweeh prayers during this Ramadaan.

On the first evening, we started off with alFaatiha.

Alfaatiha for those who ponder, has the essence of the entire Qur'aan inbuilt within it.

We have the manifestation of all the categories of Tawheed present!

Tawheed arRuboobiyyah in the verse (Maaliki yawmid deen),

Tawheed alUloohiyya in the verse (Iyyaka na'budu waiyyakanastaeen),

and Tawheed alAsmaa' was Sifaat in the verse (arRahmaanir Raheem).

Allah Almighty also teaches us the importance of practising upon the knowledge we have! for in alFaatiha, we seek refuge in Allah from being amongst those that earned Allah's anger!

The Ulamaa explain to us that this verse actually references the Jews, for they had knowledge,but ceased to practice upon it.

We also learn in this chapter the importance of only worshipping Allah upon knowledge and insight, as, in alFaatiha, we seek refuge in Allah from being amongst the misguided!

The Ulamaa teach us that this portion references the Christians, for they worshipped Allah without any evidence to substantiate their ways.

May Allah Almighty save us all.

As a point of note, some of the salaf have written volumes based on just one verse from Soorah alFaatiha. This should make us understand how deep and comprehensive the verses of alQur'aan are, and how we will never cease to stop learning from any verse in Allah Almighty's book, despite our repetition of any particular verse.

With regards to Soorah alBaqarah;;;

There are no words or sentences that can do justice in summarising it!

It is enough for us to know that Umar (RA) spent 10 years studying alBaqarah!! Subhanallah.

However, with regards to the portion recited on the night; Allah teaches us about:

• the types of people out there...

1. The believers! as in verses 3-5.
2. The disbelievers! as in verses 6-7
3. The hypocrites!!, as in verses 8-13.

• the beginning of Adam (AS), and the reality of our enemy 'Shaitaan'.
• how gracious Allah Almighty was to the Jews, and how stubborn and ungrateful they were.
• Ibrahim (AS), his sincere worship, his building of the Ka'bah and the supplications he observed.
• the reality of every message and every messenger that visited their nations.

May Allah Almighty grant us the ability to give due cognisance to the gracious lessons present in His book. Ameen.

Until my next post...I leave you with the following question:

__________________________________________________________________________________

Why did Allah Almighty dedicate so many more verses when discussing the hypocrites??

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I love you all for the sake of Allah.

Wassalamualaikum warahmatullahi wa barakaatuh.

Abu Abd Allah, Sajid Umar

Catch me Live on Radio Islam every Sunday evening in Ramadaan (2010)

Assalamualaikum all,

Insha Allah I will be on Radio/Sattelitte Islam tomorrow (Sunday) and every Sunday in Ramadaan at 9.30 AM (South African time) (10.30 AM Makkah Time) live from Riyadh K.S.A.

We will be discussing 'The Prophet of Mercy' and you can listen into the broadcast via the internet.

For access to the website please copy and paste the following link to your web browser:

http://radioislam.orgza.info/a/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=20&Itemid=69

I advise you select 'winamp' after clicking the 'NOW ON AIR' tab to hear the broadcast smoothly.

'Winamp' can be accessed by clicking the little 'yellow lightning bolt' in the list of audio players offered.

For those that have DStv; you may access the broadcast via your decoders 'audio bouquet'.

The programme will be open to listener participation, so please don't feel shy to call in with your valuable input.

May Allah Almighty assist us especially during this month of Qur'aan,worship and Mercy...Ameen.

Ensure O' servant of Allah that your worship is above par!

And Allah knows best.

Wa alaykum salaam.

Abu Abd Allah, Sajid Umar.

Tarawih Recitation: A Message to all Imams

Shaykh Haitham al-Haddad, Islam21c

Imāms should respect the Qur’ān when leading the Tarāwīḥ Prayer

All praises be to Allah and may the blessings and salutation be upon his messenger Muhammad.

The greatest favour bestowed upon humanity is the revelation of the Qur’ān as it is the only way human beings can be in continuous touch with their Creator. People can easily measure their level of attachment to their Lord by measuring their level of attachment to the Qur’ān – recitation, study and contemplation of it.

This divine writ was not revealed to be a book of hymns for aural enjoyment, but instead as a book of guidance, for Allāh says in the Qur’ān, “(This is) a Book (the Qur’ān) which We have sent down to you, full of blessings that they may ponder over its verses, and that men of understanding may remember.”[1] As the Qur’ān is the unique and inimitable speech of Allāh, reciting it is a tremendous act of worship. However, its reward and comprehensive benefit can only be achieved once we put into practice what we understand. In fact, not putting enough attention to understanding the Qur’ān is condemned as Allāh the Most High says, “Do they not then think deeply about the Qur’ān, or are there locks upon their hearts (from understanding it?)”[2] Many early scholars also condemned those who read the Qur’ān without putting enough effort into understanding it, for example, it is narrated from Ibn Masʽūd that he said, “Do not scatter it (i.e., recitation of the Qur’ān) like the scattering of cheap dates, and do not ramble with it like the rambling of poetry. Stop at its marvels and stir your heart with it. None of you should let his concern be to reach the end of the chapter.”[3]

The way many Imāms recite during the Tarāwīḥ prayer is inexcusable and should be condemned in the strongest of ways by the people of knowledge, and in fact, any individual who respects the words of God. These Imāms recite the Qur’ān as if they are competing with the allocated time in order to finish the set amount and be rid of a heavy burden placed on their shoulders. In listening to some of them it is extremely difficult to make out what they are saying, whilst simultaneously, they make constant mistakes. There are reports of some mosques completing both twenty rak‘ah (units) of the Tarāwīḥ prayer and a whole juz’ of the Qur’ān in thirty minutes. This means that each rak‘ah takes ninety seconds in which one page of the Qur’ān is recited! What justification can such Imāms (and consequently the committees of such mosques) possibly give?

I would like to pose the following question to individuals who legitimize such conduct and deem it acceptable: Imagine that you are standing before God and that He is looking at you while you are praying, do you think Allāh is happy seeing and hearing His words read in this manner without giving them their due rights in terms of recitation and contemplation? Furthermore, I wonder if any of these Imāms or committee members are bold enough to allege that the Prophet would endorse this kind of prayer.

This kind of recitation is exactly what has been condemned by many of the scholars of the early generation. In fact, of one the characteristics of the Khawārij, a deviant sect, the Prophet informed us of is that their recitation of the Qur’ān will not go beyond their throats, i.e., they only pay lip-service to it; we should be very concerned not to have this trait within us. It was reported that Abῑ Jamrah, a scholar of the second generation, informed Ibn ʽAbbās that he recited very quickly and read the Qur’ān in three days, Ibn ʽAbbās replied by saying. ‘That I recite al-Baqarah in a night and reflect on it and reciting it slowly is more beloved to me than to recite in the manner you mention.’

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allāh have mercy on him) summarised what the Muslim has to do in order to remedy the hardness of his heart with the Qur’ān. He said, ‘There is nothing more beneficial for the heart than reading the Qur’ān with contemplation and reflection. The Qur’ān encompasses all the levels of the travelers, the conditions of the workers, and stations of those possessing knowledge. It is the Qur’ān that generates love, desire, fear, hope, repentance, reliance, pleasure, entrustment, gratitude, patience and the rest of the different states that are life to the heart and perfection of it. Likewise, it repels all the rebuked characteristics and actions that cause the corruption and ruin of the heart. If people were to possess a realization of what the recitation of the Qur’ān with contemplation contains, they would devote themselves to it at the expense of everything else. When the person reads it with reflection and he comes across an āyah (verse) that he is in need of for curing his heart, he repeats it, even if he does so a hundred times or the whole night. Hence, to recite a single āyah of the Qur’ān with contemplation and reflection is better than reciting the Qur’ān to completion without any contemplation. It is also more beneficial for the heart and more conducive to attaining īmān (faith) and tasting the sweetness of the Qur’ān.’

The Prophet used to read in a very slow style and stop at verses that mention paradise or the hell fire. Once he repeated the verse where Allāh says ‘If You punish them, they are Your slaves, and if You forgive them, verily You, only You are the All-Mighty, the All-Wise’[4] for the whole night.[5] Muhammad Ibn al-Kaʽb al-Quraẓῑ (d. 120H) preferred to read Sūrah al-Zalzalah and al-Qāriʽah and repeat them a number of times over reading the whole Qur’ān in a very hasty way. Imām Abū Ḥanῑfah once kept repeating Sūrah al-Zalzalah for the whole night.

Many of our acts of worship (ʽibādāt) have lost their spirit and have been transformed into meaningless ritual images where the focus is on completing them irrespective of whether they leave an impact on our souls or not and if they were perfected or at least performed in a truly satisfactory manner. That is why our worship does not change us for the better; our commitment to the dīn (religion/way of life) of Allāh is very weak and our willingness to sacrifice for the sake of Allāh is even more so – our morals and manners are not improving. Many of us want to be rid of the Tarāwīḥ prayer, no matter how it is offered. Humility, tranquility and reflection are insignificant elements for such Muslims. This is the opposite of what Allāh wants from us; we have removed the very elements from our acts of worship that have been purposely placed there to better us and focus instead on quantity rather quality – for those of us who have any focus at all.

I believe it is time we should put a stop to this and mend our relationship with the Qur’ān as Allāh has commanded: “O mankind! There has come to you a good advice (i.e. the Qur’ān) from your Lord, and a healing for that (diseases of ignorance, doubt, hypocrisy and differences, etc.) in your breasts, – a guidance and a mercy for the believers.”

I call upon committee members and Imāms to seek the pleasure of Allah and not the pleasure of their congregation. I call upon Muslims to advice such Imāms and committee members who do not manifest enough respect to the Qur’ān and to consider appointing other Imāms who recite according to the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace be upon him). We should also remember that completing twenty Rak’ah or even the whole Qur’an during Tarāwīḥ is not compulsory, yet listening to it attentively and reciting it with moderate speed is. If the Tarāwīḥ prayer has to be completed in a specific time, then the amount set to be recited should be reduced so that a better quality of worship is achieved.

I ask Allah to guide us all to follow His Book and the Sunnah of his Messenger and to pardon our shortcomings for He is the Oft-Forgiving Oft-Pardoning.

Notes:

Source: www.islam21c.com

[1]Sūrah Ṣād, 38:29
[2]Sūrah Muḥammad, 47:24
[3]Reported in various places such as Akhlāq Ḥamalah al-Qurʽān by al-Ājurrῑ and al-Baghawῑ in his Tafsῑr.
[4]Sūrah al-Mā’idah, 5:118
[5]Reported by Ibn Abī Shaybah and Aḥmad in his Musnad.