New Project Unveiled: Salah Support

August 19, 2009 – 11:59 am

Bismillah.

Alhamdulillah, we’ve been working in the background for a while to launch a new project. Jazakumullahu khayran to everybody who helped out, may Allah keep giving you reward for it insha’Allah long after your bones are dust–allahumma ameen!

First, check yourself, and fill out the poll below:

How's Your Salah?

View Results

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If you haven’t guessed, our new project is: Salah Support, a forum where you can find resources on salah–everything from videos on how to pray, to ebooks on khushoo’, to creative alarms for Qiaaym-ul-Layl.

We hope, bi idhnillah, that people will benefit–posting questions, and answers (with proofs, of course).

If you’re masha’Allah a regular musalli with your 5x fard salawaat secured, I request that you monitor the forums and help others get up to speed, insha’Allah. After all, the Prophet (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) said:

Jarir ibn Abdullah and Abu Hurayrah (radiallahu ‘anhumaa) reported that Allah’s Messenger (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) as saying: He who called (people) to righteousness, there would be reward (assured) for him like the rewards of those who adhered to it, without their rewards being diminished in any respect. And he who called (people) to error, he shall have to carry (the burden) of its sin, like those who committed it, without their sins being diminished in any respect. [Saheeh Muslim: book 34, #6466, #6468, #6469, and #6470]

So you can get the reward of people praying–five times a day, every day! But be careful, because the sin is multiplied, too–hence the importance of quoting sources and trustworthy shuyookh.

And if you need help, tips, support, then drop by–that’s what it’s all about!

May Allah allow us to benefit each other and ourselves from this project, and make it a way for us to extend our deeds until the day of Judgment–Allahumma ameen!

So check it out and see what you think!

And yes, there is a “sawm” folder too, for all things fasting-related; if it’s popular, we’ll keep it, otherwise, we’ll focus insha’Allah on just salah. Please give me some feedback in the comments, too, if there are any changes you need or ideas you have.

By Ilm Seeker | Posted in Ibadah, Islam, News, Salaah, Tazkiyyah | Tagged , , , | Comments (2)

3 Shields of Protection From Supernatural Forces

July 6, 2009 – 1:55 pm

This is post #22 in our series on Tafseer of Juz ‘Amma (click the link to see all posts in this series).

a blinding light emitting from a forest at nightThe protection of Allah is easily earned and very, very powerful.

Muslims love talking about Jinns and black magic. Yet, when it comes to inoculating themselves from supernatural forces, Muslims are often either ignorantly doing most of what they need to do, or proverbially standing on the interstate highway, woefully oblivious of thousands of cars speeding by at near-miss distances. And many of us, or people we know, personally do get hit.

Yet even the newest Muslim is often quickly equipped with powerful shields of protection against these forces. What are they?

Read More »

By Ilm Seeker | Posted in Ibadah, Islam, Qur'an, Salaah, Tafseer | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (5)

Say: O You Kafiroon …

June 18, 2009 – 3:58 pm

Note: This is post #20 in our series on Tafseer of Juz ‘Amma (click the link to see all posts in this series).

In Surah Kafiroon, Allah says:

قُلْ يَا أَيُّهَا الْكَافِرُونَ
لَا أَعْبُدُ مَا تَعْبُدُونَ
وَلَا أَنتُمْ عَابِدُونَ مَا أَعْبُدُ
وَلَا أَنَا عَابِدٌ مَّا عَبَدتُّمْ
وَلَا أَنتُمْ عَابِدُونَ مَا أَعْبُدُ
لَكُمْ دِينُكُمْ وَلِيَ دِينِ

Translation: Say, “O disbelievers, I do not worship what you worship. Nor are you worshippers of what I worship. Nor will I be a worshipper of what you worship. Nor will you be worshippers of what I worship. For you is your religion, and for me is my religion.” [Surah Kafiroon]

The mushrikeen (polytheists) of Mecca tried many, many different techniques to get the Prophet (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) to stop spreading Islam.

Before this ayah was revealed, they decided to make a pact with him. They said, “Look, how about this–you worship our gods for one year, and we’ll worship your God for one year.” And to sweeten the deal: “And, we’ll go first.”

And they applied the Broken Record technique. Whenever the Prophet (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) would try to speak to them about Islam, they would only repeat this.

And he, salallahu alayhi wa sallam, refused.

Those of you who are wondering why–although it seems on the surface like a fair trade, it’s not. Allah does not forgive shirk, worshipping other than him; not even a single sujood, or a single du’a, none of it is acceptable.

So clearly, this is not a contract the Messenger of Allah could engage with. So he refused.

And he refused.

And he refused.

Then, the Mushrikeen said, “ok, how about this–just speak highly of our gods, and we’ll do the same for you.” A smaller compromise.

And whenever people approached them, they would say, “Well, we’re trying to compromise (like we’re the good ones in this deal–even though we kill our daughters and murder on whims and …), but he’s not agreeing.”

So the Prophet (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) went to the ka’bah.

The Ka'bah, the House of Allah

Mushrikeen were there. And in front of everybody he said:

Read More »

By Ilm Seeker | Posted in Da'wah, Ibadah, Islam, Salaah, Tazkiyyah | Tagged , , , | Comments (11)

Those Who Show Off in Their Salah

June 16, 2009 – 2:19 pm

Note: This is post #19 in our series on Tafseer of Juz ‘Amma (click the link to see all posts in this series).

In Surah Ma’oon, Allah says:

فَوَيْلٌ لِّلْمُصَلِّينَ
الَّذِينَ هُمْ عَن صَلَاتِهِمْ سَاهُونَ
الَّذِينَ هُمْ يُرَاءُونَ
وَيَمْنَعُونَ الْمَاعُونَ

Translation: So woe to those who pray; those who are heedless of their prayer, those who make show [of their deeds]; And withhold [simple] assistance (al-ma’oon). [Surah Ma'oon, verses 4-7]

Allah says, “so woe to those who pray.” Don’t stop at this ayah! People who pray are not cursed by Allah! Allah continues: those who show off in their prayer, …

You know what’s interesting about this ayah? What’s really, really interesting about this ayah?

Do you want to know?

Are you sure?

…ok, here goes: Allah says:

إن المنافقين يخادعون الله وهو خادعهم وإذا قاموا إلى الصلاة قاموا كسالى يراؤون الناس ولا يذكرون الله إلا قليل

Translation: Indeed, the hypocrites [think to] deceive Allah , but He is deceiving them. And when they stand for prayer, they stand lazily, showing [themselves to] the people and not remembering Allah except a little … [Surah Nisaa, verse 142]

Here, Allah directly says, “the munafiqeen.” And he says: they show themselves to the people (i.e. showing off) when they pray.

And he says: they pray lazily.

So what about people who don’t pray, at all?

So if you fall into this category–even partially–you should be afraid. Very afraid. This is a very serious matter to Allah, these five-minutes you stand up and pray five times a day.

I’ve discussed this issue in more detail in my post, The Terrible Consequences of Not Praying Salah. If you pray every prayer regularly, alhamdulillah, read it and be reminded about what you’re safe from.

And if you don’t pray, read it insha’Allah; it might help you start, or if you’ve started, it might give you that extra motivational juice to jump farther in your salah.

May Allah protect us all from being those whom He has cursed as a consequence of their actions–ameen ya rabbi!

Allah continues and mentions: those who prevent al-ma’oon. What exactly is al-ma’oon, the thing that caused this surah to get its name?

a big box of crayons

Al-Ma’oon means something small that you do, that wouldn’t even harm you to do it. Muhammad Alshareef describes it as crayons–if you ever see young kids, there might be two kids in a class; one kid has a big box of like 300 crayons with like 15 shades of blue.

So another kid pops by, “can I borrow your blue crayon?”

And the first guy looks over his box of 300 crayons and says … “no!”

That is preventing al-ma’oon. The first kid could give away that crayon, and it wouldn’t even hurt him; but he doesn’t (because kids tend to not return crayons).

And of course, kids are sinless … but we are not.

One example of al-ma’oon I find is, letting people go when it’s heavy traffic and a guy wants to change lanes in front of you. It’s literally bumper-to-bumper, and the guy won’t slow you down; but people tend to speed up and not leave any space, subhanallah.

Action Items:

  • What Is Al-Ma’oon? Insha’Allah see if you can come up with some examples from your own life.
  • Pray More. Hit your five fard salawaat if you haven’t; if you have, fortify it with more sunnah and nawaafil prayers, so you don’t even come close to missing a fard salah.

Wallahu ta’ala ‘alam.

References:

By Ilm Seeker | Posted in Ibadah, Islam, Qur'an, Salaah, Tafseer, Tazkiyyah | Tagged , | Comments (7)

Ask the Readers: Questions about Salah?

March 13, 2009 – 10:59 am

Edit: Jazakumullahu khayran to everybody who provided feedback. It seems like there’s a lot of demand for this kind of thing. Insha’Allah we’ll see more posts like this in the future.

man prostrating on his face

Bismillah.

Salah. We cannot emphasize the importance of salah–the dividing line of Islam and Kufr. The first thing asked about on the Day of Judgment. The last thing the Messenger of Allah mentioned before he passed away.

Maybe you’ve been Muslim a day. A year. Maybe 10, 20, 50 years. Everyone has nagging questions about salaah–things they always wanted to know, but never had the chance to find out. Things they “heard,” but never got to verify. Or just things they wanted to ask but didn’t know where to look.

Maybe you want to know things like:

  • What are some other du’as I can recite when sitting, etc.?
  • Can I make du’a in English in my fard salah?
  • What’s the deal with going down hands-first or knees first?
  • Is wiping over socks legit?
  • What are the du’as for rukoo’ and sujood, and how do I pronounce them?
  • What should I do about Fajr if I wake up and the sun has already risen?
  • How do I wake up for Tahajjud?

This is your chance to get your questions answered. What questions do YOU have about salah? Post them in the comments. We’ll do our best insha’Allah to get the answers to as many of them as we can.

Rejoice! And tell us what you want to know! Allah says, if you don’t know, ask the people of knowledge! (We’re not them, but insha’Allah we have connections.) This is a rare opportunity to find out things specific to you!

Wallahu musta’aan. We ask Allah to give us all fiqh (understanding) of our deen. Ameen!

Action Items:

  • Post a question! Click on “Comment on this Post,” and ask a question you have for yourself, and one question that someone you know has.
  • Tell your friends. Ask them to visit Ilm Fruits and post their questions, too.
By Ilm Seeker | Posted in Ibadah, Islam, Salaah | Tagged , | Comments (55)

What is a Mursal Hadith?

January 7, 2009 – 1:47 pm

In the sciences of hadith, there’s something called a “mursal” hadith. What exactly is a mursal hadith? What is it’s status? What are the fiqh rulings on mursal ahadith? And why does it matter?

(Ok, for the answer to the last question, read and learn about the science of hadith. In a sentence: Scholars have devised an extremely rigorous process to determine which hadith are authentic, and which are not. You wouldn’t want to spend your whole life following a “hadith,” only to find out it really wasn’t legit, do you?)

A mursal hadith is a hadith where the chain only goes up to a tabi’ee. (So the hadith goes: X narrated, from Y, from Z, … from such-and-such a tabi’een.) Tabi’een are the generation after the companions–they are the sons and daughters and followers of Islam who came after the sahaba. Most hadith continue–the tabi’ee will narrate from a sahaba, who will narrate directly from the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم).

So mursal ahadith are ahadith where the chain cuts off at the tab’iee level; it doesn’t go directly to the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم).

And why is this important? Because a tabi’ee can narrate from another tabi’ee! It doesn’t necessarily mean that they heard it directly from a sahaba, who heard it from the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم).

So the ruling on mursal ahadith? They are considered as da’eef ahadith. All the same rulings apply.

For example, in the issue of “does laughing in salaah break your wudoo?,” imam Abu Hanifa says yes, and cites a mursal hadith as his proof. The majority of scholars disagree, and insha’Allah this is the correct opinion–why?

Because the hadith is mursal (i.e. da’eef), and it contradicts shari’ah principles–why would it break your wudoo inside salaah, but not if you laugh outside salaah? (And these are not the only proofs; only a taste of the discussion.)

Wallahu ‘alam.

References

Abdul-Bary Yahya. Lecture. AlMaghrib. The Purification Act. University of Toronto, Toronto. November 2006.

By Ilm Seeker | Posted in Aqeeda, Hadith, Islam, Salaah, Tahara | Tagged , , , | Comments (2)

The Terrible Consequences of not Praying Salah

December 25, 2008 – 6:30 am

Bismillah. Today, insha’Allah we’re going to touch on a slightly different angle on the concept of salah. Now, you know that salah is fard–the 5x daily prayers–and that the reward of doing so is great, and the sin of doing so are terrible. Hellfire, punishment on the Day of Judgment, punishment in this life, all these things are but possibilities.

But let’s take a look at a slightly different angle: scholars. What’s the position of the scholars on someone who doesn’t pray?

The position of all four madhaahib–Maliki, Shafi’ee, Hanbali, and Hanafi–with no difference of opinion–is that a person who does not pray, ever, is not a Muslim.

Think about that. Not a Muslim. Not anyone who has a chance of Paradise.

Why? There’s a very explicit hadith on this–the hadith of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم):

The contract between us and them is salaah. Whoever leaves it, he has disbelieved (fa qad kafara). [Source?]

This is a very direct, explicit hadith–salaah is the contract, part of the mithaaq, the original contract, with Allah that all humans took. And this is only one of the explicit ahadith like this.

What’s more, it was inconceivable in the time of the sahaba that someone could be a “Muslim” and not pray. It just doesn’t make sense.

…

Scared yet?

…

No? Well, there’s more. What is the position of the scholars of Islam on someone who doesn’t pray, today, who lives in that now-extinct species of Islamic State? Then what happens?

Again, there’s no difference of opinion on this.

The position of a Muslim in an Islamic state, who doesn’t pray, is to be jailed.

And once they’re in jail, they should be advised. That what they’re doing is haram. That prayer is so, so important. That it is a major sin. That it just takes five minutes, five times a day–less than one sitcom.

And if they don’t repent? Keep advising them for a day. Then, a second day. Then, a third day.

And if they still don’t repent?

Then they are executed.

So think about that, next time you feel like skipping a salah. Honestly, it just takes five minutes. Don’t let your lame excuses side-track you. Just do it.

Action Items:

  • Make Tawbah. Whether you pray regularly or not, if you’ve missed prayers in your past, make wudoo and pray two rakaahs of tawbah for that. And be optimistic–insha’Allah Allah WILL forgive you!
  • Hit the Minimum 5x/day. If you don’t pray your 5x daily prayers, start. Right now. Today. Praying is difficult at first, but over time, it becomes easier. Pick up prayers one at a time, whatever you can do, until you’re at least covering the daliy five consistently.
  • Add Sunnah/Nafl Prayers. If you already have your five covered, alhamdulillah, start adding the sunnahs–starting with the two before Fajr, and with salaat-ul-Witr. Those are the best. Then gradually add more. Add Tahajjud, if you’re already praying all the sunnah prayers. The sunnahs are like a shield that protect your fard prayers; if you always pray them, in the worst case, you might skip one or two–but if you only pray fard, those are the first to go.
  • Reflect on the Reward and the Punishment. If you didn’t know, for every fard action, Allah rewards you. Think about THAT. You’re actually getting some ajr! And reflect on the punishment of not praying, ever–capital. YOU might be praying, but you probably know someone in your family (near or extended), who doesn’t. Advise them gently.
  • Read. Islam QA has a great eBook on 33 ways to increase khushoo’ in salah. When you get khushoo, you actually enjoy salah! So read it, and apply one or two of those techniques daily.
  • Make Du’a. ‘Aishah said: “You will not even get a shoelace without the permission of Allah.” So ask Allah to help you pray regularly and in the best way.

We ask Allah to make us among the musalleen, those who pray regularly and on time and have their prayers accepted. This, if this is the only good thing you do with your life, is a great success that many people the world over have not achieved.

Note: We’re NOT saying that you should go around killing people. Nobody’s going to be executed for not praying–there IS no Islamic state in our time. But if there was, and if a Muslim living there didn’t pray, then the punishment is capital. It’s something to think and reflect over–the seriousness of salaah. It IS the contract between us and Allah.

By Ilm Seeker | Posted in Islam, Salaah, Tazkiyyah | Tagged , , | Comments (22)

Creative Qiyaam-ul-Layl Alarms

November 17, 2008 – 11:21 am

Bismillah.

We all know that we should pray tahajjud, aka qiyaam-ul-layl. It’s well established in the deen that this is a very, very rewarding thing to do (but it’s not fard, so don’t sweat it if you’re not doing it). Some motivational factors for this include:

  • The Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) used to pray Qiyaam-ul-Layl until his legs swelled. When asked why–since Allah has forgiven all his past and future sins, he said: Should I not be a grateful slave? [Agreed Upon]
  • Do you have goals you’re trying to achieve? Is there something you really, really want? Are you willing to pray Qiyam and cry in front of Allah for it? Because nothing will turbo-charge your success like Qiyam.
  • On the day of Judgment, Allah will ask about YOUR salah. If it’s not 100% perfect, He will not even LOOK at your other deeds. BUT! If your Fard salaah is not perfect, Allah will patch it up with your nafl and sunnah prayers–including Qiyaam-ul-Layl. [There's a hadith related to this recorded in the collection of At-Tabari]

So what are some creative, unorthodox, unusual timers you use to wake you up? Share it in the comments! Some of the one’s I’ve seen (that are effective) are:

  1. Crying Babies: If there’s a young child in your family (under two years), chances are they wake up crying in the night. Take advantage of this–get up and pray!
  2. Bad Dreams: In one narration, the Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه و سلم) said that if you have a bad dream, you should wake up and pray. Shaytan will get discouraged from sending you more bad dreams–because it’s resulting in you doing MORE good deeds!
  3. Drink Water: Drink lots of water–about a liter. You will FOR SURE have to wake up to use the washroom in the night. Make wudoo’ while you’re at it!

What are some other creative, useful, effective methods you use to wake up for Qiyaam?

By Ilm Seeker | Posted in Ibadah, Islam, Salaah, Tazkiyyah | Comments (9)

The Reasons Behind Seasons

October 23, 2008 – 5:03 pm

Bismillah.

Why did Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) create seasons? All of this–snow, leaves changing, hot summer days and freezing winter nights. In some countries–like Canada, and the US–you have places where Isha time starts around 11pm, or 12am (midnight), and Fajr starts arond 2-3am! You also have days where Isha starts at 6pm, and Fajr starts around 7am.

What can we learn from this?

The Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) gives this away when he narrates: “Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) made the night short so you can pray, and the day short so you can fast.”

Think about it! Have you ever fasted those long, hot summer days–days that are a shadow of the Day of Resurrection? Sure you have! But what about praying Tahajjud, when the night lasts only 3-4 hours? That’s easy! You don’t even have to sleep and wake up, you can even stay up a couple of hours and enter the blessed last third of the night, when Ar-Rahman (سبحانه وتعالى) descends!

But try praying Qiyam the long, cold winter nights. It’s tough–Isha is at 6pm. By the time you get home, eat, relax, etc. it’s already almost 11pm or midnight; try waking up early and you can’t! But how about fasting the short winter days, when the fast lasts only 8-9 hours? Easy! (Getting up a bit earlier to pray Tahajjud before Fajr is easy, too!)

So fast the short winter days, and pray in the long summer days–these are the two extremities where times are short and the deeds are easy.

And it’s not a loophole–Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) designed the universe like this for this exact reason! It’s in the above hadith! So take advantage of it!

May Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) allow us to become people of Tahajjud and Sawm and to get these deeds accepted by Him throughout our lives, ameen!

By Ilm Seeker | Posted in Gems, Ibadah, Islam, Salaah, Sawm, Tazkiyyah | Comments (2)

Praying Isha While The Imam Prays Taraweeh

September 28, 2008 – 12:18 pm

It’s well-known in our communities, alhamdulillah, that you can pray ‘Isha behind an imam praying Taraweeh. (Which happens if you run late, very late, indeed!) But we’re just going to dive a bit into the details of how and why this is.

Note: We do not issue fatwa! For that, please consult Islam Question and Answer!

First of all, there is a difference of opinion among the scholars about whether this is permissible or not. Let’s examine the opinion of those who say it’s not permissible (which includes the majority of companions).

What’s their proof that it’s not permissible? They cite the hadith where the Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه و سلم) said: “The imam was sent to be followed.” [Saheeh Bukhari, Volume 1, Book 11, #656]

How does that hadith apply? If the imam is praying Isha, you pray Isha! If he’s praying Taraweeh, you pray Taraweeh! Follow! That’s the connection.

What about the side that says that it’s permissible (and Allahu ‘alim, this side is more correct)? What’s their proof?

They cite two ahadith; one is about the companion Mu’adh (رضي الله عنه‏); he used to pray (a fard salaah) with the Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه و سلم) and then return to his people and lead them in the same prayer! [Saheeh Bukhari, Volume 1, Book 11, #668] So he might pray Dhur (for example) with the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم), and then go back to his city/tribe/etc. and lead them in Dhur.

The other proof is salaat-ul-khawf, the fear prayer; when praying in a state of fear (i.e. on the battlefield), you only pray two rakaahs. Once, the Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه و سلم) prayed two rakaahs of salaat-ul-khawf with one group of companions, and stood up and prayed another two rakaahs of salaat-ul-khawf with a different group of companions. (The second time it was nafl for him (صلى الله عليه و سلم), but fard for those companions behind him.)

Notice, this is exactly the same situation as praying Isha when the imam prays Taraweeh–imam praying nafl, and you praying fard.

But what about the hadith that the imam was sent to be followed? How does this group view it? They say that it means, as the hadith says, the imam should be physically followed; make rukoo’ when he makes rukoo’, sujood when he makes sujood, etc. Abdul-Bary Yahya, in the Purification Act fiqh of salaah class, also confirms this understanding, and mentions an example: if the imam intended his prayer to be riyaa (i.e. showing off, i.e. minor SHIRK) would this hadith command you to have that intention? No! So the hadith means physically follow the imam.

Wallahu ta’ala ‘alim. (You can also pray Isha when the imam prays Witr, according to the same understanding.)

For the full story, read the Islam QA Fatwa on this topic.

References

“Praying ‘Isha’ behind someone who is praying Taraweeh or Witr.” Islam Question and Answer. 2 Sept. 2008 <http://islamqa.com/en/ref/79136>.

Abdul-Bary Yahya. Lecture. AlMaghrib. The Purification Act. University of Toronto, Toronto. November 2006.

By Ilm Seeker | Posted in Ibadah, Islam, Salaah, Sawm | Tagged , , | Comments (1)