THE FIVE PILLARS ISLAM
Laying the Foundations of Divine Love and Service to Humanity
A practical manual for learning essential Islamic beliefs and practices and understanding the true spirit of worship
MUSHARRAF HUSSAIN
The Essence of the Five Pillars
THE FIRST PILLAR OF ISLAM: SHAHADAH - THE DECLARATION OF FAITH
The Foundation of Divine Love
THE SECOND PILLAR OF ISLAM:
SALAH -THE PRAYER
The Deepening of Divine Love through Devotion
THE THIRD PILLAR OF ISLAM: ZAKAH - THE ALMSGIVING
The Growth of Divine Love by giving Charity
THE FOURTH PILLAR OF ISLAM: SAWM - FASTING IN RAMADAN
The Expression of Divine Love through Self-Discipline
THE FIFTH PILLAR OF ISLAM: HAJJ- THE PILGRIMAGE
In the Presence of Divine Love
Transliteration Table
Consonants. Arabic initial: unexpressed: medial and final:
k 3 a i d J d
b dh 3 t J. 1 j
t o r j z Ji m r
th z j • (■ V. n j
J c s gb t h
h c sh J- f •J w j
kh c q J y
Vowels, diphthongs, etc.
Short: a — — i — u
long: a L j— i a
diphthongs: j- aw
j-ay
Contents
Acknowledgements xiii
Introduction xiv
THE FIRST PILLAR OF ISLAM
SHAHADAH - The Declaration of Faith
1. The Meaning of Faith and Its Development 3
The Significance of the Shahadah 3
The Cultivation of Faith 5
2. Aqd'id al-Nasafi: A Summary of Islamic Beliefs 9
About Aqd'id al-Nasafi 9
Translation of 'Aqd'id al-Nasafi 10
Belief in Allah 11
Belief In al-Akhirah (the Hereafter), its Punishments
and Its Rewards 14
The Nature of Iman (Faith), Belief in the Messengers, Angels and Revealed Books 15
The Beliefs and Practices of the Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jamflah 17
*
THE SECOND PILLAR OF ISLAM
falah - The Prayer
3. Introduction to the Sharfah and the Science
of Fiqh 27
The Shari ah 27
Fiqh 28
The Categories of Rulings in Islamic Jurisprudence 29 Islamic Rituals of Worship 31
4. The Meaning, Wisdom and Benefits of $aldh 35
The Meaning of Salah 35
The Spiritual Benefits and Wisdom of Salah 36
Developing Concentration (Khushu) in Salah 39
The Moral Benefits and Wisdom of Salah 41
The Social Benefits and Wisdom of Salah 42
The Masjid - The Most Blessed Place on Earth 43
Women in the Masjid 44
5. Preparation for Salah: Tahdrah. Adhan and Iqdmah 51 The Importance of preparing for Salah 51
Introduction to Tahdrah (Purity) 52
Purification with Ghusl (Bath) and
Tayammum (Dry Ablution) 52
Ghusl 53
Tayammum 55
Purification with Wudu (Ablution) 57
Making the Adrian (Call to Prayer) and Iqdmah (Call made immediately preceding prayer) 67
6. How to Pray Salah 71
The Obligation to pray Salah 71
The Six Conditions for Prayer 72
The Six Compulsory (Far<f) Acts in Prayer 77
The Nine Necessary (Wdjib} Acts in Prayer 78
The Sunnah Acts in Prayer 80
viii
The Special Sunnahs for Congregation 82
The Desirable (Mustahabb) Acts in Prayer 82
The Undesirable (Makruh} Acts in Prayer 83
The Invalidating (Mu/sid) Acts in Prayer 85
How to perform the $a/dh 86
Summary of the Procedure for $o/<Wi 94
The Nafl Prayers (Voluntary $o/dhs) 96
Combining Two Prayers 99
Making Up for Missed $aldh (Qadd) 99
7. Special Congregational Salah: The Friday.
Id and Funeral Prayers 103
The Friday Prayer 103
The Conditions for establishing the
Friday Prayer 106
The Id Prayer 109
The Funeral Prayer 113
The Procedure for the Funeral Prayer 116
The Traveller's Prayer 117
How to pray whilst travelling on an Airplane.
Train or Coach 118
THE THIRD PILLAR OF ISLAM
Zakdh - The Almsgiving
8. The Meaning and Wisdom of Zakdh 123
The Spiritual Benefits and Wisdom of Zakdh 124
The Moral Benefits and Wisdom of Zakdh 126
The Social Benefits and Wisdom of Zakdh 128
9- The Payment of Zakdh 132
Who must pay Zakdh? 132
What Types of Wealth necessitate Zakdh? 133
Who deserves to receive Zakdh? 134
How is Zakdh paid? 135
Tlie Manners of paying Zakdh 137
•
THE FOURTH PILLAR OF ISLAM
Sawm - The Fasting in Ramadan
10. Tlie Blessings of Ramadan and Fasting 143
Ramadan is the Spring of Righteousness 143
A Month of Mercy, Forgiveness and Deliverance 147
11. Fasting: A Means of Moral and Spiritual Growth
for the Individual and Community 151
Fasting was prescribed for Us to develop
in Taqwa 151
Spiritual Growth 153
Using Ramadan as a Programme for
Spiritual Growth 154
Using Fasting as a Means for Moral Development 158
The Social Benefits and Wisdom of
the Obligatory Fast in Ramadan 160
The Health Benefits of Fasting 160
12. The Fiqh Rulings for Ramadan 164
Beginning and ending Ramadan 164
The Obligation to fast the Month of Ramadan 165
Who Is exempt from Fasting? 166
What is the Fast and when does it begin
and end? 169
What nullifies the Fast? 170
The Rulings of Kaffarah (Atonement) 171
What does not break the Fast? 172
What is Undesirable (Makruh) whilst Fasting? 173
The Meaning and Practice of Tarawlh Prayer 173
How did the Blessed Messenger fast? 174
13. I'tikaf: Spiritual Retreat 177
The Meaning and Virtues of I'tikaf 177
The Three Types of 1‘tikdf 179
What nullifies the I'tikaf? 180
The Permissable Reasons to temporarily
Leave I'tikdf 180
The Undesirable Acts in I'tikdf 181
14. Laylat al-Qadr The Night of Power 182
The Significance of the Night of Power 182
When is this Night? 184
What is the Wisdom in keeping the Exact
Date secret? 186
What happens on this Night? 186
Is there any Special Devotion on this Night? 186
15. id al-Fitr: A Time for Celebration and Charity 188
A Time to celebrate 188
Almsgiving at the End of Ramaddn:
Sadaqah al-Fitr 191
THE FIFTH PILLAR OF ISLAM
Ha// - The Pilgrimage
16. The Meaning and Significance of Hajj 197
Hajj - A Journey Back to Our Roots 197
The Spiritual Benefits and Importance of Hajj 200
17. An Overview of the Hajj: Rules and Conditions 203
The Types of Hajj 203
On Whom is Hajj Obligatory? 204
The Conditions for the Performance of Hajj 204
Performing Hajj on the Behalf of Somebody Else 205 The Five Days of Hajj in Brief 205
The Conditions for the Soundness of Hajj 207
The Obligatory (Ford) Rites of Hajj 207
The Necessary (Wdjib) Rites of Hajj 207
18. The Rites of Hajj: Meaning and Practice 209
Ihram - The State of Sanctity 210
Arafah - Preparation for the Day of Judgement 212
•
Tawaj - Turning around the Spiritual Pivot of
the World 213
Sa y - Running between Safa and Marwah 215
Ramy - The Stoning of the Shaytans 219
Qurbani - The Sacrifice 220
Halq and Qasr - Shaving and Cutting the Hair 222
Jinayat - Hajj Offences and their Penalties 223
19. Performing Hajj 227
The Five Days of Hajj 227
Before 8th Dhu al-HIjjah: The Months of Hajj 227
8th Dhu al-Hijjah: The First Day of Hajj 228
9th Dhu al-Hijjah: The Second Day of Hajj 230
10th Dhu al-Hijjah The Third Day of Hajj 231
11th Dhu al-Hijjah: The Fourth Day of Hajj 234
12th Dhu al-Hijjah: The Fifth Day of Hajj 235
The Steps of Umrah and Hajj 235
20. Performing ‘Umrah 237
The Rites of Umrah 237
How to Perform Umrah 237
Appendix: Moon Sighting 249
Selected Scholarly Biographies 261
Glossary 267
Bibliography 283
Islamic Source Texts 283
Classical and Modern Scholarly Texts 283
Reference Works and Internet Links 285
Acknowledgements
Allah Is al-Shukur. the One who gives us very great rewards for our efforts: He acknowledges our works no matter how small or big they are. This book is a product of many fertile minds: students, friends and teachers who have been working with me for nearly two decades. Its contents have evolved slowly over this period. I want to convey my deep sense of gratitude to my wife Shakila for her constant patience with me, to all my students who have typed and edited the drafts, particularly Ghufran Shah. Atif Hussain, Sajid and Majid, to Ibrahim Harvey for doing a brilliant edit of the initial draft of this book, to all my teachers for their selfless and pure souls that just wanted to give, and to Yahya Birt at Kube Publishing for his constant encouragement, insightful feedback, and in helping me to understand the difference between vanity and professional publishing.
xiii
Introduction
ISLAM - The Path of Divine Love and Service to Humanity
All praise is due to Allah, the Loving, Caring and Generous Lord and may countless blessings and salutations be conveyed to His beloved Messenger Muhammad, the mercy sent for all
The Qur an describes Muslims as people who passionately love their Lord: the believers have intense love for Allah (Q2:165) and the Qur'an shows that this love goes both ways, for Allah also loves His faithful servants. The Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, gave us a simple yet practical action-based programme to develop this Divine Love when he said that Islam is founded on five pillars: to bear witness that there is no Cod but Allah and Muhammad is His Messenger and
servant, the five daily prayers, fasting in Ramadan, paying zakah and performing the pilgrimage. (Bukhari)
This book is a practical manual that will enable the reader to learn and understand the religious duties as prescribed by the Qur an and Sunnah, and it is based on classical sources. The first pillar, or the shahadah. is a translation of Aqa'id al-Nasafi by Abu Hafs Umar al-Nasafi (d. 537 A.H.). This is a famous primer on Islamic beliefs, whilst the other four pil lars of worship - prayer, fasting, zakdh and pilgrimage - are
described in the minutest detail in another classical work ot jurisprudence (f/qh): Nural-lddh waNajatal-Arwdh by Hasan ibn Ammar al-Shurunbulali (d. 1069 A.H.). I have tried to follow faithfully these two most authentic books which are taught in seminaries all over the world. I have attempted to trans late them into lucid and clear contemporary English and to present them in an appealing manner.
Whilst al-Shurunbulali gives us accurate details of how to perform these wonderful acts of worship, that is. to scrupu lously follow the Prophetic Way (Sunnah), I have attempted to explain their rationales in order to help Muslims to move from the outward performance of worship - in which there
is the danger that it merely becomes a mindless mechanical exercise - to understanding how these acts of worship can in fluence our moral development, improve our social relation ships with each another and, above all, bring us closer to the Almighty and develop the Divine love.
We live in an age of reason where science is constantly revealing the secrets of nature, yet whilst it gives an explanation of the outward world it remains deafeningly silent about spiritual ideals. I have tried to explain how the five pillars can influence our spiritual growth. This I hope has enriched the jurisprudence (fiqh) that is explained so beautifully by al- Shurunbulali. My hope therefore is that this book will not only be used as a fiqh manual but also as a guide to the moral, social and spiritual values that inculcate perfect harmony between the outward and the inward realities of life.
There is an underlying logic to the order of the five pillars. The affirmation of the shahadah lays the foundations of Divine love, which is the yearning for one s Creator and Sustainer However, this love needs a mode of expression which comes in the performance of the five daily prayers, the second pillar of Islam. The Divine love must be further cultivated by the paying of zakah - the third pillar of Islam - which is an outward manifestation of growth in Divine love. The fourth
pillar leads one to self-discipline through fasting and the final and fifth pillar sets one on the path of Divine love as one performs the pilgrimage (hajj).
I earnestly hope to achieve the Divine love and pleasure through this humble effort. Oh Lord, on You do we rely, to You we turn in prayer, and unto You is the final returning. Oh Lord, forgive me and my parents and all the believers. Amin.
Nottingham, England Rabi al-Awwal 1433 January 2012
Musharraf Hussain
s h a h Ad a h (The Declaration of Faith)
The Foundation of Divine Love
CHAPTER 1
'fhe Meaning of Faith and its Development
SHAHADAH
The Significance of the Shahadah
Ashadu an 1a ilaha ilia Alldhu wa ashadu anna Muhammadan abduhu wa rasuluhu
I bear witness that there is no god except Allah and that Muhammad is his Servant and Messenger.
The shahadah, or declaration of faith, is the first pillar of Islam and the foundation of every act that follows it. This is because it is an affirmation of belief in tawhid (the Absolute Unity and Transcendence of Cod) and the messengership of the Prophet Muhammad, which is the fundamental condition for felicity in the Hereafter and the acceptance of the acts of ibadat (worship) that are performed in this life. It also signifies entrance into the Islamic ummah (community) and
THE FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM
the obligation to observe the provisions of the shari ah (sacred law and ethics), which encompass an individual s entire life, including the prescribed acts of worship [ibadah that make up the four other pillars.
Allah (Most High) says in the Qur'an:
Allah bears witness that there Is none worthy of worship except He. So do the angels and those possessing
knowledge, standing up for justice. There is none worthy of worship except He. the Mighty, the Wise.'
Those possessing knowledge here includes, in a general sense, all who believe in Allah amongst humankind, as a person must know that to which he is bearing witness to if it is to be a meaningful act? On a deeper level, the recognition of the presence of the One whose constant action underlies all of creation is certainly the most priceless knowledge.
He Most High also says:
Muhammad is not the father of any one of your men, but he is the Messenger of Allah and the Seal of the Prophets.1
These words allude to the fact that Muhammad is the final Prophet sent by Allah to humankind, confirming the truthfulness of all those who preceded him. Every single one of the previous messengers followed Islam, although some of the practical laws in their shari'ahs were different in accordance with the needs of their times. Since the coming of the Prophet Muhammad it is necessary for all those who believe in God Most High to also accept His beloved messenger.
He, Most High, says:
The Messenger believes in that which has been revealed to him by his Lord and so do the believers. All of them believe in Allah. His angels. His books and His messengers.
THE MEANING OF FAITH AND ITS DEVELOPMENT
They say. We make no distinction between any one of His messengers, and we hear and obey. Grant us Your forgiveness our Lord, as to You is the final journey.' *
The Cultivation of Faith As we shall see in the translation of Aqa idal-Nasafi that follows, an individual either has faith (Iman) or not and in that sense it can neither be said to increase or decrease.’’ However, this faith may be cultivated and made to shine forth in the heart dispelling darkness and whispering doubts, thus bringing a believer to higher levels of certainty and reliance on God Most High.
Allah Most High, says:
SHAHADAH
Do you see how Allah strikes a parable? - A goodly word is like a goodly tree, its root firm and its branches in the heavens, giving its fruit at every season by permission of its Lord. Allah strikes parables for humanity so perhaps they may reflect. The parable of an evil word is that of an evil tree, uprooted from the earth and possessing no stability. Allah will strengthen those who believe with a firm statement in this worldly life and in the Hereafter and will leave to stray those who do wrong. Allah does what He wills."
Imam al-Samarqandi (d. 375 A H.) comments on this as follows:
A goodly word is the word of sincerity: there is none worthy of worship except Allah ... Allah strikes this parable for the believer, saying that the knowledge (of tawhid) in the heart of the arif (perceiving: gnos
tic) believer is firm like the tree that is rooted in the earth. In fact, it is firmer, because the tree can be cut, while it is not possible for anyone to remove the
‘arif 's knowledge from his heart, except for the One
THE FIVE PILLARS Of ISLAM
SHAHADAH
who gave it to him. It is said that and its branches are in the heavens means that the deeds of the believer who affirms the truth are raised to the heavens, as actions are not accepted without faith. This is be cause faith is the root, while deeds are its ascending branches.7
Allah Most High also says:
The believers are only those whose hearts tremble when Allah is mentioned, and when His verses are recited to them they increase in faith and they trust in their Lord.8
Al-Samarqandi refers faith here to affirmation (tasdiq) of the truth and certainty (yaqin), citing al-Zujdj who states that this is done by the believers when the Qur 3n is pronounced and in this manner they increase in affirmation verse by verse.'1 This also indicates two excellent methods to cultivate faith: dhikr. or remembering Allah Most High, with awe and reverence: and tilawah, the recitation of the Qur'an that should be accompanied with profound reflection.
Imam al-Bukhari narrates on the authority of Anas that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said. 'There are three qualities that when present in an individual he finds the sweetness of faith: that Allah and His Messenger are more beloved to him than anyone else: that he loves a person only for the sake of Allah: and that he hates to revert to disbelief like he hates to be thrown into fire.'10
This hadith vividly expresses the intensity with which faith should be felt by the believers, so that they come to experience a spiritual state that is sweeter than honey. It reminds us of how precious our Iman is, because by it we are saved from the punishment that Allah will deal out in the Hereafter to those who do not recognise, love and thank their Creator. Allamah Badr al-Din al- Ayni comments that love for Allah and His Messenger is the very foundation of faith and that
THE MEANING OE FAITH AND ITS DEVELOPMENT
these qualities are only truly present in someone whose imdn becomes strong in their soul, expanding their chest and mixing with their very flesh and blood.' A means by which we should try to acquire this state is to make an effort to internalise the noble character of the Prophet, which include such traits as his truthfulness, good manners, mercy and justice. These can be learnt through reading about his life and blessed sayings, but must be patiently applied in the chaotic environment of everyday life, if they are to have a lasting and transformative effect.
Notes
1 Surah Ar Imran {Q3: IS} ’ Al-Sha'rani, Abd al-Wahhab, Asrar Arkan al-lsUm. IDar al-Turath al- Arabi, 1980), p. 25.
’ Surah al-Ahzab (Q33: 40). • Surah al-Baqarah (Q2: 285): to make no distinction between any one of His messengers means that the believers fully accept the prophethood of every one of them |Cf. Al-Razl. Fakhr al-Dln, Mofatih alGhayb, com mentary on Q2 285,|
5 Tills view, which Is that of the Matutidi School of Theology. Is based upon the fact that the teal essence of belief Is assent by the heart In acknowledgment of the truth, which Is not, In Itself, susceptible to gradation; see al-Taftazam. Shorh Aqoid al-Nasqfi, translated as A Commentary on the Creed of Islam, by E. E Elder (Columbia University Press. 1950), p. 121 It can still be argued that the certainty with which this belief Is established In the heart can become stronger, an example being the dialogue between the Prophet Ibrahim and Allah:
He said. My Lord, show me how You revive the dead, He said, Do you not believe? He said. I do, but I ask so that my heart becomes at ease. (Q2: 260)
The real motivation for the position that faith neither Increases nor decreases, and the context within which this tenet must be understood. Is that of a concern to make a definition of imcin that excluded deeds. Tills was important in the early centuries of Islam, because the KhawSrlJ sect would consider a Muslim who neglected deeds to be an unbeliever It was argued by some, Including Imam Abu Hanifah, that the logical step from considering faith itself to increase with the performance of acts of worship and decrease with sins, is
•
s h a h Ad a h
THE FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM
s h a h Ad a h
to hold that it can disappear entirely through neglecting deeds thus leading to this extreme position. With these distinctions in mind and staying firm on the principle that deeds are not a component of faith, it has been held by some that the difference between increase and decrease of iman (held by the Ash an si and of its certainty (Maturidis) Is more one ot definition than substance Ct Nu mani, Shibli, Sirat- 1-Nu'manl, translated as Imam Abu Hanifah: Life and Works, by M H Hussain (Darul Ishaat, 20001. p 91 ‘ Surah Ibrahim (Q14: 24-7). ’ Al-Samarqandi. Bahral'Ulum. commentary on (Q14: 24). • Surahal An/aKM 2). - Al-Samarqandl. Bahral- Ulum commentary on (Q8: 2) " Narrated In Sahih AIBukhdri
11 Al-Ayni, UmdatalQari, (Dar al-Kutub al-llmiyah, 2001). Vol. 1, p 242
CHAPTER 2
'Aqa'id al-Nasafi: A Summary of Islamic Beliefs
s h a h Ad a h
About Aqa'id al-Nasafi This chapter comprises a translation of Aqaid al-Nasaft, a short, succinct and accurate summary of the authentic Muslim beliefs by Al- Aliamah Imam Abu Hafs Umar ibn Muhammad al-Nasafi.' Aqaid is the plural of aqidah, which means, to believe in something because of the certainty of its truth.2 This short treatise soon gained acceptance amongst the ummah because of its comprehensive summary of the beliefs of Islam. It has been highly praised by scholars for its brevity, accuracy and completeness and some 25 commentaries have been written on it. One of the most popular was the commentary written by Sad al-Din Taftazani (d. 793 A.H.). Since then, it has been taught in Islamic schools and seminaries throughout the world, particularly in Central and South Asia.
In this work, the author compiled and enumerated some 60 points of belief, each one of them being established directly or indirectly by a Qur anic ayah or a sahih hadith. Although writ ten from the perspective of the Maturidi School of Theology, there is a consensus about all the fundamental beliefs men tioned in its pages amongst the Sunni scholars and they have
•
THE FIVE PILIARS OF ISLAM
X < Q •<X X C/3
F
only differed on a few of the subsidiary issues dealt with in
this work.
Our aim in translating this masterpiece is to enable every Muslim to read and learn about his beliefs In a short period of time. This may also be used as a textbook for studying the Muslim creed, in which students are encouraged to memorise the creed and the teacher explains the comments on the text.
Translation of Aqa'id al-Nasafi
Knowledge and the Universe Al-Nasafi begins his text with analysing the different means by which knowledge in general can be obtained. He does this in order to be able to affirm the articles of belief, so that it is established that they are known with certainty. In Islam there is no concept of blind faith. which means that Muslims are encouraged to reflect deeply on their fundamental beliefs and to become intellectually convinced of the truth of the message conveyed in the Qur anic revelation and the life of the Prophet Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.
The Sources of Knowledge
1. The people of truth declare that the reality of the existence of things is an established fact. Knowledge of it is certain, in disagreement with the Sophist philosophers.'
There are three sources from which knowledge of crea tion can be acquired:
I. The unimpaired senses ii. The truthful report III The intellect
The senses are five: hearing, sight, smell, taste and touch. Each sense organ is endowed with a specific faculty (in order to perceive an aspect of reality).
'aQA'ID Al-NASAFi: A SUMMARY OF ISLAMIC BELIEFS
The (certainly) truthful report is of two kinds.
a. The mutawatir (continuously narrated) report, which is affirmed by a number of people large enough for it to be inconceivable that they could have colluded upon a lie.4 It entails necessary knowledge, such as that of kings in past times and of distant lands.
b The report from a prophetic messenger assisted by mir acles. It provides conclusive knowledge (because of his divinely guaranteed truthfulness), which is akin to that known necessarily in terms of certainty and proof.
The intellect is also a means to acquire knowledge and what is established by it is of two types: the self-evident, which is attained immediately, without thinking, such as the knowledge that all of something is greater than its parts; and that which is acquired through proof requiring a type of reflection, such as the knowledge of the presence of fire from the sight of smoke.’’ Ilham (inspiration in the heart) is not a means of gaining knowledge of the veracity of something, according to the people of truth.'1
The Universe is Created 2. The universe (everything other than Allah) with all its constituent parts is created, since It is composed of substances and properties. A substance is something that exists in and of itself,7 whether It is a compound or a single element that cannot be split up any further. Properties refer to that which cannot exist by itself and occurs in bodies and single elements, like colours, states of being (e g. movement), flavours and smells."
Belief in Allah Although the Absolute Reality o/ Allah Most High is beyond the comprehension of the human intellect, the rightly-guided scholars of Islam have used the faculties with which they have been blessed
C/» X > X o X
5
THE FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM
X< Q '< X
X co
to compile those statements that can be made about Him. The following beliefs are based on negating that which cannot be ascribed to Him and affirming those Attributes which are known from revelation.
The Attributes of Allah 3. The Creator of the universe is Allah, the One *', the Eternal, the Ever-Living, the All-Powerful, the Omniscient, the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing, the All-Intending and the All- Willing.
4. Allah is neither a property, a body, nor an element and He does not have a form (like a human being as that is specific to bodies).
5. He is neither limited nor numbered. He does not consist of parts, separated or compounded and is not finite.
6. He cannot be ascribed a nature or a state. He is not located in a place and time does not affect Him, Nothing resembles Him and nothing escapes His Knowledge and Power. He has Eternal Attributes that are established with His Being. These are neither Him nor other than Him. They are: Knowledge. Power. Life. Might, Hearing. Sight, Will and Desire, Action and Creating. Sustaining and Speech."
7. Allah speaks, which is an Eternal Attribute that is neither formed of letters or sounds. This attribute is incompatible with silence and defect and has no organs of sound. Allah Most High is the Speaker. Through His speech He commands, forbids and informs (His creation).
8. The Qur an is the Speech of Allah and not a creation. It is written down in our books, safe in our hearts (memorised in our minds), recited by our tongues, and listened to by our ears without being incarnated."
9. Originating is an Eternal Attribute of Allah. He creates each thing from its constituent parts at the time that it is to enter into existence according to His Knowledge and Will He Himself is not a created being. And the Divine Will
Is Allah's Eternal Attribute established with His Being.
‘AQA’lO Al-NASAFi: A SUMMARY Of ISLAMIC BflltFS
The Believers will see Allah
10. The seeing of Allah by the believers in the Hereafter is possible for the intellect to affirm and necessary to believe in due to the evidences established by the Qur'an and Sunnah.'2 Allah will not be seen in a particular place, direction or by rays of light. Nor will there be distance between the onlooker and the Almighty.
The Decree of Allah (Al-Qada)
11 Allah Almighty is the Creator of all the actions of humanity, whether it is disbelief or faith, obedience or disobedience. All these actions occur by His Will, Desire, Command. Decree and Measure.
12. Humanity have the free choice (to be an obedient servant of the Lord or otherwise) and will be rewarded or punished (accordingly) Their good deeds meet the Almighty's ap proval while their evil deeds do not have His approval."
13. Capability is integral with action and this is the meaning of the power by which the action is done. This term (capability) is also used to describe the means, the tools and the health that is required for carrying out the action. The following of shari ah rulings depends on this capability. And humanity is not charged with what they are incapable of doing. The pain suffered in an injury after being struck by a person and the breaking of glass by a person, all these actions are Allah's creation The creation of actions cannot be ascribed to humanity.
14. The murdered person dies at the time appointed (by Allah) There is only a single appointed time.14
15. Each one consumes only their (alloted) portion of suste nance whether it is lawful or unlawful. It is unimagina ble that a person will not consume all their assigned sus tenance or that someone else will consume it. Unlawful things are also a form of sustenance.
16. Allah allows to go astray whom He wishes and guides whom He wishes.15 It is not incumbent upon Allah Almighty to give humanity what is best for them."'
O
s h a h Ad a h
THE five PILLARS OF ISLAM
< Q '< X X V)
r
Belief in al-Akhirah (the Hereafter), its Punishments and its Rewards Belief in the Hereafter is an essential aspect of Islamic belief, without which the true meaning of existence, the successful return to Allah,
is not realised. The descriptions of the various places and states of the next world must be accepted as they are found in the Quran and authentic ahddith. even if they seem to be difficult or impos sible to conceive, as this only springs from our habituation to the conditions of the dunya /present life).
Punishment of the Grave
17. The punishment of the grave is for the unbelievers and some disobedient believers. The delights of the grave are for the obedient ones, as Allah Almighty wills, and only He knows what they are.
18 The questions asked in the grave by the angels. Munkar and Nakir, are established by evidences from the texts.
Events of the Day of Judgement
19 The Resurrection, the Scales, the Book of Deeds, the Reck oning, the Prophet s Basin and the Bridge are all true.
20. Paradise and the Fire are true and both have been created and already exist. They are permanent and will not perish, nor will their inhabitants perish.
Sin and Punishment 21. Major sin does not remove a believer from faith, nor does it enter him into disbelief.
22 Allah Almighty will not forgive the one who associates others with Him in worship.17 However, He will forgive other than that for anyone whom He wishes, whether they have committed minor or major sins.
23. Punishment is possible for a minor sin and forgiveness for a major sin as long as it is not regarded as being lawful. In fact, regarding a major sin as lawful is disbelief.
AQA'lO AL-NASAH: a SUMMARY OF ISLAMIC BELIEFS
Intercession (Shafaah) 24. Intercession in favour of major sinners is proven for the prophets and the righteous people.
25. The major sinners will not remain in the Fire forever, even if they had died without repentance.
The Nature of Iman (Faith). Belief in the Messengers, Angels and Revealed Books The important issue of the definition of faith is taken up by al-Nasafi before presenting the fundamental beliefs regarding prophecy, angels and revealed scripture. His conception of faith, which is seen from the Maturidi perspective, is that it is a single indivisible state of the heart which an individual either possesses or does not. This explains both his exclusion of deeds from the content of faith, as well as the assertion that it cannot increase or decrease.
Faith 26. Faith is to assent with the heart and profess with the tongue to that which the Prophet brought from Allah.1"
27. The quantity of deeds a person does may increase, but the faith of a person does not increase or decrease/’
28. Iman and Islam are one and the same thing.’11 When a person has assented In the heart and professed verbally (the testimony of faith), then he can say, I am a believer’ and it is not correct to say, I am a believer, insha Allah (Cod willing).’
29. A blessed person can become evil and an evil person can become blessed.-1 Being blessed or being deprived of blessings (occurs) but not in (Allah s attribute of) giv ing blessings and being deprived of them, which are two Divine Attributes and change never occurs in Allah's Being or in in His Attributes.
The Purpose of sending the Prophets 30. There is divine wisdom in sending prophets. Allah has always sent prophets from amongst their own peoples so as to tell them the good news and to warn them.
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31. They explain to people what they need to know concerning both the sacred and the profane. And He supported them with miracles that break the natural laws of His creation. All the prophets were teachers, deliverers of the message from Allah and honest and sincere advisors.
32. The first prophet was Adam, may peace be upon him, and the last of them was Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. Although some ahadith have mentioned the number of prophets sent, it is still preferable not to mention a fixed number, Allah Almighty has said:
And messengers that We have narrated to you before and messengers tVe have not narrated to you.22
Therefore it is unsafe to mention a fixed number, since some may be included amongst them who were not prophets and it could be that others may be excluded who were prophets.
33. The best of all the prophets is Muhammad may Allah bless him and grant him peace.
The Angels 34. The angels are Allah s servants who carry out His orders and are not to be described as having either male or female gender.2’
The Books 35. Allah revealed Books to the prophets and explained in them His commandments, prohibitions, promises and warnings.-'4
The Ascension 36. The Prophet s Ascension, a bodily journey in a waking state to the heavens and then to the heights that Allah wished him to ascend, is a reality.
AqAID AI-NASAFi: A SUMMARY OF ISLAMIC BELIEFS
The Beliefs and Practices of the Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jamaah
This section comprises the remainder of Imam al-Nasafi's creed. It consists of a number of beliefs in different categories that tended to be the subject to dispute by sectarian groups in the early centuries of Islam. The scholars of the Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama ah /People of the Prophetic Precedent and the Community), or Sunnis. affirmed the following tenets as being truly derived from the Qur an and Sunnah and characteristic of the beliefs of the overwhelming majority of Muslims. Nevertheless, it can be seen that some of these points, such as numbers 45 and 46, involving the wiping over leather socks and the permissibility of drinking water in which dates have been soaked, are more appropriately placed within the fiqh literature. The explanation for this is that these practices became characteristic of the Sunnis to the point that someone who denied their validity would knowingly be associating themselves with other
sects. This is why it is reported that when the famous Companion Anas ibn Malik was asked about the Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah, he said, 'It is to love tire shaykhayn /Abu Bakr and Umar/, not to revile the khatanayn j Uthman and ATi/ and to wipe over the khuffayn lleather socks/.'23 It is also very significant to note that while the points of belief in this section are important, the denial of many of them would not be enough to remove a person from the fold of Islam.
Saints and their Miracles
37. The miracles of the saints are true. Miracles of the saint are occurrences that break the usual laws of Allah's creation such as travelling great distances in a short time; the appearance of food, drink and clothes when needed: walking on water; flying in the air: the speaking of animate and inanimate things: the diverting of impending calamities: achieving one's purpose from enemies; and other events. The saint's miracle' is really the miracle of the prophet who he follows and this is a sign that he is a saint. He cannot be a saint if he is not firm in his religion
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(i.e he must verbally profess and affirm with his heart the message of his prophet, along with obeying his commands
and prohibitions.)
38. The best human beings after the prophets are: Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, then Umar al-Faruq. then Uthman Dhu Nurayn and then AIT al-Murtada (May Allah be pleased with them all). Their caliphate was in this particular order and it extended over a period of thirty years, then monarchy and governance followed.
Leadership of the Muslim Community 39. Muslims must appoint a leader who rules them; establishes the Islamic legal system: protects them from enemies; maintains their armies; collects (Islamic) taxes; enforces law and order to control the rebellious and the criminals; organises the Friday and Id prayers, reconciles disputes
and conflicts, accepts testimony to establish legal rights, conducts the marriages of young men and maidens who have no guardians; distributes the booty: and similar matters that are not entrusted to the individuals of the community.
40. The leader must be present. He cannot be hidden, nor awaited. He must be from the Quraysh and it is not permissible that the leader should be from any other tribe, although he need not be from the Banu Hashim or the children of Ali, may Allah be pleased with him.26
41 It is not a condition (of leadership) that the leader must be infallible, nor does he have to be the best person in his time. However, it is a condition that he must be a person of responsibility: capable of ruling well; commanding authority; establishing the law; protecting the boundaries of the Muslim country; and able to deliver justice to any victims.
42. The leader cannot be removed from his office due to his corrupt behaviour or tyranny.27 It is permissible to pray
'aQAID Al-NASAFl: A SUMMARY Of ISLAMIC BELIEFS
behind a person, whether he is righteous or immoral, and it is permissible to perform the funeral prayer for any per son, righteous or immoral.
The Companions of the Prophet 43. We stop the person who says anything other than good about the Companions of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.
44 We bear witness that the ten companions who have been given the glad tidings of Paradise by the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, are indeed present there.28
The Practices of Ahl al-Sunnah 45. We regard the wiping of the khuffayn (leather socks) permissible either at home or on a journey.
46. We do not regard as unlawful the drinking of water in which dates have been soaked.
The Upper Limits regarding Sainthood, the Obligation to observe the Shari ah and Ijtihad (Derivation of Legal Rulings} 47. No saint can attain the rank of the prophets. 48. No one can acquire a status where he is free from the obligations and the prohibitions of the Shan' ah.
49. It is possible that the mujtahid(expert jurist) may be correct or make an error (in judgement).
Prayers 50. The prayers of the living for the deceased are like charity that benefits them.
51. Allah Almighty accepts prayers and fulfils needs.
Beliefs and Practices that lead to Disbelief (Kufr) 52. We take the outward literal meanings of the texts and to misconstrue their meanings like the Ahl al-Batin29 is regarded as disbelief and rejection of the texts.
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53.To regard disobedience (sin) as permissible is disbelief. 54 To regard disobedience lightly is disbelief. 55. Making mockery of the shariah is disbelief. 56 To despair of Allah's mercy is disbelief, as is to feel com
pletely secure from Allah s punishment.
57. To accept the divination of fortune-tellers as the truth is disbelief.50
58 The non-existent is nothing.5'
The Prophet Muhammad's Future Prophecies, may Allah bless him and grant him peace 59. All the Prophet s predictions, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, about the following events are true:
I. The signs of the Hour. ii. The coming of the Dajjdl (The False Messiah and De
ceiver).
iii. The coming of Dabbah al-Ard (The Beast of the Earth). iv. The appearance of Yajuj and Ma'juj (Gog and Magog). v. The coming of Isa. peace be upon him.
vi. The rising of the sun in the West.
The Ranks of Prophets. Ordinary Humans and Angels 60. The human messengers (and prophets)52 are superior to the angelic messengers. The angelic messengers are su perior to common humans. And common humans are su perior to common angels.
Notes
For his biography and that of all other major scholars mentioned In this book, see the section starting on p. 261
1 Aqa'ld (creed! formally sets out the tenets of the faith, as opposed to ftqh (Islamic Law), which sets out the ahkdm (practical rituals and laws) Tlie Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama ah (or the Sunnis) comprises three madhahlb (schools) of theology: Maturidi, Ash'ari and Hanbali and four madlkihib of fiqh: Hanafi, Maliki. Shafi'l and Hanbali
’ These philosophers believe that there is no objective reality to things and that everything is merely an illusion.
'*QA'lD AL-NASAFi: A SUMMARY OF ISLAMIC BELIEFS
Some scholars have tried to specify a minimum number and have given varying opinions from as low as four to as much as hundreds. Ttie majority view, including al-Ghazali. is that this depends on the circumstances of the particular report that Is being established The Important thing is that the combination of corroborative reports by Independent, reliable witnesses Is enough to engender certainty; see Kamali. M. Principles of Islamic Jurisprudence (The Islamic Texts Society. 2003), p. 93. Part of the original text has here been replaced by appropriate statements from the commentary by Sa d al-DIn al-Taftazani. in order to clarify this point; see al- Taftazani. Sharh Aqaidal-Nasafi(Maktabah Kulliyat Azhariyyah. 1988), pp 21-2. Al-Taftazani comments that what is meant is only that ilhdm is not a permissible means of knowledge for the generality of creation, as there are numerous reports related about its efficacy from the salaf (predecessors); see Taftazani. p 22. This Is. of course, taking for granted that it is entirely dependent upon Allah. The distinction being made is highlighted by the definition that follows. This physical theory was developed by Muslim theologians as a coherent way to categorise the universe intellectually. The essential point which must be believed by the Muslim Is that this universe Is a contingent creation, while Allah is the Self Subsistent Creator. If this truth Is maintained by theories In modern physics, then it is perfectly possible for them to be acceptable to Islam. He Is Wajib al-WuJub (the Necessary Being) as His existence Is not dependent on anything else. It is logical that at the end of the chain of cause and effect there must be One whose existence is self-sustained and that is Allah. In philosophy, this Is called the Cosmological Argument. There would seem to be twelve Attributes from al-Nasafls text However, the commentator, al-Taftazani, remarks that Might refers to Power; Will and Desire can be identified together while Action. Creating and Sustaining all refer to a single Attribute called al takwin (Originating) which al-Nasafi elaborates on further in a following sec tion (no 9). From al-Taftazanls analysis, then, eight Eternal Attributes are affirmed, which Is in accordance with standard Maturidi teaching see al-Taftazani. Sharh Aqa idol-Nasafi. translated as A Commentary on the Creed of Islam, by E E. Elder, pp 56-7. As the Speech of Allah, the Qur'an is an Eternal Attribute, yet whal we are able to write down, memorise, recite and listen to in the form of Arabic letters and words Is a composition that indicates the underlying Reality. This can be compared to saying that fire is a burning substance, which can be brought to mind as an expression, or written with a pen. It does not. however, follow that the reality of
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fire Is composed of sounds and letters: see al-Taftazani A Commnetary. PP 63-4.|
“ The most important Quranic reference to this Is
On that Day faces wilt be radiant, gazing at their Lord. (Q75: 22-3).
11 It may be asked how a person can have free choice and accountability in their actions. If they occur by the Will of Allah and are already written in His Decree The answer Is that by His Omniscience he already knows what His servants will do by their free choice When each moment of action comes. Allah creates the power that is needed to carry out the chosen act. This Is why In the next point (no 13) al-Nasafi states that all actions are created by Allah and must be ascribed to Him.
14 This point Is made to distinguish the belief from the one held by the Mu tazili of Baghdad. al-Ka bi (d 317 A H ' 929 C.E). that a murdered person had two appointed times: one for his murder and one for his natural death, which he would have lived until, If he had not been killed, al-Taftazani, A Commentary, p. 95 This means that Allah creates guidance or misguidance, as he Is the Creator of everything - although this can be delivered through means, such as guiding by the Qur'an and misguiding through the whisperings of Shaytan It should also be understood that this guidance Is defined as the indication of a path leading to what is sought so that a guided individual still must choose to take the right path: see al-Taftazani, Sharh Aqi) id al-Nasafi. pp. 65-6
' As with so many points in al-Nasafis treatise this must be understood In the context of refuting the Mu tazili belief that Allah must always do what is best for humankind at all particular times. As well as falling to account for the suffering that does exist in the world, within this theological view. Allah is deprived of His freedom The Matuildi perspective Is that Allah's Justice means that He will never be unjust to His creation, while His Wisdom requires that within any particular trial given to an individual, there Is an ultimate purpose However, as we lack knowledge of the reality of this world and the Hereafter, it Is not possible for us to always understand His decisions in this matter: see al- Taftazani, A Commentary, p. 98.
17 Tills refers to major shirk (associating partners with Allah) Minor shirk, tor instance showing off in prayer, is forgivable. It is Important to note that someone who sincerely repents of major shirk while alive and ceases committing it will also be liable for forgiveness.
" In the case of compulsion, it is permissible for theie to be no verbal profession of faith Al-Nasafi thus represents the position that if there is no compulsion, then faith requires profession The other view with in the Maturidi school, which Is the majority position on the matter.
'AQA ID Al-NASAFi: A SUMMARY OF ISLAMIC BELIEFS
is that, strictly speaking, faith is only assent by the heart. Therefore, someone without an excuse who does not verbally profess faith, Is to be treated as a disbeliever in the matters of the worldly life, but remains a believer with Allah; see al- Taftazani, A Commentary, p. 118
" This point has been explained at length in footnote 5 above on p. 7 20 This assertion is based on the fact that a believer must be judged a Muslim and vice verso In this context, the practical aspects of Islam are seen as fruits of the essential faith. Just as the acceptability of the remaining four pillars are built upon the foundation of the shahadah: see al-Taftazani. A Commentary, pp. 123-4
21 The reference here is to entering or leaving faith. “ Surah a/-Msd(Q4:164|. ” This is in terms of the reality of their being. It is known that angels sometimes assume the appearance of a male human being such as the famous hadlth of Jibril (Gabrieli. Also in Arabic, which always distinguishes between grammatical gender, it is conventional to use the male forms for describing their actions. “ The four books that every Muslim should be aware of are, in chronological order; al-Tautah (Torah) revealed to Musa (Moses); al- Zabur (Psalms) revealed to Dawud (David), al-lnjil (Gospel) revealed to Isa (Jesus) and al-Qur an revealed to Muhammad. It should be noted that with the exception of the Qur'an, no revealed book has been preserved entirely intact by the religious communities in the process of transmitting their heritage. The ultimate reason for this difference is Allah’s promise to watch over the Qur’an Himself;
Indeed We have revealed the Reminder IQur 'an) and We. assuredly, will guard it. (Q15; 9),
” Al-Taftazani. Sharh AqO id al-Nasafi. p 104. 26 This position, which is that of the scholars of fiqh generally. Is based on the hadith in Sahih alBukhCln This matter fcaliphate) will remain with the Quraysh even if only two of them were still alive " However, Islamic history has practically recognised khalifahs that are not from the tribe of Quraysh. such as the Ottomans Ibn Khaldun, an expert In the subject of history and Islamic governance, as well as a competent jurist, interprets this rule as specifically linked to the capacity that the Qutaysh possessed in the deterrence of strife, based on their group- solidarity, that qualified them for rule He goes on to argue that we stipulate for the person of the commander of the Muslims that he be from the people who have group-solidarity above whoever |else| has it in his time so they can make whoever is like them |in having some group-solldarityl subservient |to them] and the people can agree on the best of protection. See Ibn Khaldun. Muqaddimah. quoted In
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al-Qaradawi. V, Approaching the Sunnah (The International Institute of Islamic Thought, 2007), p 130. This represents the Hanafi view Imam al-Shafl I Is reported as ruling that the leader could be removed under these circumstances, as such a person lacks the required responsibility, the argument being that if he cannot look after himself, then how can he look after others? See al- Taftazani, A Commentary, p 150 Tlie Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said that Abu Bakr. Umar Uthman, All, Talhah, Zubayr, Abd al-Rahman ibn Auf Said ibn Abi Waqqas, Said ibn Zayd and Abu 'Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah were all In Paradise (Musnod of Ahmad Ibn Hanbal).
" A heretical sect that believes that the apparent meaning of the Qur an and ahddith is not their real meaning, but that the texts are symbolic and figurative representations of the true and esoteric meaning (bdt/n) Therefore they argue that only those initiates who have received special instructions at the hands of a master can understand these symbols. Forecasters or fortune tellers include psychics, palm readers, astrol ogers as well as the horoscopes that appear in the newspapers in many Western countries. These all must be completely abandoned by the believers.
'' This statement is in refutation of the Mulazili position that non existence is a thing (al-ma dum shay) In the sense of its possibility, which Is verified by Its happening. AI Nasafi s statement reaffirms the uncompromising Sunni understanding of Allah's act of creation as ex-nihilo (out of nothing).
- All messengers are prophets, but not all piophets are messengers Tlie difference Is that messengers bring a new or altered shariah. while other prophets follow that of a previous messenger A good illustration of this is Isa. may peace be on him. for when he was sent to the Banu Israil, it was as a messenger who came with changes to their existing Shan' ah. while, when he will return, it will be as a prophet following the shariah of Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace
SALAH
CHAPTER 3
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Introduction to the Shari'ah and the Science of Fiqh
s a l Ah
The Purpose of this Chopter The second pillar of Islam, salah (prayer), like the remaining three pillars, is concerned with specific acts of worship that Allah has legislated for the believers. It therefore comes under the category of sharTah (sacred law and ethics), rather than dqidah (creed), as its subject is the correct practice of Islamic rituals, rather than the content of belief. As shariah is a term that is often misunderstood, it is well worth looking into its meaning in a little more depth, before distinguishing it from fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), which provides the systematic and practical Instructions for carrying out worship. After this, we will examine in more detail the most important categories used in fiqh. as learning them is essential for understanding the rules to be found in the following chapters.
The Shari ah The word shari ah in Arabic initially signified a way to water1 - obviously a very important concept for people living in a desert environment! The usage of this term in Islamic sacred law and ethics is very profound for it reflects the belief In divine guidance that shapes our lives and will lead us back to an eternal
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life through seeking the pleasure of our Creator. The Shan' ah. then, is the complete way of life that has been approved by Allah for the believers. Including not only specified obligations, prohibitions and permitted acts in aspects of life as different as worship and financial transactions, but also comprehensive ethical guidance - While the confidence that Muslims have in the shari ah is based upon its revealed sources: the Qur'an and the authentic Sunnah of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, its precise application in society has required a process of interpretation ever since the time of the rightly- guided khalfahs. This is where fiqh comes in.
Fiqh Fiqh literally means understanding' and in its technical sense Islamic jurisprudence, which has had a rich history with its roots in the earliest days of the Muslim community. During the life of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, his example and guidance were sufficient for all legal and ethical matters faced by his Companions. After his passing, however, it was necessary for the leading members of the community to apply their reasoning to derive rulings from the sources of revelation that were appropriate for the new situations that arose. In fact, even during the life of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, this process began, as recorded in the hadith that preserves the instructions given by him to the Companion Mu adh ibn Jabal, whom he sent to the Yemen:
"The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) sent one of his Companions, Mu adh ibn Jabal (may Allah be well pleased with him), to the Yemen on a mission. |Before he left| the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) asked him, How will you judge the cases (that come to you|?‘ And he replied:
I will judge according to the Book of Allah. But if you do not get anything there, what will you do? the Prophet (peace be upon him) asked. He said, I will refer to the Sunnah of
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INTRODUCTION TO THE SHAWAM ANO THE. SCIENCE OF FIQH
the Prophet (peace be upon him).’ But if you do not get it even there, what will you do?' the Prophet (peace be upon him) asked again. Then Muadh replied, I will exercise my judgement.
Hearing this, the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) patted Mu adh on the shoulder and said, Praise be to Allah Who has guided the messenger of His Messenger to what pleases His Messenger.''1
In the course of the following centuries, Ijtihad (effort made for the purpose of derivation of rulings) was developed by generations of jurists into a rich and complex methodology embodied in the theoretical works of the schools of law (madhhabs), alongside the substantive body of rules that make up the fiqh literature. This systemisation of the entire body of Islamic rulings through the creative endeavour of pious and knowledgable jurists developed its own particular terminology and categories, which are intended to facilitate the practice of a life obedient to Allah. The following section explains the eleven most important categories from the perspective of the Hanafi madhhab (the other madhhabs use a less complicated system based on only five categories).1
The Categories of Rulings in Islamic Jurisprudence These are the eleven categories of rulings in the Hanafi Madhhab arranged in sets according to their degree of importance:
The Five Types of Obligation/Commendation
1. Al-Fard - The Obligation: This is a ruling that must be car ried out and omitting it is a major sin. It is known definitely from either the Qur'an or the Sunnah, and therefore its de nial is an act of kufr. Hence H is also known as fard i'tiqddi, meaning it is a part of the faith to believe and follow it. Examples of fard rulings are the performance of the daily salah, paying zakdh and fasting in the month of Ramadan.
2. Al-Wdjib - The Necessary: This ruling must also be carried out and its omission is a major sin. However it is different
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from the fard since it is not proven by definite evidence, i.e. the proof for it is not conclusive, insofar as there is some doubt as to whether the shariah prescribes it as compulsory or as a recommendation. Therefore, its denial is not kufr Hence it is called ford amaTi. i.e. it is compulsory to act upon it. Examples of wajib rulings are the witr prayer after isha and the Id prayers.
3. Al-Sunnah al-Mu akkadah - The Emphatic Sunnah: This ruling is based on a regular activity or a habit of the blessed Messenger of Allah or the rightly-guided khalifahs. The Sunnah is neither obligatory nor necessary, but is highly recommended. The shari ah commends this action as being good and acceptable. To habitually miss the Emphatic Sunnah is detestable, since it gives the impression of turning away from the Prophet s practice. Examples of sunnah mu akkadah rulings are establishing the adhdn (call to prayer) and praying in congregation.
4. Al-Sunnah Ghayr al-Mu akkadah - The Unemphatic Sunnah: This is a practice of the blessed Messenger or the rightly-guided khalifahs. but unlike the emphatic sunnah this was not performed regularly by them. Examples include the four units of sunnah prayer before the salah of 'asr and isha.
5. Al-Mustahabb - The Desirable: This is a ruling that is approved of in the shariah. This includes activities and devotions like voluntary fasting and prayers. It is sometimes called al-Mandub (recommended). al-Tatawwu (voluntary) and al- Adah (decent). Performance of any desirable act
earns merit and its omission carries no sanction.
The Five Types of Prohibition/Disapproval 6. Al-Haram - The Unlawful: This is a ruling that forbids something. In other words it must be avoided This prohi bition is proven by a definite text. To regard an unlawful act as lawful is therefore kufr. To commit the unlawful is
INTRODUCTION TO THE SHAR/'aH ANO THE SCIENCE OF FIQH
a major sin. Examples Include drinking alcohol, gambling and adultery.
7 Al-Makruh al-Tahriml- The Major Offence: This is a prohibi tion that is not proved by a definite text. To ignore this rul ing is a sin that is punishable, but to regard it permissable is not an act of kufr. Examples include praying during the three prohibited times: sunrise, noon and sunset.
8. Al-lsah - The Offence: This ruling is between makruh tahrimi and tanzilTi in terms of importance. It concerns acts that are offensive to do and doing it on a regular basis is sinful. Examples of this category are not rinsing the mouth and cleaning the nose during wudu'.
9. Al-Makruh al-Tanzitii - The Minor Offence: This is a ruling that concerns acts that are minor offenses. It Is rewardable to do avoid them, but there is no harm in doing them. Examples include splashing water on the face during wudu'.
10. Khilaf al-Awla - The Undesirable: Tliis is the opposite of mustahabb, it is less than optimal In terms of reward, but there is no harm in doing it. An example of this category is leaving off the performance of additional nafl (superogatory) prayers.
The Default State of All Acts U.AI-Mubah - The Permissable: This is something neither prescribed nor prohibited by the Shariah. It carries neither reward nor any punishment in itself (although it will merit reward or punishment respectively if done with a good or evil intention). This ruling is derived from the Islamic principle that everything Is permissable unless it is prohibited. Examples of mubdh acts Include eating, drinking and sleeping.
Islamic Rituals of Worship Ritual means a way of doing something". Islamic rituals of prayer and meditation, fasting, charity and pilgrimage are
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specifically done at fixed times, in a particular place and in a particular way. They are performed In a set order as prescribed and demonstrated by the Prophet Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. This is. in fact, part of the Sunnah which has been passed down from generation to generation. The Islamic rituals of worship have therefore remained unchanged over the past fourteen centuries.
Thus Islamic rituals link Muslims to their glorious past and is something that is far bigger than the individual. They also connect Muslims all over world: the Ummah, whether in the East or West, performs these rituals in the same way. leading to a complete sense of unity and solidarity. Moreover, these rituals even connect people to their deepest selves through the positive effect they have on the mind.
The modern fast-moving lifestyle our increasingly-busy schedules, as well as the constant bombardment of informa tion and entertainment laeaves us with little time for relaxa tion and spiritual activities. How can one escape this madding crowd? Where can one find spiritual peace? Where can one find sanctuary?
It is in the daily prayers, fasting, giving zakah and peforming the pilgrimage and other Islamic rituals of worship! They are like natural breaks in the day. The daily prayers provide an ideal way of cleansing ourselves from the noise pollution and our own busy schedules. They allow us to rid ourselves of the aggravations of daily chores and worldly distractions. Furthermore, they give us the opportunity, time and space to escape the heedlessness of our non-spiritual daily routines and to be in an elevated form of consciousness and awareness of God.
The sacred space in which we perform these rituals also provide us with ample spiritual support. This can be the musalla (prayer mat) or corner of the room reserved for prayer, or in accordance with the Sunnah of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, the masjid itself. Every time he was faced with a dilemma, he would enter the House of Allah, in order to regain a balanced perspective.
INTRODUCTION TO THE SHARl'AH AND THE SCIENCE Of flQH
The practice of praying in congregation is a good example of a ritual that helps to ground, align and give us a sense of belonging to a community. This is partly why the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, stressed the attendance of the Friday congregation, saying, Anyone who misses three consecutive Friday congregations is not from us."
In Islam, Friday should be both a day of relaxation and worship, as well as socialising with other Muslims. This is an intrinsic part of human nature. Every culture and country has some kind of rituals or customs, which they almost religiously adhere to and that become part of the social fabric.
The funeral prayer and paying condolences to the family of the deceased is a powerful ritual, which helps the family to overcome the pain and grief that they are suffering. The presence of others amidst them gives them a real sense of being part of a community larger than their immediate family. Their burden of grief is lightened and they can become energised to continue their lives with hope for the future.
When we are faced with problems and difficulties, we normally resort to ritual as a form of defence. It is for these situations that Allah instructs us:
Oh believers! Seek help in patience and prayer. Truly Allah Is with the patient:
The Human Brain loves Rituals Brain cells work together to lay pathways of incoming signals. When actions are repeated, for instance, prayers are said over and over again and a pathway is created in the brain like a track across a field: the more trodden, the more engrained It
gets.
What is a Wird? Some spiritual teachers will give their students wirds to recite daily. Wird literally refers to a watering place', or anything that returns, or one returns to, again and again. In Islamic
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THE FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM
SALAH
spiritual circles it refers to a portion of the Qur an, a Prophetic prayer or a Divine Name recited repeatedly at a set time. This
is used in meditation either silently or chanted aloud
The wird helps to focus the mind and is very soothing and calming as well as being invigorating. The repetition of Qur anic verses, a prophetic prayer or Divine name (for example Ya Lafif (Oh Sublime!), or Yd Hayyu. Yd Qayyum' (Oh Living and Eternal!) clears the mind of intruding thoughts. The result is that it provides peace and leaves you in a calm and serene state.
The spiritual masters recommend that you sit in a quiet spot preferably after fajr prayer. Sit in a relaxed and a comfortable position. Begin by breathing deeply and slowly with eyes closed. Concentrate on the wird: repeat it slowly or silently or aloud. Don t let your thoughts wander. Focus on the wird and gradually the distractions will eventually fade away and you will feel Divine proximity, a sense of closeness, of happiness. Physically you will be relaxed, refreshed and much more alert - ready for a fresh start to a new bright day.
Notes
Lane E. W., Arabic-English Lexicon, (Islamic Texts Society, 2003) Vol. 1, p. 1535. See Weiss, B. The Spirit oj Islamic Law lUniversity of Georgia Press, 1998) pp 17-18 Narrated in Sunan al-Nisdl.
* All the fiqh lulings in this book are given according to this school of thought which remains the most widely practised of the four Sunni niadhhabs. The decision to do this was made so as to present a useful and consistent manual of the five pillars of Islam to the general pub lic The majority of rulings are taken from the reliable Nurallddh by al-Shuiunbulali. although other Hanafi books were also consulted as required. On some rate occasions, mention may be made, by way of comparison, to one of the other schools If it was thought to be parti cularly important for the issue at hand. We would like to reiterate that we respect all of the tour schools and their contributions to Islamic civilisation In fact, many of the scholars quoted in this volume on matters other than ftqli are adherents of one of the othet madhhabs.
’ Surah al-Baqarah (Q2: 153)
CHAPTER 4
The Meaning, Wisdom and Benefits of Salah
SALAH
The Meaning of Salah Salah In Arabic means prayer, but refers in Islam to the spe cific method of praying which was taught by the Prophet Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, to his companions, consisting of particular actions, including stand ing, bowing, prostrating and sitting. In English prayer usually signifies supplication, which is equivalent to the Arabic word dud', literally meaning calling. While supplication is certainly included within the saldh, to avoid confusion In what follows the word prayer' will always be used to refer to the formal practice of saldh. Establishing salah, as the second pillar of Islam, means not only learning the rules to ensure the cor rect method of prayer, including all the conditions that must
be met, but also to be steadfast in praying five times a day within the prescribed hours.1 Before entering into the details contained within the fiqh of saldh. it is extremely important to mention the spiritual, moral as well as social benefits and wisdom of this fundamental form of worship.
THE FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM
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The Spiritual Benefits and Wisdom of Salah Although Allah Almighty is sublime and beyond the human reach. He is approachable through devotion. The heart can feel His presence and the soul can sense the warmth of His benevolence. One of the most effective means of gaining nearness to Him is through so/dh. The blessed Messenger is reported to have said. Salah is the ascension of the believer.: We can describe this most oft-repeated exercise of the Muslim as:
1. Demonstration of his deep conviction in his Creator. 2 A constant reminder of the human being's status as both khalifah (vicegerent) and servant (abd) of the
Lord.
3. An acknowledgment of God's wondrous favours on humanity, as well as a verbal and physical expression of gratitude.
4. A source of Inner peace and security. 5. A spiritual devotion and physical exercise wherein every joint and muscle of the body joins with the soul to make the praises of the Lord.
6. A regular reminder of the presence of Allah.
7. A training program for self-discipline and jihad.1
In brief, $alah is a practical and obvious sign of a person s faith. Only someone who has the humility to engage in devoted worship to Allah will be able to truly establish prayer. For this reason, the Qur'an describes it as flowing from an individual's internal purity:
Successful will be the one who purified himself, and remembered the name of his Lord so he offered salah-
At the same time, the prayer is known to purify the believer s heart, acting as a powerful spiritual cleanser and ridding it of contamination by evil. Emphasising this purifying function of the saldh. the beloved Messenger asked his companions:
•
rm MEANING, WISDOM AND BENEFITS OF SAEAM
I/ there was a stream at the door of someone's house and he were to wash in it five times a day, will anyfilth remain upon him? They replied. No filth would be left: He said,
That is the example of the. five daily salahs; through these prayers Allah removes all sin.'-
In another beautiful hadith, the significance of salah is mentioned as follows; Abu Dharr says;
One autumn, the blessed Messenger was walking about and the leaves were falling from the trees. He grasped a branch and more leaves fell. He said Oh Abu Dharr!' and I replied. Yes Oh Messenger of Allah.' |He said,| 'When a Muslim prays sincerely his sins fall off him like these leaves fall from the trees.'-
In summer the trees are green with foliage, but in autumn they loose their leaves and they look naked without any remaining leaves. This is a very apt analogy of the cleansing effect of saldh upon a person.
The excellence of an Individual s prayer is also significantly related to the extent that it is used as part of an individual's tawakkul(reliance! on Cod This means that a believer will turn to Allah, confident that He can assist us in all matters of our lives. He, Most High, has instructed us to do this in his words;
Seek help in patience and salah, truly it is hard except for the humble.7
Here prayer is conjoined with sabr (patience), as we must wait for Allah's help to come, as He. by His Knowledge and Wisdom, is alone aware of the best time for it. Also, it is a sign of arrogance for the servant to expect immediate help from his Master, a point that is expressed in the second half of this verse. Nevertheless, the faithful believer is confident that Allah, by His Benevolence, will relieve him of his troubles
•
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THE FIVE PILLARS Of ISLAM
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and thus is comforted, obtaining a calm and peaceful state of mind. Seeking assistance through prayer in this way is. of course, also a Sunnah of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, as Abu Huzayfah reported that whenever the Messenger was in difficulty he would turn to jo/dh.'0
Another obvious impact of salah is the deepening of faith. The regular devotion and rememberance of the Almighty strengthens the bond that an individual has with Allah. The standing up before the Majestic Lord, the bowing and pros trating before Him all symbolize ones obedience and sub mission to Him. Through prayer, the relationship, attachment and nearness to Allah continually grows until he acquires the highest human qualities and obtains the contentment of his kind and generous Lord.
As prayer is the foremost obligatory duty in Islam and at the very core of an individual’s relationship with Allah, the spiritual aspects of salah have filled countless manuscripts and yet contain depths that cannot be plumbed by words alone. This is to say that any description can only give a glimpse of the reality of prayer, hopefully by inspiring an individual to obtain its spiritual fruits for his or herself. Abu Nasr al-SarrSj has written the following, which summarises the exalted rank of salah within Islam:
Salah is the pillar of religion; the contentment of the gnostics; the adornment of the veracious: and the crown of those brought near. The station of saldh is the station of connection, proximity, reverence, hu mility, awe. exaltation, gravity, witnessing, mindful ness, secret meanings and salvation with Allah Most High. It is the standing in front of Allah, drawing near to Him, and the relinquishing of what is other than Him Most High.1'
Can we afford to miss an exercise that is as useful and beneficial as salah? The answer is a resounding no! The unfortunate ones in Hell will be asked:
THE MEANING, WISDOM AND BENEFITS OF SALAH
'What led you into Hell?' They will say, We were not of those who prayed:'0
A mere pointer to this truth is sufficient for a sane person, but to emphasize the importance of saldh and the terrible punishment for missing it some more warnings can be given: The beloved Messenger said, Missing salah leads a person into disbelief," and he further said. The demarcation between faith and kufr is salah''2 and A person who has missed a single prayer
is like someone who has lost all his wealth. "
Developing Concentration (Khushu') in Salah In terms of its outer reality, saldh consists of a series of ritual movements and memorised recitations. Once these are repeated many times they can become an almost automatic sequence and the unthinking Muslim can begin to pray as if he is an automaton, or a robot. This is opposite to the purpose of salah which has been legislated for us by Allah to bring remembrance of Him into our lives. We must, therefore, look to bring greater concentration (khushu') into our prayers, for them to be the meaningful spiritual experiences that they are meant to be. This is why Muhammad Mawlud writes:
Pray as if it is your last prayer. Fight Khinzlb” before he gets to your heart so that he cannot play with It and distract you from the prayer. The one who prays gains nothing more than what he was aware of. One may perform the prayer and. due to a number of reasons, he was only rewarded one tenth of the prayer. The prayer has an amazing and vast light that radiates from the hearts of the humble ones.15
The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace,
said:
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39
THF FIVf PILLARS OF ISLAM
SALAH
Whoever offers all his prayers on time after a perfect ablution, stands with humility and reverence, prostrates and bows calmly, and offers the entire prayer in a good manner - so that prayer becomes a radiating one and prays for him thus: Oh the offerer of prayer! May Allah guard you the way you have guarded me.' And as regards the one who offers the prayer poorly - that is without proper ablution, and not even prostrating and bowing correctly - then the prayer curses him thus: May Allah ruin you the way you have ruined me. Then the prayer is folded and thrown back at his face like a used (dirty) cloth.'6
So how can we develop the sort of prayer that envelops us and those around us with its luminosity, rather than that which Is a darkness, a disgrace and a curse, due to our lack of due attention?
Imam al-Ghazali writes:
There are two reasons why one loses focus and concentration in salah: one is due to external factors and the other is internal factors. The external factors are (such things as): a noisy place where one cannot concentrate because of the distractions - therefore select a quiet place. Perhaps that is why some serious people have a separate room reserved for prayer. The inner factors include thoughts, worries, imaginations and doubts. One must work hard at dumping these wrong thoughts before beginning salah. So before praying, free yourself of any task so that it does not come into your mind later on.
The positive thing you must indulge in is to focus on the meanings of what you are reciting. This will leave no room for useless thoughts. One way to achieve this state of mind is to do dhikr before the time of salah. Anyone who wants to seriously focus
THF MEANING, WISDOM ANO BFNFFITS OF $A1AH
his mind in gtfdh should first get rid of the worries, needs and distractions. Empty the mind....'17
Mawlana Rumi lucidly gives an even more comprehensive understanding of the purpose of meaningful prayer in these lines:
The purpose of ritual prayer Is not that you should bow and prostrate yourself all day. Its purpose is that you develop a prayerful attitude, maintaining the spiritual state achieved in the prayer throughout the day. Whether asleep or awake, at work or rest, you should always remember Cod. You should be one of: Those who are constantly at their prayers.
The Moral Benefits and Wisdom of Salah Although the moral benefits of saldh are closely linked to those found in the spiritual dimension addressed above, there is an important distinction that justifies setting them apart. Instead of focusing on the relationship between the individual and Allah in terms of forgiveness, faith and reliance, here we look instead at how $alah trains a person to act morally in their life in relation to themselves and others, particularly in avoiding the forbidden and seeking the rewardable.
There is no doubt that salah has profound effects on a person, as, like a powerful medicine, it uproots the diseases of the heart. Allah says:
s a l Ah
Indeed salah restrains indecency and evil.20
Its first and foremost effect, therefore, is the purification of the heart and the evil thoughts, ideas, habits and actions. By making a person self-disciplined it helps him to avoid temptations. Once, the companions complained about a young man who prayed, but also did evil things. The beloved Messenger simply said to them. Leave him. his prayers will soon
me five pil l ar s of is l am
s a l Ah
turn him away from his had ways: After some time the same people came to the Prophet and said that the young man had now totally reformed himself. The beloved Messenger was pleased and said. Didn 't I say so.
The regular practice of saldh throughout the day reaffirms a person's moral strength, by connecting him to Allah, Most High, who is the source of all goodness and justice. This spirit ual revitalisation will naturally lead to increased piety and the ability to stay resolute in performing good and avoiding evil, even in the face of challenging situations and temptations.
The Social Benefits and Wisdom of Salih There is no doubt that saldh serves a very important social function within Islamic society aside from its effects on spirituality and the character. This is the role it plays in bringing people together, particularly in congregation at the masjid for the five daily prayers, as well as every Fridays Saldh al-Jumu'ah and the two annual Ids. We know from the following hadlth of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, that Allah is pleased by those who join together in prayer:
Two people praying together, where one leads the other,
is more liked by Allah Most High than four men that pray one after the other (on their own). Four people praying together are more liked than eight people praying individually. Eight people praying together is more liked by Allah, Most High, than one hundred people praying separately.1'
This is, amongst other things, because of the unity that it brings to Muslims despite their diversity and the effect it has in bringing the hearts together in mutual worship of their Creator, The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, also said:
THE MEANING, WISDOM AND BENEFITS OF SALM
Performing prayer in congregation is twenty-seven times better than performing it atone.22
In fact, prayer in congregation, particularly for men, has the status in fiqh as a sunnah al-huda (practice of guidance) which is very close to wdjib and should not be left off without an acceptable excuse.
The Masjid - The Most Blessed Place on Earth Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, relates that:
Masjids are the houses of Allah on the earth. They shine up to the Inhabitants of the heavens just as the stars in the sky shine down to the inhabitants of the earth.2’
The masjid, also known as the mosque, is a fundamental Islamic institution which is meant to encompass much more than the daily congregational prayers, although these are the sparkling jewels of its existence. Traditionally, they were also the centres of education in the community, in which the subjects taught ranged from Qur anic exegesis and jurisprudence, to astronomy for determining the correct prayer direction and mathematics for the calculation of inheritance shares.
The social benefits of such worship and the acquisition of knowledge which are strengthened through human relationships can be easily apprehended. Salah in the masjid can be said to quench the thirst which exists in the depths of the soul for interaction with other members of humanity and acting together with them.’24
In traditional societies with a great deal of mutual inter dependence, this did the job of placing these inevitable relationships on a level of piety, so, at least ideally, the good manners shown in the masjid would be transferred to the marketplace. Modern society, which unfortunately tends to
SALAH
TH£ flV( PIIIARS Of ISLAM
weaken community relations and breed a form of uncaring individualism, is thus in even greater need of the beneficial fruits of communal prayer, Despite this, there is the danger that through unwelcoming practices and sectarianism of all shades, the essential unifying function that the masjid performs will be lost and drive all but a minority of the community away. In his excellent article, Flight From the Masjid. Zaid Shakir writes,
SALAH
We should consciously work to foster an open at mosphere in the Masjid, an atmosphere that is invit ing to all: men, women, youth, conservatives, mod ernists, converts - everyone. All of us committing ourselves to the creation of such an atmosphere will bring it about. It is essential to remind ourselves that the collective we is weightier than the individual me in Islam. On the Day of Judgement when all of the people are concerned with themselves, our Noble Prophet, peace and blessings of Almighty Cod be upon him, will be concerned witli the entire community: he will be crying out, ummati, ummatT (my community, my community).2''
Women in the Masjid A particular cause for concern in relation to the masjid s proper role at the beating heart of the Islamic community is the potential exclusion of over half the ummah - the women - in one fell swoop. It should be asked: how can anyone in a single breath, affirm the superiority of the masjid over all other places on Earth and then deny or limit its accessability to our mothers, our sisters and our daughters? It is certainly true that the later jurists of the Hanafi school ruled that it is makruh for young women to attend the congregational prayers, based on the fear of temptation \fitnah).:° This ijtihad was made in sincere consideration of the moral protection of the people, as some of the less pious individuals in society began to use the
THE MEANING, WISDOM AND BENEFITS OF $AIAH
congregational prayers, which were conducted in the same prayer hall, as an excuse to satisfy their desire to socialise and flirt with members of the opposite sex It is instructive to compare the standard Shafi i position here, for while it shares the general rule with the Hanafis that women s prayer at home is more rewardable than at the masjid,2’ it is a more nuanced and flexible interpretation:
If a woman s going to group prayer or elsewhere will definitely lead to temptation between the sexes, it is unlawful for her to go. If such temptation can be definitely prevented, her going to attend group prayer remains sunna, as is attested to by the hadiths that have reached us on the subject. If temptation is feared but not certain to occur, her going becomes offensive. Whether such temptation is likely to occur is something that differs with different times, places, and people?"
The classical Hanafi viewpoint, as put forward by the author of the Hidayah, is that such fear of temptation is generally present, at least for young women, and congregational prayer in the masjid Is therefore makruh, although permissable. However, the unstated implication was that if this temptation could be avoided by some means, the original ruling would return. The later Hanafis retained this position, but qualified it with under any circumstances', which effectively closed discussion on the issue, so Ibn Abidin, for instance, does not comment further on it in his encyclopaedic Radd al-Muhtdr.19 The earlier authorities in the school, however, seem to have taken a rather different opinion of the issue. If we are to look at Kitab al-Asi (also known as al-Mabsut1) of Imam Muhammad al-Shaybani, a companion of Imam Abu Hanifah and one of the most senior mujtahids in the school, we come across the following statement: As for when there is a congregation in a masjid in which saldh is established and he |any man| is the
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THE FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM
SALAH
imam, so he steps forward to pray, and there is not another man with him, so the women enter into the prayer, then there is no harm in it.'50
Three things should be noted here: firstly the women are not qualified as having to be any particular age: secondly there Is no mention of temptation: and thirdly this is presented as a special case only because of the exceptional circumstance of a single man attending that particular jama ah, and even this is declared to be acceptable. This shows the original Sunnah of the blessed Prophet and his companions was taken to be the unquestioned norm by Imam Muhammad.
Imam al-Sarakhsi (died co. 483 A.H./1090 C.E.), in his signifi cant work also called al-Mabsut. echoes this ruling and adds, because the masjid Is not a place of seclusion (khalwah).1' He further mentions congregational saldh with a single man and group of women as only makruh due to the fear of temptation, when prayed in private places, such as people's houses, with no mahram (close relative) to one of the women present. Although writing after al-Quduri, whose ruling of young women s attendance to the jama ah of the masjid as makruh was to become the standard opinion of the later scholars, al-Sarakhsi kept a place in his fiqh for the original practice of the Islamic community. What this shows is that this is an issue on which the scholars have differed and one that must take into account the context of the society in which the ruling is to be applied. In fact, that this is nothing new in the life of the Islamic community can be demonstrated with reference to the narration of Salim ibn Abd Allah, who relates on the authority of his father Abd Allah ibn Umar that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:
Do not prevent your women from going to the masjid when they seek your permission. Bilal ibn Abd Allah said: By Allah we shall certainly prevent them. On this, Abd Allah ibn Umar turned towards him and reprimanded him so harshly as I had never heard
•
THE MEANING, WISDOM AND BENEFITS OF $AUH
him do before. He ( Abd Allah ibn Umar) said: I am narrating to you that which comes from the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and you (dare) say: 'By Allah we shall certainly prevent them."’2
There is undoubtedly a tension between the egalitarian spirit of the prophetic Sunnah in giving complete freedom to women to attend the congregational prayers at the masjid and the legitimate ijtihdd of later Jurists to err on the side of caution in their judgement that social conditions had changed and that this action should be considered makruh. Both positions are a far cry from the exclusionary (and cultural) position of those who argue that the masjid is not their place at all. Some scholars, no doubt, argue that In our present day. the level of piety is even less and so there Is even more reason to uphold the latter ruling However, It is important that those with knowledge and authority in the area of Islamic fiqh are careful to avoid all simplistic understandings of contemporary society, based more on entrenched cultural traditions than on a luminous understanding of the prophetic wisdom. With masjid attendance generally at low levels in the UK. and elsewhere, do those steadfast souls that regularly pray in congregation really present such a worry of fitnah that It should remain disapproved for women to offer their salah therein? Furthermore, women play an active role in many areas of social life: undertaking education, teaching, caring for children and the elderly, working, shopping and countless others. In nearly all of these, there is the potential for interaction with members of the opposite sex. Again, in these conditions, is it wise for the overall spiritual health of the Muslim community that of all places, women are strangers to the masjid?
It might be asked. If the reward for women of prayer at home is more than that of the masjid, as Is mentioned in sound ahadith, then why would anyone leave a greater prize for a lesser one?' The answer is that there are a whole host
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of situations in which, whether or not the ruling of makruh is upheld, women require facilities for prayer and other activities in the masjids. For instance: travellers: those who have recently embraced Islam or cannot otherwise gain obligatory religious knowledge; as well as those who are, for whatever reason, isolated from the community. In all these cases and others, it is arguable that the benefit gained from the spiritual atmosphere and company found at the masjid far outweighs the possibility of temptation, particularly if reasonable precautionary steps are taken. Furthermore, the alert mind should be able to spot the hypocrisy of those who. ostensibly for the sake of following sound Hanafi scholarship and seeking to protect women, will make the best place in the community, the masjid, effectively off limits for them whilst permitting or encouraging their visits to many places with much greater temptations.
As tor attendance to the masjid for reasons other than the congregational prayers, such as quiet reflection and study programmes, it should go without saying that it is a priority that women are not only given access, but encouraged, in a practical manner appropriate to the condition of each community. In fact, it is precisely if men and women alike can maintain mutually respectful and pious behaviour upon the potential interactions that characterise human social life, that the Sunnah of the masjid as a place of education and the remembrance of Allah for the whole community can be realised in all its beauty. This is something that should be striven for in emulation of the practice of blessed Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and his companions, not automatically banned on the basis of the presumed corruption of our age.
Notes
1 In general. Salah Is central among the rituals within Islamic worship In establishing a healthy spiritual lite. Tills hadith Is not found in the standard collections, but Is widely quot ed In relation to this subject The association of the prayer with the
THE MEANING. WISDOM AND BENEFITS OF SALAH
Mi raj or Ascension of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, to his Lord. Is nonetheless appropriate, because it is at this time that a believer gains closeness to Him, as Is supported by many authentic ahadith
I Jihad means intense struggle for the sake of Allah and includes both spiritual and physical dimensions It can take place in terms of indi vidual training to resist the desires of the lower self, participation In social activism, or In martial struggle when required by the commu nity for the sake ot its survival, or to establish a just and stable social order.
* Surah al-A Id (Q87: 14-5). 5 On the authority of Abu Hurayrah. may Allah be pleased with him. and agreed upon by Imams Bukhari and Muslim.
‘ Narrated In the Musnad of Ahmad Ibn Hanbal. ’ Surah al-Baqarah <Q2 45). • Narrated in Sunan Abi Dawud ’ Al-Sarraj, Kitab al-Luma'fi al-Tasawwuf (Leiden, 1914). p. 150
10 Surah al-Muddothir (Q74 42-3). " Narrated in $ahih Muslim. ” Narrated in the Musnad of Ahmad ibn Hanbal |This was said to em phasise the great importance of salah, to show how Its abandonment is on the path to abandoning faith, or in the context that someone who denies the obligation of salah becomes a disbeliever It is put forward that these interpretations are better than saying that the per son who does not pray entirely loses their faith (see footnote 5, p. 7 above), and Allah knows best.
II Narrated by Ibn Hibban “ This is a reference to the hadith in which the Companion ‘Uthman Ibn Abu al- As came to the Prophet may Allah bless him and grant him peace and said. The Shaytan comes between me and my salah. and causes me to falter In my recitation The Messenger of Allah said. That is a shaytan called Khinzib. 1/you sense his presence, seek refuge with Allah and spit (very little) to your left three times Uthman (later) said I did that, and Allah rid me of him. (Sahih Muslim)
15 Mawlud, M., Ishraq al-Qarar
■ Narrated by al-Tabaranl ° Al-Chazali.Klmiya-yi'Saadat. '• Surah al-Ma'drij (Q70: 23). '• Rumi, mMam
20 Surah al-Ankabut (Q29: 45).
21 Narrated by al-Tabaram •- Narrated in Miskat aTMosablh. a Narrated by al-Tabarani » Kurani, Ali Muhammad. Falsafah al-Saldh. (D3r al-Zahda. 1972). p 240.
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THE FIVE PILLARS OF ISI AM
SALAH
“ Shakir, Z„ Flight From the Masjid' (Seasons, Spring/Summer 2003), p 68 Al Marghinani, aTHidayah. (Dar al-Kutub al- llmiyyah, 20001. vol 1, p 61. ” Narrated in Sunan Abi Dawud “ Al-Misri. Ahmad Ibn Naqib. Reliance of the Traveller (translated with commentary by Nuh Ha Mim Keller Amana Publications 1994). p. 171.
” Ibn Abidin Radd al-Muhtdr aid Durr al-Mukhtdr (Dar al-Kutub al- llmiyyah. 1994) Vol. 2, p. 307.
30 Al-Shaytenl, Kitab al-AsI lal-Mabsut) I Alam al-Kutub. 1990), Vol. I. p 161-2.
31 Al-Sarakhsl, al-Mabsiit. (Dar al-Ma rifah. 1978). Vol. 1, p. 166. 31 Narrated in Sahih Muslim
50
CHAPTER 5
Preparation for Salah: Taharah, Adhd n a n d Iqd mah
The Importance of preparing for Salah All really significant undertakings require preparation and salah is no different. This is partly internal, consisting of the cultivation of an appropriately reverent state of mind and partly external, involving both the absolutely necessary and sunnah rituals that preceed the prayer itself. In fact, as Imam al- Chazali makes clear, these two aspects should be seamlessly integrated and in this regard he narrates that:
It is said of Ali ibn al-Husayn that he used to turn pale when he made his ablution. When his family asked him what came over him during his ablution, he would say: Do you realise before Whom I wish to stand In prayer?'1
The following section will concentrate on the comprehensive rules relating to taharah, or ritual purity in Islam, which is not only essential for sa/dh, but also for acts such as touching the Qur an and performing tawcif (circumabulation) around the Ka bah. Following this, we shall cover the subject of the adhdn (call to prayer) and iqamah (call made immediately
preceding prayed which are important sunnahs, particularly when establishing congregational prayers.
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Introduction to Taharah (Purity) The importance of being clean, wearing clean clothes and living in a clean place is not only important for one s health but equally important for one's spiritual development. Allah Most High says:
Truly Allah loves the repentant and those who purify
themselves.-
The Messenger, May Allah bless him and grant him peace said:
Purity is one half of faith.'
He also said:
The key to paradise is salSh and the key to salSh is purification'
Purification with Ghusl (bath) and Tayammum (dry ablution)
Objectives of this section to learn-.
► The meaning of ghusl and tayammum
► When they are required
► The fiqh rulings for them including the practical way to perform them according to the Sunnah
-------------------._______________________ . __________ >
In fiqh. purification is divided into two types-.
i. Major - Taking a bath (ghusl}. il. Minor - Performing ablution (wudul
PRE PARATION FOR SAIAHC TAHARAH, AOHAN ANO IQAMAII
As we shall see, tayammum is a dry ablution which can be used for either type of puritication in certain exceptional circumstances.
Ghusl
The Meaning of Ghusl Ghusl means taking a bath, which requires the washing of one's whole body with water. Allah Most High says:
If you are a junub then purify yourself.3
A junub is a person in a state of major ceremonial impurity. This state is recognised by Islamic law as having its own regulations pertaining to how it can arise, the actions that it prohibits and the rules for its removal. As an impure state in which many types of worship are prohibited, it is strongly encouraged by the sharTah for a believer to remain in it for as short a time as is possible/' The Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:
The angels will not enter a house that contains a dog. picture or (an habitual) junub.7
Actions that give rise to Major Ceremonial Impurity:
1. Lovemaking between husband and wife
2. Ejaculation of sperm, e.g. having a wet dream
3. Menstruation 4. Childbirth
SALAH
Actions that are prohibited whilst in a State of Major Ceremonial impurity:
1. Praying saldh 2. Touching or reciting the Qur'an 3. Entering the masjid
THE HVt PILLARS OF ISLAM
s a l Ah
The Compulsory Elements ofChusI:
1. To gargle - this means to wash thoroughly the inside of the mouth down to the throat. This is achieved with a mouthful of water and swirling it around the mouth such that the water reaches all parts of the mouth, the tongue, around the gums and down to the throat.
2. To rinse and clean the nostrils - to wash the inside of both nostrils such that water reaches the top of the nose and to blow out any accumulated mucus.
3. To wash the entire body - every part of the body must be washed thoroughly, from head to toe, so that not a single hair remains dry.
How to perform Chusl according to the Sunnah:
1. Make the intention to purify oneself. 2. Say bismillah (in the name of Allah). 3. Begin by washing both hands up to the wrist. 4. Wash the private parts. 5. Remove any filth from the body. 6. Do full wudu'.8
7. Start to wash the body from the right shoulder, then wash the body from the left shoulder. Finally pour water over the head and make sure that water gets to every part by rubbing with hands. Not a hair should remain dry!
8. Wash the feet last and, if standing in slow-draining water, make an effort to do bring them to a place where fresh water can flow over them.
Note Tlie ghusl should be taken in a secluded place that no-one else can see There should be no talking, humming singing or facing the direction ol the Ka bah Iqiblah) whilst having a bath
PREPARATION FOR $AMH: TAHARAH, ADHAN ANO IQAMAH
Tayammum
The Meaning of Tayammum; Tayammum is sometimes called dry ablution' since it is a substitute for wudu (or ghusl if required) and is done without using water. It is a special concession given graciously by Allah. He Most High says:
If you are ill, or on a journey, or have been to the toilet, or have made love with your wives and you cannot find water then do dry ablution with clean earth, wiping your faces and hands with it.9
Abu Sa Id al-Khudri reports: Two men were on a journey and when the time for prayer came they could not find any water, so they did tayyamum and performed their prayer. However, a little later they found water and one of them did wudu and repeated his prayer, but the other did not. When they returned to Madinah they told the beloved Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. He said to the man who didn t repeat his prayer. You practiced the Sunnah,' and to the other man he said. ~You have been given double reward.
When is Tayammum permissible? When a person wants to pray $alah and he is unable to do wudu', either because he can t find water or he is unable to use water, it is permissible to do tayammum. Here is a summary of the acceptable circumstances:
1. An illness that would be aggravated by the use of water, for example burns. This advice must come from a good physician.
2. There is no water for at least a mile around him. 3. If it is so severely cold such that one cannot take a bath and there is no means of heating the water or warming oneself afterwards.
4. If he fears he will miss his (important) rail, bus or flight if he goes to search for water to perform wudu'.
s a l Ah
THE FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM
s a l Ah
5. When he fears that he will miss the funeral or Id salah. if he went to perform wudii."
The Compulsory Elements of Tayammum: There are three compulsory acts In tayammum:
1 To make the intention to perform tayammum. 2. To wipe the whole face with hands that have touched clean earth.
3. To wipe both hands from tips of the fingers to the elbows.
How to perform Tayammum according to the Sunnah:
1. First make the intention, for instance: I am doing tayam mum to be able to offer my salah.’
2. Say Bismillah. 3. Lay both hands on stone, sand, clay, earth, or anything covered in dust. Then shake off any excess dust by clap ping hands together.
4. Wipe the face with both hands, 5. Repeat Step Three. 6. Wipe both the right hand and then the left hand up the arm to the elbow.
Miscellaneous Points:
1. Tayammum can be done with anything from the earth This excludes things that bum like wood, or melt like metals, iron or copper. So this means things like sand. clay, stone and chalk, as well as soil etc. However if there is dust on wooden furniture or a metal object It can be used
2. All those things that break wudu or make ghusl compulsory will invalidate tayammum.
3 The availability or the ability to use water will also invali date tayammum.
<56
PRtPARATION FOR JAIAFC FAHARAH, AOHA.V ANO /OAMAH
Purification with Wudu' (Ablution)
Objectives of this section to learn:
► The meaning of wudu.
► The times that it is required.
► The fiqh rulings for it including the practical way to perform it according to the Sunnah.
► Those things which invalidate it.
x,________________________ ________________________z
The Meaning of Wudu': We have already mentioned Quranic verses and prophetic ahadith that indicate to the importance of physical purification. The most usual form that this takes is the ritual ablution called wudu'. Wudu' literally means cleanliness and its essential elements are give in the following verse of the Qur'an:
O believers! When you stand for the prayer wash your faces and your hands to the elbows, wipe your head and wash your feet to the ankles.12
The blessed Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, Allah does not accept the prayer of any one of you when he is unclean - until he does wudu’.'1’
1. Ford (compulsory). This is the wudu required for perform ing the prayer or for touching the Glorious Qur’an.
2. Wdjib (necessary). This is the wudu' required for cir cumambulating (tawaf) of the Ka bah.
Hadhrat All, may Allah be pleased with him, reports that the blessed Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said Whoever makes wudu' in extreme cold receives double the
reward.
The Times that Wudu is required: Wudu' is of three types: 1 2
SALAH
THE FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM
3. Mustahabb (desirable). This is made on numerous oc casions. for example: before studying, before going to sleep and during ghusl as explained previously etc.
The Compulsory Elements of Wudti: There are four compulsory (lard) acts in wudu':
s a l Ah
1. To wash the whole face once with clean water. The boundaries of the face are lengthwise from the hairline above the forehead to the bottom of the chin and breadthwise from one ear to the other. The hair of the beard that is on the face within these boundaries Is also part of the washing of the face. It is desirable to wash the hair that is longer than the periphery of the face and Sunnah to wipe it. If the beard is light (i.e. it is sparse and the skin underneath is visible) it is compulsory to wash it thoroughly through the roots. If the beard is thick (i.e. the skin is not visible), then it is only compulsory to wash the outer layer of it.
2. Washing both hands up to and including the elbows.
3. To wipe a quarter of the head by passing wet hands over it.
4. The washing of the feet up to the ankle bones.
Note If there Is something stopping water from reaching the skin like a tight ring or dough In the nails, then it must be removed and the skin underneath washed.
How to perform Wudu according to the Sunnah: There are seventeen sunnah acts in wudu’:
1. Intention: resolving to do wudu' for the pleasure of Allah and to carry out His command. The way to do this is to silently intend to remove filth or purification
58
PREPARATION FOR JAIA/C MHARAH, ADHAN ANO IQAMAH
or even better is to intend, to make wudu for worship seeking the nearness of Allah (emphatic Sunnah).
2. To begin with bismillah (emphatic Sunnah). 3. Washing of both hands to the wrist three times (un- emphatic Sunnah). But if dirt is suspected on the hand then it is an emphatic Sunnah.
4. The miswak/siwak: brushing the teeth when rinsing the mouth or, according to another opinion, before the rinsing of the mouth (emphatic Sunnah). Siwak is the small stick derived from the arak tree, also known as the peelu tree or Salvadora persica. If it is not available, then using something that removes the yellowness of the teeth and cleanses the mouth like a toothbrush still fulfils the Sunnah. If even a toothbrush is not available, one should use the index finger of the right hand.
5. Rinsing the mouth three times, even with a single sip of water, although the full mouth should be filled (emphatic Sunnah).
6. Cleaning the nose three times, in which the water should reach the top of the nose (emphatic Sunnah). It is desirable to rinse the mouth and the nose with the right hand and to clean the nostrils with the left hand.
Note It Is Sunnah to exaggerate In rinsing the mouth and the nose except for the fasting person. This means gargling and cleaning the nostrils with the little finger.
SALAH
7. Combing a thick beard: this is the combing of hair from the bottom to the top by putting the palms of the hands on the neck and moving the fingers through the beard, This is done after washing the face three times (unemphatic Sunnah).
8. The combing of the fingers: intertwining the fingers of one hand In the other, left over right then right over left. For the toes use the little finger of the left hand and start from the little toe of the right foot and finish by the little toe of the left foot (emphatic Sunnah).
SALAH
THE FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM
9. Washing three times: to wash all parts once is compul sory and to wash three times is an emphatic Sunnah. The head and ears are excluded from this rule as they are wiped.
10. Immediacy: this is washing of a part before the previous part dries (emphatic Sunnah}.
11. Wiping the whole of the head: to do so once is an emphatic Sunnah. The best way to do this is to put the three fingers of each hand at the front of the head and to hold the index finger with the thumb. Then move the fingers backward over the head and put the palms of the hand on the sides of the head and move them towards the front.
12. The wiping of the ears: wiping the inner ears with the index fingers and the outer ear with the the thumbs (unemphatic Sunnah).
13 Performing wudu in its correct order as mentioned In the Qur an. Surah aTMdidah verse 6 (emphatic Sunnah).
14 Starting with the right side: to begin washing of hands and the feet with the right one first (unemphatic Sunnah).
15. Rubbing: wiping each part during or after pouring water on it (unemphatic Sunnah).
16 Not to be wasteful in using water (emphatic Sunnah).
17. Not to splash water, particularly on the face (unem phatic Sunnah). This is for the respect of the lace and to prevent splashing of used water. The best way to wash the (ace is to pour water on the top of the forehead and then to gently rub it over the face.
The Desirable Acts in Wudu' There are eleven mustahabb (desirable) acts in wudu.
1. To face the Ka bah: since this is the most hopeful state of acceptance of supplications, which one ought to read whilst doing wudu (see below).
9
PREPARATION FOR $AlAH'. TAH AR AH, ADHAN AND IQAMAH
2. To be seated in a high place: to ensure that clothes are not splashed by the used water.
3. To do wudu in a clean place: for respect of wudu and keeping the clothes clean.
4. Not to talk as this will prevent one from reciting the supplications.
5. To wipe the neck: once only with the back of the fingers of both hands after wiping the ears.
6. To say bismilldh before every act.
7. To recite the following supplications:
When rinsing the Mouth’.
21! 21! / JI 2L&
Oh Allah! Help me in the recitation of the Qur an, your remembrance, your thanksgiving and goodly devotion.
HV1VS
When cleaning the Nostrils:
Oh Allah! Give me the scent of Paradise and Your contentment with me.
When washing tire Face:
dLlJ^I o3^3
Oh Allah! Whiten my face on the Day you will whiten and darken faces.
THE FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM
SALAH
VWien washing the Right Arm:
f*4^'
O/i Allah! Give my book of deeds in the right hand and make my reckoning easy.
When washing the Left Arm:
<3^ i'55 Lrt J1-*-*
Oh Allah! Do not give me my book of deeds in my left hand nor from behind my back.
When wiping the Head:
jt jt Jfe
Oh my Lord! Give me shade under Your Throne on the Day when there will be no other shade except under Your Throne.
When wiping the Ears :
4—i j ‘ Jr?
O/i Allah! Make me among those who pay heed to what is said and follow the best of it
PREPARATION FOR SAlAFC FAHARAH. ADMAN ANO IQAMAH
When wiping the Neck:
Oh Allah! Free my neck from the Hellfire.
When washing the Right Foot:
Oh Allah! Make my feet steadfast on Your straight path.
s a l Ah
When washing the Left Foot:
Jji ’5 Jpi J ** 1 (Ui'1
Oh Allah! Forgive my sins and accept my efforts and make my trade successful.
After completing the Wudu :
•X>j auI Sil *Jj j' -U—1'
I bear witness that there is no god but Allah. He is alone and has no associate and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.
THE FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM
Then recite:
y. S~^-' (*4^'
Oh Allah! Make me amongst those who repent and who purify themselves.
SALAH
Finally recite Surah al-Qadr three times and then:
1. To drink the leftover water standing up facing the qiblah like the water of Zamzam.
2. Not to splatter water from the hands. 3. To dry wet parts of the body. 4. To pray two units after the wudu at times other than those that are prohibited. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:
Whoever does wudu' like my wudu' then prays two units (of prayer)... his sins will be forgiven.'5
The Makruh (Undesirable) Acts in Wudu :
► Leaving out the emphatic Sunnah, like rinsing the mouth, is an offense (fedh).
► Leaving out the unemphatic Sunnah, like starting from the right hand, is a minor offense (makruh tanzlhi).
► Leaving out the desirable, like the wiping of the neck, is undesirable (khildf al-awld).
The Invalidators o/Wudu'.’
1. Anything discharged from where one passes urine or stools.
2. A discharge from any part of body like blood and pus if it starts to flow from its origin.
3. Vomiting food or water if it is a mouthful (in parts or all at once).
PREPARATION FOR SAlAH'. TAHAKAH, AOHAN AND IQAMAII
4 The discharge of blood from ear, nose or mouth. The reli able indicator for blood in the mouth is the colour of the saliva. If its colour is red then the wudu is invalidated, however, if the redness is less than the white, or the spu tum is merely a yellowish colour, then wudu' is not broken. If a red colour is found on one's toothbrush, or something bitten or eaten, like an apple, wudu' is only broken If the saliva has turned red.
5. Sleeping whilst lying on the side or whilst being supported by something such that if it is removed one would fall. The reason that sleep breaks wudu is that during sleep the body is relaxed and there is a possibility of discharge of something. However, sleeping whilst standing, sitting, bowing or prostrating does not break wudu'.
6. Loss of consciousness or becoming Insane.
7. Laughter during the prayer, but not outside the prayer, Laughter in sajdah al-tildwah (the prostration of recitation) or In the funeral prayer does not break wudu. although It does invalidate those acts.
> r >■
Note ► Whoever has illnesses like incontinence, or chronic flatu lence. as well as women who are in a state of istiliadali (non-menstrual vaginal bleeding) are excused from the normal ruling and may carry out prayer and other acts of worship that require wudu'. The only thing they have to do is perform wudu' before each prayer and they may then pray as much as they wish of both jard and nafl prayer etc. When a new prayer time arrives, this wudu' must be renewed, as is also the case if it is invalidated by anything other than the excused cause.
► If one is convinced of having made wudu'. but doubts whether he has broken It. he should consider his wudu intact. If his doubt Is in leaving off an essential part of the wudu. for instance wiping his head, he should go back and repeat that act.
THE FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM
A Summary of Wudu in Diagrams:
SALAH
9
PREPARATION FOR JAMFC TAHjBAH, ADHAN AND IQAMAH
Making the Adhan (Call to prayer) and Iqamah (Call made immediately preceding prayer)
Objectives of this section to learn:
► The significance of the adhan.
► Its words and meaning.
► The du d that should be made after performing or hearing it. '-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------/
Hadhrat Malik ibn Hawayris, may Allah be pleased with him, narrates that the blessed Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: 'When it is time for the prayer, one of you should call for the prayer and whoever is most pious amongst you should lead the prayers. '6
The adhan is one of the special features of the Muslim ummah (community) as no other people call to devotion in this particular manner. The spine-tingling sensation of hearing the adhan not only informs us of the upcoming congregational prayer, but it strengthens faith in Allah as it resonates in the heart's deepest core. The importance of the adhan can be understood from the following hadith:
Hadhrat Abu Darda, may Allah be pleased with him, says that the blessed Prophet said: If there are three people in a town or in an open space and they neither call to prayer nor pray in congregation the devil overwhelms them. Therefore pray in congregation for the wolf devours the lost sheep.
The adhan is a sunnah muakkadah (emphatic Sunnah). Habitually omitting it before praying in congregation Is a
sin.
SALAH
TKF FIVF PILLARS OF ISLAM
The Adhan:
SALAH
Allah is the Greatest (x4) (4x) 'iSI ’<j>i
1 bear witness that there is (2x) iiilSllJl^ jlA^’l
no god but Allah (x2)
/ bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah (x2) (2x) <il
Come to the prayer (x2) (2x) sSLJI > >
Come to success (x2) (2x) cSdii>>
Allah is the Greatest (x2) (2x) ys\ 4i>
There is no god but Allah.
’■ilSljC'lSl
For the fajr (dawn) prayer add the following words after I second hayya ala al-falah:
The prayer is better than (2x) % -
sleep (x2) y
The Supplication to be made after the Adhan:
l-cktf Cji <»jlijl *J«Ujl cjf-jjl o_i_ *
j—■j 'j * i-k-j JU—<L—.^Jl
dLl .-wLiJl LSjJlj ijji-J .jjJl IS
■ II <_ili \
PREPARATION FOR SAtAHi TAHARAH, ADHAN AND 10AMAH
Oh Lord, the Master of this perfect call and of the proper prayer grant our leader Muhammad (peace be upon him) the rank of wasilah and of virtue and appoint him to the rank of Mahmud, the one that you have promised. Certainly You do not break promises.
The reward for reciting this du a is receiving the intercession of the blessed Prophet on the Day of Judgement1” and for this reason alone we should make sure to commit this supplication to memory.
Notes
1 Al-Chazali, Inner Dimensions of Islamic Worship, translated by Muhtar Holland (The Islamic Foundation, 2000), p. 30.
1 Surah al-Baqarah (Q2: 222).
> Narrated in $ahih Muslim. * Narrated in the Musnad of Ahmad ibn Hanbal 5 Surah al-Md idah (Q5:6). s This is not the case for women s menstruation and post-natal bleeding, as they must wait for a certain period which Is not within their control, before taking ghusl It should be remembered that at these times, obedience to Allah and His Contentment come precisely from abstaining from one s usual saldh fasting etc. Of course, other virtuous deeds. Including maintaining good character (akhlaq). charity
The Iqamah The iqamah is made immediately prior to beginning the five obligitory daily prayers, usually by the muadhdhin (the person who calls the adhdn). While it is sunnah to recite the adhan slowly, the iqdmah is to be recited quickly and the following words are added after the second come fo success (hayya ala al forth):
s a l Ah
The prayer is about to begin (2x) * 1 * * * 5 (2x) sSCjIc-ilijJ
THE EIVE PIltARS Of ISLAM
s a l Ah
{fadaqah} and remembrance of Allah Idhikr) will be greatly rewarded, particularly considering the adversary being faced. Narrated in Abu Dawud. Nisa 1. Ahmad and alDarlrnl. In this particular version of this hadith. in which the term /unub is added. Imam al- Bukhari had doubt as to its authenticity and Imam Dhahabi said It was unknown to him The commentators also explain that junub here does not mean one who is in a state of greater ritual Impurity and delays the ghusl until the prayer time comes, but rather it means here one who habitually neglects to have a ghusl This is because the Prophet may Allah bless him and grant him peace, on occasion used to sleep in the state of jandbah. as reported by his wife A ishah He also used to go to his wives and have one ghusl thereafter Additionally, it Is the angels of mercy (rahmah) and blessing fbarakah) who leave the house in this circumstance but not the recording angels who always remain with us at all times to record everything that we do
" It should be noted that any completed ghusl. whether consisting of the minimum compulsory (ford) elements, or the full Sunnah will always include the integrals of wudu and completely purify minor impurity
• Surah al-MdidatUQS 6). "> Narrated in Sunan Abi Dawud
I Tayammum is acceptable In this circumstance, because there is no replacement for these prayers if they are missed. Surah al-Mdidah (Q5: 6)
II Narrated in Sahih al-Bukhari “ Narrated by Tabaranl
15 Narrated in Sahih al-Bukhari "■ Narrated in $ahih al-Bukhdrl. ” Narrated In the Musnad of Ahmad ibn Hanbal. '• Narrated in Sahih al-Bukhari.
CHAPTER 6
How to Pray Saldh
SALAH
Objectives of this section to learn:
► The obligation to pray saldh.
► The conditions required to begin praying salah.
► The fard, wajib and sunnah acts ot prayer
► The invalidators of $alah.
► How to perform saldh correctly.
► To memorize all the relevant passages and surahs.
The Obligation to pray Saiah One of the most important duties of a Muslim is to pray five times a day. It is one of the five pillars of Islam and the foundation of religion. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was asked by Abd Allah ibn Mas ud, What is the best deed?' His reply was, To offer the prayers in their fixed times.'1 The five prayers are obligatory in their correct time for every sane, adult2 Muslim, except women while menstruating and during the period of post-natal bleeding.
THE FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM
SALAH
The Six Conditions for Prayer Before the prayer can be offered the following six conditions must be fulfilled:
I. To be physically clean, which means to both be free of filth on the body and to be In the state of purity gained by performing wudu' or ghusl.
2 The clothes and the place of prayer must also be clean and free from filth.’
3. The body must be covered - the minimum requirement for this covering for men, is from the navel to the knee, and for women, the whole body excluding the face, hands and feet.
4. Time for prayer - The five daily jard prayers are prescribed at set times during day and night based on the sunrise and sunset. It is important to know the times of prayers since they can only be performed during these times. Allah Most High says:
Surely prayer is prescribed for the believers at fixed times.1
Below we have explained how to find these times in relation to sunrise and sunset. However there are accurate timetables available for every major city in Britain, which are published by local mosques, as well as a range of information available online.5
The Time of Fajr Fajr starts at dawn and ends at sunrise. Dawn is the brightness that spreads from the eastern horizon until it spreads everywhere and rises towards the sky. It is desirable to delay fajr until there is light: this is approximately half an hour before sunrise, since the blessed Prophet said, The greatest reward for fajr is when it is light:"
HOW TO PRAY SAMH
The Time of Zuhr Zuhr time starts after the sun has began to decline (i.e. after noon). There are two reports concerning its end:
Firstly, according to Imam Abu Hanifah, may Allah have mercy on him: zuhr time continues until just before shadows become a length that is double their objects plus their shadow at noon. This is the opinion that has been preferred by the majority of Hanafi jurists.7
Secondly, according to the Sdhibayn, which is the name given to Imams Abu Yusuf and Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on them, zuhr time continues until just before shadows become a length that is equal to their objects plus their shadow at noon. This opinion agrees with that of the other schools of thought.
A recommended compromise between the two positions is to pray zuhr according to the earlier end time and then wait until the completion of the later end time until beginning the $alah of a$r. Also it should be remembered that it is preferred to delay zuhr in the summer and to do it early in the winter. Hadhrat Anas, relates:
The beloved Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, on hot days used to pray when the day had cooled and when it was cold he would do it early.8
The Time of‘Ast Asr starts when zuhr time has ended and extends until the beginning of sunset (the disc of the sun touching the horizon). It is best to delay ‘asr but not so long that the sun changes so that it becomes a reddish-yellow and can be seen without blinding the eyes. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:
Be quick about the prayer on a cloudy day for whoever
misses his ‘asr has lost his deeds.9
THE fIVt PILLARS OF ISI AM
SALAH
The rime of Maghrib Maghrib extends from after sunset (the complete disappearance of the disc of the sun from the horizon) until all whiteness disappears from the horizon, in the opinion of Imam Abu Hanifah. According to the opinion of the $ahibayn the end of maghrib is marked by the disappearance of the redness on the horizon, which is earlier. The redness disappears approximately 55 minutes after sunset, while the whiteness takes until around an hour and 20 minutes, depending on location and season. It is. however, best to pray maghrib at its earliest time, as soon as the sun has set.
The Time of ‘Isha’ The earliest time of isha' is the disappearance of the redness or the whiteness of the horizon and it continues until the start of dawn. The time for witr prayer is after isha' until dawn.
The desirable time for 'isha' is to delay until one third of night has elapsed since the Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:
if it wasnt difficult for my ummah, / would hove ordered
them to delay isha’ to one third or half of the night.,o
However for the congregation in the masjid to delay isha beyond half of the night is makruh tahriml, as there is a fear of low attendance." The desirability of delaying isha is only in the winter, as in summer it is best to pray it early due to the shortness of the night.
Makruh Tahrimi Times for Prayer There are three times when prayers are not allowed. They are:
1. From the start of sunrise until the sun is out and bright (approximately 15-20 minutes after sunrise).
W
HOW TO PRAY $AlAH
2 At noon when the sun is at its zenith (istiwa time). This (and in fact all three of these times) are often mistakenly called zawal times. Zawal properly refers to the time that the sun begins to decline and so marks the beginning of zuhr when prayer is permissable again. The best way to deal with this time is to find the point of noon (half-way between sunrise and sunset) and then remember not to pray 3-5 minutes before and after this time. Also be careful about some prayer timetables that list zuhr as starting only one minute after the point of noon, as this is not a safe margin for being sure zuhr has begun and the prohibited time has ended.
3. Before sunset when the sun is reddish-yellow until sun set. However, if the day's ‘asr has not yet been prayed, this must be done along with seeking forgiveness for leaving it so late.
SALAH
Hadhrat Uqbah ibn Amir reports that The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to forbid us from praying or burying our dead at three times, when the sun is rising until it is high and at noon (when it is at its highest point) and when it begins to set until it has set. '2
Two Other Makruh Times It's not desirable to pray nafl (superogatory saldh) after fajr prayer, even if the sun has not yet risen and likewise after asr until the sun has set. It is narrated that The blessed Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, forbid praying after saldh alfajr and salah al-'asr until sunset.'15
5. The fifth condition of salah is to face the Ka bah in Makkah.
The Glorious Qur dn tells us:
Turn your face in the direction of the sacred mosque, wherever you all are, turn your faces towards it14
THE FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM
SALAH
Facing the qiblah (prayer direction) has become the symbol of Muslim unity. All the mosques are built facing in the direction of the Ka bah in Makkah. The direction of the qiblah can be easily found using a compass and a map or a special compass with the qiblah direction marked on it
Facing the qiblah means that at least some part of the face must be facing in its direction. As shown in Figure 1 a person looking forward from O will be facing the Ka'bah (Z). then if he turns to X or Y and the angle remains less than 45 degrees it still counts as facing the qiblah and his prayer is correct. However if he goes beyond this he will be considered to be facing away from the Ka bah and his salah will be invalid.
HOW TO PRAY $A(AH
In the event of a person not knowing the prayer direction in a particular location, he should expend effort in determining it, by, for instance, looking towards the direction that the sun is setting (which is westwards) or even the direction that satellite dishes point (which in the UK at least, tends to be close to the qiblah), or asking someone. After doing this, he should make his prayer in the direction that he judges to be closest to the qiblah. If he later discovers that it was wrong, he does not need to repeat his prayer.
6. To make the intention for the prayer as a means of seeking divine pleasure. It is preferable to make the intention verbally, though silently, in any language. For example:
I intend to pray two fard rak'ahs of fajr prayer for the pleasure of Allah whilst facing the Ka'bah.
The minimum that is acceptable is an intention in the heart of praying to Allah, along with awareness of which prayer is being offered including whether it Is obligatory. The intention may slightly proceed the opening takbir (saying of Alldhu Akbar) as long as there is no major movement or action of the type that would invalidate a prayer between them. When praying in congregation one must also intend to follow the imam in order to receive the reward of saldh in jama ah.
The Six Compulsory (Fard) Acts in Prayer Once the intention for prayer has been made the following acts must be performed in full:
1. Takbir al-tahrimah: Saying Alldhu Akbar'. This indi cates that the prayer has begun and that speaking, eating and many other actions are forbidden for its duration. The words of Alldhu Akbar' must be audible at least to oneself and this is the definition of silent' recitation in the rest of what follows.
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THE FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM
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2. Standing upright in fard prayers. However, if someone is severely III or injured so that he cannot stand up, then it is permissible for him to sit down and pray. Likewise, if a person begins to feel that he can no longer stand in prayer, then they may go into a sitting position and complete it in this way. It is permissible to pray sunnah and nafl prayers whilst sitting, although the reward is half that of standing up.
3. Recitation of the Glorious Qur'an. It is compulsory to recite from the Qur'an in the first two units of fard prayer and in all the units of sunnah, witr, and nafl prayers. When praying with the congregation it is not permitted to recite from the Qur'an and the imam's recitation is accepted by Allah in its place.
4. Bowing. For men. this is the bending of the back and the neck and grasping the knees with the hands such that the head and the back are level For women, the back should be Inclined at about a 45 degree angle with the hands placed on the thighs.
5. Prostration. This is defined as putting the feet, the knees, the hands, the forehead and the nose on the ground. The prostration must be done on the ground or carpet where the hardness of the ground can be felt. The toes of the feet must also be touching the ground.
6. The last sitting. This is to read the tashahhud in the last rak ah (unit) of the prayer.
The Nine Necessary (Wajib) Acts in Prayer The following list of nine things are highly recommended and therefore wajib (necessary) since their omission from the
HOW TO PRAV SALAH
prayer makes it invalid unless compensated for by the extra prostrations called {sajdah al-sahw).
1. To recite Surah al-Fatihah in the first two rak'ah of ford prayer and in all the rakahs of witr, sunnah and nafl. Furthermore this surah must be read before any other part of the Qur an.
2. The major acts of the prayer, bowing and prostration should be properly performed this means to remain in that posture for the minimum time it takes to utter a tasbih, Subhana Rabbi al-A'Id' {Glory be to my Lord, the Most High), which takes approximately two seconds.
3. The first sitting. In prayers of three or four units one must also sit at the end of the second unit. In this sitting the tashahhud is read and it is important not to read beyond the tashahhud. as this will require prostrations of forgetfulness.
4. To end the prayer by saying the saldm (al-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullah) twice.
5. To read the du a' al-qunut in the third rak'ah of witr prayer. This du d' should be read after reciting the Fdtihah and another surah A takbir should be said and then the du a' recited.
6. To make six additional takbirs in the Id prayer (see the specific section on the Id prayer for details).
7. For the imam to recite the Qur'an out loud in the following prayers: jajr. maghrib. ishd, witr (in Ramadan only), jumuah (Friday prayer) and Id. The Qur an is to be recited out loud only in the first two rak ahs with the exception of witr, in which he does this for all three. The individual devotee can choose to read aloud or silently in all of these prayers that can be prayed individually. Similarly, both the imam and the individual must read silently in zuhr, a$r, the third rak'ah of maghrib and the third and fourth rak ahs of ‘ishd.
8. The muqtadi' (follower) should not recite anything whilst standing behind the imam.
SALAH
THE FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM
SALAH
9. In the prostration the forehead and the hard part of the nose must both be touching the ground.
The Sunnah Acts in Prayer Many of the rituals of the prayer are practices of the beloved Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, or else the practices of his disciples: these are known as the sunnah of the prayer. They are neither fard, nor wajib, but are still very im portant as they are made in emulation of the prophetic prayer and thus imbue the $aldh with blessing and light. Furthermore, to omit them habitually is a sin. These sunnah actions are:
1. To raise both hands to the ears when saying takbir al- tahrimah.
2. To stand straight and upright whilst saying the takbir.
3. To immediately afterwards place the right hand over the left hand such that the palm of the right hand is on the back of the left hand grasping the left wrist with the little finger and the thumb of the right. For women it is sufficient to put the right hand over the left hand on top of the chest.
4. To silently recite the thana, which begins Subhanaka Alldhumma...
5. To silently recite the ta'awwudh. which begins A'udhu billdh..:
6 To silently recite the basmalah. which begins Bismillah...
7 To silently say dmln at the end of al-Fatihah.
8. To say Sarni a Allahu al-hamidah' out loud if praying behind the imam (silently if praying alone) and then to silently say Rabbana laka al-hamd'.
9 When standing, the distance between the two feet should be the width of a fist.
10. To read the appropriate tasblh in the ruku' (bowing) and the sajdah (prostration). See the supplications below for the details.
HOW TO PRAY
11. Whilst bowing, the hands should firmly grasp the knees (for men).
12. The back should bend such that it is nearly at a right angle (90 degrees) to the legs. The back and the neck should be so level that a full glass of water would not spill over! (This is also only for men.)
13. To raise the head after the bowing and stand upright. 14 To sit between the two prostrations.
15 When going to the ground for the prostration the knees should touch the ground first then the hands then the nose and finally the forehead. This order should be reversed when rising from the prostration.
16. In prostration the nose and the forehead should be placed on the ground with the two palms flat down at an equal distance on either side, leaving a gap.
17. During the prostration, for men, the belly should be kept clear of the thighs, the elbows away from touch ing the sides and the forearms well clear off the ground. However, women should be more compact and mod est in their prostration, such that their belly and thighs are touching each other and their elbows are resting against the sides and their forearms are laid on the ground.
18. To put the hands on the middle of the thighs whilst sitting in the tashahhud.
19. In the sitting position, for men, the left foot should be sat on with its upper side flat on the floor on its side and the right foot propped up with the heel vertical and the toes bent, pointing in the direction of the qiblah. Women should sit on their left buttock and rest one thigh against the other with their legs together to their right side.
20. When reciting the negation [Id ilaha...') during the tashahhud the index finger should be raised and then dropped on reading the affirmation (illa lldh]. The way to do this is by making a circle with the middle finger and the thumb and raising the index finger.
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SALAH
21 To read al-Fdtihah In lhe third and the fourth rakat of fard prayers.
22. To send blessings on the beloved Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, after the final
tashahhud.
23. To make a dud' derived from the words of the Glorious Qur'an or Sunnah.
24 To say al-satdmu alaykum wa rahmatulldh twice and turn the head to the right and then to the left.
25. The intention should be to salute the congregation, the guardian angels and the righteous jinns. The members of the congregation should intend to salute the imam.
The Special Sunnahs for Congregation
1 The devotees in the congregation should do their first takblr along with the imam (or slightly after him) and not before him.
2. The imam should do all the takblrs and saldm aloud so that the congregation can hear him. The individual does theirs silently.
3. The second saldm should be said in a lower voice than the first.
4. The latecomer to congregation should wait slightly after the first saldm to ensure that the imam is not going to do the sajdah al-sahw.
The Desirable (Mustahabb) Acts in Prayer Mustahabb is any action that is preferred by the shariah. it is neither compulsory, wajib nor sunnah. Its performance earns reward and its omission is not blameworthy. The following are desirable in prayer:
1. When doing the first takblr the hands should be outside the sleeves.
2. The devotee should keep his gaze on his place of pros tration when standing, on his feet whilst bowing, on
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HOW TO PRAY JA1AW
his nose whilst prostrating, on his laps whilst sitting and on his shoulders when ending with saldm.
3. The tasbihs in bowing and prostration should be read more than thrice and in odd numbers.
4. Effort should be made to avoid yawning and if that isn't possible then the mouth should be covered with the hand.
5. Every effort should be made not to cough. 6. The imdm and the congregation should stand up when the words hayya ala al-salah are read during the iqdmah since these words are commanding one to come to the prayer and when the congregation stands up it is as though they are responding positively to it!
The Undesirable (Makruh) Acts in Prayer Makruh acts are the opposites of the necessary and recom mended actions. If it results in the omission of a wajib it is makruh tahrimi(a major offense), the omission of a mu'akaddah (emphatic) sunnah Is termed is ah (an offense) and the omis sion of an unemphatic sunnah is called makruh tanzihi (a minor offense). The following things are undesirable in the prayer:
1. To engage In a useless activity done absent-mindedly, for instance, playing with the beard or ones clothes or cracking fingers (makruh tahrimi)
2. To look at something by turning the head around. 3. To pray with sleeves rolled up. 4. To pray just in trousers without wearing a shirt (makruh tahrimi).
5. To recite the Qur an in any posture other than standing up (unless having an excuse to sit down in prayer).
6. To repeat the recitation of the same surah of the Qur'an (after al-Fatihah) in two consecutive rakahs.
7. To recite one surah of the Qur an in the first rak'ah of prayer and then recite the surah which precedes It in the second rak'ah.
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THE FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM HOW TO PRAY $A<AH
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8. To read two different surahs in two consecutive rakahs such that the surah inbetween them is missed out. Example: in the first rakah al-lkhlds and in the second al-Nas thus omitting al-Falaq.
9. To smell scent intentionally. 10. To shut the eyes without good reason (makruh tanzihi). 11. To lift the eyes skywards (makruh tahrimi). 12. For men to cover the mouth and the nose with a scarf.
13. To prostrate on the nose only without putting down the forehead (m. to/irinw).
14. For men to lay their forearms on the ground in prostra tion {makruh tahrimi).
15. To prostrate with the forehead covered with a turban or anything else {makruh tahrimi).
16. To prostrate on something with an animal picture on It.
17. To perform the prayer in the graveyard such that whilst standing in the prayer a grave is seen in front of one. However if It is the blessed grave of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, it is not makruh.
18. To pray when there is an urgent need to go to the toi let {makruh tahriml). It is preferable to break the prayer relieve oneself, and make fresh wudu .
19. To pray when one is hungry or thirsty with available food and drink present, if one will be distracted in prayer. If there is a fear that the prayer time will end if one were to eat then It is not makruh.
20. To pray with the head uncovered without an excuse, unless uncovering of the head adds to humility and greater concentration in salah.
21. To pray in a place where people are sleeping. 22. To pray in front of a fire since it resembles the Zoro- astrians.
23. To pray in front of someone facing you (makruh tahri mi).
24. To pray in a public place where people are passing to and fro without a barrier (makruh tanzihi).
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Note A barrier Is anything placed in front of the devotee like a chair, stick or a wall. It must be at least a foot high and of any thickness The distance between the devotee and the barrier must be at least three feet.
The Invalidating (Mufsid) Acts in Prayer The following is a list of acts that render one's prayer null and void i.e. non-existent and expressionless.
1. To intentionally speak anything audibly. 2. To ask Allah for worldly things. 3. To reply to salam or any other form of greeting. 4. To do something in the prayer that would make the onlooker think that one is not praying. This Is defined as ‘amal kathir (major action), as distinct from 'amal qaffl (insignificant action).
5. To turn away the face and the chest from the qiblah.
6. To eat or drink. Even if a morsel the size of a sesame seed is put into the mouth, that will invalidate the prayer as will picking a piece of food stuck in the teeth.
7. To grunt and to make low-level noises which are gestures of pain or to cry with pain.
8. To respond to:
I. A sneeze by saying God bless you. ii. Good news by saying thanks be to Allah . iii. Amazing news by saying glory to Allah .
iv. Anything by using a Quranic verse or a phrase.
9. The expiry of the time limit for leather socks or if they
slip off by themselves.
10. To giggle or laugh audibly.
11. To omit any of the fard actions or to omit any of the wajib acts without compensating with a sajdah al-sahw.
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THE FIVE PH LARS OF ISLAM
SALAH
How to Perform the Salah In order to perform the prayer the following words and passages of the Qur'an and Sunnah must also be memorised:
Takblr
Allah is the Greatest.
Thana
ilk juij aUi iijUj
Glory be to You Oh Allah, all praise is for You, blessed is Your Name and exalted is Your Majesty. There is no god other than You.
Ta'awwudh
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I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan.
Basmalah
I begin with the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Benevolent.
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HOW TO PRAY SALAH
Al-Fdtihah
-v* jJtJ ■ 4a*_ • ■ j——*-• Zj j -ji *L»ji
>. J,Ji i.> j,.^i ui._jy_,
All praise is for Allah the Lord of the universe. The Most Merciful, the Most Gracious. Owner of the Day of Judgement. You alone we worship and from You alone we seek help. Guide us on the straight path, the path of those whom You have favoured, those whom have neither earned Your anger nor have gone astray. (Amin)
SALAH
Tasblh (in ruku')
Glorified is my Lord the Almighty. ■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■I
Hamd
Allah has heard him who praises Him. Oh our Lord! All praise is for You.
Tasbih (in sajdah)
Glorified is my Lord the Most High.
THE FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM
Tashahhud
1^1 C—JiaJlj ^ai\j 4> CuUJl
j-J-UJl «lil jl-t- c_lt i»’y_Ji aj IS’Jj J <i>'
SALAH
All verbal praises, bodily devotions and charity are for Allah. Peace be upon you Oh Prophet and Allah's mercy and his blessings. Peace be on us all and the righteous servants of Allah. I bear witness that there is no god other than Allah and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger.
Salawat IDarud Sharif)
> eJu us Ji ui > ju ^Li
J* jjb u i Ji Ji
J* ^5^1—Ji j u J
. 3;i ^U^i Ji
Oh Allah! Exalt Muhammad and exalt the family of Muhammad as you exalted Ibrahim and the family of Ibrdhim. Indeed you are the Praiseworthy and Most Glorious. Oh Allah! Bless Muhammad and bless the family of Muhammad as you blessed Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim. Indeed you are the Praiseworthy and the Most Glorious.
HOW TO PRAY JAlAH
Du a of Ibrahim fany supplication from the Qur an and Sunnah can be made)
Oh my Lord I Make me and my children regular in prayer. Our Lord accept our supplication. Our Lord forgive me, my parents and all the believers on the Day of Judgement.
Taslim
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May peace and Allah s mercy be upon you.
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Witr Prayer After praying four ford, two sunnah and two nafl units of 'ishd' prayer, it is wajib (necessary) that one should pray three units of witr (or at any time before fajr begins). Witr is similar to other prayers except that in the third unit after reading Surah al-Fdtihah and any other surah, one raises the hands and makes a takbir and then recites the following du d :
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THE FIVE PIllAKS OF ISIAM
Oh Allah! We seek Your help and forgiveness. We be lieve in You and rely upon You. We praise and thank You. We are not unthankful to You. We reject and leave him who disobeys You. Oh Allah! We worship You alone and pray and prostrate before You and we hasten eagerly towards You. We hope for Your Mercy and we fear Your Punishment as surely Your Punishment is to be meted out to the unbelievers.
SALAH
Some Dhlkr (Remembrance! and Du a s after Salah Salah is itself the best form of dhikr that we can make to remember Allah, however, once the prayer is over we are told to continue to remain in that state. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, taught his beloved daughter Fatimah. may Allah be pleased with her. to do the following dhikr every night before bed:
Subhanallah thirty-three times, al-hamduli'llah thirty three-times and Allahu Akbar thirty-four times.15
For this reason, this particular dhikr is known as Tasbih Fdfimah. It is a highly recommended practice to be performed after each fard prayer.
Again, although the entire saldh should be a humble and longing petition for Allah’s forgiveness, blessings and favour, it is the Sunnah of the blessed Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, to continue to make supplication following the formal prayer. Hadhrat Sawban. may Allah be pleased with him. says Whenever the blessed Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, finished his $aldh he would do istighfdr (seeking forgiveness) thrice and then make his dud's.' During these times he used to raise both his hands up to his chest as though begging for Allah’s mercy. The following are well-attested du d s from the Qur'an and Sunnah that the Prophet used to regularly make.
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HOW TO PRAY SA1AH
Prayer for Peace and Security
fSCJi fSCJi cJf ^ui
dijd fSc_i!i 1513 uUsfj fScJJL u^-
.^5>i5JSd-i
O/i Lord! You are the Granter of peace and security, from
You comes all peace, and to You returns all peace. Keep us alive in peace and enter us into the House of Peace. Blessed and Exalted are You. Oh Lord of Majesty and Nobility.
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Prayer for Goodness in Both Worlds
. jlsJi —tij ___ 3 J tu- dai j tel; k,
Oh our Lord! Give us goodness in this world and in the Hereafter and protect us from the punishment of Hellfire.
Prayer for Firmness in Faith
sit' A>"j jj •** ' teJ®
Oh our Lord! Do not allow our hearts to deviate after You have given us guidance and grant us mercy from Your presence; truly You are the Granter of all bounties.
Prayer for Forgiveness Hadhrat Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him. says:
I asked my beloved master to teach me a prayer which I could read in my salah, the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, taught me.
THE FIVE PIU.ARS OF ISLAM
SALAH
L^jjji Jl
cjl Jx p y> 3
Oh Lord! I have enormously wronged myself and only
You can forgive my sins, forgive me and have mercy on me; truly You are the Forgiving, the Merciful.
Prayer For seeking help In Devotion Hadhrat Mu'adh ibn Jabal, may Allah be pleased with him, says that once the blessed Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, held his hand and said. OhMu adh. I swear by Allah that I love you. I advise you after each salah to never forget to say these words:
Oh Lord! Help me to remember you, to thank you and to worship you properly.
Prayer for seeking Allah's Refuge Hadhrat Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him. says that the blessed Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to pray in these words:
w-'I-Iaj .jLJl <_jlji
Oh Lord! Protect me from the punishment of Hell, from the punishment of the grave, from the trials of life and death and from the mischief of the Dajjal"
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HOW TO PRAY $AlAH
Prayer for the Heart Hadhrat Abd Allah Ibn Amr ibn al- As. may Allah be pleased with him. says the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to pray:
Oh Turner of the hearts, turn my heart to Your worship.
Prayer for the Love of Allah Hadhrat Abu Darda. may Allah be pleased with him. reports that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said. One of the prayers of Dawud was:
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Jr * (i-j-L'l
J* J! J** ’ ^~:
Oh Lord! I seek your Love and the love of your beloved. I seek deeds that will bring me to Your love. Oh Lord! Make Your love more dear to me than myself my family and cold water.
Prayer for Protection from Evil Hadhrat Ziyad ibn Alaqah. may Allah be pleased with him, said that the beloved Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to pray:
•UjiSlIj Jl^eSli '• Ci!
Oh Lord! Protect me from evil morals, evil deeds and evil
desires.
THE FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM
Summary of the Procedure for Salah
(11 Make the intention. Raise the hands, saying the takbir.
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(2) Fold the hands together. Recite the thana', ta awwudh. basmalah. Surah al-Fatihah and another surah.
(3) Now say a takbir and bend down into ruku‘. Read the tasblh of ruku three, five or seven times.
HOW TO PRAY JAMH
(4) Now rise and stand up straight and read the hamd.
(5) Say a takblr and go into prostration. Read the tasblh of sajdah three, five or seven times.
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(6) Then saying takblr sit up.
(7) Then pros trate again to complete one rak'ah. Stand up and begin a second one with the basmalah, repeating steps (2) to (7).
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(8) Sit and read the tashahhud. falawat and dud', if performing only two units of prayer.
SALAH
If performing three or four units, stand up after the tashahhud and complete the additional unit(s) before sitting again and reciting tashahhud. salawdt and du o’.
(9) Now do the saldm. *
The Nafl Prayers (Voluntary Salahs) Apart from the daily five saldhs there are other times for offering voluntary salahs, which are categorised as nafl. The five daily prayers are a duty upon every Muslim, and whilst the nafl saldh is optional, its merit is enormous. This is expressed beautifully in Allah’s own words:
Whoever has enmity towards My friend, I declare a war against him. The thing that brings My devotee closer to Me is the performance of acts I have made compulsory and My devotee continues to draw nearer to Me through nafl until I love him. When I love him I become his ear with which he hears and I become his eye with which he sees and his hand with which he grasps and his feet with which he walks, and if he asks Me for anything I will grant it and if he seeks My protection I will indeed giveit.'K
The compulsory duties of the sharTah are the foundations, which save a person from the wrath and the anger of the Almighty, whilst the nafl activities (of saldh. charity, umrah etc.) are done from love and service to Allah The metaphor in the hadlth means that Allah helps His servants by protecting them from committing evil, and the nafl activities deepen his faith and strengthen his conviction.
The daily lives of the best true believers are punctuated with voluntary saldhs. Some of these are:
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Tahajjud This is the salah performed in the darkness of night after waking up. The blessed Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, performed it regularly and encouraged his companions likewise. In the hadith it is also called qiyam al-layl (night vigil). The Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:
Pray tahajjud like the righteous devotees of the past since it takes you closer to Allah, blots out your sins and
stops you from evil.19
The minimum number of rak'ahs of tahajjud is two and maximum is twelve.
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THE FIVE PILIARS OF ISEAM HOW TO PRAV JA1AH
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Ishrdq This carries a great reward, as the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:
Whoever performs ishraq has the reward of hajj and umrah.
The way to perform this prayer is to remain in the masjid after praying fajr and wait until the sun has risen (15 to 20 minutes after sunrise) and then pray two or four rak'ahs.
Duhd The blessed Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:
Every joint of your body should do an act of goodness each morning. Every tasbih is an act of goodness, enjoining good and forbidding evil is also goodness and the two rak'ats o/duha are equal to these.10
The minimum amount of duha is two rak'ahs and the maxi mum is twelve. Its time is from the time the sun is high (ap proximately 45 minutes after sunrise) until noon.
Note Some scholars have held that tshroq and duhd are really the same nafl jaldh. but given each name based on the time that they are prayed. In any case, there is immense reward and spiritual well-being available for Incorporating these practices within one s ritual life.
Awwabln Literally this means those who turn away from forgetfulness to the rememberance of their Lord and from sin to goodness. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:
Whoever prays six rak'ahs after maghrib and does not talk in between them gets the reward of twelve years worship and his sins forgiven even if they are like the froth on the surface of the sea.2'
Combining Two Prayers In Hanafi fiqh, combining two prayers and praying them together is not permissible in any situation whether at home or on a journey, except for two:
1 It is permissible for the pilgrims to combine zuhr and ‘asr at Arafah.
2. It is permissible for the pilgrims to combine magh rib and isha' at Muzdalifah. Hadhrat Abd Allah ibn Mas ud, may Allah be pleased with him, says the bless ed Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to pray the salahs at their fixed times except for combining at Muzdalifah and 'Arafah.22
The permissible way to combine two prayers (zuhr with asr and maghrib with 7sh<J) is to delay the first to near its end time and pray the second in its earliest time. In this case it is only an apparent combining, as in reality each saldh is still offered within its own time. This, at least from the Hanaft per spective, best explains the hadith that mention the combining of prayers in other than the two exceptional situations men tioned above.
Making Up for Missed Salah (Qada") It is very important to perform the five daily prayers within their fixed times and it is a grievous sin to delay or miss them without an excuse. Anyone who finds it a hardship to fit them all into his or her daily routine should make a sincere dud’, as Allah has made nothing obligatory that is beyond the capacity of His servants and He is. without doubt, ready to assist those who wish to act in obedience to Him. In certain situations, such as menstruation and post-natal bleeding in women, the saldh is actually prohibited with no need for making it up. There are also other situations In which, although one does not commit a sin. one should make up the missed prayers as soon as possible. These can range from oversleeping and genuinely
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THE FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM HOW TO PRAY SAIAH
SALAH
forgetting (as long as not stemming from willful neglect), to unconsciousness and a fit of insanity (if it is for less than a day). This delayed offering of salah is called qadd'.
Rules for the Performance of Qada'
1. It is important to pray the missed salah in their order, for example, the jajr qadd should be before zuhr. zuhr qadd before 'asr and so on. However if more than six prayers are missed then the order is no longer necessary.
2. Qadd. like all salah, is not permissible at sunrise, sunset and noon. Apart from these three times, qada is permissible even after fajr and 'asr saldh.
3. Salah missed whilst traveling has to be made up by doing qada of two rakahs and not four rakahs for zuhr, ‘asr and isha'.21
Guidelines for Those who Owe Many Qada Sometimes a person may find themselves with many weeks, or even years of missed or improperly performed saldh. Such a case often requires a more systematic approach than someone with only a few qadd to perform, particularly if It is to be prevented from overwhelming them and leading them into despair: and as it is essential that they still maintain their current schedule of prayers.
We shall take a hypoethetical case of twenty-year-old Karim, who only recently began to perform his daily salah. He is required to make up for all the salah missed from his puberty, which here we will take to have started at 14. In other words he has to do qadd for six years $aldh. Qada' is only of ford and wdjib (i.e. witr) prayers. The best way to do the qada of one s life is, in the case of Karim, to pray with each daily salah the equivalent missed salah. For example, before praying fajr everyday, he should also do the qada of fajr. This must be made clear when making the intention i.e. he should
say he is doing qada of his earliest missed fajr. Similarly, after zuhr he does qada of zuhr and the same after 'asr and so on. In this example, Karim will take six years to fully make up for his missed prayers. If Karim wanted, he could read two qada s with every salah, which would lead to him completing them all in three years.
On special nights such as Laylat al-Qadr in Ramadan and Laylat al-Bara a (also known as Shab-i-Barat), which is the 15th Sha ban, it is suggested that one reads qadd saldh instead of nafl.
To facilitate and quicken the performance of qada, the following concessions are permissible:
1. In the 3rd and 4th rak'ah of the fard prayer, Surah al- Fatihah can be missed and instead one may recite "subhanallah' three times.
2. In the ruku and sujud do the tasblh once only. 3. One can also miss out the salawdt (darudsharif) and the du'd after tashahhud.
4 In witr, instead of reciting the dud' of qunut read "rabighfirfT (u>'^;) three times.
SALAH
Notes
1 Narrated in Sahih al-Bukhan.
-’ Maturity, known as buliigh, or becoming baligh. is a very important concept in Islamic law. This is defined as occuring upon the first menstruation of a female (minimum age 9), or seminal emission of a male, ot upon reaching the age of 15. Each of the action-orientated fout pillars of Islam only becomes an obligation for an Individual upon reaching maturity by this definition and not the cultural ot legal standards of one's society.
’ Filth (najasah) refers to specific substances that are judged impure based on shari ah evidences and is of two types: heavy and light. Heavy filth includes blood, excrement, urine of non-haldl (to eat) animals, sexual fluids, alcohol and pork. Any of these present on a garment amounting to more than the size of a dirham (about a 2p coinl makes prayer impermlssable Light filth is principally the urine of haldl animals and invalidates prayer If present In quantities gtealet than a quarter of the garment.
< Surah al-Nisd (Q4: 103).
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X '< < V5-
■ The website wwwlslamicfrnder.org is generally reliable and Includes a number of options for those wishing to observe a particular criterion for calculation, or juristic opinion.
'• Narrated in Sunan al-Tirmidhi.
Abd al-Ghani al-Maydani, Al-Lubab. (Maktabah al-llm al-Hadith, 2002), p. 57-8,
" Narrated in Sunan al-Nisa'i. " Narrated in Sunan Ibn Majoli “ Narrated in Sunon al-Titmidhi
11 Al-Marghlnam, Al-Hidayah, v 1, p 43.
Narrated in Sahih Muslim
” Narrated In Sunan al-TIrmidhi. '• Surah al-Boqarah (Q2: 144) 15 Narrated in Sahih al Bukhdri.
16 Narrated In Sunan Abi Dawud
1 Narrated in Sahih Muslim. '■ Narrated In jaWhaf-Bukhdrf
Narrated in Sunan al-Tirmidhi. “ Narrated In $ahih Muslim “ Narrated in Sunan al-Tirmidhi and by al-Tabarani. “ Narrated in Sunan al-Nisa’i. !< This Is because travellers must shorten these prayers, which is called qafr Originally, the journey that one had to be on to qualify for this dispensation was one of three days and nights The Hanafi jurists have taken this prophetic injunction to refer to three days and nights riding and walking a camel (the standard method of travel in Arabia at the time) and have given an average distance of about 50 miles (77km. which Is rounded to 48 miles), with which the rule is generally applied today, regardless of the method of transport used
CHAPTER 7
Special Congregational Salah: The Friday, 'Id and Funeral Prayer
SALAH
The Friday Prayer
Objectives of this section to learn:
► The importance of Friday Prayer (Salah al-Jumu ah) and its rulings.
► The merits of Friday Prayer.
► The conditions for it to be correctly established. \__________________________________________________ y
The Importance of Friday Prayer The name al-Jumu ah is derived from the verb ijtaama which means the gathering together of people. Allah Most High
says:
O believers! When you are called to the prayer on Friday, then hurry to Allah s remembrance and leave trading.'
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Jabir ibn Abd Allah says the blessed Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, gave us a sermon and said. Oh people! Seek forgiveness from Allah before you die and rush to do good deeds before you become busy., and know that Allah has made Friday compulsory in this place of mine, in this month of
mine, from this year until the Day of Judgement. Whoever misses it in my life or after me and he has a just or cruel ruler who wants to reduce it or stand against it. Allah will not unite his gathering, nor bless his work. Listen! There is no prayer for him. no zakah for him. no hajj for him. no fasting for him and no righteousness until he repents and Allah turns to him in kind. ‘3
Jabir narrates the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: The Friday Prayer is compulsory upon whoever believes in Allah and the Day of Judgement, except for the sick, the traveler, the child and the stove. Whoever neglects it because of business or sport. Allah neglects him and Allah is the Independent the Praiseworthy.1
The Nature of the Friday Prayer It is jard ayn (i.e. compulsory for every Individual who fulfils its conditions.) It consists of two units of prayer that are a substitute of zuhr and if it is missed the four units of zuhr still have to be performed.
It is narrated from Umar that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: The prayer during a journey is two units. Id al-Adhd is two units. Id al-Fitr is two units and the
Friday prayer is two units."
The compulsory nature of the Friday prayer is established from the Qur'an and Sunnah, as we have seen, as well as consensus (ijma). Its denial, therefore, is an act of kufr.
For Whom is Friday Prayer Compulsory? Friday prayer is only compulsory for the following people:
► On men not on women.
► On freemen who are at liberty.
*
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► On adults not on children.
► On the healthy not on the sick.
► On settled residents not on travelers.
► On the sane not on the insane.
The Merits of Friday Prayer Abu Hurayrah reports that the blessed Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: Whoever takes a bath on Friday and wears his best clothes and puts on perfume (if he has it); then comes for the prayer and does not trample over people; then prays what Allah has made compulsory for him: then remained silent when the imam appeared until he finished his prayer: It will be an atonement for (his sins) from Friday to Friday."’
Abu Hurayrah reports from the blessed Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, that on Friday there are angels at every door of the mosque and write down the names of people, upon the order of their entry. When the imam comes out they close their books and listen to the sermon. The reward of the first is like giving a she-camel, then like giving a cow. then like giving a ram, until he even mentioned a hen and an egg. The one who comes after that, only comes with a duty towards the prayer.6
Abu Hurayrah reports from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, that he said: Oh group of Muslims! God has made this day a festival for you so take a bath and use the miswak.’’
Abu Lubabah said that the blessed Prophet said: Friday is the best of all days and greatest of them all in the sight of Allah. '"
Aws ibn Aws relates that the blessed Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: 'The best of your days
is Friday, in it Adam was created and on this day the Trumpet will be blown and on it /the people) will become unconscious, therefore send more blessings upon me on this day. as your blessings are pre sented to me.A man asked 'Oh Messenger! How are our bless ings conveyed to you, when you will be decayed.' He replied. "Allah has forbidden the earth to eat the bodies of the prophets."'1
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Warnings against missing the Friday Prayer Abu Hurayrah said he heard the Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, saying on the steps of the minbar, People should stop their trading on Fridays or else Allah will seal their hearts and they will become amongst the forgetful.'10
Abu Jad reports from the Prophet that he said. Whoever misses three Fridays consecutively due to laziness. Allah seals his heart."
Abd Allah reports thal the blessed Prophet said about people who remain behind in (l.e miss) Friday prayer, I thought of telling someone to lead the congregation and then I would go and burn the houses of those who remain behind on Friday.'12
Sumura ibn Jundab reports that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, Whoever misses Friday without a good excuse should give a dinar (in charity), and if he doesn 't have that, a half dinar. ”
The Conditions for establishing the Friday Prayer These are six:
1, Praying in a Town'. The Friday prayer must take place in a town or larger settlement. According to Imam Abu Hanifah: It is a large town with markets and a gover nor who is able to do justice to the oppressed people.14 It is permissible to do Friday prayer in several places in one town and it is permissible in a single place like open ground.
Those people for whom Friday is not compulsory as they live in villages or hamlets should pray zuhr with adhan and iqamah. Travellers, if they are in a town on Friday, may pray zuhr individually, and similarly, people of the town if they have missed the Friday prayer, may do likewise, as can prisoners and sick people. Friday prayer is permissible in Mina but not in Arafah,
Note: In all those places in which there Is doubt about whether It is a township, the people should pray jumu'ah and then pray tour units of ?uhr as a precautionary measure
2. The Sultan: Friday prayer should be established only with the pennission of the Muslims ruler, who should choose the imam to lead. This is to ensure there is no civil commotion or breach of law and order. The sermon should only be given by the permission of this leader.
If it is not possible to obtain the sultans decree for the establishment of Friday prayer due to his death or turmoil then the people can choose their own imam. If non-Muslims rule the country, Muslims should ap point their own qadi (judge) and establish Friday and Id prayers and so on. and they should work towards having a religious authority.
3. The Time of Zuhr: Friday prayer is not permissible before or after zuhr time. Anas ibn Malik reports the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to pray the Friday prayer when the sun began declining (from its zenith).”
4. Admission Open to Everyone: There should be no hindrance to anyone wishing to enter the place of prayer.
5. The Congregation: It is a condition that there should be at least three people other than the imam.
6. The Khutbah (sermon).
SALAH
The Conditions for the Khutbah
i. It must be before the prayer not after it. It is not permissible to do the khutbah (sermon) afterwards.
ii. There should be at least one person listening. iil. There should be no talking between the khutbah and the prayer.
iv. It should be loud so that the audience can hear.
Note: It is not a condition for the khutbah to be in Arabic apart from the ayahs of the Qur an even if the khatib (imdm giving the khutbah) is capable of delivering It In Arabic (according to Imam Abu Hanifah) and It is a condition according to the Sahlbayn (Imams Abti Yusuf and Muhammad) When the imdm appears
THf FIVE PILLARS Of LSI AM SPECIAL CONCREGATIONAI. SAIM. FRIDAY. ‘ID AND FUNERAL PRAYER
foi the sermon then there should be no talking, no praying or replying to the sneeze or returning the szrldrn or sending blessings on the Prophet may Allah bless him and grant him peace If someone is praying nafl and the khatib begins, he should break his prayer before the prostration One can sit as one likes tor the khutbah. however the best way to sit is as If performing tashahhud.
The Sunnahs of the Khutbah These are seven:
SALAH
i. Taharah: The khatib should be clean and in ritual pur ity.
ii. Sitting on the pulpit before starting the sermon. iii The adhan should be said in front of him. The people hearing the second adhdn should not respond to it, but the imam may.
iv. Standing up whilst giving the two sermons. v. The congregation should turn towards the khatib. However. al-Sarakhsf notes that the custom has become to face towards the qiblah and not the khatib directly, as this would disturb the rows needed for $alah after the khutbah is completed, particularly as the congregations are very large. He, therefore, approves this custom for its reduction of hardship on the people.16
vl. Performing the khutbah according to the Sunnah: The khutbah is split into two parts, separated by a brief sitting.
Tlie first khutbah starts with taawwudh silently and then hamd and thana' loudly, followed by the declara tion of blessings upon the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), and then warning against sins and reminders of things that would lead to to Allah's pleasure here and salvation in the Hereafter, as well as recitation of verses of the Qur'an.
The second khutbah begins with hamd, thana and blessings upon the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and then prayer for the welfare of the Muslims, in which forgiveness is sought for them, the
ruler is prayed for and Cod's help is asked for him as appropriate to the political circumstances. An example from the early Muslims is Abu Mus3 al-Ashari, who used to pray for “Umar in his khutbah and no one amongst the companions of the Prophet criticised him. It is also desirable to make mention of the four caliphs and the two uncles of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.
vii. Sitting down between the two parts of the khutbah: To sit between the two sermons for a short period, as long as it takes to read three verses of the Glorious Quran.
‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Umar said, The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to make two khutbahs and sit in between them.'17
The Id Prayer
SALAH
Objectives of this section to learn:
► About Id and its importance.
► How to perform the id prayer.
x._____________________ ___________________________/
Id means 'the returning' since it comes again and again
as the favours of Allah are showered on us repeatedly and thus Id refers to all happy occasions. However, there are two famous Ids. id al-Fitr, celebrated at the end of Ramadan, and Id al-Adha, which is celebrated on the 10'" of the month Dhu al-Hijjah.
The id was instituted in the first year of the Hijrah (emigration to MadTnah). Anas reports the blessed Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, arrived in Madinah and the people used to celebrate two festivals, so he asked them, What are these two days?' They said. We used to celebrate them in the days of ignorance, so he said, Allah has substituted two better ones for you: the Day of Sacrifice and the Day of Fitr.'18
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The Rulings of Id Prayer Id prayer is wajib (necessary), since the blessed Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, performed it regularly and never missed it. so did the rightly-guided caliphs and the great imams and jurists. It is wdjib on whomever the Friday prayer is wdjib upon, since the conditions for both are the same with one exception: the khutbah is wdjib for Friday prayer, but only a sunnah for Id. Id al-Adha is not wajib on
the pilgrims staying In Mina.
Note 'Id al-Fitr can be delayed by one day and id al-Adha by three days if required
Time for ‘Id Prayer The time of Id prayer is from approximately 35 minutes after sunrise until noon. It is best to pray Id al-Adha early so the people can sacrifice their animals. However Id al-Fitr can be delayed so that people can pay their charity.
Jundab reports that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to pray Id al-Fitr when the sun was two ramhayn above the horizon and Id al- Adha when it was one
ramhayn.' * A ramhayn is a length of thirteen metres and here refers to a measure of time taken by the sun to rise above the horizon by approximately five degrees. It s equivalent to about 35 minutes.
Sunnahs of Id
1. It is sunnah for the imam to deliver two sermons after the Id prayers and teach people the rules about either the charity of fitr, or the sacrifice.
2. It is sunnah to hold the Id prayer in a vast open place.
It Is undesirable to pray Id in the masjid without a good cause.
3. To take a ghusl (bath).
SPECIAL CONGREGATIONAL SAlAHt FRIDAY, 'ID AND FUNERAL PRAYER
Desirable Practices on Id
1. It is desirable to eat at least 3, 5 or 7 dates (an odd number) before leaving for the Id al-Fitr prayer. If dates are not available other things can be eaten, preferably sweet. This is because the beloved Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, did not have dinner on Id al-Fitr until after he had eaten dates.20 On Id al-Adha, he didn't eat until he had prayed Id. It is desirable to eat the meat of the sacrificed animal first since it is a blessing from Allah.
2. To clean the teeth (i.e. with the miswak).
3. To put on perfume. 4. To wear best clothes, whether new or washed. 5. To pay fadaqah al-fitr (sometimes called fitrdnah) before the Id prayer. The payment itself is wdjib for those eligible for zakah (the details can be found in the appropriate section relating to the fourth pillar).
6. To give donations and be generous.
7. To express happiness and cheerfulness. 8. Greetings: the companions of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to meet one another by saying May Allah accept it from us and from you.' In Syria, Egypt and Pakistan, the custom is to say "Id mubarak laka or Kullu 'amln wa antum bikhayr or 'Id Sa id'. The Companions also used to shake hands, which is in fact, a sunnah after each prayer and at every meeting.
9. Going to the prayer early to guarantee a place in the first row. which gives extra reward.
10 Morning Prayer: the morning prayer is compulsory, however, on Id day it is even more meritorious than usual to pray it in the local masjid with the congregation.
11 Reading the takbir on the way to pray:
I. For Id al-Fitr, according to Imam Abu Hanifah. the takbir should not be read loudly when going to the id prayer. It is instead desirable to read it quietly.
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However, according to the Sahibayn, it's desirable to read the takbir loudly on the way to the Id prayer
until one reaches the place of prayer.
ii. For Id al-Adha: it's desirable to read the takbir aloud according to all the ImSms.
12 Route to and from prayer: one should come to the place of prayer walking by one route and to return home by another route.
13- Beautifying oneself: to wear the best clothes, perfume, clip nails, trim hair, beard and moustache. In brief, to look smart and clean as an expression of thanksgiving.
How to perform the Id Prayer The performance of the Id prayer is similar to other prayers
except in two ways. First, in there is no adhan or iqdmah and secondly, there are six extra takbirs. It has two units and to begin one makes the intention by saying, I intend to pray two units of Id prayer with six extra wdjib takbirs behind the imam.'
After the imam opens the prayer with takbir say the usual takbir al-tahrimah and raise the hands parallel to the ear lobes. Then fold the hands and read the thand The imdm will say the first extra takbir loudly and lift the hands to the ears and then lower them, which the follower should copy. This is repeated twice more, then fold the hands and quietly listen to the imam s recitation of al-Fdtihah and a surah. The first unit is completed as in other prayers.
In the second unit the imdm starts by reciting al-Fdtihah and a surah. He then says the three remaining extra takbirs, raising his hands each time, which the follower should copy. He does not raise his hands for the fourth takbir. which is the usual signal for bowing. The second unit is then completed as in normal prayer After the prayer it is sunnah to remain sitting and to listen to the khutbah.
Takbir al-Tashrlq It is wajib to say the takbir al-tashriq loudly once (thrice is better) after each fard prayer starting from fajr on the Day of Arafah (9"’ of Dhu al-Hijjah) and finishing after the asr prayer on the third day after Id (13th of Dhu al-Hijjah) inclusive. There is no harm in reading the takbir after id prayer.
Allah is the Greatest (x3) (3x) ’-if
There is no god except Allah. 4il ^1 d>
Allah is the Greatest (x2) (2x) -ii
and for Allah is all praise. j^xJl «i_,
SALAH
The takbir should be said immediately after the salam and should not be delayed. It is sinful to talk intentionally after the salam thus missing the takbir. If the imdm forgets the takbir, the congregants should nevertheless start reading it out aloud.
The Funeral Prayer
Objectives of this section: to learn:
'' \
► The conditions, fard and sunnah elements of the funeral prayer.
► To memorise the relevent du'd s.
► To learn how to perform the funeral prayer correctly.
___________________________________________________z
Funeral prayer is a communal obligation (fard kifayah), which means that if at least a few people perform it in a locality.
THE FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM SPECIAL CONGREGATIONAL pUM FRIDAY, 7D ANO FUNERAL PRAVTR
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everyone else is relieved of the burden. However, if it is omitted by everyone, then they all are accounted the sin of neglecting the obligatory.
The Conditions of Funeral Prayer The conditions for the devotee are exactly the same as those for a normal saldh.
In order to perform the prayer over a dead body, it must
be:
1. Of a Muslim, as there is no funeral prayer over a non-believer. Allah Most High says And do not ever pray over one from them who has died and do not stand over his grave. Indeed they disbelieved in Allah and his Messenger and died whilst they were transgressors.-21
2 Present wholly, half or at least its head remaining. The salah on the absent body is not permissible. The Prophet s salah for the Negus of Ethiopia was his special privilege.
3 Clean, i.e. it must be washed or given tayammum if there is no water.
4. Placed in front of the imam. It is not permissible to have it at the back.
The Fard Elements of Funeral Prayer Funeral prayer has the same fard elements of normal saidh, except:
1. There is no ruku (bowing), sujud (prostrating), or sitting.
2. Tlie prayer must be performed standing up straight and is not permissable to be performed in a sitting position.
3 There are four takbirs. Each takbir is equivalent to one rak'ah and, therefore, the prayer is invalid if even one takbir is missed.
The Sunnah Elements of Funeral Prayer
1. To read the thana after the first takblr:
Glory be to You Oh Allah, all praise is for You. blessed is Your Name and exalted is Your Majesty.
There is no god other than You.
2. To read the falawat (darudsharifi upon the blessed Prophet after the second takblr.
3. To read the du a for the deceased after the third takbir.
i The following du'a is for men and woman:
ll* *~ >-i ^^L’l iCliJlj LJ23.) j
Oh my Lord! Forgive our living, our dead, those who are present and then are absent and our young ones and our adults, our men and our women. Oh Lord! Whosoever you keep alive amongst us keep him alive upon Islam. And whosoever you cause to die let him die with faith.22
ii. The du d' for male children and insane people is as follows:
SALAH
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Oh Lord! Make him a provision, reward and a treasure for us in the Hereafter. Make him our intercessor whose intercession is acceptable.
SALAH
For female children and insane people use the follow ing dud':
Oh Lord! Make her a provision, reward and a treasure for us in the Hereafter. Make her our intercessor whose intercession is acceptable.
If these du a's are not known then any other masnun (known from the Sunnah) dud's can be read.
4 It is recommended that the imam stands in line with the chest of the dead or in line with his head or middle.
5. It is recommended to have three rows, as the blessed Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: If three rows have prayed upon him, then he has been forgiven.2> However if the number of people is very large then seven rows should be formed.
The Procedure for the Funeral Prayer Funeral prayer is offered standing and there is no bowing or prostration. It is comprised of four takbirs. After the intention.
SPECIAL CONGREGATIONAL SALAH'. FRIDAY, ‘ID AND FUNERAL PRAYER
and always following the imam's lead, say the first takbir and raise the hands to the ears and fold them. Read the thana and then say the second takbir, without raising the hands. Read the salawat upon the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, then make the third takbir. Now read the dud' and then say the fourth takbir. Then turning right say the salam and then to the left.
Note 1 Remember to not raise the hands, except when saying the first takbir
2 If the imdm says five takbirs by mistake then the muqtadi' (follower) should not follow him in this, but wait for him to do the sakim.
3 The Glorious Qur an should not. on this occasion, be read for dud However, it is permissible to read Surah al-Fdtihah as a du a'.
4 If the body is presented at the time of maghrib prayer, then the funeral prayer should proceed the maghrib sunnah prayers.
5 If someone joins the funeral prayer late and has missed one or more takbir, then he should make up for his omissed takbirs after the imdm has done the salam.
6 If a child is born and dies without making a movement or a sound then he will be buried without the funeral prayer. However, if he makes any kind of noise or shows signs of life before dying, he will be washed and the funeral prayer performed
7. If someone Is burled without the funeral prayer, then the prayer should be said at his grave.
8 If someone dies at sea and the land is Inaccessible, then he will be washed and the funeral prayer offered and he will be cast into the sea.
9 Funeral prayer in the masjid is makruh, but permissible In the case of rain or for any other valid excuse.
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The Traveller's Prayer Allah Most High said in the Qur'an. When you are travelling in the land, then you are allowed to shorten the prayer: (Q4: 101) Abd Allah bin Abbas said that the Messenger, may Allah be well pleased with him, used to pray four units of zuhr. asr
THE FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM SPECIAL CONGREGATIONAL JAMHt FRIOAY, ‘lb AND FUNERAL PRAYER
SALAH
and 'isha', but when he was travelling he used to shorten them to two units?'1 Abd Allah bin ‘Umar narrated that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, would pray two units when travelling and would say these are full and not diminished', meaning that one gets the full reward of four units.25
The definition of a traveller is a person who intends to travel a distance of 57 miles from his home for a period of 15 days or less, and one becomes a traveller when the boundaries of a town are crossed, and the shortening of the prayers begins from this point until re-entering the town boundaries. It is a major sin for the traveller to pray full four units except when praying behind a resident imam, in which case all four units should be prayed. A traveller should not neglect to pray the Sunnah prayers.
There are two types of home: an original home and a second residence. An original home is where one has been born, or his parents or his family are living there. A second residence is a place where one lives temporarily for more than fifteen days. If one sets up a home in another place where he works then this too will be considered as his original home. Similarly if one moves to another place and buys or leaves a house these as well, then both will be considered as original homes, and so he or she will not be considered a traveller there.
Notes
Surah al-Jumu'ah (Q62: 9).
2 Narrated in Sunan Ibn Majah. ' Narrated by al-Daraqutni * Narrated in the Musnad of Ahmad ibn Hanbal 5 Narrated in Sunan Abi Dawud.
‘ Narrated in Sunan Ibn Majah. 7 Narrated by al-TabarSni.
" Narrated in Sunan Ibn Majah. 7 Narrated In Sunan Ibn Majah.
10 Narrated in Sahih Muslim " Narrated In Sunan al Ntsii i.
12 Narrated in Sunan al-Nisdi.
13 Narrated in Sunan Abi Dawud
14 Mentioned in Radd alMuhtar
15 Narrated in Sahih al-Bukhari.
16 Al-Sarakhsi. al-Mabsut. (Dar al-Malifah. 19781, v.2, p 30.
12 Narrated in Sahih al-Bukhari.
18 Narrated In Sunan Abi Dawud. ” Narrated in Sahih Muslim 28 Narrated In $ahih al-Bukhari.
11 Surah al-Tawbah (Q9: 84). 22 Narrated In Sunan al-Tirmldhi.
23 Narrated in Sunan al-Tirmidhi.
24 Narrated in Muslim. 25 Narrated in Ibn Majah
SALAH
How to pray whilst travelling on an Airplane, Train or Coach The easiest way is to remain seated and offer the prayer siting down by gestures, so one would bow slightly for ruku and bit more for the prostration. It is highly recommended that one repeat these prayers on arrival at one's destination. One of the reasons for this is that one will have missed out two conditions of prayer, namely facing the qiblah and not standing up during the prayer.
(The Almsgiving)
The Growth of Divine Love through the Purification of Wealth
CHAPTER 8
The Meaning and Wisdom of Zakah
Allah, Almighty, says:
Establish the prayer and pay the zakdh.1
The root of the Arabic word zakdh has two different mean ings: growth and purification. In the Qur an, zakdh refers to a specific obligatory almsgiving that Allah has commanded the believers to establish, although most of its details are to be found in the Sunnah of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. We can see that both the concept of growth and that of purification are to be found within this duty that comprises the third pillar of Islam. Spiritually, giving zakdh leads to closeness with Allah and earns much merit. This growth in one's relationship with Allah results in the purification of the heart and mind, while morally, the giving of zakdh pulls out the roots of greed and selfishness. Also in terms of the wealth itself, sacrificing a small portion acts as a purification for the rest and signifies Allah’s permission for it to lawfully grow further.
THE MEANING AND WISDOM OF ZAKAH THE FIVE PIllARS OF (SIAM
Allah tells the Messenger, may He bless him and grant him
peace:
ZAKAH
Take alms from their wealth, cleansing them and purify ing them through it.'
Here tin1 payment of zakah Is the cause of purification. Moreover the Messenger said, Zakah is a proof. meaning proof of one's faith in Allah, the Messenger and the Hereafter Indeed one of the demands of Islam is to make sacrifice of ones wealth, zakah is the minimum amount required to fulfill this obligation.
I. The first group of people ate the most pious and God loving people who sacrifice everything they have They do not keep anything for themselves. An excellent example is Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased witli him. who donated all he had for the cause of Islam.
In the Qur'an. there are three pairs of commandments that are repeated many times: faith and good deeds: worship of Allah and kindness to parents: and salah and zakdh Their structure suggests they are linked as though one without the other is meaningless and incomplete Thus, prayer is not complete without paying zakah.
The Spiritual Benefits and Wisdom of Zakah Imam al-Ghazali explains in moie detail why zakdh, as the pu rification of wealth, is the third most important pillar of Islam.' He says that a true Muslim must love God more than anything else, the rule being that love does not admit a partner. The mere utterance of the words of the shahadah is not enough, until one is willing to sacrifice other objects of love In this way one is openly saying, I love God more than my wealth: that is why I am giving it away.
Al-Ghazali divides people into three groups with regard to love of wealth and love of God:
2. The second group are righteous people who spend their wealth for others' needs. They spend the excess and sur plus money that they have for the Divine Pleasure and give more than the obligatory amount of zakah. In fact, they help anyone whom they find in need.
3. The third group of people are those who are satisfied with paying their zakah only and neither pay more nor less. This is the lowest rank of a Muslim who still remains in obedience to God's obligation.
The Importance of Zakah in the Sunnah The hadith literature vividly describes the virtues of zakah, enthusiastically praising its benefits in order to motivate people. Here are few beautiful gems from the Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace:
► Abd Allah ibn Umar narreated that the Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said. Islam is built on five pillars: bearing witness that there is no god but Allah, establishing regular worship, paying zakah, pilgrimage and fasting in Ramadan.' *
► Talhah ibn Ubaydah narrates that a man from Najd came to the Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace and asked about his duties in Islam. The Messenger said. Performing thefive daily salah.' He then said, Anything else?' The Messenger said, No, except what you want to do voluntarily and the fasting in Ramadan. He again said. Anything else?', so the Messenger said, No, except what you can do voluntarily and paying zakah.' Is there anything else?', the man asked once more. The man turned around and said. By God I will not do more or less than this. Upon hearing this, the Messenger said, He will be successful If he keeps his word. '5
► Abu Hurayrah said. When the Messenger died and Abu Bakr became the Khalfah, some people turned to kufr and others refused to pay zakdh. Abu Bakr decided to fight those
ZAKAH
THE FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM THE MEANING AND WISDOM OF ZAKAH
z a k Ah
who refused to pay zakat and said, ’I will fight anyone who distinguishes between saldh and the paying of zakah. If they refuse to pay a rope s worth of zakah. I will fight them until they pay it.' Umar said. By God, I know that Allah has opened Abu Bakr's heart and mind and that he is right!' ''
► Abu Ayyub al-Ansari said that a man asked the Messenger, Tell me a deed that will take me into Paradise?' He said, Worship God alone without associating anyone with Him. es tablish the prayer, pay zakah and always be kind to relatives.'7
► Abu Hurayrah said that the Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said. "For the wealthy man who had gold and silver, but does not pay zakah. these precious metals will be heated in the fire of Hell and put on his side, back and face. When they get cold they will be reheated and put on again.' He then mentioned livestock and how it will hurt its owner if he had not paid zakah on it.’"
The Moral Benefits and Wisdom of Zakah There are four major moral vices: greed, arrogance . jealousy and anger. The giving of zakah from ones wealth is designed to remove these negative qualities in particular greed, arrogance and jealousy. Al-Chazali mentions a person s unwillingness to share wealth with others as being a wretched moral disease. Allah Most High says:
Whosoever is saved from their own greed, it is they who are the successful ones.'1
The legislation of the payment of zakah as one of ttie fore most duties of Islam is designed to remove greed and to thereby purify the individual from this despicable trait. Just as the fast ing of Ramadan provides a yearly detoxification of the body and the desires, the zakah should do the same for the soul's tendency for avarice and the hoarding of material things. It is with the deepest understanding of the potential for weakness in the human being that Allah created that He tells us:
Beautified for mankind is the love of the Joys that come from women and children, heaped-up hordes of gold and silver, branded horses, cattle and well-tilled land. Those are the comforts of the wordly life, but with Allah is a more excellent abode.10
As we will see, with the obvious exception of one's family and (for most jurists) horses, all the other desired things mentioned in this verse will require payment of zakah, which acts as an acknowledgment of Allah s favours - a crucial reminder that others are not as fortunate - and allows us to realise that the spiritual and moral excellence of sacrifice for Allah is worth so much more than these wordly goods, despite their outward attraction.
It is important also to mention that zakah, as an institution of Islam, avoids the danger of the rich becoming arrogant and patronising in their giving, because it is actually a right’ of the poor, a concept which applies, although to a lesser extent, to sadaqah in the sense of voluntary charity. Allah Most High says in identification of the successful believers:
And those who in their wealth is an acknowledged right - for the beggar and the destitute.'1
This certainly does not mean that Islam approves of the practice of begging as a way of life. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, would seek to show people how they could take up a trade and would say, It is better for any one of you to tie a bundle of firewood and carry it on his back and sell it than to beg from a person. He |the person askedl may give or may refuse. '2 He also said, A person would continue begging from people until he would come on the Day of Resurrection and there would be no flesh on his face.''
Overall, this shows the balanced approach that Islam takes to the moral questions that are thrown up by the existence of wealth and poverty in society. A person in dire straits does
ZAKAH
THE MEANING ANO WISDOM OF ZAXAH
'<5* N
F
THE FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM
have a right' to receive help from others and ideally this should be facilitated through zakdh and sadaqah without the need for begging. If the situation does get so desperate for an individual that he is forced to beg, then he is permitted, but it should only be a temporary measure.
The Social Benefits and Wisdom of Zakah Zakdh functions within the Islamic community as a fundamen tal mechanism of redistributing wealth. The more wealthy that any individual becomes, the greater the amount that he must return to benefit the poorer members of society. Along with the prohibition of ribd (usury,■'interest! this ensures that no wealth can stay hoarded in the possession of the rich, as over time it will slowly but Inevitably be transformed into zakah. This demonstrates an altogether more just paradigm than the currently dominant economic model, in which rather than hoarding or making exploitative interest-based loans, the wealthy are encouraged to invest in social projects and to provide interest-free loans. The following verse of the Qur an was revealed in the context of booty gained in the course of the Prophet s campaigns, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, but the principle that is elaborated is applicable to wealth in general within Islamic society and achievable through a well-ordered system of zakah
It Is for Allah, the Messenger, the near of kin. the orphans, the needy and the wayfarer, so that it does not become something which revolves between the rich amongst you.'1
The function of zakdh on the social level then, is to make sure that there is a safety net for people who fall into hard times - marking a bare minimum of poverty beyond which the community allows no-one to go - as well as giving much needed assistance to certain underprivileged and needy groups. It is a sorry fact, therefore, that despite there being
much wealth in the Muslim ummah as a whole, terrible, bit ing poverty severely afflicts so much of humanity around the world. This Is something that urgently needs to be addressed by the most senior of our ulamd, as the forms in which wealth is manifested in the current age is vastly different to that of the classical Islamic civilisation in which the rulings for zakdh were derived. There is a grave danger that through neglect of the principle and spirit of Allah's command, made all the worse for being clothed in a superficial adherence to the outer form of the Sunnah, immense amounts of rightful zakdh will not be collected and distributed to those who need it most. Yusuf al- Qaradawi summarised the problem facing us as follows:
There are new matters that did not exist in the past and were not known to the ancient jurists. These new matters require new religious Injunctions. Today. Muslims ask many questions about zakdh that must not be left without answers. Questions such as how to consider new forms of wealth other than livestock, agricultural produce and fruits. These new forms of wealth include huge buildings for rent, enormous factories and plants, machines and equipment, and all kinds of fixed and circulating capital that provide tremendous flow of income out of their production lines and rental proceeds such as ships, cars, planes and hotels. There are new trading and industrial corporations, the new forms of income of professionals like physicians, engineers, and lawyers and huge numbers of employees receiving wages and salaries. Are all these zakatable or not, and if they are zakatable, what is the percentage of zakdh on them? When is it due? And on what basis in SharTah is it founded?15
z a k Ah
This issue is obviously not a simple one and is potentially contentious, as zakdh is rightly seen as falling under the
THE FIVE PILLARS Of ISLAM THE MEANING ANO WISDOM OE ZAKAH
ZAKAH
category of ibddah (worship). Thus some will argue that our only job as Muslims is to act in obedience to Allah's commands in the Quran and through the Sunnah of his Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, in the form they have been given, without inquiring further into their deeper purpose and underlying rationale. In response to this, two things should be made clear: firstly, despite being a form of worship, zakah clearly has aspects in common with mudmaldt (transactions between people) and thus to be implemented at all must take account of the prevailing social conditions. Secondly, one of the great scholars of the latter centuries of Islam. Shah Wall Allah al-Dihlawl, chose to address this very issue at the start of his book Hujjat Allah al- Balighah, in which he writes:
Perhaps it is thought that the shariah rulings do not comprise anything beneficial, and that there is not a correspondence between actions and what Allah has made as recompense for them Therefore, the likeness of responsibility under the shaiTah is that of a master that wants to test the obedience of his servant So he orders him with lifting a stone, or touching a tree, with no benefit to it other than the test. Then when he obeys, or disobeys, he is requited for his act. This is a rotten conjecture which is refuted by the Sunnah and the consensus of the generations that are witnessed as good. '6
The implication of this is that whilst the payment of zakdh is an act of obedience, it also comprises distinct objectives at the social level. It is the job of the ijtihdd of qualified jurists to analyse these matters and to come with solutions that are rooted in the very essence of the Islamic ethos, yet responsive to the needs of the present. For the purposes of this book, however, the classical rulings as found in the flqh books of the Hanafi school will be used, as they represent a widely
*
accepted formulation of the law concerning zakdh and an excellent introduction to this fascinating area of study.
Notes ' Surah al-Baqarah (Q2: 43). 2 Surah al-Towbah (Q9 103).
1 This and the passages attributed to al-Ghazall in Chapter 9 are based on the section on zakdh in his Ihyd Ulurn al-Din.
• Narrated in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim.
5 Narrated in Sahih al-Bukhdriand Sahih Muslim. " Narrated in Sahih al-Bukhdri and Sahih Muslim ’ Narrated in Sahih al-Bukhdriand Sahih Muslim. 9 Narrated in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim - Surah al-Hoshr (Q59.9).
10 Surah Al Imrtln (Q3:14). " Surah al-Ma arij {Q70 24-5).
12 Narrated In Sahih Muslim " Narrated in Sahih Muslim. '• Surah al-Hashr (Q59 7).
Qaradawi. Y, Fiqh al-Zakah. translated by Monzer Kahf. (King Ab dulaziz University), v. 1. p. xxi.
16 AI-DIhlawi. Shah Wall Allah. Hujjal Allah al Balighah. |D3r al-Kutub al-llmiyyah. 1995). p. 9
z a k Ah
THE PAYMENT OF ZAKAH
CHAPTER 9
The Payment of Zakah
ZAKAH
Objectives of this section to learn:
f Z A
► Who must pay zakah.
► What types of wealth necessitate zakah and how to calculate the amount due.
► Who deserves to receive zakah.
► How to pay zakdh.
► The correct manners to observe whilst paying zakah.
Who must pay Zakah?
It is fard upon every adult sane Muslim who has as much