The Most Honoured Person

The Most Honored Person with Allah is the Most Pious

By Sheikh Muhammahah Ibn Ibrahim Al-Tawaijri

In the name of Allāh, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful;

All the praise and Thanks is due to Allāh, the Lord of al-‘ālameen. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allāh, and that Muhammad, Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam, is His Messenger

All people are the descendants of one man and one woman; they may be a believer and kafir, black and white, Arab and non-Arab, rich and poor, noble and ordinary. The Most Honored Person with Allah is the Most Pious.

Islam indeed does not pay attention to the differences in colour, race or lineage. All people hails from Adam, and Adam was created from dust. The Most Honoured Person with Allah is the Most Pious. However in Islam, the differentiation between people is based on faith (eman) and piety (taqwa), by doing that which Allah has enjoined and avoiding that which Allah has prohibited.

Allah says: “O mankind! We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know one another. Verily, the most honourable of you with Allaah is that (believer) who has At-Taqwa [i.e. he is one of the Muttaqun (the pious)]. Verily, Allah is All-Knowing, All aware”[Al-Hujurāt, 49:13]

Islam regards all people as equal as far as rights and duties are concerned. People are equal before the law (syari’ah).

Allah says:  “Whoever works righteousness — whether male or female — while he (or she) is a true believer (of Islamic Monotheism) verily, to him We will give a good life (in this world with respect, contentment and lawful provision), and We shall pay them certainly a reward in proportion to the best of what they used to do (i.e. Paradise in the Hereafter)”   [Al-Nahl, 16:97]

Faith, truthfulness and piety all lead to Paradise, which is the right of the one who acquires these attributes, even if he is one of the weakest or lowliest of people.

Allah says: “And whosoever believes in Allah and performs righteous good deeds, He will admit him into Gardens under which rivers flow (Paradise) to dwell therein forever. Allah has indeed granted for him an excellent provision” [Al-Talaq, 65:11]

Kufr, arrogance and oppression all lead to Hell, even if the one who does these things is one of the richest or noblest of people.

Allah says: “But those who disbelieved (in the Oneness of Allah – Islamic Monotheism) and denied Our Ayaat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.), they will be the dwellers of the Fire, to dwell therein forever. And worst indeed is that destination” [Al-Taghabun, 64:10]

The advisors of the Messenger (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam) included Muslim men of all tribes, races and colours. Their hearts were filled with Tawhid and they were brought together by their faith and piety – such as Abu Bakar As-Siddiq (radiyallāhu’anhu) from Quraysh, ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib (radiyallāhu’anhu) from Bani Hashim, Bilal bin Rabah (radiyallāhu’anhu) the Ethiopian, Suhayb bin Sinan (radiyallāhu’anhu) the Roman, Salman (radiyallāhu’anhu) the Persian, rich men like ‘Uthman bi 'Affan (radiyallāhu’anhu) and poor men like ‘Ammar bin Yasir (radiyallāhu’anhu), people of means and poor people like Ahl al-Suffah, and others.They believed in Allah and strove for His sake, until Allah and His Messenger were pleased with them. They were the true believers.

Allah says:“Their reward with their Lord is ‘Aden (Eden) Paradise (Gardens of Eternity), underneath which rivers flow. They will abide therein forever, Allah will be pleased with them, and they with Him. That is for him who fears his Lord”  [Al-Bayyinah, 98:8]

[Excerpted from Usul al-Deen al-Islami by Shaikh Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al-Tuwaijri.]

The Meaning of Enslavement in Islam

The Meaning of Enslavement to Allah (God) 

Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

It would be most grateful if you please clarify the subject of Slaves in Islam? In The Qur'an, there are many of this term in particular the instance where man is the slave to his Master Allah, which I fully understand and agree. But in many instances the Quran cites where one man or woman is the slave of another man or woman. In what context has Allah made this permissible, if it is permissible?

In the name of Allāh, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful;

All the praise and Thanks is due to Allāh, the Lord of al-‘ālamīn. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allāh, and that Muhammad, Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam is His Messenger.

We are commanded to worship Allah alone and not anything else besides Him. The enslavement to Allah had been commanded in His Book and is the Message through his Messengers. He says:

“And verily, We have sent among every Ummah (community, nation) a Messenger (proclaiming): “Worship Allah (Alone), and avoid (or keep away from) Taaghuut (all false deities, i.e. do not worship Taaghuut besides Allah)” [Al-Nahl 16:36].

The word ‘Ubudiyyah (enslavement) in Arabic comes from the word Ta’beed (enthrallment, subjugation). The phrase ‘abbadtu’l-tareeq means “I made the way smooth and easy to walk on.”

The enslavement of the slave to Allah has two meanings, one general and one specific. If by “slave” I mean al-mu’abbad, i.e., one who is subjugated, this is the general meaning which includes every created thing in the both the higher and the lower realms, sentient and otherwise, animate and inanimate, moving and stationary, kafir and mu’min, righteous and immoral, for every creature is subjugated by Allah and is subject to His control, and for each of them there is a limit at which it stops.

If by “slave” I mean al-‘aabid, one who worships Allah and obeys His commands, this meaning applies specifically to the believers to the exclusion of the kafireen, because the believers are the true slaves of Allah who attribute Lordship and Divinity to Him Alone and recognize Him by His Names and Attributes, and do not associate anything with Him. As Allah says in the story of Iblis:

“[Iblis (Satan)] said: ‘O my Lord! Because You misled me, I shall indeed adorn the path of error for them (mankind) on the earth, and I shall mislead them all. Except Your chosen, (guided) slaves among them.’ (Allah) said: ‘This is the Way which will lead straight to Me. Certainly, you shall have no authority over My slaves, except those who follow you of the Ghaawun (Mushrikun and those who go astray, criminals, polytheists, and evildoers).’” [Al-Hijr, 15:39-42]

With regard to the ‘ibadah (worship) which Allah enjoins upon us, this is a word which includes everything that Allah loves and is pleased with of words and deeds, both open and hidden, and excludes anything that may cancel that out. This definition includes the Shahaadatayn, Solah, Hajj, fasting, jihad for the sake of Allah, enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil, and believing in Allah, the angels, the Messengers and the Last Day. The basis for this worship is purity of intention, so that the aim of the worshipper is to seek the Face of Allah, May He be glorified, and the Home of the Hereafter. Allah says:

“And Al-Muttaqûn (the pious) will be far removed from it (Hell). He who spends his wealth for increase in self-purification, And who has (in mind) no favour from anyone to be paid back, Except to seek the Countenance of his Lord, the Most High. He surely, will be pleased (when he will enter Paradise).” [Al-Layl, 92:17-21]

So purity of intention is essential, as is sincerity, so that the believer strives to follow what Allah has commanded and to avoid what He has forbidden, prepares himself for the Meeting with Allah (may He be exalted), gives up feeling helpless and lazy, and refrains from following his own desires, as Allah says:

“O you who believe! Be afraid of Allah, and be with those who are true (in words and deeds).” [Al-Tawbah, 9:119]

It is also essential to follow the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), so the worshipper should worship Allah in accordance with what He has prescribed and not in accordance with what created beings desire or innovate. This is the aim of following the Prophet who was sent from Allah, Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).

Purity of intention, sincerity and following the Messenger are all essential. Once these matters are understood, and then it will be clear to us that everything that goes against these essentials is in fact enslavement to people.

So showing off (riya’) is a form of enslavement to people; shirik is a form of enslavement to people; neglecting Allah’s commands and angering the Lord in order to earn people’s approval is a form of enslavement to people. Everyone who puts following his own desires before obeying his Lord has gone beyond the bounds of ‘Ubudiyyah (enslavement to Allah) and has deviated from the Straight Path. Hence the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Doomed is the slave of the dinar, doomed is the slave of the dirham, doomed is the slave of fine cloth and doomed is the slave of velvet. If he is given something he is pleased and if he is denied, he is angry. Doomed is he! If he is pierced by a thorn, may he never be able to remove it.”

Enslavement to Allah includes and implies love, fear and hope. The slave loves his Lord, fears His punishment and hopes for His Mercy and reward. These are the three essential pillars of ‘Ubudiyyah or enslavement.

Enslavement to Allah is an honour, not a cause of humiliation, as the poet said:

“What increases me in honour and pride, so that my feet nearly stepped on the Pleiades, is that I am included in Your words ‘O My slaves,’ and that You made Ahmad my Prophet.”

We ask Allah to make us among His righteous slaves.

[Via Islam QA]

How Do One Make Up For Missed Solāh?

How Do One Make Up For Missed Solāh?

In the name of Allāh, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful;

All the praise and thanks is due to Allāh, the Lord of al-`ālameen. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allāh, and that Muhammad, Sallallāhu `alayhi wasallam is His Messenger.

The Solāh are enjoined to be adhered to its specific time and it is not permissible to transgress against that except for reasons permitted in syari`ah. The Five daily Solāh is a mandatory tenet of Islam and indeed Allah has allocated specific times for acts of worship for reasons that are known to Him.

If one missed the Solāh with no excuse; rather he ignored it until the time for it ended, out of laziness and carelessness. This according to the consensus of the Muslims fuqaha' the person has committed a major sin.

It is not valid for him to make it up (Qada') according to the more correct of the two scholarly opinions, rather he has to repent and regret it, and resolve not to do that again, and he should do a lot of good deeds and offer a lot of voluntary Solāh.

Allāh Subhānahu wa ta`ala clearly says in the Qur`an:

“Verily, As-Solāh is enjoined on the believers at fixed hours” [An-Nisā’, 4:103]

Whatever the case, we are enjoined to adhere to it and it is not permissible to transgress against that except for reasons permitted in syāri`ah.

If a person misses the Solāh, one of two scenarios must possibly apply:

1 – He missed it for a reason, such as falling asleep or forgetting it. There is no sin on him in this case, but he has to make it up when he wakes up or remembers it.

It was narrated from Anas ibn Mālik (radiyallāhu`anhu) that the Prophet (Sallallāhu `alayhi wasallam) said:

“Whoever forgets a Solāh let him offer it as soon as he remembers, for there is no expiation for it other than that.”

[Narrated by al-Bukhari (572)]

Imām Muslim narrated an additional phrase, “or sleeps and misses it”: “If one of you sleeps and misses a Solāh, or forgets it, let him offer the Solāh when he remembers, for Allah says ‘and perform As-Solāh (Iqamat as-Solāh) for My remembrance’ [Ta-Ha, 20:14].”

[Narrated by Muslim (684)]

2 –He missed the Solāh with no excuse; rather he ignored it until the time for it ended, out of laziness and carelessness. This according to the consensus of the Muslims fuqaha' the person has committed a major sin.

It is not valid for him to make it up (Qada') according to the more correct of the two scholarly opinions, rather he has to repent and regret it, and resolve not to do that again, and he should do a lot of good deeds and offer a lot of voluntary Solāh.

Ibn Hazam (rahimahullāh) said:

“As for the one who deliberately omits to perform Solāh until the time for the Solāh ends, he can never make it up, so he should do a lot of good deeds and offer a lot of voluntary Solāh, so that his balance (of good deeds) will weigh heavily on the Day of Resurrection, and he should repent and ask Allah for forgiveness.”

[Al-Muhalla (2/235)]

This is also the view of `Umar Ibn Al-Khattab and his son `Abdallah, and of Sa`ad Ibn Abi Waqqas, Salman, Ibn Mas`ud, Al-Qasim Ibn Muhammad Ibn Abi Bakr, Badeel Al-`Aqeeli, Muhammad Ibn Sireen, Mutarrif Ibn `Abdallah and `Umar Ibn `Abd Al-`Aziz. It was also the view of Dawud Al-Zahiri and Ibn Hazam, and was the view favoured by Shaikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah and al-Shawkani. Among contemporary scholars it was regarded as more correct by Al-Albāni, Ibn Bāz, Ibn ‘Uthaymeen and others.

They quoted as evidence the following:

(i) The firman of Allāh Subhānahu wa ta`ala: “Verily, As-Solāh is enjoined on the believers at fixed hours” [An-Nisā’, 4:103]

They said the ayat stipulate in most clear term that: “There is a set time for Solāh and it is not permissible to do it at any other time except with evidence.”

And the Prophet (Sallallāhu `alayhi wa sallam) said:  “Whoever forgets a Solāh, let him offer it as soon as he remembers, for there is no expiation for it other than that.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhari (572)]

(ii) The words “let him offer it as soon as he remembers, for there is no expiation for it other than that” means: “If he delays in offering the Solāh after he remembers it, then it is not expiation”

So, how about the one who neglects it deliberately without forgetting or sleeping? It is more likely that it will not be expiation in that case and making it up will be of no benefit.

(iii) It is because Allah has allocated a specific time for each obligatory Solāh, specifying the beginning and end thereof, so it is as if it is not valid to do it before that time just as it is not valid to do it afterwards.

[Al-Muhalla (2/235)]

iv) Ibn Hazam (rahimahullāh) said:

“Making it up should be based on evidence, and it is not permissible for anything to be prescribed other than by Allāh on the lips of His Messenger (Sallallāhu `alayhi wasallam).

We ask those who say that the one who deliberately omits the Solāh is obliged to make it up to tell us about this Solāh. Is it the Solāh that was enjoined by Allah or some other Solāh?

If they say it is the one that was enjoined by Allah, then we say to them: Then the one who deliberately omits it is a sinner, because he has not done what Allah commanded him to do and there is a sin, because he deliberately omits to observe Solāh until the time for it ends.”

[Al-Muhalla (2/236)]

Those who say that he has to make it up did so by analogy with the one who forgets or falls asleep, and they said that if the one who forgets has to make it up, then it is more likely that the one who deliberately omitted it should do so.

My response is that there is no comparison between the two scenarios, because the one who omits it deliberately is sinning, which is not true in the case of the one who forgets, so how can an analogy be drawn between the one who is sinning and the one who is not sinning?

Al-Shawkani (rahimahullāh) quoted Ibn Taymiyah (rahimahullāh) said:

“Those who disagree – i.e., those who say that he should make up the Solāh – do not have any proof to support their argument. Most of them say that he does not have to make it up unless there is a clear command (based on evidence), but there is no such command in this case. We do not disagree that it is obligatory to make it up; rather we disagree as to whether the made-up Solāh will be accepted from him and whether Solāh offered at the wrong time is valid. He discussed this matter at length and he favoured the view that was mentioned by Dawud and those who agreed with him, and the matter is as he put it, because I made a thorough study of this matter and I did not see any reliable evidence that obliges the one who misses a Solāh deliberately to make it up.”

[Nayl al-Awtār (2/26)]

The more correct view – and Allah knows best – is that the one who deliberately omits the prayer should not make it up; rather he has to seek forgiveness and repent. Ibn Al-Qayyim (rahimahullāh) discussed this issue at length and examined the evidence of both sides in his useful book ‘Al-Solāh (p. 67-109)’.

Shaykh Al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (rahimahullāh) said:

“The scholars who say that he should make up the Solāh do not say that by making it up he is absolved of sin, rather they say that by making it up his burden of sin is reduced, but the sin of missing and delaying the Solāh beyond its prescribed time is like any other sin, it needs either repentance or good deeds that will erase it or other things that will waive the punishment.”

[Minhaj al-Sunnah (5/233)]

 And Allāh Almighty Knows best.

 

[Via Islam Q&A]

Description Of The Prophet’s Solāh

1. The Introduction; 1.6. Clearing the Misconceptions
 2.1. Facing the Ka`abah ;  2.2. Standing in Solah ; 2.3. Intention ; 2.4. Takbīratulihram ;

2.5. To Gaze towards the Place of Sujud and Humility;

2.6. Opening Supplications of Solāh; 2.7. The Recitation;

2.8. Ruku ;  2.9. Sujud;   2.10. Second Rak`ah ;  2.11. First Tashahhud;
 2.12. Standing up for the Third, and then the Fourth Rak`ah;
 2.13. The Final Tashahhud;  2.14. The Taslim.

3. Appendixes.; 4. Glossary ; 5. Bibliography.

All About The Solah

1.  The Purification;  2.  The Menstruation;  3.  The Ghusul ;

4. Al-Wudhu’ ; 5. Tayammum;

6.  The Adzān;

7. The Status and Significance of Solāh; 

8.       The Pre-Conditions of Solāh; 9.  The Pillars of Solāh; 10. The Sunnah Part of the Solāh;

11.  The Rule on Neglecting the Solāh; 

12.    Adhkar in the Solāh; 13.  Du'ā Al-Qunūt;

14. Places Where Offering Solāh Is Prohibited ;15.  Placing a Sutrah In front of One Who is Performing Solah;

16.  What is permissible During the Solāh?;17.  The Acts that Renders Solāh Invalid;

18.  Disliked Actions during the Solāh;19. The Solāh in Times of Fear or Danger;

20. The Solāh of a Sick Person ;21.    The Prostrations of Forgetfulness of Solāh;

22.  The Excellence of Nawafil Solāh;

23. Solāh of a Traveler;24.    Solāh Qasar ;25.  Solāh Jama’;26. The Solāh Jama’ ;

27. The Masajid;28.    The Etiquette at the Masjid; 29. The Excellence of Congregational Solāh ;

30.    Solāh al-Jumu`ah;31. The Sanctified Hour of Jumu’ah;32.  The Virtues of Friday;

33. The Etiquette for Solāh al-Jumu`ah ;

34.    Dzikirullāh after Solāh;35.    Du`ā Recited After the Solāh. ;

36.    Reasons for doing Sujud Al-Sahwi ;

37. Solāh al-Hajjat ; 38. Solāh al-Tahajjud ; 39.  Solāh al-Tarawih ;40. Solāh al-Dhuha ; 

41. Solāh al-Hajjat ; 42.    Solāh al-Istikhārah ;43.  Solāh al-Janāzah;

44.  Solāh al-Jumu`ah;45. Solāh al-Kasuf ; 46.    Solāh al-Khauf ;47.  Solāh al-Marid; 48. Solāh al-Tahajjud ;

49.    Solāh al-Tahiyyyatul Masjid; 50.  Solāh al-Tarawih;

51.    Solāh al-Tawbah ; 52.    Solāh al-Witr; 53.    Solāh al-Wudhu’ ; 54.    Solāh Eid ul Fitr