6/19/2010

DEBTS AND MORTGAGE




1. "When you deal with each other in contracting a debt for a fixed time, write it down and let him who owes the debt dictate" (2:282). 2. "And if you are upon a journey and you do not find a scribe, then a security may be taken into possession" (2:283).
3. "Allāh has allowed trading and forbidden usury" (2:275).
4. "And if the debtor is in straitness, then let there be postponement until he is in ease; and if you remit it as alms it is better for you, if you knew" (2:280).
Lending and borrowing are a necessary condition in human transactions, and the rules relating to them are laid down in the Holy Qur'ān. Every such transaction should be written down, and the writing should be dictated by the person who owes the debt (v. 1). This latter direction guards against injustice being done to the debtor. Mortgaging of property is also allowed (v. 2). but the apparent condition of being on a journey or there being no scribe is simply a statement of the difficulties under which it becomes a necessity. The carrying on of a trade and drawing profit therefrom is placed on a different footing from lending money on interest, the first being the fruit of labour while the latter leads to ease and inordinate love of wealth (v. 3). A debtor in straitened circumstances must be dealt with leniently, and if he is unable to pay, the debt should be remitted (v. 4).
Contracting debts was discouraged. and in his prayers the Holy Prophet sought refuge from being in debt as well as sin (h. 1). When a bier was brought to him and he was told that the dead one had died in debt and had left nothing for payment thereof. he refused to conduct the service personally until someone undertook the payment of his debt (h. 2). Contracting a debt when a man did not intend to pay it is denounced (h. 3). and the Holy Prophet's anxiety to pay his debts is shown in h. 4. Granting respite to a debtor and the remission of debt when the debtor is in straitened circumstances is recommended (H. xxii:5). Payment in excess of the actual sum which a person owes is not interest; on the other hand, it is considered goodness (h. 5). Deferring payment by one who
has the means is condemned as unjust (h. 6). and may even be punished (h. 7). The Muslim state is required to pay the debts of those who contract debts due to need; it must even maintain uncared-for families (h. 8). Mortgaging of property as security for payment of debt is allowed. and the mortgagee is allowed to derive benefit from it (h. 9, 10). The case of insolvency is dealt with in hh. 11, 12. Usury, even interest, is forbidden, but it is prophesied that a time would come when people generally would be involved in it (hh. 13-15).
1 'Ā'ishah said,
The Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, used to pray, while saying prayers, and to say:
"O Allāh! I seek refuge in Thee from sin and from being in debt."
Someone asked him, How often dost thou, O Messenger of Allāh! seek refuge from being in debt. He said:
"When a man is in debt he speaks and tells lies, and he promises and breaks the promise."
(B. 43:10.)
2 Salamah reported:
A bier was brought to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, that he may say funeral
prayers over it. He said "Was he in debt?" They said, No. So he said prayers over it. Another bier was brought to him and he said: "Was he in debt?" They said, Yes. He said "Say prayers over your companion." Abu Qatādah said, I will pay his debt, O Messenger of Allāh! So he said funeral prayers over it.1
(B. 39:3.)
3 Abū Hurairah reported,
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, said:
"Whoever contracts a debt intending to repay it, Allāh will pay it on his behalf,2 and whoever
1 The Holy Prophet did not forbid the saying of funeral prayers over the bier of a person who was in debt. By refusing to say prayers himself, he wanted only to discourage the habit of contracting debts when one had not the means to pay. According to another version of the same hadīth (B. 38:3), the Holy Prophet said funeral prayers over a person who was in debt but who had left property from which the debt could be paid. As shown further on (h. 8). the Holy Prophet himself undertook the payment of the debts of those who died in debt later on, when the state treasury had the means to pay them.
2. The significance is that Allāh grants him the means to pay it.
contracts a debt intending to waste it, Allāh will bring him to ruin."
(B. 43:2.)
4 Abū Dharr said, I was with the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him. When he saw (the mount) Uhud, he said:
'I do not like that this (mountain) should be turned into gold for me, then there should remain with me one dīnār out of it beyond three days, except a dīnār which I should keep for payment of a debt."
Then he said:
"The wealthier are the poorer except he who gives away wealth thus and thus, and they are very few."3
(B. 43:3.)
5 Jābir said,
I came to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, while he was in the mosque; so he said:
3. To get more and more wealth becomes a passion with wealthy people, and this passion deprives them of the noblest human sentiments. Hence they are said to be the poorer. The narrator, while saying thus and thus, moved his hands right and left, to show that wealth must be given away liberally if one has the good fortune to possess it.
"Say two rak'ahs of prayer." And he owed me a debt; so he paid it to me and gave me more (than was due).4
(B. 43:7.)
6 Abū Hurairah said,
The Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, said:
"Delaying the payment of debt by a well-to-do person is injustice."
(B. 43:12.)
7 The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, is reported to have said:
"Deferring payment by one who has the means to pay legalizes his punishment and his honour."5
(B. 43:11)
8 Abū Hurairah reported,
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, said:
"Whoever leaves property, it is for his heirs and whoever leaves a burden, it shall be our charge."6
(B. 43:11.)
4. Thus, if the debtor of his own free will gives more than what is due, it is not usury or interest.
5. The legalization of 'irdz (honour) is the using of harsh words, and that of 'uqūbah (punishment) is imprisonment (B. 43:13). Thus it is only the rich man who can be sent to prison for refusing to pay his debt; regarding the man in straitened circumstances, the law of Islām is that recommended in H. xxii:5--the debt should be remitted.
6. Kall (burden) includes both a family to maintain and debts to be paid. It is thus the Muslim state that is required to undertake both the maintenance of uncared-for families and the payment of unpaid debts.
9 'Ā'ishah said, The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, bough food from a Jew for payment to be made at an appointed time, and he mortgaged for it a coat-of-mail made of iron.
(B. 43:l.)
10 Abū Hurairah said:
The Messenger' of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, said:
"The mortgaged animal may be used for riding, when it is mortgaged, on account of what is spent on it, and the milk of a milch animal may be drunk when it is mortgaged, and the expenditure shall be borne by him who rides (the animal) and drinks (the milk)."7
(B. 48:4.)
7. Hh. 9 and 10 show that the law relating to mortgage as laid down in the Holy Qur'ān (v. 2) is not limited to cases when one is journeying or when there is no scribe. The law is a general one, the only limitation being chat the property mortgaged shall be in the possession of the mortgagee. This hadīth shows that when a person has to spend money on the. thing mortgaged, he is entitled to derive benefit from it. Hence a house or land can be mortgaged subject to the condition that the possession shall be made over to the mortgagee who is entitled to live in the house or let it on hire, if he carries out the repairs, and to till the land and have the produce of it if he spends on it.
11 Abū Hurairah-said, The Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, said:
"Whoever finds his property itself with a man who has become insolvent, he has a greater right to it than others."
(B. 43:14)
12 Sa'īd ibn al-Musayyib said,
'Uthmān decided that whoever takes his due before a man becomes insolvent, it is his, and whoever recognises his property itself with an insolvent has a greater right to it.8
(B. 43:14.)
13 'Ā'ishah said.
When the verses of the chapter al-Baqarah, relating to usury, were revealed, the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, went forth to
8. The rules laid down in hh. 11, 12 are subject to the condition that there is no collusion.
the mosque and recited them to the people, then he forbade trading in intoxicating liquors.9
(B. 8:73.)
14 Jābir reported,
The Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, cursed the usurer and the man who pays usury and the writer of the transaction and the two witnesses thereof and he said:
"They are alike."10
(M-Msh. 12:4.)
15 Abū Hurairah reported,
The Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, said:
"A time will come over people when not a single person will remain who does not swallow down
9. Parts of the verses referred to here are quoted in the heading of this chapter (vv. 3, 4). In v, 3. it is stated that Allāh has allowed trade and forbidden usury, but as intoxicants were prohibited to Muslims, the Holy Prophet made it clear, when reciting this verse, that trade in intoxicants was also prohibited.
10. The Arabic word which is here translated as usury is ribā (an excess or addition), and means an addition over and above the principal sum that is lent (LL), and thus includes both usury and interest. The Holy Qur'ān compares the devourers of usury to those whom the Devil has prostrated by his touch (2:275), p. 324 indicating that usury leads to selfishness of the worst type. Islām aims at a co-operative system of trade and banking so that the capitalist should share the profit as well as the loss of the borrower. The underlying idea in the prohibition of interest on money is that labour is a higher asset than money.
The hadīth quoted here condemns the payer of the usury and the scribe and the witnesses along with the usurer, because they abet the crime.
usury, and if one does not swallow it, its vapour will overtake him."11
(AD-Msh. 12:4.)
11. This is a prophecy relating to the present time. Material civilization has at its culmination brought about a state of things when no transaction can be carried on without payment of interest.

BURIAL SERVICE


BURIAL SERVICE


1. "And give good news to the patient ones who, when a misfortune befalls them. say: We are Allāh's and to Him shall we return. These are they on whom are blessings and mercy from their Lord. and these are the followers of the right course" (2:155-157). 2. "Our Lord! Forgive us and those of our brethren who had precedence of us in faith" (59:10).
3. "And never hold a burial service for any one of them who dies and do not stand (to pray) on his grave: surely they disbelieve in Allāh and his Messenger" (9:84).
When news of death is received, one should repeat the words innā li-llāh-i wa innā ilai-hi rāji'ūn (v. 1). The asking of forgiveness for the departed ones is a Muslim's duty towards a Muslim (v. 2), and this is done by the holding of a burial service at death. Burial service is prohibited in the case of those who disbelieve in Allāh and His Messenger (v. 3), the particular people referred to in the verse being hypocrites whose disbelief had become manifest.
Details as to the duties of the living towards the dying and the dead are given in Hadīth. Visiting the sick is a duty laid upon every Muslim (h. 11). When signs of the approach of death are witnessed in a person, the Holy' Qur'ān may be recited by his bedside (h. 1). Speaking well of the dead or a sick person when a visit is paid to him is recommended (h. 2). Grief for the dying or the dead is but natural. and one may weep when overcome (hh. 3. 4). but wailing, slapping the cheeks, tearing garments, etc., are forbidden (hh. 5, 6). Death of children is spoken of as a blessing in disguise (h. 7). The dead body must be washed and cleaned of all impurities and then wrapped up in clean cloth (hh. 8, 9). Following the bier is an act of great merit (h. 10), and a duty which a Muslim owes to his dead brother (h. 11). Respect must be shown to the bier, whether it be of a Muslim or of a non-Muslim (hh. 12, 13). A burial service may be held even in the absence of the dead body (h. 14). Women were advised not to follow a bier but there is no prohibition against it (h. 15). The bier may be followed on foot or riding (h. 16). Those who follow the bier arrange themselves into ranks behind the imām at the burial service (h. 17).
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The service consists of four takbīrs and taslīm while standing, there being no rukū' or sajdah but wudzū' must be performed before joining it (bb. 17, 18). The bier is placed before the imām who stands opposite the middle. or the breast, of the dead body (b. 19). The first takbīr is followed by the recital of the Fātihah in a soft voice audible to oneself (preceded by the istiftāh, as in prayer); the second by the recital of al salāt 'ala-l-Nabī; the third by an intercessory prayer for the dead one in particular, but it includes the living as well; and the fourth by taslīm (hh. 20-23). Burial service must be held even on a Muslim who is guilty of heinous sins (H. viii:6). The committing of suicide is, according to Islām. a criminal act. but even such a person may not be deprived of the burial service (h. 24). In the battle-field the washing, the shrouding and the burial service were dispensed with, and two men were buried in one grave (h. 25). What should be said and done at the burial is related in (hh. 26, 27). The tomb should be raised a little above the ground and should be gibbous in shape (h. 28). The plastering of tombs or construction of buildings on them is discouraged (h. 29). The gathering of friends and relatives to console the bereaved family is allowed. and so also is the preparation for them of food, at which only those very nearly related should be present (hh. 30, 31). Abusing the dead is forbidden (h. 32). Charity on behalf of the dead is allowed (hh. 33, 34). When visiting graves, one must pray for the dead (h. 35).
1 Ma'qil said, of
The Messenger Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, said:
Recite the Sūrah Yāsīn before the dying among you."1
(Ah-Msh. 5:3.)
2 Umm Salamah said,
The Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, said:
"When you visit a sick
1. This chapter is full of expressions of Divine greatness and glory.
p. 190
person or a dead one, speak well (of him), for the angels say āmīna to what you say."
(M-Msh. 5:3.)
3 'Ā'ishah said,
'The Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, kissed 'Uthmān ibn Maz'ūn while he was dead, and he wept, so that the tears of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, flowed over the face of 'Uthmān.2
(M-Msh. 5:3.)
4 Anas said,
Along with the Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, we visited Abū Saif, the blacksmith, and he was Ibrāhīm's foster-father.
2. 'Uthmān ibn Maz'ūn was the first person to die from among those who had fled from Makkah to Madīnah for the sake of their faith in Allāh.
p. 191
The Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, took Ibrāhīm (in his arms) and kissed him and smelt him. Then we visited him after this while Ibrāhīm was yielding up his spirit; so tears began to flow from the eyes of the Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, 'Abd al-Rahmān ibn 'Auf said to him, And thou too, O Messenger of Allāh? He said, "O Ibn 'Auf! That is compassion." Then he wept again and said:
"Surely the eye sheds tears and the heart grieves and we do not say but what the Lord is pleased with; and we, O Ibrāhīm! are full of grief on account of thy separation."3
(B. 23:41)
3. Ibrāhīm was the Holy Prophet's son by his Coptic wife, Mary. He died when he was eighteen months old. The words uttered by the Holy Prophet on this occasion will serve as a beacon to the world in its tragedies. Abu Saif's wife was wet-nurse to the Holy Prophet's son.
p. 192
5 'Abd Allāh said,
'The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, said:
"He is not of us who slaps the cheeks and tears the garments and mourns like the mourning of the (days of) Ignorance."
(B. 23:35.)
6 'Umar said,
'Leave them (the women) alone, weeping over Abu Sulaimān, so long as there is not throwing of dust on heads or wailing.4
(B. 23:33.)
7 Anas said, The Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, said:
"There is, from among the people, no Muslim who has three of his (children) dead before they have reached majority
4. A Muslim must bear the calamity of the death of a friend or a relative patiently. Weeping is but a sign of tenderness and compassion in the human heart, but wailing and other manifestations which are not consistent with patience are forbidden.
p. 293
but Allāh will make him enter paradise by His gracious mercy on their account."
(B. 23:6.)
8 Umm 'Atiyyah said,
The Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, came to us while we were washing (the body of) his daughter; so he said:
"Wash her thrice or five times or more than that with water having (leaves of) the lote tree ( boiled in it), and the last time put in camphor; and when you have finished, inform me."
So when we had finished we informed him, and he threw towards us his waist-wrapper and said "Put it next to her body."
(B. 23:9.)
9 'Ā'ishah reported,
The Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, was shrouded
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in three pieces of white washed cotton cloth,5 made in Yaman; there was neither shirt in them nor turban.
(B. 23:18.)
10 Abū Hurairah said,
The Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, said:
"Whoever stays with a bier until he joins the burial service over it, he has one portion; and whoever remains present till the body is buried, he has two portions."
(B. 23:58.)
11 Barā ibn 'Āzib said,
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, commanded us....to follow biers (to their last resting-place), to visit the
5. Sahūliyyah were so called in relation to Sahūl, a place in Yaman, where they were woven or whence they were brought; or they were garments beaten and washed and whitened, so called in relation to sahūl meaning one who beats and washes and whitens clothes. (LL).
p. 195
sick person, to accept (the invitation of) one who invites (to a dinner), to help the oppressed one, to execute the oath, to return the salutation, and to utter a prayer for the sneezer.6
(B. 23:2.)
12 'Āmir reported,
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, said:
"When one of you sees a bier then, if he does not accompany it, he should stand until he leaves the bier behind or the bier leaves him behind, or it is put down before it leaves him behind."
(B. 23:47.)
13 Jābir said,
A bier passed by us and the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, stood up for it, and we (also) stood up. Then we said, O Messenger of
6. Only the first two commandments relate to this chapter, following a bier and visiting a sick person.
p. 196
Allāh! it is the bier of a Jew. He said:
"When you see a bier, stand up."7
(B. 23:49.)
14 Abū Hurairah reported, The Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, gave the news of the death of the Negus on the day on which he died. He went forth to the place of prayer and made the people stand in ranks and uttered four takbīrs.8
(B. 23:4)
15 Umm 'Atiyyah said,
We were forbidden to follow biers, and it was not a decisive prohibition.9
(B. 23:29)
7. Equal respect must be shown to a bier whether it is that of a Muslim or a non-Muslim.
8. The Negus was the ruler of Abyssinia. He had become a Muslim. The hadīth shows that a burial service may be held over a dead body in its absence. It further shows that the funeral service consisted of four takbīrs.
9. Women were advised not to go perhaps, because, in the first place they could not help in carrying the bier, but more so because they might break down under grief.
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16 Al-Mughīrah reported,
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, said:
"The rider shall go behind the bier; and he who walks on foot may go behind it and before it and on its right and on its left, remaining near to it."
(AD-Msh. 5:5.)
17 Ibn 'Abbās reported,
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, came to a grave apart from other graves, so he arranged the people into ranks and pronounced four takbīrs.10
(B. 23:54.)
18 The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, said:
"Whoever prays on the bier"............He called it
10. A fuller account is given in B. 23:5. The burial service over the deceased had been held during the night. and the Holy Prophet was not informed. So he held a burial service over again on the grave. The hadīth further shows that the people arranged themselves into ranks behind the imām. The general practice is to have at least three ranks (AD-Msh. 5:5), but there is no harm if there are two (B. 23:54).
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salāt (prayer), and there is no rukū' in it, nor sajdah; and no one should talk during the service; and there is in it takbīr and taslīm; and Ibn 'Umar would not pray (on the bier) unless he had performed the wudzū'.
(B. 23:56.)
19 Samurah reported,
A woman died in childbirth, and the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, held a burial service over her, and stood opposite the middle (of the bier)."
(B. 6:29.)
20 Talhah said,
I prayed on a bier behind Ibn 'Abbās, and he recited the Fātihah and said, (1 have done this) so that
11. This hadīth is again related by Bukhārī in 23:64 under the heading "Where to stand in the case of the woman and the man." This shows that the same position should be adopted by the imām, whether the bier is that of a mate or a female. Imām Abū Hanīfa interpreted the middle as meaning the breast, and that is the right position of the imām according to him, both in the case of the female and the male.
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you may know that it is the Sunnah.12
(B. 23:65.)
21 Abu Hurairah said.
The Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, said:
"When you pray over the dead one, be sincere in your prayer for him."13
(AD-Msh. 5:5.)
22 Abel Hurairah said,
The Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, used to say when he held a burial service over a bier:
"O Allāh! Forgive our living ones and our dead ones, and those of us who are present and those who are absent, and our young
12. Ibn 'Abbās recited the Fātihah in a voice which others could hear, so that they might know that it was the Holy Prophet's practice. This shows that it was ordinarily recited in a low voice not audible, and further that it was meant to be so recited by the imām as well as the congregation. The same is the case with the prayers after other takbīrs. The Fatihāh is recited after the first takbīr; al-salāt 'ala-l-Nabī, as in the sitting position in prayer, after the second and an intercessory prayer for the deceased (hh. 22, 23) after the third while the taslīm is uttered after the fourth.
13. The burial service is thus an intercessory prayer for the deceased one, and any prayer may be offered. Hadīth contains several such prayers. The one generally adopted is given in the next hadīth.
p. 200
ones and our old ones, and our males and our females. O Allāh! Whom Thou keepest living among us cause him to live in submission to Thee, and whom Thou causest to die from among us make him die in faith. O Allāh! Do not deprive us of his reward, and do not make us fall into a trial after him."
(AD-Msh. 5:5.)
23 Hasan said,
The Fātihah should be recited over the child and then one should say, O Allāh! Make him for us a cause of recompense in the world to come and as one going before and a reward.14
(B. 23:65.)
24 Abū Hurairah said,
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, said:
"Whoever strangles himself strangles himself into
14. According to one report, the word dhukhr-an (a treasure) is added before the final word ajr-an. No burial service is held over a still-born child (B. 23:80).
p. 201
fire, and whoever stabs himself with a spear stabs himself into fire."15
(B. 23:81)
25 Jābir said,
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, gathered together in one cloth two men out of those who were killed in (the battle of) Uhud. Then he asked, "Which of them knew more of the Qur'ān"? When one of them was pointed out to him, he gave him precedence in the lahd, and said, "I shall be a witness of these on the Day of Resurrection". And he commanded that they should be buried with their blood (on them) and they were not washed, nor
15. According to one hadīth, the Holy Prophet did not lead the burial service of a man who committed suicide, but his companions held such a service.
p. 202
was a burial service held over them."
(B. 23:72.)
26 Ibn 'Umar reported,
When the dead body was placed in the grave, the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, used to say:
"In the name of Allāh and with Allāh and according to the religion of the Messenger of Allāh."
(Ah-Msh, 5:6.)
27 Muhammad reported without tracing it up to the Holy Prophet,
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, threw on the dead body (at its burial) three handfuls of dust with both his hands, and he caused water
16. Lahd (from lahada, he inclined to a thing) is an oblong excavation in the side of the grave, a lateral hollow, in which the dead body is placed, the opening into the grave being then closed with bricks, so that when the grave is filled with earth the body remains intact. As this hadīth shows, preference was given to the lahd, the other body being placed in the shaqq, the pit itself, and therefore burial in the shaqq is not disallowed. In the case of a coffin, the shaqq alone would serve the Purpose.
The martyrs of Uhud were neither washed nor was a burial service held over them, and the same rule may be followed in the exigency of war or other exigencies. Towards the end of his life, however, the Holy Prophet held a burial service on the grave of the martyrs of Uhud.
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to be sprinkled on the grave of his son Ibrāhīm, and placed pebbles on it.
(Msh. 5:6.)
28 Sufyān, the date-seller, reported:
He saw the grave of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, gibbous-shaped.'17
(B. 23: 96.)
29 Jābir said,
The Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, forbade the plastering of the grave, and the construction of a building on it, and sitting on it.18
(M-Msh. 5:6.)
30 'Ā'ishah, wife of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, reported:
When a person of her family died and the women gathered together over it,
17. The Arabic word is musannam which means raised from the ground like the sanām (hump) of the camel.
18. The prohibition to plaster, and build on a grave may have been due to the waste of money which it would involve. Sitting on the grave is prohibited because it is disrespectful.
p. 204
then they dispersed, except the family of the dead and those closely related to him, she used to order a cooking-pot of talbīnah which was cooked, then tharīd was made and the talbīnah was cast over it then she would say, Eat of it, for I heard the Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, say "The talbīnah gives rest to the heart of the sick one and takes away some of the grief."'19
(B. 70:24.)
31 'Ā'ishah said,
'When the news came
19. Talbīnah (from laban meaning milk) is food made of bran, milk and honey, or simply of bran and honey, so called because it is white like milk; and tharīd is bread crumbled into small pieces with fingers over which broth is poured, sometimes prepared with marrow and with eggs, considered to be most delicious. It shows that there was a gathering when a person died, the object no doubt being to console the bereaved family. When they dispersed, food was sent by some near relative to the family itself and very nearly related friends. The whole gathering did not partake of food.
p. 205
to the Prophet, of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, that Ibn Hārithah and Ja'far and Ibn Rawāhah were killed, he sat (in the mosque), and grief could be seen in his face, and I saw (him) through the opening at the pivot of the door.20
(B. 23:40.)
32 'Ā'ishah said,
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, said:
"Do not abuse the dead, for they have gone on to what they sent before."21
(B. 23:97.)
33 'Ā'ishah reported,
A man said to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, My mother died a sudden
20. To sit in some place so that people may come and express their sympathy with and console the bereaved family is, therefore, according to the Holy Prophet's practice. Praying for the deceased one is not forbidden, but there is no authority for the present practice to offer prayers by the raising up of hands with every new-comer. The only prayer was the burial service and a prayer on the grave.
21. Abuse is forbidden not only in regard to the dead from among Muslims but the dead in general. But criticism is not forbidden in any case; it sometimes becomes a necessity, as in the case of the reporters of hadīth.
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death, and I am sure that if she had been able to speak she would have given in charity; will she have a reward if I give in charity on her behalf? He said "Yes".22
(B. 23:94.)
34 It is reported on the authority of Sa'd ibn 'Ubādah that
His mother died while he was absent. So he said, O Messenger of Allāh! My mother died while I was absent; will it benefit her if I give in charity on her behalf? He said, "Yes". He said, Then I make thee a witness that my orchard Mikhrāf is a charity on her behalf.
(B. 55:15.)
22. This Hadīth and the one that follows show that charity on behalf of the dead is a source of benefit to them: and it appears that charity on behalf of the dead was generally practised in early Islām. Recital of the Holy Qur'ān to the dying ones is recommended (h. 1), but the practice of reciting the Holy p. 207 Qur'ān over the dead body or on a grave is not traceable to the Holy Prophet and is an innovation. Recital of the Holy Qur'ān is a good deed in itself, but to do it for remuneration does not bring any good to the reciter and certainly none to the dead. There is no authority of the Holy Prophet for the Qul ceremony on the third day, or for the ceremonies connected with the tenth and fortieth days after death. Nor can they be considered as acts of charity, for they are not for the benefit of the poor.
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35 Buraidah said,
The Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, used to teach them (to say), when they went forth to the graves:
"Peace be with you, Dwellers of this abode! from among the faithful and the Muslims; and we, if it please Allāh, will join you; we ask of Allāh security for ourselves and for you."
(M-Msh. 5:8.)

SUPEREROGATORY PRAYERS (TAHAJJUD, WITR AND TARĀWĪH)


SUPEREROGATORY PRAYERS

(TAHAJJUD, WITR AND TARĀWĪH)


1. "And during part of the night forsake sleep by prayer, beyond what is incumbent on thee; maybe thy Lord will raise thee to a position of great glory" (17:79). 2. "The rising by night is the firmest way to tread and the best corrective of speech" (73:6).
3. "Surely thy Lord knows that thou passest in prayer nearly two-thirds of the night, and (sometimes) half of it, and (sometimes) one-third of it, and also a part of those who are with thee" (73: 20).
Tahajjud, from hajada meaning he remained wakeful in the night, is the prayer which is offered during the latter part of the night, before daybreak. It is a supererogatory prayer, but special stress is laid on it in the Holy Qur'ān (vv. 1, 2). Witr, (lit. an odd number), originally a part of the Tahajjud prayer. is a supererogatory prayer of three rak'ahs, generally said after the 'Ishii' prayer. Tarāwīh (pl. of tarwihah meaning rest) is a supererogatory prayer of eight or twenty rak'ahs said during the month of Ramadzān immediately after the 'Ishā' prayer.
The Tahajjud prayer is said, after one has enjoyed sleep, during the latter third of the night (h. 1), This prayer consists of eleven rak'ahs (h. 2). but may be shortened to nine or seven or even less (hh. 3. 4), there being a break after every two rak'ahs. As all people could not afford to get up in the latter part of the night, three rak'ahs of witr were added to the 'Ishā' prayer, being the final act of devotion before going to sleep (hh. 5, 6). The last rak'ah of witr war, characterized by a special prayer offered before or after rukū' and called the qunūt (h. 7).
The Tarāwīh prayer really takes the place of Tahajjud, in the case of those who cannot get up for Tahajjud, in the month of Ramadzān. In its present form, it was introduced in the time of 'Umar (h. 8).
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1 Abn Hurairah reported,
The Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, said,
"Our Lord, blessed and exalted is He, descends every night to the nearest heaven when the latter one-third of the night remains, (and) says, Is there any one who calls upon Me so that I may accept of him, who asks of Me so that I may grant him, who seeks forgiveness of Me so that I may forgive him?1
(B. 19:14.)
2 'Ā'ishah reported,
The Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, used to say eleven rak'ahs of prayer--
1. Discussing the meaning of this hadīth under the word nazala, Ibn Athīr says: "descending and ascending, motion and state of rest, are the properties of matter, while Allāh is supremely exalted above this and hallowed; and the meaning is the descending of Divine mercy and grace and their nearness to servants". The statement is, therefore, metaphorical, and the significance is that the man who seeks communion with the Divine Being at such a time, when the whole of nature is in a state of quiet and the mind of man himself free generally from all anxieties and worries, will find Him nearest to his heart. Such a time is, therefore, fittest for communion with the Divine Being, and that is the time of Tahajjud prayer.
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this was his prayer, see meant, at night; and he used to remain in sajdah so long, before he raised his head, that one of you could recite fifty verses; and he said two rak'ahs before the morning prayer, then he lay down on his right side until the mu'adhdhin came to him for the (congregational) prayer.2
(B. 14:1.)
3 Masrūq said,
I asked 'Ā'ishah about the prayer of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, at night. She said, (Sometimes) seven (rak'ahs), (sometimes) nine and (sometimes) eleven,
2. The Tahajjud prayer consists, according to this hadīth of eleven rak'ahs, but this number may, as explained in the next two, be reduced to nine or seven rak'ahs, or even less, when the time at hand before the break of the dawn does not suffice to complete the total.
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besides the two (sunnah) rak'ahs of the Fajr.
(B. 19:10.)
4 Ibn 'Umar said,
A man asked the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, while he was on the pulpit, What dost thou say about the night prayer? He said:
"Two (rak'ahs) at a time; and when one of you knows (that) the dawn (is near), he should add one (rak'ah)-this will make his prayer witr."
(B. 8:84.)
5 Ibn 'Umar reported,
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, said:
"Let the witr be your last prayer at night."
(B. 14:4.)
6 Abn Hurairah said,
The Messenger of Allāh,
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peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, commanded me to say the witr before going to sleep.3
(B. 14:2.)
7 Al-Hasan ibn 'Alī said,
The Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, taught me sentences to be repeated in the qunūt4 in witr:
"O Allāh! Guide me among those whom Thou hast guided, and preserve me among those whom Thou hast preserved, and befriend me among those whom Thou hast befriended, and bless me in whom Thou hast granted, and save me from the evil of what Thou hast ordered, for Thou dost order, and no order overrides Thy order; surely he is not disgraced whom Thou befriendest; blessed art Thou, our Lord! and highly exalted."
(AD-Msh. 4:35.)
3. This is the practice now generally followed. The Holy Prophet himself made the witr a part of the Tahajjud prayer.
4. Qunūt means the being constantly obedient, and is technically applied to the prayer offered in a standing posture in the last rak'ah of any prayer, before or after the performance of the rukū'; in the congregational service it was offered by the imām after rising from the rukū' (B. 10: 126). There are other forms of the qunūt, prayer--in fact, any prayer may be offered as qunūt.
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8 'Abd al-Rahmān said,
I went out with 'Umar ibn al-Khattāb to the mosque on a certain night in Ramadzān, and the people had formed themselves into different groups--one man saying prayer alone and another saying prayers with a number of people following his prayer. So 'Umar said, I think if I gather them together behind one reciter, it would be much better. Then he made his decision and gathered them together behind Ubayy ibn Ka'b. Then I went out with him on another night and the people were following the prayer of their reciter.
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'Umar said, This innovation is very good; and the part (of the night) in which they sleep is better than that in which they stand saying prayers--he meant the latter part of the night; and the people stood praying in the first part.5
(B. 31:1.)
5. The prayer spoken of in this hadīth is the Tarāwīh prayer said in Ramadzān, The Holy Qur'ān is recited in this prayer, from the beginning, in such portions that the whole is finished by the end of the month. It is apparent from this hadīth that no such prayer was said by the Holy Prophet. A reference to H. viii:15 would show that when the Holy Prophet was in a state of i'tikāf in the month of Ramadzān, some people joined him when they saw him saying the tahajjud prayer , and thus, tahajjud was on that occasion said in congregation, though the Holy Prophet never meant it. This continued for three days, after which the Holy Prophet intentionally discontinued it.

MISCELLANEOUS PRAYERS (ISTIKHĀRAH. SALĀT AL-KUSŪF, ISTISQĀ')


MISCELLANEOUS PRAYERS

(ISTIKHĀRAH. SALĀT AL-KUSŪF, ISTISQĀ')

Istikhārah (lit. the asking of khair, i.e., good or blessing) means the asking of Divine blessing in the doing of a thing which a man intends to do. Kusūf means the eclipse of the sun or the moon. Istisqā' (from saqy, giving to drink) is a prayer for rain.
1 Jābir said,
The Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, used to teach us istikhārah in all matters, as he used to teach us a chapter of the Qur'ān. He said:
"When one of you intends the doing of a thing, he should say two rak'ahs1 besides the obligatory prayers, then he should pray--'O Allāh! I desire Thy blessing by Thy knowledge, and I beg of Thee to give
1. The best time for istikhārah is after the 'Ishā' prayer.
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me power (to do it) by Thy power, and I ask of Thee Thy great grace, for Thou hast the power while I have not the power, and Thou knowest while I do not know, and Thou art the Great Knower of the unseen things. O Allāh! If Thou knowest that this affair is good for me in the matter of my religion and my living and the result of my affair--or he said, in the present state of my affair and in its future--then ordain it for me and make it easy for me and bless (me) therein; and if Thou knowest that this affair is evil for me in the matter of my religion and my living and the result of my affair--or he said, in the present state of my affair and in its future--then turn it away from me and turn me away from it and ordain what is good
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for me wheresoever it is, and make me contented with it.'
He (the Prophet) said,
"And he should say what he wants."2
(B. 19:25.)
2 Abd Allāh ibn 'Amr said 'When the sun was eclipsed in the time of the Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, a call was given that prayer-service gathering together (people) was going to be held.
(B. 16:3.)
3 'Ā'ishah said,
'The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, recited aloud his qirā'at in the eclipse prayer and when he finished his recital he pronounced the takbīr and performed the rukū'; and when he raised (his head) from the rukū', he said, "Allāh listens to him who praises Him. Our
2. Istikhārah is an individual prayer. and it may be continued for several days until the mind through Divine help is settled on an affair. It is not necessary that a man should be informed in a vision as to the course which he should adopt.
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Lord! And Thine is the praise." Then he returned to the recital (of the Qur'ān). In the eclipse prayer there are four rukū's and four sajdahs in two rak'ahs.3
(B. 16:19.)
4 Abd Allāh reported,
I saw the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, on the day he went out to pray for rain. He said, He (the Prophet) turned his back to the people and faced the Qiblah praying, then he turned over his outer wrapping garment, then he said with us two rak'ahs of prayer reciting therein the qirā'at aloud.4
(B. 15:17.)
3. The eclipse prayer is a congregational service in which both men and women take part (B. 16:10). The particular eclipse which is spoken of in this hadīth occurred on the very day on which Ibrāhīm, the Holy Prophet's eighteen months old son, died (B. 16:17).
4. This was a special service for rain held in an open place. Prayer may also be offered for rain without holding a special service (H xi. 13, B. 11:35).

ĪD SERVICE


'ĪD SERVICE


1. "It is not their flesh nor their blood that reaches Allāh, but to Him is acceptable righteousness on your part" (22:37). 2. "When they fall down eat of them and feed the poor man who is contented and the beggar" (22:36). The word 'Īd (from 'āda, he or it returned) is literally "the time of return of joy and of grief" (LL), and hence it comes to indicate a festival or a periodical festival, The word 'Īd itself occurs in the Holy Qur'ān only in connection with the prayer of Jesus for bread for his disciples in the sense of an ever-recurring happiness (5:114). There are two festivals among the Muslims (h. 3), the festival of sacrifices, called 'Īd al-Adzhā, (dzuhā meaning early part of the day, and dzāhhā, he sacrificed a victim in the time of dzuhā, and the festival of breaking fasts, called 'Īd al-Fitr (fatara meaning he split a thing, and aftara, he broke the fast). In the Holy Qur'ān, a reference to 'Īd al-Adzhā is contained in the course of the mention of the sacrifice which is the chief feature of that day (v. 1-2).
The dates for the two 'Īds are determined with reference to the appearance of the new moon, and hence certain rules are laid down when there is doubt about it (hh. 1, 2) The festivals start, not with any physical enjoyment but with an act of bowing before God. so that the spiritual awakening thus brought about may serve as a restraint on physical enjoyment (h. 3). A sermon is delivered by the imām after two rak'ahs of prayer have been said. and stress is laid in it on matters relating to the welfare of the community (hh. 3, 4). No adhān is delivered, nor the iqāmah; a number of additional takbīrs is, however, pronounced during the service (hh. 5. 6). Women and children are also required to join in the service and listen to the sermon (hh. 7, 8). The 'Īd service is held wherever there is a number of Muslims, whether it is a town or a village or a solitary place (h. 8). In the 'Īd al-Fitr it is necessary to take some food before going out to pray (h. 9). The taking of a bath is also necessary (h. 10). The 'Īd prayer should be said at an early hour, say by breakfast time (h 11). The Holy Prophet generally took a different route on returning from the place of prayer (h. 12). Sacrifice should not be offered until prayer has been said (h. 13), Everyone who has the means is required to sacrifice an animal (h. 14). Some details regarding the animals to be sacrificed are given in (hh. 15, 16). One goat
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or one sheep is sufficient for one man or one household, but seven men may be partners in one cow or one camel (h. 17). The animals may be sacrificed either on the day of 'Īd or on the two following days (h. 18). A part of the meat of the animal sacrificed is distributed among the poor, and the price of the skin must be devoted to charitable objects (H. xviii:26). A charitable institution is also connected with the 'Īd al-Fitr in the form of Fitr charity which must be collected at a central place and then distributed (hh. 19. 20). When the 'Īd occurs on a Friday, the Friday service becomes optional (h. 21). A little music or sport is not prohibited on the 'Īd day (h. 22).
1 Ibn 'Umar reported that,
The Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, mentioned Ramadzān and said:
"Do not keep the fast until you see the new moon, and do not discontinue the keeping of fast until you see it (again), and if it be veiled to you (by cloud, etc.), have it measured."
(B. 30:11.)
2 Ibn 'Umar reported that,
The Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, said:
"The month is (sometimes) twenty-nine nights, so do not keep the fast until you see (the new moon), and if it be veiled to you (by cloud, etc.), then complete the number thirty."1
(B. 30:11)
1. The interval between one new moon and the next is sometimes twenty-nine days and sometimes thirty. If there is cloud or mist, and the new moon cannot p. 167 be seen, there are two ways suggested to determine its appearance; either thirty days may be completed (h. 2), or the appearance of the new moon may be determined by calculation based on the course of the moon (h. 1). According to another hadīth (B. 30:13), the Arabs did not keep an account of the course of the moon, and therefore the easier way for them was to complete the interval of thirty days. It follows, therefore. that it is not forbidden for a people who keep the account to determine the appearance of the moon from its course. This would bring about more uniformity in the observance of the 'Īd in one country. Wireless, however, has made uniformity possible even if the actual appearance of the moon is depended upon.
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3 Abū Sa'īd said,
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, used to go forth on the day of the Fitr and the Adzhā to the Musallā; so the first thing that he did was the saying of prayer; then he turned and stood facing the people while the people were sitting in their rows, and he admonished them and gave them injunctions and commands; then if he intended to raise an army, he gave the orders for it, or if he intended to command any (other) thing, he commanded it; then he returned.2
(B. 13:6.)
2. The Musallā (lit. the place of prayer) means here the place where the 'Īd service was generally held. In the 'Īd service, the prayers were said first and the sermon delivered afterwards. The sermon not only contained general injunctions but also dealt with measures relating to the welfare of the community.
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4 Ibn 'Abbās reported that,
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, said two rak'ahs of prayer on the day of the Fitr, and he did not say any prayer before it, nor after it; then he came to the women and with him was Bilāl, and he commanded them to give charity; so they began to throw away (their ornaments),--a woman gave away her ear-ring and her necklace.3
(B. 13:8)
5 Jābir ibn Samurah said,
I said both the 'Īd prayers with the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, not once or twice, without adhān and without iqāmah.
(M-Msh. 4:47.)
6 Kathīr reported on the authority of his grandfather that,
3. In the sermon the men were asked to join the army if the raising of an army was necessary, and the women were asked to contribute to the expenses. Charity in the Holy Prophet's day was directed as much towards the defence of the community as towards the help of the poor.
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The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, uttered takbīrs in both 'Īd services seven times in the first (rak'ah) before the recitation (of the Fātihah), and five times in the second (rak'ah) before recitation.'
(Tr-Msh. 4:47.)
7 Umm 'Atiyyah said,
We (women) were commanded to go forth on the day of 'Īd, in so far as to make a virgin leave her curtain and to require (even) menstruating women to turn out; and they (the women) were behind the men, and they uttered the takbīr, along with their takbīr, and they made their supplications along with their supplications, hoping for the blessings of that day and its purification.5
(B. 13:12 )
4. According to another hadīth, four takbīrs were uttered (AD-Msh. 4:47).
5. All women, even young girls, were commanded to go forth for the 'Īd service. Menstruating women took part in all functions: only they did not join the prayer-service (B. 13:15).
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8 Anas ordered his slave
Ibn Abū 'Utbah at Zāwiya, so he gathered together the people of his household and his sons, and held prayer service just as the residents of the towns hold prayer service and utter takbīrs.
(B. 13:25)
9 Anas said,
The Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, did not go out on the morning of the day of the Fitr till he had eaten some dates.6
(B. 13:4.)
10 Ibn 'Abbās said,
The Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, used to take a bath on the day of the Fitr and the day of the Adzhā.
(IM. 5:166)
6. Being the festival of breaking fasts, it is necessary that something should be eaten before prayer, According to another hadīth, food should be taken on the 'Id al-Adzhā after prayers have been said, but this perhaps refers to partaking of the meat of the animal sacrificed.
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11 It is reported on the authority of 'Abd Allāh ibn Busr that,
He went forth with the people on the day of the Fitr or the Adzhā, and disapproved of the delay of the imām and said, We used to have finished by this time; and it was the time of the prayer after sunrise.7
(IM. 5:170)
12 Jābir said,
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, used to change the route on the day of the 'Īd.
(B. 13:24.)
13 Barā' said,
I heard the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, delivering a sermon, so he said
"The first thing that we do on this day of ours is
7. The time of the 'Īd prayer is the breakfast time.
8. He went to the place of prayer by one way and came back by another, so that greater numbers of the public might see with their own eyes that Muslims sought communion with the Divine Being even in their festivals.
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that we say prayers, then we go back and sacrifice (an animal); so whoever does (this) abides by our sunnah."9
(B. 13:3.)
14 Abū Hurairah said,
The Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, said:
"Whoever has the means but does not sacrifice (an animal), let him not come to our place of prayer."
(Ah. II, 321.)
15 Jābir said, The Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, said:
"Do not slaughter but a musinnah, unless it is difficult for you (to get it); in that case, slaughter a jadha'ah from among the sheep.10
(M-Msh. 4:48.)
9. This relates to the 'Īd al-Adzhā. Sacrifice was not allowed before prayers, for such procedure would have given precedence to the physical enjoyment of partaking of meat over the spiritual bliss of bowing before God.
10 Musinnah means full-grown, "and is applied to an animal of the ox-kind and to the sheep or goat, at the least in the third year." Jadhā'ah "as applied to a sheep, a year old: and sometime less than a year...; or eight months old or nine... or from six months old to seven........and applied to a goat a year old.......; applied to a bull, in his second year or in his third year: and applied to a camel in his fifth year" (LL).
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16 Barā ibn 'Āzib reported that,
The Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, was asked as to what sacrifices should be avoided. He pointed out with his hand and said:
"Four: The lame one whose limping is manifest and the blind of one eye whose disfigurement is manifest, and the diseased one whose disease is manifest, and the emaciated one which has no marrow left in its bones."11
(AD-Msh. 4:48.)
17 Jābir reported that,
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, said,
"(Sacrifice of)18 a cow (suffices) for seven, (persons) and that of a camel for seven (persons).
(M-Msh. 4:48.)
11. This shows that the animal to be sacrificed should be healthy and sound, without any manifest disfigurement.
12. One goat or one sheep for one man or one household is the rule, but a cow or a camel would suffice for seven, the latter even for ten according to another Hadīth (Tr-Msh. 4:48).
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18 Ibn 'Umar said,
Al-Adzhā 'lasts two days after the day of Adzhā.13 (M-Msh. 4:48.)
19 Ibn 'Umar said,
The Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, made the charity of the Fitr-one sā' of dates or one sā' of barley -obligatory on every slave and free man, male and female, minor and major, from among Muslims, and ordered that it should be paid before people go out for ('Īd) prayer." (13. 24. 70.)
13. The animal to be sacrificed may be slaughtered on the day of the 'Īd after the prayers have been said or at any time during the two following days, these being the days of the pilgrims' stay in Minā.
14. Charity, like prayer, constitutes a distinguishing characteristic of both 'Id festivals. In the 'Īd al-Adzhā, charity takes the form of the distribution of the meat of the sacrificed animal, and the price of its skin which must be devoted to some charitable object; and in the 'Īd al-Fitr, it is made obligatory in the form of Fitr charity. The sā' was an Arab measure for grain weighing about four seers. Under present conditions money-value of the sā' would be about four annas in Pakistan, and that may safely be taken as the standard for Fitr charity for each individual, including children.
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20 Abū Hurairah said,
The Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, appointed me to guard the charity of Ramadzān.15
(B. 40:10)
21 Ibn 'Umar said,
Two 'Īds occurred together16 in the time of the Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, So he performed the ('Īd) prayer with the people, then said: "Whoever desires to come to the Friday service, he may come; and whoever desires to remain absent, he may remain absent."
(I M. 5:166.)
22 'Ā'ishah reported that,
'Abū Bakr paid her a visit in the days of Minā, and with her were two girls playing on a tambourine
15. In the Holy Prophet's time, the Fitr charity was collected at a centre and then distributed. The present practice in the Muslim world to leave it to individual choice is against the Holy Prophet's Sunnah. Worked out as an institution as it was in the Holy Prophet's time, it can prove a source of immense benefit to the Muslim community.
16. By two 'Īds are meant the 'Īd and Friday.
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and beating (it), and the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, covered himself up with his cloth. Abu Bakr upbraided them, but the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, uncovered his face and said: "Leave them alone, O Abū Bakr! for these are the days of 'Īd."
(B. 13:25.)

FRIDAY SERVICE


FRIDAY SERVICE


"O you who believe! When the call is given for prayer on Friday, hasten to the remembrance of Allāh and leave off business" (62: 9). Jumu'ah (from jama'a, he gathered together) is literally congregation; it is the name by which the sixth day of the week is known. The verse quoted above contains an express commandment to all Muslims to leave off business of every kind to join it. The prevalent idea that Friday service can be held only in big towns or under Muslim rule has no sanction in the Holy Qur'ān, which requires all Muslims wherever they may be to join it. Hadīth makes it further clear. In the Holy Prophet's time, Friday service was held at Juwāthā, a village in Bahrain (h. 1). It was held even in a place where some Muslims had settled temporarily for management of a tract of land (h. 2). Omitting the Friday service without good reason is considered as one of the gravest sins (h. 3). Even women should try to attend the Friday service (h. 4), and also those who are journeying (h. 5), But when the inconvenience is too great, attendance is not compulsory (B. 11:13). Time for the Friday service is the same as that for the Zuhr prayer (h. 6) though on account of the larger numbers attending the service an additional adhān has become the practice (h. 7), Every Muslim must try to take bath before attending the congregation and cleanse his mouth and use scent if possible (h. 8). Two sunnahs must be said before the service is held (h. 9). The service must be preceded by a sermon which constitutes an integral part of it (hh. 10-13). The service itself consists of two rak'ahs (h. 14), in which the Holy Qur'ān is recited in a loud voice (h. 15).
1 Ibn 'Abbās said,
The first Friday service, after the Friday service in the mosque of the Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him,
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was that held in the mosque of 'Abd al-Qais at Juwāthā in Bahrain.1
(B. 11:11.)
2 Yūnus said, Ruzaiq ibn Hukaim wrote to Ibn Shihāb,
What is thy opinion--should I hold the Friday service? And Ruzaiq was manager of a certain land on which be worked and there was a party of Negroes and others besides them there, and Ruzaiq was then the governor of Ailah. So Ibn Shihāb wrote, while I heard, commanding him to hold the Friday service.2
(B. 11:11)
3 Abu-l-Ja'd said, The Messenger of Allāh,
1. Juwāthā was a village in Bahrain, and Bukhārī's heading of the chapter in which this hadīth is mentioned is "Friday service in towns and villages."
2. In this case, it was not even a village where Friday service was held. There were only some workers on the field, and the manager of the land was required to look after their spiritual needs and hold a Friday service for them. Ruzaiq was governor of Ailah under Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Azīz.
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peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, said:
"Whoever omits three Friday services making light of it, Allāh sets a seal on his heart."
(AD-Msh. 4:41)
4 Ibn 'Umar said,
A wife of 'Umar used to attend the morning and 'Ishā' prayers in congregation in the mosque. It was said to her, Why dost thou go forth and thou knowest that 'Umar does not like this and is averse (to it). She said, What prevents him from prohibiting me? He said, What prevents him is the saying of the Messenger of Allāh:
"Do not prohibit the handmaids of Allāh from attending the mosques of Allāh."
(B. 11:12.)
3. Women were required to attend the 'Īd gatherings, and their presence at the Friday service is of the utmost importance for the welfare of the Muslim community; and, therefore, even if it may not be obligatory for them, they should generally attend the Friday service so far as is consistent with their duties. The words of the Holy Prophet quoted here include the Friday service along with other prayers.
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5 It is reported on the authority of Zuhrī,
When the Mu'adhdhin gives a call for prayer on Friday, and there is one who is journeying, it is incumbent on him that he should attend.
(B. 11:17.)
6 Anas reported that
The Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, used to hold the Friday service when the sun declined.
(B. 11:15)
7 Sā'ib said,
The first call on Friday, in the time of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, and Abu Bakr and 'Umar, was sounded when the imām ascended the pulpit; but when (the time of) 'Uthmān came and the number of people became very great, he added a third call at the Zaurā.4
(B. 11:21.)
4. The additional adhān is called the third adhān--actually it is the first--, the ordinary adhān and the iqāmah being the other two. As the hadīth shows, this adhān, delivered some time before the imām ascended the pulpit. was meant to inform the people that they should get ready for the prayer, and it was, therefore, delivered at Zaurā', a place in the market of Madīnah.
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8 Abū Sa'īd said,
I bear witness to the Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, saying,
"It is incumbent on every one who has attained to puberty that he should take a bath on Friday, and that he should use the tooth-brush, and that he should use scent if he can get it."
(B. 11:3.)
9 Jābir said, A man came while the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, was delivering the sermon to the people on Friday. So he said, "Hast thou said the prayer, O such a one?" He said, No. He said, "Get up and say two rak'ahs of prayer."5
(B. 11:32.)
10 Abū Sa'īd al-Khudrī reported that
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, one day ascended the pulpit
5. Two rak'ahs of prayer must be said before the service is held. Two rak'ahs are also said after the service is over, as in the Zuhr prayer.
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and we sat around him.6
(B. 11:27.)
11 Ibn 'Umar said,
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, used to deliver the sermon standing, then he sat down, then he stood up again, as you do now.7
(B. 11:26.)
12 Salmān said on the authority of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, "One should remain silent when the imām speaks."
(B. 11:35)
13 Anas said,
While the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, was delivering the Friday sermon, a man stood up and said, O Messenger of Allāh! Horses have perished, goats have perished; pray to Allāh that He may send us
6. The imām sits on the pulpit and a call for prayer is then sounded. He then stands up and delivers the sermon, as the next hadīth shows.
7. The Friday sermon is thus divided into two parts, the imām sitting down to take a little rest in the middle. The Holy Prophet used to take some verse of the Holy Qur'ān as his text, which he explained to the audience. The object of the sermon is to give true guidance to the congregation on the various questions of life; and it is, therefore, quite meaningless to deliver the sermon in Arabic to people who do not understand that language.
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rain. So he raised his hands and prayed.
(B. 11:34.)
14 Abu Hurairah said,
The Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, said:
"Whoever joins in one rak'ah of the Friday service, he should add to it another, and whoever misses both rak'ahs, he should say four (rak'ahs)," or he said, "the Zuhr."
(DQ-Msh. 4:45.)
15 Ibn 'Abbās reported on the authority of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him,
He used to recite (on Friday) al-Sajdah (ch. 32) and Hal atā 'ala-l-insāni (ch. 76) in the morning prayer, and al-Jumu'ah (ch. 62) and al-Munāfiqūn (ch. 63) in the Friday service.9
(Ah. I, 340.)
8. The Friday service thus consists of two rak'ahs of prayer, and whoever misses both should say the Zuhr prayer.
9. This shows that the Holy Qur'ān was recited in a loud voice in the Friday service.

PRAYER-SERVICE




1. "O you who believe! Go not near prayer when you are intoxicated until you know what you say" (4:43). 2. "And when you journey in the earth, there is no blame on you if you shorten the prayer" (4:10).
3. "And when thou art amongst them and leadest them in prayer, let a party of them stand up with thee ........ then when they have prostrated themselves, let them go to your rear, and let another party who have not prayed come forward and pray with thee" (4:102).
4. ''And they who pass the night prostrating themselves before their Lord and standing" (25:64).
5. "Thou wilt see them bowing down, prostrating themselves, seeking grace from Allāh and pleasure" (48:29).
6, "O you who believe! Bow down and prostrate yourselves and serve your Lord" (22:77).
7. "Those who remember Allāh, standing and sitting." (3:190).
Every prayer-service consists of two, three or four units (h. 1), the unit being called a rak'ah (lit., an act of bowing) which consists of qiyām (standing) rukū' (bowing of the head and body). sajdah (prostration) and jalsah or qa'dah (sitting), in the order in which they are mentioned. These are all the worshipful positions which a man can adopt, and they are mentioned in the Holy Qur'ān in different places, not of course in this order (vv. 3-7.) It will be noted that after giving the number of rak'ahs in a particular prayer it is added. "and after it two rak'ahs" (h. 1). This latter is the supererogatory part (nafl), which is said singly and is commonly known as sunnah (the Prophet's practice), as distinguished from the congregational prayer which is called maktūbah (obligatory) (H. vii:4), and is commonly known as fardz. There is perfect agreement in the whole Muslim world as to the number of rak'ahs in the congregational service. In the case of prayers consisting of four fardz rak'ahs, the number of rak'ahs is halved when journeying, while the sunnah may be
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dropped altogether (v. 2; h. 32). A full description of the different postures of the rak'ahs--a practical revelation to the Holy Prophet (H. ix:3)--and the arrangement in which they follow each other are given in h. 3. Further details relating to these postures are contained in hh. 4-7.
Every posture or change from one posture to another is connected with some kind of dhikr,* and the man who prays should know its significance (v. 1; h. 8). The most frequently occurring dhikir in prayer is the takbīr (magnifying). i.e., the utterance of Allāhu Akbar (Allāh is the Greatest ). These words are uttered first when a man begins the prayer-service and then on every change from one position to another, except when he rises from rukū' (h. 9). An additional dhikr after rising from rukū' is mentioned in h. 19. After the first utterance of Allāhu Akbar, one or other of the dhikrs mentioned in hh. 10, 11 is uttered in a voice audible to oneself only. The latitude given in this matter shows that any other prayer may be added. It is, however, with the Fātihah that the service really opens (h. 12). It is so essential to prayer, that without it no prayer is acceptable (h. 13). The recital of the Fātihah is followed by Āmīn, which should be uttered in a loud voice when the Fātihah is recited in a loud voice (h. 14). In the first two rak'ahs the Fātihah is followed by the recital of any portion of the Holy Qur'ān (hh. 15, 16). There are many forms of dhikr for rukū' and sajdah (hh. 17, 18). to which any prayer in any language may be added, especially in sajdah in which state a person is enjoined to make most petitions, as he is nearest to God when he humbles himself most (h. 21). in fact, the whole of the prayer-service is a petition to the Divine Being, and any prayer may he addressed in any position, so much so that the Holy Prophet used to address prayers even when reciting the Holy Qur'ān (b.18). Special intercessory prayers were offered on rising from rukū (h. 20). A prayer is also addressed in the respite between the two sajdahs (h. 22). Prayers are also offered in the sitting position (hh. 23-26). But like a petitioner who takes advantage of an opportunity for being heard, some sort of dhikr is resorted to even after the prayer is finished (hh 28, 29). The service ends with taslīm (h. 27).
Some points of minor importance are added at the end. The first relates to the procedure to be adopted when a mistake is made through forgetfulness (hh. 30, 31); the second to prayer when journeying and to the duration of the journey (hh. 32, 33).
*. Dhikr means literally remembrance, and in relation to prayer it includes all utterances regarding the praise and glorification of God, recitations from the Holy Qur'ān and supplications to God.
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1 Ibn 'Umar said,
I prayed with the Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, when staying at home and when journeying; so he said the Zuhr prayer, when staying at home, four rak'ahs and after it two rak'ahs and he said the 'Asr prayer four rak'ahs and there was nothing after it, and he said the Maghrib prayer three rak'ahs and after it two rak'ahs and he said the 'Ishā' prayer four rak'ahs; and he said the Zuhr prayer, when journeying, two rak'ahs and after it two rak'ahs, and the 'Asr two rak'ahs and there was nothing after it, and the Maghrib three rak'ahs and after it two rak'ahs,
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and the 'Ishā' two rak'ahs and after it two rak'ahs.1
(Ah. 11, 90.)
2 'Ā'ishah reported that
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, never omitted saying four rak'ahs before Zuhr and two rak'ahs before Fajr.2
(B. 19:34.)
3 Abū Hurairah reported that
A man entered the
1. Rak'ah (from raka'a, he bent or bowed down), taken as meaning a single act of standing in prayer, is really a unit in the Islamic institution of prayer. It consists really of all the four possible worshipful positions. viz., standing, bowing down, prostration and sitting. Its full description is given in h. 4. A man first stands in prayer, then bows down, then stands upright again. then falls down in prostration. then raises himself up and sits down. then falls down in prostration again and then raises himself up again. This is called one rak'ah, After every two rak'ahs the sitting position is assumed for a longer time. The standing position is called qiyām, the bowing down rukū', the prostration sajdah and the sitting position jalsah when it is a short sitting between the two sajdahs, and qa'dah when it is a longer sitting for reciting tashahhud after two rak'ahs or at the end of prayer. This hadīth contains full details of the number of rak'ahs for the different prayers with the exception of Fajr, which consists of two rak'ahs, but the statement made here that nafl or sunnah rak'ahs were said during journeys is contradicted by Bukhārī (h. 32).
2. From the hadīth that have gone before it appears that he said two rak'ahs before Zuhr. It, is therefore, reasonable to conclude that sometimes he said two rak'ahs sunnah and sometimes four.
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mosque, and the Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, sitting in a corner of the mosque; ........ he said, Teach me, O Messenger of Allāh! He said:
"When thou risest for the prayer, then perform the ablution in a right manner, then turn thy face towards the Qiblah, then say Allāhu Akbar, then recite what thou canst afford of the Qur'ān, then bow down until thou art at rest in bowing down (rukū'), then raise thyself up until thou art firm in the standing posture, then fall down in prostration until thou art at rest in prostration, then raise thyself up until thou art at rest in sitting, then fall down in prostration until thou art at rest in prostration, then raise thyself up until thou art at
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rest in sitting3; and, according to one report, then raise thyself up until thou art firm in the standing posture; then do this in the whole of thy prayer."
(B. & M-Msh. 4:10.)
4 Abū Humaid al-Sā'idī said,
I best guard the prayer of the Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him. When he said Allāhu Akbar4 I saw him raise his hands to his shoulders; and When he performed the rukū', he firmly held his two knees with his two hands, and he bent his back (levelling it with his head); then when he raised his head, he stood erect until every bone of the spine returned to its
3. This applies when two rak'ahs have been said.
4. This is called takbīr tahrīmah, the first takbīr with which a person enters the state of prayer.
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regular place; and when he performed the sajdah, he laid his forearms (on the ground), not spreading them out as a bed, nor contracting them (to his sides), and he made the tips of the toes of his two feet face towards the Qiblah; and when he sat after (finishing) two rak'ahs, he sat on his left foot and made the right one stand erect; and when he sat after the last rak'ah, he brought forward his left foot and made the other stand erect, and sat on his sitting-place.5
(B. 10:145.)
5 Sahl ibn Sa'd said,
Order was given to the people that in prayer a
5. In this state the left foot was brought forward to make himself more at ease, as the sitting after the last rak'ah lasted longer. According to B. 10: 145. where a person is unable to take a particular position he may take any other in which he finds himself comfortable.
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man should place his right hand on his left forearm.6
(B. 10:87.)
6 Ibn 'Abbās said,
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, was commanded that he should perform sajdah on seven members of the body, the forehead7, the two hands, the two knees and the two feet, and that. he should not arrange hair nor garments (while praying).
(B. 10:131)
7 Ibn 'Umar said,
When the Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, sat in tashahhud8, he used to place his left hand on
6. This is the position of the hands in qiyām, whether the hands are placed on the breast or below the navel.
7. Including the tip of the nose (B. 10:135).
8. Tashahhud is the dhikr referred to in h 23. It is so called because it ends with the Kalimah Shahādah.
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his left knee and his right hand on his right knee.9
(M-Msh. 4:15.)
8 Anas reported on the authority of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, (who said):
"When a person is drowsy in his payers, let him go to sleep until he knows what he recites."10
(B. 4:51)
9 Abu Hurairah said,
When the Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, got up for prayer, he used to say Allāhu Akbar when he assumed qiyām;
9. The same is the position of the hands when one sits between the two sajdahs.
10. This direction shows that the Holy Prophet wanted the people to know the significance of what they recited in their prayers. Mere repetition of words without understanding their meaning does not serve the real purpose of prayer. The recitations, which are essential in prayer-service, are so few that a child, as well as an adult, can learn their significance within three months. It may. however, be noted that some of the phrases, which are more frequently repeated in prayer, are understood by Muslims generally, whether they are educated or not. such as Allāhu Akbar, Subhāna Rabbiya-l-'Āzīm, etc. Moreover, the different postures are a great help in creating a prayerful mood.
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then he said Allāhu Akbar when he bowed down for rukū'; then he said, "Allāh listens to him who praises Him", when he raised his back from rukū'; then he said while he was standing, "Our Lord, Thine is the praise then he said Allāhu Akbar when he fell down (In sajdah); then he said Allāhu Akbar when he raised his head; then he said Allāhu Akbar when he performed the (second) sajdah; then he said Allāhu Akbar when he raised his head; then he did this in the whole of his prayer until he finished it, and he said Allāhu Akbar when he rose from the sitting posture after two (rak'ahs11).
(B. 10:117.)
11. This hadīth mentions the different adhkār to be uttered in the change from one posture to another. It will be noted that except for what is uttered in rising from rukū', Allāhu Akbar (Allāh is the Greatest) is uttered in all other changes including the one when a person enters the state of prayer.
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10 Abū Hurairah said, The Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, used to remain silent between the (opening) takbīr and the recital (of the Qur'ān)--I think, he said--a little. I said, May my father and my mother be thy sacrifice, O Messenger of Allāh! thy silence between the takbīr and the recital, what sayest thou (in that interval)? He said, "I say:
'O Allāh! Keep faults as distant from me as the east is distant from the west; O Allāh! cleanse me of all faults as a white cloth is cleansed of dirt; O Allāh! wash away my faults
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with water and snow and hail."12
(B. 10:89.)
11 'Ā'ishah said,
The Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, used to say, when he opened the prayer:
"Glory to Thee, O Allāh! and Thine is the praise, and blessed is Thy name and exalted is Thy majesty and there is none to be served besides Thee"
(AD-Msh. 4:11.)
12 Anas reported that
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, and Abu Bakr and 'Umar used to open the prayer with al-hamdu lillāhi Rabbi-l-'ālamīn.13
(B. 10:89.)
12. The dhikr mentioned in this hadīth and the next goes by the name of istiftāh which means the desiring to open, the real opening of prayer being the chapter Fātihah as noted in h. 12.
13. The opening of the Holy Qur'ān is thus also the opening of prayer, Prayer is said to open with al hamdu li-llāhi (the Fātihah), because it is with this prayer that the imām opens the prayer in a loud voice, the dhikr called istiftāh being uttered individually in a voice audible to oneself only.
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13 'Ubādah reported that
'The Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, said:
"There is no prayer for him who does not recite the Opening (chapter) of the Book."14
(B. 10:95.)
14 Abu Mūsā said,
The Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, said:
"When you pray, set right your ranks; then one of you should act as your imām, so when he says the takbīr, say the takbīr, and when he says ghairi-l-maghdzūb-i 'alai-him wa la-dzzāllīn, say āmīna,15 Allāh will accept your prayer.
(M-Msh. 4:12.)
14. The Fātihah is thus an essential part of every rak'ah of every prayer. Abu Hurairah is reported to have said that the Fātihah should be recited in a low voice even when following the imām (M-Msh. 4:12).
15. Āmīna (from the root amn meaning security) occurs always with fatihah over the final letter, and it means O Allāh! Listen to or Answer my prayer or May it be so! (N). It is generally uttered at the end of prayers: when the imām utters a prayer, those who follow say āmīna, The Fātihah being a prayer is generally followed by āmīna and when the imām recites the Fatihah in a loud voice, those who follow should say āmīna in a loud voice. Bukhārī has a chapter (10:111) with the heading "The saying of the imām āmīna in a loud voice", and under this head he says: "Ibn al-Zubair and those behind him said āmīna until there was an echo in the mosque".
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15 Abū Qatādah reported that
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, used to recite Umm al-Kitāb (the Fātihah) and along with it another sūrah in the first two rak'ahs of Zuhr and 'Asr prayers, and now and then he made us hear a verse, and he used to lengthen (recital) in the first rak'ah.16
(B. 10:109.)
16 Abū Rāfi' said,
I said with Abu Hurairah the 'Ishā' prayer, and he recited Idha-l-samā' u-nshaqqat (ch. 84), and performed sajdah17. I enquired from him, and
16. In the first two rak'ahs of all prayers, some portion of the Holy Qur'ān is added to the Fātihah, but in the third and fourth rak'ahs only the Fātihah is recited. There are many hadīth in which it is related that the Holy Prophet recited such and such a sūrah in the Maghrib, 'Ishā' or Fajr prayer, the recitation in these three prayers being in a loud voice, as against the Zuhr and 'Asr prayers in which the recitation was in a voice audible to oneself.
17. There are several verses in the Holy Qur'ān, fourteen in all, the recital of which is followed by an actual prostration. One such verse occurs in ch. 84. The practice of the Holy Prophet was that he performed a sajdah on the recital of such a verse even when he recited it in prayer-service.
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he said, I performed the sajdah behind Abu-l-Qāsim, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, and I will continue to perform the sajdah in it until I meet him.
(B. 10:100.)
17 'Ā'ishah said,
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, used to say in his rukū' and in his sajdah:
"Glory to Thee, O Allāh, our Lord! And Thine is the praise; grant me protection, O Allāh!"
(B. 10:121)
18 Hudhaifah reported that
He prayed with the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, and he (the Prophet) used to say in his rukū', 'Glory to my Lord, the Great', and in his sajdah, 'Glory to my Lord, the Most High', and he did not recite any verse speaking of Divine mercy but he paused and asked (for mercy), and he did not
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recite any verse speaking of Divine punishment but he paused and sought refuge (in Allāh).18
(Tr-Msh. 4:13.)
19 Rifā'ah said,
We were one day praying behind the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, So when he raised his head from rukū' (and) said, 'Allāh listens to him who praises Him," a man behind him said, Our Lord! And Thine is the praise, abundant praise, most excellent, blessed therein. When he finished (the prayer), he said, "Who uttered (the words)?" The man said, I. He said, I saw over thirty angels hastening
18. This shows that the whole prayer should be made a supplication to God, so that even when reciting the Qur'ān in prayer one should make supplications to the Divine Being for His mercy and seek refuge in Him.
The dhikr in rukū' and sajdah, as mentioned in this hadīth, should be repeated thrice at least, as other hadīth show.
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who should write them first."19
(B. 10:126.)
20 Abū Hurairah said, O And when the Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, raised his head saying, "Allāh listens to him who praises Him, our Lord! and Thine is the praise" he used to pray for some people mentioning them by name and said:
"O Allāh! Deliver Walīd ibn al-Walīd and Salamah ibn Hishām, and 'Ayyāsh ibn Abī Rabī'ah and the weak from among the believers; O Allāh! make severe Thy hold on Mudzar and make these to them years (of draught) like the years of Joseph"20
(B. 10:128.)
19. From this it appears that those who prayed were not bound by uttering only prescribed words but were free to give vent to their feelings as best they could. The dhikr mentioned here is now generally adopted, as it was approved by the Holy Prophet.
20. The prayer after rising from rukū' is known as qunūt, the name given to the p. 149 special prayer of witr. This hadīth further shows that any petition whatsoever may be made in any posture during the prescribed prayers. The Holy Prophet spoke the Arabic language and he therefore made all supplications to God in Arabic. Following this practice everyone is at liberty to ask for anything from God in his own language.
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21 Abū Hurairah said,
The Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, said, "The nearest that the servant is to his Lord is when he is in sajdah so make most petitions (in sajdah)."21
(M-Msh. 4:14.)
22 Ibn 'Abbās said,
The Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, used to say between the two sajdahs: "O Allāh! Forgive me and have mercy on me and guide me and grant me security and grant me sustenance."
(AD-Msh. 4:14.)
21. The state of sajdah or prostration is a state of utmost humility. and the humbler a man feels before the Great Maker, the nearer he is to Him. He is told to make most of his petitions in this state. These petitions may be made in any language. Undoubtedly those made in the language which a man generally speaks would give the best expression to his deep feelings and are most fitted to lay open his mind before God.
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23 'Abd Allāh said, 'When we said our prayers with the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, we said, Peace be on Allāh from His servants........; so the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, said to us:
"Do not say, Peace be on Allāh, for Allāh is the Author of peace; but say, 'All services rendered by words and bodily actions and sacrifice of wealth are due to Allāh. Peace be to Thee, O Prophet! and the mercy of Allāh and His blessings. Peace be to us and the righteous servants of Allāh,'--for when you say this, it reaches every servant ( Of Allāh) in heaven and in earth--'I bear witness that none deserves to be worshipped
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but Allāh, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger.' Then one should choose any petition which he likes most and pray (to Allāh).22
(B. 10:150.)
24 Abd Allāh ibn Mas'ūd said,
I was saying prayers, and the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, was present and Abu Bakr and 'Umar were with him. When I assumed the sitting posture, I began with extolling Allāh, then I repeated salā on the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, then I prayed for myself." The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, said, "Ask (and) thou wilt be given,
22. As other hadīth show, this prayer is offered in the sitting position, called qa'dah, which is necessarily adopted after every two rak'ahs and after the final rak'ah. It is known as tashahhud on account of the shahādah (bearing of witness) in the concluding sentence.
23. This, of course, was as taught by the Holy Prophet himself. The extolling of Allāh is as taught in h. 23, the salā on the Holy Prophet as taught in h. 25 and the prayer for oneself as taught in h. 26 and other hadīth.
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ask (and) thou wilt be given."24
(Tr-Msh. 4:16.)
25 'Abd al-Rahmān said,
We' said, O Messenger of Allāh! How should we offer you salā? ........ He said, "Say:
'O Allāh! Exalt Muhammad and the true followers of Muhammad as Thou didst exalt Abraham and the true followers of Abraham, for Thou are Praised, Magnified. O Allāh! Bless Muhammad and the true followers of Muhammad as Thou didst bless Abraham and the true followers of Abraham, for Thou are Praised, Magnified."25
(B. & M.-Msh. 4:16.)
24. This is meant to lay stress on the fact that the observance of prayer does not mean the utterance of certain stated formulæ only; it is really an occasion of opening one's mind before the Maker to its fullest extent.
25. The salā on the Holy Prophet, as the words show, is really a prayer for the exaltation and spread of the Holy Prophet's cause; in other words, for the exaltation and spread of truth in the world.
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26 'Ā'ishah reported that
The Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, used to say in his prayers:
"O Allāh! I seek refuge in Thee from the punishment of the grave,26 and I seek refuge in Thee from the tribulation of al-Masīh al-Dajjāl27 (the Anti-Christ), and I seek
26. The grave really stands for the condition after death till the day of Resurrection.
27. Al-Masīh is the Arabic word for the Messiah or the Christ, and al-Dajjāl (from dajl meaning covering or covering of truth with falsehood) is the Anti-Christ, so called "because he will cover the earth with his adherents," or "because of his lying in arrogating to himself godship." or "because he will traverse most of the regions of earth", or "because he will cover mankind with his infidelity", or "because he will cover the truth with falsehood," or "because he will involve men in confusion or doubt by falsehood or will manifest the contrary of what he conceals," or from dajjāl, signifying gold or gold-wash for gilding, "because treasures will follow him wherever he goes," or from dajjāla, signifying a great company of men journeying together covering the ground by their multitude or carrying goods for traffic. (LL.)
The tribulation of the Anti-Christ is spoken of as the greatest tribulation that has appeared in the world, and it is stated in hadīth that the first and the last ten verses of the chapter entitled Kahf (ch. 18) afford a protection from it: "He who remembers the first ten verses of the chapter entitled the Cave is protected from the tribulation of the Dajjāl" (A.D. 36:14; Tr. 31:59; IM. 36:33; Ah. VI, 446). Now the verses referred to speak of the Christian doctrine, and therefore there is not the least doubt that the tribulation of the Dajjāl means the tribulation of the Christian or materialistic civilization with which we are faced in these days, and the name Anti-Christ given to it is due to the fact that it is opposed to the true teaching of Christ, who never taught the doctrines of Sonship and Atonement.
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refuge in Thee from the trials of life and the trials of death; O Allāh! I seek refuge in Thee from sins and from being in debt."
(B. 10:149.)
27 'Abd Allāh said,
The Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, used to utter taslīm on his right hand side, "Peace be on you and the mercy of Allāh", until the white of his right cheek could be seen, and on his left, "Peace be on you and the mercy of Allāh", until the white of his left cheek could be seen.28
(AD-Msh. 4:17.)
28 Ibn 'Abbās reported that
28. The Taslīm is the final act of prayer, and its words are the same as the words of the greetings of Muslims to each other. It may be noted that the prayer of the Muslim begins with the greatness of Allāh (in Allāhu Akbar) and ends with the mercy of Allāh (in rahmatu-llāh).
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The raising of voices with dhikr when the people turned away from the obligatory prayer was the practice in the time of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him.
(B. 10:155.)
29 Thaubān said,
When the Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, turned back from his prayer, he used to resort to istighfār thrice, and said:
"O Allāh! Thou art the Author of peace and from Thee is peace, Blessed art Thou, O Lord of Glory and Honour."
(M-Msh. 4:18.)
30 Abd Allāh ibn Buhainah ...... said,
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, led them in the Zuhr (prayer), and he stood up after the first two raka'ahs and did not sit, and the people
29. This hadīth and h. 29 speak of the dhikr uttered individually in a loud voice when the congregational service was over. The practice now generally in vogue--the imām and the congregation raising hands in silent prayer--cannot be traced to the Holy Prophet.
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stood up with him. When he finished the prayer and the people waited for taslīm, he uttered the takbīr while sitting and performed two sajdahs before he pronounced the taslīm, then he pronounced the taslīm.30
(B. 10:146)
31 Abū Sa'īd said,
The Messenger of Allāh, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, said:
"When one of you has a doubt about his prayer and he does not know how many rak'ahs he has said, whether three or four, let him dismiss the doubt and
39. The Holy Prophet forgot to sit after the second rak'ah and performed two sajdahs before taslīm. This is called sajdah al sahw, sahw meaning forgetting. Another hadīth shows that the Holy Prophet said two rak'ahs instead of four, and when he was informed of it, he first completed the number and then performed two sajdahs (B. 22:3). According to another hadīth (B. 8:31; 22:2) when five rak'ahs were said instead of four, and the Holy Prophet was informed of this after finishing the prayer, he performed only two sajdahs which were followed by taslīm. In all cases the sajdahs were followed by taslīm. only. In 22: 4, Bukhārī quotes Qatādah that there is no additional tashahhud in cases of forgetfulness. When the imām makes a mistake, any one of those following him may point it out to him simply by saying Subhān Allāh, the implication being that every human being is liable to error.
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proceed on what he is certain, then let him perform two sajdahs before he pronounces the taslīm."
(M-Msh 4:20.)
32 Hafs ibn 'Āsim said,
I asked Ibn 'Umar. He said, I have been in the company of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, and I never saw him saying the sunnah while journeying.31
(B. 18:10)
33 Ibn 'Abbās said,
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allāh be on him, stayed for nineteen days shortening the prayer, so when we were in journey for nineteen days we shortened, and when it was above that we completed (the prayer).32
(B. 18:l.)
31. The Holy Prophet. however, said the witr prayer in journey ( B. 14:6 ), and his tahajjud prayer as well (B. 18:6). The sunnah before the Fajr prayer are an exception, as one hadīth shows that he never dropped them (B. 19:22).
32. According to this hadīth. a person who has to stay at one place even for nineteen days in the course of a journey may continue to shorten the prayer. But as nineteen days is nowhere spoken of as the limit, the prayer may be shortened even for a longer period in such a case. When a person settles down at a place, the case is different, and he must complete the prayer. So also in touring when that is part of the duty of a person.