Hadith 35
Abu Hurairah, radiyallahu 'anhu, reported that the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, said:
"Do not be envious of one another; do not artificially inflate prices against one another; do not hate one another; do not shun one another; and do not undercut one another in business transactions; and be as fellow-brothers and servants of Allah.
A Muslim is the brother of a Muslim. He neither oppresses him nor humiliates him nor looks down upon him. Piety is here - and he pointed to his chest three times. It is evil enough for a Muslim to hold his brother Muslim in contempt. All things of a Muslim are inviolable for another Muslim: his blood, his property and his honour."
[Muslim]
Background
Unity is one of the greatest objectives of Islam. There are many verses in the Qur'an that urge Muslims to unite. In Surah al-'Imran, Ayah 103, Allah says:
And hold fast, all of you together, to the Rope of Allah (which is Islam) and be not divided among yourselves.
This is a very well-known verse to Muslims. In Surah al-Taubah, Ayah 71, Allah says:
The believing men and women are 'awliya' (loyal) to one another.
There are many other verses in the Qur'an that urge joining unity, as well as verses that forbid disunity. We can see this in the same Surah al-'Imran, Ayah 103, in which Allah says:
….and be not divided among yourselves.
So in the same verse the Muslims are asked to be united and prevented from disunity. The Qur'an contains many such verses, for example: Surah al-'Imran Ayah 105-107; Surah al-Hujurat Ayah 10; Surah al-An'am Ayah 153 and 159; and in Surah al-Rum Ayah 31-32. All of these verses and many others in the Qur'an forbid the division or split of the Muslim community.
Moreover, we have many hadiths that command the Muslims to be united. One hadith is recorded by Imam Muslim: "Verily Allah likes three things for you and disapproves three things for you: He is pleased with you but you worship Him and disassociate anything with him; that you hold fast to the Rope of Allah and not to be scattered (disunited); and He disapproves for you irrelevant talk, persistent questioning, and wasting of wealth."
We find that Islam commands the Muslims to practice things that will bring unity - there are conditions and actions where the Muslims need to perform to accomplish this. At the same time, we also find that there are many actions that Islam forbids because these actions may lead to the disunity of the Muslim ummah. This Hadith 35 falls in the latter category.
lessons
The first action that the hadith forbids is envy (al-hasad). Muslim scholars like Imam Ghazali and others define envy as disliking to see a person receiving a bounty and wishing that he or she (the receipient) would lose it.
Ibn Rajab gives a different and broader definition. He states in his definition that it is part of human nature that a person dislikes anyone to be better than him in virtues. He says that people differ in their attitudes and he lists five categories of envy that people have:
Why is envy (hasad) forbidden?
It can cause - by the permission of Allah - harm to others whom are envied. Consequently, they are considered as evil acts in Islam. They can cause - even by just wishing - the harming of a person. It is the virtue of Shaitan. And it is also the virtue of Jews to envy other people. This is mentioned in Surah al-Baqarah, Ayah 109 and in Surah al-Nisa', Ayah 54.
The Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, warned Muslims against envy when he said "Creeping upon you is the diseases of those people before you: envy and hatred. And hatred is the thing that shapes. I do not say it shapes the hair but it shapes the religion. By the One in whose Hand is my soul, you will not enter paradise until you believe, and you will not believe until you love one another. Certainly, let me inform you of that which may establish such things: spread the greetings and peace among yourselves." [Recorded by Imam Ahmad and Al-Tirmidhi]
Since this is a harmful act, Muslims are asked to recite certain Qur'anic verses such as Surah al-Falaq, Surah an-Nas, and Surah al-Ikhlas to protect from envious people. According to the Muslim scholars, it would be preferable to recite them after the five prayers along with Ayat-ul-Kursi.
Al-Tanajush is translated literary as "do not artificially inflate the prices against one another". Najash that is mentioned in this hadith can be interpreted, according to Ibn Rajab, in two ways:
Ibn Rajab says that this hadith is a warning to Muslims not to hate one another, especially if it is because of self-interest. Why? Because Muslims are brothers in Islam. They should love each other and should not hate one another. Consequently, al-nameemah, backbiting and slander are forbidden because they will lead to hatred among the Muslim community. Ibn Rajab says that when the Muslims started dividing into different sects because of conflicting views regarding certain religious matters, this led to disputes and hatred among the community, and thus disunity.
We should not turn our backs on one another. Ibn Rajab says this means any form of disassociation. He says that the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, said the Muslim is not allowed to disassociate himself from the others for more than three days. This is, as Ibn Rajab points out, in worldly matters. Whereas in the religious matters, disassociation is one of the punishments that Islam allows - e.g. to disassociate with those who commit sins in order to teach them a lesson. But scholars say that if the person who commits the sin is not likely to come back to the right path, then it is meaningless to disassociate with him. As one of the scholars pointed out, if the objectives of Islam are not fulfilled then disassociation is meaningless.
We should not undercut one another in business transactions. For example, if someone is trying to buy something from a salesman, in the middle of their negotiations another salesman appears and interferes and tries to get that customer to buy his product/service instead. This kind of transaction is forbidden because the customer has yet to make his final decision - it will lead to the disunity of the Muslim community.
The Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, asks us to be brothers to one another. Ibn Rajab says this is like justifying the actions that are mentioned by the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, because these evil acts will lead to spoiling the brotherhood of the Muslims. If Muslims avoid these evil acts, then this will lead them to be brothers. Moreover, Ibn Rajab says this statement implies that Muslims have to make the effort to do whatever that will lead to achieving this brotherhood. This means fulfilling all the obligations towards Muslims, for example like returning the greetings, visiting the sick, helping the needy, accepting invitations, sending presents, shaking hands, and smiling.
Then the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, says the Muslim is the brother of another Muslim. Ibn Rajab explains about this statement: "It is now obligatory for each brother that he tries to benefit his Muslim brother and to refrain from harming them." He adds that the major harm is oppression and injustice. If a Muslim is in need of your support and you fail to support or help him, this is unjust. There are many places in the Muslim world where the Muslims are in great need of help. They are being oppressed and nobody supports them. Accordingly, if we are not doing anything to help them, we are failing our Muslim brothers. We need to be united to solve the problems that we are facing today. Our main concern should be the unity of the ummah. A contemporary scholar, Abdurrahman Al-S'adi, says that one of the greatest forms of jihad is to make an effort to unite the Muslims. He states that cooperation among Muslims is an obligation.
We should not lie to our Muslim brothers. We should also refrain ourselves from belittling or making fun of other Muslims. We should not make signals or gestures that threaten the face value of our Muslim brothers. We should take care not to be cynical to others and not to undermine other Muslims.
The Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, says taqwa is in the heart. Ibn Rajab comments on this statement saying it is evidence that the most noble among people are the ones who are righteous even if they are not lucky in the sight of other people. If they are righteous, they are the most noble in the sight of Allah.
It can be said that all that has been mentioned in this hadith has to do with the heart: loving Muslims, and not to envy them. When we have taqwa in our hearts, we will not do the forbidden acts mentioned - our hearts will be purified and filled with love.
conclusion
"All things of a Muslim are inviolable for another Muslim: his blood, his property, and his honour." This important last statement, which was mentioned by the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, in his farewell sermon (hajat alwadaa'), concludes or summarises what this hadith is about. This hadith clearly states that harming others either by saying or doing is considered an evil act. Allah says:
And those who annoy believing men and women undeservedly, they bear on themselves the crime of slander and plain sin.
[Surah al-Ahzab: Ayah 58]
Allah made the believers as brothers so that they have mercy upon one another; so that they love one another; so that they help one another and support one another. This is how Muslims should be
"Do not be envious of one another; do not artificially inflate prices against one another; do not hate one another; do not shun one another; and do not undercut one another in business transactions; and be as fellow-brothers and servants of Allah.
A Muslim is the brother of a Muslim. He neither oppresses him nor humiliates him nor looks down upon him. Piety is here - and he pointed to his chest three times. It is evil enough for a Muslim to hold his brother Muslim in contempt. All things of a Muslim are inviolable for another Muslim: his blood, his property and his honour."
[Muslim]
Background
Unity is one of the greatest objectives of Islam. There are many verses in the Qur'an that urge Muslims to unite. In Surah al-'Imran, Ayah 103, Allah says:
And hold fast, all of you together, to the Rope of Allah (which is Islam) and be not divided among yourselves.
This is a very well-known verse to Muslims. In Surah al-Taubah, Ayah 71, Allah says:
The believing men and women are 'awliya' (loyal) to one another.
There are many other verses in the Qur'an that urge joining unity, as well as verses that forbid disunity. We can see this in the same Surah al-'Imran, Ayah 103, in which Allah says:
….and be not divided among yourselves.
So in the same verse the Muslims are asked to be united and prevented from disunity. The Qur'an contains many such verses, for example: Surah al-'Imran Ayah 105-107; Surah al-Hujurat Ayah 10; Surah al-An'am Ayah 153 and 159; and in Surah al-Rum Ayah 31-32. All of these verses and many others in the Qur'an forbid the division or split of the Muslim community.
Moreover, we have many hadiths that command the Muslims to be united. One hadith is recorded by Imam Muslim: "Verily Allah likes three things for you and disapproves three things for you: He is pleased with you but you worship Him and disassociate anything with him; that you hold fast to the Rope of Allah and not to be scattered (disunited); and He disapproves for you irrelevant talk, persistent questioning, and wasting of wealth."
We find that Islam commands the Muslims to practice things that will bring unity - there are conditions and actions where the Muslims need to perform to accomplish this. At the same time, we also find that there are many actions that Islam forbids because these actions may lead to the disunity of the Muslim ummah. This Hadith 35 falls in the latter category.
lessons
The first action that the hadith forbids is envy (al-hasad). Muslim scholars like Imam Ghazali and others define envy as disliking to see a person receiving a bounty and wishing that he or she (the receipient) would lose it.
Ibn Rajab gives a different and broader definition. He states in his definition that it is part of human nature that a person dislikes anyone to be better than him in virtues. He says that people differ in their attitudes and he lists five categories of envy that people have:
- There are some people who will make the effort through action or speech to abolish the bounty received by someone whom they envy.
- There are others who will then try to get that bounty transferred to them. So they firstly try to take it away from the person they envy and then they try to get it for themselves. For instance, if a certain person is offered a certain position or authority, the envious one will try to do something by hand or by speech to take away that position or authority from that person. Then he will try to get that status or position transferred to himself.
- There are some people who do not make any effort by action or speech to harm the one whom they envy. Ibn Rajab says this category of people can be of two types:
- The one who does his best to eliminate the feeling of envy within himself but he cannot overcome it. In spite of this, he keeps fighting and struggling against it. Ibn Rajab says this type of person is excused from punishment.
- The one who thinks about envy and practices it again and again. He does not make any effort to fight it even though he does not do any harm by action or speech. But he actually enjoys and practices envy - he wishes that the bounty of the envied one will be lost. Consequently, this person is subject to punishment.
- The one who does his best to eliminate the feeling of envy within himself but he cannot overcome it. In spite of this, he keeps fighting and struggling against it. Ibn Rajab says this type of person is excused from punishment.
- There are those who, whenever they envy someone, do not harm him or her. They do not even wish the loss of the bounty from the envied one. Instead, they make the effort to attain a similar bounty or virtue for themselves. Ibn Rajab says: "If this bounty is wordly virtues or worldly bounties, there is no benefit in that." For example, if you see someone who has a Mercedes, and you try to attain a similar car for yourself, then there is no benefit in that. But if it is a righteous virtue, then it is good.
- There are some people who, whenever they feel envy, do their best to stop it and they will do a favour or something good for the person whom they envied. In addition, they will also make du'a for that person until they love him - because envy is usually associated with hatred. They will wish that the envied ones are better than them - they do not bother themselves if others have things which are better than what they have. Ibn Rajab says these people are the best category of true believers since everyone is subject to indulge or be trapped by envy or being envious of others.
Why is envy (hasad) forbidden?
It can cause - by the permission of Allah - harm to others whom are envied. Consequently, they are considered as evil acts in Islam. They can cause - even by just wishing - the harming of a person. It is the virtue of Shaitan. And it is also the virtue of Jews to envy other people. This is mentioned in Surah al-Baqarah, Ayah 109 and in Surah al-Nisa', Ayah 54.
The Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, warned Muslims against envy when he said "Creeping upon you is the diseases of those people before you: envy and hatred. And hatred is the thing that shapes. I do not say it shapes the hair but it shapes the religion. By the One in whose Hand is my soul, you will not enter paradise until you believe, and you will not believe until you love one another. Certainly, let me inform you of that which may establish such things: spread the greetings and peace among yourselves." [Recorded by Imam Ahmad and Al-Tirmidhi]
Since this is a harmful act, Muslims are asked to recite certain Qur'anic verses such as Surah al-Falaq, Surah an-Nas, and Surah al-Ikhlas to protect from envious people. According to the Muslim scholars, it would be preferable to recite them after the five prayers along with Ayat-ul-Kursi.
Al-Tanajush is translated literary as "do not artificially inflate the prices against one another". Najash that is mentioned in this hadith can be interpreted, according to Ibn Rajab, in two ways:
- It can be interpreted as bai' al-najash - the trading where a person offers a high price for a certain item not for the sake of buying it but for the sake of raising the price of the item so that in the end it is sold for more than its actual price/worth. This is usually done, even in the Muslim world today, by a previous agreement by the salesman and another person or relative who pretends that he wants to buy. This is done in the stock market or auctions where there is a person who keeps bidding higher prices for an item. He is doing a favour for the person who wants to sell. This is considered as bai' al-najash. The majority of Muslim jurists (fuqaha) say it is valid. However, they say that if the buyer finds that he has been manipulated in a way where the price exceeded drastically over the actual price, then he has the choice of returning the item.
- The second interpretation of najash is a broader one, more than merely limiting it to trading. Ibn Rajab says here it means any kind of deceiving actions that will lead to harming others. He adds that all dealings that are conducted in a deceiving way are included here. He quotes Surah Fatir, Ayah 43 : "That the evil plot encompasses only him who makes it."
Ibn Rajab says that this hadith is a warning to Muslims not to hate one another, especially if it is because of self-interest. Why? Because Muslims are brothers in Islam. They should love each other and should not hate one another. Consequently, al-nameemah, backbiting and slander are forbidden because they will lead to hatred among the Muslim community. Ibn Rajab says that when the Muslims started dividing into different sects because of conflicting views regarding certain religious matters, this led to disputes and hatred among the community, and thus disunity.
We should not turn our backs on one another. Ibn Rajab says this means any form of disassociation. He says that the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, said the Muslim is not allowed to disassociate himself from the others for more than three days. This is, as Ibn Rajab points out, in worldly matters. Whereas in the religious matters, disassociation is one of the punishments that Islam allows - e.g. to disassociate with those who commit sins in order to teach them a lesson. But scholars say that if the person who commits the sin is not likely to come back to the right path, then it is meaningless to disassociate with him. As one of the scholars pointed out, if the objectives of Islam are not fulfilled then disassociation is meaningless.
We should not undercut one another in business transactions. For example, if someone is trying to buy something from a salesman, in the middle of their negotiations another salesman appears and interferes and tries to get that customer to buy his product/service instead. This kind of transaction is forbidden because the customer has yet to make his final decision - it will lead to the disunity of the Muslim community.
The Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, asks us to be brothers to one another. Ibn Rajab says this is like justifying the actions that are mentioned by the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, because these evil acts will lead to spoiling the brotherhood of the Muslims. If Muslims avoid these evil acts, then this will lead them to be brothers. Moreover, Ibn Rajab says this statement implies that Muslims have to make the effort to do whatever that will lead to achieving this brotherhood. This means fulfilling all the obligations towards Muslims, for example like returning the greetings, visiting the sick, helping the needy, accepting invitations, sending presents, shaking hands, and smiling.
Then the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, says the Muslim is the brother of another Muslim. Ibn Rajab explains about this statement: "It is now obligatory for each brother that he tries to benefit his Muslim brother and to refrain from harming them." He adds that the major harm is oppression and injustice. If a Muslim is in need of your support and you fail to support or help him, this is unjust. There are many places in the Muslim world where the Muslims are in great need of help. They are being oppressed and nobody supports them. Accordingly, if we are not doing anything to help them, we are failing our Muslim brothers. We need to be united to solve the problems that we are facing today. Our main concern should be the unity of the ummah. A contemporary scholar, Abdurrahman Al-S'adi, says that one of the greatest forms of jihad is to make an effort to unite the Muslims. He states that cooperation among Muslims is an obligation.
We should not lie to our Muslim brothers. We should also refrain ourselves from belittling or making fun of other Muslims. We should not make signals or gestures that threaten the face value of our Muslim brothers. We should take care not to be cynical to others and not to undermine other Muslims.
The Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, says taqwa is in the heart. Ibn Rajab comments on this statement saying it is evidence that the most noble among people are the ones who are righteous even if they are not lucky in the sight of other people. If they are righteous, they are the most noble in the sight of Allah.
It can be said that all that has been mentioned in this hadith has to do with the heart: loving Muslims, and not to envy them. When we have taqwa in our hearts, we will not do the forbidden acts mentioned - our hearts will be purified and filled with love.
conclusion
"All things of a Muslim are inviolable for another Muslim: his blood, his property, and his honour." This important last statement, which was mentioned by the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, in his farewell sermon (hajat alwadaa'), concludes or summarises what this hadith is about. This hadith clearly states that harming others either by saying or doing is considered an evil act. Allah says:
And those who annoy believing men and women undeservedly, they bear on themselves the crime of slander and plain sin.
[Surah al-Ahzab: Ayah 58]
Allah made the believers as brothers so that they have mercy upon one another; so that they love one another; so that they help one another and support one another. This is how Muslims should be
Hadith 36
It was related on the authority of Abu Hurairah, radiyallahu 'anhu, that the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, said:
"Whosoever relieves from a believer some grief pertaining to this world, Allah will relieve from him some grief pertaining to the Hereafter. Whosoever alleviates the difficulties of a needy person who cannot pay his debt, Allah will alleviate his difficulties in both this world and the Hereafter. Whosoever conceals the faults of a Muslim, Allah will conceal his faults in this world and the Hereafter. Allah will aid a servant (of His) so long as the servant aids his brother. Whosoever follows a path to seek knowledge therein, Allah will make easy for him a path to Paradise. No people gather together in one of the houses of Allah, reciting the Book of Allah and studying it among themselves, except that tranquility descends upon them, mercy covers them, the angels surround them, and Allah makes mention of them amongst those who are in His presence. Whosoever is slowed down by his deeds will not be hastened forward by his lineage."
[Muslim]
Background
This hadith was recorded by Imam Muslim by the above text. However, there is another version of the hadith where it was recorded by both Imam Muslim and Imam al-Bukhari with the following text:
"A Muslim is the brother of a Muslim - he does not wrong him nor does he forsake him when he is in need; whosoever is fulfilling the needs of his brother, Allah is fulfilling his needs; whosoever removes distress from a believer, Allah removes from him a distress from a distressful aspect of the Day of Resurrection; and whosoever conceals the faults of a Muslim, Allah will conceal his faults on the Day of Resurrection."
We see that in this hadith the obligations towards other Muslims are emphasised and the fulfillment of brotherhood is again stressed.
lessons
"Whosoever relieves from a believer some grief pertaining to this world, Allah will relieve from him some grief pertaining to the Hereafter."
This means that the reward of an act is of a similar nature to the act itself. Or the reward to the act is relevant to the act itself or from the same type. There are many hadiths that emphasise this principle. Grief or distress in this hadith means a great difficulty or hardship a Muslim is facing. In one version of the hadith, it is stated as "whosoever relieves" and in another version "whosoever removes". There is obviously a difference between the two versions because 'to relief' means to minimise the difficulty or distress, whereas 'to remove' means to totally eradicate the difficulty or hardship.
Ibn Rajab says the one who successfully removes a grief or distress that a Muslim is encountering will be rewarded more than the one who helps and tries his best to minimise the consequences of a certain difficulty. This is natural because there are two different situations: The first one is related to the capacity of the person who is able only to minimise the distress. The other situation is not just a matter of capacity but also a willingness to do more to remove the distress totally. Ibn Rajab emphasises that we have to motivate Muslims to help others and to remove the distress or difficulties of one another.
The Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, says that the reward for the removal or relief of the distress of a Muslim will be rewarded by a removal of a similar distress or difficulty in the Hereafter. Ibn Rajab questions the difference between the two situations where in the first one the hadith mentioned only the relief or removal of the distressful aspect of the Hereafter and not in this world. He says that not everyone is subject to such distress in this world - this is contrasted to ale'sar (unable to repay). He explains that since the difficulties of this life are incomparable to the distress aspects of the Hereafter (which nobody can endure as it is beyond human capacity), Allah reserves the reward for removing a distress of a distressful aspect of this life until the Day of Judgment.
"Whosoever alleviates the difficulties of a needy person who cannot pay his debt, Allah will alleviate his difficulties in both this world and the Hereafter."
Here, it is not wise or appropriate for a Muslim to demand his money back from a poor or needy Muslim who honestly cannot afford to pay him. He should either give him a chance until he is able to repay his money or forgive him. The first choice is an obligation because Allah commands us to do so in Surah al-Baqarah, Ayah 280. The second way of alleviation is that the person who is owed the money might forgive the borrower and try to help him not just by giving him more time but also by reducing the amount of money owed or forgiving him.
The Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, says in one of his great hadiths: "A man of the previous nations was very rich and people used to borrow money from him. Not only did he lend them money, which is indeed a good deed, but he also asked his sons to alleviate and forgive those who could not repay the money." The Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, says that in the Hereafter Allah will reward him and forgive his sins because of his generosity. Allah says in Surah al-Furqan, Ayah 26 that "it will be a very hard day for the disbelievers". This means that there is a situation where a person who is kind to those in need and Allah will relief that person by rewarding him a great reward from Allah's Mercy and Help.
"Whosoever conceals the faults of a Muslim, Allah will conceal his faults in this world and the Hereafter."
Ibn Rajab says that people can fall into two categories:
The statement in this hadith does not apply to the second category of people. The general rule that we derive from the hadith is that Muslims should not reveal the mistakes of their Muslim brothers to others. Some Muslims today take it as a topic for fun and entertainment to reveal the mistakes of others even on very minor issues. As Muslims we should refrain ourselves from such acts. Consequently, the reward will be that Allah will conceal our faults from others. In this life we are subject to faults. If we do not conceal the faults of others, Allah will put us in a situation where our faults will be exposed to other people and everyone will be talking about them. So the punishment is relevant or of the same nature of the act if it is a bad act.
Another thing that is also worth mentioning is the faults of the ulama' or scholars. Nowadays we can notice a very strange attitude coming from some seekers of knowledge who try to find out and reveal the mistakes of very well-known scholars. This sort of situation is even worse because they are revealing the mistakes of not just regular persons. If it is a matter of academic discussion or research, we should handle it in an appropriate way that upholds the status of our scholars.
"Allah will aid a servant (of His) so long as the servant aids his brother."
This statement is a principle. Before this statement, the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, gives us three examples of Allah helping those who help others.
But should we confine ourselves only to the needy mentioned in the hadith? Of course not. The Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, wants to convey to us that we should help our brothers in any way possible. There are hundreds of forms of need. For example, helping the blind to cross the street or any of the great and charitable acts that are mentioned in Hadiths 25 and 26. The greater the help, the greater the reward. This is something that Muslims should take seriously because if we have a community which care about each other and help one another, then there would be no needy. This should be our attitude - we should seek to be motivated to offer our help at any time to our Muslim brothers.
"Whosoever follows a path to seek knowledge therein, Allah will make easy for him a path to Paradise."
Here we can find the encouragement of Islam in seeking and gaining knowledge. The knowledge seekers will be rewarded if the knowledge is beneficial to oneself as well as for the betterment of the Muslim community.
This statement of the hadith can be interpreted in 3 ways:
Ibn Rajab classifies ilm (knowledge) into two types:
"No people gather together in one of the houses of Allah, reciting the Book of Allah and studying it among themselves, except that tranquility descends upon them, mercy covers them, the angels surround them, and Allah makes mention of them amongst those who are in His presence."
Here the hadith implies a preferable act: to go to the mosque, to recite and study the Qur'an, or attending lectures. Ibn Rajab says that this can be applied to all branches of knowledge and not just the Qur'an. The hadith mentions four rewards for those who gather in the mosque:
"Whosoever is slowed down by his deeds will not be hastened forward by his lineage."
This indicates that doing deeds are the means of getting the rewards and that will lead a person to Paradise. Allah says: "For all shall be judged against their actions". If the good deeds are not enough, the person's lineage or ancestry will not benefit him. This is because Allah made rewards related to good deeds and not lineage.
No ties of kinship will prevail amongst them.
[Surah al-Mu'minun: Ayah 101]
conclusion
"A Muslim is the brother of a Muslim; he does not wrong him nor does he forsake him when he is in need; whosoever is fulfilling the needs of his brother, Allah is fulfilling his needs."
This version of the hadith starts by stating a great principle: Muslims are brothers - one will not harm another nor will he do injustice or fail him when he is in need. Then the hadith states a motivation factor: Whosoever is fulfilling the needs of his brother, Allah is fulfilling his needs.
This version is more than simply stating a principle - it can be taken as a motivation for helping other Muslims, especially those who are in need. We just need to imagine the situation of the ummah when we help each other and fulfill the needs of others. We will end up being a better society, with less needy people, and stronger social ties that will lead to the strength of the Muslim ummah at large.
The fourteen Sajad-I Tilawat
1-7:Al-a’raf 206 2-13:Ar-Rad
15 3-16:An-Nahl
49
4-17:Al-Israa 109 5-19:Maryam
58
6-22:Hajj 18 7-25:Al
Furqan 60
8-27:An-Naml 26 9-32:Sajda
15
10-38:Sad 24 11-41:Ha-Mim
38
12-53:An-Najm 62 13-84:Al-Inshiqaq 21
14-96:Al-Alaq 19
The Prostration of Qur'an Recitation (SAJDA-I TILAWAT)
Excellence of prostration during the Quranic recitation:
Abu Hurairah narrates that the Prophet sallallahu alehi
wasallam said: "If a son of Adam recites an 'ayyah of prostration and
prostrates, the Satan departs from him and cries: 'O woe, he was ordered to
prostrate and he did, so for him is paradise. I was ordered to prostrate and I
disobeyed, so for me is the Hell." [Ibn-e-Maaja]
There are fourteen places of sajdah-e-tilaawat in the Quran.
Wherever the word "sajdah" appears on the margin of the Quran, then
on reciting that verse, sajdah becomes wajib. This sajdah is known as
sajdah-e-tilaawat.
The method of making sajdah-e-tilaawat is as follows: the
person should say Allahu Akbar and go into sajdah. When saying Allahu Akbar the
hands should not be raised. While in sajdah, he should say: Sub-hana Rabbi-al
Aala, at least three times. Thereafter, he should say Allahu Akbar and raise
his head. The sajdah-e-tilaawat is now complete.
It is preferable to stand up, say Allahu Akbar and go into
sajdah. And thereafter to say Allahu Akbar and stand up from the sajdah. It is
also permissible to go into sajdah and come up from it while in the sitting
position without standing up at all.
Sajdah-e-tilaawat becomes wajib on the person who recites a
verse of sajdah and also on the person who hears it being recited. This is
irrespective of whether the person had sat down with the intention of listening
to the Quran, whether he was preoccupied with some work, or whether he heard it
without intending to listen to it. It is therefore better to recite the verse
of sajdah softly so that sajdah-e-tilaawat does not become wajib on anyone
else.
Those factors that are a prerequisite for salaat are also
prerequisites for sajdah-e-tilaawat. That is, the person must be in a state of
wudu, the place must be clean, the body and clothing must be pure, sajdah must
be made in the direction of the qiblah, etc.
Sajdah-e-tilaawat should be made in the same way as sajdah
is made in salaat. Some people make their sajdah on the Quran itself. Sajdah in
this manner is not valid and one is not absolved from this wajib.
If a person does not have wudu at that time, he could make
wudu at a later stage and then make the sajdah. It is not necessary to make
sajdah immediately. However, it is better to make it immediately because it is
possible that the person might forget later.
If a person has several sajdah-e-tilaawats to make and has
not made them till now, he should make them now. He should make them at some
time or the other of his life. If he does not do so he will be sinning.
If a woman hears a verse of sajdah while she is in her haid
or nifaas, sajdah-e-tilaawat is not wajib on her. But if she hears it when she
is in a state when ghusl was wajib on her, it will be wajib on her to make
sajdah-e-tilaawat after having a bath.
If a person hears the verse while he is very ill and does
not have the strength to make sajdah, he should make sajdah-e-tilaawat just as
he makes the sajdah of salaat through gestures.
If a person recites a verse of sajdah while he is in salaat,
then upon reciting the verse he should immediately go into sajdah, thereafter
continue with the rest of the Surah, and then go into ruku. If a person does
not go immediately into sajdah, but goes into sajdah after reciting two or
three more verses, this sajdah will still be proper. And if he recites several
more verses and then goes into sajdah, the sajdah will be proper but he will be
sinning.
If he recites a verse of sajdah while in salaat but does not
make sajdah in the salaat, the sajdah will not be valid if he makes it out of
salaat. He will remain a sinner forever. Now there is no way of absolving
himself except through repentance and seeking forgiveness.
If a person recites a verse of sajdah and immediately
thereafter goes into ruku and makes this intention that he is making this ruku
for the sajdah-e-tilaawat as well, even then the sajdah will be considered to
be valid. If he did not make this intention in his ruku, the sajdahs that he
makes after the ruku will also suffice for the sajdah-e-tilaawat. This is
irrespective of whether he makes any intention or not.
While in salaat, a person hears a verse of sajdah being
recited by someone else. He should not make sajdah-e-tilaawat in his salaat but
after completing his salaat. If he makes it in his salaat it will not be valid.
He will have to repeat it, and he will also be committing a sin.
A person was sitting in one place and reciting the same
verse of sajdah several times- only one sajdah-e-tilaawat will be wajib. He
could either recite that verse as many times as he wishes and then make one
sajdah right at the end, or he could recite that verse once, make one sajdah
and then recite that verse as many times as he wishes. But if he changes his
place, and then repeats that verse, then goes to a third place and recites that
same verse, and in this way he continues changing places and also continues
reciting that same verse - then for every time that he repeats that verse he
will have to make sajdah for it.
If a person sits at one place and recites several verses of
sajdah, he will have to make sajdah-e-tilaawat for every verse of sajdah.
While sitting down, a person recited a verse of sajdah. He
then stood up but did not move from that place of sitting, i.e. he stood on the
same spot where he had been sitting. He then repeated that same verse - he will
only have to make one sajdah-e-tilaawat.
He recited a verse of sajdah at one place, got up and went
to do some work, came back and sat at that same spot and recited that same
verse again. He will have to make two sajdahs.
While sitting in one place he recited a verse of sajdah. On
completing the recitation of the Quran, he remained sitting in that place and
started doing some other work. For example, he started eating, or a woman
started sewing or feeding her child. Thereafter he (or she) recited that same
verse of sajdah again. Even then, two sajdahs will have to be made. When a
person engages in any other task, it will be regarded as if the place has
changed.
A person recited a verse of sajdah in one corner of a small
room or verandah. He then went and recited the same verse in another corner -
even then only one sajdah will suffice irrespective of how many times he
recites that verse. However, if he commences with some other work and then
recites that verse again, he will have to make another sajdah. And if he
occupies himself with a third type of work, a third sajdah will become wajib.
If it is a big house, then by repeating the verse in another
corner, he will have to make another sajdah. And if he repeats it in a third
corner, he will have to make a third sajdah.
The rule that applies to a small room also applies to a
musjid. That is, if he repeats the same verse of sajdah several times, only one
sajdah will be wajib irrespective of whether he recites it while sitting down
in one place or he recites it while walking about in the musjid.
If a person recites the same verse of sajdah several times
in one salaat, even then he will only have to make one sajdah. If he wishes, he
could recite it for as many times as he wishes and thereafter make one sajdah,
or he could recite it once, make one sajdah and thereafter recite it as many
times as he wishes in that same rakaat or even in the next rakaat.
A person recited a verse of sajdah but did not make
sajdah-e-tilaawat. Thereafter, he stood up at that very spot, commenced
offering salaat, and recited that very verse in his salaat and also made sajdah-e-tilaawat
in his salaat. This sajdah which he made will be sufficient for both the
recitations. However, if he changed his place, it will be wajib to make two
sajdahs.
He recited a verse of sajdah and also made
sajdah-e-tilaawat. Thereafter, he stood up, commenced offering a salaat, and
recited that same verse in his salaat. Now he will have to make a sajdah again
in salaat.
The person who was reciting did not change his place. He
recited the same verse of sajdah several times. However, the place of the
person who was listening changed: he heard the verse in one place for the first
time, he then heard it in another place a second time, and in another place a
third time. Only one sajdah-e-tilaawat will be wajib on the person who was
reciting. But the person who was listening will have to make a sajdah for every
time that he hears it.
If the place of the person who was listening did not change
but the place of the person who was reciting changed, then several sajdahs will
become wajib on the person who was reciting while the person who was listening
will have to make only one sajdah.
It is makruh to recite the entire Surah and leave out the
verse of sajdah. That verse should not be left out merely to save oneself from
making sajdah. In doing so, it will be regarded as if the person is rejecting
that verse.
There is no harm in reciting the verse of sajdah only and
leaving out the entire surah. If this is done in salaat, then an additional
condition is that this one verse must be such that it equals three short
verses. However, it is better to recite a few verses together with the verse of
sajdah.
If a person hears an imam reciting a verse of sajdah and he
joins the jama'at thereafter, he should make the sajdah-e-tilaawat with the
imam. But if the imam has already made the sajdah, there are two conditions for
this: (1) If he gets that rakaat in which he heard the imam reciting the verse,
he will not have to make a sajdah. By getting that rakaat, it will be regarded
as if he got that sajdah as well. (2) He did not get that rakaat. After
completing his salaat, it will be wajib on him to make that sajdah out of
salaat.
If a verse of sajdah is heard from the muqtadi,
sajdah-e-tilaawat will not have to be made - not by him, not by the imam, nor
by those who are with the muqtadi in that very salaat. However,
sajdah-e-tilaawat will be wajib on those who are not with them in that salaat.
This is irrespective of whether they heard it while they were out of salaat or
whether they were offering some other salaat.
By laughing aloud in sajdah-e-tilaawat (which is offered out
of salaat), one's wudu does not break. However, the sajdah-e-tilaawat itself
becomes invalid.
If a woman stands in line with a man, the sajdah-e-tilaawat
will not become invalid.
When sajdah-e-tilaawat becomes wajib in salaat, it is wajib
to make that sajdah immediately. It is not permissible to delay it.
Sajdah-e-tilaawat which became wajib out of salaat cannot be
made in salaat. Similarly, if it becomes wajib in salaat, it cannot be made out
of salaat. In fact, it cannot even be made in another salaat. If a person
recites a verse of sajdah in salaat and does not make sajdah-e-tilaawat in
salaat, the sin for that will rest on his shoulders. He can do nothing except
make taubah and ask Allah Ta'ala to forgive him through His bounty.
If two people are travelling separately on horse-back and
both of them are offering salaat while the horses are moving. And each one of
them recites the same verse of sajdah and both of them hear each others
recitation, one sajdah-e-tilaawat will be wajib on each of them. It will be
wajib to make that sajdah in their salaat. If they recited the same verse in
salaat and thereafter recited it again out of salaat, it will be wajib to make
two sajdahs. One because of recitation and the other because of listening.
However, the one that is because of
recitation will be considered to be in salaat and will
therefore have to be made in salaat. And the one that is because of listening
will be made out of salaat.
The verses of sajdah should not be recited in the jumu'ah
salaat, eid salaats, and in those salaats which are offered silently. This is
because there is a fear of putting the muqtadis into doubt.
Tahajjud for Attractiveness
The Messenger of Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said: “The best prayer, after the obligatory prayers, is the night prayer (Tahajjud).” [Muslim]
Al-Hasan was once asked: “How is it that those who stay up at night have the most attractive faces?” He replied, “Because they are on intimate terms with the Merciful, and He robes them in some of His light.” [The Purification of the Soul]
Draw near to Allah, get clothed in His light and become among the most attractive people on earth, by waking up before Fajr and praying Tahajjud!
The Hell fire is huge and immensely deep beyond imagination.
Allah (swt) says: "On the Day when We will say to Hell: 'Are you filled?' It will say, 'Are there any more to come?' ". [Qur'an 50:30]. This verse indicates the size is unlimited and there will always be room for more.
The following also indicate its size. The Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said, "Hell would be brought on that day (the Day of Judgement) with seventy bridles and every bridle would be controlled by seventy angels." [Muslim]
Abu Hurairah (ra) reported, "We were in the company of Allah's Messenger, (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) we heard the sound of a dropping object. Then Allah's apostle asked: 'Do you know what sound it is?' We said: 'Allah and His Messenger know best.' Thereupon he said: 'This is a stone which was thrown seventy years ago in Hell and it has been constantly slipping down and now it has reached its base." [Muslim]
The Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said, "Four walls surround Jahannam. The width of each wall is the walking distance of forty years"
Allahumma a'jirnaa minan naar ''O Allah save us from torment of fire'' Ameen ya Rabb!!
Jahannam and Paradise and their Dwellers
Allah states that He will say to Jahannam on the Day of Resurrection, "Have you had your fill'' Allah the Most Honored has promised Hell that it will have its fill from the Jinns and mankind. He, the Exalted and Most Honored, will decide who will be thrown into the Fire and she will keep saying, "Are there any more,'' or, `Are there any more whom You will provide me with' This is the apparent meaning of this Ayah which is supported by several Hadiths. Imam Ahmad recorded that Anas said that the Messenger of Allah said,
(The people will be thrown into Jahannam and it will say, `Are there any more' Until the Mighty Lord puts His Foot over it and its corners will be collected together and it will say, "Enough, enough by Your grace and compassion!' There will be sufficient empty space in Paradise until Allah creates another creation and He, the Exalted, makes them dwell in the empty parts of Paradise.)'' Muslim also collected this Hadith. Al-Bukhari recorded that Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet said,
(Jahannam will be asked, "Are you full'' and it will say, "Are there any more'' Until the Lord, the Blessed and Most Honored, puts His Foot over it and it will say: "Enough! Enough!'') Al-Bukhari recorded that Abu Hurayrah said that the Messenger of Allah said,
(Paradise and the Fire quarreled.
The Fire said, "I have been favored with the arrogant people and tyrants.'' Paradise said, "What is wrong with me that only the poor and humble people enter me'' Allah the Exalted and Most Honored said to Paradise, "You are My mercy, with which I grant mercy to those whom I will among My servants.'' He said to Hell, "You are My punishment which I inflict upon whom I wish from My servants, and I shall fill both of you.'' As for Hellfire, it will not have its fill until Allah puts His Foot over it and she will say, "Enough! Enough!'' She will become full and its sides will come close to each other. Allah the Exalted and Most Honored shall not be unjust to any one of His creatures. As for Paradise, Allah the Exalted and Most Honored will create another creation to fill it.)
"Whosoever relieves from a believer some grief pertaining to this world, Allah will relieve from him some grief pertaining to the Hereafter. Whosoever alleviates the difficulties of a needy person who cannot pay his debt, Allah will alleviate his difficulties in both this world and the Hereafter. Whosoever conceals the faults of a Muslim, Allah will conceal his faults in this world and the Hereafter. Allah will aid a servant (of His) so long as the servant aids his brother. Whosoever follows a path to seek knowledge therein, Allah will make easy for him a path to Paradise. No people gather together in one of the houses of Allah, reciting the Book of Allah and studying it among themselves, except that tranquility descends upon them, mercy covers them, the angels surround them, and Allah makes mention of them amongst those who are in His presence. Whosoever is slowed down by his deeds will not be hastened forward by his lineage."
[Muslim]
Background
This hadith was recorded by Imam Muslim by the above text. However, there is another version of the hadith where it was recorded by both Imam Muslim and Imam al-Bukhari with the following text:
"A Muslim is the brother of a Muslim - he does not wrong him nor does he forsake him when he is in need; whosoever is fulfilling the needs of his brother, Allah is fulfilling his needs; whosoever removes distress from a believer, Allah removes from him a distress from a distressful aspect of the Day of Resurrection; and whosoever conceals the faults of a Muslim, Allah will conceal his faults on the Day of Resurrection."
We see that in this hadith the obligations towards other Muslims are emphasised and the fulfillment of brotherhood is again stressed.
lessons
"Whosoever relieves from a believer some grief pertaining to this world, Allah will relieve from him some grief pertaining to the Hereafter."
This means that the reward of an act is of a similar nature to the act itself. Or the reward to the act is relevant to the act itself or from the same type. There are many hadiths that emphasise this principle. Grief or distress in this hadith means a great difficulty or hardship a Muslim is facing. In one version of the hadith, it is stated as "whosoever relieves" and in another version "whosoever removes". There is obviously a difference between the two versions because 'to relief' means to minimise the difficulty or distress, whereas 'to remove' means to totally eradicate the difficulty or hardship.
Ibn Rajab says the one who successfully removes a grief or distress that a Muslim is encountering will be rewarded more than the one who helps and tries his best to minimise the consequences of a certain difficulty. This is natural because there are two different situations: The first one is related to the capacity of the person who is able only to minimise the distress. The other situation is not just a matter of capacity but also a willingness to do more to remove the distress totally. Ibn Rajab emphasises that we have to motivate Muslims to help others and to remove the distress or difficulties of one another.
The Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, says that the reward for the removal or relief of the distress of a Muslim will be rewarded by a removal of a similar distress or difficulty in the Hereafter. Ibn Rajab questions the difference between the two situations where in the first one the hadith mentioned only the relief or removal of the distressful aspect of the Hereafter and not in this world. He says that not everyone is subject to such distress in this world - this is contrasted to ale'sar (unable to repay). He explains that since the difficulties of this life are incomparable to the distress aspects of the Hereafter (which nobody can endure as it is beyond human capacity), Allah reserves the reward for removing a distress of a distressful aspect of this life until the Day of Judgment.
"Whosoever alleviates the difficulties of a needy person who cannot pay his debt, Allah will alleviate his difficulties in both this world and the Hereafter."
Here, it is not wise or appropriate for a Muslim to demand his money back from a poor or needy Muslim who honestly cannot afford to pay him. He should either give him a chance until he is able to repay his money or forgive him. The first choice is an obligation because Allah commands us to do so in Surah al-Baqarah, Ayah 280. The second way of alleviation is that the person who is owed the money might forgive the borrower and try to help him not just by giving him more time but also by reducing the amount of money owed or forgiving him.
The Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, says in one of his great hadiths: "A man of the previous nations was very rich and people used to borrow money from him. Not only did he lend them money, which is indeed a good deed, but he also asked his sons to alleviate and forgive those who could not repay the money." The Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, says that in the Hereafter Allah will reward him and forgive his sins because of his generosity. Allah says in Surah al-Furqan, Ayah 26 that "it will be a very hard day for the disbelievers". This means that there is a situation where a person who is kind to those in need and Allah will relief that person by rewarding him a great reward from Allah's Mercy and Help.
"Whosoever conceals the faults of a Muslim, Allah will conceal his faults in this world and the Hereafter."
Ibn Rajab says that people can fall into two categories:
- Those who are not known for transgression or committing bad deeds. For these people, if by any chance they commit a mistake, it should not be revealed. On the contrary, it should be concealed and not even talked about.
- Those who are very well known as transgressors or wrongdoers, and who even speak proudly about their shameful and sinful acts. Ibn Rajab mentions that if there is a need to mention the qualities of these people, we should do so for the benefit of the Muslim community.
The statement in this hadith does not apply to the second category of people. The general rule that we derive from the hadith is that Muslims should not reveal the mistakes of their Muslim brothers to others. Some Muslims today take it as a topic for fun and entertainment to reveal the mistakes of others even on very minor issues. As Muslims we should refrain ourselves from such acts. Consequently, the reward will be that Allah will conceal our faults from others. In this life we are subject to faults. If we do not conceal the faults of others, Allah will put us in a situation where our faults will be exposed to other people and everyone will be talking about them. So the punishment is relevant or of the same nature of the act if it is a bad act.
Another thing that is also worth mentioning is the faults of the ulama' or scholars. Nowadays we can notice a very strange attitude coming from some seekers of knowledge who try to find out and reveal the mistakes of very well-known scholars. This sort of situation is even worse because they are revealing the mistakes of not just regular persons. If it is a matter of academic discussion or research, we should handle it in an appropriate way that upholds the status of our scholars.
"Allah will aid a servant (of His) so long as the servant aids his brother."
This statement is a principle. Before this statement, the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, gives us three examples of Allah helping those who help others.
But should we confine ourselves only to the needy mentioned in the hadith? Of course not. The Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam, wants to convey to us that we should help our brothers in any way possible. There are hundreds of forms of need. For example, helping the blind to cross the street or any of the great and charitable acts that are mentioned in Hadiths 25 and 26. The greater the help, the greater the reward. This is something that Muslims should take seriously because if we have a community which care about each other and help one another, then there would be no needy. This should be our attitude - we should seek to be motivated to offer our help at any time to our Muslim brothers.
"Whosoever follows a path to seek knowledge therein, Allah will make easy for him a path to Paradise."
Here we can find the encouragement of Islam in seeking and gaining knowledge. The knowledge seekers will be rewarded if the knowledge is beneficial to oneself as well as for the betterment of the Muslim community.
This statement of the hadith can be interpreted in 3 ways:
- Allah will make it easy for the knowledge seeker to gain the knowledge that he is seeking.
- Allah will make it easy for the knowledge seeker so that he will benefit from the knowledge he is seeking. This means that he will benefit from the knowledge and this will lead him to enter Paradise. There are many people who seek knowledge but there are no blessings in the knowledge they seek. The crucial point here is the person should seek knowledge with good intentions.
- For the one who seeks knowledge with good intentions, Allah will safely help him go through the horrible incidents and situations on the Day of Judgment.
Ibn Rajab classifies ilm (knowledge) into two types:
- The outcome of knowledge is placed in the heart. That is the knowledge about Allah and His attributes that implies fearing Allah, glorifying Him, and loving Him.
- The knowledge that we merely memorise or speak about - without our hearts being influenced or affected. This means that if the person does not abide by the knowledge that he has already obtained, then he is in a very critical situation where the he may be subject to the punishment of Allah.
"No people gather together in one of the houses of Allah, reciting the Book of Allah and studying it among themselves, except that tranquility descends upon them, mercy covers them, the angels surround them, and Allah makes mention of them amongst those who are in His presence."
Here the hadith implies a preferable act: to go to the mosque, to recite and study the Qur'an, or attending lectures. Ibn Rajab says that this can be applied to all branches of knowledge and not just the Qur'an. The hadith mentions four rewards for those who gather in the mosque:
- Tranquility - this is a great reward which includes relief from stress and being calm.
- The Mercy of Allah over them.
- The angels surrounding them.
- Allah making mention of them amongst those who are in His presence.
"Whosoever is slowed down by his deeds will not be hastened forward by his lineage."
This indicates that doing deeds are the means of getting the rewards and that will lead a person to Paradise. Allah says: "For all shall be judged against their actions". If the good deeds are not enough, the person's lineage or ancestry will not benefit him. This is because Allah made rewards related to good deeds and not lineage.
No ties of kinship will prevail amongst them.
[Surah al-Mu'minun: Ayah 101]
conclusion
"A Muslim is the brother of a Muslim; he does not wrong him nor does he forsake him when he is in need; whosoever is fulfilling the needs of his brother, Allah is fulfilling his needs."
This version of the hadith starts by stating a great principle: Muslims are brothers - one will not harm another nor will he do injustice or fail him when he is in need. Then the hadith states a motivation factor: Whosoever is fulfilling the needs of his brother, Allah is fulfilling his needs.
This version is more than simply stating a principle - it can be taken as a motivation for helping other Muslims, especially those who are in need. We just need to imagine the situation of the ummah when we help each other and fulfill the needs of others. We will end up being a better society, with less needy people, and stronger social ties that will lead to the strength of the Muslim ummah at large.
The fourteen Sajad-I Tilawat
1-7:Al-a’raf 206 2-13:Ar-Rad
15 3-16:An-Nahl
49
4-17:Al-Israa 109 5-19:Maryam
58
6-22:Hajj 18 7-25:Al
Furqan 60
8-27:An-Naml 26 9-32:Sajda
15
10-38:Sad 24 11-41:Ha-Mim
38
12-53:An-Najm 62 13-84:Al-Inshiqaq 21
14-96:Al-Alaq 19
The Prostration of Qur'an Recitation (SAJDA-I TILAWAT)
Excellence of prostration during the Quranic recitation:
Abu Hurairah narrates that the Prophet sallallahu alehi
wasallam said: "If a son of Adam recites an 'ayyah of prostration and
prostrates, the Satan departs from him and cries: 'O woe, he was ordered to
prostrate and he did, so for him is paradise. I was ordered to prostrate and I
disobeyed, so for me is the Hell." [Ibn-e-Maaja]
There are fourteen places of sajdah-e-tilaawat in the Quran.
Wherever the word "sajdah" appears on the margin of the Quran, then
on reciting that verse, sajdah becomes wajib. This sajdah is known as
sajdah-e-tilaawat.
The method of making sajdah-e-tilaawat is as follows: the
person should say Allahu Akbar and go into sajdah. When saying Allahu Akbar the
hands should not be raised. While in sajdah, he should say: Sub-hana Rabbi-al
Aala, at least three times. Thereafter, he should say Allahu Akbar and raise
his head. The sajdah-e-tilaawat is now complete.
It is preferable to stand up, say Allahu Akbar and go into
sajdah. And thereafter to say Allahu Akbar and stand up from the sajdah. It is
also permissible to go into sajdah and come up from it while in the sitting
position without standing up at all.
Sajdah-e-tilaawat becomes wajib on the person who recites a
verse of sajdah and also on the person who hears it being recited. This is
irrespective of whether the person had sat down with the intention of listening
to the Quran, whether he was preoccupied with some work, or whether he heard it
without intending to listen to it. It is therefore better to recite the verse
of sajdah softly so that sajdah-e-tilaawat does not become wajib on anyone
else.
Those factors that are a prerequisite for salaat are also
prerequisites for sajdah-e-tilaawat. That is, the person must be in a state of
wudu, the place must be clean, the body and clothing must be pure, sajdah must
be made in the direction of the qiblah, etc.
Sajdah-e-tilaawat should be made in the same way as sajdah
is made in salaat. Some people make their sajdah on the Quran itself. Sajdah in
this manner is not valid and one is not absolved from this wajib.
If a person does not have wudu at that time, he could make
wudu at a later stage and then make the sajdah. It is not necessary to make
sajdah immediately. However, it is better to make it immediately because it is
possible that the person might forget later.
If a person has several sajdah-e-tilaawats to make and has
not made them till now, he should make them now. He should make them at some
time or the other of his life. If he does not do so he will be sinning.
If a woman hears a verse of sajdah while she is in her haid
or nifaas, sajdah-e-tilaawat is not wajib on her. But if she hears it when she
is in a state when ghusl was wajib on her, it will be wajib on her to make
sajdah-e-tilaawat after having a bath.
If a person hears the verse while he is very ill and does
not have the strength to make sajdah, he should make sajdah-e-tilaawat just as
he makes the sajdah of salaat through gestures.
If a person recites a verse of sajdah while he is in salaat,
then upon reciting the verse he should immediately go into sajdah, thereafter
continue with the rest of the Surah, and then go into ruku. If a person does
not go immediately into sajdah, but goes into sajdah after reciting two or
three more verses, this sajdah will still be proper. And if he recites several
more verses and then goes into sajdah, the sajdah will be proper but he will be
sinning.
If he recites a verse of sajdah while in salaat but does not
make sajdah in the salaat, the sajdah will not be valid if he makes it out of
salaat. He will remain a sinner forever. Now there is no way of absolving
himself except through repentance and seeking forgiveness.
If a person recites a verse of sajdah and immediately
thereafter goes into ruku and makes this intention that he is making this ruku
for the sajdah-e-tilaawat as well, even then the sajdah will be considered to
be valid. If he did not make this intention in his ruku, the sajdahs that he
makes after the ruku will also suffice for the sajdah-e-tilaawat. This is
irrespective of whether he makes any intention or not.
While in salaat, a person hears a verse of sajdah being
recited by someone else. He should not make sajdah-e-tilaawat in his salaat but
after completing his salaat. If he makes it in his salaat it will not be valid.
He will have to repeat it, and he will also be committing a sin.
A person was sitting in one place and reciting the same
verse of sajdah several times- only one sajdah-e-tilaawat will be wajib. He
could either recite that verse as many times as he wishes and then make one
sajdah right at the end, or he could recite that verse once, make one sajdah
and then recite that verse as many times as he wishes. But if he changes his
place, and then repeats that verse, then goes to a third place and recites that
same verse, and in this way he continues changing places and also continues
reciting that same verse - then for every time that he repeats that verse he
will have to make sajdah for it.
If a person sits at one place and recites several verses of
sajdah, he will have to make sajdah-e-tilaawat for every verse of sajdah.
While sitting down, a person recited a verse of sajdah. He
then stood up but did not move from that place of sitting, i.e. he stood on the
same spot where he had been sitting. He then repeated that same verse - he will
only have to make one sajdah-e-tilaawat.
He recited a verse of sajdah at one place, got up and went
to do some work, came back and sat at that same spot and recited that same
verse again. He will have to make two sajdahs.
While sitting in one place he recited a verse of sajdah. On
completing the recitation of the Quran, he remained sitting in that place and
started doing some other work. For example, he started eating, or a woman
started sewing or feeding her child. Thereafter he (or she) recited that same
verse of sajdah again. Even then, two sajdahs will have to be made. When a
person engages in any other task, it will be regarded as if the place has
changed.
A person recited a verse of sajdah in one corner of a small
room or verandah. He then went and recited the same verse in another corner -
even then only one sajdah will suffice irrespective of how many times he
recites that verse. However, if he commences with some other work and then
recites that verse again, he will have to make another sajdah. And if he
occupies himself with a third type of work, a third sajdah will become wajib.
If it is a big house, then by repeating the verse in another
corner, he will have to make another sajdah. And if he repeats it in a third
corner, he will have to make a third sajdah.
The rule that applies to a small room also applies to a
musjid. That is, if he repeats the same verse of sajdah several times, only one
sajdah will be wajib irrespective of whether he recites it while sitting down
in one place or he recites it while walking about in the musjid.
If a person recites the same verse of sajdah several times
in one salaat, even then he will only have to make one sajdah. If he wishes, he
could recite it for as many times as he wishes and thereafter make one sajdah,
or he could recite it once, make one sajdah and thereafter recite it as many
times as he wishes in that same rakaat or even in the next rakaat.
A person recited a verse of sajdah but did not make
sajdah-e-tilaawat. Thereafter, he stood up at that very spot, commenced
offering salaat, and recited that very verse in his salaat and also made sajdah-e-tilaawat
in his salaat. This sajdah which he made will be sufficient for both the
recitations. However, if he changed his place, it will be wajib to make two
sajdahs.
He recited a verse of sajdah and also made
sajdah-e-tilaawat. Thereafter, he stood up, commenced offering a salaat, and
recited that same verse in his salaat. Now he will have to make a sajdah again
in salaat.
The person who was reciting did not change his place. He
recited the same verse of sajdah several times. However, the place of the
person who was listening changed: he heard the verse in one place for the first
time, he then heard it in another place a second time, and in another place a
third time. Only one sajdah-e-tilaawat will be wajib on the person who was
reciting. But the person who was listening will have to make a sajdah for every
time that he hears it.
If the place of the person who was listening did not change
but the place of the person who was reciting changed, then several sajdahs will
become wajib on the person who was reciting while the person who was listening
will have to make only one sajdah.
It is makruh to recite the entire Surah and leave out the
verse of sajdah. That verse should not be left out merely to save oneself from
making sajdah. In doing so, it will be regarded as if the person is rejecting
that verse.
There is no harm in reciting the verse of sajdah only and
leaving out the entire surah. If this is done in salaat, then an additional
condition is that this one verse must be such that it equals three short
verses. However, it is better to recite a few verses together with the verse of
sajdah.
If a person hears an imam reciting a verse of sajdah and he
joins the jama'at thereafter, he should make the sajdah-e-tilaawat with the
imam. But if the imam has already made the sajdah, there are two conditions for
this: (1) If he gets that rakaat in which he heard the imam reciting the verse,
he will not have to make a sajdah. By getting that rakaat, it will be regarded
as if he got that sajdah as well. (2) He did not get that rakaat. After
completing his salaat, it will be wajib on him to make that sajdah out of
salaat.
If a verse of sajdah is heard from the muqtadi,
sajdah-e-tilaawat will not have to be made - not by him, not by the imam, nor
by those who are with the muqtadi in that very salaat. However,
sajdah-e-tilaawat will be wajib on those who are not with them in that salaat.
This is irrespective of whether they heard it while they were out of salaat or
whether they were offering some other salaat.
By laughing aloud in sajdah-e-tilaawat (which is offered out
of salaat), one's wudu does not break. However, the sajdah-e-tilaawat itself
becomes invalid.
If a woman stands in line with a man, the sajdah-e-tilaawat
will not become invalid.
When sajdah-e-tilaawat becomes wajib in salaat, it is wajib
to make that sajdah immediately. It is not permissible to delay it.
Sajdah-e-tilaawat which became wajib out of salaat cannot be
made in salaat. Similarly, if it becomes wajib in salaat, it cannot be made out
of salaat. In fact, it cannot even be made in another salaat. If a person
recites a verse of sajdah in salaat and does not make sajdah-e-tilaawat in
salaat, the sin for that will rest on his shoulders. He can do nothing except
make taubah and ask Allah Ta'ala to forgive him through His bounty.
If two people are travelling separately on horse-back and
both of them are offering salaat while the horses are moving. And each one of
them recites the same verse of sajdah and both of them hear each others
recitation, one sajdah-e-tilaawat will be wajib on each of them. It will be
wajib to make that sajdah in their salaat. If they recited the same verse in
salaat and thereafter recited it again out of salaat, it will be wajib to make
two sajdahs. One because of recitation and the other because of listening.
However, the one that is because of
recitation will be considered to be in salaat and will
therefore have to be made in salaat. And the one that is because of listening
will be made out of salaat.
The verses of sajdah should not be recited in the jumu'ah
salaat, eid salaats, and in those salaats which are offered silently. This is
because there is a fear of putting the muqtadis into doubt.
Tahajjud for Attractiveness
The Messenger of Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said: “The best prayer, after the obligatory prayers, is the night prayer (Tahajjud).” [Muslim]
Al-Hasan was once asked: “How is it that those who stay up at night have the most attractive faces?” He replied, “Because they are on intimate terms with the Merciful, and He robes them in some of His light.” [The Purification of the Soul]
Draw near to Allah, get clothed in His light and become among the most attractive people on earth, by waking up before Fajr and praying Tahajjud!
The Hell fire is huge and immensely deep beyond imagination.
Allah (swt) says: "On the Day when We will say to Hell: 'Are you filled?' It will say, 'Are there any more to come?' ". [Qur'an 50:30]. This verse indicates the size is unlimited and there will always be room for more.
The following also indicate its size. The Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said, "Hell would be brought on that day (the Day of Judgement) with seventy bridles and every bridle would be controlled by seventy angels." [Muslim]
Abu Hurairah (ra) reported, "We were in the company of Allah's Messenger, (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) we heard the sound of a dropping object. Then Allah's apostle asked: 'Do you know what sound it is?' We said: 'Allah and His Messenger know best.' Thereupon he said: 'This is a stone which was thrown seventy years ago in Hell and it has been constantly slipping down and now it has reached its base." [Muslim]
The Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said, "Four walls surround Jahannam. The width of each wall is the walking distance of forty years"
Allahumma a'jirnaa minan naar ''O Allah save us from torment of fire'' Ameen ya Rabb!!
Jahannam and Paradise and their Dwellers
Allah states that He will say to Jahannam on the Day of Resurrection, "Have you had your fill'' Allah the Most Honored has promised Hell that it will have its fill from the Jinns and mankind. He, the Exalted and Most Honored, will decide who will be thrown into the Fire and she will keep saying, "Are there any more,'' or, `Are there any more whom You will provide me with' This is the apparent meaning of this Ayah which is supported by several Hadiths. Imam Ahmad recorded that Anas said that the Messenger of Allah said,
(The people will be thrown into Jahannam and it will say, `Are there any more' Until the Mighty Lord puts His Foot over it and its corners will be collected together and it will say, "Enough, enough by Your grace and compassion!' There will be sufficient empty space in Paradise until Allah creates another creation and He, the Exalted, makes them dwell in the empty parts of Paradise.)'' Muslim also collected this Hadith. Al-Bukhari recorded that Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet said,
(Jahannam will be asked, "Are you full'' and it will say, "Are there any more'' Until the Lord, the Blessed and Most Honored, puts His Foot over it and it will say: "Enough! Enough!'') Al-Bukhari recorded that Abu Hurayrah said that the Messenger of Allah said,
(Paradise and the Fire quarreled.
The Fire said, "I have been favored with the arrogant people and tyrants.'' Paradise said, "What is wrong with me that only the poor and humble people enter me'' Allah the Exalted and Most Honored said to Paradise, "You are My mercy, with which I grant mercy to those whom I will among My servants.'' He said to Hell, "You are My punishment which I inflict upon whom I wish from My servants, and I shall fill both of you.'' As for Hellfire, it will not have its fill until Allah puts His Foot over it and she will say, "Enough! Enough!'' She will become full and its sides will come close to each other. Allah the Exalted and Most Honored shall not be unjust to any one of His creatures. As for Paradise, Allah the Exalted and Most Honored will create another creation to fill it.)
