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Showing posts with label Pillars of Islam. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pillars of Islam. Show all posts

Sunday 19 April 2020

Q & A Related to Prayers / As Salat: Congregational Prayers at Home

The Corona virus pandemic has altered the way of living of the people around the world to a great extent. Suddenly, people who once embraced each other, walked hands in hands and went to partying and travelling have been confined to their homes - locked down from every type of social activity.

It has also affected to a great extent the religious activities, whether in masjids, churches or synagogues. There are no more weekly congregations in the religious centres anymore. So much so that two main pillars of Islamic congregational activities, that is Bait al Haram at Makkah and Masjid e Nabavi, the Prophet's Mosque in Medina have been closed for public. 

And after many centuries, it would be the first time that these two prime holy places of Muslims will not see the second largest congregation during the Ramadan after the Hajj. Even holding of Hajj this year seems uncertain.

Under such trying times, the activities of masjids all around the world have been almost scaled down. Such restrictions have been allowed by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in his times when pediments broke out or severe weather conditions did not allow the believers to reach the masjid.

However, there is one beautiful thing about Islam is that unlike all other religions where the followers have to attend a church or a synagogue for their religious rituals, Islam does not restrict its followers to offer prayers in masjids only. In fact believers can arrange congregational prayers in their home even if there or two or more than two people are at home.

In the diagrams given below, the procedure for holding the congregational prayers is given with self explanatory notes. Any male can lead the prayer of male only or mixed male/female gathering, while in the absence of any male in the house, female can lead prayers of females only.

May Allah help us to understand the simple and most practical religion of all - Islam and allow us to take advantage of concessions given to us in difficult time. Aameen.

For more Q &A about understanding prayers / As Salat, please refer to our reference page: Q & A Related to Prayers / Salat.

You may also refer to our Reference Pages for knowing more about Islam and Quran.

May Allah show us the right path so that we do not go astray due to what man has interpreted verses of religious scriptures to suit their own religions and faith. Aameen.

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Monday 13 August 2018

What is the Significance of First 10 Days of Dhu'l-Hijjah

Dhu'l-Hijjah as in Arabic and Zil-Hajj in non Arabic speaking countries  is the most sacred month of Islamic calender for its is in this month "Hajj", the fifth pillar of Islam, is performed in the city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia. Each year millions of pilgrims from around the world reach Makkah during this month before 8th of Dhu'l-Hijjah, when the Hajj rituals actually commence.

The first two verses of Surah Al-Fajr "By the Dawn; By the Ten Nights” are interpreted by many a scholar as the first ten days of Dhu'l-Hijjah, for these ten days are considered to very favourite of Allah, the Most High and Exalted. This oath, a very significant and extraordinary, can only be understood by the wise and scholarly.

In Surah At-Tawbah, Verse 36 Allah proclaims four months holier than the rest eight months of Islamic calander: “Indeed, the number of months with Allah is twelve [lunar] months in the register of Allah [from] the day He created the heavens and the earth; of these, four are sacred.” The 4 sacred months are: Dhul Qa’dah, Dhul Hijjah, Muharram and Rajab. [5]

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) has been reported by Abdullah Ibn Abbas (r.a.) as saying: "There are no days more loved to Allah for you to worship Him therein than the (first) ten days of Dhul Hijjah. Fasting any day during it is equivalent to fasting one year and to offer salatul tahajjud (late-night prayer) during one of its nights is like performing the late night prayer on the night of Qadr, Laylat Al Qadr (the odd nights of the last ten days of Ramadan). [1]

Dhu'l-Hijjah is the 12th and last month of the Islamic calander and it has just commenced. "Dhu'l-Hijjah" means "Possessor of the Pilgrimage" or the Month of Great Pilgrimage. The Hajj is performed on the eighth, ninth and the tenth of Dhu'l-Hijjah. The "Day of Arafah" takes place on the ninth of the month. 

“This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as religion.” (Surah Al Maidah, Verse 3). This day was the day of ‘Arafah which falls on the 9th of Dhul Hijjah. [5]

As reported by by Ibn Majah, the Prophet (s) is reported to have said: “Fasting on the day of ‘Arafah is an expiation (of sins) for two years, the year preceding it and the year following it." [5]

Eid al-Adha, the "Festival of Sacrifice", begins on the tenth day and ends at sunset on the 13th. "It honors the willingness of Ibrahim (Abraham) to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to God’s command. Before Abraham sacrificed his son, God provided a male goat to sacrifice instead. In commemoration of this, an animal is sacrificed and divided into three parts: one third of the share is given to the poor and needy; another third is given to relatives, friends and neighbors; and the remaining third is retained by the family."[6]

The sacrificing of an animal of the eve of Eid al Adha (or the 10-13th of Dhu'l-Hijjah) is in fact the commemoration of great sacrifice Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham, peace be upon him) showed when asked by Allah to sacrifice his most beloved thing. Since the Prophet loved his son Ismail (Ishmael) the most, he asked his son what he had been commanded by Allah. Prophet Ismail readily agreed and asked his father to go ahead to fulfill his obedience to God’s command. However, before Prophet Ibrahim could placed knife on his son's neck, Allah accepted his sacrifice and replaced his son with a lamb. 

It is incumbent on all those sacrificing an animal on Eid ul Adha to make three portions of the meat of which one third is to be given to the poor and needy; one third to relatives, friends and neighbors; and the remaining one third for self and family. Thus, by doing so, the poor and needy are helped who otherwise cannot afford meat, and so are the needy relatives and known acquaintances. 

While those performing Hajj during the first ten days of Dhu'l-Hijjah will be granted immense rewards for observing the fifth pillar of Islam, those who cannot make it due to health or financial constraints, should preferably keep fasts on the first nine days, spend in charity, and do good as much as they can and try to slaughter as sacrificial animal on 10-13th days of the holy month. They are also to keep repeating the following as is obligatory for the pilgrims actually performing Hajj during the first ten days:
الله أكبر الله أكبر لا إله إلا الله والله أكبر الله أكبر ولله الحمد
Allaahu akbar, Allaahu akbar, laa ilaaha ill-Allaah, Allaahu akbar, Allaahu akbar, wa lillaahi’l-hamd (Allah is the greatest, Allah is the greatest, there is no god but Allah, Allah is the greatest, Allah is the greatest, and to Allah belongs praise).

During these ten days, thus, an earnest effort be made to seek forgiveness of one's past sins and misdeeds from Allah by extensively engaging in prayers. However, during these ten days one must also take a solemn pledge to stay aways from all sorts of sins, disobedience of Allah's commandments and a firm resolve to be good Muslim and help those who need our help.

Please refer to our page: Dhu al-Hijja (ذُو ٱلْحِجَّة): The month of Pilgrimage - The Hajj to know more about Dhu al-Hijja and Hajj.

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Saturday 14 April 2018

Fasting (Saum)

Fasting is observed in almost all religions, specially the religions of Holy Books.  While in other religions, fasting is the willing abstinence OR reduction from some OR all food, drink, OR both, for a period of time, However fasting in Islam is the ABSOLUTE abstention from food and drink and marital relations during the period of fasting that commences from the dawn to dusk, and there are no OR in between. Fasting is restricted to the month of Ramadan, the 9th month of Islamic calendar for a period of 29-30 days depending on the birth of the new moon. 

In the Koran Allah says: "You who believe, fasting is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may be mindful of God." (2:183). The 27th of the Ramadan is also the day when Allah completed the revelation of Koran on the Muslims.

Fasting (Saum in Arabic) is obligatory on all Muslims except those who are sick and too old to abstain from food and drink and women having their monthly mensuration cycle. However, the days so missed are to b e completed at the early convenience. 

Special arrangements are made in the Muslim countries for the dawn meal, called sahoor, and dusk fast breaking meals called Iftar. While most people break their fast at home with their families, arrangements are also made at public places for travelers and commuters unable to reach their house and also for those who cannot afford a good meal. At Makkah, the house of Allah, and Masjid-e-Nabvi at Medina in Saudi Arabia, many philanthropists arrange free iftar and sahoor food for the millions of pilgrims present at the two holy places.

Since the Islamic calendar is based on moon instead of the sun, the month of Ramadan keeps advancing by ten drays each year and one has endure the weather constraints as of extreme summers to extreme winters. The  Islamic calendar which based on lunar cycles thus describes the philosophy of fasting in varying weather conditions so that the rich feel how the poor endure the hardships of fasts in summers as well as winters.

While fasting is basically done as ordained by the Allah Almighty as an obligation, it also helps keeping a healthy body and improves digestion and helps many other bodily metabolic adjustments.

With the end of month of Ramadan, the Muslims celebrate Eid ul Fitr, festival of breaking the fast, on the first day of the new moon of the month of Shawaal, the 10th month of Islamic calendar. 

To know more about fasting and importance of month of Ramadan, please consult our reference page: Ramadan - A month of fasting and Blessings. You may also refer to our Reference Pages for knowing more about Islam and Qur'ān.

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Zakat - Mandatory Charitable Contribution

Giving away charity is a norm to the poor all across the world. But this is generally done in value, cash or kind as per one's own wishes and liking. However, in Islam, the giving away of the charity, called Zakat, is not only mandatory for every Muslim who has the means to do so, but a scale has been laid down as to who qualifies to be eligible to pay this mandatory charity to one's needy Muslim brethren.

Since everything given to man is from Allah, one has to spend one's wealth in the directions prescribed by Allah. This mandatory charity ensures that every Muslim who has less or no means of substance is given charity by those who have the means and are blessed by countless bounties and wealth by Allah.

The main aim of zakat is to improve the socio-economic status of the recipients. Here I would like to narrate a small incident regarding the payment of zakat and its benefits. During the time of second caliph of Islam Hazrat Umer (AS), the caliph dispatched a pious person as governor to an area with a very poor population and stressed upon him the payment of zakat to them collected from the wealthy Muslims of the area. After some time, the governor remitted a large sum of money to the caliph. The caliph was furious as to why the money has not been given to the poor instead. To this the governor replied that over a period of time, the poor who have been reeving zakat have become eligible to pay zakat themselves. 

Thus this is the concept of charity or zakat in Islam - holding hands of the poor to allow them live honourably without asking or spreading their hand in front of others. In fact by giving zakat, one purifies his wealth, which then gets multiplied as Allah bestows more upon the charity givers for taking care of the poor.

An eligible person is to pay zakat 2.5 percent of an individual's total net worth, excluding obligations and family expenses, held over a period of one lunar year. The minimum threshold of one's wealth to be eligible to pay zakat is known as Nisab.  Anyone have more than the following quantity of gold or silver held by him/her over a period of one lunar year is to pay 2.5% of the quantity over this threshold level is to pay zakat:
Gold=20mithqal=87.48grams=7.5tolas
or
Silver=200dirhams=612.35grams=52.5tolas
or
Money equal to the value of either of the above
Koran lays down the heads and people to whom zakat can be paid:
“Zakat is for the poor and the needy; and those employed to administer the funds; for those whose hearts have been recently reconciled to Truth; for those in bondage and in debt; in the cause of Allah; and for the wayfarer. It is ordained by Allah and Allah is full of knowledge and wisdom. "(Surah 9. Tawba, verse 60)
It may be noted that Zakat cannot be paid to parents, grandparents, children, grandchildren, husband, wife and non-Muslims. Nor it can be used to build masjid, buildings (even if to be used for any Islamic purpose), hospitals, roads and bridges etc. It is to be paid in cash to those are eligible to receive it.

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Prayers (As Salat)

Believers of all religion have their places of worship which they go to to attend routine religious sermons or bowing their heads to their Creator. The Jews go to the Synagogues, the Christians attend the Churches and Muslims got to the Masjids (mosques) to offer their prayers and thank the Almighty Allah for the blessings bestowed upon them and seek forgiveness of the sins they may have committed.

While in other religions, the attendance is usually once a week, the Muslims have to bow their heads in front of their Creator five times a day. Although the offering of prayers in a masjid is much preferred, the midday prayer on Fridays is mandatory to be offered in the special Friday congregation in masjid.

The prayer (Salah in Arabic), which should generally take 5-10 minutes each, establishes a direct link between a Muslim and Allah with no one in between. The five times exclusively set for prayers start before dawn, noon, afternoon, just after sunset and late at night. The complete cycle thus begins a Muslim's day with a prayer and ends with a prayer with three other prayers at varying intervals during day with the movement of sun.

At a number of places in the Qur'an, Allah has commanded believers to offer prayers for prayers directly connect a believer to Allah:

اِنَّنِىۡۤ اَنَا اللّٰهُ لَاۤ اِلٰهَ اِلَّاۤ اَنَا فَاعۡبُدۡنِىۡ ۙ وَاَقِمِ الصَّلٰوةَ لِذِكۡرِىۡ‏ 
"Verily I am Allah. There is no god beside Me. So, serve Me and establish Prayers to remember Me." (Surah 20 Ta Ha :14) 
This is the real object of Salat. It has been prescribed to remind people that they should not become neglectful of Allah by worldly diversions and that they should remember that man is not an unbridled free being but a servant of Allah. Salat has been prescribed five times a day to remind man of Allah’s presence.
The five prayers are offered before dawn, noon, midafternoon, just after sunset and then at night.

Once a man asked the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) about the most virtuous deed. The Prophet (peace be upon him) stated that the most virtuous deed is prayer. The man asked again and again. The first three times, the Prophet (peace be upon him) again answered, "The prayer," then on the fourth occasion he stated, "Jihad in the way of Allah." [This is from a hadith recorded by Ahmad and ibn Hibban. According to al-Albani, the hadith is hasan. Muhammad Nasir al-Din al-Albani, Sahih al-Targheeb wa al-Tarheeb (Beirut: al-Maktab al-Islami, 1982), vol. 1, p. 150]

The importance of offering prayers can be gauged from one of the saying of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him):
"The first matter that the slave will be brought to account for on the Day of Judgment is the prayer. If it is sound, then the rest of his deeds will be sound. And if it is bad, then the rest of his deeds will be bad." [Recorded by al-Tabarani. According to al-Albani, it is sahih. Al-Albani, Sahih al-Jami, vol.1, p. 503.
Since prayers are obligatory, these have to be offered no matter where one is. If a masjid is nearby, it is better performed there. But in case a masjid is not nearby, it can be offered anywhere, be it one's home, office or any place of work. Even one is not allowed to miss a a prayer when traveling. However for travelers a 50% concession is given in their numbers.

The prayers are a type of purification for a human being. He turns and meets with his Lord five times a day. As alluded to above, this repeated standing in front of Allah should keep the person from performing sins during the day. Furthermore, it should also be a time of remorse and repentance, such that he earnestly asks Allah for forgiveness for those sins that he committed. In addition, the prayer in itself is a good deed that wipes away some of the evil deeds that he performed. These points can be noted in the following hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him):
"If a person had a stream outside his door and he bathed in it five times a day, do you think he would have any filth left on him?" The people said, "No filth would remain on him whatsoever." The Prophet (peace be upon him) then said, "That is like the five daily prayers: Allah wipes away the sins by them." (Recorded by al-Bukhari and Muslim.)
Ablution is a must before offering a prayer. One has to be clean to offer a prayer physically as well as the clothes one is wearing. One has to take a bath in case of performance of marital engagement. In case the water is not available, one can cleanse oneself with dust called Tayammum. 

You may refer to our reference page: As Salat / Prayers for any Q&A you may have with regard to prayers.

May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى‎) help us understand Qur'ān and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which is embodiment of commandments of Allah contained in the Qur'ān. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door.  
وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ‏ 
(36:17) and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.”
That is Our duty is only to convey to you the message that Allah has entrusted us with. Then it is for you to accept it or reject it. We have not been made responsible for making you accept it forcibly, and if you do not accept it, we shall not be seized in consequence of your disbelief, you will yourselves be answerable for your actions on Day of Resurrection.

May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.

Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully. It will also help the Muslims to have grasp over social issues and their answers discussed in the Qur'an and other matter related to inter faith so that they are able to discuss issues with non-Muslims with authority based on refences from Qur'an.

Note: When we mention God in our posts, we mean One True God, we call Allah in Islam, with no associates. Allah is the Sole Creator of all things, and that Allah is all-powerful and all-knowing. Allah has no offspring, no race, no gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of human life.

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Pillars of Enlightenment


Every religion is based on certain basic requirements or can we say pillars which rest on the very foundation of a religion. Thus like others religion, Islam hinges on five pillars, I call Pillars of Enlightenment,  without which one cannot claim to be a follower of Islam or in other words a Muslim. These five pillars or basic requirements to be a Muslim and follower of religion of Islam are a MUST and one has to abide by these totality without any question as these have been laid down by none other than Allah or 'the God" as in other religions.

These five pillars of Islam are:
  1. Testimony of faith: Anyone entering the religion of Islam or embracing Islam must testify that  “There is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Prophet of Allah.” Unless one pounces this testimony loud and clear from his heart, one can enter the religion of Islam.
  2. Prayers: After entering the religion of Islam, every Muslim is bound to offer five prayers a day to glorify the dignity of Allah. The five prayers are offered before the dawn , noon, mid afternoon, just after sunset and then at night.
  3. Zakat or Alms giving: Alms giving assumes an important part of the religion of Islam. It is sharing of one's wealth, which is given by Allah, to those who are less privileged.
  4. Fasting: For thirty days once a year, each Muslim is to observe fasting from dawn to dusk in the Islamic month of Ramadan. This means one has to abstain from food, drink and marital relations with one's spouse.
  5. Hajj, the pilgrimage to Makkah: Every able bodied Muslim who can afford to embark upon a journey to Makkah, the center of Islam and Allah's home, is to perform Hajj at least once in one's life.
These five pillars of Islam in fact define and describe the identity of a Muslim, his faith, beliefs and practices.

This is the just the introduction to the five pillars of Islam. In following posts, each pillar will be discussed in detail for clarification of any doubt that may come in one's mind.

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