The importance of Salaat (prayer) in the way of life of Islam is emphasised by the saying:

He who establishes his Salaat, establishes his Islam

The 5 daily prayers are compulsory for every Muslim after he or she has attained the age of puberty.  Even in the Holy Qur’an, you will find numerous references to ‘establish prayer’ and by that it is meant the 5 daily prayers.

We as Muslims believe that the 5 daily prayers were ordained by Allah (God) to the great Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) when he travelled up to the Heavens on the famous night of Me’eraj (Ascension).

Apart from being a means of forgiveness for sins, acceptance of Duas (supplications) and elevation of a person’s status in the eyes of Allah, Salaat is the most complete form of Ibaadah (act of worship) for a human being.

Let’s take it from the top:

The Muslim raises his or her hands  and says ‘Allahu Akbar‘ which means ‘God is Greatest’.  At that point the Muslim is cutting out all forms of connection or distraction from the physical world around and enters into a private ‘communion’ with the Almighty.

The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) encouraged us to believe in the fact that when a Muslim stands up in Salaat,  he or she is standing before Allah and that Allah is watching him/her.  We are taught to learn the specific prayers which the Prophet (PBUH) himself used to pray and also the Holy Qur’an so that we may praise and glorify Allah during the Salaat.

Next we bow – we keep our knees straight and bow before Allah, once again believing that Allah is watching over us as we bow out of humility to Him and glorify Him.

So now we have some sort of momentum going – we started standing up and praising Allah (Qyam) and praying selected Ayaat verses from the Qur’an.  We then moved into Rukuh (bowing position) and continued praising God with full Yaqeen (conviction, belief) in His Omnipresence and now finally, we reach the zenith of our actions, the logical next step of the act of Ibaadah, we kneel before our Creator, put our hands down on the floor and place our heads into the ‘lap’ of our Creator and prostrate in front of Allah, the Creator of the universe.

This is called Sujood (prostration) and it is the very climax of this perfectly self contained piece of worship called Salaat.  It is in Sujood that a person is the closest to Allah, indeed our Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) likened it to placing one’s head in the ‘lap’ of God.

We then finish off by sitting down in Qaidah (sitting position), sending salutations to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and asking Allah to forgive our shortcomings in the prayer and accept it through His Mercy.

So there we have it, a brief exposition into the journey which is encountered (or should be encountered!) by every Muslim when we lift our hands up and say Allahu Akbar!!

And Allah knows best.

Ma’as-salaam.

Just a quick one to let all my highly informed readers know about this very interesting article I read on the BBC News website.

It explores the ‘missing’ link between the Islamic and English legal systems and how Islam contributed to the English one.

It also touches upon an area of history which I think is very neglected by Western writers – the period of learning when Europe was in the Dark Ages in which Islamic Spain was the focal point of learning in the whole of Europe.

Students from all over Europe, including a future Pope travelled to these Islamic ‘Universities’ to benefit from all the works which the Muslims had translated from Latin.

Anyway, I’ve just been very brief and general, but if you wanna find out more, there’s an excellent book written by Dr Mohammed Ilyas and Dr Sajida Ilyas entitled, ‘The Road to Recovery – Borderless Relations between Islam and the West’ which is a compilation of short articles clearly showing the contribution that Islam has made to science, mathematics and and knowledge generally as we in the West know it today.

Oh, I almost forgot the link to the article on the BBC News website!

Ma’as-salaam – With Peace

Assalaamu-Alaykum – Peace be Upon you

Well it’s here – finally!

Insha-Allah (with the Will of Allah) this Saturday, 7 June 2008 we will be holding the long awaited ‘Marriage Matters’ seminar for ladies only (the one for men is going to be soon after insha-Allah).

The seminar will focus on the position of marriage, relationships and family life in Islam. It is intended for those who are married and those looking to get married, and also for anybody else who wants to come along and learn about what Allah and the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said with regards to married life for a Muslim and Muslimah.

So please come along if you have the time, and bring anybody else who may be interested along with you. The program will be in English only and there will also be time for Q&A insha-Allah. Here are the full details:

Event: Marriage Matters – Where Islam and Marriage go Hand in Hand

Date: Saturday 7 June 2008

Time: 4pm – 5:30pm (1 hour seminar, 30 mins Q&A)

Speaker: Moulana Ilyas Dalal

Venue: Upstairs Hall in Zakaria Masjid, Dewsbury, WF12 9ND

See you there insha-Allah.

Ma’as-salaam – With Peace

Alhumdulillah (all Praise belongs to Allah) I met the Imam of Masjid-e-Hidayah, Dewsbury (he is also my friend!!) this weekend.

He gave me a little present, but said that I could only have it on one condition…

The condition being that I share it with everyone else! So, just click on the following link to receive the Shaikh’s little gift and may Allah reward him for all the good work:

the-month-of-muharram.doc

And Allah knows best

Ma’as-salaam

Well as we are well into the last Ash’ra (last 10 days) of Ramadhaan, people will inevitably start having the usual conversations about Laylatul-Qadr (The Night of Power)…..

When is it?

Is it on the odd nights or on the even nights?

Is it the night of the 27th?

As my knowledgeable readers will be aware, there is a plethora of Hadith (Traditions of the Prophet (PBUH)) regarding this subject, and I do not intend to go into them in detail at all!

Yes, there are Hadith which point towards the fact that it is on the odd nights and and on the even nights, and yes, some of the Fuqaha (Islamic Jurists) of the past did go by the fact that it was on the 27th night!

The fact is that only Allah Himself knows when it is, and in His Hikmah (Wisdom) He has hidden the true date of it so that we may strive that little bit more in our search for it in the last 10 days.

And this is precisely the reason why our Prophet (PBUH) used to go into I’tikaaf (seclusion) in the Masjid (Mosque) in the last 10 nights. If a person does go into I’tikaaf, then he or she will be able concentrate on worshipping Allah and making Dua (supplication) and earn a huge amount of reward. It is a Sunnah (practice) of the Prophet (PBUH) and the complete reward is that of 2 accepted Hajj and Umrah (Pilgrimage).

And as we all know, whoever finds Laylatul-Qadr will have found a night which is better than a thousand months which means that his or her Ibaadah (worship) will get so much more Ajr (reward) and will get so close to Allah.

On this blessed night, Jibra’eel (AS) (Gabriel), the leader of the Malaa’ikah (Angels) himself comes down to Earth with the Malaa’ikah, with their sole task for that night being to make Dua of forgiveness and send blessings upon any Muslim worshipping Allah, until the time of Subha-Sadiq (Astronomical Twilight). It is also narrated in some Hadith that the Malaa’ikah write down everything that is to happen in a person’s life for the next year on this night – may Allah make it one of Aafiyah (ease), Khair (good) and Barakah (abundance, blessings, there is no exact English translation of this word) – Ameen.

Furthermore, it is stated in another Hadith that whosoever worships Allah on Laylatul-Qadr with Iman (Faith, sincerity) and Ihtisab (having firm conviction that Allah will give a reward), then all the past sins of that person will be forgiven!

And of course, according to some narrations, the Qur’an was transferred to Earth into the Lawhe-Mahfooz (the Heavenly Tablet) on this night as well.

All in all, this is indeed an extra special night for the Believer, and we should try as much as we can to increase in our devotions to Allah throughout the last Ash’ra so that we may earn His forgiveness and be privy to receiving His special Mercy. And remember, as it is the last Ash’ra, in this10 days, Almighty Allah promises salvation from the fire of Hell, so please, do as much as you can…

So what should one do during Laylatul-Qadr?

Well, any form of Ibaad’ah really. Whether it is Tahajjud salaat (optional night prayer), Dhikr (remembrance of Allah), or recitation of the Qur’an, it’s all good in the eyes of Allah, but if there is any one thing that we as Muslims should be doing more on this night, it is Dua – we should make as much Dua as possible.

For ourselves, for our family, for our friends, for all the Muslims, for all the non-Muslims – we should be making Dua that Allah showers the whole of the Ummah (community of Mankind) with peace and tranquillity and that Allah gives us all Hidayah (guidance).

And Allah knows best

Ma’as-salaam

The prayer of Salaat-ut-Tasbeeh is a very special prayer.

It is so special that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) recommended that a person should try to pray it every day. And if not every day then every week, and if not every week then every month. And if not every month then every year – and if a person is not able to pray Salaat-ut-Tasbeeh every year, then the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) suggested that a person should try and pray it at least once in his or her lifetime.

The reason?

Because, it is a surefire way of attracting the Rahmat (Mercy) of Allah and thereby making it a means of forgiveness of one’s sins. That is why the Ulema (Scholars) recommend punctuality in this prayer especially on big nights like Shab-E-Barat, where the doors of Allah’s Rahmat are wide open.

So how is it done?

Well the method is a bit difficult to get to grips with first, but once it’s clear in your head, it’s a synch. Here it is:

• After doing Wudhu (ablution), start your salaat and make Niyyah (intention) for 4 Rakaats (cycles) of Salaat-ut-Tasbeeh.
• After praying Thanaa, recite the prayer (which is the prayer I have mentioned at the end) 15 times.
• Thereafter, pray the usual Surah Fatihah (The Opening) and any other Surah (chapter).
• Then, before going into Ruku (bowing), recite the prayer another 10 times.
• Afterwards, go into Ruku and after doing the usual Ruku prayers, recite the prayer 10 times.
• Then, stand up from Ruku and recite the prayer a further 10 times.
• Follow this up by going into Sujood (prostration) as usual, and after the usual Sajdah prayers, recite the prayer a further 10 times.
• Then, in the pause between the two Sajdahs, recite the prayer 10 times again.
• And finally, after doing the usual prayers, recite the prayer a further 10 times in the last Sujood thereby making taking the total amount of recitation for that prayer to 75 for the cycle.
• This should be done in each of the 4 Rakaats (cycles), which makes the grand total 300 – phew!

Here is the prayer in transliteration:

• Subhanallah, Alhumdulillah, La ilaaha Illallah, Allah-u-Akbar

Which means:

• Pure is Allah, all Praise belongs to Allah, There is None worthy of worship except Allah, and Allah is Great.

So there you go, the prayer of Salaat-ut-Tasbeeh. A very special prayer for everyday life. May Allah give us all the Taufiq (Divine aid) to pray it as often as possible. Ameen.

Ma’as-salaam

Q: You keep on saying that Islam is a way of life, so what does it say on the issue of backbiting, or to use the more modern phrase, gossip?

A: Good question. In Islam, backbiting or gossip is Haram (forbidden), and if a Muslim commits any act which is Haram then he or she will be committing a sin.

Q: Isn’t drinking alcohol and eating pork Haram?

A: Yes, they are and, therefore, backbiting falls under the same category, i.e. it is Haram. Furthermore, to emphasise the dislike Islam has for backbiting, the great Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in one narration likened it to eating the flesh of your dead brother! Now you tell me how many people want to have that attributed to them!

Q: Ok, but what if what is being said is true, does that make any difference?

A: This is the classic mistake that people make. Just because it is true, it doesn’t mean that you can publicise it behind the person’s back. Furthermore, if it were not true, then it would not be backbiting, it would be slander – something so bad that even the legal system of England has made it a crime (Slander/Defamation)!

Q:  So why does Islam place such emphasis on this?

A:  Well for a much more in depth answer (and probably a more correct one!) you will have to seek the company of an Alim (Scholar), but to my limited understanding, it would seem that such as emphasis is placed not to backbite becuase first of all, our dear and noble Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) disliked it and also because if you refrain from backbiting and gossiping, then you will be able to keep a much more cleaner heart towards the rest of Allah’s creation – Muslims and non-Muslims – and thus outwardly improving your manners and inwardly improving your love for Allah and gratefulness for all the Ne’mah (blessings) He has given us. 

And Allah knows best.

Disclaimer:  As I have mentioned earlier, I am not an Alim and so the answers have been of a very general nature and are not intended to be referenced Islamic rulings.  If that is what you are looking for, then I readily point you in the direction of any reliable Alims you may be in contact with.  Please feel free to correct me on any point by leaving a comment.  Jazakallah.

Ma’as-salaam

It is a well-known fact that Muslims follow some basic schools of thought in matters of Islamic Jurisprudence, other than questions of faith and fundamentals of worship and legal practices.

The renowned scholars of the four basic schools s were Abu Hanifah, Malik ibn Anas, Muhammad ibn Idrees Ash-Shaf’i and Ahmad ibn Hanbal.

Imam Abu Hanifah was the first to codify Islamic law or jurisprudence (commonly known as Fiqh) compiled from the Qur’an and the Sunnah. He was both a merchant and a teacher.

As a typical Muslim man of piety and manners, he was very kind to all his acquaintances, whom he visited when ill and inquired about when absent. A very interesting case is reported in the encounter between Imam Abu Hanifah and his drunkard neighbour, who would get drunk and keep singing aloud all night long causing much annoyance to Abu Hanifah.

Once, the police caught the man and took him to prison. Abu Hanifah noticed that night that the neighbourhood was quiet. So he inquired about his noisy neighbour. Upon knowing of his neighbour’s imprisonment, he rushed to the governor of the city interceding for his neighbour who was immediately released. Not only that, Abu Hanifah gave the man some money to compensate for the earnings he lost due to imprisonment. The drunkard was so impressed with this kind attitude and treatment that he decided to repent and devote his time to learning the message of Islam in the Masjid (Mosque).

Yet another example of how integral a part one’s conduct plays in the way of life that is Islam. May Allah give us the Taufiq (Divine aid) to improve our manners and treat all human beings with deserved respect. Ameen.

Ma’as-salaam

Although the use of the toothbrush is widespread, and many people still think that the only way to keep your teeth and gums healthy is to brush them with a combination of man-made fibres and chemical paste, Muslims have been cleaning their teeth with something called a Miswaak (tooth stick) for centuries now, with much better results.

They are usually from the Peelu tree or from Olive branches, and have a slight, natural taste and flavour. The great Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) always encouraged the use of the Miswaak, and he himself was meticulous in its use. It being the first thing he did when he woke up and the last thing when he took those rare moments of rest.

Here are a few benefits of using the Miswaak. You’ll find that it goes above and beyond simple oral care!

• Miswaak eliminates bad odours and improves the sense of taste.
• Miswaak sharpens the memory.
• Miswaak eliminates bile.
• Miswaak creates a fragrance in the mouth.
• Miswaak is a cure for illness.
• Miswaak strengthens the gums and prevents tooth decay.
• Miswaak assists in eliminating toothaches and prevents further increase of decay which has already set in.
• Miswaak is a cure for headaches.
• Miswaak creates Noor (radiance) on the face of the one who continually uses it.
• Miswaak strengthens the eyesight.
• Miswaak assists in digestion.
• Miswaak clears the voice.
• The reward or Salah is multiplied seventy times if Miswaak was used before it.
• The greatest benefit of using Miswaak is gaining the pleasure of Allah.

So what ya waiting for? Go get one!

And Allah knows best.

Ma’as-salaam

The television is a marvellous means of communication by virtue of which one can, not only listen to the voice but also see the faces of the people and events from all over the world. Sometimes, the motion pictures are telecast live on the television or the telecast of any conference, event, sports activity or function is recorded and preserved in videocassettes and telecast later on.
One peculiar problem with the television is that whether the pictures which are shown to the viewers through this medium fall under the same category of picturing and portraying which is prohibited by the Hadith of the Prophet (PBUH) or not. Generally, the scholars from India feel that the photographs taken with such type of cameras (motion pictures) are also a part of the prohibited ones. Some of the scholars from Arab countries are of the view that photography doesn’t come under the category of prohibited pictures.

The second troublesome aspect of television is its misuse. In the veil of entertainment, enjoyment and advertisements, the dignity of women is being outraged. Vulgarity and bawdiness has become a common phenomenon. Furthermore, such morally denigrating movies and soaps are being aired on television, which simply cannot be watched by a family sitting together, or else they face tremendous embarrassment. The children get so much infatuated by the T. V. programmes that their interest in academics and books dwindles steadily. These vices are just like the tip of an iceberg. They have been brought about by the television making itself a curse on the society. No doubt, the television can be employed for certain constructive and beneficial tasks. However, its negative impact on the society at large far exceeds the virtuous and constructive gains it provides.

Under these circumstances, the participants of the Seminar call it’s use and the vulgarities and obscenities that it breeds as highly impermissible and a medium of destruction for the society and, thereby, instruct the populace to avoid it’s baneful use.

And Allah knows best.

Ma’as-salaam