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Imam Zaid Shakir

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Global Tawbah

What prayer again?

The prayer

About three years ago, the idea came to me to write something about prayer. At the time, we wrote something but it does not seem adequate now.  Therefore, we are going to try again, in sha Allah.

Prayer is something lost in this time. Some Muslims do not pray and it is such a shame and a waste of life. Imagine the benefits that you attain from forsaking the world for a short space of time are innumerable. The benefits that you will attain from forsaking the world for a short time are immeasurable. How do we take advantage of these blessings? By exposing ourselves to the prayer in these times. Each prayer time has a significance and blessing.

Work

When you pray your provision will become easy; your work will become easy. You will find yourself much calmer and more composed. Even your work colleagues will notice the difference. One of fears that make us consider not praying is the fear of loss of provision. It is the exact opposites in fact you will find ease where there was difficulty.

Without prayer 

Your life has little meaning and your time is lost without benefit. Without the prayer that you have lost. Notice the times of the day in which you have 'natural' breaks; it is as if the prayer is calling you. Benefit from this time and pray.

Your prayer

Is a reminder for others without you realising. You will be praying one day and a Muslim who does not pray will see you and feel ashamed or reflect. Not that we want him to be ashamed with us but we want him to be ashamed before his Lord. One of the more common complaints that we receive from those who do not pray is that they see those who do pray commit sins. Though we cannot condone anyone's sins but the sins of others should not prevent you from good actions. Because so and so prays and you do not, does not allow you to look down on his sins. Similarly, the one who prays should not look down on those who do not pray. If you do then you are not both as bad as each other. So both of you need not to look down on those who pray and sin like those who do not pray and do not sin (other sins). 

Prayer should remove someone's sins and if they are praying and are still sinning. Then they are not praying correctly, there is a sin somewhere. Normally it is an internal disease of following the nafs or because of corruption in belief. Therefore, if someone is praying and sinning they are not praying properly with all its conditions on their wudu maybe be incomplete. Check your fiqh.

Motion

In each motion, there is stillness, in each motion there is meaning, in each meaning there is realisation. Go through all the meanings of the prayer and memorise them. Therefore, you know what you are saying if you can learn Arabic, it will bring life to the phrases and words you say. 

Do not know how

There are many people who do not know how to pray or have simply forgotten because, like everything, if you do not practice it you will lose it. Please see basic prayer guide click here. For a basic guide a simple guide to prayer of Al-Batool is worth getting. It does take time to learn to these things. Try to ask a scholar or friend you trust that is not harsh about any matters that confuse you. Attend congregational prayers where you can put into practice what you know. If you are not praying at all and want to start praying.  Then pick a prayer that you find easy and do that daily. Use that as a starting block which you keeping adding another prayer until you have all five. Do not try doing all five prayers at once because it will overcome you. Start with one prayer and build until you have your fard and wajib prayers in place then later add the Sunnah prayers. Do not be concerned if you have missed years of prayers because that will burden you to a degree that you will not pray. Maintain it for a month or then keep adding.

One of the strange things you will that non-Muslims are more accommodating to your prayer than Muslims.

Basics

The types of prayer are divided into four main sections according to the Hanafi school: Fard, Wajib, Sunna either affirmed or non-affirmed and nafl. Each one has slightly differences in terms of strength of its proof. Fard/obligatory cannot be missed, its non-performance is not accepted and sinful, if any of the five daily prayers are missed they have to be made up. 

Wajib/necessary evidence is lesser than the fard it cannot be missed and made up if missed like the witr prayer.

Sunna affirmed: these are constant actions of the Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) rarely missed and deliberate non-performance is not accepted without excuse; although there disagreement here with other schools. E.g. 2 Sunnah before Fajr, 4 Sunnah before Zuhr.

Non-affirmed Sunnah: not sinful if left, one raises in rank if he performs it, he rarely done by the Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him).

Nafl: extra actions done by companions or successive generations. One cannot be condemned if left; it is praiseworthy to perform. 

The other schools break prayer into fard and Sunnah like the Maliki and Hanbali school; so check your school; if you do not then use this as a guide and study prayer with a local scholar until you know what validates and invalidates prayer. The common causes of invalidation are the clothes; this is a male problem in particular. When we bend over for ruku or bow down on the floor our pants are low rise and our shirts are not long enough. So our backs are exposed to the four winds! This is part of the awrah/nakedness of the prayer and if uncovered for a full pillar breaks the prayer or the length of saying subhanullah three times then the prayer is broken. 

Therefore, on Fridays I find one thing at Jummah. No drugs in the masjid but plenty of crack on display! One day I might bring some plaster and cover those cracks up. Just joking!

It is also not something you bring up with a brother. Bro, your crack was exposed when you were bowing which breaks your prayer. How did you know? Well, the whole row behind you saw it! Thanks, you put me off my lunch and now that horrible image is implanted in my mind. Stop it! Wear long shirts and cover your backs for goodness sake! If you want to be crack commando then do it where I cannot see you! Wear long shirts that are not see through. When you are in the masjid be careful of approaching anyone except a trusted friend about a mistake.

As it might cause more friction and it almost definitely means that the person will not return to the masjid. Do not argue or make the place of the masjid a fitna. Just get on with your prayer and only help if asked.

Missed

If you miss a prayer then make it up as soon as you realise. Of course praying in its time is better but praying outside the time means the obligation is fulfilled. Some people say you cannot pray now but you can but it does not contain the same benefits. The difference between praying on time and outside its time is the difference between eating lunch when it is warm and eating it after an hour or two. It might still be warm but its taste is not the same when it was warm.

Prayer

Pray dear reader and change your world. Your prayer benefits your house and the people around you. So do not want any longer put that nose on the ground and experience the pleasure of prayer and prostration. 

If you are already praying then try to intensify your worship and concentration in prayer. This can be done by memorising different surahs. Most of all realising your incapability as a servant.

Proof of the five prayers in the Quran from Munyah Al-Musali

by Imam Al-Kashghari

These are the proofs of the prayer from the Quran:

Asr Prayer

According to the opinion of Abdullah ibn Ma’sud (may Allah be pleased with him)

“Guard your prayers and the middle prayer.”

(Surah Al-Baqarah 2.238)

Maghrib, Fajr, Isha and Zuhr

“So glorify Allah when you enter the night and when you enter the morning, unto him be praise in the Heavens and the Earth, at evening and noon.”

(Surah Ar-Rum 30.17-18)

Ibn Abbas says that entering into the night is magrib, entering the morning is fajr, evening is Isha and noon is Zuhr)

Someone who does not pray is not a disbeliever

He (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “The difference between worship and disbelief, is leaving the prayer.” (Abu Dawud 361, Ibn Majah 1391 and Ahmed 21737.)

Ibn Abbas says disbelief here means ingratitude or rejecting blessing not actual disbelief.

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The hearts united

What is Barakah? البركة

Barakah is an often misunderstood term that many misconstrue to mean something other than what it is. Some go beyond the boundaries of correct understanding and say its kufr or shirk. Well here would like explain what barakah is and what it is not because we are both misunderstanding each other. This inevitability leads to argumentation.

Linguistically barakah means to have blessing or even to kneel down (Hans wehr p.54). When someone is over whelmed by a blessing they often kneel down. Look at the emotional game of football and you often see many people score goals and knell down. But do they know what to actually do? A few Muslim footballers make sujud al-sukr/prostration of gratefulness after scoring.

Barakah is when something has increased blessings because it was in possession of a special person. 

Where is your proof brother?

It's in the Quran bruv!

Ponder these passages:

Blessed descent

وقل ربّ أنزلني منزلاً مباركاً

“Say: Lord cause me to descend in a blessed manner.”

(Quran: the Believers 23:29)

This is part of the supplication of the Nuh (upon him peace). There is quite a lot of discussion to where the ark landed, Iraq or Turkey are the possible places and maybe others.  Below the response of when a prophet asked for blessings it was given to him by Allah (the Exalted). 

اهبط بسلام منّا وبركات عليك وعلى اُمم ممّن معك.

“Come down with peace from Us, blessing/barakah upon you and upon the nations with you.” (Quran: Hud 11:48).

Allah (the Exalted) addressed the Prophet Nuh (upon him peace) telling to come down with blessings from Him. Blessings here are plural and this was when the water receded after the flood.

Make me blessed

وجعلني مباركاً أين ما كنت وأوصاني بالصلاة والزكاة.

“Make me blessed wherever I be and advise with prayer and charity.” (Quran: Maryam 19:31.)

The Prophet Isa/Jesus (upon him peace) is making this request to Allah (the Exalted). Therefore, this gives us the proof that the prophets are blessed and can be blessed. Of course the Prophets are free from minor and major sin.

Prophets blessed

وباركنا عليه وعلى إسحاق...

“We blessed him and Ishaq...” (Quran: Namal 27:8)

Allah (the Exalted) blessed the Prophet Ibrahim and Ishaq (upon them both peace). This further proves our last point. The Prophets are blessed people and so they should be revered as such.

Blessed family of the house

رحمت الله وبركاته عليكم أهل البيت إنّه حميد مجيد

“Allah has shown mercy and blessing upon the family of the house because He is praiseworthy and Majestic.” (Quran: Al-Saffat 38:113)

There are two opinions on this verse. One that it is referring to the blessings upon the family of the house of Ibrahim (upon him peace) and two, this is about the family of the Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him). The first opinion is the strongest but in any case the Ahl Al-Bayt attain the blessings directly or indirectly because they are from the same linage.

Mekkah is blessed

إنّ أوّل بيت وضع للناس للّذي ببكة مباركاً وهدىً للعالمين

“The first house (for worship) for people is that which is in blessed Bekkah (Mekkah); and a sign for the universe.” (Quran: Aali Imran 4: 96)

This is in reference to the Ka’aba which was the first house built for the worship of one God. All the prophets made pilgrimage there. It is called Bekkah in the Quran for three possible reasons. One that Mekkah was the place and Bakkah was the part in which the Ka’aba is in. Or Bekkah was the place mentioned in the bible then removed. Or it was called bekkah because people went there and wept there.

So we have gone from a person or people being blessed and now we affirm that places can be blessed. So why is the Ka’aba blessed because two Prophets rebuild it after it was left previously. It was originally built by Adam (upon him peace) (according to weak hadith) and rebuilt by Ibrahim and Ishaq (upon them both peace).

Blessing of trees

وجعل فيها رواسي من فوقها وبارك فيها وقدّر فيها أقواتها

“We made firm hills rising, blessed it and decreed its substance...”

(Quran: fulsilat 41:10.)

This is referring to the hills that are make the land on the earth firm. According to Imam Tabari the blessings in it are the trees.

Masjid Al-Aqsa is blessed

 إلى المسجد الأقصى الذي باركنا حوله

“To the furthest masjid (Masjid Al-Aqsa) which We have blessed.” (Quran: Isra 17:1)

This verse is in reference to the masjid of Al-Aqsa and its surrounding areas which Allah (the Exalted) has blessed. The area is Palestine and its surrounding areas.

Blessed lands

ونجّيناه ولوطاً إلى الأرض التي باركنا فيها للعالمين

“We rescued Lut to a place that we have blessing in the worlds.”

(Quran: the Prophets 21:71)

Allah (the Exalted) rescued Lut (upon him peace) from a people who were openly transgressing the laws of Allah (the Exalted). They were destroyed and Lut (upon him peace) was saved and went to a blessed land. According to Imam Al-Qurtabi the blessed land is Iraq and Sham. Sham meaning parts of Palestine, Syria, Jordan and Iraq.

Blessed land

وجعلنا بينهم وبين القرى التي باركنا فيها قرىً ظاهرة

“We have made between them a village which we have blessed in it a manifest village.”

Quran: Saba 34:18.

Imam Al-Qurtabi states it is a land in between Yemen and Syria. The village is Palestine, Syria and Jordon.

Blessed Prophet

وهذا كتاب أنزلناه مبارك مصدّق الذي بين يديه

“This book was sent to him blessed and truthful to what is before him.” (Quran: Al-An’am 6:92)

This is proof that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) is blessed. So if a blessed individual used or touched something do you not think that would be blessed to? The Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) touched a lock of a companions hair and he refused to cut it. Even thought it had grown extremely long! He refused to be parted by what the Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) touched! (See Al-Shifa)

So what now of the hair of the blessed being of the Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) should not that be blessed too? Yes of course!

وهذا كتاب أنزلناه مبارك فاتّبعوه واتّقوا لعلّكم ترحمون

“This book was send down to he who is blessed; so follow him and be fearful so that you are shown mercy.” (Quran: Al-Ana’am 6:155)

This backs up the previous verse. It can also be interpreted that the descend of the book is a blessing or the book is blessed.

Blessed remembrance

وهذا ذكر مبارك أنزلناه أفأنتم له منكرون

“This remembrance is blessed sent to him; and you deny it?” (Quran: Prophets 21:50)

In reference to the Quran, when it is read blessing descend upon the reader.

Blessed book

كتاب أنزلناه إليك مبارك ليدّبّروا آياته

“The book that was sent to you blessed so you ponder its passages.” (Quran: Sa’ad  38:29)

Affirming what we spoke of before.

 

Blessed olive tree

كأنّها كوكب دُرّي يوقد من شجرة مباركة زيتونة

“It is like a brilliant star that is kindled from the blessed olive tree.” (Quran Al-Nur 24:35.)

Here the olive tree is referred to being blessed. So this indicated that everyday objects can be blessed to because Allah (the Exalted) has deemed them such.

Blessed by the tree

 فلمّا أتاها نُودي من شاطئ الوادِ الأيمن في البقعة المباركة من الشجرة

“So when he reached the right side of the valley in pasture blessed by the tree.”

(Quran Al-Qasas 28:30)

This is when Musa (upon him peace) went to see the fire in the distance and the blessed tree was caused to speak by Allah (the Exalted).

Blessed water

ونزّلنا من السماء ماءً مباركاً فأنبتنا به جنّات وحبّ الحصيد

“We sent down blessed water from the heavens so gardens come forth and the harvested seed.”

Quran: Qaaf 50:9.

Here water is described as being blessed. The water that falls on the crops or in reservoirs is the most beneficial water.   

Blessed night

إنّا أنزلناه في ليلة مباركة

“We sent it down in a blessed night.”

(Quran: Al-Dhukan 44:3)

Referring again to the Quran being sent on a blessed night.

Conclusion 

We have proved from the Quran that people, places, water, the Quran and other objects can be blessed. These blessings are from Allah (the Exalted) and its because of the useage of an item did it become blessed. 

Like the blessings that one attains visiting Mekkah or touching a hair of the Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him). The word barakah is mentioned in the Quran as many as eighteen times or maybe even more that we have not been able to find.

It would only be shirk/polytheism if someone thought that the objects were idols that they worshipped. Instead they have items that are blessed because of the original owners of the objects. So we touch what those who Allah blessed touched. Like the Prophets, Awliyah and scholars etc. We love to touch them because of our love for them and nothing else.

This is Sunnah and a proven practice in Islam. When the masjid in Mekkah was cleansed from the idols that were around it a picture of the Prophet Ibrahim (upon him peace) was found and this was taken and kept. 

Only those who openly reject the Quran and hadith refuse this. As for the rest of us we accept this as a proven practice.

We hope this has opened our eyes to this evidently plain fact seeking barakah is normal!