On Remembrance (Dhikr) Pt 1 (The Wird – Regular Worship) March 7, 2007
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On Remembrance (Dhikr)
Imam Abdullah Al Haddad said, “You should have a wird[1] of remembering Allah [dhikr], which you must define with either a determined time or number.[2] Under these circumstances there is no harm in using a rosary to keep count.[3]” (The Book of Assistance)
The Explanation:
[1] Wird- is any amount of ibada (worship), which may include gaining knowledge, reciting Quran, dhikr (remembrance of Allah) etc., that one does on regular basis. Wird is commonly translated as “litany.”
Shaykh Hamza Yusuf said, “Wird literally means “place of water,” and this meaning is telling. A watering place is visited regularly, not out of mere fondness but out of necessity. The spiritual aspirant should approach his wird with the same intense thirst and regularity as he would his watering place. As water satisfies the body’s physical demands, so too does the wird bring the soul to a state of contentment and, eventually, delight. The Qur’an is itself a wird, a portion of which should be recited by Muslims daily.”
This wird may also includes salaat (regular established worship-prayers), sunna prayers, reading the Quran, or studying any of the Islamic sciences done for the sake for Allah. (The Prophetic Invocations)
Shaykh al Islam Ibn Hajar Al Haytami said, “The wirds Sufis customarily recite after prayers, according to their degree of spiritual advancement, have an authentic legal basis in the hadith related by Bayhaqi that the prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “To invoke Allah (dhikr) with people after the dawn prayer until sunrise is more beloved to me than this world and all it contains, and to invoke Allah Most High with people after the midafternoon prayer until sunset is more beloved to me than this world and al it contains.”
Because the Sufis’ practice of joining to recite wirds and dhikrs after dawn prayer and at other times has a rigorously authenticated (Sahih) basis in the sunna, namely the above-mentioned hadith, there can be no objection to their doing so.” (Al Fatawa Al Hadithiyya)
[2] Most of the scholars recommend twice a day, once in the morning and one in the evening. This is based on the Quranic verse, “And remember your Lord by your tongue and within yourself, humbly and with fear and without loudness in words in the mornings, and in the afternoons and be not of those who are neglectful.” (7:205)
Shaykh Hamza Yusuf recommends the wird of Imaam Haddad, Hasan Banna, Imaam Nawawi and Ahmad Zarroq. The wird of Shadhili Tariqa which Shaykh Nuh Keller gives is a nice wird as well.
[3] Imam Jalal Al-Din Suyuti said, “Having long heard questions concerning the rosary (subha) as to whether there is a basis for it in the sunna, I have compiled in this section the hadiths and accounts of early Muslims that relate to it.
Ibn Amr said, “ I saw the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) count the times he said, ‘Subhan Allah” on his hand.”
Safiyya said, “the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) entered the room where I sat with four thousand date stones in front of me and He asked, ‘What is this. O daughter of Huyay?’ I said, ‘I am saying “Subhan Allah” with them.” He replied, ‘I’ve said “Subhan Allah” More times than this since you’ve begun,’ and I said, “’Show me how, O Messenger of Allah.’ He said, ‘Say, “Subhan Allah the number of everything He has created.”’” (Narrated by Tirmidhi who said it is gharib, and both al-Hakim and Suyuti declared it sahih.)
As one scholar has said, “Counting the times one says, “Subhan Allah’ on one’s fingers is superior to doing so on a rosary because of the hadith of Ibn Amr, though it has been said that if the person saying it is safe from istakes on counting, his fingers are better, while if not, then saying it on a rosary is more suitable. Some of the most renowned Muslims have used rosaries, those from whom the religion is taken and who are relied upon such as Abu Hrayra (Allah be well pleased with him), who had a string with two thousand knots in it, and did not use to go to sleep before saying ‘Subhan Allah’ with it twelve thousand times.” ‘Umar Al Maliki said, :I saw my teacher Hasan Al Basri with a rosary in his hand and said, ‘Teacher, with your great eminence and the excellence of your worship, do you still use a rosary?’ and he replied, “Something we have used at the beginning we are wont to leave at the end. I love to remember Allah with my heart, my hand, and my tongue.’” And how should it be otherwise, when the rosary reminds one of Allah Most High and a s person seldom sees one save that he rembers Allah, this being among the greatest of its benefits (Al Hawi li al Fatawi)
When you find an authentic prophetic narration (Hadith Sahih), this is my school (madhab) March 5, 2007
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Imam Shafi statement, “When you find a hadith that is Sahih then this is my madhab.”
Imam Nawawi (rahmatullah alayh) comments,
“This which Imam ash-Shaafi has said does not mean that everyone who sees a sahih Hadith should say “This is the mathhab of ash-Shaafi,” thus practicing on the zaahir (text/external or apparent meaning) of the Haditlh.
This most certainly applies to only such a person who has the rank of ijtihad in the madhhab. It is a condition that he overwhelmingly believes that Imam ash-Shaafi was unaware of this Hadith or he was unaware of its authenticity. And this is possible only after having made a research of all the books of ash-Shaafi and similar other books of the Ashaab of ash-Shaafi, those who take (knowledge) from him and others similar to these (books). This is indeed a difficult condition (to fulfill). Few are there who measure up to this (standard).
What we have explained has been made conditional because Imam ash-Shaafi had abandoned acting on the zaahir (text) of many Ahadith, which he say and knew. However, by him was established proof for criticism in the Hadith or its abrogation or it’s specific circumstance or its interpretation, etc. Hence, he was constrained to leave aside the hadith.”
(Ilaaus Sunan, Vol. 2, page 225)
Imam Nawawi on Dancing February 15, 2007
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Imam Nawawi says:
“Dancing is not unlawful, unless it is languid, like the movements of the effeminate. And it is permissible to speak and to sing poetry, unless it satirizes someone, is obscene, or alludes to a particular woman” (Minhaj al-talibin wa ‘umdat al-muttaqin. Cairo 1338/1920. Reprint. Cairo: Mustafa al-Babi al-Halabi, n.d., 152).
And proof is as follows:
Shaykh Nuh Keller said,
“As for dancing, Imam Ahmad relates from Anas (Allah be well pleased with him), with a chain of transmission all of whose narrators are those of Bukhari except Hammad ibn Salama, who is one of the narrators of Muslim, that
The Ethiopians danced in front of the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace); dancing and saying [in their language], “Muhammad is a righteous servant.” The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “What are they saying?” And they said, “‘Muhammad is a righteous servant’” (Musnad al-Imam Ahmad. 6 vols. Cairo 1313/1895. Reprint. Beirut: Dar Sadir, n.d., 3.152).
Other versions of the hadith clarify that this took place in the mosque in Medina, though in any case, the fact that dancing was done before the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) establishes that it is mubah or “permissible” in the shari‘a, for if it had been otherwise, he would have been obliged to condemn it.”
Watch Your Tongue January 21, 2007
Posted by aMuslimForLife in Hadith, Tasawwuf/Sufism.4 comments
Watch Your Tongue
Prophet (sallahu alayhi wa salaam) said to Muadh Ibn Jabal, “Shall I not tell you of what controls all that?’ I said: ‘Yes, O Messenger of Allah.’ So he took a hold of his tongue, and said: ‘Restrain this!’ (ie hold your tongue) I said: ‘O Prophet of Allah, will we be held accountable for what we say?’ He, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: “May your mother be bereaved of you, O Mu’adh! Is there anything that causes people to be dragged on their faces – or he said – on their noses into Hellfire other than the harvests of their tongues?’” (Al-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah and Ahmad- Sahih) (1)
My Thoughts:
This hadith is so important because it evolves around the issue of one’s speech. Learning how to properly control one’s speech is very difficult to implement because of how often we speak. The hadith above expresses the importance of learning how to control one’s speech. The number one thing that leads people to hell fire is one’s speech.
Sahl Ibn Sa’ad reported that Allah’s Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: “Whoever can guarantee for me (that he will guard) what is between his jaws (tongue) and what is between his legs (private parts), I will guarantee for him Paradise.” (Bukhari)
So what is the sunnah regarding one’s speech? The sunnah of Prophet (sallahu alayhi wa salam) regarding speech is based on the following hadith.
Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: “Whosoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him say what is good or remain silent.” (Bukhari)
The default of one’s speech is that one remains silent and one does not speak unless one is sure that his speech will be good. If one is unsure if it will be good or bad than one remains silent. So the sunnah is that one remains silent until one is sure.
Some of the sins related to one’s tongue:
1) ghiba: (Backbiting)
2) namima: (Gossiping)
3) suma (showing off (riya) with speech)
4) iftikhar (boasting to others, making claims)
5) kadhib (lying)
6) khawd fi al-batil (mentioning the useless or immoral)
And Allah knows best.
(1) The Complete Hadith:
Mu’adh Ibn Jabal reported: “I said: ‘O Messenger of Allah! Tell me of an act that will take me to Paradise and keep me away from the Hellfire.’ He said:
‘You have asked me about a major matter. But it is easy for he whom Allah, may He be Exalted, makes it easy for. You must worship Allah, associating nothing with him. You must perform the prayers and pay the Zakat. You must fast in Ramadan and perform the Hajj to the House (Ka’bah).’ Then he, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: ‘Shall I not show you the gates of goodness? Fasting is a shield; charity extinguishes sin as water extinguishes fire; and (so does) the praying of a man in the depths of the night.’ Then he, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, recited: ‘(Those) who forsake their beds to cry unto their Lord in fear and hope, and spend of what We have bestowed upon them. No soul knows what is kept hidden for them of joy, as a reward for what they used to do.’ [Surah As-Sajdah: 16] Then he, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: ‘Shall I not tell you of the peak of the matter, its pillar and its uppermost part?’ I said: ‘Yes, O Messenger of Allaah!’ He said: ‘The peak of the matter is Islam. The pillar is prayer and its uppermost part is Jihad.Shall I not tell you of what controls all that?’ I said: ‘Yes, O Messenger of Allah.’ So he took a hold of his tongue, and said: ‘Restrain this!’ I said: ‘O Prophet of Allah, will we be held accountable for what we say?’ He, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: “May your mother be bereaved of you, O Mu’adh! Is there anything that causes people to be dragged on their faces – or he said – on their noses into Hellfire other than the harvests of their tongues?’” (Al-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah and Ahmad- Sahih)
Isra and Miraj (The Heart) August 27, 2006
Posted by aMuslimForLife in Hadith, Isra and Miraj, Sira.2 comments
Isra and Miraj (The Heart)
Al Sayyid Muhammad Ibn Alawi al Maliki said, “As the Prophet (sallahu alayhi wa salaam(was in al Hija at the House, lying down at rest between two men, Jibril and Mikail came to him. With them was a third angel (Israfil). They carried him until they brought him to the spring of Zamzam, where they asked him to lie on his back and Jibril took him over from the other two. (another version says:) “The roof of my house was opened and Jibril desecended.”
“He split the Prophet’s (sallabu alayhi wa salaam) chest from his throat to the bottom of his belly. Then Jibril said to Mikail: “Bring me a vessel of the water of Zamzam so that I will purify his heart and expand his breast.” He took out his heart and washed it three times, removing from it what was wrong. Mikail went back and forth to him with the vessel of water from Zamzam three times.”
Then he brought him a golden vessel filled with wisdom and belief which he emptied into his chest. He filled his chest with hilm, knowledge, certainty, and submission, then he closed it up. He sealed it between his shoulders with the seal of Prophethood.”
(Hilm denotes intelligence, patience, gentleness and good character.)
My Thoughts:
This past Friday we had a Halaqah at the Masjid on an aspect of Isra and Miraj. And I was like you know I need the Prophet’s Isra and Miral by Al Sayyid Muhammad Ibn Alawi al Maliki, the great Muhaddith and Wali, who recently passed away, and may Allah have mercy on him. So I opened of this book and the above quote is the first three paragraphs I read. My initial thoughts were like, “this is awesome,” I mean just ponder over that for a few minutes.
After pondering over this, I was concerned about the authenticity of the Prophet (Sallahu alayhi wa salaam) having his heart cleaned before the Isra because I remembered it happened to him when he was a child. So I looked it up.
In Bukhari and Muslim, Abu Dharr said that the Messenger of Allah said, “The roof of my house was split open and Jibril descended and opened my breast. Then he washed it with water from Zamzam. Then he brought a gold dish filled with wisdom and belief and he poured it into my breast and then closed it up. He took me by the hand and asceneded with me to heaven.”
I doubted this great Muhaddith, yet it was right there in Bukhari and Muslim. It was like a brother was telling me, we have this disease in our hearts, where we don’t trust our scholars even when their scholarship is well known.
The reason I thought this quote was so awesome is because the heart is the beginning of our actions, our thinking and our feelings.
Nuhman Ibn Bashir narrated that the Prophet, may Allah give him peace and blessings, said, “Verily there is in the body a small piece of flesh, if it is good the whole body is good and if it is corrupted the whole body is corrupted, verily it is the heart.” (Bukhari, Muslim)
Imam Ahmad Zarruq said, “The heart is the foundation of every good and evil. Its life and its death are the keys to either benefit or harm, so that which has no life in its heart has no way of protecting itself from evil facilitating itself good. And every heart that life enters into by necessity it will call it to enthusiastic responses when reminders occur.” So basically every good deed and bad deed emanates either from a good heart or a diseased heart.
And before the Prophet (sallahu alayhi salam) ascended through the heavens, the Angel Jibril purified his heart. This purification actually happened several times throughout the life of the Prophet (sallahu alayhi wa salaam). I know once when he was a child and this particular time right before Isra. This indicates a number of things, that in order to enter Jannah one needs a purified heart (and that purification of heart takes times, as the Prophet’s heart was purified several times.
And Allah knows best.
Preferring the Afterlife over This Worldly Life August 22, 2006
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In the Name of Allah the Beneficent the Merciful
Abu Ya’la Shaddad ibn Aws reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “The intelligent man is the one who takes himself to account and works for what will come after death. The stupid man is the one who follows his own whims and hopes that his desires will be gratified by Allah.” [at-Tirmidhi]
At-Tirmidhi and other scholars said that “dâna nafsahu” (subjugates himself) means to make it answerable.
My Thoughts:
True Intelligence is having realization that the afterlife is more important then this life. It is to realize that this life is only a means to the end. It is to realize that this life is just a bridge to the next life. And only the stupid man stops on the bridge and builds his house there. It does not mean one has to be miserable on the bridge, but one needs to realize this life should not be one’s goal. The bridge is there to help one get to the other side and one should use the bridge as such. The bridge may appear to be long but “He (Allah) is with you wherever you are.” (57:4)
One takes himself to account by being mindful of Allah, by following the Quran and Sunnah. By fulfilling the rights of Allah and the rights of His creation. One takes himself to account by preferring the afterlife over his whims and desire. One takes himself to account by looking at the bigger picture. By preferring the best over that which is ok.
There are two things that are permissible, for example having a car, one has the money to by a Mercedes, however he knows there is a brother who is in need of money. Well the Mercedes is nicer and probably more reliable than a cheaper car, it is wiser for him to buy a Honda, a reliable car, and use the rest of the money to help out his brother. In this way he prefers the pleasure of Allah and the pleasure he will attain in Jannah over the pleasure he would have attain in this world.
The intelligent man seeks Allah, while the fool seek this life and hopes that Allah will fulfill his vain desire of this world without taking himself to account. By taking the haraam and makroh out of one’s life in order to gain the pleasure of Allah.
It is Allah alone who give success. And we ask Allah to give us success. Amin.
