I thought it is about time I expressed myself as a Muslim. Yet this Muslim has roots in one of the sects of the religions that preceded Islam from the Abrahamic foundations of faith – Roman Catholicism. In a way, I want to establish what to me are the fundamentals of my faith – yet my fundamentalist views are not “Wahhabi” or “Salafi” in that sense of extreme and exclusive sectarian division, that “Holier than Thou” fundamentalism that claims “I am of the saved sect” and “if you don’t agree with me, I do not associate myself with you (because you are one of the losers).”
Indeed, my fundamentalism precludes following blindly those that know more just because they know more. Has more knowledge ever made the knower less hidebound in his culture and beliefs? In fact, the one who admits a paucity of knowledge is often the one who sees to the heart of Truth.
What do I know?
Allah is the Unique God, there is no partner God to Him. Everything belongs to Him, and all praise is due to Him, and He decrees everything that exists.
La ilaha ill Allah. There is no God except Allah.
When you believe this so many things ensue.
The Scriptures are True
The first is the Verity of the Quran, since the message it predominately conveys is precisely the above. There is a verse in Surah Qasas speaking of people with “the Book” (the Bible) who on hearing the Quran recited say, “We believe in it. And why should we not believe in it when it is from our Lord. And even before it we had submitted (we were Muslims).” Of course this shows that “The Book” is also from Allah, so the true believer believes that the Bible contains revelation from the Originator, too.
Allah’s Messengers are True
The second thing that ensues from the above is that the Messengers who conveyed the revelations to mankind are also true – the prophets of God from Adam to Muhammad, peace be upon them all.
The Angels and Holy Spirit are True
Third, the Quran tells us that the prophets were supported by the Holy Spirit and visited by angels – that the angels and Holy Spirit conveyed the Message from Allah to the Prophets. The Old and New Testament tell us the same thing. So, by believing in Allah, His Book and His Messengers, We must also believe in His Angels.
The Afterlife (The Resurrection, Judgment, and Heaven & Hell) is True
Fourthly, as well as the message that there is but One God we are to worship, the main task the prophets had was to warn us that we will be resurrected after our death and judged by our deeds before God. As a result of the Judgment the people will be divided into two main groups: the Paradise-bound and the Hell-bound. If we believe in this warning, then we must believe in the Resurrection, the Judgment and Heaven and Hell.
Allah’s Decree is True
Finally, in order to be judged, there must be transgression. Transgression of what? you might ask: Transgression of fitrah, the innocent and pure natural propensity to worship our Creator. It is Allah that Decrees our existence and self, and what is before us and after us. He Makes the rules and Rules creation; whatever He says goes – and no one has the authority to decree a thing except by His permission. Those who listen carefully, and rule and judge and give guidance in His name by His Decree, include those He chose – His Messengers – and those His Messengers delegated.
So believe in Allah, the One True God, and in His Book, His Angels, His Messengers, The Afterlife, and Allah’s Decree. These are the fundamentals of faith.
This booklet consists of a first part which is the background and context of the two stories that are told in the second and third part. The main story is the narration of Abu Sufyan ibn Harb to Abdullah ibn Abbas concerning his meeting with Heraclius in Jerusalem, recorded in the collection of Sahiyh al-Bukhari.
Appended to this narration is another, whose source was the Governor of Jerusalem, ibn al-Natur. From the events recorded in each story, it seems obvious that the invitation to Islam by Heraclius to his people in Homs happened at a later date than the meeting of Abu Sufyan with him in Jerusalem. However, it also seems clear that Heraclius must have called for Abu Sufyan after he had heard news of the Prophet in Arabia. Moreover, it is without doubt that when Abu Sufyan met Heraclius, the latter was in possession of the letter from the Prophet.
Thus, I have split the narration of ibn al-Natur into two episodes which coincidentally occurred in two different locations. The first episode took place in Jerusalem, before the meeting of Abu Sufyan with Heraclius there. while the second in Homs, after Heraclius left Jerusalem. I have also placed the split narration before and after Abu Sufyan’s story. Both stories were narrated by ibn Abbas.
Abu Sufyan ibn Harb
Although Abu Sufyan was to eventually embrace Islam, for most of his career during the life of the Prophet, he was bitterly opposed to it. He was the leader of the Umayyad clan of the Quraish tribe and was the chieftain of the entire Quraish tribe, making him one of the most powerful men in Mecca during the lifetime of Muhammad. His great-grand father was Abdul Shams ibn Abd al-Manaf, whose brother was Hashim, the great-grandfather of Muhammad, so there was a distant cousin relationship between them. It was Abu Sufyan’s position that made him an enemy of Muhammad, whom he viewed as a threat to his power and a blasphemer of the Quraish gods. The enmity between the Quraish, of whom Abu Sufyan was a prominent leader, and the early Muslims reached such heights that many battles were fought between the two parties after the Muslims settled in Medina in which he participated, and it was he who led the army of Quraish in the Battle of Uhud in 625CE. After the Treaty of Hudaybiyya in 628CE, he took a trading caravan to Greater Syria, and was called to Caesar in Jerusalem.
Meanwhile, the treaty with Muhammad was broken by allies of the Quraish while Abu Sufyan was on the way back to Mecca. Knowing the Muslims were now free from the treaty made a year and a half earlier, he personally went to Medina to try and patch it up, but he came away empty handed. The Muslims subsequently attacked Mecca in 630CE. Seeing the writing on the wall, Abu Sufyan fled the city, but later returned in order to embrace Islam.
The Prophet and the Emperor
The Prophet Muhammad and the Emperor
Heraclius were contemporaries. Born only 5 years apart, they both lived into
their sixties. The reign of Heraclius was marked by ups and downs in military
success. In 609CE, when he was 40, Muhammad received the first revelations that
marked the beginning of his prophetic mission. In 610CE Heraclius deposed
Procus as Emperor and took his place, but the beginning of his reign was marked
by the defeat of his armies in Palestine and Turkey between 614 and 619CE.[1] These defeats, and the
subsequent victory the Romans would enjoy, were mentioned in the Quran at the
time:
“The Romans have been defeated in the nearer land; and they, after their defeat, will be victorious. Within three to nine years.”
(Quran 30:2-4)
The reconquest by the Romans of the lands
ceded to Khosrau started in 625 and ended in triumph in 627CE. The following
year, Muhammad, may Allah praise him, sent the following letter to Heraclius by
the hand of Dihya al-Kalbi, by way of the governor of Bostra al-Sham, in Syria.
The Letter
The letter Muhammad sent is incorporated in
the narration of Abu Sufyan, and I reproduce it below word for word as
Heraclius read it out before all his Grandees.
In the name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
This letter is from Muhammad the slave of God and His Messenger to Heraclius, the ruler of the Byzantines.
Peace be upon him who follows the right path.
I am writing this invitation to call you to Islam.[2] If you become a Muslim you will be safe – and God will double your reward, but if you reject this invitation of Islam you will bear the sin of having misguided your subjects[3]. Thus do I urge you to heed the following:
“O People of the Scriptures! Come to a word common to you and us that we worship none but Allah and that we associate nothing in worship with Him, and that none of us shall take others as Lords beside Allah. Then if they turn away, say: Bear witness that we are Muslims.”
Majid Ali Khan, Muhammad The Final Messenger, Islamic Book Service, New Delhi (1998).
In contrast to Khosrau II, who had
been sent a similar letter earlier, the Byzantine Emperor Heraclius kept the
letter and sought to find confirmation concerning what it contained. This is
quite different to the treatment accorded to his letter to Khosrau II of the
Sassinid Empire. According to Abdullah ibn Abbas, the latter was sent with
Abdullah ibn Hudhafa al-Sahmi by way of the Governor of Bahrain.
“So, when Khosrau read the letter he tore it up. Saeed ibn al-Musaiyab said, ‘The Prophet then invoked God to destroy and disperse Khosrau and his followers fully and with severity”.
(Sahiyh Al-Bukhari)
The Sassinid Empire was to utterly dissolve
almost immediately, first through the defeat by the Romans, and then by the
onslaught of the new Muslim nation. The Byzantine Empire, too, while still
under Heraclius, dissolved in Egypt, Palestine and Syria. However, unlike the
Sassinid Empire, the Byzantine Empire continued on in various forms for another
800 years until Constantinople finally fell, and this may be because of the
contrast in the way each of the letters was received.
Ibn
al-Natur was the Governor of Jerusalem for Heraclius, who was the head of the
Christians of Greater Syria. Ibn al-Natur narrates that once, while he was in
Jerusalem:
Heraclius got up in the morning in a sad
mood. Some of the priests asked him why.
Being one who practiced astrology, Heraclius
had been attempting to map out the future.
In reply to the inquiry, he said,
“Last night I was looking at the stars, and I saw that a leader of those who practice circumcision had appeared (and would conqueror all before him). Who are they who practice circumcision?”
The priests replied, “Except the Jews nobody practices circumcision, and you needn’t be afraid of them; just issue orders to kill every Jew present in the country.”
While they were discussing it, a messenger sent by the King of Ghassan[5] to convey the news of the Messenger of God to Heraclius was brought in.
(This news may have been the actual letter
from the Prophet)
Having heard the news, Heraclius ordered the priest check whether the messenger from Ghassan was circumcised. After having him physically examined, they reported that the man was circumcised. Heraclius then asked the messenger about the custom of the Arabs. The messenger replied, “Arabs also practice circumcision.”
When he heard this, Heraclius said, “The reign of the Arabs has began and their kingdom is about to become manifest.”[6]
The following story is taken from the
narratives by the companions of the Prophet. The story was told by Abu Sufyan
to Abdullah Ibn Abbas, who related it to others.[7] Ibn Abbas was a very
devoted student to Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him,
and a well-respected scholar of the Quran.
Abu Sufyan’s Meeting with Heraclius Caesar
In 629CE, three years before the death of the
Messenger of God, Heraclius re-conquered Jerusalem triumphantly bearing what
was said to be the original cross venerated by the Christians, and which the
Khosrau II had taken as booty 15 years previously.[8] While resident there, the
letter Muhammad had sent, perhaps a year earlier, came to his hand. When he
read it, he enquired about the presence of someone from the author’s people in
the territory he controlled; he was told of Abu Sufyan’s trade caravan from
Mecca, which was trading nearby. Abu Sufyan, along with his companions, was
summoned to the Emperor’s court in Jerusalem, appearing before Heraclius who
had his Byzantine Grandees around him.
The Questions Posed by Heraclius and Their Answers
Heraclius called for his interpreter so as to
question them, commanding him to ask who amongst them was the closest in
kinship to the man who claimed to be a prophet.
Abu Sufyan replied, “I am the nearest relative to him (in this group).”
Heraclius asked, “And what is the relationship between you and him?”
Abu Sufyan said, “He is my (distant) cousin on the spear side.”[9]
Heraclius said, “Bring him closer!” and had Abu Sufyan’s companions placed behind him, at his shoulders. Then he ordered his interpreter, “Tell his companions that I am going to question him about the man who claims to be a prophet, so if he tells a lie, immediately repudiate it as a lie.”
“How is the lineage of this man among you?” the Roman Emperor continued.
“He is of noble descent.” Abu Sufyan replied.
Heraclius further enquired,
“Has anybody amongst you ever previously claimed the same as he does?”
“Was he prone to lying before he claimed what he has claimed?”
“Was anybody among his ancestors a king?”
To each question Abu Sufyan could only answer,
“No.”
“Do the highborn or the humble among his people listen to him?”
Abu Sufyan replied, “The powerless, rather than the highborn, follow him.”
He said, “Are they increasing or decreasing in number?”
“They are increasing,” was the reply.
He then asked, “Does anybody amongst those who embrace his religion turn away discontent and renounce it after a while.”
“No.”
Heraclius said, “Does he break his covenants?”
The caravan leader replied,
“No. We have a truce with him now, but we fear he may betray us.”
The questioning relentlessly continued:
“Have you ever fought each other?”
“Yes.”
“How do the battles turn out?”
“Sometimes he wins the battles and sometimes we win them.”
“What does he order you to do (when he preaches)?
“He tells us to worship God alone and not to worship anything along with Him, and to renounce the all the idols that our ancestors have taught us to worship. He orders us to pray, give charity, be chaste, fulfill promises and discharge our trusts to kith and kin.”
Abu Sufyan was to later admit that he would have
lied about the Prophet if he hadn’t been afraid of the shame of having his
colleagues (listening behind him) spread reports that he was a liar. So, he had
answered as truthfully as he could, mentioning only that he had feared betrayal
from Muhammad and those he led because that was the part of the questioning
which had presented the best opportunity he had had to slip in a negative
statement against Muhammad .
The Emperor Assesses the
Interrogation
After he had finished interrogating Abu
Sufyan about the Prophet, Heraclius decided to tell him what he had learned
from the interview. His interpreter conveyed his analysis.
He said: “I asked you about his lineage among you, and you stated that he was of sound lineage. Indeed, all the Messengers of God come from sound lineages among their respective peoples.
“Then I asked if anybody had claimed what he claims before him among your tribe, and your reply was that none had. If you had said others had made such a claim, I would have assumed he was following that which had been said before him.
“I further asked if you had found him a liar before he said what he said, and you said that you had not. I know that a person who does not lie about other men would never lie about God.
“And I asked you if any of his ancestors had been a king. If your reply had been an affirmative, I would have thought that the man was seeking to restore his ancestral kingdom.
“Then I enquired whether the highborn or the humble followed him, and you told me his followers were mainly humble people. Indeed, they are invariably the followers of Messengers.
“Then I asked you whether his followers were increasing or decreasing, and you informed me that they were increasing. And so it is with true faith until it is complete.
“I further asked you whether there was anybody who embraces the religion he teaches who turns away discontent and renounces it after a while. Your reply was in the negative, which is how true faith is, when the delight of it mixes completely with their hearts.
“And I asked you whether you fought one another, to which you replied affirmatively, adding that the fortunes of war were sometimes in his favor and sometimes in yours. So it is with all Messengers, but the final victory will be with him.
“I asked you whether he is ever treacherous, and you said he is not. So it is with all the Messengers; they never act treacherously.
“Then I asked you what he enjoins upon you in the religion he preaches. You stated that he orders you to worship God alone, and not associate any thing with Him, and not worship the idols of your ancestors. And that he enjoins you to pray and give charity, to be chaste, fulfill covenants and discharge trusts. And this is the description of what a prophet does.”
Thus, did The Byzantine Caesar acknowledge the prophet-hood of the Messenger of God.
Heraclius Invites His Subjects
The Public Reading of the Letter
After Heraclius had confirmed that he
believed Muhammad to be a prophet, he said:
“I knew that he was going to appear, but I did not know that he would be from among you. If what you have said is true, he will rule the very the ground beneath my feet; if I knew I would definitely see him in person, I would undertake the journey to meet him; and if I were with him, I would wash his feet.”
This is in keeping with the placement of this story after the ibn al-Natur’s report of the attempt by Heraclius to foretell the future astrologically. It is apparent that he ‘knew’, or at least suspected, that a powerful prophet had arisen among the Arab people. It was at this stage that he asked for the letter he had received from the Messenger of God so as to read it aloud to the assembly.
“When Heraclius had finished his speech and had read the letter, there was a great hue and cry in the Royal Court, so the Meccans were ejected. Abu Sufyan wondered aloud to his companions, “The affairs of ibn abi-Kabsha[10] have become so prominent that even the King of the Bani-Asfar (the fair skinned ones) fears him.”
“I lay low, by God, and reserved, certain that the affairs of Muhammad would emerge triumphant, until God brought my heart to the point of embracing Islam.”
Meanwhile, according to ibn al-Natur’s
narration, Heraclius had written a letter to a friend in Rome concerning the
letter he had received[12] whose knowledge he trusted
as comparable to his own. Then he left Jerusalem[13] for Homs (Emesa in Roman
times) in Syria, where he awaited the reply.
“When he received the reply from
his friend, he saw that the man agreed that the signs portended the appearance
of a new leader, and that the leader was the expected prophet. On that,
Heraclius invited all the Grandees of Byzantium to assemble in his palace at Homs.
“When his Grandees had assembled,
he ordered that all the doors of his palace be closed. Then he came out and
said, “O Byzantines! If success is your desire and if you seek right guidance
and want your Empire to remain, then give a pledge of allegiance to the
emerging Prophet!
“On hearing this invitation, the Grandees of the Church ran towards the gates of the palace like a herd of wild asses, but found the doors closed. Heraclius, realizing their hatred towards Islam, lost hope that they would ever embrace Islam, and he ordered that they should be brought back to the audience room. After they returned, he said, “What I have just said was simply to test the strength of your conviction, and I have seen it.
“The people prostrated before him and became pleased with him, and Heraclius turned away from faith.”
A legend has grown up around the events at
Homs. It is said that Heraclius first suggested that his bishops embrace Islam,
but when they refused, he suggested that the Empire pay tribute to the Prophet
of Islam. When they refused this in turn, he suggested making peace with the
Muslims and agreeing to a pact of non-belligerence. When this too was refused,
he left Syria for Byzantium, and gave up all interest in preserving the Empire
south and east of Antioch, never taking the field against the Muslim advance in
person and sending incompetent generals as the defenders of his Middle Eastern
lands. What is certain is that he treated the letter and the claim to
prophethood therein seriously, and he made every effort to sway his people
before turning back.
The Heirloom
The historian, al-Suhayli was the source of two more stories associated with the letter to Heraclius, both of which ibn Hajar included in the commentary on the stories above.[14] He commented that al-Suhayli recalled hearing of a letter that was kept in a jeweled diamond case, which showed the high status of its owner, that had been left as an heirloom even until that day, and had reached the hands of the King of Franja.[15] His descendants thought that it had come into his possession at the time of the conquest of Toledo,[16] and the Commander of the Muslim Army, Abdul Malik bin Saad came to know of it through one of these descendants[17] in the 12th Century. Some of Abdul Malik’s companions related that the Commander of the Muslim Army sat with the King of Franja[18], who took out the letter in its jeweled case. When Abdul Malik saw the treasured scroll, he realized it was very ancient, and asked if he could kiss the venerable antiquity. However, the King of Franja refused to let him. (Hamidullah M in La Lettre du Prophete p.11. in Arabica 1955 p107)
Al Suhayli further said that he had been told by more than one source that the jurist, Nuraddin ibn Saygh al-Dimashqi said that he had heard that Sayfuddin Flih al-Mansuri was sent with a gift by King al-Mansur Qalaun[19] to the King of Morocco,[20] who then sent the gift to the King of Franja[21] in exchange for an unmentioned favor, which was granted. The King of Franja invited the messenger to stay in his Kingdom for a while, but he turned the offer down. Before he left, however, the King asked Sayfuddin if he would like to see a valuable object which may have been of interest to him (as a Muslim). Then he had a chest brought out full of compartments, each compartment filled with treasures.
From one of the compartments he took out a long, thin diamond encrusted box (rather like a pencil case). He opened it and took out a scroll. The ancient paper of the scroll was damaged and the writing on it somewhat faded, but most of the body had been preserved by dint of sandwiching it between two silk cloths when rolling it for storage. The King of Franja said:
“This is the letter that my ancestor, Caesar, received from your Prophet, which has been handed down to me as an heirloom. Our ancestor left behind a will that his descendants should keep this heirloom if they wished their rule of the Kingdom to last. With it we are strongly protected as long as we respect the letter and keep it hidden. So has the Kingdom come down to us.”[22]
Exactly how valid the claim that the Kingdom
of Heraclius (who had officially been Caesar of the entire Roman Empire) had
descended to him is questionable, as the Byzantine Empire still existed in the
east, and would continue for a further 150 years. However, Heraclius could have
sent the letter to Rome, as mentioned earlier, and the letter could have been
kept there and passed down into the Visigoth line of Emperors when Charlemagne
was crowned Emperor in Rome by Pope Leo III in 800CE.
We cannot categorically say that the letter
actually did survive the centuries, though these stories point to that
possibility. One of the Prophet’s letters still exists on its original
parchment in Topkapi museum.
Conclusion
Many may think that Heraclius secretly became
Muslim, for he sought to establish whether Muhammad’s prophetic claim was true
by considering his background, motivations, and effects on his people; his
character, accomplishments and message. Judging from his reply to Abu Sufyan
and the invitation to his pillars of society in Homs, he seems to have been
convinced that Muhammad was genuine. Perhaps his heart was swayed towards the
monotheism expressed by Muhammad in his letter, and he certainly tried to
follow his advice to avoid the sin of misguiding those he ruled. His subjects,
however, proved too strong in their rejection, and he capitulated to their
pressure, unable to submit to this new faith because he feared the rebellion of
the people. For this reason, like the uncle of the Prophet, Abu Talib, who
believed that Muhammad was a prophet and guarded him throughout his latter life
until death but still did not submit to Islam due to the shame brought on by
his peers, Heraclius died as a disbeliever in Islam and the Prophet of God.
[1]Heraclius. (2006). In
Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved August
22, 2006, from Encyclopædia
Britannica Premium Service.
[2] That none has right to worship but
God, and Muhammad is His Messenger.
[4] This letter is
preserved in some history books, and a plate of the original letter was included
in Khan, Dr. Majid Ali (1998). Muhammad The Final Messenger. Islamic Book
Service, New Delhi, 110002 (India). One of his letters to Christian rulers is
preserved in Topkapi Museum, Istanbul.
[5] Ghassan was vassal state of the
Roman Empire in Greater Syria administered by an Arab king loyal to Byzantium.
[6] This aspect of the
story will be continued in the next article.
[7] The stories in this article are as related by Abdullah ibn Abbas in Sahiyh Bukhari.
[8] Khosrau II, a Wikipedia article
incorporating information from Heraclius and Khosrow II in the online
Encyclopædia Britannica (2006).
[12] It is possible he
sent the actual letter from the Prophet with his request to assess it, though
this is not made explicit in the narration.
[13] It is historically
recorded that he in March 630CE restored the cross the Nestorians had removed
from the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, which was several months after his
meeting with Abu Sufyan. He would have
left for Homs soon after that.
[15] ‘Franja’ is the Spanish word used
for the coastal kingdom(s) of the Iberian Peninsula. In this story the Kings of
Franja are from the Jiminez and Burgundy dynasties of Asturias, Galicia, Leon
and Castile (which split off from Leon). Leon came into existence when the
Kingdom of Asturias was split three ways in 910.See
(http://www.tacitus.nu/historical-atlas/regents/iberian/leon.htm).
[22] Alfonso VII, his
forefather, had been known as ‘The Emperor’ because traditionally the Kings of
Leon and Asturias, being descendents of the Visigoth Holy Roman Empire, were
known as pretenders to the Empire of Iberia.
There
are plenty of apps that give you prayer timings and alarms to remind you to
pray them. I use an app called Athan Islamic Finder.
You can click on this name to follow the link to help you acquire it. It is
free.
The Five Obligatory Prayers
Allah says in the Quran, “Perform the (obligatory) formal
prayer from when the sun is at its zenith until the dusk of the night; and
recite the Quran in the early dawn; verily the Quran of the early dawn is ever
witnessed.” (Quran 17:78)
The sun at its zenith is the time Dhuhr enters. And the end of twilight,
or nightfall, is the time ‘Isha enters. Between these two prayers are ‘Asr. in
the late afternoon, and Macghreb, just after sunset. All on its own, just
before sunrise, is the Fajr, which is one of the two prayers that sees the Angels
change watch.
The Prophet ﷺ said, “The Angels of the
night and the Angels of the day descend amongst you in shifts. They meet at the
dawn prayer and at the evening prayer. Those Angels who had been with you through
the night ascend, and their Lord asks them, though He knows best about you, “How
did you leave my servants?” They say, “We came to them when they were praying
and left them when they were praying.” (Sahih Bukhari)
Because they change watch while it is being prayed, two watches of Angels
witness both the Dawn Prayer and the Evening Prayer, the prayers
at either end of the day, one of which is “the middle prayer” which is a prayer
we should especially keep, according to Quran 2:238.
A report from the Messenger ﷺ of
Allah transmitted by two of his companions, Jabir and Ibn Abbas, clarifies the
timing of the obligatory prayers. These times are shown in the diagram above
this article.
You should pray the Noon Prayer (Dhuhr) when the sun
begins to decline from the Zenith to beginning of the time for the Evening Prayer.
However you should avoid praying just before it ascends to the zenith
because Islam distances Allah worship from Sun Worship.
The Evening Prayer (‘Asr) begins as the
sun declines halfway to the horizon and stops when it halves the declination
again. That is, three quarters of the way to sundown from noon. The scholars of
Islam often allow praying later than this as long as one does not pray just
before the sun sets. The Hadith, however, shows a clear gap between the end of
the Evening Prayer and the Sunset Prayer.
The Sunset Prayer (Maghreb) must be
prayed straight after sunset is complete, while the twilight still allows you
to see your path home clearly. In tropical areas, the period allowed for it is
about a quarter of an hour.
After a gap lasting about an eighth of the night, just as dusk
approaches nightfall, the Dusk Prayer (‘Isha) is prayed. Once a
quarter of the night has passed, the obligatory declining prayers have
finished.
The next time for prayer begins at the start of morning twilight. The
time for the Dawn Prayer (Fajr) finishes just when the sun peeps
over the horizon. At this point begins another period when praying is forbidden
because Allah dissociates Himself from sun worship. However, once the sun is
two sun widths above the horizon, the ban lifts. The hadith describing the
timings is narrated from the companions (Sahaba) Ibn Abbas and Jabir, in Jami`
at-Tirmidhi(1:2/149).
Before any formal prayer (as-salat), whether one of the five obligatory prayers or a voluntary prayer at other times of the day and night, one must purify oneself for worship.
In order to do so,
One can take a bath (if it is needed) or
One can make ablution.
When there is no water to take a bath or make ablution,
Allah has prescribed using the geological crust of the earth to purify oneself (i.e. dry soil, sand, dust).
What breaks your purification?
Once purified for prayer, you can use your ablution to pray more than one of the prayers as long as it is not broken by one of eight actions:
Defecation
Urination
Flatulent breaking of wind (if audible and/or odoriferous)
Sleep (particularly deep sleep, rather than mere dozing) because in this state one is not aware of doing any of the above.
These actions require the renewal of one’s ablution.
Ejaculation/Orgasm
Copulation
These actions require the worshipper to bathe his or her complete body before the following prayer.
Menstruation/Menses
Parturition and post-partum bleeding
These actions require the woman to cease praying entirely during her period of bleeding, and bathe after the bleeding has stopped before returning to her cycle of prayers.
Asserting the Oneness of Allah and in His Lordship, Worship and Attributes for the first time
OR
Reasserting the above after lapsing.
A bath is also required upon entering the pure religion from a state of disbelief and/or idolatry, a concept similar to baptism, so that his or her cycle of obligatory prayers is acceptable as formal worship.
How to purify yourself for the Prayer
The Bath [Taghsila]
Say,“In the name of Allah” [Bismi Llah]
1a. Brush your teeth with toothpaste. Then shower from head to foot using soap and shampoo. Then rinse the suds off. Make sure every part of your body is wetted while rinsing.
OR
1b. Instead of showering, you can stand in or by a tub and use a container (i.e. a cup, a bowl, a scoop) to wet your hair and wash it, then make wet ablution (see below) except for your feet. Then wash your body while standing starting on your right side and finishing on your left from neck to ankle. Then wash your feet with fresh water as prescribed in wet ablution (see below) in a clean area away from the water already used.
OR
1c. A total immersion bath is acceptable if
the water is pure
you can stand in the water up to your waist (at least).
A large container of circulating clean water (like a swimming pool), a flowing river, stream, or canal, a lake, and the sea or ocean all count as PURE water.
If you take an immersion bath you must duck under the water to wash your head and you must wash your feet after you step out of the water.
Then say:“There is no true God but Allah, alone, without partners to Him, and Mohammed is the Messenger of God”
This statement is the assertion of Oneness pertaining to Allah in His Lordship, worship and attributes, and the recognition of the authority of the revelation given to, and the message given by, His Prophet Mohammed ﷺ, taking that as our way of life. Acting upon this statement and belief is the First Pillar of Islam, and should be recited in Arabic as follows:
[Ash-hadu an-la ilaha illa Llah, Wahida la sharika lahu,, Wa ana Muhammadan Rasoulu Llah]
YOU CAN NOW PRAY
Wiping over your Shoes or Socks and/or your Headgear.
If you put on a hat or socks after the first bath or ablution of the day, you can merely wipe over the hat or uppers of the socks/shoes with wet hands to renew your ablution of those portions of the body – within a 24 our period beginning with your first renewal.
2. Wet Ablution [TAWADDA]
Begin with saying,“In the name of Allah” [Bismi Llah] as above
First, it is recommended that you wash your hands; then clean your nose by snorting water; then clean your teeth.
Next, you must wash your face so that it is entirely wet from hairline to chin and ear to ear; then you must wash your right forearm to, and including, your elbow. Do the same for the left. These actions are necessary for your ablution to be valid.
Then, it is recommended that you wet your hands and wipe your pate or hair from the top of your forehead back to the nape of your neck; then clean your ears inside with your forefingers and behind with your thumbs.
Finally, with wet hands, you must rub your feet (starting with the right foot) up to the ankles, including between the toes, the sole, the heel and Achilles tendon. This action is necessary for your ablution to be valid. You can wash your feet instead of just wiping (rubbing) them.
Finish by saying:“There is no true God but Allah, Alone, without Partner; and Mohammed ﷺ is the messenger of God.” [Ash-hadu an-la ilaha illa Llah, Wahida la sharika lahu,, Wa ana Muhammadan Rasoulu Llah]as in The Bath.
NOW YOU CAN PRAY
Lack of water, travel and ill health
If you are travelling and there is not enough pure water within easy reach, or if you are sick, or injured and if the water is too cold or hot for your health, or if you need the water you have only for drinking, then you can do dry ablution (Tayyamoum) instead of bathing and/or wet ablution.
3. Dry Ablution
Dry Ablution consists of three actions between two sayings:
After saying Bismi Llah,
First, pat the palms of your hands once on clean soil, sand, rock or dust from the earth and
Second, wipe the back of your hands: You must brush the top of your right hand with your left palm, and the top of your left hand with your right palm (in that order)
Third, wipe your face (eyes and mouth closed) from forehead to chin, including your cheeks with both palms.
Then say the second saying as after Bath and Wet Ablution.
Was the sign of Jonah the equation of days in the belly of a whale to the days Jesus was in his grave, as is proposed in Matthew (12:40). Or is it something else, more akin to the events surrounding Nineveh and the Queen of Sheba in antiquity?
Reconstruction of the double walls of Nineveh by Marjon Verburg
Second Time of Asking
According to both Meyer’s linguistic commentary and Bengel’s Gnomen, when the priests asked for a sign, they wanted to see a sign from Jesus that he had a Divine mission. They wanted a heavenly sign from him, not because they had not seen him [calm daemons], but because [on whim] they thought this sign was insufficient and required him to attempt a stronger test (and fail it). Meyer claims the incident in Mark (8:11), Luke (11:16) 1nd Matthew (16:1) is the second time a sign is asked. This is despite both Luke (Chapter 11) and Matthew (Chapter 12) containing the trial of Be-el′zebul, the incident in which the priests claim the sign of calming daemons was from the Prince of daemons rather than from heaven.
The Prince of Daemons
In both Matthew and Luke, the response of Jesus was:
“Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand / a divided household falls; and if Satan casts out Satan / for [if] you say that I cast out demons by Be-el′zebul, he / Satan is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? And if I cast out demons by Be-el′zebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore, they shall be your judges. But if it is by the spirit/finger of God that I cast out daemons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you (Matthew 12:25-28, Luke 11:17-20).”
The parable of the strong man that follows the above simile is worded differently, but its message is the same:
“Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house (Matthew 12:29).” / “When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace; but when one stronger than he assails him and overcomes him, he takes away his armour in which he trusted, and divides his spoil (Luke 11:21-23).”
“He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me, scatters (Luke 11:24, Matthew 12:30).”
The People of Nineveh
According to the book of Jonah, after Jonah returned from the whale or shark, he threatened the people of Nineveh with God’s punishment, hoping that it would come about (Ellicott’s Commentary). He preached,
“Not forty days shall pass before Nineveh shall be overthrown (Jonah 3:4)!”
However, instead, of rejecting his message and challenging him, the people repented and followed the advice of their king, who proclaimed,
“Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; let them not feed, or drink water, but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them cry mightily to God; yea, let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence which is in his hands. Who knows, God may yet repent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we perish not (Jonah 3:7-9)?”
When Jonah realised God would not destroy the enemies of Israel, he angrily left the city and went out into the desert. To teach him a lesson, God then caused a plant to grow up and provide for him overnight, and then, the following night, caused it to wither. Jonah complained to God about destroying the plant, but God retorted:
“You pity the plant, for which you did not labour, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night, and perished in a night. 11 And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle (Jonah 4:10)?”
This calmed Jonah down and he returned to the city to guide them in their new creed and their worship of God.
We know that he was swallowed by a huge fish or whale when he fled to sea. The question to ask is, when did he flee? Was it before he, a stranger from Israel, ever went to Nineveh, as is stated in the Book of Jonah? Or after he grew up in Nineveh and was called to be their Prophet, as is stated in the Quran?
Alternative Viewpoints on the Prophet Jonah
Let us grant that, although it places it after Jonah’s passage through the whale, the Bible truly describes the preaching of God’s impending punishment by the prophet to the people of Nineveh. In Islamic narrative, he deserted his calling in anger, rather than patiently staying on the job, because the people had rejected his message. Hence, the impending doom would have been shown to the people of Nineveh after he left the city. Furthermore, rather than after he returned from the being swallowed, his preaching would have come before the event. Moreover, can it be plausibly asserted that the plant that sheltered him in the desert was simply a means to his recovery after his ordeal in the stomach of a great fish or whale? Or could we say its provision, as is stated in the Bible, was simply to demonstrate that those who did not know God are all as precious to God as the plant was to Jonah, and so may be apportioned His mercy. In either case, it still occurred just before his (second) return to the city.
Manifest Doom and Last-minute Redemption
Thus, let us suppose that Jonah did warn Nineveh of its impending doom if they repented not, and in despair of them heeding the warning when it was nigh upon them, he fled on a ship of Tarshish. Let us suppose, further, that the event described in the Quran then occurred where the city witnessed its doom about to fall on it. Let us also suppose that the king made his proclamation in response, and the people repented. Would this not account for Jesus talking about the sign of Jonah and its relation to Nineveh? No sign would be more appropriate for “this evil generation” of hypocritical disbelievers [priests of the Temple] than the looming evidence of doom seen by the people of Nineveh when Jonah left them.
This phenomenal storm, with two tornadoes spinning simultaneously, was photographed in early June 2015 near Simla, Colo. (Kelly DeLay)
Obedience to God
It is interesting that Luke’s,
“Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it (Luke 11:28)!”
juxtaposes neatly with Matthew’s homily,
“On the day of judgment men will render account for every careless word they utter; for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned (Matthew 12:36-37),”
at this point of the narrative, just before mentioning the sign of Jonah.
Do these homilies point to the mythical connection between Jonah’s sojourn in the belly of a shark or whale and Jesus’s sojourn in his grave, or to the more important and evident message that only by obeying God and being careful not to disobey Him will their blessed afterlife be guaranteed?
Three Days and Three Nights
Let us see what Luke said about the sign of Jonah. He says,
“This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of Jonah. For as Jonah became a sign to the men of Nineveh, [he warned of doom in forty days, and – according to the Quran – the men of Nineveh saw it approaching [and repented]] so will the Son of man be to this generation (Luke 11:29-30).”
Indeed, the temple was torn down and the people of Israel scattered within 40 years of his crucifixion. Matthew, however, adds, as he is wont to do, his interpretation of verses from the Old Testament. He says,
“An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign; but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale …. The men of Nineveh will arise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here (Matthew 12:39-41).”
Basically, Matthew and Luke are in accord except for that phrase upon which much of Christian faith hangs,
“For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, so will the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth (Matthew 12:40).”
Are these really the words of the original Aramaic scripture, or added in conveniently by the Greek translator to fit in with his creed?
All the commentaries on the sign of Jonah focus on these “three days and three nights” and explaining the evident misfit with being buried Friday evening and disappearing from his grave by dawn on Sunday, rather than on the more important theological implication that Jonah became a sign to the men of Nineveh, and they [the men of Nineveh] repented at the preaching of Jonah. Luke (11:28), in his chapter, recalls a beatitude. I suggest Christians recall all the beatitudes of Matthew gathered, rather than scattered as in Luke, in one of his chapters (Chapter 5).
The Beatitudes
In Meyer’s Commentary it states that the language suggests these beatitudes will result in
“attaining the salvation of the kingdom, which is nigh at hand”.
by those doing what is based on these.
What are these beatitudes? Matthew, in his Gospel, says, that the poor in spirit, the gentle, the merciful, the pure in heart, and the peacemakers, are all blessed, because theirs is the kingdom of heaven. They shall see God, inherit the earth, receive mercy, and be called sons of God. Also blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness and have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, and mourn. Theirs is the kingdom of heaven, too, and they shall be satisfied and comforted (Matthew 5:1-10).
The Light of the World
Jesus also preached, in the same chapter, that,
“when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of God’s messenger, then rejoice and be glad, because your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you (Matthew 5:11-12).”
In accepting such persecution for God’s sake, and for struggling against it, Jesus says,
“You are the salt of the earth (who the misguided ignore, cast aside and trample) and “the light of the world (Matthew 5:13-14)” to “shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven (Matthew 5:16).”
Not surprisingly, Luke (11:33-36) mentions the parable of “the Light” in the chapter of “The Sign of Jonah.” Equally, it is not surprising that the Bible editors calls the parable, there, “the lamp of the body” (NIV) rather than “the light of the World” or “the light of God’s message.”
This Light refers to a similar Light in Qur’an (24:35),
“Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The example of His light is like a niche within which is a lamp, the lamp is within glass, the glass as if it were a pearly [white] star lit from [the oil of] a blessed olive tree, neither of the east nor of the west, whose oil would almost glow even if untouched by fire. Light upon light. Allah guides to His light whom He wills. And Allah presents examples for the people, and Allah is Knowing of all things.”
It is also alluded to in the Gospel of John when Jesus says,
“While I am in the world, I am the light of the world (John 9:5),” and “I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should remain in darkness (John 12:46),” and “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life (John 8:12),” and “It is the spirit that gives life, the flesh is of no avail; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life (John 6:63).”
It is also how “The Word” is described by John in his Gospel.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and (to) God was the Word. It was in the beginning with God;all things were made through it, and without it was not anything made that was made. In it was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came for testimony, to bear witness to the light, that all might believe through it. He was not the light, but came to bear witness to the light. The true light that enlightens every man was coming into the world. (John 1:1-9).” [The text from RSV is modified, here, so that the pronoun “he” is “it” when referring to “The Word”.]
Perfection
To drive the point home, Jesus adds,
“Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. So, whoever annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. And unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven… Therefore, you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect (Matthew 5:17-20 & 48).”
Many a Christian says that the perfection God requires to approach Him is impossible for men to attain and only through God’s sacrifice of His only son is such required perfection attained through washing the Christian soul with the blood of their “Saviour” (their Christ God). Yet, in this statement, Jesus tells his followers that to be perfect like the Father, one needs to follow the Law, teach others to follow it, and love not only your brethren, but also love the stranger – even the enemy, and be merciful towards them. In the prayer he teaches, he tells us to ask the Father to forgive our sins as we forgive the sins committed against us by others. This is the key to righteousness. The righteousness of perfection. Not some mythical cleansing effect of Christ God’s sacrificial blood. As it is said in the Quran (22:37),
“It is neither their meat or blood [i.e. of your sacrifice] that reaches God, but the piety of yourself that reaches Him.”
The Queen of Sheba
عرش بلقيس – معبد بران في إقليم سبأ
In addition to the example of Nineveh, Jesus invokes the story of the Queen of Sheba. She and her nation, too, would judge the disbelieving generation of priests as the people of Nineveh would. In the classical texts explaining the visit of the Queen Sheba to Solomon in the Bible, the focus is on the surprising wisdom of Solomon and his ability to provide answers to her “hard questions” (Ellicott’s Commentary) and demonstrate his wisdom to the inquirer [the Queen of Sheba]. It also focusses on from whence she came – the nether ends [Yamani] of the earth [edge of the known world], which invokes the spread of God’s word across the modern globe. The Bible records the Queen of Sheba giving sumptuous gifts in return for his advice, the wisdom of which amazed her. Jewish tradition suggests that she became one of Solomon’s wives or concubines (Rashi’s Commentary), which suggests she accepted his religion, too. Rashi also states that she gave birth to Nebuchadnezzar, who was instrumental in bringing down the temple at the second exile to Babylon – reflecting what happened in 70 C.E.
Turning to the Islamic interpretation and lessons, the Queen of Sheba is not so much a free-thinking philosophical inquirer, impressed by Solomon’s wisdom and justice which she repays with rich material gifts, but a self-confident rival vanquished and confounded by Solomon.
In the Quran, Solomon discovers the Queen Sheba in Yemen through the report of a bird, whom God had taught him to understand. She was the ruler of a rich and powerful country and sat on a wonderful throne, but she and her people worshipped the sun, not Allah. He sent her a message, telling her to present herself to him and submit to the True God [Allah]. She consulted with her advisors and they told her that she had the army and the ability to go to war, if she so desired. However, the advice did not make her precipitate the nation into war; rather, she displayed wisdom. She would send Solomon a rich gift as if to buy him off from attacking her and open the way to her payment of tribute. However, this would be a test by which to measure him. She said to her advisors that if Solomon accepted the gift and tribute, it would prove that he was but a king desiring her queendom to submit to his, but if he refused it, it would prove he was a prophet who wanted their submission to God for the sake of God.
When Solomon received her gift, he sent it back with a message that he was coming to her with his army to conquer her in the name of God. In return, she returned a message with the good news that she was inclined to listen to his call to God and would come with all her commanders and advisers to receive instruction in his religion. She reserved her trustees, whom she charged with the protection of her magnificent throne and the government of the people.
Further proofs of God’s power were supplied by God to Solomon for her education when she arrived. The first was the appropriation of her throne, brought to him by Jinn whom God had placed under his command, despite all the defences her trustees had set up. Before she arrived, he changed it – swapping the placement of its jewels, restructuring some of its body – and then tested her with its altered shape (Tafsir Ibn Kathir). “Is this your throne?” he asked her.
She was cautious, so she did not deny that it was, but said, “It is very like it.”
He also constructed a glass floor in a tower where he housed her that covered a pool of water. When Solomon invited her to enter the room with the pool, she lifted her skirts so as not to wet her hem. How surprised she was when she walked on water, rather than in water. When Solomon told her how God had helped him prepare the tests he had waiting for her, she recognised how powerful and gifted and blessed Solomon was, and attributed his magnificence to his relationship with God, and thus entered wholly into his religion – submission to God (Tafsir Ibn Kathir).
The Sign of Jonah
Whether one takes the Muslim or Jewish account of the Queen of Sheba’s visit to Solomon, she clearly was convinced of his God given gifts and knew he was a Prophet of God. Although there is no indication she accepted Judaism in 1 Kings 10, the reference Jesus makes to her witness against the insincere generation of Pharisees and Sadducees along with people of Nineveh indicates that he was aware she did submit to God.
What Jesus means by the sign of Jonah is therefore clear. The disbelieving hypocritical priests of the Judaic institution would only believe if they saw their doom looming, and their refusal in the face of what they had already witnessed [of the light] would be held against them not only by God, but by the groups of people who accepted God’s guidance among the gentiles on the day of Judgement.
Bibliography
Sahih International Translation of the Quran [all Quran quotes are from here unless otherwise stated]
Ibn Kathir’s Tafsir of the Quran (translated)
Rashi’s Commentary on The Complete Jewish Bible
Revised Standard Version of the Bible [all Bible quotes are from here unless otherwise stated]
New International Version of the Bible
Meyer’s Commentary of the Bible
Bengel’s Gnomen
Ellicott’s Commentary of the Bible for English Readers
A long time ago, as a new Muslim, I struggled with the phrase we attach to the mention of the Prophet Muhammad (صلّى الله عليه وسلم), or sullâ Llah[u] ‘alayh[i] wa salam, because of the implication that we ask Allah to make (صلأة), or saláh (i.e. perform the formal prayer) to, or for, him. Coming recently from Christianity, this seemed a little too extreme. Jesus is regarded as Deity, along with “the Father”, but not a god to God! There had to be another meaning to (صلّى), or sullâ other than performing prayers, or praying.
To research, I consulted Word Reference, (http://www.wordreference.com/enar/), which is an online a general dictionary, and Lane’s Arabic-English Lexicon, a work specific to the words found in the Quran, and their roots. The words with the letters (ل ل ص) or (ى ل ص) or (و ل ص) or (صِ ل ة) as root letters bear examining. I put together the following reasoning:
(صِلة), or silah, is a noun which means a relationship, connection, link, bond, tie or contact. Therefore, forming such a contact with God and establishing it regularly is closely related to (صلأة), or saláh, and the action (صلّى), or sullâ. The Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وسلم) in an authentic hadeeth,
“It pleases Allah for you to acquire three qualities …: It pleases Him that you worship Him Alone and not associate anything or anyone with Him in worship, that you hold on to the Rope of Allah altogether and do not divide, and that you advise whoever Allah appoints as your Leader.” [Muslim}
“If anyone prays at night reciting regularly ten verses, he will not be recorded among the negligent if anyone prays at night and recites a hundred verses, he will be recorded among those who are devout to Allah; and if any-one prays at night reciting one thousand verses, he will be receive an immeasurable amount of reward.” [Abu Dawud]
And
(إِنَّ هذَا الْقُرآنَ هُوَ حَبْلُ اللّهِ سببٌ طرفُه بيد الله و طرفُه بأيديكم فتمسَّكوا به فإنكم لن تضِاُّوا ولن تهلِكوا بعده أبدًا)
“Indeed, this Qur’an is a rope – one end of it is in the Hand of Allah and the other end is in your hands. So, hold firmly to it [so] that you would never go astray and never be destroyed.” [Ibn Hibben]
[An] established way for those We had sent before you of Our messengers; and you will not find in Our way any alteration. Establish the prayer at the decline of the sun [from its meridian] until the darkness of the night and [also] the Qur’an of dawn. Indeed, the recitation of dawn is ever witnessed. And from [part of] the night, pray with it as additional [worship] for you; it is expected that your Lord will resurrect you to a praised station. [17:77-79]
This praised station is believed to be the highest station in Paradise and closest to Allah, promised to Muhammad (صلّى الله عليه وسلم), here.
Another Prophet known to be lifted up close to Allah is Jesus, son of Mary. Allah says in the Quran,
And [they say], “Indeed, we have killed the Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, the messenger of Allah.” But they did not kill him, nor did they crucify him; but [another] was made to resemble him to them. And indeed, those who differ over it are in doubt about it. They have no knowledge of it except the following of assumption. And they did not kill him, for certain. Rather, Allah lifted him to Himself. And ever is Allah Exalted in Might and Wise. [4:157-8]
In the first set of verses, a praised status is promised to Muhammad, the closest anyone can be to Him, whilst in the second set of verses, another messenger, the Messiah, has already been lifted up close to Allah – by Allah’s will. In these latter verses, no mention is made of Jesus being on the praised station, however, just that he was lifted to Allah Himself, implying the strongest of bonds. The praised station is promised due to not only reciting the rope of Allah daily on a regular basis, and recited late into the night, but also living the Quran.
A’isha, when asked about her husband’s character, replied:
“Verily, the character of the Prophet of Allah was the Quran.” [Muslim]
From this I adduce the Quran being the link to Allah, and Allah conferring Salah upon the Prophet as recognition of the strong and ever strengthening relationship he has with Allah due to the increasing reach of the message and the prayers of his followers reciting the Quran he taught us.
There is another Arabic word that is used to recommend someone to calm down and think positively. The word is most often used in the imperative or subjunctive mood (as a wish or as a command). The same word can also mean to make a noise like that of a bell or a cymbal. Such sounds are often used as preludes to a meditative action, and can also accompany the purification ceremony in a temple or other place of worship when using a censor to perfume the air. The word is (صَلّ), or sull[a].
This idea suggests the attitude people should bring to the link between themselves and their Creator in – (صلأة) or saláh.
Similar in to this word is another, (أَصُلَ), or asoul[a], which means to be of noble origin or be original.
This gives two qualities associated with being a believer. First, Islam is the original religion – original way of life – and is part of the fitrah. It is also the most noble and most rewarding of ways of doing/being. The true believer lives in this world like a stranger – the mundane is strange to him and brief. He lives for the noble afterlife which is long-lasting.
Putting a (ّ), or shuddâ, on the (ص), or såd (i.e. doubling the letter), gives the word a close, but different, meaning.
(أَصَّلَ) or assul[a] means to give a firm foundation, and this is the function of (صلأة), or saláh. It also indicates establishing the origin of something. (صلأة), or saláh, establishes that Allah is (الصمد), or us-Samad, the eternal firm foundation of everything. Finally, it means to “document”, or “record something in detail”. (صلأة), or saláh, is documented and recorded and is the first of a Muslim’s actions to be weighed and assessed on the Day of Judgement.
The last of the etymological relative to (صلّى), or sullâ, is (صلي), or salī. This word means to bear or endure something, particularly heat.
Once Aisha asked her husband why he prayed all night every night when he knew his sins had been forgiven, to which he replied,
(أفلا أحب أن أكون عبداً شكوراً؟)
“should I not be grateful slave?” [Bukhari & Muslim]
Enduring the night on your feet is also recommended in the Quran instead of looking with envy at the goods mundane people had. Finally, the Quran admonishes that when we face difficulties, it should be with patience and endurance – that is (صبر), or sabr. This, then, is the attitude we should bring to (صلأة), or saláh.
This brings us back to the word (صلّى), or salī, meaning to “pray” or “convey a wish” to bless or receive blessings. Ordinarily, Muslims use the word to describe the action of formal prayer. Most often, it is used in this way in the phrase, (صلّى الله عليه وسلم). Yet the word is also used in the meaning of (الأدّعاء), or du’aa (prayerful invocation or supplication directed to Allah) asking Allah’s benefits and support for another creature.
(سلّم) or sallam means to “surrender”, “send one’s greeting or/& love” [to], “salute”, and is related to embracing Islam or giving the greeting of peace. As a noun, it means a stairway, or ladder (to heaven?)
(سلم) or salam however, means to give safety, security and peace.
When we say, (صلّى الله), or sullâ Llah[u], we are invoking Allah’s bond, or relationship to something. That is, we are asking Allah to raise something up close to Him – to elevate something or someone in status and blessing. Adding (عليه), or ‘alayhi, is to indicate who or what is the object of the action we are supplicating/invoking. So, when we say (محمد صلّى الله عليه) we are asking Allah to raise Muhammad up close to Him, forge the closest of relationships with him and grant him the highest and noblest status and most blessings a creature can have.
This idea, or meaning, is supported by the use of (صَلُّو) in verse, in which Allah declares:
This is translated into English in the Sahih International Quran as:
“Indeed, Allah confers blessing upon the Prophet, and His angels. O you who have believed, ask blessing upon him and ask peace.” [33:56]
However, Lane’s dictionary states
[صَلُّواْ] means God conferred blessing upon him: and He had mercy on him. [It also means] He magnified him, or conferred honour upon him: … in the saying in Quran 33:56, [ إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ ۚ], the verb does not import two meanings; for it has there only one meaning, which is “ magnification ” [i. e. these words mean Verily God and his angels magnify the Prophet; However, if you (did) render them, bless the Prophet, this rendering implies magnification and also a meaning of the quasi-infinitive, which is “commendation” or “eulogy,” bestowed by God upon his messenger, while it imports God’s “conferring of blessing” and the angels’ “invoking thereof”].
It is said that اللّٰهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ means O God, magnify Mohammad in the present world by exalting his renown and manifesting his invitation [to Islam] and rendering permanent his law, and in the world to come by accepting his intercession for his people and multiplying his reward. It is disputed whether or not this form of prayer may be used for any but the Prophet [Mohammad].
Adding (وسلم), or wa salam, means we want Allah to include, with that status and blessing, both security and peace. Occasionally, a Muslim may say (وسلّم), or wa sallam, which requests Allah to convey greetings, submission and love, unfortunately rather vaguely. One would have to say (وسلّم له), or wa sallam lah[u], in order to specify to whom the greetings, submission and love should be sent.
I imagine that what is implied by this honorific prayer used by Muslims whenever we mention our Prophet, (صلّى الله عليه وسلّم) is that we ask Allah to ennoble him and to forge the strongest bond with him because we submit to him in love and obedience as commanded by Allah, and this ligature provides him with the Peace and Security we desire to be a part of when we are able to exchange greetings with him in Paradise. Meanwhile we want Allah to convey those greetings now wishing that this foreshadows what we hope for in the Hereafter.
Ahmed ibn Hanbal
Then I turned to the scholars of the madhab, or school of thought, that taught me Islam: the hanbali school of thought. This more classical explanation of this phrase is given by Islamqa, a website of rulings run by Shaykh Muhammad Sálih al-Munajjid, in Saudi Arabia. The English translations of extracts quoted from (https://islamqa.info/en/69944) have been slightly paraphrased to work better and give a clearer idea of the meaning in English. In addition, I have changed the word translating (صلّى), which was rendered as “blessings” as opposed to “mercy”, to “bonds” or “ligatures” (still contrasted to mercy), so as to more closely reflect the notion of being drawn closer to Allah and the promotion in status it implies, which is at the heart of how I conceive of Allah’s saláh on the Prophet (وصلاة وسلام عليه).
Sallī ‘alâ Muhammad (صلّي على محمّد)
According to Muhammad Sálih al-Munajjid’s website, IslamQ&A, the earlier, later and contemporary hanbali scholars are of the view that the meaning of blessings upon the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وسلّم) is praise for him among the “higher group” (الْمَلَإِ الْأَعْلَىٰ) or al-mala’ al-‘a’la, mentioned in Quran 37:8, meaning the “angels”. Furthermore, the prayers of the angels and the Muslims for blessings upon him are for him (صلّى الله عليه وسلّم) to be praised by Allah among the “higher group”.
The site recommends Ibn al-Qayyim’s discussion of the meaning of blessings upon the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وسلّم) at length, the rulings thereon, and its benefits in (جلاء الأفهام في فضل الصلاة والسلام على خير الأنام), or Jala’ al-Afham fi Fadl al-Salati wa’l-Salam ‘ala Khayr il-Anam.
It also reports that Shaykh Muhammad ibn Sáleh al-‘Uthaymīn (replacing the translation of “صلّي” with “prayers” or “prayer for blessings” instead of the word “blessings” on its own) said:
The phrase (صلّي على محمّد), or “Sallī ‘ala Muhammad”, was said to mean “mercy” when invoked of Allah, “prayer for forgiveness” when invoked of the angels, and “prayers for blessings” upon him when invoked of humans. In other words, if it is said:
“Allah sent prayers upon him,” it means that “He bestowed mercy upon him”.
“The angels sent prayers upon him,” it means that “they prayed for forgiveness for him”.
“The khateeb (the preacher) sent blessings upon him,” it means that “he prayed for blessing for him”.
Although, according to the Shaykh, the above is well known among the scholars, there is a difference in opinion about the exact meaning, because (الصلاة) is more specific than either “prayers for blessing” or “mercy”. Hence the Muslims are unanimously agreed that it is permissible to pray for “mercy” for every believer, but they differed as to whether we may invoke “blessing” for someone by sending “prayers” upon him using this specific word of (الصلاة) or (… صلّي على) for anyone other than the Prophets. If the word (صلاة) here is taken to mean “mercy”, then there is no difference between them, and just as we pray for “mercy” for a person we may send “prayers for blessing” upon them.
Moreover, Allah says (the explanation “i.e. bonds of” added in):
“They are those on whom are the Prayers for (i.e. bonds of) blessing from their Lord, and receive His Mercy, and it is they who are the guided ones” [al-Baqarah 2:157].
The word (رحمة), or Mercy, is mentioned in conjunction with the word (صلوات), or Prayers, which indicates that they are two different things, so the verse clarifies the meaning. The scholars have used the word salah in some places and the word rahmah in others, so salah is the not the same as rahmah. The best that can be said concerning this is what Abu’l-‘Aaliyah said: The salah of Allah upon the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وسلّم) is His praising him among the angels in (الْمَلَإِ الْأَعْلَىٰ الملائكة من), or the “higher group”.
So, what is meant by “Allahumma salli ‘alayhi” (اللهمّ صلّي عليه) is: “O Allah, praise him among the higher group,” i.e., among the angels who are close [to Him] (عند الملائكة المقرَّبين).”
At this point, the Shaykh addresses the issue of concern for many new to Islam from Christianity. He said (replacing the translation of “صِلة” with “bond, ligature or rapprochement” instead of “gift”):
If this seems unlikely from a linguistic point of view, because (الصلاة), or the prayer (salah) in Arabic, means (الدُّعاء) or supplication (du’aa), not praise, then consider that the word (الصلاة) is also connected to the word (صِلة) which means a bond, ligature or rapprochement. So, clearly, praise for the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وسلّم) among the higher group (angels) is one of the greatest ligatures. Based on this, the sending salah upon him means invoking praise for him along with the higher group (the angels) seems the strongest view.
Al-Sharh al-Mumti’, 3/163, 164
Wa Salam (وسلم)
Sending greetings upon him (صلّى الله عليه وسلّم) means praying for (السّلمة), or salamah, which means the soundness of his body and of his religious commitment during his lifetime until death takes him, the soundness of his body and of his religious commitment in the grave, and his safety and well-being on the Day of Resurrection.
Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saleh al-‘Uthaymin said:
The phrase (السلام عليك) or al-salamu ‘alayka.
It was said that the meaning of (السلام) or al-Salaam, is one of the names of Allah, because the messenger of Allah (صلّى الله عليه وسلّم) said: (الله السَلام) or “Allah is al-Salaam,” and Allah says in His Book:
(هُوَ اللَّهُ … الْمَلِكُ الْقُدُّوسُ السَّلَامُ)
“the King, the Holy, the Bestower of Peace” [al-Hashr 59:23].
So according to this view, the meaning is:
May Allah protect, keep safe and take care of His Messenger (صلّى الله عليه وسلّم). It is as if we are saying: Allah is watching over you, protecting you, helping you, etc.
He also says that
(السلام), or As-Salam, is a noun that comes from the root (سلّم), or sallama, which means greeting. The meaning of greeting the Messenger (صلّى الله عليه وسلّم) is to pray for him and ask that he be kept safe from all harm.
It could be said that this (دُعَاء), or du’aa’, meaning supplication, is something obvious during his lifetime, but after his death, how can we pray that he be kept safe and sound when he (صلّى الله عليه وسلّم) has died?
The answer is that prayer for safety and well-being are not limited to the time when someone is alive. There are the terrors of the Day of Resurrection yet to come. Hence the prayer of the Messengers when the people cross (الصراط), or al-sirat (a bridge over Hell) will be:
(اللهمَّ سلِّم سلِّم)
“Allahumma, sallim, sallim (O Allah, grant safety, grant safety).”
A man does not cease to face danger and harm just because he has died.
So, we pray for the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وسلّم), that he will be kept safe from the terrors of the standing (on the Day of Resurrection).
We also say that there may be a more general meaning, i.e., that safety and protection for him also includes protection for (الشَّريعة), or His shari’ah, meaning God’s Law, and (السُّنَّة), or Sunnah, meaning the example, or way, of the Prophet, (صلّى الله عليه وسلّم), that they may be kept safe from the hands of those who would tamper with them, as the scholars said concerning the verse:
(فَرُدُّوهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَالرَّسُوِلِ)
“refer it to Allah and His Messenger” [al-Nisa’ 4:59]
One referred directly to him during his lifetime, but refers to his Sunnah since his death.
Al-Sharh al-Mumti’, 3/149, 150
(al-salamu ‘alayka) السلام عليك
Another uncomfortable phrase we are taught to say at the closing of the prayer is (السلام عليك أيها النبي) or “al-salamu ‘alayk ayuhal- nabī,” meaning, “Peace be upon you, O Prophet.” To me, that seems like direct speech to the Prophet, (صلّى الله عليه وسلّم), which is like speaking to Jesus as if he can her us. The question also nags at others, so they ask the scholars.
Is addressing the Messenger (صلّى الله عليه وسلّم) this way like one person addressing another?
In response to this question, Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saleh al-‘Uthaymin replied that it is not. He said:
If it were spoken like that, then the prayer would be invalidated thereby, because no ordinary audible human speech is acceptable during the prayer. If it were the case that it was like the normal speech between people, then the Sahabah would have spoken it out loud so that the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وسلّم) would hear them in his hearing, and he would have returned the greeting, as happened when they met him, and they would not have said it when praying when he was not present with them. Hence the Sahabah used to say (السلام عليك), or “Al-salamu ‘alayka” although he could not hear them, and they would say “Al-salamu ‘alayka” when they were in one land and he was in another, and we say “al-salamu ‘alayka” although we are in lands other than his, and in a time other than his.
In his book (إقتضاء الصراط المستقيم), Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said
Because you think so much about him (صلّى الله عليه وسلّم) when you (إرسال السلام على الرسول) send salams upon the Messenger, it is as if he is in front of you and you are addressing him.
Al-Sharh al-Mumti’, 3/149, 150
For this reason, it is reported that some of the sahaba, or companions of the Prophet, or their followers would say (السلام على النبي) or “Al-salamu ‘alaa an-nabi,” meaning, “Greetings of Peace to the Prophet,” instead of (السلام عليك أيها النبي), or “Al-salamu ‘alayka, ay-you an-nabi,” after he died.
Shaykh said concerning this:
With regard to the report narrated in Sahîh al-Bukhârī from ‘Abd-Allah ibn Mas’oud, which says that after the Messenger (صلّى الله عليه وسلّم) passed away, they used to say “(السلام على النبي ورحماةالله وبركاته) meaning, “Peace be upon the Prophet and Allah‘s mercy and His blessings” – this was the interpretation of Ibn Mas’ood, which differed from that of one who was more knowledgeable than him, namely ‘Umar ibn al-Khattáb, for he addressed the people from the pulpit of the Messenger of Allah (صلّى الله عليه وسلّم) and said in the testification of faith: (السلام عليك أيها النبي ورحماةالله) or “al-salámu ‘alayka ayyhu’l-nabiyyu wa rahmatullah,” meaning “Peace be upon you, O Prophet and the mercy of Allah)”, as was narrated by Malik in al-Muwatta’ with the soundest of chains of narrators.
Al-Sharh al-Mumti’, 3/150, 151
However, although the practice of saying “…Alsalam ‘alá an-nabi” is frowned upon as going against the stronger tradition from the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وسلّم), I feel more comfortable with saying it.
Nevertheless, even if we accept we should use direst speech here, the true Muslim should not regard this form of greeting the Prophet as an elocutionary address. Rather, it should be treated as a supplication to Allah to pass on our greetings.
Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saleh Al-‘Uthaymīn, addressing this issue, said:
(هو دُعاءٌ تدعو بأنَّ الله يُسلِّمُه ، فهو خَبَرٌ بمعنى الدُّعاء)
It is a supplication, asking Allah to protect him. So, it is a statement that serves as a supplication.
The 5 steps I’ve followed to write trending articles on Medium
Recently, I was talking to a friend who was feeling disappointed with her blog. She’d publish a post, and all she’d hear were crickets. Even after promoting her posts, hardly anyone was commenting or sharing her articles.
Most of us bloggers know what that feels like.
When I began my blog just over a year ago, I set out to write blog posts that would inspire and help fellow writers. But after spending days crafting a post, I would only receive a handful of comments.
Most of those comments were positive, though, and they encouraged me to keep going. Still, I felt a little discouraged. I wanted my posts to reach more readers.
After a while, it occurred to me that maybe the problem wasn’t with my content but with the way I was presenting it. So I decided to study the rules of copywriting and read every article I could get my hands on about how to write powerful blog posts.
As I started implementing what I was learning, my posts began receiving more and more comments and shares (one even went viral on StumbleUpon). I republished my posts on Medium, and many have become trending articles in The Writing Cooperative. One was even picked up by The Muse. And my blog’s email list grew from 100 to over 1,200 subscribers in less than a year.
In today’s post, I’m boiling down into five steps everything I’ve learned about writing blog posts over the past year. Please note:This isn’t a guide to writing viral posts.Rather, this is a guide to writing compelling blog posts that will resonate with your readers and add value to their lives.
1. Craft a Strong Headline
Imagine you’re browsing through the newly released books at a bookstore. You don’t have enough time to stop to look at every single book. Most likely, you’ll only pick up a book if it has an intriguing title and cover design.
The same is true of blog posts. People’s social media feeds are flooded with a constant stream of articles and online content. In order to make yours stand out, you have to have an attention-grabbing headline: something that offers value to the reader in exchange for their time.
David Ogilvy, known as The Father of Advertising, is said to have stated,
“The headlines that work best are those that promise the reader a benefit.”
A benefit could be anything from entertaining someone to teaching someone to inspiring someone to helping someone solve a problem.
Each of these headlines states a clear benefit to the reader.
As you write your blog post headlines, keep the 4 U’s of headline writing in mind:
Unique
Ultra-specific
Urgent
Useful
Usually, you won’t be able to cover all four of those U’s, but if you include at least one or two you should be able to come up with a strong headline. List posts perform well because they are ultra-specific, and how-to posts do well because they are useful.
You can run your titles through the Coschedule Headline Analyzer to see if there are ways to tweak them to make them more powerful.
Bonus Tip: Once you’ve come up with your headline, you should also choose a lead photo for your blog post that illustrates your headline in some way. This is the photo that will appear when your post is shared on social media (or in your readers’ Medium feeds) so make sure it is eye-catching.
Pixabay and Unsplash are two fantastic databases where you can find beautiful, royalty free photos to use.
2. Open with an Irresistible Introduction
You’ve caught your reader’s attention with your headline, but does your post deliver what it promised?
The first paragraph of your blog post should draw your readers in and make them want to read more. This is where you lay out what they can expect in the rest of the blog post.
There are three elements of a powerful introduction:
The Hook
The Transition Section
The Thesis Statement
This is the same formula I used when writing introductions to college essays, and it is very effective for blog posts too.
In the hook, you grab your reader’s attention with a memorable story or fact or question. Usually, in the hook, I set up a problem that is facing the reader. Often I like to address the reader directly with a question. For example, “Does it ever feel like there just aren’t enough hours in the day for everything that you want to accomplish?”
Next, I’ll transition into a story about a famous writer or even a story about myself. In this transition section, I’ll dig a little deeper into the detrimental effects of the problem. Then, I’ll explain that I have found a way to solve the problem.
Finally, I present the thesis statement: a one-sentence summary of the post and how I will be helping the reader solve their problem. For example, “In today’s post, I’m looking at five different ways we can carve out time for writing even when it seems like there are no more hours left in our schedules.”
My examples are from a how-to post, but you can adapt this formula to any type of post that you are writing.
3. Follow the Story Structure of the Hero’s Journey
Stories add another dimension to our writing. This fascinating Infographic shows how the human brain is hardwired to respond to storytelling differently than other forms of writing.
You can use stories to illustrate your main points, and you can also use the elements of storytelling to structure your entire post.
When I write my posts, I follow the outline of the hero’s journey, a term coined by American scholar Joseph Campbell to describe one of the most common storylines in literature. Think of the plot of Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings,or The Odyssey.
Here’s the basic outline:
A hero is called to go on an adventure to solve some kind of problem. (Every good story has some kind of conflict driving the plot forward.)
She may be reluctant to accept the call but eventually realizes that if she doesn’t solve the problem, her life will spiral out of control.
A mentor helps her prepare for the adventure.
After facing a series of challenges, the story reaches its climax. Will the hero overcome the problem or not?
The hero emerges victorious and returns home transformed.
How can you use this storyline to write your blog post?
Use the body of your post to take your readers on a journey. Your hero is your blog reader. You are the mentor. Share the steps you took to overcome a problem that the reader is facing. Then show the reader how they will be transformed once they implement those steps.
My post below shares eight more tips for writing powerful stories that will connect with your readers:
Even if you write a wonderfully compelling or incredibly helpful post, people might still not stay around to read. Most people glance over a post quickly to see how long it is. Others are wary of click bait, not wanting to invest their time in something that won’t benefit them.
Here are three steps you can take to make your post more convincing to read:
1. Break your post up into short sections with subheadings
The subheadings give your reader an outline to follow, and the short sections make a long post much easier to digest.
However, you want to make sure that the subheading doesn’t give too much away or people won’t bother reading each section. Notice how each of my subheadings in this post are short teasers to what follows in the paragraph.
2. Use short paragraphs and sentences
Long blocks of text are intimidating to read, especially if you are reading on a mobile device. I try to write paragraphs that are no more than three to four sentences long.
3. Evaluate your post’s readability
I use Grammarly to catch any typos or grammar errors I might have made. And then I evaluate my post against a readability score.
A readability score tells you roughly what level of education someone would need in order to read your piece of text easily. It will help you write with a more conversational style. I try to write my posts as if I were talking to you in person over a cup of coffee in a café. Would you like another latte?
You can use this website to measure your text readability. Or if you have a self-hosted WordPress website, I recommend downloading the Yoast SEO plugin. It will help you optimize your content for the web and has a built-in readability analyzer.
Here are several more tips from Kurt Vonnegut on how to improve your writing:
You’ve taken your reader on an incredible adventure. Now what should he do with that information he’s just learned?
I usually title the conclusion of my blog post “The Takeaway”. It’s where you can emphasize the most important lessons of your post.
Next, give your reader a clear call to action to follow. Maybe you tell them to implement the steps they’ve read about in your post (stress the dangers if they do not take action).
Finally, you have a chance to build a relationship with your reader.
I like to end with a question and encourage readers to answer it in the comments. You could also create an additional resource to accompany your post that readers can download by signing up for your email list. (You can embed an email subscription form in your Medium post using Upscribe.)
And don’t forget to ask readers to share your post on social media if they enjoyed it. At the bottom of my Medium posts, I ask readers to click the heart if they found the article helpful.
The Takeaway (and a free checklist!)
No matter what kind of article you are writing (a how-to, a listicle, a personal narrative, a book review, a recipe post), you can use these steps to make your article more powerful and engaging. Adapt them to your style and your topic.
Ultimately, you want to keep your readers in mind. How will your post add value to their lives? Is there any way that you can dig deeper and add a unique perspective to your topic?
When you implement these five steps, you will transform your posts into content that will truly impact your readers. They will be eager to share and read more of your work.
If this article helped you, please click the heart so other writers will see it. Also make sure to come join my private writing community on Facebook to connect with other writers.
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MDI’s Abdullah al Andalusi presents a thought-provoking lecture at the University of Cardiff, Wales, UK on the topic ‘Is the Sharia Timeless?’.
Many people in the West question how Sharia can be relevant or able to deal with modern day problems. Few of them realise how the very systems of Western government and society are even older than the coming of the Prophet Muhammed (saaw) (e.g. Ancient Greek idea of Democracy, Roman Republicanism)!
The lecture breaks down what ‘law’ means, what kind of changes human society undergoes – and particularly, how the human equation always remains the same throughout time. I then demonstrate how any law can always be current, and how technology brings nothing new that law can not deal with.
However in the Western context, implicit in this question of the lecture, is the belief that current status quo of the world, which is dominated by Secular Liberal…
When we discuss the issue of voting, or any other (contemporary) issue of a similar nature, we should try to understand its reality before forming a conclusion regarding its ruling, a phenomenon termed fiqh al waqi’ (knowing and understanding the environment and factors surrounding the topic of concern). Ibn al-Qayyim considered one of the prerequisites of the mufti alongside fiqh al mas’alah (possessing proper perception of the issue at hand and its related rulings) as being fiqh al waqi’, given that it is also necessary in order to arrive at a legal opinion about a certain issue of concern.
Let us commence by considering the following scenario: There is, in a faraway land, a ruler who lives alongside his subjects. The ruler, in formulating his governance, leaves the matter to the people offering them two choices: they may choose either the law of God or secular law. This situation involves the following three parties:
Firstly, for the ruler who offers the implementation of the law of the Creator (Sharīʿah) and questions or debates between people; there is no doubt that this ruler has committed an act of kufr (disbelief) for he is obliged to rule by the law of the Creator. Allāh says, “Legislation is for none but Allāh. He has commanded that you worship none but Him.”[1] To him this ayah is addressed, “And whosoever does not judge by what Allāh has revealed, such are the Kāfirūn (disbelievers).”[2]
Secondly, as for the subjects who are requested to select between the Sharīʿah and secular law; of course, it is incumbent upon them to opt for the Sharīʿah. The mechanism of choosing the Sharīʿah may take various forms such as voting, demonstrations, or lobbying through correspondence. No doubt, people must do their best in order to bring about the implementation of Islamic law, and thus, can anyone argue that it is impermissible for people to vote to choose the Sharīʿah since voting is an essential part of democracy which in turn is kufr? If such a claim were to be posited then it becomes evident that we have proved unable to conceptualise the issue at hand. To claim voting is an act of kufr is extremely inaccurate and, as a point in case, take the situation where a person is consulted (as happens in some countries including the UK) as to whether he would opt for a Sharīʿah court or a court that will rule on the basis of secular law. Should this person, in view of the aforementioned erroneous argument, declare that he refuses to choose since choosing is voting which in turn is part of democracy, a system of kufr?! What should such an individual do? Should he abstain from doing anything? What if the constitution states that the judicial system is to remain secular unless the person opts for the Sharīʿah? Can we say in this case that this person is obliged to vote or choose the Sharīʿah court? Can we also say that abstention from voting means that the person has implicitly accepted secular law as the basis of the judicial system which is an act of kufr?
From this discussion, we can conclude three important points:
Voting, in many cases, merely means choosing or selecting.
Participation in a kufr system does not necessarily mean participation in kufr itself. It depends on the nature of such participation.
Abstention from voting sometimes causes more harm than voting itself.
Thirdly, the people who want to be part of the legislative executive are like those who want to be members of parliament. This issue requires a separate detailed study and is beyond the scope of this discussion.
Another important scenario which must be highlighted is when the inhabitants of a country who have the Sharīʿah as the dominant system want to choose a leader – they employ elections as a mechanism selection; can we say this is democracy and thus an act of kufr?
From the above discussion, we may conclude that it is absolutely wrong to generalise the ruling by saying that democracy is an act of kufr. Instead we should say things that makes sense to people and reflects our correct understandings. We should be extremely careful in accusing individuals of kufr. The Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) said, “The one who accuses his brother of kufr then surely one of them is as has been claimed.”
The word democracy was originally coined to mean the rule of the people, however, these days it has various connotations where it can be used to merely mean a selection mechanism. That is why we see the introduction of the term liberal democracy. Some observers believe that this new term was introduced in order to emphasise that Muslim countries should be democratic in their selecting rulers as well as constitution. So, from this perspective, a liberal democracy entails that the constitution itself has to be subject to selection through a democratic mechanism.
Muslims living under a Kufr system
Muslims living in a liberal democracy should understand their situation in all of its various facets. Muslims believe that ultimate justice, peace, and reason cannot be achieved unless the divine system is dominant. In many cases they are unable to achieve this in the foreseeable future. So, what should they do until they reach this stage?
Abstinence from voting will not realistically lead to change and any sane person would say that abstaining from selecting the least evil option would only leave room for the more evil option to win.
Here I would like to respond to the various arguments posited by those brothers who are against selection through voting. What is important is that we identify why we are against voting, is it because it is an act of kufr or because it is harmful and damaging for Muslims? Having responded to the first claim let us now focus on the second. It may be argued that:
Selecting one of these parties ultimately endorse their policies that are based on man-made laws (kufr law).
This is not necessarily the case for the following reason: choosing an option means that you endorse it only if there are better options offered. But if the other choice is worse, then you are actually endorsing the difference between this option and the one that is less harmful. Take for example eating un-slaughtered meat for a starving person, he is allowed (or even obliged) to do so, yet does that mean that he is endorsing eating un-slaughtered meat? Of course not; he is endorsing the difference between these options which, in this case, is saving his life. Saving his life by eating un-slaughtered meat is better than starving to death. That is why this is an agreed upon principle. So, quoting each party’s statement that they are going to do so and so if they win separately and without comparing this with what other parties say is not a very honest approach since it does not give the audience the full picture. This becomes worse when the alternative presented is just a hypothetical solution.
So, I urge the brothers and sisters not to accuse anybody of kufr or sins just because they vote for one of these parties in such a situation. Such accusations reflect ignorance as well as naivety in comprehension.
By voting you are involved in the political system – a step towards integration which ultimately results in the loss of Muslim identity whilst living in western countries.
I agree that integration in its wider meaning leads to the loss of Muslim distinctiveness and it is a hidden agenda by the enemies of Islām to deceive Muslims so that they lose their identity. However, this is not necessarily an implication of voting. I agree that full political participations might lead to major problems for Muslims and we have to be very careful when stepping into this arena. However, ticking the box for one of the candidates in no way qualifies as full political participation.
I would like to mention here that I also advise our brothers who are involved in leading Muslims in terms of politics to be aware that some Muslims might understand that voting means full involvement in the game of politics, a realm that is full of deception and cunning, a fact realised by many non-Muslims themselves. So, they should use cautious language when encouraging Muslims to vote. Statements such as “voting is the only way for Muslims in this country”, “voting is the lifeboat”, “voting is part of our belief”, “voting means citizenship” and so on should be avoided. Such emotional and excessive statements lead to contrary statements and reactions that are equally emotional and extreme.
It is not true that we do not have another option. We have to strengthen our Muslim community and work hard for our independence.
I think all agree that the Muslim community needs to strengthen itself and its own organisations. However, this is not an option that is incompatible with having party A, B or C in power. We can vote to select the best option while we are working for our community and our future.
We are not going to get anything by voting while it might be impermissible so it is better to abstain from it.
It is not easy to come up with such a conclusion. We need a thorough analytical study that can confirm that all parties are nothing but different faces of one coin. I agree that voting is not the lifeline for Muslims in this country as represented by some Muslims and I have asked parties on both sides of the voting argument to come up with an academic study to prove their points. However, it is difficult to say that all parties are exactly the same in internal and external policy. Logically, not all non-Muslims are the same, even the kuffar of Makkah were different. Abū Ṭālib, the uncle of the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam), was completely different from Abū Jahl. Abū Ṭālib helped the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) and sheltered him while the other uncle would torture the Prophet (sall Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) and his companions. Should we not do our best to choose the one that is less evil and better for humanity? Indeed, abstention from voting is essentially indirect voting. Let me explain this by the following example:
Imagine that 6 people, including me, were to vote for two parties named ‘A’ and ‘B’. Party ‘A’ states in his manifesto that he will legalise pornography, ban faith-schools, kill 1000 Muslims, and prevent Muslims from adorning the hijāb. Party ‘B’ states that he will legalise pornography but allow faith schools and kill 500 Muslims. If three of us vote for A and two of us vote for B and I, in believing that voting is kufr, abstain from doing so. What will happen?
Inevitably, A will win, but if I vote for B, then no one will. So, by participating I lessen the evil. Let us now say that we have two more people, either they vote for B or abstain. Abstention will not change the situation while encouraging them to vote for B, who will do all these filthy things, will mean that A will lose which means that we saved the lives of 500 Muslims and had a chance to have faith schools and practice hijāb! So, whether we vote or not, we actually vote since we are part of the population. This is how the system works, at least in Britain. If someone disagrees with this then they should provide proof bearing in mind that they should be systematic in their approach and clear in presenting their case. In his abstaining to vote he has implicitly accepted the principle of voting when it is proved that abstention from voting is indirect voting.
If we vote we will not bring any Muslim to power.
It is indeed correct, but who said that our aim (in the near future) is to bring a Muslim into power. Our realistic aim in the near future is to have a better person with a better system in power. It is impractical to think of having a true Muslim leader in the near future in most non-Muslim countries. Our ultimate aim is to help those who are better than their co-politicians.
Boycotting elections is better for Muslims since it sends a strong message to the politician that we are not happy with them and their system. Moreover, it will show the ineligibility of this round of elections.
This might be true but as I said earlier we need a deep study and understanding of the complicated political situation to confirm such conclusions. I urge those brothers who believe in this to produce a provisional work proving this point. In the mean-time we should know that such boycotting will not be effective unless all Muslims do so. That is why, before we arrive at such conclusions a deep discussion with all Muslims involved in politics and other related fields should take place. It should not be an individual opinion of a single party. However, we should bear in mind that if a decision were taken to boycott elections, then we should be clear why we do so. Is it because of the original ruling of voting and elections or because of the impracticality of it?
Conclusion
I would like to conclude by urging the community to be united in their decision. Such unity is the only way for their voice to be effective. Unity here means following one strategy whether we decide to vote or boycott elections. Once we decide to vote, which in the UK is the decision at least for the moment, we should appoint one main body to lead us in the political process.
Dr. Haitham al-Haddad is a jurist and serves as a judge for the Islamic Council of Europe. He has studied the Islamic sciences for over 20 years under the tutelage of renowned scholars such as the late Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia as well as the retired Head of the Kingdom’s Higher Judiciary Council. He specialises in many of the Islamic sciences and submitted his doctoral thesis on Islamic jurisprudence concerning Muslim minorities. Shaikh Haitham is highly respected having specialised knowledge in the field of fiqh, usul al-fiqh, maqasid al-shari’ah, ulum al-Qur’an, tafsir, aqidah, and fiqh al-hadith. He provides complex theories which address the role of Islamic jurisprudence within a western environment whilst also critically re-analysing the approach of Islamic jurists in forming legal rulings (ifta’) within a western socio-political context. He has many well-known students most of whom are active in dawah and teaching in the West. The shaikh is an Islamic jurist (faqih) and as such is qualified to deliver verdicts as a judge under Islamic law, a role he undertakes at the Islamic Council of Europe as Islamic judge and treasurer. Dr Haitham al-Haddad also sits on various the boards of advisors for Islamic organisations, mainly in the United Kingdom but also around the world.
In the name of Allah, The Beneficent, The Merciful.
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The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,
There is a gate in Paradise called Ar-Rayyân, through which only those who observe fasting will enter on the Day of Resurrection; and none except them will enter through it. It will be called out,
“Where are those who used to observe fasting?”
So they will stand up and proceed towards it. When the last of them will have entered, the gate will be closed. And no-one will enter through that gate after that.
[SahîhMuslim]
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Praise be to Allah! We approach the month of Ramaðân yet again. As the righteous predecessors and the companions of the Prophet ﷺ did, let us greet it with joy and pray: ‘O Allah! Let us live to fast it!‘ Not only would they supplicate for themselves, but they would greet each other and congratulate each other on the approach of the fast, and supplicate for their neighbour what they supplicated for themselves. Following their tradition, I ask Allah to grant our readers peace, and I pray that He lets you live to begin the fast and live to complete it. And may Allah accept your fast and grant you Jannah even should you die before its completion.
For many of us, Ramaðân is the month in which we increase the time we spend with our relatives. We visit even distant cousins to break the fast with them, and they visit us for the same purpose. It’s our chance to socialise and remember and have fun with them, and enjoy the night. And even when we are not occupied with visitors, we can stay up and enjoy each others company, secure in the knowledge that we have done our duty by fasting the day.
Ramaðân is also a time when we feel more generous. All those things one’s wife or husband needed during the year, and you held back; all those things one’s children wanted, and you held back; all the things the family needed and you held back; for all of these things one held back on, your hand opens during Ramaðân. Often, that means shopping sprees, during which one can enjoy window shopping and fast food snacks en famile.
Ramaðân is also the time when we tend to make those special, delicious dishes to indulge in when sunset comes. When we have visitors, we present the best of what we have cooked or bought so the guests are satisfied and happy. All this in accordance with the ayah of the Qur’an which says:
“Permitted to you, on the nights of the fast, is the approach to your wives. They are your garments and you are their garments. Allah knows what you would secretly do among yourselves; but He turned to you and forgave you; so now associate with them, and seek what Allah Has ordained for you, and eat and drink, until the white thread of dawn appears to you distinct from its black thread; then complete your fast till the night appears; but do not associate with your wives while you are in retreat in the mosques. Those are limits set by Allah.” [1]
How Kind and Generous Allah is!
However, are we really fulfilling what Allah intends for us by these customs? Does not the entertainment of guests, the preoccupation with special dishes, eating and drinking while we are permitted, and expending on the material needs generated by such, interfere with other activities which would reward us more, spiritually? Does not Allah precede the ayah above with an exhortation to use the time of Ramaðân fruitfully in prayer? And follow it with a clear command to learn self-restraint? He says:
“Complete the prescribed period, and glorify Him in that He has guided you; and perchance you shall be grateful.When My servants ask you concerning Me, I am indeed close (to them): I listen to the prayer of every suppliant when he calls on Me; let them also, with a will, listen to My call, and believe in Me, that they may walk in the right way.” [2]
and,
“Do not approach the limits (set by Allah). Thus does Allah make clear His Signs to men; that they may learn self-restraint.” [3]
So how can we make Ramaðân as fulfilling in our religion as it is fulfilling the need of family togetherness?
The first step is to practice self-restraint.
That is, primarily, to avoid indulging in the material. Allah says in the Qur’ân:
“Strain not your eyes in longing for the splendour of the life of this world; the things We have given to various groups of them that we may test them thereby. But the provision of your Lord is better and more lasting. And enjoin the salah (formal prayer) on your family, and be patient in offering them. We ask not of you a provision; We provide for you. And the good end is for those who have awe (of Allah).”[4]
What better time than Ramaðân to turn your face away from that which glitters and causes envy not only in your heart, but in the hearts of the guests you invite to your house. Eat simple fare without wasting anything, and just sufficient for your needs. Avoid the distractions of material toys and concentrate, instead, on beneficial play, like competition in Islamic knowledge or telling and acting out Islamic stories with your children. If you go out, make it to the local Mosque or Islamic Centre, or to open natural areas where you can contemplate Allah’s work, rather than man’s work, and enjoy vigorous exercise without seeking out a gym. Avoid spending money on material indulgences; spend it for the sake of Allah instead.
Secondly, one should avoid useless or malicious talk, or losing one’s temper with other people.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“When any one of you observes the fast on a day, he should neither indulge in obscene language nor should he raise his voice,” [5]
and:
“If one does not eschew lies and false conduct, Allah has no need that he should abstain from his food and drink.“[6]
Surely we want to avoid that which will invalidate the effort one makes in fasting. So how should we occupy our time?
Instead of occupying one’s tongue remembering what you and your relatives did together in time gone by, or discussing the family activities while you have been apart, why not occupy it with remembering Allah. Instead of getting angry or quarrelling over the temporal, why not fill your time seeking reconciliation, being generous in forgiving others and giving, in charity. It is not that there is anything wrong in catching up on family news. However, getting into conflicts over worldly affairs, or idly talking and joking about mundane matters, brings little benefit in the hereafter. Rather, sharing beneficial knowledge with them and performing good deeds together is better for you.
Thirdly, we should seek to get close to Allah.
Allah says:
“O you who believe! Fasting has been decreed for you as it was decreed on those before you, that you may become righteous.” [7]
And
“Those who fulfil the covenant of Allah and do not break it. And those who join what Allah ordered to be joined, and fear their Lord and dread the reckoning of (their) evil. And those who are patient, seeking the countenance of their Lord, and establish the prayer and expend what we have provided for them secretly and in private, preventing evil with good; those are whose end is the good home: The gardens of Aden. They will enter, and with them, whosoever were righteous among their fathers, their spouses, and their offspring. And the angels will welcome them from every gate saying, ‘Peace be upon you for what you patiently endured. And excellent is your final home’.” [8]
Fulfilling the covenant of fasting is to comply with all its stipulations, and then not invalidate it:
By leaving off other obligations, such as: offering the five prayers on time.
By inappropriate behaviour, such as: being vain [9], idle [10], self indulgent [11], greedy [12], stingy [13], untruthful [14], bad-mannered [15], jestful [16], gossipy [17], short-tempered [18] or quarrelsome [19].
Furthermore, you can increase both your nearness to Allah and His reward in many ways:
By keeping the bonds of kinship secure and active.
By purifying yourselves with Wudu’ (ablution), Salah (the five daily prayers) and Zakât al-Fitr (The poor due in kind for the ‘Eid feast of the indigent).
By avoiding sins, by turning to Allah in supplication and with extra, voluntary salâh.
By giving generously in charity, and by remembering Allah yourself and to those around you.
It seems a tall order, but the reward is well worth the effort.
The Spiritual Value Ramaðân.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“The reward of every deed of a person is multiplied from 10 to 700 times. Allah says, ‘The reward of fasting is different from the rewards of other good deeds: Fasting is for Me, and I Alone will give its reward. The person who fasts abstains from food and drink (and sexual pleasures) only for my sake.’ The fasting person has two joyous occasions: one at the time of breaking his fast, the other when he meets his Lord. [20]
In the above hadîth qudsi, we are assured of a reward that only Allah knows. We do not know what Allah will reward us with, but we can hope for a something really good if we are sincere in offering our fast to Allah Alone. What is more, Allah makes it easy for us to be sincere by protecting us from the nagging devils that tempt us to show off. The prophet ﷺ said:
“When Ramaðân begins, the gates of Paradise are opened, the gates of Hell are closed, and the devils are chained up.” [21]
Some of that vast reward we already know. For we are told by the Prophet ﷺ in the two Sahihs that:
“Every day one observes fast for the sake of Allah Alone, He will draw (our) faces away from the Hell-fire a distance that can only be covered in seventy years.” [22]
Moreover, “if one observes the fast of Ramaðân completely with pure faith in the reward Allah will give you, your past sins will be forgiven” [23] by Ar-Rahmân.
Sincerity and faith are prerequisites for these wonderful spiritual rewards, so one should build up those qualities by concentrating and trying to do more worship while we have Allah’s ear and attention. This opportunity is abundantly available for all of us in Ramaðân.
What are these voluntary acts that draw us closer to Allah?
Well, studying and reflecting on the Qur’an is a start, and getting your family to do so with you. If you can, why not go yourself and sit in circles of knowledge and give the opportunity for your family to do so too. Encourage your family to make Dhikr (remember Allah) while they go about their normal pursuits, and do so yourself.
You can also increase your voluntary prayer, especially by never missing the nawâfil before and after each of the compulsory prayers. Try not to miss the Duha prayer either, which can be done anytime between approximately 15 minutes after sunrise and the same amount of time before noon, or the Witr prayer, which is a single rakâh before you sleep at night or just before eating Suhûr. The Prophet ﷺ often advised his companions to “Offer two rakahs of ad-Duha in the forenoon and al-Witr before going to bed.” [24]
Qiyâm, or the night prayer, is one of the characteristics of Ramaðân, so if you can attend Tarawîyh prayer in the mosque, do so. The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Whomsoever performs the night prayer throughout Ramaðân with sincere faith, hoping for a reward from Allah; all his past sins will be forgiven.” [25]
Furthermore, if he “prays at night with his Imam till the latter leaves, he will be rewarded as if he had prayed the whole night.” [26] He, himself, never prayed more than eleven rakâhs for Qiyâm while at home, including the Witr, so you can see what a wonderful benefit that latter ruling is to you.
If you can’t make the Tarawîyh prayer, then you can make Tahâjud at home. The Prophet ﷺ said:
“In the last third of the night Allah descends to the lowermost heaven and says,‘Who is calling Me so that I may answer? Who is asking Me that I may grant? Who is seeking my forgiveness that I may forgive?’” [27]
Supplicating and invoking Allah as much as you can also brings great spiritual benefits, especially at the times you are most likely to be heard and answered. In another hadith, the Prophet ﷺ said:
“Every night there is a special space of time during which whatever a Muslim asks Allah for any good relating to this life or the hereafter, it will be granted to him.” [28]
He said what amounts to the same for thing about the daytime on Friday with the qualification that the du’a be made while performing sålâh. [29]
Another especially propitious time for making du’a is between the aðân and iqâma of the congregational prayer. That is, five times a day, if you can make it to the mosque. Also twice during your sålâh one has the opportunity to have one’s prayers answered; whilst in prostration [30] and between saying at-Tahiyat and taslîym at the end of the prayer.[31] The prophet ﷺ also assured us that our supplications will not be rejected under certain conditions, these being while it is raining, [32] while travelling or fasting, and if made by a parent for his child. [33] So combining any of these will make the acceptance of your supplications even more certain.
Laylat ul Qadr
In the last third of Ramaðân there falls a night that has enormous merit for your soul if you catch it. It is the night the Qur’an was brought down from the highest heavens to mankind. Of this night, Allah says:
“Verily We have sent it down on the Night of Decree. And what will make you know what the Night of Decree is? The Night of Decree is better than 1000 months.” [34]
We were told that this night falls on the odd nights of the last ten days. The first of these nights starts as we break the fast of the 20th day, and the last of these nights when we break the fast of the 28th day, because the night preceding the day belongs to it in the Islamic calendar. Which of the nights it is, exactly, we do not know; that makes these nights a kind of test. Only those who sincerely seek it every night will actually reap the benefit of its virtue. Like praying Qiyâm every night sincerely, whoever catches this single night in prayer, “with firm belief and expecting its reward, his previous sins are all forgiven.” [35]
How can you most easily perform all of these voluntary acts that draw us closer to Allah? Well, the Prophet used to practice I’tikâf, which is confining oneself in seclusion in a mosque, leaving behind every worldly affair, for the purpose of worshipping Allah alone, during the last 10 days of the Fast. If you are able to do this, it means you can concentrate on pleasing Allah exclusively. You can occupy your time with all these various activities of worship already mentioned, and really get close to Allah. The period needn’t be a full 10 days. It can be less, or more. It’s strictly a voluntary act of worship, so if it’s impossible for you, don’t worry. The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Do good deeds that are within your capacity.” [36]
He also said:
“The religion of Islam is easy, and whoever overburdens himself, it will overpower him. So follow the middle course; if you can’t do this, do something as near as you can to it, and receive the glad tidings that you will be rewarded…” [37]
Other Benefits.
Giving Charity during Ramaðân brings reward not only from Allah, but helps you increase your love of your brothers in Islam and their love for you. Furthermore, every charity you give during this blessed month is elevated in value, because the Prophet ﷺ said,
“The best charity is that which is given in Ramaðân.” [38]
The best of the best is to give food to the hungry, for “if a believer feeds a hungry believer, Allah will feed him on the fruit of Paradise; and if he gives water to a thirsty believer, Allah will give him sealed nectar.” [39]
And the best time to give food is when you break the fast, because someone who “provides breakfast to a fasting person, his reward will be equivalent to that person’s fast without decreasing the reward of the latter.” [40]
Imagine if one were able to give breakfast to ten people in one evening. That is like you fasted eleven days that day! And should one remember to say and mean, as you feed the indigent, the orphan or the prisoner,
“‘We feed you for the sake of Allah alone. No reward do we desire from you, nor thanks. We fear only the Day of Wrath from the side of our Lord.’“
then
“Allah will deliver them from the evil of that Day, and will shed over them a light of beauty and blissful joy.” [41]
Ramaðân helps us acquire patience, a virtue Allah has ordered for us over seventy times in the Qur’an, and a strong will. Whoever gives up bodily needs and seeks to satisfy the spiritual needs cannot help but learn restraint and develop the will and patience to practice it.
It also helps in increasing Ihsân. That is, increasing your Allah-consciousness. Just the act of concentrating on acquiring all the benefit you can from Allah makes you more aware of the things you should be doing and the mistakes you are making, and focusing on eradicating them brings you closer to Allah by your fear of His punishment and hope for His reward. Because of this, it brings about beneficial repentance. Whatever wrong you did, whatever failing you recognize from the previous year, you seek to eradicate and do better.
This carries forward into the following year due to the way Ramaðântrains you to do good by others and by yourself. It helps you to develop discipline in your worship as you try to make your acts of worship regular and constant. And it gives you a chance to train your children, too, in an ongoing religious context.
It helps you physically in that it purges your body (as long as you don’t spoil it by over-indulging at night) of impurities and obesity, as well as providing other biological benefits. It also has a psychophysiological [42] effect, somehow tuning your mind and soul to the spiritual ambience rather than the temporal.
Finally, it helps you identify with the whole of the Ummah, both the local and worldwide Muslim community, so that you feel its essential unity because of the fact that we all fast together, we break the fast together, we all worship Allah together, and we pray Sålât ul-‘Eidtogether. So if some call for you to criticize how one section of the Muslims or another section times the start and finish of Ramaðân, ignore them. They are working in the opposite direction, striving to disunite the Ummah.
The last act of Ramaðân is to pay the obligatory Zakât al-Fitr.
The reward Allah promises for sincere Charity is an obligation on Him should you manage to give it to the right category of person. These are stipulated by Allah, Who says,
“As–Sadaqat is only for the indigent beggar, the needy who won’t beg, and (the salaries of) the tax collectors; and the one whose heart is inclined (to Islam) so as to attract him; and the freeing of captives; and those in debt; and (the one fighting) Allah’s cause; and the wayfarer (who is stranded): A duty imposed by Allah, All-Knowing, All-Wise.” [43]
Zakat al-Fitr is the Obligatory Breakfast Donation of approximately 3 Kg of the staple agricultural produce that serves as the staple food of that country, usually grain, which must be donated before the ‘Eid prayer. Dates are also a valid staple, and potatoes may well be valid where they serve that function. Among other things, Zakât al-Fitrserves “as a redemption for the fasting person from unnecessary foul speech” [44] during Ramaðân. It is also ordered “so the poor will have food” [45] to share the feasting of the ‘Eid that marks the end of Ramaðân.
May Allah help you help yourself and make this Ramaðân one which Allah accepts from you, erasing all past sins and providing you with one of the places reserved for those who will enter at the gate of Ar-Rayyân.
[42] Or psychosomatic (Relating to or concerned with the influence of the mind on the body, and the body on the mind) = psychophysiological: combining or involving mental and bodily processes, from psychophysiology: The branch of physiology dealing with the relationship between physiological processes and thoughts, emotions, and behavior.
benroyston 
