The Prophet advised us to do 3 Things.

Advised us to do (ﷺ) The Prophet 3 Things. َ ﻋَﻦْ أ ﺑِﻲ ﻫُﺮَﻳْﺮَةَ – رﺿﻲ اﻟﻠﻪ َ ﻋﻨﻪ – ﻗَﺎلَ : أ وْﺻَﺎﻧِﻲ ﺧَﻠِﻴﻠِﻲ – ﺻﻠﻰ اﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ وﺳﻠﻢ – ﺑِﺜَﻼثٍ َ ﺻِﻴَﺎمِ ﺛَﻼﺛَﺔِ أ ﻳَّﺎمٍ ﻣِﻦْ ﻛُﻞِّ ﺷَﻬْﺮ , وَرَﻛْﻌَﺘَﻲْ اﻟﻀُّﺤَﻰ , َ ٍ ُ َ َ وَأ نْ أ وﺗِﺮَ ﻗَﺒْﻞَ أ نْ أ ﻧَﺎمَ

Narrated Abu Huraira: advised me to observe three (ﷺ) My best friend (the Prophet things: (1) to fast three days a month; (2) to pray two rak`at of Duha prayer (forenoon prayer); and (3) to pray before sleeping.[1]

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Abu Dawud has the extra wording, “three practices that I won’t leave while traveling nor as a resident,…” A comprehensive explanation

Shaykh Abdul Aziz bin Baz said: ‘The same advice found in this was also given to Abu Darda, Abu Dharr, and Abdullah ibn Amr [2]

“My closest friend advised me…” The word used here was “Khaleel” and this represents the closest and most beloved kind of friend and least closest is considered an acquaintance.[3]

“to do three things: ‘To pray witr at the beginning of the night, to pray two rak’ahs of Fajr and to fast three days of each month.” Shaykh Ahmed ibn Yahya An-Najmi said: “This hadith shows that it’s a legislated practice to fast three days every month. The servant has the option to fast on the white days which are the 13th,14th and 15th or he can choose to fast Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, or opt to fast Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. All of these options have been mentioned in the .[4]

Imam Muhammad ibn Ahmed As-Safareenee(1188H) said: Some scholars prefer to option to fast the black days which are the 28th,29th and the 30th . This opinion is chosen as the full moon brightens the night and the black days are filled with darkness. So fasting the white days is a way of extending gratitude and fasting on the black days removes the darkness, because each month is a visitor and should be treated with honor when leaving, hence you should earn your provisions for the next life therein.[5]

Fasting three days every month is equivalent to a continually fasting since deeds are multiplied by 10 times. 3×10= 30 days.

“to pray two rak`at of Duha prayer (forenoon prayer)…” Shaykh Ahmed An-Najmi said: ‘There is difference of opinion about the Duha prayer being legislated. Aisha never offered(ﷺ) Radi Allahu anha) said: “The Prophet) Duha.”However, he recommended his companions to observe it. Therefore the negation from Aisha implies that he didn’t practice this prayer in their home, but prayed it in the masjid and she was unaware of that action. Another proof for the recommendation of the Duha prayer is the hadith collected Muslim. The“ prayer of the penitent should be observed when the young weaned camels feel heat of the sun.”[6]

Ibn Al-Attar (724H) said: ‘The two Rak’at of Duha prayer serve as a charity for each bone in the body. The sunnah encourages this prayer. Imam Al-Hakim wrote an entire book dedicated to the Duha prayer. Al-Hakim mentioned that the highest amount a one could offer for this prayer would be twelve and the least would be two as cited in this hadith.[7]

(ﷺ) to pray witr before sleeping.” The Prophet“ recommended him to practice praying Witr at night before going to bed to help pray Duha in the morning. The night time is a period when people are heedless and lazy and only want to relax. Abu Hurairah choose to study hadith at night instead of offering , so for that [ordered him to observe Duha.[8 (ﷺ) reason the Prophet

Shaykh Ahmed An-Najmi said: “It’s recommended to pray before going bed if the slave can’t wake up during the night to offer it. And if the Muslim is certain that he can wake up during the night to pray then this is better. Allah praised the servants who wake up at night and pray. He said : “Their sides forsake their beds, to invoke their Lord in fear and hope, and they spend (charity in Allah’s Cause) out of what We have bestowed on them.[ As-Sajdah:16] and , “They used to sleep but little by night [invoking their Lord (Allah) and praying, with fear and hope].[Adh-Dhariyat:17][9]

Practical tips:

A person can delay the Duha prayer until an hour, an hour and a half or even two hours right before Duha

The recommendation is to observe 2 Rak’at for Duha,but there’s no problem if a person prayed 4,6,8 or more .[10]

The person has the option to select the 3 days of every month he chooses to fast. Imam Ash-Shaf’I, Ahmed, Abu Hanifah and Ibn Habeeb choose to fast the 13th, 14th, and the 15th. And others say in one month a person should fast the first Saturday, Sunday and Monday and then the following month Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at the beginning.[11]

A teacher should give advice to his students to help them practice acts of Sunnah.[12]

Presented by:

Abu Aaliyah Abdullah ibn Dwight Battle

Doha, Qatar 1437H ©

[1] Al-Bukahri (1124,1180)Mulim (721)Abu Dawud (1432)At- Tirmithi (760) An-Nisa’i(1677-1678)`

[2] Al-Ifaham [3] At-Ta’leeqat Ash-Shaykh Abdur Rahman As-Sa’dee

[4] Ta’sees Al-Ahkam ,vol 3,pg 275

[5] Kashful Al-Tham ,vol 3/pg 606

[6] Muslim,(748)

[7] Al-‘Uddah vol2

[8] Ibid,As-Safareenee 609

[9] Ibid. An-Najmi

[10] Ibid,Abdul Aziz bin baz

[11] Ibid,As-Safareenee

[12] Ibid, Ibn Al-Attar

Words that Illuminate your Grave and your path to Jannah.

Words that Illuminate your Grave and your path to Jannah

َ َ ﻋَﻦِ اﺑْﻦِ ﻋُﻤَﺮَ ﻗَﺎل : ﻣَﻦْ ﻗَﺎل دُﺑُﺮَ ﻛُﻞِّ ﺻَﻼةٍ َ َّ َ وَإِذَا أ ﺧَﺬَ ﻣَﻀْﺠَﻌَﻪُ : اﻟﻠ ﻪُ أ ﻛْﺒَﺮُ ﻛَﺒِﻴﺮًا , ﻋَﺪَدَ ْ اﻟﺸَّﻔْﻊِ وَاﻟ ﻮِﺗْﺮِ , وَﻛَﻠِﻤَﺎتِ اﻟﻠﻪِ اﻟﺘَّﺎﻣَّﺎتِ , َّ ْ َ َّ اﻟﻄ ﻴِّﺒَﺎتِ اﻟ ﻤُﺒَﺎرَﻛَﺎتِ ﺛَﻼﺛًﺎ ، وَﻻ إﻟ ﻪَ إِﻻَّ اﻟﻠ ﻪُ َ َ ﻣِﺜْﻞُ ذَﻟِﻚَ ، ﻛُﻦَّ ﻟ ﻪُ ﻓِﻲ ﻗَﺒْﺮِهِ ﻧُﻮرًا ، وَﻋَﻠ ﻰ ْ َ اﻟ ﺠِﺴْﺮِ ﻧُﻮرًا ، وَﻋَﻠ ﻰ اﻟﺼِّﺮَاطِ ﻧُﻮرًا ﺣَﺘَّﻰ َ .ﻳُﺪْﺧِﻠْﻨَﻪُ اﻟْﺠَﻨَّﺔَ ، أ وْ ﻳَﺪْﺧُﻞَ اﻟْﺠَﻨَّﺔَ

Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said; ” Whoever says at end of every prayer, and at the time he lies down to sleep: Allah is Most Great, with the number of even and odd of Allah’s perfect beautiful blessed words. There is absolutely no deity worthy of worship, but Allah “(( Allahu Akbar Kabeer, addadash Shafi wal witr wa kalamatillahi tammat At Tayyibatil Mubarakati La illaha ilallahu)) three times, then these words will be a light in his grave, they will be a light on the bridge and a light for him when passing over Hell until they enter him into Jannah or He enters Jannah.[1]

Benefits for this topic:

This hadeeth has the ruling of being attributed to the Prophet (sallahu alayhi wa salam) as Ibn Umar is speaking about the unseen and this can only learned from the Messenger.( Ikhtasar ulumul Hadith)

The narrator was unsure of the exact wording in the end if it was said, “These words will enter him into jannah or he enters jannah” .Nonetheless, these words, if Allah wills, are a cause to enter Paradise.

After the every prayer here implies after the obligatory .

These words establish Allah’s Oneness and Tawheed is light. Shirk on the other hand is darkness.( ) The and translation and transliteration: Repeat it 3 times, when said.

َّ َ ْ اﻟﻠ ﻪُ أ ﻛْﺒَﺮُ ﻛَﺒِﻴﺮًا , ﻋَﺪَدَ اﻟﺸَّﻔْﻊِ وَاﻟ ﻮِﺗْﺮِ , وَﻛَﻠِﻤَﺎتِ اﻟﻠﻪِ اﻟﺘَّﺎﻣَّﺎتِ

َّ ْ َ َّ اﻟﻄ ﻴِّﺒَﺎتِ اﻟ ﻤُﺒَﺎرَﻛَﺎتِ ، وَﻻ إﻟ ﻪَ إِﻻَّ اﻟﻠ ﻪُ ,

“Allah is Most Great, with the number of even and odd of Allah’s perfect beautiful blessed words. There is absolutely no deity worthy of worship, but Allah ”

” Allahu Akbar Kabeer, addadash Shafi wal witr wa kalamatillahi tammat ,At Tayyibatil Mubarakati La illaha ilallahu.”

Translated by Abu Aaliyah Abdullah ibn Dwight Battle

Doha, Qatar ©

[1] Collected by Ibn Abee Shaybah (10/229) Al-Hindi in Kanz graded this hadeeth as having a Hasan Isnad. The Ideal Approach to Inform your Wife You are getting Married

ﺑﺴﻢ اﻟﻠﻪ اﻟﺮﺣﻤﻦ اﻟﺮﺣﻴﻢ

The Ideal Approach to Inform your Wife

You are getting married

By: Al-Alamah Shaykh Abdul Aziz ibn Abdillah Ar-Rajhi

All praises belong to Allah alone. We ask His peace and blessing to forever fall on His final and last Messenger Muhammad. In reality this subject is rarely addressed, so I hope to talk about it in a clear and easy manner, yet I don’t think this topic needs any introduction for the women, spouses or polygnists; so for that reason I am not going to give it a prelude.

This discussion is directed to help those in the community involved in plural marriages. My intention is to raise the awareness among the ; as polgyny is acknowledged from the Quran, the Sunnah and the consensus of Islamic jurists, so there’s no purpose to mention the texts that establish this practice.

The reason for writing this expose is to address some of the havoc from the first wife after the husband remarries. This includes outbreaks of crying and discontent! I asked some of the women why the all the uproar? You are aware that polgyny is a legislated practice in . Their responses were, “We don’t reject Allah’s Legislation, but it’s the way the husbands go about it, or the way the husbands informs us.”

A large number of men desiring to have a 2nd wife prefer that marriage remains unknown to the first wife, or among the people; and today this is commonly known as a Msyar Marriage.” The husbands choose this way afraid their wives will destroy their homes.

The Sunnah of polygyny is a publicly practiced Sunnah among the men and women paying attention to it, and they have made it easy. There are some women who accept plural marriages with open arms, while few will help their husbands find a 2nd,3rd, or 4th wife acknowledging the fact that it is an order from Allah. On the other hand, there are some who prefer their husbands’ death instead of him remarrying again, and these women are the minority. Moreover ,other women will go as far as to make their husbands promise they won’t take another wife after them, even after their deaths! Strangely enough, some women are aware that their husbands have a mistress, but remain quiet out of fear that he might marry that lady.

A true story:

One person said about polygyny that the woman has the right to be a newlywed bride for five years before her husband looks for another wife, then after that phase he can start to search.

There’s a woman I know and I informed her about my friends’ speech and this is what happened:

I asked her: If Allah allowed you to have more than one husband would you?

She replied: I swear to Allah, if Allah allowed this act for me to practice I wouldn’t wait five years. In fact, from the first year I’d remarry without thinking twice.

I asked her: Can you accept your husband having another wife?

She said: No! I could never accept that, and if my husband took another wife I’d make his life a living hell.

I said: Glory belongs to Allah! This is a contradiction.

She said: No it isn’t. Look, Allah has allowed me to change friends and I did. He has allowed me to change clothes and I do. The Most High has permitted me to exchange a lot things and I have. I am a human-being that gets bored with routine, so If Allah made it permissible to have more than one husband I would get married every year; however I won’t agree to my man marrying another woman.

Following this she said: You should be aware that there are a lot women that if they were allowed to have multi husbands they would.

I said to myself: Where are the men who think like this?

My dear brothers in faith if you want to get married again on your first wife you need to be clever about telling her by means of an appropriate approach. Don’t worry! If it’s done correctly it’s easy, and each one of us knows how to communicate with our spouse. I will state some of the methods I am aware of that actually took place.

The man directly tells his wife after or shortly before he gets married again. He does this verbally face to face or via telephone inside or outside the house.

Example: The man tells his wife, baby tomorrow I’m getting married to my second wife, but before he tells her he does something special for his first wife.

The man informs his wife’s mother so that she can help him remedy the situation.

Example: The husband goes and visits his wife’s mother and brings along with him a nice gift ,and then informs her about the issue.

The man lets his wife know shortly after he gets married; seeing that the matter is easy for his circumstances.

Example: After the marriage the man tells his friends and close relatives that he’s taken a 2nd wife .Thus he asks them to make dua for him. This approach allows the 1st wife to be the last person to know and this is the most detested way for the women.

The husband writes a letter to his first wife explaining to her that he got married and now he’s with the co- wife. He leaves her by herself with the news, and maybe something bad will happen as a result of her being left alone.

True story : Um Mu’adh said: I know a honorable brother and I don’t praise anyone over Allah. He slides his wife a letter under the door informing her that he remarried. That night he slept outside with his new bride while the 1st wife nearly went insane. He requested me to go and visit her to calm her down. When I arrived at the house I found her hair disheveled and I was worried that she was going to lose her mind. So what I did was I began to remind her of Allah’s Commands until she calmed down. When her husband returned home she went to his office in their home and ripped up some papers and cut some his clothes. That was a dark night and it could have been worse, if Allah wouldn’t have helped them.

The man finds a Muslim lady to help him. Explaining to her that a man is about to take on another wife.

Example: He asks her, “What is the best approach to inform the 1st wife that he’s getting married again.” He tells her to bear in mind that he is concerned about his first wife emotions and her well-being. So based on the opinions of the women he’ consulted he’ll find out the best way to inform his wife of his marriage. Those women that were asked will be able to conceptualize the situation. The strange thing is most men and women prefer this way as opposed to others. Nonetheless, there are some women who can never accept their husbands remarrying, so reject their views and opinions. The husband brings smalls things in the house as indicators that he’s about to get married.

Example: He purchases some small pamphlets and Cds for her bearing in mind her feelings. All women respond differently to the sensitivity of this topic.

The husband opens this discussion up with his wife before he looks for co-wife. He mentions things from the Quran and the Sunnah reminding her that Allah has made it permissible. He then informs his wife that he has the intention to remarry one day.

Example: The husband teaches the wife about the wisdom of polgyny. He educates her to know that if she is patient she will be successful in this life and in the next. And if she acts rash and reckless, she could possibly destroy their home and break up their family up for no just reason.

The husband chooses a close female relative to help him inform his wife about his decision. It’s important to note that the woman he picked has to be respected and loved by his wife.

Example: He contacts his friend whose wife is close with his and asks him to assist, or he contacts someone in the family that has a good relationship with his wife and asks for help.

The man takes his 1st wife on a vacation and informs her about his choice, or perhaps he takes her to Umrah and tells her while they are making Tawaf that he’s getting married again.

The husband buys his wife some gifts then tells her about his marriage. Spoiling the 1st wife with gifts will help the times of sadness pass by with ease.

The husband displays some signs that there is another woman in is his life.

Example: He places something red on his lips and wipes it with his shirt so that his wife can have some doubt about him.

The husband claims that his new wife was gift to him from a noble brother, so he couldn’t refuse her. And he only tells her this at the beginning, and as time goes on, he informs her of the situation completely in order to maintain the honor of the 2nd

The husband tells his 1st wife that their co-wife is for business purposes and tells his wife that he is pleased with her. The husband tells the 1st that he isn’t looking to carry any extra burdens and the reason he took on this responsibility was for business purposes in order to get some land or a piece of property.

The husband prepares a survey about polgyny and gives it to his first wife in order to introduce her to the.

Be mindful brothers that your intention for having a 2nd,3rd, or 4th wife is to have more children, so don’t worry. Be confident that Allah will help you and grant you success. Ask Him for the good of this life and the good in the next. Don’t let poverty or your wife’s emotions stop you. Always remember to be just among your wives.

Don’t make your intention of taking another wife be revenge against your 1st wife ,or a means to earn her respect, or a tool of punishment, with something Allah has made lawful. Moreover, don’t allow your intentions for doing it be a means to get people to say he’s brave and a hero! He’s took a 2nd wife in an era when people don’t do it. Be on alert! Satan tries to destroy your deeds.

Brothers tell your wife that your new marriage won’t have any impact on your relationship and you sustaining her. In fact this new marriage will allow you to be more mindful of her; as she is your first and your capital. Talking to her like this with will help her mind have ease. There are many benefits for the 1st wife when you remarry, but we won’t mention them here.

My Muslim brothers before you decide to marry again you need to study your financial situation and your ability in order to safeguard everyone’s rights.

Some of the issues that run through men’s minds about carrying more than one wife:

A: Are you poor? – Get married and Allah will make you rich.

B: Your wife will leave you if you remarry? – Get married and she will change.

C: Your wife can’t have any children. – Get married

D: Your first wife doesn’t have any faults and doesn’t fall short in giving you your rights. –Get married and seek Allah’s Blessings.

E: You want to revive the Sunnah and increase the size of the Ummah.- Get married

F: It troubles you to see so many spinsters, widows and divorced women and you want to do some good for humanity. – Get married and help solve some of the problems.

G: You want to encourage the bachelors to marry. Get married and you will encourage them

Brother’s be mindful that polgyny breaks the women’s backs , so when she acts up don’t respond to her the way the same way she is acting. It’s possible that she might be acting in a state of hysteria. Don’t be hasty and control yourself. There are some women who threaten their husbands saying things like, “ If you get married again I’ll kill you” , or others who promise to leave them and their children and then return back to their parents’ home. Don’t pay attention to this kind of speech. It’s only words of anger and they will stop. As time goes on you’ll notice her speech will change and her attitude will change once she’s able to think more clearly. This is the sunnah of Allah with His creation. There’s a parable that says: “ All things start off small and grow big, except calamities. They start off big and grow small.”

My Muslim sisters fear Allah! Don’t place road blocks in your husband’s path to polgyny. By doing this he might fall into Allah’s prohibitions while you are unaware.

My sisters in Islam think about your Muslim sisters who are spinsters, divorced and widowed and want a man and some men don’t want them. What should we do with this problem in our society?!

Think about the positive results and outcomes of polgyny

May Allah help us and guide us to what’s right for humanity.

Translated by Abu Aaliyah Abdullah ibn Dwight Lamont Battle Doha,Qatar 1437H ©

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What a Way to Start the Day!

What a Way to Start the Day! َ َ َّ أ ﺑِﻰ ذ رٍّ ﻋَﻦْ رَﺳُﻮلِ اﻟﻠ ﻪِ -ﺻﻠﻰ َّ اﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ وﺳﻠﻢ- ﻋَﻦِ اﻟﻠ ﻪِ ﻋَﺰَّ َ وَﺟَﻞَّ أ ﻧَّﻪُ ﻗَﺎلَ اﺑْﻦَ آدَمَ ارْﻛَﻊْ َ َ ﻟِﻰ ﻣِﻦْ أ وَّلِ اﻟﻨَّﻬَﺎرِ أ رْﺑَﻊَ َ رَﻛَﻌَﺎتٍ أ ﻛْﻔِﻚَ آﺧِﺮَهُ

Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated:

Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) narrated that Allah the Most High said: “Son of Adam perform four Rak’at for Me in the beginning of the day; they will suffice you for the latter part of the day.”[1]

Benefits for this Hadeeth:

The scholars differ about the interpretation of these four Rak’ah. Some say it refers to the Duha prayer while others say it implies the Fajr and its Sunnah done before it.

Ibn Taymiyyah and Ibn Qayyim held that the four rak’ah mentioned here were referring to the Fajr and its Sunnah.[2]

Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih Al-Uhaymeen said: The hadith can imply four Rak’at for Duha or the and its Sunnah as these are four Rak’at at the start of the day. There is a hadith that mentions whoever prays Fajr in congregation will be under Allah’s care throughout the day. There isn’t any clear-cut evidence that these four rak’at mentioned ONLY refer to the Duha prayer.

(A Principle in using an evidence to establish a position)Whenever two possibilities are present then it’s not correct to only apply the evidence for one side of the argument. This principle is correct since there are two way s the text can be interpreted ;therefore,both sides could use this text for their view and it shouldn’t only be used to support one legal opinion. [3]

That’s one side of the argument that says the hadith is indistinguishable and shouldn’t be interpreted to only apply to the 4 of Duha but could be used for another 4 Rak’at. The difference of opinion in this issue is related to the actual start of the day. Does it start at sunrise or at Fajr? The majority of scholars and linguists hold that it begins at Fajr.

Imam Ash-Shawkani said: Based on the assumption that the day starts at Fajr there is nothing wrong in applying this hadith to mean the four Rak’at after sunrise which is the beginning of the day as mentioned in the hadith, and what people act by.[4]

Al-Mubarakfuri (may Allah rest him Jannah) said: “Rak’at for Me in the beginning of the day… Means: Salatul Duha, Salatul Ishraq, and Sunnatus Subh. These are the names for this prayer.

At-Taybee said, “These four Rak’at are enough for your affairs and needs throughout the day [to be made easy]. These four Rak’at repel from you whatever you dislike right through the day.[5]

Ibn Al-Arabee (may Allah have mercy on him) said, “Salatul Duha is the prayer of the Prophets before Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). Allah says, Our Praises with him [ Dawud] in the Ashi [ after the midday until sunset] and Ishraq[ sunrise till mid-day] “[SAD 18][6]

Translated and prepared by Abu Aaliyah Abdullah ibn Dwight Battle

Doha, Qatar ©1429H

Revisited and restudied with modifications

May Allah increase us in knowledge and practice. (Ramadan 4th, 1437H) twitter.com @lamontbattle

[1] Collected by At-Tirmithi (475) Abu Dawud (1291) and Ahmed 2/235 and others .At-Tirmithi graded this hadeeth as being Hasan.

[2] Zadul Ma’ad

[3] At-Ta’leeq ala Al-Muntaqa vol 2/12

[4] Nayl Al-Awtar.

[5] Tuhfatul Ahwathee

[6] [ Explanation for Jam’i At-Tirmithi]

A Msyar Marriage in Baghdad. Must read for Polygynists Muslims

Inspiring Stories # 1

A Msyar Marriage in Baghdad

Narrated by Ibn Al-Jawzi (597H)

Some time ago in Baghdad there was a man who was a cloth merchant and was wealthy. One day he was at his store when a young girl entered and made contact with him then bought a piece of fabric. While they were talking to each other she lifted up her niqab and the man became startled and perplexed by her beauty. He said: “ I am speechless at your sight.”

The women then said:, “ To be honest I didn’t come here to buy anything. I only go and come to the market looking for a man to marry me and my heart feels something for you. I am a wealthy woman, so will you marry me?” The man said:”I am married to my cousin, we have a child together and I promised her that no one will ever take her place.”

Following this the young girl said:” I am content if you only visit me twice a week. The man liked what he heard so they made a marriage contract, and he went to her house and had relations with her.

Later on he went home and told his wife that some of his friends want him to stay the night with them, so he went stayed with his new young wife. As time went on he would go visit the young girl every day after the Thur prayer.

This went on for about eight months and his first wife didn’t like the situation. As a result of her suspicions she asked her slave, “When my husband leaves the store where does he go?” Therefore, the slave-girl followed him to his shop and when Thur came he closed the store ;and their slave-girl walked behind him, but he didn’t realize it. She stayed back until he entered his second wife’s house. After he went inside the slave –girl went to their neighbor’s home and asked them: “Whose house is that?” They replied: Some young lady who married a cloth merchant.”

After that the slave-girl returned home and informed his first wife about her discovery. His wife said:” Don’t tell anyone about this.” And she acted as if she didn’t know anything about the woman around her husband.

For one year the man maintained the situation as it was until he became ill and died. He left 8,000 dinars behind and his wife gave his son 7,000 as his inheritance and kept 1,000 dinars. She took the 1,000 dinars and she placed 500 of them in a bag. She called the slave-girl to her room and told her to take the bag to the lady’s house and inform her that the man has died and he had 8,000 dinars. Let her know that his son had a right to 7,000 and the rest is for me and her. Then give her the bag.

The slave-girl went to lady’s house, knocked on the door ,entered , and told the woman her husband has died. The woman cried then opened a chest, took out a slip of paper ,and said :”Go back to your master ,give her my Salams, and tell her he divorced me, so return this money back to her as I don’t deserve it.”

The slave-girl went back home and told her what was said.[1]

Reflections on this story:

1. A woman’s face can be test for a man.

2. Men selling women’s products can create a weak man.

3. Being alone with a woman is dangerous even if it’s just casual conversation.

4. Men will settle to marry a woman easily when the woman is financial independent or really doesn’t need assistance. This is witnessed around the globe today, and men and women are referring to these kind of marriage agreements as ,” Msyar Marriages”.

5. The young girl helped the man feel young again so their agreement went from twice a week to the point the man would visit her every day.

6. A man’s wife can feel when something isn’t right with her spouse if she truly loves him. Most often when men get involved with women outside their homes there is a change in the routine of things. And perhaps this man wasn’t coming home on time, or having lunch at home, and Allah Knows best.

7. Women will spy on their husbands if they have doubt about them. His first wife sent their maid to follow him.

8. He loved his first wife and didn’t want to break her heart with that young wife of his, so he married her secretly.

9. His 1st wife was patient and didn’t want to let anyone know as she might have been embarrassed by family or friends.

10. Although his first wife was hurt she still gave her co- wife her rights in the end. She sent the slave-girl to her house as way of saying I knew all along, but here is your rights sister.

11. The co-wife saw the effect she had on the family so she lied and said they were divorced so that the man’s wealth could be hers. In reality, she didn’t need the money. She was only looking for a man to satisfy her needs.

12. There could have a been a bigger issue concerning the wealth if the co-wife had any children ,but nothing was mentioned that they did and Allah knows best.

[powr-hit-counter id=3d2a9982_1470579027788]

Prepared by Abu Aaliyah Abdullah ibn Dwight Battle

The last story of Baghdad (ﺻﻔﺔ اﻟﺼﻔﻮة) Taken from [1]

Following the Imam Following the Imam َ ﻗﺎل اﻟﻠﻪ ﺗﻌﺎﻟﻰ : وَأ ﻗِﻴﻤُﻮاْ اﻟﺼَّﻼَةَ وَآﺗُﻮاْ اﻟﺰَّﻛَﺎةَ وَارْﻛَﻌُﻮاْ ﻣَﻊَ اﻟﺮَّاﻛِﻌِﻴﻦَ 43 اﻟﺒﻘﺮة

“And perform As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat), and give , and Irka’ (i.e. bow down or submit yourselves with obedience to Allah) along with Ar-Raki’un.”[ Al-Baqarah 43] َ ﺳَﻤِﻌْﺖُ أ ﺑَﺎ ﻫُﺮَﻳْﺮَةَ ﻳَﻘُﻮلُ ﻋَﻦْ رَﺳُﻮلِ اﻟﻠَّﻪِ -ﺻﻠﻰ اﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ َ َ وﺳﻠﻢ- أ ﻧَّﻪُ ﻗَﺎل : إِﻧَّﻤَﺎ َ ﺟُﻌِﻞ اﻹِﻣَﺎمُ ﻟِﻴُﺆْﺗَﻢَّ ﺑِﻪِ َ َ َ َ ﻓ ﺈِذَا ﻛ ﺒَّﺮَ ﻓ ﻜ ﺒِّﺮُوا وَإِذَا َ َ َ َ رَﻛ ﻊَ ﻓ ﺎرْﻛ ﻌُﻮا وَإِذَا ﻗَﺎل ﺳَﻤِﻊَ اﻟﻠَّﻪُ ﻟِﻤَﻦْ ﺣَﻤِﺪَهُ. ﻓَﻘُﻮﻟُﻮا اﻟﻠَّﻬُﻢَّ رَﺑَّﻨَﺎ ﻟَﻚَ ْ َّ اﻟ ﺤَﻤْﺪُ. وَإِذَا ﺻَﻠ ﻰ ﻗَﺎﺋِﻤًﺎ َ ُّ َّ ﻓ ﺼَﻠ ﻮا ﻗِﻴَﺎﻣًﺎ وَإِذَا ﺻَﻠ ﻰ ﻗَﺎﻋِﺪًا ﻓَﺼَﻠُّﻮا ﻗُﻌُﻮدًا َ أ ﺟْﻤَﻌُﻮنَ

:saying (ﷺ) Abu Huraira reported Allah’s Messenger

The Imam is appointed to be followed. So recite when he recites it, and bow down when he bows down and when he utters:” Allah listens to him who praises Him,” say” O Allah, our Lord, for Thee be the praise.” And when he prays, standing, you should pray standing. And when he prays sitting, all of you should pray sitting.( Al-Bukhari 722, Muslim 414)

Details about this subject

These are a few fundamental principles for safeguarding the prayer in the approved manner according the people of the Sunnah past and present.

-said: And performAs-Salat (Iqamat-as (ﺗﻌﺎﻟﻰ) Allah .1 Salat), and give Zakat, and Irka’ (i.e. bow down or submit yourselves with obedience to Allah) along with Ar-Raki’un. Ibn Attiya Al-Andalus said: This verse means pray correctly regularly with its conditions. Some scholars say the words; “bow down with those who bow” refer to the condition for the prayer, while others said it’s mentioned because Bani Israel’s prayers didn’t have bowing. Also the words along“ with “ are an encouragement to pray in the masjid with the congregations. [ Tafsir ibn Attiyah]

2. “ The Imam is appointed to be followed…” Imam Ash- Shafa’I said:” This pertains to the outward actions of the prayer, so for that reason it’s permissible to do an obligatory prayer behind someone offering a and vice versa. It’s allowed to pray Thur behind a Muslim praying Asr.”[1]

3. ““ The Imam is appointed to be followed…” Imam Al-Albani said: The Imam that leads the Muslims in their prayer in the Masjid , in the Musala, in the house , and any other place must be followed ;as long as the people praying behind him are sure that he is a Muslim, and then their prayer is correct. Regardless, if this imam has bad character or errors in Aqeedah, that don’t took take him out of the fold of Islam, then their prayer behind him is acceptable. This is based on the hadith of the said, “Your leaders will lead you (ﷺ) Messenger of Allah in Salat (prayer). If they conduct it properly, you and they will be rewarded; but if they make mistakes you will earn the reward and they will be held responsible (for the mistakes)[2].”[3]

4. “ The Imam is appointed to be followed…” Some people stay away from masjids where Imams fall short in acting by the Sunnah. The people in those Masajid for example don’t join their rows correctly, say Ameen aloud , or read the Quran in unison. Imam Al-Albani said:” To refrain from praying in the masjids where the Imam or the people don’t follow the Sunnah is a BID’AH. It’s not permissible to for the zealous brothers of the Sunnah to refrain from going to the Masjid ,except if there is a masjid where the previous innovations mentioned are not practiced… Maintaining the five daily prayers in the Masjid with the congregation is an obligation on the Muslim males.[4]

5. “ The Imam is appointed to be followed…” Praying behind an innovator or in” Non-Salafi Masjid”[5] Imam Al-Albani said: The belief system of Ahlus Sunnah is it’s sunnah to pray behind every pious and sinful leader, however the Shia don’t think so thus they will only pray behind a Shia. The prayer behind an innovator is acceptable as long as his bid’ah isn’t disbelief . [6]

6. “ The Imam is appointed to be followed…” Reading Al- Fatihah behind the Imam is an issue that scholars differ over and if the Imam’s recitation suffices for those praying behind. In a nutshell there are evidences for both sides with a middle position which I choose to follow ,and that is in the audible prayers when the imam’s recital is done, we remain silent and in the other prayers we should read Al-Fatihah. i.e Thur, and Asr and the last Rak’ah of Maghrib and Isha. For a detailed view read: http://www.abuaaliyah.com/2014/12/16/reading-al-fatihah- behind-the-imam/

7. “ The Imam is appointed to be followed…” In Ramadhan there is no harm following the Imam during the prayer with a Mushaf in your hand as long as it doesn’t distract you too much and if the Imam makes a lot of errors then it’s a good thing,so that you can correct him. Refer to Fatawa number 2214/ Nur Ala Darb by Imam Al-Uthaymeen.

8. “ The Imam is appointed to be followed…” no one should be criticized for raising his hands or not in his prayer; and this doesn’t invalidate the prayer according to the four schools of Jurisprudence- Hanafi, Malikee, Shafa’I and Hanabala. So if the imam raised his hands and the followers didn’t or vice versa then the prayer of the imam or his followers mustn’t be criticized, even if they raised their hands now and again. No one has the right to take a legal opinion of a scholar and make it a characteristic to be followed and judge others as being blameworthy when what they are doing is found in the Sunnah. [7]

9. “ The Imam is appointed to be followed…” Shaykul Islam Ibn Tayimiyyah said “ It’s not condition to pray behind someone to know his belief or test him in affairs of Aqeedah and Mihaj ,saying, “ What’s your position or belief ?” In fact you can pray behind a person whose condition is unknown.”[8]

10. “ The Imam is appointed to be followed. So recite takbir when he recites it, and bow down when he bows down and when he utters:” Allah listens to him who praises Him,” say” O Allah, our Lord, for Thee be the praise.”Imam Ibn Al-Attar (724H) said : There are some important issues taken from this hadith; It’s a must to follow the Imam and prohibited to do the opposite of what he does, if a person says Takbir Al-Ihram before the Imam then his prayer isn’t valid, bowing and prostrating are done after the Imam does his, and the saying” O Allah, our Lord, for Thee be the praise.” Is only said by the Imam. This is the view of Imam Ahmed and Malik as well.[9]

11. The Imam is appointed to be followed. So recite takbir when he recites it, and bow down when he bows down…There are 2 key issues about following the Imam when he leaves the obligatory acts of the prayer. Shaykh Sa’d Ash- Shitri said:” If the Imam doesn’t do a pillar then those behind don’t follow in him in that action. Now if the Imam doesn’t do an obligatory action of the prayer, then the correct position is the followers behind him leave the action as well, so long as it’s not obligatory for the imam to redo.[10]

12. “and when he utters:” Allah listens to him who praises Him,” say” O Allah, our Lord, for Thee be the praise.” There are 4 ways say the praises of Allah in this:

اﻟﻠﻬﻢ رﺑﻨﺎ و ﻟﻚ اﻟﺤﻤﺪ1-

اﻟﻠﻬﻢ رﺑﻨﺎ ﻟﻚ اﻟﺤﻤﺪ2-

رﺑﻨﺎو ﻟﻚ اﻟﺤﻤﺪ3-

رﺑﻨﺎ ﻟﻚ اﻟﺤﻤﺪ 4-

13. “And when he prays sitting, all of you should pray sitting.” This hadith shows that it’s allowed to pray sitting behind an imam who begins his prayer while sitting, and if he starts off standing then sits later on towards the end of the prayer ,then scholars say that those behind him should continue their prayer standing.[11]

All in all this hadith covers some essential standards for the Muslim to live by with his prayer. This hadith explains the position of the Imam and his followers. It explains those people behind an imam are to follow and not precede him, and avoid doing anything different . Establishing the prayer in congregation based on the guidelines mentioned in this hadith and the explanations of the scholars gives the nation a balance and cultivation that rears them to follow their leaders in issues of knowledge and actions.

Allah has warned about differing with the imam. He said: and let those who oppose the Messenger’s commandment, beware, lest some Fitnah befall them or a painful torment be inflicted on warned from disagreeing with (ﷺ)them. Likewise the Messenger said: ‘Does the one who raises his head (ﷺ) the Imam. He before the Imam not fear that Allah may turn his head into the head of a donkey?”‘ A scholar of hadith mentioned that he went to Damascus to hear and study hadith from a legendary scholar there. After reaching Damascus he went to the shaykh and listened to him narrate hadith from behind a curtain. This scholar wasn’t able to see his teacher’s face, but when the shaykh saw that this student was there to stay for a while and learn he lifted the curtains. He noticed the shaykh’s face was like a donkey, and the shaykh advised him not to go before the Imam[12]

Ibn Taymiyyah said: There is a consensus that preceding the imam is not permissible and the majority of scholars are together that if a person does it then his prayer is still valid and Allah knows best.

Compiled and prepared by your brother in Islam

Abu Aaliyah Abdullah ibn Dwight Battle

Doha, Qatar 1437©

[1] Explanation of Sahih Muslim by An-Nawawi

[2] Al-Bukhari 1838

[3] Al-Huda wa Nur 442/42:37

[4] Al-Huda wa Nur 574/00:00-7:38

[5] The term salafi Masjid is titled given to some Masajid as means of honoring the Masjid, the imam and the people who pray there. Until now I haven’t seen any legitimate conditions that dictate a masjid to be called a salafi masjid.Ironically history books havent mentioned the three holiest masajid in the world as Salafi masjids, i.e Mecca, The Prophet’s Masjid, and Masjid Al-Aqsa. The question is still on the table, ” What are the conditions for a masjid to be called a salafi masjid and who from the Salaf called a masjid a Salafi masjid?” –FOOD for THOUGHT!

[6] Al-Huda wa Nur 190/ 01:01:45

[7] Majmou Al-Fatawa 22/253

[8][8] Ibid 23/351

[9] Al-Uddah fi Sharhil Umdah, vol 1/424 by Ali ibn Ibrahim ibn Dawud ibn Al-Attar Ash-Shafa’I(654-724H) he was among the closest students to Imam An-Nawawi,so much so he’s sometimes referred to as An-Nawawi Jr. His teachers apart from Imam An- Nawawi was ibn Daqiq Al-Eid.He authored over a dozen of books and among the most titles are; explanation for 40 hadtih of An-Nawawi, Fatawa of Imam An-Nawawi and Usul Ahlus Sunnah fil It-tiqad. Ath-Thahabbi said: Ibn Al-Attar was a scholar, a grandmaster of hadith, a Mufti and Salafi. [10] Sharul Umdatul Ahkam

[11] Refer to Kashfu Liltham, by Imam Muhammad ibn Ahmed As- Saafareeni (1188H)

[12] Imam Mulla Ali Qari, Shaykh Abdur Rahman Al- Mubarkpuri,As-Suyuti and others have narrated this story and hold it to be true.