Leaving Asr Prayer
Allah, the Most Perfect and the Most High has ordered His slaves to establish the prayers with due care. He has told us to take special care concerning the middle prayer, which is the Asr prayer. (This is the opinion
of the majority of the people of knowledge from the Companions and those after them, that the middle
prayer is the Asr prayer.) (Sharh us-Sunnah of al-Baghawee 2/232-237)
He, the Most Perfect and the Most High, says: “Guard strictly your prayers, and your middle prayer, and stand before Allah in devoutness.” (al-Baqarah 238)
He, the Most Perfect and the Most High, has warned us about being neglectful of them, due to wealth, family
and from other temptations of this world. He has particularized the doer of these actions with a severe
punishment, particularly regarding the Asr prayer.
He, the Most High, says: “So woe to the worshipers who are neglectful of their prayers.” (al-Maa’oon 4-5)
The Messenger of Allah (p.b.u.h.) said: “Whoever misses the Asr prayer, it is as if he has lost his family and wealth.” (al-Bukhari 2/30, Muslim 626 and others) from the Hadith of Ibn Umar, (May Allah be pleased with him).
It is related from Aboo al-Mulaih Aamir Bin Usaamah bin Umair Bin al-Hadhalee, who said: “We were with
Buraydah in a battle on a cloudy day, and he said: ‘Be early with the Asr prayer, for the Prophet said: ‘Whoever leaves the Asr prayer, then his actions will be invalidated.'” (al-Bukhari 2/31,66, Ahmad 5/349-450, 357, 360,361, al-Baihaqee 1/444, al-Baghawee in Sharh us-Sunnah 329, and others.)
Aafiyat Ki Mujarab Dua
The Horrendous Sin Of Adultery
ADULTERY means sexual intercourse between a man and a woman not married to one another. It is immaterial whether it is adultery (where the participants are married people) or fornication (when they are unmarried). Islam regards adultery in any case as a great sin.
There are many verses of the Qur’an and Prophetic statements with regard to this issue and we relate just a few below. Each indicates the seriousness of adultery and makes it crystal clear that there is no room for it being an acceptable behavior in Islam. Allah says in the Qur’an :”Do not come near to adultery. Verily, it is a faahisha (a great and shameful sin) and an evil way (that leads someone to Hell unless Allah forgives him.” (Al-Israa’ 17:32)
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “There is no sin after Shirk (associating partners to Allah) greater in the sight of Allah than a drop of semen which a man places in the womb which is not lawful for him.” (Al-Bukhari, Kitabul-Hudood).
also said: “The adultery of the legs is walking (with bad intention towards a woman who is not lawful for a man) and the adultery of the hands is touching and patting (such a woman) and the adultery of the eyes is the passionate glance.” (Al-Bukhari).
Abu Umamah narrated: A certain young man came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said “O Messenger of Allah permit me to commit adultery.”
The Companions were annoyed at this arrogant attitude of his and with no attempt at concealment of their feelings in this behalf, berated him, and demonstrated open disgust for his insolent request.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) asked the young man to come closer and he did so. Then he asked him to take a seat and he obeyed.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) then started to ask him: “Would you like such (i.e. adultery) for your mother?” He (the man) replied, “No, by Allah. May Allah sacrifice me for you.”
The Prophet said, “Other people do not like it either for their mothers. Would you then like it for your daughter (i.e. adultery)?” He replied, “No by Allah. May my life be sacrificed for you.”
The Prophet, “Others too do not like it for their daughters. Would you like if for your sister.
He replied, “No by Allah. May my life be sacrificed for you.” The Prophet said, “Other people do not like it for their sisters. Would you like it for your paternal aunt?”
He replied, “No by Allah. May my life be sacrificed for you.” The Prophet said, “Other people dislike it for their paternal aunts. Would you like it for your maternal aunt?”
He replied, “No by Allah. May my life be sacrificed for you.”
The Prophet said, “Others too do not like it for their maternal aunts.”
He (the narrator) then said, “He (the Prophet) then put his hand on the man’s chest and said, “Oh Allah forgive his sin, cleanse his heart, and make chaste his private parts.”
Thereafter the young man never even looked at anything (prohibited by Allah that includes adultery as well) (Ahmed).
Miswak Ki Fazeelat
Moses In The Prime Of Life
By the morning an aching void came over the heart of Moses’ mother, and she would indeed have disclosed his identity had We not strengthened her heart so that she could continue to have faith. (10)
She said to his sister: ‘Follow him.’ So she watched him from a distance, while they were unaware. (11)
Right from the very beginning, We caused him to refuse all nurses’ breasts. So, his sister said: ‘Shall I direct you to a family who might bring him up for you and take good care of him?’ (12)
Thus We restored him to his mother, so that she might rejoice in him and grieve no more, and that she might know that God’s promise always comes true; even though most people do not know this. (13)
When he attained his full manhood and became fully mature, We bestowed on him wisdom and knowledge. Thus do We reward those who do good. (14) (The Story, Al-Qasas: 28: 10-14)
Having cast her son in the Nile as she was told, Moses’ mother was exceedingly worried about him but trusted God to save him. However, she continued to exert her efforts to know what happened to the child: “She said to his sister: ‘Follow him.'” (Verse 11) She asked her daughter to follow the child thrown in a wooden box in the river, so as to know whether he survived or not. The girl went ahead, trying to find out what happened to him. She went into different quarters and markets, and she soon saw him from a distance, carried by some of Pharaoh’s servants who were looking for someone to suckle him:
So she watched him from a distance, while they were unaware. Right from the very beginning, We caused him to refuse all nurses’ breasts. So, his sister said: ‘Shall I direct you to a family who might bring him up for you and take good care of him?’ (Verses 11-12)
Here we see the working of God’s will completing its scheme to thwart Pharaoh. It brings the child to them and they pick him up, and they are made to love him from the very first moment. Thus, they look for a suckling mother for him, but God made him refuse all breasts to increase their confusion and make them feel helpless. Every time a new breast was offered to him he refused. Thus they feared for the child’s life. They continued in this situation until his sister saw him at a distance and recognized him. She soon realized how eager they were to find anyone who could take care of him. She carefully approached them: “Shall I direct you to a family who might bring him up for you and take good care of him?” (Verse 12) They were so delighted with what she said, hoping that it could be true and the child would be saved.
This fourth scene is over, and the next one starts immediately, showing the child back with his mother, thriving and well protected by Pharaoh and cared for by his wife. While fear was everywhere around him, he was in complete security: “Thus We restored him to his mother, so that she might rejoice in him and grieve no more, and that she might know that God’s promise always comes true; even though most people do not know this.” (Verse 13)
The surah does not tell us anything about the many years that separate its first two episodes: The one of Moses’ birth and savior and the other showing him as a mature adult in his prime. We do not know what happened after he was restored to his mother for suckling, how he was brought up in Pharaoh’s palace, what sort of relationship he had with his real mother after he was weaned, what position he had in the palace or outside it when he grew up until we are informed of the later events in the story.
The surah is silent on all these points. As it starts the second episode, we see Moses in full maturity, having been endowed with wisdom and knowledge, and granted the reward of righteous people:
“When he attained his full manhood and became fully mature, We bestowed on him wisdom and knowledge. Thus do We reward those who do good.” (Verse 14)
The stage of life mentioned in this verse indicates full physical growth and complete mental maturity, which are normally attained when a person is around 30 years of age. Did Moses stay in Pharaoh’s palace as an adopted son of Pharaoh and his wife until he reached such an age? Did he move out as he must have felt uncomfortable with the prevailing state of affairs? How could Moses, with his pure and untainted mentality, feel otherwise? His mother must have informed him of his true identity, the community to which he belonged, and its faith. He certainly witnessed the sort of injustice and persecution meted out to his people, and he was fully aware of the extensive corruption that prevailed in that environment.
We have no evidence pointing to any of this, but the development of events imparts a feeling of how things moved. The granting of wisdom and knowledge to Moses is followed by this comment: “Thus do We reward those who do good.” This suggests that he did well, and God rewarded him with superior knowledge and wisdom.
The Earth Belongs To Allah And His Apostle
Hadith1
Narrated Abu Huraira: While we were in the mosque, Allah’s Apostle came out to us and said, “Let us proceed to the Jews.” So we went along with him till we reached Bait-al-Midras (a place where the Torah used to be
recited and all the Jews of the town used to gather). The Prophet stood up and addressed them, “O Assembly of Jews! Embrace Islam and you will be safe!” The Jews replied, “O Aba-l-Qasim! You have conveyed Allah’s message to us.” The Prophet said, “That is what I want (from you).” He repeated his first statement for the second time, and they said, “You have conveyed Allah’s message, O Aba-l-Qasim.” Then he said it for the third time and added, “You should Know that the earth belongs to Allah and His Apostle, and I want to exile you from , this land, so whoever among you owns some property, can sell it, otherwise you should know that the Earth belongs to Allah and His Apostle.” (See Hadith No. 392, Vol. 4)
Sahih Bukhari Volume9, Book 85, Number 77
Hadith2
Narrated Abu Huraira: While we were in the Mosque, the Prophet came out and said, “Let us go to the Jews” We went out till we reached Bait-ul-Midras. He said to them, “If you embrace Islam, you will be safe. You should know that the earth belongs to Allah and His Apostle, and I want to expel you from this land. So, if anyone amongst you owns some property, he is permitted to sell it, otherwise you should know that the Earth belongs to Allah and His Apostle.”
Sahih Bukhari Volume 4, Book 53, Number 392
The Holy Prophet Muhammed Sallalaahu Alaihi wasallam holds the keys to the treasures of this word
Narrated ‘Uqba bin ‘Amr: The Prophet once came out and offered the funeral prayer for the martyrs of Uhud, and proceeded to the pulpit and said, “I shall be your predecessor and a witness on you, and I am really looking at my sacred Fount now, and no doubt, I have been given the keys of the treasures of the world. By Allah, I am not afraid that you will worship others along with Allah, but I am afraid that you will envy and fight one another for worldly fortunes.”
Sahih Bukhari Volume 4, Book 56, Number 795:
The holy prophet Muhammed Sallalaahu Alaihi wasallam could also see the sacred fountain of Kawthar from his pulpit which we will see if we go to heaven, (Inshallah) , May Allah guide us with a means of guidance , May Allah forgive our sins through the wasila of the Holy Prophet Muhammed Sallalaahu Alaihi wasallam
Takabur
Prophet Muhammad: Qualities For Good Friendship
We mentioned that the Prophet (peace be upon him) was loved by all his companions. Every one of them felt that he could do no better than being close to the Prophet, because he was a most caring friend. When he met someone, he would inquire about his affairs and his family. He would attend to their business and give whatever help was available to him. If someone sat with him for a while, then stood up to leave, the Prophet would stand up with him. The Prophet would not turn away from his visitor in order to attend to anything that needed his attention until his visitor has turned away to leave. In this way, he made his visitor feel that he was welcome until the last minute of his visit.
When he met anyone and shook hands with him, the Prophet would not be the first to withdraw his hand. He would wait until the other person has withdrawn his hand. Likewise, when he bade goodbye to anyone, he would hold his hand. He would keep it until the other person has moved away. It is authentically reported that any young girl would come to him, take him by the hand, taking him wherever she wanted. He would go with her and do for her whatever she needed to be done.
These may be small gestures, but they are indicative of highly refined manners, with the Prophet keen to make everyone feel that he was close to him. He was always ready to do for his friends and companions whatever they needed to be done. At the same time, the Prophet was very shy. His shyness is described as greater than that of a maiden girl who is unused to social occasions.
One aspect of good friendship is respecting other people’s privacy. He would not divulge any private matter even to those who were very close to him. Everyone was certain that if he told the Prophet anything of private nature, no one else would know about it from him. He instilled in his companions the virtue of respecting other people’s privacy. This means that we must not try to know anyone’s private affairs. He says: “Whoever pries into someone else’s private matters without his knowledge actually pries into the fire of hell.”
Coupled with all this was his keen sense of cleanliness. He was always keen that his body and his clothes were clean and having a good smell. He said that one of the two things he loved of worldly comfort was perfume. If he woke up at night, he would give his teeth a quick brush. Every time he performed ablution for his five daily prayers he would brush his teeth. Although he was aware that he had a very pleasant body smell, he always made certain that his mouth and clothes gave no bad smell.
The task assigned to him by God was to give guidance. He fulfilled his duty in the way that no one would feel that following Islamic teachings would be burdensome. He waited for the right moment to give advice. If he saw something unbecoming, he would not embarrass the person concerned by pointing it out on the spot. He would wait until a proper chance offered itself. Then he would give the advice in general terms so that it would not be taken as directed at any particular person. If something wrong was reported to him, and he needed to make a public announcement regarding it, he would not mention anyone concerned by name. He would say: “Some people may think, say, or do this or that.” He would then point out the right thing to do.
All this made him an exemplary friend with whom people were very comfortable. Hence, they loved him and cherished the fact that they were his friends and companions.
Afu-O-Darguzar Kay Fazail
