What to do in Dhul-Hijjah

How the number of Salaat reduced from fifty to five

The greatest moment in the life of the Holy Prophet (Saw) arrived when he was admitted into the divine presence of Allah himself, during the incident of Mi'raj. He was instructed to order his community to observe Salaah 50 times a day. 

The Holy Prophet (Saw) said: “Allaah enjoined upon my ummah 50 prayers, and I came back until I passed by 

Moosa who said, ‘What has Allaah enjoined upon your ummah?’

I said, ‘He has enjoined 50 prayers.’ 

He said, ‘Go back to your Lord, for your ummah will not be able to bear that.’ 

So I went back and He reduced it. Then I came back to Moosa and said, ‘He has reduced it.’ 

He said, ‘Go back to your Lord, for your ummah will not be able to bear that.’ 

So I went back and He reduced it further. Then I came back to Moosa and said, ‘He has reduced it further.’ 

He said, ‘Go back to your Lord, for your ummah will not be able to bear that.’ 

So I went back and He said,"These are five prayers and they are all (equal to) fifty (in reward). The Sentence that comes from Me cannot be changed [cf. Qaaf 50:29]."

Then I went back to Moosa and he said, ‘Go back to your Lord.’ But I said, ‘I feel shy (to ask again) before my Lord.’…” 

(Bukhari)

Hasten to pray early!

The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) would hasten to offer the prayer as soon as the time for it began, and his companions (may Allaah be pleased with them) did likewise, in obedience to the command of Allaah (interpretation of the meaning): 

“So hasten towards all that is good”

[al-Baqarah 2:48] 

“And march forth in the way (which leads to) forgiveness from your Lord, and for Paradise as wide as the heavens and the earth, prepared for Al-Muttaqoon (the pious)”

[Aal ‘Imraan 3:133]

  

So  we must offer the prayer at the beginning of its time, as was the teaching of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).

Virtues of coming early for prayer

We will remind ourselves and you of some of the virtues of coming early for prayer in congregation and hastening to do that. 

Firstly: 

Ibn al-Mundhir narrated – as reported in al-Durr al-Manthoor (2/314) –  from Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him) about the meaning of the verse (interpretation of the meaning): “Race with one another in hastening towards forgiveness from your Lord” [al-Hadeed 57:21], that it refers to the first takbeer. This was narrated by some of the mufassireen from Mak-hool and Sa’eed ibn Jubayr among the Taabi’een. 

Secondly:

‘Abd al-Razzaaq narrated in al-Musannaf (1/528) via a saheeh isnaad from Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him) that he said: Whoever does not miss the first rak’ah of prayer for forty days, he will be saved from two things: he will be saved from the fire and will be saved from hypocrisy.”                                                                                 

And it was narrated that Meetham, one of the companions of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: I heard that the angel comes with his banner accompanying the first one who comes to the mosque, and he stays with him until he goes back, and he enters his home with him, carrying the banner. 

Narrated by Ibn Abi ‘Aasim in al-Ahaad wa’l-Mathaani (5/183); classed as saheeh by Ibn Hajar in al-Isaabah (6/148) and by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Targheeb (1/242). 

Thirdly: 

By coming early for prayer in congregation you will earn the reward of waiting for the prayer and of staying in the mosque, and the du’aa’ of the angels. Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “When he enters the mosque, he is in a state of prayer so long as the prayer is what is keeping him there, and the angels send blessings on any one of you so long as he remains in the place where he prayed, saying, ‘O Allaah, forgive him, O Allaah, have mercy on him…’” Narrated by al-Bukhaari (477) and Muslim (649). 

It also brings the virtue of praying in the first row, and of saying Ameen with the imam. It says in the saheeh hadeeth: “When the imam says ‘Ameen’ then say ‘Ameen,’ for if a person’s saying Ameen coincides with that of the angels, his previous sins will be forgiven.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari (780) and Muslim (410).  

The one who comes early to pray in congregation can also make good use of the time between the adhaan and iqaamah by offering regular Sunnah prayers or praying tahiyat al-masjid (two rak’ahs to greet the mosque), and he can spend the time in saying du’aa’ and seeking the good of this world and the Hereafter, because the time between the adhaan and the iqaaamah is one of the times when du’aa’s are answered. 

Fourthly: 

In the practice of the salaf there are examples which stir the heart and make one resolute, and call everyone who is negligent or falling short to feel shy before the Lord of the Worlds, as righteous people are competing to attain reward whilst he is negligent about reward.  

Ibn Shaheen narrated in his book al-Targheeb fi Fadaa’il al-A’maal wa Thawaab dhaalika (no. 107) from al-Hasan that Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: 

The companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), including Hudhayfah, gathered together and a man said: I would not like to miss the first takbeer with the imam even if I were to have fifty sheep. Another man said: I would not like to miss (the first takbeer) with the imam even if I were to have one hundred sheep. Another man said: I would not like to miss (the first takbeer) with the imam even if I were to have everything on which the sun rises. Another man said: I would not like to miss (the first takbeer) with the imam even if I prayed from ‘Isha’ until Fajr. 

It was narrated from Abu Harmalah that Ibn al-Musayyab said: I have not missed the first takbeer for fifty years, and I have not looked at a man’s back whilst praying for fifty years. End quote. Al-Siyar (4/30), i.e., he used to pray in the front row. 

Fifthly: 

There is the fear for the one who is always late in coming to pray in congregation and who neglects the virtue of the first takbeer that Allaah may delay reward, virtue and goodness for him, until he is content to come late, so his reward will be akin to his action. 

Some of the scholars said, commenting on the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), “Come forward and follow me (in the prayer), and let those who are behind you follow you, for people will keep moving to the back until Allaah puts them back (away from His mercy or Paradise)” (narrated by Muslim, 438), that what is meant is the one who keeps away from the first row and the first takbeer. 

Sixthly: 

I think that from the above you can understand the mistake that you are making by deliberately coming late to prayers in congregation, and that the fear which is making you do that is something that comes from the shaytaan, who wants to deprive you of reward and virtue. 

We understand that the position of imam is a position that may make one nervous, but that should not make you fall short with regard to it. If you go to the mosque and you are the most qualified to lead the people in prayer, then you should go forward and not hold back, because the sin will be on you if the people appoint someone who does not recite al-Faatihah properly or does not do all the pillars or essential parts of the prayer properly. 

We assure you that the fear which you feel when leading the prayer is a temporary fear which will soon go away when you get used to leading the prayers. You have to put up with the hardship at the beginning, then Allaah will open the door to goodness for you as a reward for your patience and forbearance. 

Angels Spread their Wings fpr the Seekers of Knowledge!

Angels Spread their Wings fpr the Seekers of Knowledge

Ahmad R transmitted in his Musnad as did the people of the Sunan that Abu’d-Darda’ RA said:

“I heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, ‘Allah will make the path to the Garden easy for anyone who travels a path in search of knowledge.Angels spread their wings for the seeker of knowledge out of pleasure for what he is doing. Everyone in the heavens and everyone in the earth asks forgiveness for a man of knowledge, even the fish in the water. The superiority of the man of knowledge to the man of worship is like the superiority of the moon to all the planets. The men of knowledge are the heirs of the Prophets. The Prophets bequeathe neither dinar nor dirham; they bequeathe knowledge. Whoever takes it has taken an ample portion.’

***

What does the phrase ‘Angels spread their wings for the seeker of knowledge’ mean?

Ibn Rajb’s Opinion [from 'The World of Angels' by Sh. Abdul Hamid Kishk]

Ibn Rajab said, “People disagree about the interpretation of the angels spreading their wings. Some of them apply its literal meaning, and say that what is meant is unfurling the wings and extending them to the seekers of knowledge in order to carry them on their wings to the places in the earth in which they are seeking knowledge, to help them in their quest and to make it easy for them. Some of them explain the spreading of the wings showing humility on their part and humbleness before the seeker of knowledge.” Ibn Rajab continued, “The meaning of the expression is open to question because the angels really have wings whereas humans do not. Some of them explain it as meaning the angels spreading their wings over the gatherings of dhikr up to the heaven as has come clearly in the haditb of Abu Hurayra. Something similar is related in some versions of themarfu’ hadith of Safwan:’The angels spread their wings over the seeker of knowledge and then one on top of the other until they reach the lowest heaven out of their love for what he seeks.’ Perhaps this statement is the nearest to it, and Allah knows best.”

Ibn Qudamah’s Opinion (as narrated by IbnabiUkhti on the authority of Sh. Waleed Baysouni)

“Whenever the Angels see the student of knowledge walking, they do not fly over the student while he/she passes (out of respect)! The meaning of ‘they spread their wings’ means either they literally put their wings out on which the student walks or it has a connotation of protection and humility for them.”

What a great inspiration for us to attend Islamic Gatherings!

Excellence of Attending Halaqahs (Islamic Gatherings)

Allah's Messenger (S) said: "There is a group of angels who patrol the earth and wherever they find any gathering that remembers Allah, they call out to each other and form a circle around this gathering that reaches to the sky. When this gathering disperses, they return to the sky where they are questioned by Allah, although He is All

-knowing: "Where have you come from?"
They reply: "We come from a gathering of Your servants who are engaged in Tasbeeh, Takbeer and Tahmeed."
Allah asks them: "Have they seen Me?"
The angels reply: "No."
Allah asks: "And what if they had seen Me?"
They reply: "Then they would have engaged even more excessively in Your Ibaadah and in Tasbeeh (glorifying of) You."
Allah says: "What are they asking for?"
They reply: "They ask for Jannah."
Allah then asks: "Have they seen Jannah?"
The angels reply: "No."
Allah asks: "And what if they had seen Jannah?"
They reply: "Then they would have been even more desirous, eager and keen for it." Allah says: "What are they seeking refuge from?"
They reply: "They ask refuge from the Fire (of Hell)."
Allah asks: "Have they seen the Fire?"
The angels reply: "No."
Allah asks: "And what if they had seen it?"
They reply: "Then they would have tried harder to escape from it and they would have been more fearful of it."
Allah says: "I make you witness that I have pardoned them."
One angel exclaims: "A certain person was not from them. He came (coincidentally) for some work."
Allah says: "They are such a people that even those who sit with them (for other work) will not be deprived."

(Reported by Bukhari, Muslim)