Guidance From the Prophet: What to Say Before Going to Bed.

We have a large number of Hadiths telling us what the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to do and say at different times of day and night. Whatever of this relates to religion counts as a Sunnah, or a recommended practice, unless the Prophet indicates otherwise. He might say that it is obligatory, or might inform us that it is special for him and we are not required to emulate. This latter part applies only to a very small number of things, like when he occasionally used to fast two consecutive days, having only a drink of water at the end of the first day. He made it clear that we must not do that. Rather, we should have a proper meal at the end of a fasting day, whether it is obligatory or voluntary fasting.

In order to clarify the difference between what is recommended and what is not of the Prophet’s actions, we look at the following Hadith: “When the Prophet wanted to sleep, he would place his hand under his right cheek and say: ‘My Lord, protect me against Your punishment on the day You cause Your servants to be resurrected.” (Related by Al-Bukhari in Al-Adab Al-Mufrad, Al-Nassaie and Al-Tirmidhi). Al-Nassaie mentions that the Prophet said this supplication three times.

This Hadith mentions an action and a supplication by the Prophet at the time when he went to bed, which is a natural thing we do everyday. Since he did not indicate that putting his hand under his right cheek was obligatory or recommended or would achieve a desirable result, it is not a Sunnah. However, if one does it with the intention of emulating the Prophet, believing that whatever the Prophet did was good, he receives a reward for his intention, but the act itself does not count as a Sunnah. The supplication, on the other hand, is a Sunnah because it is an appeal to God, and in whatever concerns man’s relation with God we should follow the Prophet’s lead. It would be obligatory only if the Prophet said so. Since he did not, it remains a Sunnah, although it is not strictly emphasized.

What we should be even more keen to do is outlined in the following Hadith where the Prophet makes his recommendation clear, encouraging his followers to observe certain things at certain times. Abdullah ibn Amr quotes the Prophet as saying: “Two practices, if maintained by a Muslim, are sure to facilitate his admission into heaven. Though easy, they are maintained only by a few.” People asked about them, and the Prophet replied: “After each prayer, a person should say Allahu akbar; al-hamdu lillah; subhan Allah, ten times each. That makes up one hundred and fifty phrases he says with his tongue, but they are counted as one thousand five hundred in the balance of good deeds.” I saw the Prophet counting them on his fingers. (The Prophet then added): “And when one goes to bed, one says the same three phrases to make up a total of one hundred times, which will be counted as one thousand in the balance. Who of you commits two thousand five hundred bad deeds in one day and one night?”
 People asked: “Messenger of God! How is it that a person might not maintain them?” He said: “Satan comes to him during his prayer reminding him of this and that, and he would forget to say them.” (Related by Al-Bukhari in Al-Adab Al-Mufrad, Al-Nassaie, Abu Dawood, Al-Tirmidhi and Ahmad).

The Prophet’s encouragement to say these phrases (which we will presently explain) is very clear. First of all he tells us that they will get us into heaven if we maintain them and practice them regularly. Then he explains how, adding them up and multiplying their reward ten times on the basis of the rule that God rewards every good action at least ten times its worth. He then compares this abundant reward with possible bad deeds one may commit. It is totally unlikely that anyone should commit 2,500 bad deeds a day. Hence the reward he gets for such glorification of God is certain to wipe out any punishment he might incur for his bad deeds. Indeed he would be left with a balance of reward, which accumulates and ensures his admission to heaven.

The Prophet then points out what happens with most people to make them negligent of such an easy reward-earning practice. Distraction and thinking about worldly matters get the better of us so that when we finish our prayers we immediately rush to attend to our business, while a minute spent in glorifying and praising God is much better for us.

What do these phrases mean? Allahu akbar means “God is supreme.” It is an acknowledgement of His supremacy over all beings anywhere in the universe. Al-hamdu lillah is a form of thanksgiving which means “praise be to God,” while subahan Allah means “limitless is God in His glory.” Together they represent the form of glorifying God prescribed in Islam. They are the glorifications used by the angels and other creatures of God.

Since we are talking about what to say and how to glorify God at the time of going to bed, we may mention another Hadith reported by Rabeeah ibn Kaab who says: “I used to stay the night at the Prophet’s and I would give him water for his ablutions. I would hear him at some point in the night saying “May God answer a person who praises Him,” and I would hear him at another point in the night saying ‘All praise is to God the Lord of all worlds.” (Related by Muslim, Al-Bukhari in Al-Adab Al-Mufrad, Abu Dawood, Al-Nassaie and Al-Tirmidhi)

Here a companion of the Prophet speaks of his experience at the time when he used to stay at the Prophet’s home. A number of the Prophet’s companions used to do that serving as bodyguards, protecting him against any danger or attack. They did this until the verse was revealed which told the Prophet that God would take care of him against anyone who sought to harm him. The Prophet then dispensed with the service of those people and told them to stay in their own homes, for he would need no protection.

The Prophet’s companion tells us here that the Prophet spent part of the night, each night, in prayers(this prayer is known as Tahajjud). He would wake up, perform his ablution and pray. His prayer is indicated by what his companion mentions of his hearing the Prophet say. The two sentences are used at certain points in prayer. At different times of the night he would hear him either reciting the Qur’an or indicating a movement in prayer. It is well known that night worship was obligatory to the Prophet and all Muslims in the early days of Islam. Then this requirement was relaxed and made voluntary, promising very rich reward for those who do it. The Prophet continued to perform it on most nights for the rest of his life.


A Man Has No Claim on His Wife’s Salary

Q. Does a husband have the authority or the right to take all his wife’s salary?

A. Definitely not. Islam considers women equal to men in all financial matters. This means that a woman owns her money, whether it comes from her work, other income such as rent of property, investment, inheritance, or gifts given to her. She keeps her money and has full authority over its spending. If she gives her husband part or all of her income, this should be with her full agreement. It cannot be the result of coercion or pressure of any kind. A man who deprives his wife of her money, for whatever reason, without her consent, commits a grave sin and he will be accountable to God for it. Even if, under duress, she agrees to his action, it is not lawful for him to take it because of the element of compulsion involved.

Moreover, it is the husband’s responsibility to provide for his wife, even though she may be richer than him. She is not required, as a duty, to pay anything towards the family expenses, not even her own expenses. All these are the responsibility of the husband.

Having said that, I should add that nowadays when many couples are working, and life expenses are very high, an arrangement whereby the wife contributes to meet some of the family expenses is appropriate, provided that it is done with full agreement. Thus, a man and a wife who are both working may agree to share the family expenses, either equally or in a fair proportion. If they do so, then it is permissible for the husband to take the agreed share from his wife to put it in the family budget. The important point in all this is that it should be with full consent.

Personal Responsibility and Substitute Haj.

Q. When Allah says every one is responsible for his own deeds, no one else will be questioned for other’s deeds, how do you justify substitute pilgrimage, or Haj-e-Badal? If an old man gives money to his son for Haj on his behalf and dies, he will get reward just for the money that he gave, if any, but God will reward the son for performing the Haj, may be a little less because his intention was for his father. If his father’s intention was that all his corrupt actions will be washed away by the Haj performed by his son (in the way the Hindus believe that a person’s sins are washed away in bathing in the Waters of Ganges River,) he may even be punished for harboring an idolator’s concept. The whole exercise goes down the drain, the only gainers are the government of Saudi Arabia and the Airline Company.

A. We do not justify anything, because nothing in our faith needs justification. We certainly explain things, because everything in Islam is logical and straightforward. The point is that when you say, “I bear witness that Muhammad (peace be upon him) is God’s Messenger”, which is the second part of the declaration that you must make in order to be a Muslim, you must mean that you receive all teachings concerning faith, religion and its rules and teachings from Muhammad, and no one else. If the Prophet (peace be upon him) states something, or approves of an action, then that is acceptable. If it is a religious action, then it is part of our faith. When a woman asked the Prophet if she could perform the pilgrimage on behalf of her father who was too old and weak that he could not sit up on his camel, the Prophet said to her that she should do so. In another case, he asked the person whether he would have repaid a debt his deceased father left unpaid. When the man said he would, the
 Prophet said to him: “A debt owed to God has more claim to be paid.” Moreover, when the Prophet, on his pilgrimage journey, heard someone declaring that his pilgrimage is offered on behalf of Shibrimah, the Prophet asked him who Shibrimah was. The man said: ‘He is a brother of mine.’ The Prophet asked him whether he had already performed the pilgrimage himself. When the man answered in the negative, the Prophet told him to offer the pilgrimage for himself first, then he could offer it on behalf of Shibrimah.

This makes the case very clear. The evidence is overwhelming. Hence, there is no disagreement among scholars on the validity of substitute pilgrimage. The person on whose behalf the pilgrimage is offered receives all the reward for that pilgrimage, and the one doing it is rewarded for his action. If he is volunteering, then he gets very rich reward from God, particularly if he offers the pilgrimage on behalf of his parents. If he is paid for the trip, he receives reward as God pleases. The person on whose behalf a pilgrimage is offered, because he cannot make the journey in his physical condition, receives the full reward, which is forgiveness of all past sins. This is not a borrowed concept from any other religion. This is an Islamic concept.

Having said that, I want to take you up on your suggestion of what may happen to that person. You seem to try to sit in judgment and assign the son’s reward, and the old man’s reward or punishment. How can you do that, when you do not know the intentions of the people? It is not for us to decide how God will deal with people. We leave that to Him alone, and pray for ourselves and our fellow Muslims. We indeed pray for all mankind so that they may be guided to what pleases God and saves them from error, falsehood and wrong beliefs and actions. Furthermore, the suggestion that the Saudi government and the airlines are the only beneficiaries is made in bad taste, and this is wrong of a Muslim to do.

Selling Pork

Q. We live in Canada, and my husband wants to buy a pizza restaurant. This means that we have to sell certain items that may include pork, such as pepperoni pizza. When we enquired, some people told us that this is not forbidden. Please confirm whether it is permissible or not.

A. It is agreed by all schools of Fiqh that it is forbidden to sell what is haram, such as pigs and pig meat, wines, tobacco, drugs, etc. In fact, selling pig meat is forbidden on more than one count, such as its being an impurity, and its being forbidden to eat. I realize that you will be selling it to non-Muslims, but there is nothing wrong with not including a certain item in your menu. You can make sure that you sell only what is permissible.(for brothers and sisters who want to pursue the subject further,there is a very authoritative book on the subject-" Al Halal Wal Haram Fil Islam"-The Lawful And The Prohibited In Islam.By Yusuf Al-Qaradawi,published in the U.K. by Shorouk International(U.K.) Ltd,ISBN:1-85024-0027.In USA by American Trust Publications,ISBN 0-89259--016-5.
 Young Person Leading Prayers.

Q. A boy of 13 has completed memorizing the Qur’an. His family hold their own congregation to pray Taraweeh, with him leading the prayer. However, they were told that he could not lead the prayer on account of his being a minor. Please comment.

A. A young man of this age is perfectly capable of leading the prayer, whether it is obligatory or Sunnah like Taraweeh, if he meets the conditions for leading prayers. These conditions are knowing what invalidates prayer and avoiding them, and being the best reciter of the Qur’an in the group he is leading. Since this young man has completed memorizing the Qur’an, learning good recitation no doubt, then he is capable. The Prophet (peace be upon him) told a delegation of new Muslims that the best among them in reciting the Qur’an should lead them in prayer.

When they went to their people, it was a young man who could read the Qur’an best and he led the prayer. Admittedly, he was older than the boy in this case, but the Prophet’s instruction holds.

It is the best who recites the Qur’an that should lead the congregational prayer. If this boy was 7 or 8 years of age, and his recitation is perfect, we may still not appoint him to lead the prayer on account that he may not be able to look after his purification, or some similar consideration. At 13 a boy is almost a man, so there is no harm in him leading the prayer.

Which Prayer First?

Q. When a traveling person who wishes to combine the two prayers of Zuhr and Asr enters a mosque and finds the congregation offering Asr prayer in progress, what should he do? Should he pray Zuhr on his own before joining the congregation for Asr, or should he join the congregation straightaway?

A. In this situation, the traveling person should join the congregation straightaway, making his intention clear to offer Zuhr prayer, because he cannot offer Asr first. There is no problem with the fact that the congregation, or the imam, is offering a different prayer. He completes the prayer in 4 rakahs with the imam. When he has finished, he offers his Asr prayer in 2 rakahs only.




---------------------------------
 How much mail storage do you get for free? Yahoo! Mail gives you 6MB! Get Yahoo! Mail

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/CGI/wa.exe?S1=gambia-l
To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to:
[log in to unmask]

To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface
at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~