Bismillaahir Rahmaanir Raheem
Alhamdulillaah, was-salaatu was-salaamu ‘alaa rasoolillaah, wa ba’ad
“The heart cannot be good, prosper, have felicity and easiness, enjoy and have tranquility except through the worship of its Lord alone. Even if it attains all pleasures of this world it will not get peace and tranquillity, for it has a natural spontaneous need to its Lord because He is its Lord…” 1
Needless to say, the prayer is something which we have been commanded to perfom by Allaah, the lord of mankind and the creator of the heavens and the earth. It is an essential pillar of islaam, which if intentionally omitted can render ones faith nullified and the perfection and careful vigilance of which leads to salvation and the greatest of reward and success bi’ithnillaahu ta’ala. Indeed Allaah, exalted is He, only created us for the purpose of worship, the fulfillment of this obligation brings no benefit to Allaah and He has no need for our prayers, rather we are in need of it just like we are need of His help, guidance and mercy.
The prayer should be viewed as a means of us gaining closeness to Allaah; it should be a source of comfort in times of fear, anxiety and a pleasure in times of joy. A person whom Allaah has bestowed the blessings of Islaam into and placed the light of faith into his heart should recognise the beauty that is within prayer, hastening to it when called, expelling any thoughts within his mind so that he can devote himself wholeheartedly into the prayer. Thereafter, he will find that by it he becomes tranquil and that tranquility does nothing but energises him and so he continues gloryfying and praising his Lord, worshipping Him sincerely in gratitude for his blessings and in hope for His mercy. Wa lillaahil Hamd.
O believer seek happiness and contentment in your prayer, know that you can never truly discover these feelings anywhere else and fruitless are the efforts of the one who tries. Be wary of this foolish wandering, for the home of the pious is true, the reunion near and the account is imminent.
It is noteworthy to mention the difference between a valid prayer and an accepted one. A valid prayer is one in which all its prerequisites and pillars have been established. However a prayer may be valid yet not accepted by Allaah due to lack of sincerity, humbleness, fulfillment of its sunan and concentration therein.
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) clarified in a hadeeth that a man may pray but he may only be credited with half of it, another may pray but only be credited with one third of it, and another may pray but only be credited with one fourth of it. 2
It’s recorded by Ibn Abi Hatim that Abu Ad-Darda’ said,
“If I become certain that Allaah has accepted even one prayer from me, it will be better for me than this life and all that in it.
This is because Allaah ta ‘ala says,
“…Verily, Allah accepts only from the those who have Taqwa.” 3
SubhanAllaah, may Allaah make us of al muttaqeen.
Imagine the anguish of those who are heedless of sin, assured that in their five daily prayers lies their unconditional ticket into jannah, only to find on youm at-taghabun, a day of mutual loss and gain, for Allaah, the Most Just, to throw this deed back in your face. Rejected, ya ikhwan wa akhawat this is the reality…. and we ask that Allaah tabaaraka wa ta’ala has mercy on us and makes us sincere. It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said:
I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: “The first deed for which a person will be brought to account on the Day of Resurrection will be his prayer. If it is good then he will have prospered and succeeded…”
This is a mubashiraat, a glad tiding, subhanAllaah, may Allaah make us of Al-Muflihoon, the successful ones. In Surah Al-Mu’minoon (Chapter of The Believers), Allaah says the following:
“Successful indeed are the believers, who are humble in their prayers; and who keep aloof from what is vain…” 4
O you who believe, worship Allaah, sincerely this is a means of your entrance into Jannah inshaAllaah, for He Jalla wa ‘Ala did not create you except for this purpose.
The hadith of Abu Hurayrah continues,
…But if it is bad then he will be doomed and have lost. If anything is lacking from his obligatory prayers, the Lord will say, ‘Look and see whether My slave did any voluntary prayers, and make up the shortfall in his obligatory prayers from that.’ Then all his deeds will be dealt with likewise.” 5
Glory and praise be to Allaah, who after we have only wronged ourselves by falling into the traps of shaytaan in effect had provided us with a backup and a means for us to make up for some of our shortcomings. On that day where it may appear that have doomed our souls, after being presented with a lifelong of rushed rak’aat and years of neglected and absentmindedly performed prayers.
By the One in Whose Hand is my soul, how can our Lord be worthy of this and we ask Allaah to forgive us and have mercy on us. May glad tidings fall upon the one who makes use of all the means the Most Merciful has provided to His slaves and may he prosper, the one who does not remain forgetful of them, rather consciously remembers His Lord in as many ways and times as possible; again, in hope for mercy and in fear of His punishment.
We should begin to exert greater effort in matters that are in relation to worship and with ramadhan and the opportunity for great reward around the corner, this is specifically an act which we should put greater effort into.Therefore I must enquire as to how can one afford to abandon sunnah prayers. What is the state of mind of the one who completely neglects these, do they find their actions currently sufficient. Our beloved prophet, may peace and blessings of Allaah Jalla wa ‘Ala be upon him said,
“By Allaah! I indeed invoke Allaah for forgiveness and repent to Him more than seventy times a day.” 6
Therefore along with our obligatory prayers we should strive to accompany these with the 12 sunan prayers, also known as the Sunan al-Rawaatib. There are two kinds of nawafil which are performed before or after the obligatory prayer. Firstly, the one which was performed by the Prophet (sallallaahu ’aleyhi wa sallam) more frequently. According to some hadith, their total comes to ten Rak`ah while in other ahadith their total is twelve or fourteen Rak`ah. They are called Sunnah Mu’akkadah or As-Sunan al-Rawaatib, that is, the rak`ah which are proved from the saying and practice of the Prophet (sallallaahu ’aleyhi wa sallam) and which were performed by him usually.
Secondly, such nawafil which were not performed by the Prophet (sallallaahu ’aleyhi wa sallam) regularly, these are called Sunnah Ghair Mu’akkadah and are said to be optional prayers, non-emphasised but still praiseworthy practices. In any case, nawafil prayers have a great importance in creating a special link between the worshipper and his lord, and for this reason the believers do not neglect them. The status in Shari`ah of nawafil is that the performing of which is rewarding and the omission of which is not sinful.
Allaah also says,
“You have a good model in the Messenger of Allaah for one who hopes for (the meeting with) Allaah and the Last Day and remembers Allaah much.” 7
Muhammad ibn ‘Ali at-Tirmidhi said,
“To take the Messenger as a model means to emulate him, follow his sunnah and abandon opposition to him in either word or action.”
Some ahadith on these nawafil and their virtue
`Aishah (May Allaah be pleased with her) reported: The Prophet (sallallaahu ’aleyhi wa sallam) did not attach more importance to any nawafil prayer than the two rak`ah of prayer before dawn (Fajr) prayer. 8.
And,
`Aishah (May Allaah be pleased with her) reported: The Prophet (sallallaahu ’aleyhi wa sallam) said, “The two rak`ah before the dawn (Fajr) prayer are better than this world and all it contains.” 9
And,
`Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) reported: Whenever the Prophet (sallallaahu ’aleyhi wa sallam) stayed in my house, he would perform four rak`ah before Dhuhr prayer. Then he would go out and lead salaah. He (sallallaahu ’aleyhi wa sallam) would then come back and perform two rak`ah. He would lead the Maghrib prayer and come back and perform two rak`ah. When he (sallallaahu ’aleyhi wa sallam) had led the `Isha’ prayer, he would enter the house and perform two rak`ah. 10
Note: Along with two before Fajr this then adds up to twelve.
It is also advisable for the Muslim to sometimes pray four optional rakaat before ‘Asr prayer two before Maghrib prayer and two before Isha prayer because this manner was reported to be one of the traditions of the Prophet, ‘aleyhis salaatu wa salaam. This is extra and not emphasised as much as the twelve sunnah prayers mentioned previously.
By adhering to these dear Muslims, you can compensate for the lapses found in your obligatory prayers, InshaAllaah. These prayers are attached to great virtue so do not miss out. Race to Jannah and be amongst those who strive in their worship and do not be left behind, for surely the hour is near and on that day there is none amongst us who want be be filled with regret. Regret as you watch those whom you rubbed shoulders with in this world, carry large amounts of good deeds as they were the ones who took heed, whilst you left yourself preoccupied with matters of this world; they paid greater concern to a matter which when placed on a balance has no comparison. MashaAllaahu tabaarakAllaah and we ask that Allaah increases those people in good. Allaah ta’ala tells us in the Qur’aan,
“Be quick in the race for forgiveness from your Lord, and for a Garden whose width is that (of the whole) of the heavens and of the earth, prepared for the righteous.” 11
Something that was recently made clear to me is that in this ayaat Allaah tells us about the width of this garden, not its length. The length by definition is the longest side and we are not informed about this rather we are told about the width, a width that is of itself unimaginable. wAllaahu Akbar. The Messenger (sallallaahu ‘aleyhi wa sallam) said:
“Whoever consistanly prays twelve rak’ahs throughout the day and night, a palace will be built for him in Paradise.” 12
Allaah says,
“But those who believe and do deeds of righteousness We shall soon admit to gardens with rivers flowing beneath their eternal home: therein shall they have companions pure and holy: We shall admit them to shades cool and ever deepening”. 13
SubhanAllaah, Indeed the promise of your Lord, the Most Gracious, is true.
One thing that should be kept in mind in respect of the Sunan al-Rawaatib or Mu’akkadah is that it is better to perform them at home and this was the usual practice and it is advisable to conceal ones good deeds just as one hides their bad.
wAllaahu ta’ala ‘Alam.
Finally as the famous saying goes it is not solely about the quality rather what is more important is the quality. Ibn Qayyim may Allaah have mercy on him, beautifully relates:
“Someone who turns away in prayer, either with his eyes or his heart, is like a man whom the king summons and seats before him: just when the king starts to call out his name and addresses him, the man turns from him right and left, and his heart turns away. And since his heart is not present, he understands nothing of what the king says to him. What should this man expect from the king in return? At the very least, should he not expect to leave the palace – rejected, cast out and beneath consideration?
This worshipper is in no wise equal to the one whose heart is present, turned in prayer towards God and so aware of the Grandeur of the One before whom he stands that his heart is filled with awe, his head inclines and he would be ashamed before his Lord to face anyone else, or turn away.
About these two prayers, as Hassan bin ‘Atiya said: ‘Two men may offer prayer shoulder to shoulder, and yet between their two prayers lies a gulf as [vast] as that separating Heaven from earth. This is because one of them has his heart turned towards God, while the other is forgetful and heedless.’” 14
Ya ayyuhan-nas, Allaah has referred to you in His speech as believers and He is the guardian of those who believe. 15 He has exalted the honour of the believer by mentioning him with His honourable Prophet as He says,
and to Allaah belongs the might and to His Apostle and to the believers. 16
And He has considered a believer the best of men,
(As for) those who believe and do righteous deeds, surely they are the best of men. 17
Allaah says,
Allaah has promised the believing men and believing women gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they abide eternally, and pleasant dwellings in gardens of perpetual residence; But the greatest bliss is the Good Pleasure of Allaah. That is the supreme success. 18
Everything correct is from Allaah and that which is not is from myself, may Allaah give us the ability to worship him in the way that has been shown to us by his beloved messenger and thereby allow us to taste the sweetness of devotion to Him. Aameen.
Blessed be He and from Him proceeds all Grace and Majesty.
Put together by an Anonymous Contributor [we called her Umm Ghareeb], may Allaah accept it from her, increase her in good therein and be pleased with her. Aameen – Abu Umayr
Footnotes:
- Statement of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah ↩
- Sunan Abu Dawood ↩
- Al-Maidah 5:27 ↩
- Al-Mu’minoon 23:1-3 ↩
- Narrated by al-Nasaa’i,; al-Tirmidhi, 413. Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’ ↩
- Al-Bukhari ↩
- Al-Ahzab 33:21 ↩
- Al-Bukhari and Muslim ↩
- Muslim ↩
- Ibid ↩
- Aal-e-‘Imran 3:133 ↩
- Abu Dawood ↩
- An-Nisa 4:57 ↩
- The Invocation of God by Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyya p.26 ↩
- Al-Baqarah 2: 257 ↩
- Al-Munaafiqun 63: 8 ↩
- Al-Bayyinah 98: 7 ↩
- At-Tawbah 9:72 ↩
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Another sunnah for us to InshaAllaah make part of ourselves before Ramadhan so that we may use the month to strengthen it and bi ithnillaah keep steadfast upon until we die.
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