Being Held Back (Ahadith 2486 – 2487)

Bismillah.

Volume 4, Book 52, Number 91 :
Narrated by Anas (radiallaahu `anhu)
We returned from the Ghazwa of Tabuk along with the Prophet. (See Hadith No. 92 below).

Volume 4, Book 52, Number 92 :
Narrated by Anas (radiallaahu `anhu)
While the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) was in a Ghazwa he said, “Some people have remained behind us in Medina and we never crossed a mountain path or a valley, but they were with us (i.e. sharing the reward with us), as they have been held back by a (legal) excuse.”

This is from the Bounty and Grace of Allah, that He rewards those who yearn to do good but are held back due to genuine reasons. Only Allah knows that if they were given the opportunity, they wouldn’t be doing anything else.

The One Who Was and Will Always Be

I wonder when I look above

With a sigh of love

At the starry sky, with tears of joy

When will this life come to an end?

For I can’t wait and I want to see

The ONE who was and will always be

 

It’s true this life does have a reason

But the world for me is still a prison

So no wonder what I have in here

That void inside will always be

For I can’t wait and I want to see

The ONE who was and will always be

 

I try to avoid it but I end up sinning

My heart feels heavy and my head starts spinning

If this is the pain I feel in this world

Then how harsh would the hell fire be

The thought of it makes me hate myself

But despair of HIS mercy I’ll never be

For I can’t wait and I want to see

The ONE who was and will always be

 

So I turn to HIM, put my head on the ground

My lost soul as if suddenly found

His remembrance puts my heart at peace

And brings a happy thought to mind

If this is the satisfaction of this world

How much pleasure one would in the Heaven find?

And then I can’t wait and I want to see

The ONE who was and will always be

Shortening Prayers (Hadith No. 885)

Assalamu`alaykum,
Bismillah.

Book of Shortening the Prayers (at-Taqseer) starts today..

I warn you beforehand, there’ll be lots of opinions and rulings on it. It’s simple, yet we’ve made it so complicated. Anyway, I hope, that with Allah’s mercy, we’ll be able to understand this concept fully by the end of this “book”, and find it easy to apply the rulings in our daily lives. Stay tuned. Allah-ul-Musta`aan!

One post been done on it already.

Volume 2, Book 20, Number 186:

Narrated Ibn Abbas :

The Prophet once stayed for nineteen days and prayed shortened prayers. So when we travel led (and stayed) for nineteen days, we used to shorten the prayer but if we travelled (and stayed) for a longer period we used to offer the full prayer.

The meaning of shortening prayers is that the four-rak’ah prayers become two rak’ahs when travelling. [IslamQA]

With regard to shortening prayers when travelling, this is a confirmed Sunnah (Sunnah mu’akkadah) which should not be forsaken. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) shortened prayers during all his journeys, and it is not proven that he offered the prayers in full whilst travelling.

Shar`i Ruling

The scholars are unanimously agreed that shortening the prayers is better for the traveller than offering them in full, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) shortened prayers during all his journeys, and there is no saheeh report that he offered the prayers in full whilst travelling.

Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: I accompanied the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and he did not do more than two rak’ahs whilst travelling, and the same applies to Abu Bakr, ‘Umar and ‘Uthmaan (may Allaah be pleased with them). Narrated by al-Bukhaari (1102).

The Hanafis are of the view that it is obligatory for the traveller to shorten his prayers, but the correct view is that of the majority, that shortening the prayers is sunnah mu’akkadah (a confirmed Sunnah), and that it is better than offering the prayers in full.

See: al-Ijmaa’ by Ibn al-Mundhir (27); al-Mughni (1/382); al-Mawsoo’ah al-Fiqhiyyah (27/274).

Reasons which make it permissible to shorten prayers:

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in Majmoo’ al-Fataawa (22/293):

The reason for shortening prayers is travelling only, and it is not permissible in situations other than travelling. As for joining prayers, the reason for it is need and excuses, so if a person needs to he may join both shortened and full-length prayers whilst travelling, and he may join prayers when it is raining and so on, or because of sickness and the like, and for other reasons, because the purpose behind it is to spare the ummah hardship. End quote.

Wassalam.

Why Sajdah of Tilawat? (Hadith No. 874)

Assalamu`alaykum,
Bismillah.

Volume 2, Book 19, Number 175:

Narrated Ibn Abbas:

The prostration of Sad is not a compulsory one but I saw the Prophet prostrating while reciting it.

This is the ayah the Hadith is talking about:

قَالَ لَقَدْ ظَلَمَكَ بِسُؤَالِ نَعْجَتِكَ إِلَىٰ نِعَاجِهِ ۖ وَإِنَّ كَثِيرًا مِّنَ الْخُلَطَاءِ لَيَبْغِي بَعْضُهُمْ عَلَىٰ بَعْضٍ إِلَّا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ وَقَلِيلٌ مَّا هُمْ ۗ وَظَنَّ دَاوُودُ أَنَّمَا فَتَنَّاهُ فَاسْتَغْفَرَ رَبَّهُ وَخَرَّ رَاكِعًا وَأَنَابَ ۩

“[Dawud (David)] said (immediately without listening to the opponent): “He has wronged you in demanding your ewe in addition to his ewes. And, verily, many partners oppress one another, except those who believe and do righteous good deeds, and they are few.” And Dawud (David) guessed that We have tried him and he sought Forgiveness of his Lord, and he fell down prostrate and turned (to Allah) in repentance.” [Saad: 24]

If you go through the ayaat where sajdah of tilawat is prescribed, you’ll notice that either there is a command from Allah to do sajdah in the words, or the enticement (targheeb) to do so. For example, in the ayah mentioned above, Allah talks about the humble nature of Dawud (AS) and how he fell into prostration to Allah upon realizing that he was being tested by Him. When a person is going through this ayah, he feels the inclination to do as Dawud (AS) did. Prophet (SAW) did it, and we do it too. :)

Wassalam.