The following has been compiled by Hazrat Maulana Muhammad Shoyaib Nurgat Sahib (DB) and this article is also available on the Masjid e Umer website.
There will be a partial solar eclipse on Tuesday 4th January 2011, Insha-Allah. In UK, the eclipse will start before sunrise (07:01 GMT) and will be seen from the eastern horizon just after 08:00 GMT. It will continue until 09:34 GMT. Below are some details as regards to Solar/Lunar Eclipse:
Hadhrat Nu'maan Ibn Bashir (Radhiyallahu unhu) narrates that Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wa salam said: The people of Jahiliyyah (pre-Islamic era) used to say that the solar and lunar eclipse takes place upon the death of a great person. (Mishkaat pg. 131 - Qadimi). Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wa salam corrected this misconception and said: Solar and lunar eclipse does not take place upon the life or death of any person, but they (solar and lunar eclipse) are creations from His creation. Allah Ta'ala changes in His creation whatever He wishes. So whichever of the two (sun or moon) eclipse, perform Salah until it (sun or moon) brightens up, or Allah Ta'ala brings forth a big matter (Qiyaamah). (Ibid.)
Hadhrat Abu Bakra (Radhiallaahu Anhu) narrates: We were with Nabi salallahu alayhi wa salam, and then the sun eclipsed. Nabi salallahu alayhi wa salam got up dragging his clothes until he entered the Musjid so we also entered. Then Nabi salallahu alayhi wa salam performed two Rakaats of Salah with us until the sun revealed itself. Then Nabi salallahu alayhi wa salam said, 'Verily, the sun and moon do not eclipse due to the death of anyone, so when you seen an eclipse (solar or lunar), then perform Salaat and make Du'aa until the eclipse ends. (Bukhari pg.205; Darus salaam)
When Solar or Lunar Eclipse takes place What should one do?
1) It should be regarded as a manifestation of Allah Ta'ala's power.
2) Ponder upon the Greatness and Majesty of Allah Ta'ala.
3) Fear Qiyaamah (the Day of Judgement) being imminent and make Tauba (repent for one's sins).
4) It is Sunnah to offer 2 Rak’aat Salah during a solar eclipse.
Salaatul Kusuf has to be performed in congregation on the condition it is led by the Imam of the Jumu’ah Salah. It is also permissible for the Imam of every Musjid to perform this Salah in his Musjid.
The Qiraat should be made silently; however, it is also permissible to make it audibly.
There is no Azaan or Iqaamah for Salaatul Kusuf.
It is Sunnah to lengthen the Recitation in both the Rak’aats and to lengthen the Ruku and Sajdah.
In each Rak’aat there is only 1 Ruku and 2 Sajdahs (like in a normal Salah)
After the Salah, the Imam should occupy himself in Dua and the Muqtadi’s (those performing Salah behind him) should say Aameen. This should continue till the eclipse disappears. However, if the time of the next Salah settles in, then the Dua should be stopped and the Salah should be performed.
Care should be taken that this Salah should not be performed in the Makrooh Times.
If the Imam does not attend this Salah, the masses should perform their Salah individually.
(Bahishti Zewar vol.1 pg 222)
5) It is sunnah to offer 2 Rak’aat Salaah during the Lunar Eclipse. Salaatul Khusoof.
For Salaatul Khusoof congregation is not Sunnah.
People should perform this Salah individually in their homes.
Tuesday, 4 January 2011
Friday, 31 December 2010
Poetry: Family
Dear to me are my family,
With them I live happily.
With them I live happily.
Whenever problems begin to appear,
They are the first to show their care.
I love my family more than a million words could ever say,
And our bonds are strengthened when we stand together and pray.
My best friends are my parents to whom I am in debt,
They are better than the tons of people that I have met.
My siblings make my heart blossom with immense joy,
We laugh when we remember the past and all the broken toys.
I still think about and miss those who have left,
How strange it is that pleasant memories leave us bereft.
Our families will be there for us before any old or new friend,
They love us unconditionally and will always have time to lend.
How foul are we to our families who only wish for our protection,
Yet we curse them and wish that we could have made the selection.
Be happy with who your mother, father, brother sister and family are,
And hold your tongue back before you utter words that will leave a scar.
Keep ties with those who break ties from you and be kind,
They may not know but you do, so do not walk around blind.
And if you still don’t understand the worth of those who inhabit your house,
Then you have lost all respect and have become even smaller than a mouse.
Ask the orphan with regards to the virtue of a family,
For he has nobody to live with happily.
Monday, 27 December 2010
Don't Be A 'Quitter'
Different people are affected mentally by different things. Different situations bring out different characteristics from within a person. Sometimes people are presented with a task which they are not comfortable with but they still dig deep (make huge efforts) in order to complete it. On the other hand there are other people who maintain a ‘give up’ mentality; and that is when a difficult situation is presented before them, they immediately feel it is impossible and beyond the boundaries of reality. As a result, they quit at the first hurdle and decide not to push themselves towards the attainment of their goals. This mentality can be simply put as, “When the going gets tough... I quit.”
As Muslims, when we do not understand how to do something our mentality should not be ‘I quit’. Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wa salam and the Companions radiallahu anhum were presented with the severest of tasks. They were presented with tasks of huge magnitude but they did not carry this ‘I quit’ perception in their pockets. Rather, they had unerring fortitude and belief that they will complete their goals. Had they quit at the first hurdle, then how would this deen come to us? Likewise, it is seen over the period of history that the religion of Allah ‘azza wa jal has not been carried by people who had low self esteem and will power. Rather Allah Ta’ala has specifically chosen special souls to do the service of His religion because of their resolute nature. The greatest honour a person can have in this world is to serve this faith we have been gifted with in whatever way possible; whether it be that a person becomes a doctor and helps humanity or that he becomes a scholar and guides people towards the straight path, the basis of our existence is to serve the deen and this can only be done by men and women of strong, resolute, pioneering character.
When a person is presented a task which is outside of his ‘comfort zone’ he immediately begins to think about all his weaknesses. For example, sometimes a person may be asked to read a book out aloud to his class as part of class reading. As soon as this task has been delegated to him, he immediately begins a conversation within his own self along the lines of, “What if I make a mistake? People will laugh at me and think that I am stupid. Some of these English words are looking really big, what if I say it funny and people giggle?” These types of thought are all fuelling and whisperings from shaytaan khabees and should be ignored (say a’uzoo billahi min ash shaytaanir rajeem). When a person begins to think too much about a specific task, he makes it more complex than it really is. One dear friend of mine once advised me to make big things appear to be small so that the pressure is also reduced.
If we are struggling to perform a certain task than our state should not be that we hold our hands up and say, “I can’t do this!” Rather we should look at the task and say, “I do not have the knowledge on how to do this properly just yet but I will learn very quickly and then attempt to do this again.” It is very important to be optimistic at all times as opposed to being pessimistic and negative. When a person is optimistic and hopeful, he begins to brim with confidence and self belief. This will aid him hugely in completing his difficult task as he has already won half the battle which is within his mind. If our condition is such that we begin shaking at the mere possibility of each task then we will run away from it for as long as we live and we will never gain the experience to overcome our ‘teething troubles’ so as to speak.
Sometimes, to produce a resolute and stalwart characteristics within oneself is really hard, especially if the person is a soft person by nature. In situations such as these, my humble advice would be to use my ‘goli maro bhai’ (fire a bullet to the world) method. A person should not think too much and work by the spur of the moment. It is like when we get an injection from the nurse. We look at the needle and begin to get so scared. Sometimes people begin to cry just by seeing the needle that Allah bachai, this nurse is going to do my zabah (sacrifice)! Then when the time comes we know we can’t get away from it so we close our eyes and hope for the best but as soon as the needle comes in and out, the first words we say are, “That didn’t hurt you know.” This is spur of the moment ‘goli maro’ theory.
May Allah Ta’ala give us all the ability to strengthen our resolve and be from those people who achieve our ambitions. May He take great service of deen from us. Ameen.
As Muslims, when we do not understand how to do something our mentality should not be ‘I quit’. Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wa salam and the Companions radiallahu anhum were presented with the severest of tasks. They were presented with tasks of huge magnitude but they did not carry this ‘I quit’ perception in their pockets. Rather, they had unerring fortitude and belief that they will complete their goals. Had they quit at the first hurdle, then how would this deen come to us? Likewise, it is seen over the period of history that the religion of Allah ‘azza wa jal has not been carried by people who had low self esteem and will power. Rather Allah Ta’ala has specifically chosen special souls to do the service of His religion because of their resolute nature. The greatest honour a person can have in this world is to serve this faith we have been gifted with in whatever way possible; whether it be that a person becomes a doctor and helps humanity or that he becomes a scholar and guides people towards the straight path, the basis of our existence is to serve the deen and this can only be done by men and women of strong, resolute, pioneering character.
When a person is presented a task which is outside of his ‘comfort zone’ he immediately begins to think about all his weaknesses. For example, sometimes a person may be asked to read a book out aloud to his class as part of class reading. As soon as this task has been delegated to him, he immediately begins a conversation within his own self along the lines of, “What if I make a mistake? People will laugh at me and think that I am stupid. Some of these English words are looking really big, what if I say it funny and people giggle?” These types of thought are all fuelling and whisperings from shaytaan khabees and should be ignored (say a’uzoo billahi min ash shaytaanir rajeem). When a person begins to think too much about a specific task, he makes it more complex than it really is. One dear friend of mine once advised me to make big things appear to be small so that the pressure is also reduced.
If we are struggling to perform a certain task than our state should not be that we hold our hands up and say, “I can’t do this!” Rather we should look at the task and say, “I do not have the knowledge on how to do this properly just yet but I will learn very quickly and then attempt to do this again.” It is very important to be optimistic at all times as opposed to being pessimistic and negative. When a person is optimistic and hopeful, he begins to brim with confidence and self belief. This will aid him hugely in completing his difficult task as he has already won half the battle which is within his mind. If our condition is such that we begin shaking at the mere possibility of each task then we will run away from it for as long as we live and we will never gain the experience to overcome our ‘teething troubles’ so as to speak.
Sometimes, to produce a resolute and stalwart characteristics within oneself is really hard, especially if the person is a soft person by nature. In situations such as these, my humble advice would be to use my ‘goli maro bhai’ (fire a bullet to the world) method. A person should not think too much and work by the spur of the moment. It is like when we get an injection from the nurse. We look at the needle and begin to get so scared. Sometimes people begin to cry just by seeing the needle that Allah bachai, this nurse is going to do my zabah (sacrifice)! Then when the time comes we know we can’t get away from it so we close our eyes and hope for the best but as soon as the needle comes in and out, the first words we say are, “That didn’t hurt you know.” This is spur of the moment ‘goli maro’ theory.
May Allah Ta’ala give us all the ability to strengthen our resolve and be from those people who achieve our ambitions. May He take great service of deen from us. Ameen.
Wednesday, 22 December 2010
Salaat ut Tasbeeh - The Prayer of Forgiveness
From among the statements of the ulama, this prayer has different names. Some call it Salaatut Taubah (repentance), others call it Salaat ut Tasbeeh (praise) and others call it Salaatul Gufraan (the prayer of forgiveness). Whatever the name, one thing which is established is that this prayer is extremely effective in removing the sins of a person. Sheikh Adnan Ali Uroor comments on this prayer by saying, "It is a cleansing for whomsoeever wants to be cleansed and success for whomsoever seeks salvation."
The Ulama of the past also used to hold this prayer with high regards. Hadhrat Abdul Azeez al Azdi rahimahullah would state, "Whoever desires paradise should perform Salaat ut Tasbeeh." and likewise, Abu Uthman Sa'eed ibn Isma'eel an Naysaapoori has stated, "I have not seen anything which is removes calamaties and afflictions like the way Salaat ut Tasbeeh does."
With regards to its authenticity, Ibn Aabideen has stated, "The hadith which in relation to it are reliable because of its many chains and those who consider it to be weak, then it is mere proposition which is unproved. It contains in it a reward which shoul not be left and thus, based on this, some of the Ulama say, 'No-one hears of blessing and leaves it except that he is negligent in regards to his religion."
Thereafter, the great commentator of hadith, Ibn Hajar rahimahullah has stated that the likes of Abdullah ibn Mubarak rahimahullah would pray this prayer and that it has been passed down from the elders.
Abdullah ibn Abbas radiallahu anhu has narrated that he was once informed by Rasulullah, "O Abbas, Should I not present to you? Should I not confer to you? should I not inform you of such an act, which if you practice, Allah will forgive all your sins, whether old or new, intentional or unintentional, minor or major, open or secret. (After describing the method of performing this salaah) Nabi salallahu alayhi wa salam stated, ”If possible, you should offer this salaah once everyday, and if you cannot perform it daily, then offer it on every Friday (weekly), or once a month, or once a year or at least once in your lifetime.” (Abu Dawud Sharif)
The Method
After reciting thanaa and before reciting Surah Fatihah repeat these words (the third Kalimah)
‘Subhanallahi Walhamdulillahi wa laa ilaa ha illallahu wallaahu akbar’ (Glory be to Allah, all praise is to Allah and there is no god but Allah and Allah is the Greatest).
fifteen times.
Then read Surah Fatihah and another surah, these words (above mentioned) should be repeated ten times before the ruku, ten times during the ruku, ten times after standing up from the ruku, ten times in each sajdah and ten times while sitting between the two sajdahs. All four rakaats should be performed in this manner, thus completing seventy five times (tasbeehs) in each rakaat and 300 times (tasbeehs) in four rakaats.
I have made a little picture chart showing the steps on how to pray this prayer. Please take a look if you get confused. Finally, it should be understood that it is not permissible to count the tasbeehaat with one's fingers! Rather it is permissible according the Ulama to use your fingers to press lightly against your body in order to keep count of your tasbeeh.
The Ulama of the past also used to hold this prayer with high regards. Hadhrat Abdul Azeez al Azdi rahimahullah would state, "Whoever desires paradise should perform Salaat ut Tasbeeh." and likewise, Abu Uthman Sa'eed ibn Isma'eel an Naysaapoori has stated, "I have not seen anything which is removes calamaties and afflictions like the way Salaat ut Tasbeeh does."
With regards to its authenticity, Ibn Aabideen has stated, "The hadith which in relation to it are reliable because of its many chains and those who consider it to be weak, then it is mere proposition which is unproved. It contains in it a reward which shoul not be left and thus, based on this, some of the Ulama say, 'No-one hears of blessing and leaves it except that he is negligent in regards to his religion."
Thereafter, the great commentator of hadith, Ibn Hajar rahimahullah has stated that the likes of Abdullah ibn Mubarak rahimahullah would pray this prayer and that it has been passed down from the elders.
Abdullah ibn Abbas radiallahu anhu has narrated that he was once informed by Rasulullah, "O Abbas, Should I not present to you? Should I not confer to you? should I not inform you of such an act, which if you practice, Allah will forgive all your sins, whether old or new, intentional or unintentional, minor or major, open or secret. (After describing the method of performing this salaah) Nabi salallahu alayhi wa salam stated, ”If possible, you should offer this salaah once everyday, and if you cannot perform it daily, then offer it on every Friday (weekly), or once a month, or once a year or at least once in your lifetime.” (Abu Dawud Sharif)
The Method
After reciting thanaa and before reciting Surah Fatihah repeat these words (the third Kalimah)
‘Subhanallahi Walhamdulillahi wa laa ilaa ha illallahu wallaahu akbar’ (Glory be to Allah, all praise is to Allah and there is no god but Allah and Allah is the Greatest).
fifteen times.
Then read Surah Fatihah and another surah, these words (above mentioned) should be repeated ten times before the ruku, ten times during the ruku, ten times after standing up from the ruku, ten times in each sajdah and ten times while sitting between the two sajdahs. All four rakaats should be performed in this manner, thus completing seventy five times (tasbeehs) in each rakaat and 300 times (tasbeehs) in four rakaats.
I have made a little picture chart showing the steps on how to pray this prayer. Please take a look if you get confused. Finally, it should be understood that it is not permissible to count the tasbeehaat with one's fingers! Rather it is permissible according the Ulama to use your fingers to press lightly against your body in order to keep count of your tasbeeh.
Tuesday, 21 December 2010
A Wife's Certificate
Taken from: Ashrafiya
'Arif billah Dr. Abdul Hayy ‘Arifi (Allah have mercy on him) said;
“Brethren! If you want to get a certification and approval for your knowledge obtain it from a Darululoom (maderassa) but for the achievements in tareeqat (i.e. getting rid of blame worthy moral traits like anger, pride, show off etc. & acquisition of praiseworthy moral traits like sincerity, humility, patience, etc.) get it from your wife, because she really knows you (inside out).”
Malfoozat-e-Arifi page 216
'Arif billah Dr. Abdul Hayy ‘Arifi (Allah have mercy on him) said;
“Brethren! If you want to get a certification and approval for your knowledge obtain it from a Darululoom (maderassa) but for the achievements in tareeqat (i.e. getting rid of blame worthy moral traits like anger, pride, show off etc. & acquisition of praiseworthy moral traits like sincerity, humility, patience, etc.) get it from your wife, because she really knows you (inside out).”
Malfoozat-e-Arifi page 216
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