Origins of the 5 prayers

Fajr:

When Adam (AS) was taken out of Paradise and sent to Paradise, it was night and he had never observed darkness before. This made him extremely anxious and distressed. Slowly as it began to become brighter, Subh Sadiq (‘true’ dawn) appeared. Hadhrat Adam (AS) felt at peace. Before sunrise, he offered two rakaats of Salaat out of gratitude; the first rakaat was for the dispelling of the darkness and the second was out of appreciation for the daylight.

Almighty A—h liked this prayer so much that He made the two rak’ats of Fajr salaat obligatory on the Ummat of Rasoolullah (SAW). (E’nayah).

 It has also been mentioned that in order to remove the darkness of the grave, a person should be consistent with their Fajr, for it will be a means of illumination in the grave.

Zuhr:

After Ibrahim (AS)’s dream in which he was commanded to sacrifice his son, 4 questions concerned him;

1.      How can I fulfil this commandment properly?

2.      How was it that Ismail (AS) had so readily accepted his fate (i.e. that he was about to be sacrificed)?

3.      What answer would he give Hajar (AS) – Mother of Ismail (AS)?

4.      How would she spend the rest of her life in the jungle?

As soon as A—h sent down the ram from Jannah, the situation became resolved and all queries were answered. So out of appreciation he prayed 4 rakaats;

The first to thank A—h for helping him overcome this difficult test

The second for substituting his son with a ram

The third for the direct address he received from A—h in the Quran:

“And We called out to him: “O Ibrahim! You have fulfilled the dream (vision)!” Verily! Thus We do reward the Muhsinun.” (37:104-5)

The fourth thanking A—h for granting him with such a patient child, who so readily accepted A—h’s plan for him.                                                                                                                                       Almighty A—h liked this prayer of Hadhrat Ibrahim (AS) so much that He made the four rak’ats of Zuhr salaat obligatory on the Ummat of Rasoolullah (SAW). (E’nayah).

Asr:

When Yunus (AS) was swallowed by the whale, 4 layers of darkness enveloped him.;

1.      The stomach of the whale he was swallowed by

2.      Darkess of the clouds (narrations also suggest that the above fish was then swallowed by a larger fish)

3.      Darkness of the ocean

4.      The darkness of the night

A—h heard his plea from inside the belly of the fish as mentioned in the Quran:

“But he cried through the darkness (saying): La ilaha illa Anta [none has the right to be worshipped but You (O, Allah), Glorified (and Exalted) be You above all that (evil) they associate with You]. Truly, I have been of the wrongdoers.” So We answered his call, and delivered him from the distress. And thus We do deliver the believers.” (21:87-88)

 

So after being saved by A—h from this, he prayed 4 rakaats Salaat out of gratitude.

Almighty A—h liked this prayer of Hadhrat Yunus (AS) so much that He made the four rak’ats of Asr salaat obligatory on the Ummat of Rasoolullah (SAW). (E’nayah).

Maghrib

There are two narrations regarding Maghrib Salaat;

The first being that Dawood (AS) performed 3 rakaats after making an error, upon which A—h forgave him. By way of thanksgiving, he commenced praying 4 rakaats but could not continue after the third due to his extreme remorse, and so he terminated his Salaat after three rakaats. (Bazlul Majhood).

Almighty A—h liked this prayer of Hadhrat Dawood (AS) so much that He made the three rak’ats of Maghrib salaat obligatory on the Ummat of Rasoolullah (SAW)

The second narration is regarding Isa (AS); when he began performing miracles, such as curing the sick, creating birds from clay and bringing them to life etc. The Bani Israeel saw this and began to believe him to be the son of God and Maryam (AS) to be the wife of God.      نعوذ بالله 

So Isa (AS) made dua to A—h saying that I have not performed these miracles except without your permission, yet despite being told this, they are saying such things.

A—h replied to him, saying “You are not at fault and neither is your Mother”.

So out of appreciation, Isa (AS) prayed 2 rakaats and Maryam (AS) prayed 1 rakaat, combined this became 3 rakaats of Maghrib.

Maghrib:

There are two reports regarding the wisdom of the four rak’ats of Isha’ salaat. The first says that Hadhrat Musa (AS) was the first person to perform this salaat. He had stayed with Hadhrat Shuayb (AS) for ten years and was returning with his family to Misr (Egypt). While travelling he was besieged with four anxieties: first, his honourable wife was expecting; secondly, the journey was particularly lengthy; thirdly, he was concerned about the welfare of his brother Hadhrat Harun (AS); and fourthly, he was worried about his mortal enemy Fir’awn. With these four worries he was travelling and then they got lost which added to the distress. He walked in a perplexed state until they approached Mount Toor, standing on the right side facing the west. It was a dark and cold night. The honourable wife’s labour had begun, and the flint stone did not produce a spark. In this agonising and distressing situation, he saw a fire from Mount Toor. He told his family members to remain behind while he went to Mount Toor to collect some flames. When he reached Mount Toor he was favoured with the special privilege of conversing with Almighty A—h, Who said:

“And when he came to it (the fire), he was called by name: “O Musa! Verily! I am your Lord! So take off your shoes, you are in the sacred valley, Tuwa. And I have chosen you. So listen to that which is inspired to you.” (20:11-13)

It was Isha’ time when Hadhrat Musa (AS) performed the four rak’ats of thanksgiving for the removal of all four anxieties. Almighty A—h liked this prayer so much that He made the four rak’ats of Isha’ obligatory on the Ummat of Rasoolullah (SAW). E’nayah).

According to the second report, the first perform to perform the four-rak’ats of Isha’ salaat was Rasoolullah (SAW).  (Bazlul Majhood). This is another reason why this salaat is particularly important.

This is taken from Hadhrat Mufti Abdur Rauf Sakkharwee Sahib’s ‘Some Serious Mistakes In Salaat’. The book can be found by following this link ‘Correct Performance of Salah‘.

About the Author: Hadhrat Mufti Abdur Rauf Sakkharwee Sahib is the Deputy Mufti at the famous Darul Uloom Koranghi, Karachi, and is a Senior Khalifah of the late Hadhrat Mufti Muhammad Shafee Sahib rahmatullah alayh, who founded the Darul Uloom. He has written extensively on various fiqh issues and is a regular contributor to Al-Balaagh, which is a magazine published monthly by the Darul Uloom.

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Ammarah 

Jannah & Jahannam

A—h has mentioned in the Holy Quran:

“Oh you who believe! Be careful of your duty towards A—h, and seek means of nearness to Him and strive hard in His way that you may be successful”.

(Surah Ma’idah:35)

Our final destination is the life of the Hereafter. Therefore, our abode depending on what we worked towards in this life is either Jannah or the Naar. Jannah is a place of eternal bliss and is the abode that all Muslims want to achieve in the Hereafter. But like trying to achieve any form of success, one must strive hard and make an effort, and if along the way any errors occur, then we must try to seek forgiveness and try again.

The Bani Israeel asked Musa (AS), “Does A—h prays?”

Musa (AS) did not know the answer to this so he did not reply. They kept on pestering him with the same question until A—h revealed to Musa (AS), “Yes, I do pray, and I pray that My Mercy is more abundant than My Wrath”.

This becomes apparent because there are 8 doors of Jannah and 7 layers of Hellfire.

DESCRIPTION OF HELLFIRE:

Hadhrat Musa al Ash’ari (RA) reported from Prophet (SAW) regarding its depth:

“If a rock is dropped into Jahannam, it will remain plummeting for 70 years before touching the pit of Jahannam.”

Regarding its width, Nabi (SAW) has said;
“Four walls surround Jahannam. The width of each is a walking distance of 40 years”.

The fire of Jahannam is also very intense that Prophet (SAW) narrates:

“Jahannam was heated for 1000 years and its fire turned red, it was then heated for another 1000 years and its fire turned white, then for another 1000 years until it turned black. At present, Jahannam is pitch black and dark.” (Tirmidhi)

The 7 layers/gates of Hellfire:

1. Hawai

2. Jahim

3. Saqar

4. Nati

5. Hatmah

6. Sa’ah

7. Jahannam

It has been mentioned in Surah Tahreem:

“Oh you who have believed, protect yourselves and your families from a Fire whose fuel is people and stones, over which are appointed angels, harsh and severe; they do not disobey A—h in what he commands but do what they are commanded.” (66:6)

It has also been mentioned in Surah Mudathir:

“Over it (Jahannam), are 19 (angels). And we have not made the keepers of the Fire except angels”. (74:30-31)

DESCRIPTION OF JANNAH:

When all the Mu’mineen enter into Jannah, it will be announced:

1.       You will remain healthy forever and disease will never befall you

2.       You will remain alive forever and death will never approach you

3.       You will be given bounties that never finish

Jannah is made from bricks of Gold and Silver. Its cement is of perfumed Musk. Its stones and pebbles are Yaqoot (Rubies) and its sand Zafraan (Saffron).

Those who love each other for the sake of A—h will get a pillar of Yaqoot (Rubies) on which there will be 70,000 rooms. These will shine for the residents of Jannah as the sun shines for the residents of the world.

DOORS OF JANNAH

1.       Jannat ul Ma’wa

2.       Daarul Maqaam

3.       Daarul Salaam

4.       Darul Khuld

5.       Jannat ul Adhaan

6.       Jannat un Naeem

7.       Jannat ul Kasif

8.       Jannat ul Firdaws (the highest level)

GARDENS OF JANNAH

There will be gardens and every one will be the length of a 100 year journey, the shadows will be very dense. Their plants will be free of thorns. The size of their leaves will be equal to the ears of an elephant and the fruits will hang in rows.

RIVERS OF JANNAH:

1.       WATER – Water represents eternity and an everlasting life in Jannah

2.       MILK – Milk suffices as both food and drink, so it represents a eternal sustenance in Jannah

3.        HONEY – Honey is used as a shifa’ (cure) and therefore represents good health and being free of disease

4.       SHARAABAN TAHOORAH – Pure wine, which does not intoxicate, representing celebration and eternal bliss

It is mentioned in the Quran:

“Is the description of Paradise, which the righteous are promised, wherein are rivers of water unaltered, rivers of milk the taste of which never changes, rivers of wine delicious to those who drink, and rivers of purified honey, in which they will have from all [kinds of] fruits and forgiveness from their Lord, like [that of] those who abide eternally in the Fire and are given to drink scalding water that will sever their intestines?” (47: 15)

There will also be three fountains in Jannah:

1.       Kafoor

2.       Zanjabeel

3.       Tasneem

FOOD OF JANNAH

There will be rooms in Jannah in such a way that every room will have 70,000 dining sheets. On every dining sheet, 70,000 types of food will be served. For the service of the Jannatis, there will be 80,000 young boys looking like beautiful glistening pearls.

In the Quran, it has been mentioned:

“Those are the ones brought near [to Allah]. In the Gardens of Pleasure, A [large] company of the former peoples and a few of the later peoples, on thrones woven [with ornament], reclining on them, facing each other. There will circulate among them young boys made eternal with vessels, pitchers and a cup [of wine] from a flowing spring .No headache will they have there from, nor will they be intoxicated. And fruit of what they select and the meat of fowl, from whatever they desire”.(56:11-21)

DRESS OF JANNAH

The dress of Jannah will be very beautiful; there very fine and delicate, weightless and of different colours. Therefore one will wear up to 70 garments at a time. These garments will be so fine that the heart will be visible through them. The clothes will never become old or dirty or ever tear.

QUALITIES OF PEOPLE IN JANNAH

In Jannah, the height of Mu’min will be equal to the height of Hadhrat Adam (AS) which is about 90 ft!!

The Beauty will be like that of Hadhrat Yusuf (AS)

The Age will of Hadhrat Isa (AS), around 30-33 years

The Sweetness of voice will be like that of Hadhrat Dawud (AS)

The Tolerance will be of Hadhrat Ya’qub (AS)

The Patience will be of Hadhrat Ayyub (AS)

And the habits will be like that of Sayyidina Muhammad (SAW)

Day of Judgement

A—h says in the Quran:

“Friends on that day will be foes to another..”

What does this mean?

It means that on this day when every person will be brought back to life, not one person will be worried about another person. You will not think about anyone else but yourself. You will be running around, not knowing where to go and what to do.

Every person will be gathered together, with all their good and bad deeds apparent. We will be all questioned for our action. This will take around 50,000 years, but a Hadith states that the time will pass quickly for the Believers. How quickly? Around the time it takes to pray two rakaats.

How we have behaved in this world will be how we will be raised on this day. For example, A—h has mentioned in the Quran, that the one who did not believe will be raised blind. This is because he was blind to the truth and did not pay attention to the signs that were placed for him by A—h.

Whereas a believer will be raised with light emitting from his body.

On this day, the sun will be a mile over a person’s head. Only SEVEN people will be granted A—h’s shade:

1.      A just leader

2.      A young man or woman who was raised to believe in A—h

3.      A man whose heart was joined to the Masjid

4.      Two people who loved each other for the sake of A—h

5.      A man who refused his temptations out of the fear of A—h

6.      A man who remembered A—h alone and cried

7.      A person who gave charity such that his right hand doesn’t know what his left hand spent

People will go around asking other people to intercede on their behalf, but everyone will be so ashamed of their own actions that they will refuse. Only Prophet (SAW) will be able to intercede and then the questioning will begin. But before that, we will be clothed and Jahannam will be brought in front of us. 70,000 angels will each be pulling a rope, attached to Jahannam. Then only will the Judgement start.

A—h describes the Day of Judgement in what could be translated as:

“On the Day when every person will be confronted with all the good he has done, and all the evil he has done, he will wish that there were a great distance between him and his evil.” (3:30)

A—h means that at this moment, our deeds will be placed in front of us.

Imam Bukhari and Muslim (RH) have included the Hadith where Ayesha (RA) reports that Prophet (SAW) said:

“Destroyed is the one who has his account settled on the Day of Resurrection”.

Ayesha (RA) replied: "Oh Messenger of A—h, didn’t A—h say that he who is given his records in his right hand soon will his account be taken by easy reckoning’" (85:7 & 8)

The Prophet (SAW) replied: “This is just skimming through the deeds; and destroyed is the one who has his account settled on the Day of Judgement”.

There will be two different ways that A—h will hold people accountable for their deeds:

1.      In the first way, A—h will quickly and easily skim through the people’s deeds and will allow them to enter Paradise safely. Those who believe strongly and with sincerity will enter Paradise in this manner.

2.      In the second way, A—h will discuss the people’s deeds in depth and in detail; He will then hold them to account for all their wrongdoings. Then A—h will send then away to the Fire of Hell. These are the disbelievers, hypocrites, those weak in their faith or those who were insincere in their belief and worship will enter the Fire in this manner.

We will be asked on the Day of Judgement regarding 5 things:

The prophet (SAW) has mentioned in a Hadith that we will be questioned about 5 things on the Day of Judgement:

“The son of Adam will not pass away until he is asked about five things; how he lived his life, how he utilised his youth, with what means did he earn his wealth, how he spent his wealth and what did he do with his knowledge”

(Tirmidhi)

May the Almighty grant us the ability to take account of our own deeds before the reckoning of the Hereafter arrives. Ameen..

Signs of the Day of Judgement

The Day of Judgement known as Yawm al Qiyaamah, will be the end of this universe. It will be the day when everything comes to its end. So the question arises in everyone’s mind is ‘when will this day occur’ and ‘what will happen on this day?’

No one but A—h knows when it WILL occur, but the important thing for us as Muslims is that we are prepared for it and that our deeds are good enough to be presented to our Creator.

DON’T LET THAT DAY BE THE FIRST DAY THAT YOU FIND OUT WHAT LIFE REALLY MEANS..

In Sahih al-Bukhari, there is a Hadith which states that a Bedouin asked the Prophet about the Hour. He said, "It will surely come to pass. What have you prepared for it?"

The man said, "O Messenger of Allah, I have not prepared much in the way of prayer and good works, but I love Allah and His Messenger."

The Prophet said, "You will be with those you love." The Muslims had never rejoiced as much they did when they heard this Hadith.

 

In the Quran, A—h has mentioned:

“Indeed A—h ALONE has the knowledge of the hour”. (31:34)

We may not know when it will occur but we have been taught a few signs which remind us of the coming day.

In Hadith Jibraeel (AS), Jibraeel (AS) meets Prophet (SAW) and explains various aspects of Deen and what it consists of.

He explains (regarding the Day of Judgement) that despite not knowing when it will occur, there are a few signs that have been explained to us.

Minor signs:

Disappearance of knowledge and the prevalence of ignorance. (Bukhari, Muslim, Ibn Majah, Ahmad)

Adultery will be widespread. (Bukhari and Muslim)

Women will outnumber men. (Bukhari, Muslim and Ahmad)

Killing will be abundant. (Bukhari, Muslim, Ibn Majah and Ahmad)

Singing, musical instruments and dancing will become popular. (Tirmidhi)

When trust becomes a means of making a profit. (Tirmidhi, al Haythami)

Paying Zakaat will become a burden and miserliness will becomes widespread; charity is given reluctantly. (Tirmidhi, al Haythami)

Gains will be shared out amongst the rich with no consideration for the poor. (Tirmidhi)

Episodes of sudden death become widespread. (Ahmad)

Voices will be raised in the Masjid. (Tirmidhi)

Leaders of people will be oppressors.  (al Haythami)

People will treat a man with respect out of fear that he might do something evil. (Tirmidhi)

People will claim to follow the Quran but will reject Hadith and Sunnah. (Abu Dawood)

Time will pass rapidly. (Bukhari, Muslim and Ahmad)

Women despite being dressed will seem naked. (Muslim)

A man obeys his wife and disrespects his mother; treating his friend kindly whilst shunning his father. (Tirmidhi)

Men will begin to wear silk. (Tirmidhi)

As mentioned above, these signs are derived from Ahadith; words spoken by the Prophet (SAW) 1400 years ago. Think about how many of these we see occurring today!! These signs are a warning to us..yet we still don’t realise. Are we making a difference in our lives by heeding the warning within? Or are we just carrying on with our lives.

Another thing we should consider is, are we doing any of the above mentioned?

Next time we carry out such an act, think, it is not just a sin, it’s a sign of Qiyaamah!!

A—h has mentioned in the Quran:

“Closer and closer mankind comes to their Reckoning, yet they heed not and turn away”.

(21:1)

Major signs:

Major signs will occur once the minor ones have occurred. Although they have not been mentioned in any particular order, it is important to remember that Prophet (SAW) said that these last, major signs will follow each other like pearls falling off from a necklace. (Tirmidhi)

  

The major signs:

Dajaal

The Mahdi

The appearance of Isa (AS)

Yajuj and Majuj

The destruction of the Kabah and the recovery of its treasure

The smoke

Three major landslides (one in the East, one in the West, and one in the Arabian Peninsula)

The rising of the sun from the West

The fire, driving the people to their final resting place

The Quran being lifted from books and the hearts

The wind which seizes the souls of the Believers and spares the unbelievers

The three blasts of the trumpet (fear/terror, death and destruction)