Value of Duaa

The Prophet Muhammad (Salla-Allahu ‘Alayhi wa Sallam) said:

“Du`a (supplication) is worship.”

Abu Dawud.
...
Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta ‘ala) says:

7:55

Call upon your Lord in humility and privately; indeed, He does not like transgressors.

Urdu

(لوگو) اپنے پروردگار سے عاجزی سے اور چپکے چپکے دعائیں مانگا کرو۔ وہ حد سے بڑھنے والوں کو دوست نہیں رکھتا

Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta ‘ala) says:

“And when My slaves ask you (O Muhammad Salla-Allahu ‘Alayhi wa Sallam) concerning Me, then (answer them), I am indeed near to them . I respond to the invocations of the supplicant when he calls on Me .” So let them obey Me and believe in Me, so that they may be led aright.

2:186

Urdu

اور (اے پیغمبر) جب تم سے میرے بندے میرے بارے میں دریافت کریں تو (کہہ دو کہ) میں تو (تمہارے) پاس ہوں جب کوئی پکارنے والا مجھے پکارتا ہے تو میں اس کی دعا قبول کرتا ہوں تو ان کو چاہیئے کہ میرے حکموں کو مانیں اور مجھ پر ایمان لائیں تاکہ نیک رستہ پائیں

وَاذْكُر رَّبَّكَ فِي نَفْسِكَ تَضَرُّعًا وَخِيفَةً وَدُونَ الْجَهْرِ مِنَ الْقَوْلِ بِالْغُدُوِّ وَالْآصَالِ وَلَا تَكُن مِّنَ الْغَافِلِينَ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ عِندَ رَبِّكَ لَا يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ عَنْ عِبَادَتِهِ وَيُسَبِّحُونَهُ وَلَهُ يَسْجُدُونَ ۩

7:205-206

And remember your Lord within yourself in humility and in fear without being apparent in speech - in the mornings and the evenings. And do not be among the heedless.Indeed, those who are near your Lord are not prevented by arrogance from His worship, and they exalt Him, and to Him they prostrate.

Urdu

اور اپنے پروردگار کو دل ہی دل میں عاجزی اور خوف سے اور پست آواز سے صبح وشام یاد کرتے رہو اور (دیکھنا) غافل نہ ہونا جو لوگ تمہارے پروردگار کے پاس ہیں وہ اس کی عبادت سے گردن کشی نہیں کرتے اور اس پاک ذات کو یاد کرتے اور اس کے آگے سجدے کرتے رہتے ہیں 

Importance of Parents in Islam

Abdullah ibn Umar, a leading scholar among the Prophet’s (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) companions once saw a man from Yemen carrying his mother on his back and going around the Kaaba in his tawaf. Rather than show any sign of complaint, the man was happy, repeating a line of poetry in which he likened himself to a camel his mother was mounting. The only difference is that a camel may be scared by something and go out of control. He would never go out of her control.

 

He looked at Abdullah ibn Umar and asked him whether by so doing he discharged his debt to his mother. Ibn Umar said: “No. You have not even paid back one twinge of her labour pain when she gave birth to you.”

 

Abdullah Bin Umar RadhiAllahu ‘anhu narrates that, I asked the Prophet Sallallahu alaihi wasallam, “Which deed is the dearest to Allah?” He replied, “To offer the prayers at their fixed times.” I asked, “What is next?” He replied, “To be good and dutiful to your parents.” I again asked, “What is the next?” He replied, “To strive in the path of Allah.” [Bukhari]

 

Rasulallah Sallallahu alaihi wasallam was asked about the major sins, Rasulallah Sallallahu alaihi wasallam said, they are:-

“To join others in worship with Allah, (to commit shirk)
To be undutiful to one’s parents, (disobedience to parents)
To kill a person un justly (Muslim or Non-Muslim which Allah has forbidden to kill)
And to give a false witness.” [Bukhari]

 

Once while the Sahabah RadhiAllahu ‘anhum were with the Prophet Sallallahu alaihi wasallam, a man from the Banu Salmah came to Him and said:

“Oh Allah’s Messenger Sallallahu alaihi wasallam, is there any kindness left that I can do to my parents after their death?” Rasulullah Sallallahu alaihi wasallam replied: “Yes, you can invoke blessings on them, ask forgiveness for them, carry out their final instructions after their death, join ties of relationship which are dependent on them, and honour their friends.” [Abu Dawood]

Haywah bin Shurih used to sit teaching the people, his mother would sometimes say to him: “O Haywah! Feed the chickens some barley,” he would leave the audience, obey his mother, and then resume the lecture.

 

Mujahid said: “If the parents grow old and end up urinating and answering the call of nature on themselves, do not feel disgusted or say ‘Uff’ to them. Rather, remove the urine and feces from them, just as they used to do when you were young without feeling disgust in doing that for you.”

 

Ibn al-Jawzi reported that al-Hasan said: “It is better for you to eat dinner with your mother, so that her heart is comforted, than to perform a voluntary Hajj.” [Abdul Malik al-Qasim – Kindness to Parents]

Alcohol Prohabitid in Islam

   

Rasul Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said: “Allah has cursed wine, and whoever drinks it, whoever pours it, whoever sells it, whoever buys it, whoever presses (distils) it for another, whoever presses it for himself, whoever carries (transports) it, whoever accepts its delivery, or whoever eats (benefits from) its price (sale).”

 

 [Abu Dawud, Al-Hakim]

It is important to note that it isn’t just the drinking of alcohol that is haram. Allah (subhana wa ta’ala), in His Infinite Wisdom, cuts off evil at its roots. Hence all those have been warned of destruction who play any role in the spread of this social evil:
...
1. The drinker of alcohol.
2. The one who pours it out for another to drink.
3. The one who sells it.
4. The one who purchases it, regardless of who it is for.
5. The one who is involved in its production.
6. The one who is involved in the transportation of alcoholic beverages.
7. The one who receives the delivery of it.
8. The one who benefits financially from the sale of alcohol.

The punishment for drinking alcohol in the time of the Messenger of Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) was 40 lashes. Other ahadith make it clear that all intoxicants are forbidden, it is not only alcohol that is haraam. Furthermore, whatever intoxicates in a large amount, is forbidden to be consumed in the smallest amount as well.
 

Hadith: A place in Paradise .....

Allah's Apostle (sallallähu alaihi wasallam) said, "A place in Paradise equal to the size of a lash is better than the whole world and whatever is in it."

[Bukhari Book:54 No:473] 

Hadith: Bakebiting

Hazrat Anas (May Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah [SAWW](PBUH) said, "During the Miraj (the Night of Ascension), I saw a group of people who were scratching their chests and faces with their copper nails. I asked, `Who are these people, O Jibril?' Jibril replied: `These are the people who ate flesh of others (by backbiting) and trampled people's honour.''
[Abu Dawud Hadith # 4878].
 

Lesson : as mentioned above in Surah Al-Hajj Ayat 21."And for them are hooked rods of iron (to punish them)" "These are the people who ate flesh of others'' is a metaphor for backbiting. "To trample people's honour'' is akin to harming their goodwill and honour. The punishment for these things mentioned in Hadith makes their seriousness obvious.

Common mistakes in salah that needs to be avoided

 

The Prophet (SAW) used to pause after each verse of this surah. (Abu

 Dawood)  

 Mistake 2 : Sticking  the  arms  to  the  sides  of  the body, in rukoo'

 or sujood, and sticking the belly to the thighs in sujood.  

 The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: "Let not one of you support himself on

 his forearms (in sujood) like the dog. 

 Let him rest on his palms and keep his elbows away from his body."

 (Sahih Muslim)  

 The Messenger of Allah (SAW) used to keep his arms away from his body

 during rukoo' and sujood that the whiteness of his armpits could be seen

 (Sahih Muslim).  

 Mistake 3 : Gazing upward during prayer.  

 This may cause loss of concentration. We are commanded to lower our gaze,

 and look at the point at which the head rests during sujood.  

 The Prophet (SAW) warned: "Let those who raise their gaze up during prayer

 stop doing so, or else their sights would not return to them. [i.e. lose

 their eyesight]." (Muslim)  

 Mistake 4 : Resting only the tip of the head on the floor during sujood.

 

 The Prophet (SAW) said:  "I am commanded to prostrate on seven bones the

 forehead and the nose, the two hands [palms], the two knees, and the two

 feet." (Sahih Muslim)  

 Applying the above command necessitates resting the forehead and the nose

 on the ground during sujood.  

 Mistake 5 : Hasty  performance  of  prayer  which does not allow repose

 and calmness in rukoo' or sujood.  

 The  Messenger  of  Allah  (SAW)  saw a man who did not complete his

 rukoo' [bowing],  and made a very short sujood [prostration] ; he (SAW)

 said:   "If this  man  dies  while  praying  in  this  manner, he would

 die upholding a religion other than the religion of Muhammad."  

 Abu Hurairah (RA) said:

 "My beloved friend, Muhammad (SAW) forbade me to perform postures of

 prayer copying  the picking of a rooster; (signifying fast performance of

 prayer), moving eyes around like a fox and the sitting like monkeys ( i.e.

 to sit on thighs)." (Imam Ahmad & at-Tayalisi)  

 The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said:  " The worst thief is the one who

 steals from his own prayer."   People asked, 'Messenger of Allah! How

 could one steal from his own prayer?' He (SAW) said:   "By not completing

 its rukoo' and sujood." (At Tabarani & al-Hakim).  

 To complete rukoo' is to stay in that posture long enough to recite

 'Subhana    rabbiyal   Adtheem'   three   times,   SLOWLY,   and

 'Subhana rabbiyal-a'ala' three times, SLOWLY, in sujood.  

 He (SAW) also announced:  

 "He who does not complete his rukoo' and sujood, his prayer is void ."

 (Abu Dawood & others)  

 Mistake 6 : Counting tasbeeh with the left hand 

 The Prophet (SAW) used to count tasbeeh on the fingers of his right hand

 after salah. 

 Ibn Qudamah (RA) said:  " The Messenger of Allah (SAW) used his right hand

 for tasbeeh." (Abu Dawood) 

 The above hadeeth indicates clearly that the Prophet (SAW) used only one

 hand for counting tasbeeh.  No Muslim with sound mind would imagine that

 the Prophet (SAW) used his left hand for counting tasbeeh. Aa'ishah (RA)

 said that the Prophet (SAW) used his left hand only for Istinjaa', or

 cleaning himself after responding to the call of nature.  He never used it

 for tasbeeh.  Yasirah (RA) reported:  The Prophet (SAW) commanded women to

 count tasbeeh on their fingers.  

 The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said:  "They (the fingers) will be made to

 speak, and will be questioned (on the Day of Resurrection. )"

 (At-Tirmidhi) 

 The above Hadeeth indicates that it is preferable to count tasbeeh on the

 fingers of the right hand than to do so on masbahah (rosary).  

 Mistake 7 : Crossing in front of a praying person. 

 
The  Messenger of Allah (SAW) warned:  "Were the one who crosses in front of a

 praying person to know the consequences of doing so, he would have waited

 for *forty better than to cross in front of him." (Sahih Bukhari and

 Muslim).  

 *The forty in the tradition may be day's months or even years. Allah knows

 best.