Vol. 2 1, Safar ul Muzaffar 
1417 June, 1996 No. 2
One of the factors of the deterioration of the Ummah is that we have become ignorant of the very fundamentals of our beautiful Deen. We must have a rock like foundation of a full understanding of our Basic Beliefs and of The Basic practices of Islam, to be able to build a strong well integrated nation. Since individuals make up a nation, each one of us should be able to deeply feel and understand one’s responsibility towards our Lord and Master The Most Exalted Allah 
. As Mentioned in the Holy Quran, Each One Of Us Must Make A Serious Endeavor To Save Oneself From The Fire Of Hell First instead of worrying and frittering about the condition of another, let alone the whole Ummah. Reformation {Islah} therefore, according to the Holy Quran, must start and be accomplished at the individual level. It is perfectly a righteous deed to invite others enthusiastically to do their own Islah {reformation}. Believe it our dear readers, if each one of us understood this well and put it into practice, over a brief period of time, the whole Ummah will be reformed Inshaallah Ta’la.
In our previous issue we recognized that our Salah is indeed the greatest of all gifts that our Most Generous Lord, The Most Glorified Allah, has bestowed upon us. The Most Beloved of Allah, Prophet Muhammad 
said: two Raka’ah of Salah are more than all that is contained in the Heaven and Earth {probably meaning the rewards in the Hereafter for two Raka’ah will be more than every thing contained in This temporal World. Allaah and His Beloved know best}. Salah is our Miraj {Ascension} in the presence of our Lord, an opportunity given us 5 times each day. Anyone of us who does not avail this opportunity, has no concept of what that person is missing and depriving him/herself of. And the person who understands, also realizes that there can be nothing in this world – nothing worth having that can replace the bounties in both worlds, of Salat.
Our dear readers, not praying five times a day and even neglecting our Salah {meaning delaying them to the end of their prescribed time} is a Major Sin.
Surah 19 {Maryam} versus 59-60 translation: Then there succeeded them a generation which neglected prayers and followed lust. They will meet with destruction, excepting the one who repents and believes and acts righteously.
Ibn ‘Abbas 
explained that neglected here does not mean that they completely abandoned prayers, but that they delayed them to the end of their prescribed times. Sa’id bin Musayyab, a great Imam following the generation of
the Companions, elaborated on this, saying: “A person neglects prayers if he delays the noon prayer up to afternoon prayer time, afternoon prayer up to almost sunset prayer time, sunset prayer up to evening prayer time, and evening prayer up to morning prayer time, while delaying morning prayer until just before sunrise. If anyone dies without repentance while continuing in this manner, Allah has promised Ghayy for him, and that is a valley in Hell which is very deep and has foul food.”
More in our next issue when you will learn that not performing 5 Salah daily on time, takes us out of the fold of Islam.
VIRTUES OF THE MONTH Safar Ul Muzaffar
This month is the month of descent of misfortunes. In a year one Million and Eighty Thousand misfortunes descend, out of which Nine Hundred and Twenty Thousand, descend in the month of Safar. It is therefore mentioned in a Hadith by the Beloved of Allaah, Muhammad that anyone who gives me the good news that he survived Safar, I will give him the good news of that person’s entering Paradise.
Hadrat Adam’s 
mistake occurred in this month. Hadrat Ibraheem was put into the fire on the 1st of Safar. Hadrat Ayyub got involved in his misfortune in this month. Hadrat Yahya , Hadrat Idrees , Hadrat Yunus and Hadrat Muhammad, the Beloved of Allaah were all involved in misfortunes in this month. Hadrat Habeel {Able, son of Adam } was martyred in this month.
It is essential for all Muslims to perform, on the first night of Safar, 4 Raka’h {Nafl Salah} after Salatul Isha in a manner that in the first Raka’ah after Surah Al Fatihah is recited Surah Al kafiroon 15 times and in the 2nd Raka’h
{after Surah Al Fatihah} is recited Surah Al Ikhlas 15 times and in the 3rd Raka’h
{after Surah Al Fatihah} is recited Surah Al Falaq 15 times and in the 4th Raka’h
{after Surah Al Fatihah} is recited Surah An Naas 15 times. After Salaam recite 
and recite Salatunnabi 70 times. Allaah will protect him from all misfortunes and difficulties and bestow great Thawab {Reward} upon them. {Raahatul Quloob}
VIRTUES OF UNITY {continued}
So far it has been determined that to struggle to unite by holding fast to the Rope of Allaah {Quran and Sunnah} is a command of Almighty Allah Dhul Jalahu Wal Ikram for all of us and love and correct identity are essential ingredients to achieve and then maintain the unity. It was also established that to purify the heart of all malicious and negative qualities is a pre-requisite to receive the gift of lasting love for each other. An attempt was made to describe our True identity which simply is “Muslims first, Muslims all and Muslims in the end.” Period!
In this issue with the help of the Most Merciful, we shall see what are the false identities we have assumed and the incredible damage this has done to us individually and collectively in this world as well as in the Hereafter.
1. False Identity Number One. To identify oneself through geographic nationality: To think and call ourselves Arabs, Egyptians, Syrians, Pakistanis, Indians, Americans, Chinese, Turkish, Afro Asians, Bilalians etc. etc. Your personal experience will tell you that most problems in our Masjids here in the U.S. stem from this identity. Many Masjids are actually built around such identities. It is quite obvious the kind of impediments this phenomenon has erected that obstruct unity. There are 2 sub divisions under this category:
- A} Divisions and separations around language.
- B} Divisions and separations around culture of the country.
Let us look at recent as well as past history. Muslims with such false identities have actually waged bloody wars against each other and the number of those slaughtered reached millions. Muslim men with such identities have raped Muslim women and mercilessly killed women and children and burnt down dwellings.
A strong Muslim identity established over years, would simply not allow one Muslim to pick up a gun and shoot another Muslim. It becomes possible only when one thinks “I am an Iraqi and he is a Kuwaiti or an Irani or a Palestinian etc. etc.” In recent history of Pakistan, further divisions of false identities into Muhajirs {immigrants} Punjabis, Sindhis, Baluchis and Pathans {all provinces of the same country} led to blood baths of unbelievable proportions, against each other.
- False Identity Number Two: To identify oneself through sectarian affiliations. Such as Hanifi, Shafai, Maaliki, Hambali, Barelevi, Deobandi, Sufi, etc. and actually create “isms” like Sufism, etc. We must remember that the instant we call ourselves by any description other than a Muslim, walls and boundaries come up and destroy our unity. Evidence abounds with the consequences we have seen in the past and see during our own life time, of such identities. They have wreaked havoc with unity, created hatred, attacks on each other’s groups, physical, verbal as well as through writings. Followers of one group have refused to pray behind imams of other groups. While it is perfectly all right and legitimate to follow one Madhab or the other, one Silsilah {chain} or the other etc. etc. yet to give oneself an identity other than that of a “Muslim” and look down upon others is certainly destructive.
Our dear readers when we die our questioning Angels {Munkir and Nakeer} of Allaah The Almighty, ask us in our graves “Who is your Lord? What is your deen? Who is this man? {showing the Beloved face of Rasoolallah }.We are not asked about our geographical nationality, nor which Madhab we followed nor what language we spoke, nor about the color of our skin. On the terrible Day of Judgment, none of the above identities will matter the least. Our record will be looked at and the accounting done to evaluate how good we were as MUSLIMS. NOTHING ELSE. To pre occupy ourselves in the little time we have on this earth, in anything else than to struggle to become True Believers and work towards Unifying the Ummah around the Rope of Allaah is a colossal mistake. The only sensible occupation would be to get to know what our accountability will be on the Day of Judgment, what criteria would be used by Almighty Allah, to judge us, which identity will please our Lord and then spend time on earth trying to meet those criteria. May Allaah bless us with the wisdom to recognize two things:-
- 1} It is through an identity that we function. The way we think, the way we speak {not language} and the way we act mostly depends upon who we believe we are. When we identify ourselves as “Muslims” and only as “Muslims”, we then shall think, speak, and act like Muslims.
- 2} It is perfectly legitimate and within the bounds of the Shariah to follow any Madhab out of the four, to follow a particular Shaikh and his teachings {provided he is a rightly guided Shaikh} and to follow a Wali of Allah and a chain of well known Shaikhs. However it is essential to recognize that the words, ISLAM, MUSLIM, and MUMIN {true believers} and SUNNAH are absolutely and completely comprehensive and include every Madhab, Teachings of all rightly guided Mashaikh and teachings of all Awlia of Allaah , because these are the words used by Allah Ta’la Himself and His Beloved Prophet Muhammad . No other word, no other description, no other nomenclature, no “ism” is either necessary or will add to the comprehension of the Deen given to us by our Lord and Master Allaah , perfected by Him, accepted by Him and shown to us in such a magnificent manner by His Beloved . To deviate, is fraught with danger as our history shows us, conclusively.
Inshaallah in the next issue, we shall cover the significance of obedience, in pursuit of unity.
VIRTUES of SALAT AZ ZAWAL 
Nafl —— 4 Raka’ahs
Hadrat ‘Abdullah Bin Assaib narrates that the Beloved of Allaah Hadrat Muhammad used to perform, after the declining of the Sun from zenith and before the Zuhr Salah, 4 Raka’h and the Beloved of Allaah has mentioned about this that it is a brief period during which the doors of the heavens are open and I prefer {like} that my good deeds are lifted up during this period. Related to this matter are narrations also from Hadrat Ali Karamallah Wajh and Hadrat Abu Ayyub Ansari . The hadith of Hadrat Abdullah Bin Asaaib is considered Hasan and Ghareeb. Therefore there is narration that the Beloved of Allah Hadrat Muhammad , used to perform after declining of the Sun, 4 Raka’ah and used to do salaam in the last Raka’h. {Tirmidhi}
Hadrat Umar narrates that the Beloved of Allah Muhammad said that before Salatuz Zuhr and after the declining of the sun there are 4 Raka’ah which are considered equal to Salatul Tahajjud in accounting and there is nothing at that time which does not do Tasbeeh of Allaah Ta’alaa {Subhanallah}. Then he recited the following Ayah:
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{Tirmidhi, Baihaqi, Mishkat Shareef, Sh’ubul Imaan, Tarteeb Shareef Pg. 315}
VIRTUES of RECITING THE HOLY QURAAN Virtues of Surah Al Ikhlas
Hadrat Saeed Bin Musaib Mursalan narrates that the Beloved of Allah, Hadrat Muhammad said: For the person who recites Surah Al Ikhlas ten times there is a palace in Paradise and for a person who recites it 30 times, 3 palaces are made for him in Paradise. {on hearing this Hadrat ‘Umar Bin Khattab said “By Allah Tabarak Wa Ta’ala ‘Azzujal Dhul Jalah wal Ikram, in this manner O Rasoolallah would make for ourselves, many palaces in Paradise.”
The Beloved of Allah Hadrat Muhammad said: “Allaah Tabarak Wa Ta’la ‘Azzujal Dhul Jalah wal Ikram is much Greater than that” meaning His Graciousness is very Generous and Great. {Daarami, Mishkat Shareef, Tarteeb Shareef Pg. 261}
Hadrat Anas narrates that the Beloved of Allaah Hadrat Muhammad said: “The person who recites Surah Al Ikhlas 200 times, 50 years of sins are removed from him, but the sin of a debt will not be forgiven. {Tirmidhi, Daarami}
There is another narration in which the word is 50 times instead of 200 times and in that narration there is no mention of debt.{Rumi, Tirmidhi, Mishkat Shareef, Tarteeb Shareef Pg. 261}
Hadrat Abu Hurairah narrates that the Beloved of Allaah Hadrat Muhammad heard a person recite Surah Al Ikhlas and said: “It has become Wajib.” I humbly asked “what has become Wajib?” He replied ” For this person Paradise {Jannah}has become Wajib.” {Maaliki, Tirmidhi, Nisaai, Mishkat Shareef, Tarteeb Shareef Pg. 261}
Hadrat Abu Darda , narrates that the Beloved of Allah Hadrat Muhammad said: “Is it not possible for any one of you to recite one third of the Holy Quran during the night?” Sahabah Kiram {Holy Companions} Ridwanallah ‘Alaihim Ajma’een humbly said: “O the Beloved of Allaah how is it possible to recite one third of The Holy Quran {during the night}?” The Rasoolallah said: “The whole Surah Al Ikhlas is equal to one third of The Holy Quran.” { Bukhari, Muslim, Mishkat Shareef, Tarteeb Shareef Pg. 261}
VIRTUES of SUNNAH {Continued}
Sunnah and Adab {etiquettes} of Islamic Greetings {continued}
Thirty Four Sunnahs and Adab of Salaam {continued}
5. The one who greets with Salaam, on him are bestowed 90 Graces and on the one who responds are bestowed 10 graces {Keemia Sa’adah}
6. Salaam should be said loud enough for the one it is meant can hear it.
7. To respond to Salaam immediately is wajib. If the response is delayed, for no reason it becomes a sin. The sin is not forgiven by responding to the Salam. One will have to do Taubah {repent and seek Allah Ta’ala’s forgiveness}.{Durrul Mukhtaar}
8. The response loud enough so that the one who greeted can hear it, is waajib.
To respond in your heart is not enough.
9. Do not say Salaam to a non Muslim. If he says Salaam, to respond with
Salaam is not waajib. It is enough just to say wa’alaikum.
10. To say Salaam with the sign of fingers is Jewish custom and with the palm of
the hand is that of Christians. {Tirmidhi}
11. If the response to Salaam is done by words and the tongue and
simultaneously a sign is made with the hand or the head there is no harm in it.
{To be continued Inshaallah.}
VIRTUES OF EVERY DAY DUAS {Supplication}
When you are angry
Hadrat Sulaiman Bin Sard narrates that we were in the esteemed presence of the Beloved of Allaah Hadrat Muhammad when two persons used obscenities. One of them was full of anger and using abusive words and his face was red. The Beloved of Allaah Hadrat Muhammad said {to him}: I know a Kalimah which if said {then} all his anger will subside.
The Kalimah is  |
| Translation {I seek Allaah’s protection from Shaitaan the accursed}. |
The Sahabah Kiraam Ridwanallah Alaihim Ajma’een told that person “Don’t you hear what the Beloved of Allah Hadrat Muhammad is saying?” That person said “I am not a mad man.” {Bukhari and Muslim, Mishkat Shareef, Tarteeb Shareef Pg. 481}
SOME ESSENTIAL ADVICE from . . .
Hadrat Shaikh Abu Anees Muhammad Barkat Ali Quddus Sirru Hul ‘Azeez
- Frequent the gatherings of Elders of the Deen and the Ahludh Dhikr {Those who are steeped in the Dhikr of Allaah } Consider keeping their company dear to yourself and be always intoxicated with the love of the Beloved of Allaah . This MashaAllaah would be for you the beginning of high, lofty and enviable life and the end will also be good.
- Never call yourself lacking. A Muslim never lacks anything. The one who is lacking is the one who is lacking in Thawab {Rewards}.
VIRTUES OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF FIQH AND SHARIAH {continued}
This is a continuation of the extract from the book “Studies in Usul Ul Fiqh” {Studies of Principles of Fiqh} by Brother Iyad Hilal, sub title “Do We Need a New School or Madhab.”
D) Others began taking advantage of the existence of the many schools of thought by shopping around for the most convenient opinion and compiling strange verdicts of each Mujtahid. These people went to each Madhab separating the lawful opinions from the unlawful things of the Madhab. They took the lawful verdicts, leaving the unlawful, until ending up with a new Madhab where everything is lawful and nothing is unlawful. This action is a major deviation from Islam.
- Others claim that having different Madhab is wrong and that we need to
reunify all of the Madhabs and come under one single Madhab, completely free
from sectarianism and firmly based on sound scholarship. This, they claim, would be the prerequisite toward reunification of the Ummah and then after this, would we look toward establishing the Khilafah. The presence of the many Madhaib was not in itself an objective.The objective is to understand the rules in order to execute them. The understanding of the text leads to different opinions, which leads to different Madhabs. Due to reasons listed in section 9.3 (The Reason for Differences of Opinion Among the Mujtahideen), there exists legitimate differences amongst Mujtahideen. Trying to eliminate the possibilities of having more than one understanding goes against the nature of Islam, and the nature of human beings, which Allaah created.
Those calling for this single Madhab are in fact adding a new Madhab to the already existing ones. This is due to the fact that a person might disagree with this new Madhab, for valid reasons, and would finally adhere to his understanding. It should be understood that sovereignty belongs to the Islamic legislative sources, which came from the Wahiy. If everyone keeps this idea in mind and is ready to abandon his own opinion in order to adopt an opinion based on the Daleel, the problems would be eliminated.
If we study the numerous examples during the era of the Sahabah we can find that in the days of Abu Bakr , there were differences among the Sahabah . However, none of them postponed working for the Khalifah until all opinions were melted into one single opinion. Actually they realized that, what was needed more than anything else, even more than the immediate burial of the Prophet , was to elect a Khalifah who would take care of their affairs by implementing all of Islam, thus establishing an environment in which the society would be able to cope with any issue that it is faced with.
Similarly, what is needed presently is this same authority which establishes and implements Islam. However, as long as the Ummah is preoccupied with calls such as working to unite under one new Madhab, which is a call to keep and prolong the rule of Taghoot, the Ummah will continue to be disunited, misdirected, with its problems continuously multiplying. With no mechanism to solve its problem, the Ummah will continue to be manipulated by those who rule over it with the rules of Kufr.
In the next issue Inshaallah, we shall deal with the essence of our topic under this subject which is the essentiality of following {Tagleed} The Quran and Sunnah according to any one of the four Imams and a Mujtahid.
This is the Salaatunnabi (Durood) recited by Hadrat Sayyidinaa UWAIS QARNEE
| Salaatunnabi (Durood) recited by Hadrat Sayyidinaa UWAIS QARNEE |
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| TransliterationAllaahumma Salli ‘alaa Sayyidinaa Muhammadiun Wa Aalihee Wa’itratihee be ‘Adadi Kulli Ma’ loomillaka Astaghfirullaa Halladhi La ilaahaa illaa huwal Hayyul Qayyoomu Wa Atoobu ilaih. Yaa Hayyu Yaa QayyoomTranslation |
Dear Allaah, bestow Your Choicest Blessings upon our Master Muhammad and upon his extended family and his progeny according to the number of all things known to You. I seek the forgiveness of the One but for whom there is no God, The Truly and Perfectly Alive and The Self Sustained and I turn to Him with repentance. O The Truly and Perfectly Alive O The Self SustainedThis is the Salaatunnabi (Durood) recited by Hadrat Sayyidinaa UWAIS QARNEE, and the inherited Durood Shareef of the Honorable chain of Quadariyyah; Mujaddidiyyah; Ghafooriyyah; Raheemiyyah; Kareemiyyah and Ameeriyyah.It is highly recommended that those who seek the love and closeness to the Beloved of Allaah, Hadrat Muhammad make it mandatory upon themselves to recite this Durood Shareef according to their capacity and the time they have available. For instance at least 11 times after each Salaat. It should be recited more frequently after Ishaa, Tahajjud and Fajr. 100,300,500 times or even more. Remember though, once the frequency is fixed, be steadfast upon it!