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Inspirations from Hijrah
Author : Dr. Ahmad Al-Hassnat
Date Added : 16-09-2018

 

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of The Worlds, and may His peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions.

 

Another lunar year has passed with all its ups and downs and a new one is about to begin, and this is Allah`s Way in this universe. He, The Almighty, Said (What means): "Such days (of varying fortunes) We give to men and men by turns…" [Al-Imran/140].

Whenever Muslims begin a new year, they remember the journey that the Prophet (PBUH) had undertaken and introduced Muslims into the history of humanity. It is his blessed migration or journey from Mecca to Yathrib, later renamed by him to Medina, that took its light from his (PBUH) and from there the ray of the light of guidance illuminated the whole universe which was living in sheer darkness.

It is true that Yathrib was living in darkness, but once the Prophet (PBUH) arrived, it over shined. To the people of that city, his face was more beautiful than a full moon in a dark night, so they sang the welcoming song "Tala Al Badru Alyna".  The light of Islam has emerged with his arrival and will continue to spread by the blessings of Allah, The Almighty, Who Said (What means): "Their intention is to extinguish God’s Light (by blowing) with their mouths: But God will complete (the revelation of) His Light, even though the Unbelievers may detest (it)." [As-Saf/8].

 

Hijrah was a turning point in the history of Islamic Dawa (Calling/Inviting people to Islam) and the Arab Nation. Not only that, it was also a turning point in the history of all humankind that was experiencing darkness, persecution, classism, in addition to moral and financial corruption. Humanity was looking for a way out of this dilemma. When Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) arrived, he freed people from slavery. They have become slaves only to their creator. They started working and became more productive. They moved from illiteracy to literacy. His achievements during the few years that he had spent in Medina were outweighed thousands of years in the lives of other nations. In those years, Islam was put to the test; it proved that religion isn`t about words or slogans. Rather, it is about reviving humanity and building the universe. 

 

This Hijrah led to the establishment of an Islamic state whose accomplishments gained the respect of other nations; even enemies. One enemy once said: "History hasn`t experienced a conqueror who is more merciful than the Muslim Arabs." Muslims are the holders of a Universal Message; a message of love and mercy to all humanity; as reflected in the following verse, whereas it states (What means): "We sent thee not, but as a Mercy for all creatures." [Al-Anbiya/107].

 

Our mentor and role model is Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) who had never avenged himself on anyone. Since he cared for all his people. He prayed that Allah guides and forgives them. Upon his return to Mecca, he said, indicating how valuable homeland is: "You are the closest land to my heart. Hadn`t your people driven me out, I wouldn`t have left." During his stay in Medina, he kept longing to Mecca. He kept imagining its hills and mountains. He remained in this state until Allah, The Exalted, blessed him with conquering it.

 

Despite being persecuted along with his companions at the hands of the disbelievers of Mecca, despite being fought in Badr and Uhud and despite them (disbelievers) having broken their vows and covenants, Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) forgave them, because he was a conqueror of hearts; not fortresses, minds; not bodies. He proved to be the Messenger of love and mercy. He said to them "You are free to go."

Given the different tragedies that our world is witnessing, we are in dire need to apply the teachings of our role model Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) for it is only through love and mercy that we can open hearts and minds.

 

Nowadays, the Muslim nation is experiencing moments of weakness similar to those, which the Prophet (PBUH) and his companions had in Mecca. However, this didn`t break them; despair couldn`t infiltrate into their hearts or souls, because they had trust in Allah. They had deep conviction that after hardship comes ease. In fact, exercising patience during trial is an act of worship for which a Muslim is rewarded. Also, doing one`s best to facilitate for that ease to come is, in itself, an act of worship. Abu Hurairah (May Allah Be Pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: "If anyone relieves a Muslim believer from one of the hardships of this worldly life, Allah will relieve him of one of the hardships of the Day of Resurrection….." [Moslim].

A true believer is one who combines action with hope, and never gives up on God`s mercy. Allah, The Almighty, Said (What means): "God has promised, to those among you who believe and work righteous deeds, that He will, of a surety, grant them in the land, inheritance (of power), as He granted it to those before them; that He will establish in authority their religion - the one which He has chosen for them; and that He will change (their state), after the fear in which they (lived), to one of security and peace: ’They will worship Me (alone) and not associate aught with Me. ’If any do reject Faith after this, they are rebellious and wicked." [An-Nur/55].

 

Allah and His apostle have spoken the truth; yes, we have to do our best and hope that Allah blesses us with success. Undoubtedly, Allah will never fail a nation whose Messenger is Prophet Mohammad (PBUH). We pray that the Prophet (PBUH) intercedes for us with Allah, the Almighty, at the Day of Judgment. We pray that He, the Exalted, spares us all afflictions and showers us with peace and stability, and makes us amongst those who will join the Prophet (PBUH) on the Day of Resurrection. And all perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of The Worlds.

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

What do you say about someone who stays up all night on Laylat al-Qadr but misses Fajr prayer?

Such a person has deprived themselves of a great reward. Performing obligatory acts is more beloved to Allah than voluntary acts. Fajr prayer is an obligation, and performing it in congregation is equivalent to worshiping for the entire night. So how can someone neglect it while striving for voluntary prayers?!

What is the ruling on performing the night prayer (*qiyām al-layl*) between the first and second adhān of Fajr? And which is better: delaying the prayer until shortly before the Fajr adhān, or performing it earlier than that?

 

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
The time for night prayer (qiyām al-layl) begins after the Maghrib prayer and lasts until the second adhān of Fajr. The best time for it is the last third of the night, and best of all are the fourth and fifth sixths of the night. If the night is divided into two halves, the latter half is better.
Whoever intends to pray at night is encouraged to delay the Witr until he has prayed the night prayer. If he knows that he will not wake up, it is better for him to pray and perform Witr before sleeping, so that he does not miss both the night prayer and the Witr.
It is stated in Mughnī al-Muḥtāj (Vpl.1/p.462): “I say: The voluntary prayer of the night, that is, the absolute voluntary prayer (al-nafl al-muṭlaq), is better than the absolute voluntary prayer of the day, because of the report in Muslim: ‘The best prayer after the obligatory prayer is the night prayer.’ In another narration of his: ‘In the night there is an hour that no Muslim man meets while asking Allah for any good of this world and the next except that He gives it to him, and that is every night.’ It is also because the night is a time of heedlessness. I restricted the voluntary prayer to the absolute kind following the commentator, although what the ḥadīth and the underlying meaning require is that the night rawātib be preferred over the day rawātib, since the jurists preferred the two rakʿahs of Fajr over everything except Witr. The middle of the night is better than its two ends if it is divided into thirds, because heedlessness is greatest then and worship is hardest. If he wishes to pray during some third, the best is the fourth and fifth sixths, based on the ḥadīth in the two Ṣaḥīḥs: ‘The most beloved prayer to Allah the Exalted is the prayer of Dāwūd: he would sleep half the night, stand for a third of it, and sleep for a sixth.’ Then the latter part is better than the first if he divides it into two halves, because of the saying of Allah the Exalted: ‘And in the hours before dawn they would ask forgiveness’ [al-Dhāriyāt: 18], and the report of the two Shaykhs: ‘Our Lord, Blessed and Exalted, descends,’ meaning His command descends, ‘to the lowest heaven when the last third of the night remains, and says: Who calls upon Me, that I may answer him? Who asks of Me, that I may give him? Who seeks My forgiveness, that I may forgive him?’”
It is also stated in ʿUmdat al-Sālik (p. 60): “It is better to perform it [the Witr] immediately after the sunnah of ʿIshāʾ, unless he has tahajjud, in which case it is better to delay it so that he performs Witr after it. If he performs Witr and then wishes to pray tahajjud, he prays two rakʿahs at a time and does not repeat the Witr, nor does he need to cancel it with a single rakʿah before the tahajjud. It is recommended that he not deliberately pray after it.”
Qiyām al-layl is a term applied to any prayer performed at night. Tahajjud, on the other hand, refers to the night prayer that follows sleep, whether it is prayed after Maghrib or after ʿIshāʾ, or the prayer performed after ʿIshāʾ without sleep. On this basis, the Witr is also called tahajjud, since it is only prayed after ʿIshāʾ.
It is stated in al-Majmūʿ (Vol.4/p.84): “The sound position, as stated in al-Umm and al-Mukhtaṣar, is that the Witr is called tahajjud.”
It is stated in Nihāyat al-Zayn (Vol.1/p.114): “Among the absolute voluntary prayers is qiyām al-layl. If it is performed after sleep, even during the time of Maghrib and after having prayed ʿIshāʾ early (taqdīman), it is called tahajjud.”
And it is stated in Ḥāshiyat al-Bujayrimī ʿalā al-Khaṭīb (Vol.1/p.418): “His statement: ‘(the night prayer)’: the genitive construction (iḍāfah) carries the sense of fī, meaning a prayer in the night. His statement: ‘(it would be more fitting)’: the reason it is more fitting is that the night prayer includes both tahajjud and other prayers.” And Allah Almighty knows best.

"I told my family at night: 'I will fast tomorrow as qaḍā' (a make-up fast),' but I forgot to make the intention before sleeping. Is my fast valid?"

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
 
The intention is obligatory in acts of worship. For obligatory fasting, the required intention is to resolve to fast during the night [before dawn]. Its proper locus is the heart, while verbalizing the intention out loud in acts of worship is a sunnah — so that the tongue may align with the heart. If the intent behind the statement in question was the intention to fast, then it is valid; but if the intent was merely to inform someone, or reflected hesitation or doubt, then it is not valid.
 
It is stated in *Bushrā al-Karīm* (Vol.1/P.216): "It is a sunnah to verbalize the intention — that is, whatever has already been intended in the heart, whether an obligatory or a voluntary act — such as specifying the number of rak‘ahs, just before the opening takbīr — so that the tongue may assist the heart, and because this is further removed from whispered doubts (waswasah), and in order to accommodate the view of those who held it obligatory in every act of worship that requires an intention (even though this is a minority position), by analogy with Ḥajj."
 
Accordingly: if the intention to fast arose in your heart before the second adhān [i.e., before Fajr], then your fast is valid.
 
And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

Is it permissible for the guardian to give Sadaqa (voluntary charity) from the money of the orphans?

It is impermissible for the guardian to donate from the money of the orphans because he is entrusted with the safekeeping of that money, and is prohibited from donating it.

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