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The Road to Love
Author : Dr. Hassan Abu_Arqoub
Date Added : 07-12-2021

 

 

All praise is for Allah, The Lord of The Worlds. May His Blessings and Peace be upon our Prophet Mohammad, his household and companions.

Servitude is the relationship between a servant and His Lord; it is based on hearing and obeying, following commands and avoiding prohibitions, as a servant can`t afford to disobey His Master.

A servant should improve his relationship with Allah The Almighty, so after believing in Him, His existence, His being the One and only God worthy of worship, and following His commands and avoiding His prohibitions, a servant is elevated to the rank of love; the love of Allah as well as the love for the sake of Allah. 

Through love, a servant attains perfect faith. Anas (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (Blessings and peace be upon him) said, "No one of you becomes a true believer until he likes for his brother what he likes for himself."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim]. The meaning of this Hadith is that none of you attains perfect faith, so if one desires good for others as he/she desires it for him/herself, he/she is elevated to the rank of perfect faith. This is for the servant to be pure of heart and soul towards others and be a force of good that illuminates the society and inspires its members to be good and loving.

Likewise, the fruit of loving Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) is arriving at perfect faith. Anas reported God’s Messenger as saying: "None of you believes till I am dearer to him than his father, his child, and all mankind." [Agreed upon]. This is because the Prophet (PBUH) is our door to Allah the Almighty. Consequently, there is no faith without believing in him (Prophet Mohammad) nor perfection of faith without loving Him (Blessings and peace be upon him), as he (PBUH) is the criterion of the existence of faith and its perfection.

Through love, a servant gets to taste the sweetness of faith. Anas bin Malik (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:

The Prophet (PBUH) said: "There are three qualities whoever has them, will taste the sweetness of Iman: To love Allah and His Messenger (Blessings and peace be upon him) more than anyone else; to love a slave (of Allah) only for (the sake of) Allah; and to abhor returning to infidelity after Allah has saved him from it as he would abhor to be thrown into the fire (of Hell)." [Agreed upon]. Through love, a believer harvests the sweetness of faith to transcend from the realm of intellectual proofs to the realm of the heart and feelings becoming an emotional state in which a person feels joy and never wants to exit.

The question, here, is how to get to the love of Allah The Almighty?

 

The love of Allah can be reached via reflecting, remembrance, following our master and teacher Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), offering voluntary acts of worship, quitting some qualities and embracing some. This can be summarized in the following:

 

First: Reflecting upon the blessings of Allah shows that He is Generous and, by natural inclination, man`s soul loves the generous. More reflecting would lead to realizing Allah`s greatness in His Creation and souls love the great. Equally, behind each attribute or name of Allah, there is a reason for loving Him.

 

Second: Remembrance of Allah. If you love something, you remember it constantly and Allah remembers those who remember Him. Abu Huraira reported God's Messenger as stating that God says, "I am with my servant when he remembers me and his lips move making mention of me." [Al-Bukhari]. Abu Huraira (May Allah Be Pleased with him): Allah's Messenger (PBUH) said: "Allah Said in the Qudsi Narration (What means): "I am to my slave as he thinks of Me, (i.e. I am able to do for him what he thinks I can do for him)." [Agreed upon].

 

Third: Following our master Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) for he is the door to Allah the Almighty. Allah Says (What means): "Say: "If ye do love God, Follow me: God will love you and forgive you your sins: For God is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful." [Al-Imran/31]. Thus, following Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) is amongst the key indications of loving Allah and attaining that.

 

Fourth: Performing as much Nawafil (Prayers or doing voluntary acts besides what is obligatory) as possible. Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:

Messenger of Allah (Blessings and peace be upon him) said: "Allah The Exalted Says (What means): "I will declare war against him who shows hostility to a pious worshipper of Mine. And the most beloved thing with which My slave comes nearer to Me is what I have enjoined upon him; and My slave keeps on coming closer to Me through performing Nawafil (prayer or doing extra deeds besides what is obligatory) till I love him. When I love him I become his hearing with which he hears, his seeing with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes, and his leg with which he walks; and if he asks (something) from Me, I give him, and if he asks My Protection (refuge), I protect him". [Al-Bukhari]. Thus, performing more Nawafil is a means to attain the love of the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth.

 

Fifth: Abandoning some qualities that Allah dislikes or dislikes those who have them: Transgression. He The Almighty Says (What means): "for God loveth not transgressors." [Al-Baqarah/190]. On Mischief, He The Almighty Says (What means): "But God loveth not mischief." [Al-Baqarah/205]. As well as, on Disbelief, He The Almighty Says (What means): "God loveth not those who reject Faith." [Al-Imran/32]. On Doing wrong, He, The Almighty Says (What means): "but God loveth not those who do wrong." [Al-Imran/57]. He The Almighty Says in transgression (What means): "surely God loves not one who is treacherous and sinful." [An-Nisa`/107]. Besides, He Says on Excessiveness (What means): "He truly does not love those who are excessive." [Al-`Araf/31].  And on Arrogance, He The Almighty, Says (What means): "Indeed He does not love the arrogant." [An-Nahil/23].

 

Sixth: Enjoying some qualities that bring a servant closer to the love of Allah. For example, Repentance. He The Most Exalted Says in this regard (What means): "Truly, God loves those who repent." [Al-Baqarah/222]. As regards God-fearing. He The Almighty Says (What means): "Nay, but whoever fulfils his covenant, and has fear, for truly God loves the God-fearing." [Al-Imran/76]. On Virtuousness, He The Almighty Says (What means): "And spend in the way of God; and cast not your own hands into destruction; but be virtuous; God loves the virtuous." {Al-Baqarah, 195}. On Cleanliness, physically and morally, He The Almighty Says (What means):  "and He loves those who cleanse themselves." [Al-Baqarah/222].  And on Fighting for Allah`s cause in ranks, He The Almighty Says (What means): "Indeed God loves those who fight for His cause in ranks, as if they were a solid structure." [Al-Saff/4]. 

 

In conclusion, drawing closer to Allah can be achieved through following His straight path prescribed in the Quran and the Sunnah. This is in addition to gaining benefits of Godly love and moving from the level of obedience to loving obedience. Consequently, worship becomes his/her delight, desire and destination and, then, we will understand the words of the Prophet: "Declare that the time for prayer has come, Bilal, and give us rest by it." [Abu Dawood].

 

 

 

 

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

What is the ruling on bypassing a nearby mosque for a distant one?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
If a distant mosque has a larger congregation (Jama‘ah) while the congregation in the nearby mosque is smaller, and the congregation in the nearby mosque is not adversely affected by the worshiper's absence, then it is better for him to pray in the distant mosque with the larger congregation. However, if the congregation in the nearby mosque would be affected by his absence—such as if he is its Imam, or if his presence encourages others to attend—then praying in the nearby mosque is better. This ensures that the congregation is established in two different locations within the community. This is based on the saying of the Prophet ﷺ: 'A man's prayer offered with another man is purer than his prayer which he offers alone, and his prayer with two men is purer than his prayer with one and if they are more (in number), it is more beloved to Allah, the Mighty the Majestic' (Narrated by Ahmad, Abu Dawood, and An-Nasa'i). And Allah the Exalted knows best.

The Jurisprudential Significance of the Ḥadīth: "Whoever says, at the conclusion of the Fajr Prayer, while crossing his legs, before speaking..."
"Whoever says, at the conclusion of the Fajr prayer, while crossing his legs, before speaking: 'Lā ilāha illā Allāh, waḥdahu lā sharīka lah, lahu al-mulku wa lahu al-ḥamdu yuḥyī wa yumītu wa huwa ʿalā kulli shayʾin qadīr' ten times — ten good deeds will be recorded for him, ten bad deeds will be erased from him, he will be raised ten levels, he will spend that day in protection from everything disliked and guarded from the devil, and no sin will be able to befall him on that day except associating partners with Allah" — does this noble ḥadīth apply to the imam, and what is meant by "extraneous speech"?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
It is recommended for both the imam and those praying behind him to recite, immediately after the final salām, the specific remembrance reported in the sunnah to be said before turning away from one's place of prayer. The imam then leaves his praying spot, and the act of "turning" is fulfilled when the imam faces the congregation — even without physically leaving his spot — by positioning his right side toward them and his left side toward the qiblah, and this applies even while he is engaged in supplication.
Al-ʿAllāmah Ibn Qāsim al-ʿAbbādī states in his Ḥāshiyah ʿalā al-Tuḥfah (Vol.2/P.105): "It is most virtuous for the imam, once he has given the salām, to rise from his place of prayer immediately afterward." He adds that an exception must be made for the remembrances that are specifically required to be recited before he turns away. He then notes, citing Sharḥ al-ʿUbāb: "Yes, an exception to this rising immediately after the salām applies to the Fajr prayer, due to the authentic report that the Prophet ﷺ, when he prayed Fajr, would remain seated until the sun rose." He further cites, from al-Khādim, the ḥadīth concerning one who recites, at the conclusion of the Fajr prayer while still in the position of crossing his leg to rise: "Lā ilāha illā Allāh, waḥdahu lā sharīka lah..." and the rest of the well-known ḥadīth. He comments that this makes explicit that this particular remembrance is to be recited before the worshipper turns his legs to leave, and the same applies to Maghrib and ʿAṣr, as reported in those contexts as well.
What is meant by "speech" in the relevant ḥadīth is extraneous worldly speech that is not called for after the prayer and for which there is no legitimate excuse. The remembrances reported to be recited upon concluding the prayer, however, do not fall under this category of extraneous speech, since they are themselves required by the sharīʿah.
Al-ʿAllāmah ʿAlī al-Shabrāmalsī states in his Ḥāshiyah ʿalā al-Nihāyah (Vol.1/P.551): "If someone greets a person with salām while he is occupied with reciting this remembrance [i.e., 'Lā ilāha illā Allāh...'], should he return the greeting — without this causing him to forfeit the promised reward, since he is engaged in an obligatory matter — or should he delay returning the greeting until he finishes, this being a legitimate excuse for the delay?" He continues: "I say: the more likely view is the former, and the prohibition on speech is to be understood as applying to extraneous speech for which there is no legitimate excuse. Based on this, should the worshipper give precedence to this remembrance ('Lā ilāha illā Allāh...') or to reciting Sūrat al-Ikhlāṣ ('Qul huwa Allāhu aḥad')? This requires consideration, though it is not unlikely that the remembrance takes precedence, given that the Lawgiver urged hastening to it through his words 'while crossing his leg.' This is not considered ordinary speech, since it is not extraneous to what is required after the prayer."
Accordingly, it is recommended for both the imam and those praying behind him to recite this remembrance and to give it precedence over the other remembrances of the prayer, ensuring it is said before they move from their place. And Allah the Almighty knows best.

What is the Sharia basis of the Udhiyah?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
The Sharia basis of the Udhiyah (sacrificial offering) is firmly established through the Quran, the Sunnah, and the Consensus (Ijma') of the Muslims:
1. Evidence from the Holy Quran
Allah the Exalted says {what means}: "And the camels and cattle We have appointed for you as among the symbols of Allah; for you therein is good." [Al-Hajj/36]. He also says {what means}: "So pray to your Lord and sacrifice [to Him alone]" [Al-Kawthar/2]. According to the most well-known scholarly interpretations of this verse, "prayer" refers to the Eid prayer, and "sacrifice" refers to the slaughtering of the Udhiyah.
2. Evidence from the Sunnah
Al-Bara' bin 'Azib (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said: "The first thing we start with on this day of ours is to pray, then we return and sacrifice. Whoever does that has followed our Sunnah, and whoever slaughters before [the prayer], it is merely meat he has provided for his family; it is not part of the ritual sacrifice in any way" [Reported by Bukhari & Muslim].
Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: "The Prophet ﷺ sacrificed two white rams with horns. He slaughtered them with his own hand, mentioned the name of Allah (Tasmiyah), and said the Takbir" [Reported by Bukhari & Muslim].
3. Evidence from Scholarly Consensus (Ijma')
The Muslims have reached a unanimous consensus on the Sharia basis of the Udhiyah, and no one among the scholars has disagreed with this. [Al-Sherbini, Mughni al-Muhtaj, Vol.6/P.122].And Allah the Exalted knows best.

What are the Sunnahs and etiquettes related to the slaughtering of an animal?

 

 
In the Name of Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
1-Avoid terrifying the animal before it is slaughtered.
 
2-Do not slaughter the animal in front of others of its kind.
 
3-Offer water to the animal before the sacrifice.
 
4-Sharpen the knife thoroughly prior to slaughtering to ensure the cut is made as quickly and cleanly as possible. This is in accordance with the statement of our Master, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "Indeed, Allah, the Almighty and Majestic, has prescribed excellence (Ihsan) in all things. So when you kill, kill well; and when you slaughter, slaughter well. Let each of you sharpen his blade, and let him put his sacrificial animal at ease." (Narrated by Muslim)
 
Do not begin skinning the carcass until you are absolutely certain that the animal has completely passed away.
 
Slaughter cattle, sheep, and goats while they are lying down on their left side, facing the Qiblah (direction of prayer). Leave the right leg untied so the animal can move it, helping it rest more easily during its final moments. For camels, however, the preferred method (Nahr) is to slaughter them while they are standing up, with their left knee tied. And Allah the Almighty Knows Best.

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