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Inheritors of the Prophets
Author : Dr Noah Ali Salman
Date Added : 23-04-2024

Inheritors of the Prophets

 

 

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

The humility of the scholars of Ahl al-Sunnah Wal Jama`a is so refined that they do not speak about their status in the sight of Allah and their role in conveying what Allah revealed to His Messenger, as well as the duty of the Muslim Ummah towards them. This is because anyone who speaks about these matters is accused of seeking attention, wanting to gain a place in people's hearts, and aiming for a prominent position in society. Although humility is a praiseworthy trait encouraged by Shariah (Islamic Law) and exhibited by the righteous predecessors (Salaf Saleh), it doesn`t befit a Muslim to keep silent when an important religious matter is being concealed.

Everyone who reads the books of the Prophetic Sunnah notices that the scholars of Hadith dedicate a specific section where they gather what has been narrated from the Prophet Mohammad, peace be upon him, regarding the encouragement to seek knowledge. What is meant by this is undoubtedly the knowledge that keeps the Islamic message alive among people as guidance and mercy for the worlds, and as a proof for Allah over His servants.

The rest of the sciences that sustain people's material lives, and in which followers of other religions also participate, come as secondary matters. The purpose behind them is the continuity of the Muslim community and the presence of essential life components for those who follow Islam. That is why the life sciences are considered among the communal obligations (fard kifayah). The latter means that when some fulfill these obligations, the entire community is cleared from liability before Allah the Almighty.

The religious sciences include what is known as individual duty "Fard Ayn," which everyone is required to learn and ignorance of it is not excused. This includes knowledge related to religious duties, whether they are rights of Allah, such as acts of worship, or rights of people, such as the conditions that validate transactions. However, such knowledge can only be acquired from scholars specialized in religious sciences.

I believe that what is mentioned in the Quran and the Prophetic Sunnah regarding the virtue of knowledge, the importance of scholars, and the encouragement to seek knowledge, indicates greatly the significance of the Sharia scholars in the lives of Muslims and their community.

One example of this is that Allah the Almighty Says (What means): "Say: "Are those equal, those who know and those who do not know?" [Az-Zumar/9]. In addition, The Messenger of Allah said: "When Allah wills good for a person, He causes him to understand the religion." [Agreed upon].

In fact, prayer is the backbone of the religion, and it is the most important pillar after the two testimonies of faith (Shahadah). Congregational prayer is a manifestation of the unity of the Islamic nation, and Friday prayer serves as a weekly Islamic conference to discuss religious and worldly matters, both local and global. When people gather for congregational prayer, the imam leads them all, regardless of their social status and everyone stands behind him. This reflects the practice of the Prophet Mohammad, peace be upon him, who used to lead the companions in prayer, and they would stand behind him. Doesn't this indicate that the imam inherits from the Prophet, peace be upon him? During the Friday sermon, the preacher (Khatib) ascends to a higher place in the mosque and delivers the sermon, and it is not permissible for anyone to interrupt, speak, or distract from it. This is the same manner the Prophet Mohammad, peace be upon him, used to ascend the pulpit and the companions would listen attentively.

Indeed, the Khatib is also an inheritor of the Prophet, peace be upon him. Moreover, it is expected that both the imam and the Khatib be knowledgeable. This doesn`t necessarily mean that they be the most knowledgeable among the attendees, but they must be knowledgeable about the necessary legal rulings required for their positions, as they stand in the position of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.

In addition to these spiritual matters of inheritance, there are material matters as well. Allah has ordained for the Prophet (peace be upon him) one-fifth of the spoils of war, as mentioned in the Quran (What means): "And know that anything you obtain of war booty - then indeed, for Allah is one fifth of it and for the Messenger and for [his] near relatives and the orphans, the needy, and the [stranded] traveler" [An-Nisa/41].

After the Prophet (peace be upon him) passed away, who is entitled to his share of the spoils of war and booty? The scholars have decided that it belongs to those who uphold matters of religion after him. These include scholars, judges, imams, muezzins, guardians of boundaries, and those responsible for safeguarding public interests. This is because these individuals protect the religion and safeguard the lands, just as the Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) did during his time. They are his heirs.

This means two things:

Firstly, scholars must be at the level of responsibility in terms of knowledge, conduct, and wisdom. People did not see the Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him), but they see the scholars. They believe that scholars represent the Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) and act as he would have acted. Consequently, the knowledgeable must fear Allah, for their words, actions, and even their silence are attributed to the Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him). The responsibility is huge, and the reward is great for those who fulfill it.

Secondly, Muslims should respect their scholars out of respect for the Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him). This is since he (peace be upon him ) said: "Part of respect for Allah is to show respect to an old Muslim and to someone who knows the Qur'an, as long as he does not go to excess in it nor turn away from it, and to respect a just ruler."

It's important to remind scholars of the necessity to adhere to the exemplary conduct of the prophets. We also emphasize to the general public that infallibility is exclusive to the prophets, and anyone else can stumble. Therefore, it's not permissible to constantly point out mistakes and overlook the good deeds of scholars. This is especially true for ordinary Muslims, so how about those who represent Islam? It has been said: "There are three whose slips shouldn`t be mentioned: the scholars, the family of the Prophet (peace be upon him), and the people of the two holy cities (Mecca and Medinah)," because these individuals are human and may make mistakes, but criticizing them directly is indirectly criticizing Islam itself.

Evidently, the enemies of Islam often scrutinize the mistakes of both past and contemporary scholars to attack Islam itself. Unfortunately, some naive Muslims emulate them under the pretext of scientific inquiry and seeking truth, causing harm to themselves, their community, and their religion unknowingly. Again,it is important to stress that infallibility is exclusive to prophets and messengers, not to anyone else.

It is incumbent upon scholars to inform people about the sanctity of scholars and the obligation to respect them, and recognize their status. This does not contradict commendable humility or imply self-aggrandizement. Scholars have said that a prophet is one who received revelation about the Sharia, even if he was not commanded to convey it. However, people must know that he is a prophet to avoid committing disbelief because insulting prophets constitutes disbelief. Similarly, scholars should inform people about the sanctity of scholars to prevent them from committing a grave sin. As the Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) said in a hadith narrated by Imam Al-Bukhari: "I will declare war against him who shows hostility to a pious worshipper of Mine." Imam Ash-Shafi'i also said, "If the scholars are not the allies of Allah, then Allah has no allies."

Indeed, respecting scholars is respecting the religion and safeguarding oneself from incurring the wrath of Allah. We have noticed that whoever insulted scholars faced consequences in this world before the Hereafter. 

Moreover, the weakest of faith is for the Sunni Muslims to respect their scholars as the people following other schools of jurisprudence respect their scholars and to honor them as adherents of other faiths honor their scholars.

It is truly disheartening to ask people for this but it is the weakest of faith and we are keen on preserving the faith of every believer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

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.

Is it permissible to divide a single Sa‘ of Zakat al-Fitr—or its equivalent value in cash—among more than one poor person?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
Zakat al-Fitr is estimated at one Sa‘ per person, but the number of people to whom this Sa‘ can be given has not been specified. For this reason, it is permissible to distribute a single Sa‘ among more than one poor person. And Allah the Exalted knows best.

Is an elderly or chronically ill person required to pay additional fidyah if they delay it beyond the first year?

An elderly person or someone permanently unable to fast must pay fidyah by feeding one needy person for each missed day.
However, if they delay paying fidyah beyond the first year, no additional fidyah is required.
This differs from someone who delays making up missed Ramadan fasts (qada) without a valid excuse until the next Ramadan begins—such a person is required to pay an additional fidyah for the delay.

A person prays in a certain spot within the rows of the mosque, and gets angry if someone else prayed at his spot. What is the ruling on this behavior?

All Perfect Praise be to Allah The Lord of The Worlds and may His Peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all of his family and companions                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) make it prohibited for a Muslim from having/taking a certain spot in the mosque when performing prayers if they arrived and find it occupied, furthermore; it is the religious duty on others (praying people) to offer a piece of advice to alert the ones who don't know, that whoever reaches a spot first at the mosque having a priority/privilege upon others in that spot. And Allah Knows Best.

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