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God Loveth not the Wasters
Author : Mufti Dr. Radwan Al-Sraira
Date Added : 05-11-2024

God Loveth not the Wasters

 

Praise be to Allah, Who has legislated for us a religion that ensures the well-being of both this life and the Hereafter. "He is the One Who Does, He who created not know, while He is the Subtle, the Acquainted?" [Al-Mulk/14]. He sent His Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, as a mercy to the worlds.

Since Allah The Almighty wanted us to enjoy a balanced system of life, He didn`t approve for us to indulge in acts of extravagance nor to be extravagant ourselves. Rather, He Praised His believing servants in His words (What means): "And those who, when they spend, do so not excessively or sparingly but are ever, between that, [justly] moderate." [Al-Furqan/67]. Extravagance means to exceed the permissible limit. According to the Quran, among those who are not engaged in sin, the extravagant are of two types 

First Type: The Extravagant in Worship

Allah The Almighty forbids excessiveness in acts of worship and burdening oneself beyond its capacity, so that one does not become like the "Munbat" or exhausted traveler who is cut off and unable to reach his destination, as described by the Prophet (PBUH): "This religion is solid, so apply it gently, and do not make Allah's worship loathsome to yourself, for the exhausted traveler neither reaches his destination nor spares his mount." [Al-Bayhaqi].

Allah The Almighty Says (What means): "And He it is who produces gardens trellised and untrellised, and dates and crops of different kinds of food and olives and pomegranates, similar yet different. Eat of their fruit when they bear fruit and give [Allah’s] due on the day of harvest. And do not be extravagant; indeed, He does not love the extravagant." [Al-An'am/141]. Ibn Kathir explains this as meaning: "And do not be extravagant in giving (in charity/Zakah) – to give beyond what is prescribed."

It is reported that this verse was revealed regarding Thabit Ibn Qais Ibn Shammas (may Allah be pleased with him), who harvested dates and said: "No one shall come to me today but I will feed them." So, he fed until evening without leaving any fruit for himself. Then Allah revealed (What means): "And do not be extravagant; indeed, He does not love the extravagant." The wisdom behind this is that a person does not deprive those under his care, as they are his responsibility for provision.

When Sa’d Ibn ‘Ubada (may Allah be pleased with him) wanted to give away all his wealth in charity, the Prophet (PBUH) forbade him, permitting him to give only a third, saying: "A third, and a third is much. It is better for you to leave your heirs wealthy than to leave them dependent, begging from people." [Al-Bukhari].

Moreover, here is the Mother of the Believers, Zaynab Bint Jahsh (may Allah be pleased with her), who tied a rope in the mosque between two columns to support herself during night prayers. When the Prophet (PBUH) saw it, he ordered it to be removed, saying: "Untie it; let one of you pray as long as he feels energetic, and when he tires, let him sit down." [Ibn Majah].

Second Type: The Extravagant in Clothing, Food, and Drink

Likewise, Allah The Almighty forbids extravagance in clothing, food, and drink, so that a person does not become a slave to his desires, indulging every wish, which may lead him to fall into prohibited actions if he is unable to satisfy these desires. Allah Says (What means): "Indeed, the soul is ever inclined to evil." [Yusuf/53].

By curbing his desires, a person develops a sense of responsibility toward those in need, in devotion to Allah. It has been said: "Whoever eats everything he desires is extravagant.” Allah Says (What means): "O children of Adam, take your adornment at every masjid, and eat and drink, but be not extravagant. Indeed, He does not like the extravagant." [Al-A’raf/31].

Adornment refers to clothing without extravagance or arrogance, and to eating and drinking what is lawful, as the Prophet (PBUH) said: "Eat, drink, wear clothing, and give in charity, without arrogance or extravagance, for Allah loves to see His blessings on His servant." [Ahmad].

Ibn Abbas (May Allah Be Pleased with him) said: "Eat what you like, and wear what you like, as long as you avoid two qualities: extravagance and arrogance." This, while remembering that Allah loves to see the effect of His blessing on His servant.

Extravagance in these matters can lead to arrogance, which Allah detests, and to the depletion of resources without any benefit to all people. A prime example of this is what happens at banquets, where much more food is discarded than is consumed. One is accountable before Allah for this, as He, The Most Exalted Says (What means): "Then you will surely be asked that Day about pleasure." [At-Takathur/8].

Praise be to Allah, who made us a balanced nation, with no extravagance nor miserliness. We ask Him to continue His blessings upon us, to preserve our security and well-being, and to grant us righteous endings. May Allah’s Peace and Blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and companions.

 

 

The published article reflects the opinion of its author

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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.

What is the ruling on the follower`s prayer if the Imam stands for a fifth rak`ah?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
If the Imam stands up for an extra unit (rak‘ah) of prayer out of forgetfulness, he must return to the sitting position as soon as he remembers, and he should perform the prostration of forgetfulness (Sujud al-Sahw). It is the duty of the congregants (Ma’mumin) behind him to remind him. However, if the Imam is in a state of doubt regarding the extra unit (and not certainty), it is not permissible for him to return.
 
As for the congregants: anyone who is certain that the Imam has stood for an extra unit is forbidden from following him. In this case, the follower has two choices: either intend to separate from the Imam (Mufaraqah) and finish the prayer alone, or wait for the Imam in the sitting position and perform the final salams with him—the latter being the preferred option. If a follower knowingly follows the Imam into an extra unit, their prayer becomes invalid. However, if a follower is in doubt and not certain of the mistake, they must continue following the Imam, as the Imam was appointed to be followed.
 
It is stated in Al-Majmu’ (Vol.4/P.145): 'If [the Imam] stands for a fifth rak‘ah, the follower should not follow him, even if it is assumed that the Imam might have omitted a pillar from a previous unit; because if the reality is known, following him is impermissible since the follower has certainly completed their own prayer. Even if the follower had missed a previous unit (Masbuq) or was in doubt about performing a pillar like the Fatihah, and the Imam stood for the fifth, it is not permissible for the latecomer to follow him in it. This is because we know that this unit is not counted for the Imam and that he is mistaken in performing it.' And Allah the Exalted knows best.

What is the ruling on public street water if it gets on a person's clothes or body?

The default ruling is that public street water is pure (tahir). If one is certain of its impurity (najasa), then a small amount that gets on the lower part of a person's clothes or body is overlooked (excused). And Allah the Almighty knows best.

I broke my oath and am now obligated to pay the expiation for a broken oath (kaffārat al-yamīn). Would it be valid to fulfill this by inviting the poor and needy to a meal for them to eat from?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
The expiation for a broken oath (kaffārat al-yamīn) is given to the poor (fuqarā') and needy (masākīn), and it must be given in the form of ownership (tamlīk) transferred to them of the required amount — namely, one mudd of the staple food of the locality, or its equivalent monetary value. It isn`t valid to invite the poor or needy to a meal prepared for them to eat from, as this does not constitute "ownership" (tamlīk) but merely "permission to partake" (ibāḥah).
Imam al-Shirbīnī (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "What is intended is that ownership be transferred to them; therefore, providing them with lunch or dinner [as a meal to eat from] isn`t valid." [Summarized from Mughnī al-Muhtāj,Vol. 5/P.50]. And Allah the Almighty knows best.

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