God says
Verily, I -- I alone – am God: there is no deity save Me. Hence worship Me alone and be constant in prayer, so as to remember Me ! * -- Q.20:14
*Thus, conscious remembrance of God and of His oneness and uniqueness is declared to be the innermost purpose, as well as the intellectual justification, of all true prayer.
O you who have attained to faith! Remember God with unceasing remembrance, and extol His limitless glory from morning till evening.* -- Q.33:41,42
* Lit. “at morning and evening”, i.e., at all times.
Prophet said
‘The best Zikr is: There is no deity but God (LA ILAHA ILLAL LAH), and the best invocation is: All praise is to God (ALHAMDU LILLAH)’ - Titmizi. Narrator: Jaber.
‘Before departing from the prayer at dawn whoever utters ten times LA ILAHA ILLAL LAHU WAHDAHU LA SHAREEKA LAHU LAHUL MULKU WA LAHUL HAMDU WA HUWA ‘ALA KULLI SHAIYIN QADEER – ten virtues are recorded for him for every utterance, ten sins are effaced from him, and ten ranks are raised up for him….’ – Part of H:Tirmizi. N: Abu Zarr.
Modes of Zikr.
Given below are a few hymns of great value.
TASBIH: ‘SUBHANAL LAH’ (Glory be to God).
TAKBIR: ‘ALLAHU AKBAR’ (God is the greatest).
TAHLIL : ‘LA ILAHA ILLAL LAH’ (There is no deity but God).
TAHMID: ‘AL HAMDU LILLAH’ (All praise is due to God alone).
TAQDIS : ‘SUBHANAL MALIKUL QUDDOOS’. (Glory be to the Holy King)
LAHAUL : ‘LA HAULA WALA QUWWATA ILLA BILLAH’ (There is no power and no might or movement except with God).
(Following combination of five hymns makes an excellent ZIKR.)
SUBHANALLAHI, WALHAMDU LIL-LAHI, WALA ILAHA ILLAL-LAHU, WALLAAHU AKBAR, WA LA HAULA WALA QUWWATA ILLA BILLAH
Friday, October 28, 2011
Friday, October 21, 2011
3.25. ZIKR AFTER FARZ PRAYER (to be continued)
God says
…and all men and women who remember God unceasingly: for [all of] them has God readied forgiveness of sins and a mighty reward. -- Q.33:35
The word ‘Zikr’ has very wide connotation. It is done at heart, done by tongue, and also by deed. Daily prayers, fasting, zakat, and Haj as well as any speech or act in obedience to God are only different modes of Zikr.
Choice and number of Zikr after the Farz prayer is entirely an optional matter.
Prophet said
I was praying while the Prophet (P.A.B.U.H) was present with Abu Bakr and Omer. (After the prayer) I sat down and began with praise to God and then blessings on the Prophet. Then I supplicated for myself. The Messenger of Allah said: “Seek and you will be given, seek and you will be given”.
In the light of the above Tradition quoted by Tirmizi on the authority of Abdullah-b-Masud: Recommended below is the Zikr after Farz before supplication,
(1) Say the following in bold letters three times:
(meanings below each are to be borne in mind)
SUBHAN-ALLAH WA BIHAMDIHI
(glory be to God and praise due to Him)
ADADA QHALQIHI …
(as many times as the multitude of His creation)
REDHA NAFSEHI …
(as much as the Pleasure of His Noble self)
WAZENATA ‘ARSHEHI …
(equal to the awesome weight of His Throne)
MIDADA KALEMATEHI. …
(as much as the ink of His Noble Words)
The above was commended by the Prophet (P.A.B.U.H)
(2) DUROOD SHARIF …ten times
Then supplicate.
Start with the famous supplication of prophet Abraham:
“RABANAGH-FIRLI WA LE-WALEDAYYA
WA- LIL-MOMININA, YAOMA YAQUMUL-HISAAB” -- (Q.14:41)
(Grant Thy forgiveness unto me, and my parents,
and all the believers, on the Day on which
the [last] reckoning will come to pass”)
{Prayer, Zikr and supplication, all need our full attention,
because God does not listen to silent heart }
…and all men and women who remember God unceasingly: for [all of] them has God readied forgiveness of sins and a mighty reward. -- Q.33:35
The word ‘Zikr’ has very wide connotation. It is done at heart, done by tongue, and also by deed. Daily prayers, fasting, zakat, and Haj as well as any speech or act in obedience to God are only different modes of Zikr.
Choice and number of Zikr after the Farz prayer is entirely an optional matter.
Prophet said
I was praying while the Prophet (P.A.B.U.H) was present with Abu Bakr and Omer. (After the prayer) I sat down and began with praise to God and then blessings on the Prophet. Then I supplicated for myself. The Messenger of Allah said: “Seek and you will be given, seek and you will be given”.
In the light of the above Tradition quoted by Tirmizi on the authority of Abdullah-b-Masud: Recommended below is the Zikr after Farz before supplication,
(1) Say the following in bold letters three times:
(meanings below each are to be borne in mind)
SUBHAN-ALLAH WA BIHAMDIHI
(glory be to God and praise due to Him)
ADADA QHALQIHI …
(as many times as the multitude of His creation)
REDHA NAFSEHI …
(as much as the Pleasure of His Noble self)
WAZENATA ‘ARSHEHI …
(equal to the awesome weight of His Throne)
MIDADA KALEMATEHI. …
(as much as the ink of His Noble Words)
The above was commended by the Prophet (P.A.B.U.H)
(2) DUROOD SHARIF …ten times
Then supplicate.
Start with the famous supplication of prophet Abraham:
“RABANAGH-FIRLI WA LE-WALEDAYYA
WA- LIL-MOMININA, YAOMA YAQUMUL-HISAAB” -- (Q.14:41)
(Grant Thy forgiveness unto me, and my parents,
and all the believers, on the Day on which
the [last] reckoning will come to pass”)
{Prayer, Zikr and supplication, all need our full attention,
because God does not listen to silent heart }
Friday, October 14, 2011
3.25. ZIKR AFTER FARZ PRAYER (to be continued)
God says
And when you have performed your acts of worship, [continue to] bear God in mind as you will bear your fathers in mind – nay, yet with a keener remembrance… Q.2:200
Prophet said
Saoban reported: When Messenger of God finished his prayer, he recited ‘Istaqhfar’ thrice and said: “Al-la-hum-ma An-tas Salam wa min-kas Salamo taba-rak-ta ya Zal-jalale wal ikraam” (O God, Thou art the Peace and from Thee is peace; Blessed art Thou, O Lord of Glory and honor) -- H: Muslim.
‘At the end of prayer (Farz), whoever recites ‘TASBIH(Subhanallah) ’ 33 times, ‘TAHMID (Alhamdulillah)’ 33 times, and ‘Takbir (Allaho Akbar) ’ 33 times, and completes the hundred by saying: la ilaha illal lahu wahdahu la shareeka lahu lahul mulku wa lahul hamdu wa huwa ‘ala kulli shaiyin qadeer * (There is no deity except God, He is One; There is no partner for Him; His is the kingdom, and for Him is all praise, and He has power over all things) his minor sins are forgiven if even if those are like the foams of the sea’ -- H: Muslim. N: Abu Hurairah.
*This kalimah should be taken to memory and recited morning and evening.
And when you have performed your acts of worship, [continue to] bear God in mind as you will bear your fathers in mind – nay, yet with a keener remembrance… Q.2:200
Prophet said
Saoban reported: When Messenger of God finished his prayer, he recited ‘Istaqhfar’ thrice and said: “Al-la-hum-ma An-tas Salam wa min-kas Salamo taba-rak-ta ya Zal-jalale wal ikraam” (O God, Thou art the Peace and from Thee is peace; Blessed art Thou, O Lord of Glory and honor) -- H: Muslim.
‘At the end of prayer (Farz), whoever recites ‘TASBIH(Subhanallah) ’ 33 times, ‘TAHMID (Alhamdulillah)’ 33 times, and ‘Takbir (Allaho Akbar) ’ 33 times, and completes the hundred by saying: la ilaha illal lahu wahdahu la shareeka lahu lahul mulku wa lahul hamdu wa huwa ‘ala kulli shaiyin qadeer * (There is no deity except God, He is One; There is no partner for Him; His is the kingdom, and for Him is all praise, and He has power over all things) his minor sins are forgiven if even if those are like the foams of the sea’ -- H: Muslim. N: Abu Hurairah.
*This kalimah should be taken to memory and recited morning and evening.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
3.24. PRAYER OPTIONAL: TAHAJJUD (concluded)
God says
[Only they [truly] believe in Our messages],…. who are impelled to rise from their beds [at night] to call out to their Sustainer in fear and hope; and who spend on others out of what We provide for them as sustenance. -- Q.32:15,16
Behold, the God-conscious will find themselves amid gardens and springs, enjoying all that their Sustainer will have granted them [because] they were doers of good in the past [in the world]: they] would lie asleep during but a small part of the night, and would pray for forgiveness before the daybreak; and [would assign] in all that they possessed a due share unto such as may ask [for help] and such as might suffer privation.* Q.51:15-19
*Sc., “but could not beg” – and this applies to all living creatures, whether human beings or mute animals (Razi) irrespective of whether their need is of a physical or an emotional nature.
Imam Ghazali quotes thus about the famous Islamic figure: It is reported that someone dreamt of al-Junayd (may God sanctify his heart) after he had died, and asked, ‘What is the news ‘Abu I- Qasim?’ He said, ‘Those expressions were vide of the mark, and those counsels came to nothing. Nothing was of benefit to me except some small prayers I made in the middle of the night’.*
( Al-Ghazali :letter to a disciple – tr. by Tobias Mayer.)
*Allah-o-Akbar! Shows how important are the voluntary prayers at the time of Tahajjud? Desire to do it? Set the alarm clock or let someone wake you up for a few nights. It will become easy, then, for you to get up.
Prophet said
“Whoever gets up from sleep (later) in the night and says: LA ILAHA ILLAL LAHU, WAHDAHU- LA-SHAREEKA LAHU, LAHUL MULKU WA LAHUL HAMDU WA HUWA ‘ALA KULLI SHAIYIN QADEER (There is no deity except God; He is one; there is no partner for Him; His is the Kingdom, and for Him is all praise, and He has power over all things), and says: SUBHANAL LAHI, WAL HAMDU LILLAHI, WALA ILAHA ILLAL LAHU, WALLAHU AKBAR, WALA HAULA WALA QUWWATA ILLA BILLAH (Glory be to God, and praise be to God, and there is no deity but God, and God is the greatest, and there is no power and no movement except through God) and then he says: RABBIGH FIRLI (O Lord! Forgive); (after that) if he makes ablution and prays, his prayer will be accepted” -- H: Bukhari. N: Obadah-b-Swamit.
[Only they [truly] believe in Our messages],…. who are impelled to rise from their beds [at night] to call out to their Sustainer in fear and hope; and who spend on others out of what We provide for them as sustenance. -- Q.32:15,16
Behold, the God-conscious will find themselves amid gardens and springs, enjoying all that their Sustainer will have granted them [because] they were doers of good in the past [in the world]: they] would lie asleep during but a small part of the night, and would pray for forgiveness before the daybreak; and [would assign] in all that they possessed a due share unto such as may ask [for help] and such as might suffer privation.* Q.51:15-19
*Sc., “but could not beg” – and this applies to all living creatures, whether human beings or mute animals (Razi) irrespective of whether their need is of a physical or an emotional nature.
Imam Ghazali quotes thus about the famous Islamic figure: It is reported that someone dreamt of al-Junayd (may God sanctify his heart) after he had died, and asked, ‘What is the news ‘Abu I- Qasim?’ He said, ‘Those expressions were vide of the mark, and those counsels came to nothing. Nothing was of benefit to me except some small prayers I made in the middle of the night’.*
( Al-Ghazali :letter to a disciple – tr. by Tobias Mayer.)
*Allah-o-Akbar! Shows how important are the voluntary prayers at the time of Tahajjud? Desire to do it? Set the alarm clock or let someone wake you up for a few nights. It will become easy, then, for you to get up.
Prophet said
“Whoever gets up from sleep (later) in the night and says: LA ILAHA ILLAL LAHU, WAHDAHU- LA-SHAREEKA LAHU, LAHUL MULKU WA LAHUL HAMDU WA HUWA ‘ALA KULLI SHAIYIN QADEER (There is no deity except God; He is one; there is no partner for Him; His is the Kingdom, and for Him is all praise, and He has power over all things), and says: SUBHANAL LAHI, WAL HAMDU LILLAHI, WALA ILAHA ILLAL LAHU, WALLAHU AKBAR, WALA HAULA WALA QUWWATA ILLA BILLAH (Glory be to God, and praise be to God, and there is no deity but God, and God is the greatest, and there is no power and no movement except through God) and then he says: RABBIGH FIRLI (O Lord! Forgive); (after that) if he makes ablution and prays, his prayer will be accepted” -- H: Bukhari. N: Obadah-b-Swamit.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
3.24. PRAYER OPTIONAL: TAHAJJUD (to be continued)
God says
And rise from the sleep and pray during part of the night [as well], as a free offering from thee,*… Q.17:79
Lit., “as a deed beyond that which is incumbent on thee”— i.e., in addition to five obligatory prayers. Hence, the above is not an injunction but a recommendation, although the Prophet, to whom this is addressed, himself invariably spent the greater part of the night in prayer.
…and [true servants of the Most Gracious are they] who remember their Sustainer far into the night, prostrating themselves and standing; -- Q.25:64
Prophet said
“The Lord comes nearest to a servant in the middle of the later half of the night” -- H: Tirmizi. N: Amr-b-‘Abasah
“The most honorable of my followers are those who learn the Qur’an and (get up and) pray (late) at night.” -- H: Baihaqi. N: Ibn Abbas
“Make it a practice to stand at night (for prayer) because it was the practice of the pious before you, and it is a means of expiation of sins, and (also) a preventive measure from committing sin” -- H: Tirmizi. N: Abu Huraira.
And rise from the sleep and pray during part of the night [as well], as a free offering from thee,*… Q.17:79
Lit., “as a deed beyond that which is incumbent on thee”— i.e., in addition to five obligatory prayers. Hence, the above is not an injunction but a recommendation, although the Prophet, to whom this is addressed, himself invariably spent the greater part of the night in prayer.
…and [true servants of the Most Gracious are they] who remember their Sustainer far into the night, prostrating themselves and standing; -- Q.25:64
Prophet said
“The Lord comes nearest to a servant in the middle of the later half of the night” -- H: Tirmizi. N: Amr-b-‘Abasah
“The most honorable of my followers are those who learn the Qur’an and (get up and) pray (late) at night.” -- H: Baihaqi. N: Ibn Abbas
“Make it a practice to stand at night (for prayer) because it was the practice of the pious before you, and it is a means of expiation of sins, and (also) a preventive measure from committing sin” -- H: Tirmizi. N: Abu Huraira.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
3.23. PRAYER : OPTIONAL (concluded)
God says
Nay – who is it that responds to the distressed when he calls out to Him, and who removes the ill [that caused the distress], and has made you inherit the earth?*… Q.27:62
*God having caused man to “inherit the earth” endowing him with specific faculties and abilities is an implicit denial of man’s claim that he is independent and “master of his fate”.
In fact, man should thank Him through optional prayer for the status and the facilities which have been accorded to him as inheritor of the earth, and should try to live up to his status by following the example of His Apostle as mentioned in 33:21: “Indeed in the messenger of God you have a good example for everyone who looks forward [with hope and awe] to God and the Last Day, and remembers God unceasingly”.
Prophet said
“Almighty God said…and My servant continues to seek nearness to Me through optional prayers until I love him. When I love him, I become his ear with which he hears, and his eyes with which he sees, and his hands with which he holds, and his legs with which he walks”* -- Hadith Qudsi: Bukhari. N: Abu Huraira.
*I.e., the God-given abilities, all of them, are used always and only as God wanted.
CATEGORIES OF PRAYER:
The five times prayers every day and Friday prayer are canonical or obligatory; traveler’s prayer is obligatory; prayer in time of danger is obligatory; sick man’s prayer is obligatory; vitr prayer is incumbent; taravih Prayer is sunnah and funeral prayer is compensatory. Besides, there are certain optional prayers, some to be performed daily and some for the occasion. Some of these are given below in alphabetical order:
AWABEEN : prayer after Maghrib.
HAAJAT: prayer in need.
ISHRAAQ: post sunrise prayer.
ISTIKHRA: prayer to seek divine guidance.
ISTISQUA: prayer for rain.
SALAT-UT-DUHA (CHASHT): forenoon prayer.
SALAT-UT-TASBIH: a very meritorious prayer.
TAHAJJUD: late night prayer, (very important)
TAHITA-UL-MASJID: prayer upon entering a mosque.
TAHITA-UL-VUZU: prayer after ablution.
Friday, September 16, 2011
3.23. PRAYER : OPTIONAL (to be continued)
God says
O you who believe! Seek aid in steadfast patience and prayer : for behold, God is with those who are patient in adversity. -- Q.2:153
Prophet said
“Offer prayers when you remember me” -- H: Bukhari. N: Anas.
PRAYER FOR FORGIVENESS: “Anyone who commits a sin and (on realization) makes ablution, prays and seeks forgiveness is forgiven” -- H: Tirmizi, Ibn Majah. Narrator: Ali.
PRAYER WHEN IN ADVERSITY: When any affair aggrieved the Prophet, he used to pray – H: Abu Daud. Narrator: Huzaifah.
REWARD OF ISHRAAQ PRAYER: “When you get up in the morning charity is due from every part of your body: All glorification of God (to say subhan-Allah) is charity; all praise of God (to say Al Hamdo Lillah) is charity; there is no god but God (to say La ilaha illal lah) is charity; God is the Greatest (to say Allaho Akbar ) is charity; enjoining the doing of good and forbidding the doing of evil is charity. Two Raka’t of prayer offered early after sunrise equal all this”* -- H: Muslim. N: Abu Zarr.
* Time to do Ishraq prayer begins 20 minutes after sunrise. Just in case one happens to perform Fajir prayer after sunrise, then the Ishraq prayer will be after the Fajir prayer.
SALATUT TASBIH: “Offer this prayer once a day if you can; or once a week; or once a month; or once a year; or once in your lifetime.” -- N: Abu Daud, Tirmizi, Ibn Majah. N: Ibn Abbas.
TAIHATUL MASJID: “When any of you enters a mosque, let him pray two Rak’ats before he sits.” – H: Bukhari and Muslim. N: Abu Qatadah.
O you who believe! Seek aid in steadfast patience and prayer : for behold, God is with those who are patient in adversity. -- Q.2:153
Prophet said
“Offer prayers when you remember me” -- H: Bukhari. N: Anas.
PRAYER FOR FORGIVENESS: “Anyone who commits a sin and (on realization) makes ablution, prays and seeks forgiveness is forgiven” -- H: Tirmizi, Ibn Majah. Narrator: Ali.
PRAYER WHEN IN ADVERSITY: When any affair aggrieved the Prophet, he used to pray – H: Abu Daud. Narrator: Huzaifah.
REWARD OF ISHRAAQ PRAYER: “When you get up in the morning charity is due from every part of your body: All glorification of God (to say subhan-Allah) is charity; all praise of God (to say Al Hamdo Lillah) is charity; there is no god but God (to say La ilaha illal lah) is charity; God is the Greatest (to say Allaho Akbar ) is charity; enjoining the doing of good and forbidding the doing of evil is charity. Two Raka’t of prayer offered early after sunrise equal all this”* -- H: Muslim. N: Abu Zarr.
* Time to do Ishraq prayer begins 20 minutes after sunrise. Just in case one happens to perform Fajir prayer after sunrise, then the Ishraq prayer will be after the Fajir prayer.
SALATUT TASBIH: “Offer this prayer once a day if you can; or once a week; or once a month; or once a year; or once in your lifetime.” -- N: Abu Daud, Tirmizi, Ibn Majah. N: Ibn Abbas.
TAIHATUL MASJID: “When any of you enters a mosque, let him pray two Rak’ats before he sits.” – H: Bukhari and Muslim. N: Abu Qatadah.
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