WHO WILL RECEIVE THE WORSE PUNISHMENT: An Innovator or a Sinner?

The innovator will receive the worse punishment because innovation is worse than sin and it is dearer to Shaytaan than sin. This is because a sinner may repent[1] but an innovator rarely repents because he thinks he is upon the truth as opposed to the sinner, for he knows that he is disobeying Allaah and that he is committing a sin. As for the innovator, he thinks that he is obedient to Allaah and that he is upon righteousness. Consequently, innovation is more evil than sin. As such, the Salaf used to warn against sitting with the innovators because they will influence whoever sits with them, and their danger is great

Source: Al-Ajwibah al-Mufeedah ‘an As’ilah al-Manaahij al-Jadeedah, pp. 26-27 by Shaykh Saalih bin Fawzaan (may Allaah preserve him)

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[1] Sufyaan ath-Thawree said: “Innovation is more beloved to Iblees than sin, because a sin may be repented from but innovation is not repented from.” Majmoo’ al-Fataawaa )11/472)

Levels of People With Regard to the Performance of Salaah

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said, "With regard to the performance of Salaah, people are divided into five levels:

The First: The level of the one who is negligent and wrongs his soul. He is the one who falls short in performing ablution properly, performing the prayer upon its time and within its specified limits, and in fulfilling its essential pillars.

The Second: The one who guards his prayers upon their proper times and within their specified limits, fulfils their essential pillars and performs his ablution with care. However, his striving (in achieving the above) is wasted due to whisperings in his prayer so he is taken away by thoughts and ideas.

The Third: The one who guards his prayers within the specified limits, fulfils their essential pillars and strives with himself to repel the whisperings, thoughts and ideas. He is busy struggling against his enemy (Satan) so that he does not steal from the prayer. On account of this, he is engaged in (both) prayer and Jihaad.

The Fourth: The one who stands for the prayer, completes and perfects its due rights, its essential pillars, performs it within its specified limits and his heart becomes engrossed in safeguarding its rights and specified limits, so that nothing is wasted from it. His whole concern is directed towards its establishment, its completion and its perfection, as it should be. His heart is immersed in the prayer and in enslavement to his Lord, the Exalted.

The Fifth: The one who stands for the prayer like the one mentioned above. However, on top of this, he has taken and placed his heart in front of his Lord, the Mighty and Majestic, looking towards Him with his heart with anticipation, (his heart) filled with His love and His might, as if he sees and witnesses Allaah. The whisperings, thoughts and ideas have vanished and the coverings which are between him and his Lord are raised. What is between this person and others with respect to the prayer, is superior and greater than what is between the heavens and the earth. This person is busy with his Lord, the Mighty and Majestic, delighted with Him.

The first type will be punished, the second will be held to account, the third will have his sins and shortcomings expiated, the fourth will be rewarded and the fifth will be close to his Lord, because he will receive the portion of the one who makes his prayer the delight and pleasure of his eye. Whoever makes his prayer the delight and pleasure of his eye in this world, will have the nearness to his Lord, the Mighty and Majestic, made the delight and pleasure of his eye in the hereafter. He will also be made a pleasure to the eye in this world since whoever makes Allaah the pleasure of his eye in this world, every other eye will become delighted and pleased with him.

Source: al-Waabilus-Sayyib min al-Kalim at-Tayyib, 36-37 by Imaam Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah (may Allaah have mercy on him)

Praying a lot of Rak’ah between Maghrib and Ishaa

It is recommended to pray a lot of rak’ah between Maghrib and ‘Ishaa, without specifying a set number of rak’ahs.  Ahmad (22926) narrated that Hudhayfah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: I came to the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) and prayed Maghrib with him. When he had finished the prayer, he stood and prayed, and he kept praying until he prayed ‘Ishaa’. This narration was graded saheeh by al-Albaanee in Irwa’ al-Ghaleel (470). 

Shaykh al-Albaanee (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Know that all of the ahaadeeth that have been reported, which encourages praying specific number of rak’ah between Maghrib and Ishaa’ are not authentic; and the weakness of some of them are more serious than others. Praying during this time is only authentically established from the action of the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) without specifying a set number of rak’ah. As regards his words, everything that has been reported from him are weak, and it is not permissible to act on it.

Source:  Tawjeeh as-Saaree lil-Ikhtiyaaraat al-Fiqhiyyah li Shaykh al-Albaanee, p. 80-81 compiled by Mahmood bin Ahmad Raashid

Etiquette of Answering Phone Call

One day, he (Shaykh Al-Albaanee, may Allaah have mercy upon him) called me and I was not present, so my small daughter answered; saying, when she picked up the receiver of the phone: “As-Salaamu Alaykum wa Rahmatullaah.” So the Shaykh asked for me, then said to her: “Inform your father that Muhammad Naasir Ad-Deen Al-Albaanee called.”  (He didn’t say: ‘Shaykh.’ This is from his humility, may Allaah elevate his level in Paradise.)

So when I returned home my small daughter informed me (saying): “A man called you named Muhammad Naasir Ad-Deen Al-Albaanee.” So I called him immediately. After he had sought from me that which he wanted, he said to me: “O Aboo Islaam, when I called you, your small daughter answered saying: ‘As-Salaamu Alaykum wa Rahmatullaah.’ Is this action based upon knowledge or is it a personal action from a child? We hope to benefit, O Aboo Islaam.” This was also from his humility and his wisdom in Da’wah, may Allaah have mercy upon him.

I said to him: “This is the action of a child, and the first time (she has done so). That which we know regarding this matter is that the person is to pick up the receiver of the phone saying: Na’am; and one who is calling him is to give Salaams, and he returns the Salaams to him, not that he (the one who is called) initiates the Salaam.” So he, may Allaah have mercy upon him, said: “This is that which is correct, as far as we know. This is because the caller is similar to the one who is knocking at the door. There is no difference between them.”

Transmitted by Saalih ibn Taha Aboo Islaam
Translated by Raha ibn Donald Batts

Source: http://www.sahab.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=142100

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