Reflection on the Condition and Honour of our Third Father

 

Imaam Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah stated:

Ponder over the condition of our third father Ibraaheem, the Imaam of the monotheists, the chief of the Prophets, the pillar of the world, the intimate friend of the Lord of existence from the progeny of Aadam. Think over what led to his trial, his patience and his sacrifice to Allaah. Reflect on how it resulted in the sacrifice of himself to Allaah and his support to the religion of Allaah until He took him as an intimate friend and ordered His Messenger and intimate friend, Muhammad to follow his religion.

I will inform you of one trait from that which made Allaah to honor him in his trial concerning the slaughtering of his child. Allaah the most High rewarded him for surrendering his child to His command by blessing his lineage and making it plenty such that it filled the plain and mountain.  Allaah the most High has not honored anyone above him, as He is the Most Generous of the generous. Thus, whoever abandons something for His sake or does something for His sake, Allaah will grant him double and multiples of what he abandoned and reward him with manifolds of what he did for His sake.

When He ordered Ibraaheem to slaughter his son, he hastened to the command of Allah, his son agreed with his father out of pleasure and submission from both of them and Allah recognized the truthfulness and the devotion from them, so He ransomed him with a great sacrifice and He granted them what He gave them of virtue.  Part of the gift He bestowed on them was that He blessed them in their offspring to the extent that they filled the earth, because the aim of having a child is to procreate and produce offspring. Hence, Ibraaheem said: “My Lord! Grant me (offspring) from the righteous.” [Soorah as-Saaffaat: 100]

He also said: “O my Lord! Make me one who performs As-Salaah (Iqâmat-as-Salât), and (also) from my offspring.” [Soorah Ibraaheem: 40] Hence, the utmost of what he should be cautious and fearful of in slaughtering his child is the extinction of his lineage.  However, when he offered his son for sacrifice and the son submitted himself, Allaah multiplied his progenies for him, blessed them and made them plenty until they filled the world and He placed Prophethood and revelation among his offspring, among whom was Muhammad (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam).

Source: Miftaah Daar as-Sa‘aadah wa Manshoor Wilaayah Ahl al-‘Ilm wal-Iraadah, by Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah, translated by Abdus-Samee Abdus-Salaam.

 

How should a student advise his teacher?

 

Question: How should a student advise his teacher?

Response: What is prescribed is the opposite. The teacher is the one who should advise the student, because the teacher is more knowledgeable of affairs and more acquainted with them. The student should continue to acquire knowledge from his teacher; because something may appear to the student as a violation [on the part of his teacher] whereas it is not.

Therefore, what is obligatory is that when a student finds something incomprehensible, he should ask his teacher with good manners. However, if the teacher is a misguided person or one who opposes the truth, it is not permissible to take knowledge from him.

On the other hand, if the teacher is one who clings to the truth, but some errors occurred from him, you are duty bound to advise him by way of asking him a question. For example, you may say: O Shaykh, what is the ruling on one who does such and such? He will take note of it and the desired would be attained, Allaah willing.

Source: Al-Ajwibah Al-Mufeedah An ‘As’ilah Al-Manaahij Al-Jadeedah, p. 137 by Shaykh Saalih bin Fawzaan, translated by Abdus-Samee’ Abdus-Salaam.

Oppose Your Base Desires

 

Imaam Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) stated:

If you ponder over the seven categories of people whom Allah will shelter under the shade of His Throne – on a day in which there will be no other shade except His shade – you will recognize that they only attain that shade by opposing base desires. The powerful and capable leader will not be able to do justice, except by opposing his desires; the youth who prefers the worship of Allah to the callings of juvenility would not have been able to do that if he did not go against his desires.

The man whose heart was attached to the mosques was only able to bear that by countering his desire that was calling him to places of pleasure. The one who spends and conceals his charity from his left hand would not have been able to achieve that if not for his subdual of his desires. The one that was invited by a beautiful and noble woman but he feared Allah and opposed his desires.

Resistance to his desires made the one who remembered Allah in seclusion and shed tears due to the fear of Allah attain that. Therefore, the heat of the standing, its perspiration and intensity will not be a problem to them on the Day of Resurrection while the companions of desires suffer from heat and sweat in excess, and they will be waiting to enter the prison of desires after that.

We ask Allah to protect us from the desires of our souls that command evil; and may He make our desires follow what He loves and He is pleased with, for He has power over everything and worthy of response.

Source: Rawdah al-Muhibbeen wa Nuzhah al-Mushtaaqeen, by Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah, translated by Abdus-Samee Abdus-Salaam.

 

Should a Masbooq Count the Extra Rak’ah the Imaam Prayed Out Of Forgetfulness?

 

Shaykh ‘Abdullaah bin Saalih al-Fawzaan stated:

However, there remains an issue to be asked about and it is appropriate to mention it here:  Is it permissible for the masbooq (a latecomer or one who joins congregational prayer late) to count the extra rak’ah in respect of the Imaam and consider it a valid rak’ah for him? For example, the Imaam got up out of forgetfulness to perform the fifth rak’ah in a four rak’ah prayer like Zuhr or the fourth rak’ah in Maghrib prayer, and a ma’moom joined him in this  rak’ah without knowing that it is extra. Would it count for him that he has caught up with the congregational prayer?

The correct opinion among the sayings of the people of knowledge is that he should count it and consider it as part of his prayer, and it would be considered that he caught up with the congregational prayer, because he caught up a rak’ah with the Imaam. Despite the fact that it was an additional rak’ah in respect of the Imaam, he is excused of the addition because he did not do it deliberately. It is valid with respect to the masbooq, because it part of his original prayer. If we say he should not count it, such would necessitate the permissibility of deliberately adding a rak’ah to the prayer, and this would nullify the prayer according to consensus of the scholars. This is because it necessitates that a person should pray four rak’ah prayer as five rak’ah and Maghrib prayer as four rak’ah, and this would necessitate contravention of consensus of the scholars and opposition of sharee’ah proofs, and this is not right.

Source: Ahkaam Hudoor al-Masaajid, p. 159 by Shaykh Abdullaah bin Saalih al-Fawzaan; translated by Abdus-Samee Abdus-Salaam.

Can A Masbooq become an Imaam?

 

Question:  A man entered the mosque after the Imaam and the worshippers have terminated the prayer, but he found a masbooq (latecomer or one who joins congregational prayer late) completing his prayer. So, he stood by his side so as to make the masbooq his Imaam in order to attain the reward of congregational prayer. Is this permissible for him or a masbooq cannot be an Imaam? Is the Salaah that this man offered along with the masbooq valid?

Response: If a person enters the mosque and the people have prayed, and he finds a masbooq praying; it is legislated for him to pray along with him, and he should stand by the right side of the masbooq for the sake of the virtue of congregational prayer; and the masbooq should intend to be the Imaam. There is no harm in this according to the most authoritative view among the scholars.

Similarly, if he finds a person praying alone after the Imaam had terminated the prayer, it is legislated for him to pray along with him, and he should stand by his right side in order to attain the merit of congregational prayer. Then if the masbooq terminates his prayer or the individual praying alone, the one who entered and joined the prayer should get up and complete what is upon him, due to the generality of proofs indicating the merit of congregational prayer, and due to what has been established from the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) that he saw a man who entered the mosque after the prayer has ended and said: “Is there any man who may do good with this (man) and pray along with him.” Recorded by Ahmad and Abu Daawood

Source: Majmoo’ Fataawaa wa Maqaalaat ash-Shaykh Ibn Baaz (12/148). Transl. by Abdus-Samee Abdus-Salaam.