Tuesday, May 5, 2020

A principle regarding Supplications & acts of Worship

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Supplication is a great act of obedience to Allah and a lofty act of worship, which a Muslim performs within the confines of the Messenger’s (saws) guidance and adherence to his Sunnah, because the best and perfect guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (saws). Indeed, the Prophet (saws) used to say on every Jumu’ah whilst addressing the people, “To proceed; indeed the most truthful speech is the Book of Allah and the best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (saws); the worst of all affairs are the newly invented matters (in the religion), for every newly invented matter (in the religion) is Biddah (i.e. innovation in religion); every Biddah is misguidance and every (act of misguidance will lead to the) fire.” Therefore, it is obligated on a Muslim that he is very careful of the newly invented matters in the religion, and that he adheres to the guidance of the leader of the Prophets and Messengers.

The guidance of the Messenger (saws) in affairs related to supplications is a perfect guidance and there’s no deficiency or shortcoming in it. The Prophet (saws) did not leave any good and benefit related to supplications; rather he clarified and explained the affair perfectly and fulfilled its obligation, just as he did in all aspects of the religion. He did not die until Allah revealed: "This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My Favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion." [5:3]

Whoever contemplates on the guidance of the Prophet (saws) in affairs related to supplications, he will find that it is a perfect guidance - sufficient and perfect, and there is no deficiency or shortcoming in it. He (saws) clarified and made known to the Ummah supplications that are to be performed at specific times, specific places and in specific circumstances. He made very clear the distinction between those supplications that can be performed – in general – without any restriction to a specific time, place or situation, and those ones that are restricted to specific times, places and situations.


The established and authentic supplications of the Prophet (saws) deals with all the circumstances of the people – in times of happiness, sorrow, physical well-being, illness, bliss, calamity, when one is traveling or not traveling, and other than that. He (saws) guided his nation – in this affair- to all good and to that which they should say in all circumstances. He did not abandon any supplication that would get a person close to Allah – that which will lead a person to happiness in this Dunya and Akhirah; rather, he clarified and made it known to his Ummah – completely and perfectly. How can this not be the case when it is the fact that he (saws) said, “Allah did not send a Prophet except that it was obligated on him to guide his followers to what he knew was good for them and warn them against what he knew was bad for them.”

Indeed, it is amazing that some of the common people abandon the authentic supplications that are gathered in many of the books – the well-known books that are considered to be authentic by the upright scholars of the Ummah and then accept the supplications that are newly invented, innovated in the religion and  initiated by some of the Mutakallifeen (i.e. those who pretend and fabricate things) and written by some of the Mutakharriseen (i.e. those who lie, engage in falsehood through which they seek to obliterate the truth and speak about Allah without knowledge) without relying on the Qur’an and the Sunnah; and without giving consideration to the guidance of best person in this Ummah. So, they preoccupy the people with this, turn them away from the Sunan (i.e. authentic path of the Prophet) and plunge them into Biddah. And regarding this affair, some of the Salaf said, “A people do not innovate a Biddah in their religion, except that Allah removes something similar to it from their Sunnah, and then it does not return to them until the day of judgement.”

How can it be permissible for a Muslim who knows the virtue of the Messenger (saws), his status and sincere advice to the Ummah, but then he abandons the Messenger’s (saws) guidance and his great and blessed supplications, and then accepts the supplications and the books of these Mutakharriseen and Mutakallifeen. Allah said: "Invoke your Lord with humility and in secret. He likes not the aggressors." [7:55]
Regarding the statement of Allah: "He likes not the aggressors", Imaam Al-Qurtubi in his Tafseer mentioned a number of different types of aggression in this subject matter, and one of them is when one supplicates by way of that which is not found in the Qur’an and the (authentic) Sunnah – words that are deficient and are in the form of rhymes, and found in pamphlets, which neither have any origin (in the Qur’an and authentic Sunnah) nor founded (on the Qur’an and Sunnah). Then he (i.e. the initiator or innovator of these supplications) takes them as his slogan and abandons that which the Messenger (saws) used as supplications. All this prevents the response to supplications.

And the severest and most dangerous this affair can be, is that some of these supplications are mixed with wordings that are tantamount to disbelief and polytheism.

Indeed, what is obligated on every Muslim is that he is extremely careful of the likes of these supplications which have been invented by some of the misguided Shaikhs and the leaders of misguidance, and thus they hinder people – by way of them – from the guidance of the Prophet (saws) and turn them away from his Sunnah. So, they go astray and deviate many people, and deviate from the right path. Indeed, the smart Muslim should pose a question in this affair regarding that which led these people to innovate these supplications and fabricated these acts which they devote themselves to permanently, despite the fact that they contain misguidance and falsehood. One will not find an answer, except that what these people want is to eat the wealth of the people unlawfully, increase their followers and devotees. Mu’adh ibn Jabal said: “In the times after you there would be trials in which wealth would be abundant and the Qur’aan would be easy so much so that every believer, hypocrite, man, woman, young, grown up, slave and free man will learn it. Then a man might say, ‘What happened to the people that they do not follow me while I read the Quran? They are not going to follow me until I innovate for them other than it’. So, beware of that which is innovated (in religion), for whatever is innovated is misguidance’.” [Abu Dawud]

Therefore, it is obligated on the Muslim to be extremely cautious of these people, adhere to the Sunnah and follow the path of its followers, for in that there is safety and success.
[Fiqh Al-Ad’iyah Wal Adkaar, Vol 3, pg 363-366]

Ibnul Jawzi said, Abul Wafaa Ibn Aqeel Al-Faqi said, our Shaikh Abul Fadl Al-Hamdani said, “The innovators (in) Islam and the fabricators of Hadith are worse than the Mulhiddoon (i.e. the heretics), because the heretics aim to corrupt Islam from the outside, whilst these (people) want to corrupt it from within. They (i.e. the innovators and the fabricators of hadith) are similar to the people of a country who try to corrupt its state of affairs and the heretics are similar to those who lay a siege from the outside; so the ones from within (i.e. the innovators and fabricators of hadith) open the fortress. Therefore, they are more harmful to Islam than those who do not (attribute) themselves to it outwardly.”

Imaam Ahmad said, “There is none more harmful on the people of Islam than the Jahmiyyah; they do not desire except to nullify the Qur’an and the ahadith of the Messenger (saws).” [Tabaqaat Al-Hanabilah 1/47]

Al-Hafifh Abdul Ghaniyy Al-Maqdisi said, “Know - may Allah have mercy upon you - that Islam and its people are undermined by three groups; and the group that rejects the (authentic) ahadith about the Attributes (of Allah) and belie its narrators are more harmful to Islam and its people than the disbelievers.” [Al-Iqtisaad Fil I’tiqaad page: 223]

Ibn Aqeel said, “There is none more harmful on the shari’ah than the innovators of the people of kalaam (i.e. the people of philosophical rhetoric) and the ignorant sufis.” [As-Sawaa-iq Al-Mursalah Alal Jahmiyyah Wal-Mu-attilah 4/1346]

Abu khaythama narrated to us, (saying): Jareer related to us from Mansoor from Abu Ad-Duha from Masrooq, (who) said: “Once we were sitting with Abdullah (Ibn Mas’ood) whilst he was reclining; then a man came to him and said: “O Abu Abdir-Rahmaan! Verily there is a storyteller at the doors of Kinda claiming that the portent of the Smoke will come along and snatch the breaths of the disbelievers (i.e. take their souls away) and the believers will get something like a cold from it.” So Abdullah said while sitting up and he was angry, “O people fear Allah! Whoever amongst you has knowledge of something, then he should speak with what he knows; and whoever does not know, then he should say, “Allah knows best”; because it the best of knowledge for one of you to say, “Allah knows best” with regards to things he has no knowledge of. Indeed, Allah said to His Prophet: ”Say (O Muhammad): "No wage do I ask of you for this (the Qur’an), not am I one of the Mutakallifun (those who pretend and fabricate things which do not exist)." [38:86] [Kitabul Ilm of Abu Khaythama with the checking of Imaam Al Albani]

Imaam Ibnul Jawzi stated: When it is the case that addressing the (people) through exhortations is mostly (directed at) the common people, the ignorant story tellers found a way of reaching their goals. Their biddah did not cease until the affair reached alarming proportions, so they brought about evil (through their) deeds, statements and goals.

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