Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

20. Can anyone change Allah (swt) laws? The Qur'an states quite categorically that no one has that right "And it is not for a believing man or woman that they should have any choice in a matter when Allah and his Messenger have decided a matter; and whoever disobeys Allah and his Messenger; surely strays off a manifest straying". With this verse in mind, why did Hadhrath Umar introduce Tarawih prayers in congregation, three divorce utterances in one sitting and the formula 'Prayer is better than Sleep' in the Fajr Adhan? What right did he have to substitute Allah (swt)'s orders in favour of his own?

Al Faruq by Allamah Shibli Numani, Volume 2 page 338, English translation by Muhammad Saleem, (Ashraf Publishers)

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Bidaa’ by Umar (r.a.)

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Your question: Can anyone change Allah (swt) laws?

No one, absolutely no one, has the right to change the laws of Allah Subhanah. And whoever changes any law of Allah, he will be severely accountable to Allah on the Day of Judgment.

Your question: Why did Hadhrath Umar introduce Tarawih prayers in congregation?

Firstly, we must understand that the Taraweeh prayers are not ‘fard’ (obligatory), but rather Nafl or voluntary prayers; and if one chooses not to pray them, there is no sin.

The concept of Taraweeh prayers were started by the Messenger of Allah (saws), who himself led the Taraweeh prayers in congregation for a period of three nights. He then subsequently stopped leading the congregation on the fourth night, and said that he feared that these prayers would be made obligatory on the muslims. Thus he (saws) himself prayed and allowed the believers to offer the Taraweeh prayers individually.

After the death of the Messenger of Allah (saws), in the reign of Hadrat Umar, he saw the believers offering the Taraweeh prayers individually, and he recommended that since there was no chance of the prayers now being made obligatory, the believers could pray in congregation if they so willed. This was not a new introduction in the deen, as the Sunnah of the Messenger (saws) was already established when he (saws) led the believers in the Taraweeh prayers for three nights and only stopped it because he did not want them to be made obligatory on the believers.

Besides, this recommendation was agreed upon by all the surviving companions of the Prophet (saws), like Hadrat Ali, Hadrat Abbas ibn Abdul Muttalib, Hadrat Uthman, Hadrat Abdur Rahmaan bin Awf, Hadrat Ammar bin Yassir, Hadrat Bilaal, Hadrat Saad ibn Abi Waqqas, etc., and they all joined the Taraweeh prayers in congregation with Hadrat Umar. One more fact to note here is that when Hadrat Ali became the Khalifa, he himself prayed and led the believers in praying the Taraweeh prayers in congregation.

Your question: Why did Hadhrath Umar introduce three divorce utterances in one sitting?

Allah has laid down the clear terms in the Holy Quran of how a proper divorce should be announced, and everyone who believes in Allah and the Last Day should use that procedure in the unfortunate circumstance when announcing divorce.

In the time of Hadrat Umar, a new issue was raised, whereby some new muslims pronounced three divorces in one sitting on their wives. They obviously abused the divorce law by announcing the three divorces in one sitting, and the cases were brought to the jurists and the noble companions of the Messenger of Allah (saws). Not only Hadrat Umar, but all the noble companions like Hadrat Ali, Hadrat Abbas ibn Abdul Muttalib, Hadrat Uthman, Hadrat Abdur Rahmaan bin Awf, Hadrat Ammar bin Yassir, Hadrat Bilaal, Hadrat Saad ibn Abi Waqqas, etc. unanimously decided that the utterance of three divorce in one sitting will be accepted as an irrevocable divorce. Even when Hadrat Ali became the Khalifa, if someone announced three divorces in one sitting; Hadrat Ali, who was considered and praised by the Messenger of Allah (saws) as being amongst the best in legal matter, upheld the decision that it would constitute as an irrevocable divorce.

Your question: Why did Hadhrath Umar introduce the formula 'Prayer is better than Sleep' in the Fajr Adhan?

There are many authentic hadiths which state that this statement “Prayer is better than sleep” was added to the fajr adhaan by Hadrat Bilaal during the lifetime of the Prophet (saws) himself, and he (saws) approved of it. There is also one narration, whereby the historian states that this statement was added during the reign of Hadrat Umar. Allah Alone knows best.

Even after the death of Hadrat Umar, during the Khilaafah of Hadrat Uthman, Hadrat Ali, and upto this day, the statement is announced in the fajr adhaan. Hadrat Ali, during his reign, neither changed it, nor removed it, but carried on this tradition of announcing the statement ‘Prayer is better than sleep’ in the fajr adhan.

The deen of Islam was completed, the Quran revealed, and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws) was established at the time of the death of the Prophet (saws). Whatever happened after the death of the Prophet (saws) is the History of the Muslims, and this is in the knowledge of Allah Alone. Allah will not hold us accountable for the deeds of these people, nor ask us about them on the Day of Judgment. We will be asked about our deeds and what did we do for the cause of Islam.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah verse 134: They were a people who passed away. They shall receive the reward of what they earned, and you shall have the reward of what you will earn. And you will not be questioned as to what they did.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Dear Brother in Islam, we as muslims are unanimous in our opinion that no one is allowed to change the laws of Allah and His Messenger (saws). Thus it would be worthwhile to ponder over the practices that occur in some mis-guided sects in Islam, which are clearly against the guidance of the Holy Quran and Sunnah.

On whose command and when were the five prescribed ‘fard’ prayers combined into three prayers?

On whose command and when was the statement ‘I bear witness that Ali is the friend of Allah’, introduced in all the adhaans?

On whose command and when was the statement, ‘Mohamed and Ali are the best of humankind, and their descendants are the best of descendants’ introduced in all the adhaans?

On whose command was the making of shrines and places of worship over the graves of human beings introduced; when we know from the authentic narrations of the Prophet (saws), that he invoked the curse of Allah on the Jews and Christians, because they created shrines and places of worship over the graves of their Prophets?

On whose command was the wailing over the dead, and beating of chests introduced; when we know from the authentic narrations of the Prophet (saws) that he (saws) cursed the people who wailed and beat themselves over their dead?

On whose command was the ‘ziyaarah’ of places like Karbala, Najaf, Misr, etc. considered pilgrimages; when we know from the authentic narrations of the Prophet (saws) that he allowed pilgrimages only to three Holy Sites. A. The Sacred House in Makkah. B. The Prophet’s Mosque in Medina. C. The Masjid-al-Aqsa in Jerusalem.

On whose command did some mis-guided muslims start invoking and worshipping the graves of pious muslims with Allah; when we know from the Holy Quran that no one other than Allah deserves to be worshipped and invoked?

On whose command was the fasting of the whole month of ‘Rajab’ introduced along with Ramadan; when we know that the Messenger of Allah (saws) never, in his whole lifetime, fasted the whole month of Rajab?

On whose command is the bowing down in proper Islamic ‘sajdah’ to human beings and graves introduced; when we know that Allah Alone deserves all our forms and rites of worship, and we know that whoever bows down in ‘sajdah’ to anyone other than Allah will be guilty of the heinous sin of ‘shirk’?

On whose command was the Hindu rites and rituals of ‘aarti’ or ‘wadhaawah’ introduced in Islam?

On whose command is the kissing of the feet of holy men introduced in Islam; when we know the Messenger of Allah (saws) never allowed the believers to kiss his feet?

On whose command are the women in Islam allowed to kiss the hands and feet of non-mehram males; when we know that the Messenger of Allah (saws) never even allowed a non-mehram women to ever touch him?

My dear brethren in Islam, there are literally hundreds of such innovations which have crept into the lives of some muslims, which are propagated and authenticated by their self-proclaimed holy men and their self-appointed priests! Some of these innovations are simple ‘bidahs’, while others are pure and complete acts of ‘shirk’, and the misguided muslims carry on doing these acts in the name of Islam! They expect to receive the Pleasure and Reward of Allah, but in light of the Holy Quran and Sunnah, these acts will get them nothing, but the Wrath and Anger of Allah!

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 18 Surah Kahf verses 103-106:Tell them (O Mohamed), “Should We tell you who are the most unsuccessful people and miserable failures in regard to their deeds? They are those all whose endeavors in the worldly life, had gone astray from the Right Way, but all along they were under the delusion that everything they were doing, was rightly directed! Those are the people who rejected the Revelations of their Lord and did not believe that they would ever go before Him. Therefore all their deeds were lost, for We shall assign no weight to them on the Day of Resurrection. Their recompense is Hell for the disbelief they showed, and for the mockery they adopted in regard to My Aayahs and My Messengers!”

May Allah help and guide the muslims to leave aside all the innovations, and come back to the deen of Islam, which was followed by the Messenger of Allah (saws) and his noble family and companions. Ameen.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother in Islam,

Burhan