Fulfill only obligatory deeds.
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:
Assalamo
alaykum,
If the Quraan is complete guidance sent by allah for the mankind. Than why one
souldnt learn to understand it. I think there will no need for any Hadith or
any other leaving person guidance if one understand it. I have been reading
your answers in this forum and come to a conclusion that:
1)major
Bidaa` are beeing done today are on base of some or some Hadith.
2) we
are giving more importance to recite quraan though we do not understand it
3) we
are giving more importance to Hadeeth than undersatnding the complete guidance
to manking `the Quraan`
4)much
importance is given on Sunnah & nafil
I have some questions:
a) is
it obligatory to read the Quraan in arabic only b) Why there are some hadiths
are named as Sahih Hadith, the others are not sahih?
c)if I
cant undderstand Quraan recite in arabic how will I get guidance sent by Allah.
d) is
there any clue given by Quraan or from Our messenger (s.a.w.s) that there will
be requirement of Hadith after his death.
e) how
much importance is given to wordly education in Quraan.
f)what
if i will fulfill the obligatory requirement i.e. only obligatory prayer, fast
in ramazaan, zakaah & hazz and not the Sunnah/nafil deeds
(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:
Fulfill only
obligatory deeds
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 none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear
witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His
Messengers.
Your
Statement: If the Quraan is complete guidance sent by allah for the mankind.
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah
Baqarah verse 185:
Ramadan is the month in which the Quran was sent
down: this Book is a Perfect Guidance for mankind and consists of
clear Teachings which show the
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 16 Surah
Nahl verse 89:
We have sent down to you this Book, which makes
everything plain, and is a
guidance, blessing and good news
to those who have surrendered themselves entirely.
Without an iota of a doubt, the Glorious Quran is a
complete and perfect Book revealed by the Lord Most Majestic Most Supreme for
the guidance of all mankind.
Your
Question: Than why one souldnt learn to understand it.
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 19 Surah
Maryam verse 97:
O Mohamed,
We have made this Quran easy,
and sent it down in your tongue so that you should give good news to the
pious and warn the stubborn people.
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 44 Surah
Dukhan verse 58:
We have made this Book easy in your own
tongue so that they may ponder and take good counsel.
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 43 Surah
Zukhruf verses 1-3:
Haa Meem.
By this lucid (clear or open) Book.
We have made it an Arabic Quran, so
that you may understand it.
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 12 Surah
Yusuf verse 1-2:
These are the verses of the Book that makes its
object perfectly clear. We have sent it
down as a Quran in Arabic, so that
you may understand it well.
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 43 Surah
Zukhruf verses 43-44:
So, hold
fast to the Book that has been revealed to you,
you are surely on the Siraat al Mustaqeem. The fact is that this book is a great honor
for you and your people, and soon you
shall be CALLED TO ACCOUNT for it.
Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 218 Narrated by Anas ibn Malik
Allah's Messenger (saws) said: ‘The
seeking of knowledge is obligatory for every Muslim.’
It is the obligatory duty of every believer, who sincerely
believes in Allah and the Last Day, to seek to understand the guidance of the
Glorious Quran.
Your
Statement: I think there will no need for any Hadith or any other leaving
person guidance if one understand it.
When one purchases a basic apparatus…be it a television, a
video, a washing machine, or even a mobile phone or a car, etc….the
manufacturer sends an instruction manual regarding how best to use that
apparatus.
The Lord Creator, in His Sublime and Infinite Mercy, not
only sent an instruction manual in the form of the Glorious Quran, but sent an
ideal and perfect ‘engineer’ who would live a practical and exemplary life in
absolute accordance with the guidance of the Glorious Quran.
The Lord Commands the believers to pray….the Sunnah and
practice of the Messenger of Allah (saws) will teach the believers ‘how’ to
pray.
The Lord Commands the believers to give in charity….the
Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws) will teach the believers ‘how’ and
‘what’ exactly to give in charity.
The Lord Commands the believers to perform the pilgrimage….the
Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws) will teach the believers ‘how’ exactly
to fulfill the Command of the Lord.
Thus brother, no matter how well one understands the
Glorious Quran, if one distances the guidance of the Quran from the Sunnah of
the Messenger of Allah (saws), one would not be able to tread on the Straight
Path.
Your
Questions: I have been reading your answers in this forum and come to a
conclusion that:
1)….major Bidaa` are beeing done today are on base of some or some Hadith.
The evil of ‘bida’ (innovation) is the complete and
absolute opposite of a Sunnah…. A bida or innovation is something which is
invented, innovated, and added to the deen of Islam after the deen was
completed on Prophet Mohamed (saws). It especially concerns the rites and
rituals of worship, or any deed which
was not performed or endorsed by the Messenger of Allah (saws), but was added as a part of the deen after his
(saws’s) death. It also concerns any
innovated deed which one does and believes that by doing this innovated deed,
he is eligible to earn more reward from Allah Subhanah.
If a religious rite is endorsed by the Sunnah of the
Messenger of Allah (saws) then it cannot be a ‘bida’ or innovation…….thus to
say that major ‘bida’ is being done today on the basis of some hadiths is
absolutely incorrect and inaccurate. The
very basis of ‘Bida’ is that it is a practice in religion which is not found in
the authentic and established ‘hadiths’ of the Messenger of Allah (saws).
2) ….we
are giving more importance to recite quraan though we do not understand it
Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 2137 Narrated by Abdullah ibn Mas'ud
Allah's Messenger (saws) said, "If
anyone recites a letter from Allah's Book (Al-Quran) he will be credited with a
good deed, and a good deed gets a tenfold reward. I do not say that
‘Alif-Lam-Mim’ are one letter, but ‘Alif’ is a letter, ‘Lam’ is a letter and
‘Mim’ is a letter!"
Dear and beloved brother in Islam, there is absolutely no
doubt that Allah Subhanah bestows a huge reward for those who honor and recite
His Book of Guidance….but that is only half the story!
As huge as the reward is for one who recites the Glorious
Book of Allah in the language it was revealed, there are many authentic
narrations from the Prophet (saws) who said that the one who strives to
understand, acquire, study and learn the dictates of this Glorious Book so that
they may follow its commandments with more conviction is superior to the one
who recites the Quran or is engaged in supererogatory worship.
Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 257 Narrated by Abdullah ibn Amr
Allah's Messenger (saws) happened to pass by
two groups (of muslims) in the mosque and he (saws) said: ‘Both of them
are good, but one is superior to the other. One group is supplicating Allah and praying
to Him. If He so wills, He will confer upon them and if He so wills He will
withhold. So far as those who are
acquiring the understanding of religion and its knowledge and are busy in
teaching the ignorant, they are superior. Verily I have been sent as a
teacher.’ He (saws) then sat down
amongst them.
Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 256 Narrated by Abdullah ibn Abbas
Acquiring (religious) knowledge in company
for an hour in the night is better than spending the whole night in
prayer.
Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 250 Narrated by Al-Hasan al-Basri
Allah's Messenger (saws) was asked about two
people of Banu
Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 249 Narrated by Al-Hasan al-Basri
Allah's Messenger (saws) said: “He whom death
overtakes while he is engaged in acquiring (religious) knowledge with a view to
reviving Islam with the help of it, there will be one degree between him and
the Prophets in
Allah's Messenger (saws) said: “One who goes
out to search for (religious) knowledge is (devoted) to the Cause of Allah till
he returns.”
Transmitted by Tirmidhi and Darimi.
Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 217 Narrated by Abdullah ibn Abbas
Allah's Messenger (saws) said: “A single
scholar of religion is more formidable against the Shaytaan than a thousand
devout people!”
Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 213 Narrated by Abu Umamah al-Bahili
Mention was made to Allah's Messenger (saws)
of two persons: the one being a devout, and the other being a scholar.
Thereupon Allah's Messenger (saws) said: “The superiority of the scholar over
the devout is like my superiority over one who is of the lowest rank amongst
you.” Then Allah's Messenger (saws) said: “Verily (for the scholars) Allah and
His Angels, the dwellers of the Heavens and of the Earth, even an ant in its
hole and fish (in the depth of water) invoke blessings on one who teaches people
goodness.”
Having said that, we indeed agree with you that it is
indeed unfortunate that some people insist on giving more importance to the
proper recitation of the Quran, rather than to its understanding and thus its
obedience.
3) ….we
are giving more importance to Hadeeth than undersatnding the complete guidance
to manking `the Quraan`
The similitude I would like to give here, and its only a
similitude to make our point…..is that the Guidance of the Glorious Quran and
the guidance of the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws) can be compared to
one’s two eyes…..if one tries to see with only one eye, one would miss the
whole picture!
If one tries to learn Islam only from the Glorious Quran,
one will find enough guidance to align his elements of belief in Allah, in the
Signs of Allah, in the ‘unseen’, in the Hereafter, Paradise, Hell-Fire,
etc…..but one will find oneself short when it comes to actual and practical
implementation of the guidance in one’s daily life.
No man in the annuls of creation who was ever blessed to
walk on this earth feared Allah Subahnah more, or loved The Lord Most Gracious
more, or obeyed the Commands of The Lord Most High more, or followed the
guidance of the Glorious Quran more or better than the Last and Final Messenger
of Allah, Mohamed ar-Rasool Allah (saws)!
The Sunnah or practice of the Messenger of Allah (saws) is no more than
a perfect reflection and an absolute manifestation of the Guidance and the
Commands of the Glorious Quran!
4)
….much importance is given on Sunnah & nafil
Allow us to clarify the difference between the ‘Fard’, the
‘Sunnah’, and the ‘Nafl’:
Fard:
These are the obligatory duties laid upon the believers by Allah and His
Messenger (saws)……… If one fulfills them, they will earn a huge reward from
Allah Subhanah; and if one does not
fulfill them, there will be a severe
accounting and punishment.
Nafl: These are the
voluntary or extra deeds one does to earn the Pleasure of Allah Subhanah. If one does them, he will earn a huge reward
from Allah Subhanah; and if one does not
do them, there is no sin.
Sunnah: These are the ‘Nafl’
or voluntary deeds which were practiced by the Messenger of Allah (saws), and thus they become his (saw’s) Sunnah for
us. If one does them, he will earn a huge reward from Allah
Subhanah; and if one does not do
them, there is no sin.
Abu Hurairah reports that the Prophet (saws)
said: "The first thing that the people will be called to account for on
the Day of Resurrection will be the prayers. Our Lord will say to the Angels
although He Knows better: 'Look into the (obligatory) ‘salah’ of my servant to
see if he observed it perfectly or been negligent in it. So if he observed it
perfectly it will be recorded to his credit, but if he had been negligent in it
in any way, Allah would say: ‘See if My servant has any supererogatory (Sunnah
or Nafl) prayers.’ Then if he has any supererogatory prayers, Allah would say:
‘Make up the deficiency in My servant's obligatory prayer with his
supererogatory prayers.' Thereafter all his actions will be examined in
like manner"
Related by Abu Dawud.
Without belittling the importance and significance of the
‘Sunnah’ or ‘Nafl’ acts of worship and deeds in any way whatsoever, there is
absolutely no doubt that ‘Sunnah’ or ‘Nafl’ deeds cannot even remotely be
compared to the importance and significance of the ‘Fard’ deeds.
Your
Qeustion: a) is it obligatory to read the Quraan in arabic only
Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 2137 Narrated byAbdullah ibn Mas'ud
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said,
"If anyone recites a letter from Allah's Book he will be credited with a
good deed, and a good deed gets a tenfold reward. I do not say that
‘Alif-Lam-Mim’ are one letter, but ‘Alif’ is a letter, ‘Laam’ is a letter, and
Meem’ is a letter."
Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 6.459 Narrated by Aisha
The Prophet (saws) said, "Such a person
as recites the Quran and masters it by heart, will be with the noble righteous
scribes (in Heaven). And such a person exerts himself to learn the Quran by
heart, and recites it with great difficulty, will have a double reward."
Although there is no denying the rewards and the merits of
reciting the Glorious Quran in the language it was revealed, if one whose
‘mother-tongue’ is not Arabic or does not know the Arabic language, recites
from a transliteration of the Quran or strives to understand the guidance of
the Quran in a language one understands best, there is absolutely no harm.
Your
Question: b) Why there are some hadiths are named as Sahih Hadith, the others
are not sahih?
When the eminent
scholars began to record the ‘hadiths’ of the Messenger of Allah (saws) in a
book or documented form after his death, they initiated several criteria to
determine whether what was being attributed to the Messenger of Allah (saws)
was indeed accurate or not. For example:
- The
content of the hadith: to determine whether what was being attributed to
the Prophet (saws) was in accordance with the Guidance of the Quran or
not; for it is absolutely inconceivable that the Prophet (saws) would ever
do or say anything which is against the Guidance of the Glorious Quran.
- The
‘sanad’ or chain of narrators: to determine the chain of narrators
regarding who heard the hadith from who until it reached the Messenger of
Allah (saws).
- Authenticity
of the ‘sanad’: to determine whether there were any ‘weak’ links amongst
the chain of narrators; whether or not each amongst the chain of narrators
was considered a truthful and pious person or was a liar; whether or not
one who claimed to have heard the narration from ‘so and so’ lived at the
same time or not; and if they lived in the same period, did they ever
happen to meet or not.
Only after the eminent recorder of hadiths was absolutely
satisfied with every aspect of the narration and its chain of narrators, would
they include the ‘hadith’ in their records of ‘sahih’ or authentic
hadiths. It is recorded that Imam
Bukhari collected in excess of 300,000 hadiths, but only about 7,000 of them passed
through the strict criteria set up by him and are recorded in his collection of
‘sahih’ hadiths.
Your
Question: c) if I cant undderstand Quraan recite in arabic how will I get
guidance sent by Allah.
If one’s
‘mother-tongue’ is not Arabic, nor does one understand the Arabic
language….there is absolutely no harm if one strives to understand the guidance
of the Glorious Quran in a language they understand best…..if they are indeed
sincere in their striving, it is expected that they will derive sufficient
benefit from their study of the translation of the Glorious Quran, even if from
a foreign language.
But one must understand, that no matter how good or how
pious and God-fearing the translator might be…..a phrase when translated from
one language to another will inevitably not be able to do justice to the original
phrase! For example:
If I were to translate the English phrase ‘drop me to the
airport’ into the Urdu (or any other language), the literal translation would
read: ‘mujhe airport ‘phek’ do’….which obviously was not the intention of the
original phrase!
It would be nigh impossible for even the best of
translators to do justice to the original Arabic language of the Glorious
Quran….even with the best of intentions, one would not be able to capture the
rhythm, the vastness and the depth of meaning, the flow, the tenacity, and the
culture associated with the original language of the Glorious Quran.
There is absolutely no doubt that one who does not
understand the Arabic language would derive a great deal of benefit by studying
a translation of the Glorious Quran in another language, but it cannot even be
compared to the benefit one would be able to derive if one were to study this
Glorious Book in the original language in which it was revealed.
Your
Question d): ….is there any clue given by Quraan or from Our messenger
(s.a.w.s) that there will be requirement of Hadith after his death.
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 4 Surah Nisa verse 79-80:
We have sent you (O Mohamed) as a Messenger to
mankind, and Allah’s witness suffices
for this. Whoever obeys the
Messenger, in fact obeys Allah,
and whoever turns away from him, he will be accountable for his
deeds. Anyhow, we have not sent you (O Mohamed) to be a
guardian over them.
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 3 Surah Ale
Imran verse 31-32:
O Prophet,
tell the people, “If you sincerely love Allah, follow me. Then Allah will love you and forgive you
your sins, for He is All Forgiving, All Merciful.” Also say to them, “Obey Allah and His
Messenger.” And if, in spite of this, they do not accept your invitation, warn them that Allah does not love
those, who refuse to obey Him and His
Messenger.
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 33 Surah
Ahzab verse 21:
There is indeed the best example for you
to follow in the Messenger of Allah, for every such person looks forward to Allah
and the Last Day, and remembers Allah much.
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chatper 59 Surah
Hashr verse 7:
So take what
the Messenger (saws) assigns to you and deny yourselves that which he withholds
from you. And fear Allah; for Allah is strict in
Punishment.
Time and time again the Lord Most High has Commanded the
believers in His Glorious Quran: ‘Obey Allah and His Messenger (saws)…..’.
The ‘hadiths’ are a mere record of what the Messenger of
Allah (saws) said, or did, or what happened in his presence and he did not
object…..and because of the obvious stage of time, the authentic and
established hadiths amongst these records are our only access to the Sunnah and
Guidance of the Messenger of Allah (saws).
Your
Question e): ….how much importance is given to wordly education in Quraan.
Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 218 Narrated by Anas ibn Malik
Allah's Messenger (saws) said: ‘The
seeking of knowledge is obligatory for every Muslim.’
If one divides ‘knowledge’ into two parts:
- Religious
Knowledge
- Worldly
Knowledge
….then it is considered absolutely obligatory or what is
known as ‘fard-ayn’ in Islamic Jurisprudence upon every believer to strive to
seek at least the basic Islamic knowledge. Other examples of ‘fard-ayn’ or
things which are absolutely obligatory upon every believer are things like
prayer, fasts, obedience to parents, etc. None can fulfill these obligatory
duties for another; one must do so oneself.
To strive and seek ‘worldly’ knowledge is also considered
obligatory in Shariah, but it is regarded as ‘fard-kifaya’…..if some amongst
the believers seek this knowledge, it would suffice for the whole Ummah, but if
none amongst the believers strive to seek this knowledge, the whole Ummah would
be in sin. Examples of deeds which fall
under ‘fard-kifaya’ are the Eid prayers, funeral prayers, etc….although these
prayers are obligatory, every believer is not required or obligated to attend
the Eid or funeral prayers; if some amongst the believers offered these prayers,
it would suffice for the believing society.
Similarly, some amongst the believers must strive to
attain ‘worldly’ knowledge in all the important fields….business, economics,
medicine, science, technology, education, etc.
Every believer is not obligated or required to fulfill this duty, if
some amongst the believers strove to seek such ‘worldly’ knowledge, it would
suffice for the Ummah.
Your
Question f): what if i will fulfill the obligatory requirement i.e. only
obligatory prayer, fast in ramazaan, zakaah & hazz and not the Sunnah/nafil
deeds
Talhah ibn 'Ubaidullah narrated that a
‘bedouin’ (desert Arab) with unkempt hair came to the Messenger of Allah (saws)
and said, "O Messenger of Allah (saws), inform me of what Allah has made
obligatory on me as regards praying." He (saws) said, "Five prayers,
unless you do others voluntarily." He asked the Prophet (saws) to inform
him about fasting, and he (saws) said, "The fast of Ramadan, unless you do
others voluntarily." Then he asked him about charity...and the Messenger
of Allah (saws) informed him of the Islamic legislations. The ‘bedouin’ then
said, "By the One who has honored you, I shall not voluntarily add
anything to it, nor shall I be deficient in what Allah has ordered me to
do." The Messenger of Allah (saws)
then said, "He will enter
Related by Bukhari and Muslim.
If one trusts, obeys, and follows the guidance and
commands of Allah and His Messenger (saws),
one can be assured of never ever being misled; but if one believes, obeys and follows any
other guidance, other than that of Allah and His Messenger (saws), one can be
assured of being led astray.
Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only
due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me
alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is
the Only Source of Strength.
Your brother and
well wisher in Islam,
Burhan