I was born as a Dawoodi Bohra, and aware of the several ways in which our leadership misleads the community
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:
Dear
Brother Burhan,
I had multiple questions to ask about various topics. Thanks in advance for
your guidance.
I was born as a Dawoodi Bohra, and aware of the several ways in which our
leadership misleads the community. Anyway my questions were as follows:
1. The way of Namaz and various duas that we perform (takarrab etc.)are way
different than other muslims. Is it possible to know step by step the rules of
performing complete Namaz so that has no Bidaa in it?
2. Reading the Quran my mother say has sawaab only if I read in Arabic. I
prefer to read the translation instead, as it keeps me interested and gives me
more knowledge.
3. I have extensively read about Shirk on your website and I was wondering when
we visit the graves of saints and pray to Allah (not the saints) seeking their
"vasila", why does that constitute Shirk?
4. On Lailatul-Qadr if I do not have any bohra mosque around me, what all I can
do at home as somewhat equivalent to what I would do if i had the choice to
pray at Mosque?
5. What is the best way to do the charity outside paying my hard earned money
to Bohra clergy? What are the rules for that?
I hope you will get time to answer my variety of questions soon.
God
Bless your efforts in this holy month
(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:
Bohra questions understand Quran
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
Statement: I was born as a Dawoodi Bohra, and aware of the several ways in
which our leadership misleads the community.
Dear and beloved brother in Islam, when one is born in a
particular surrounding, and grows up seeing his elders and family following a
particular way, it is never easy to stand up against the injustice and
oppression one sees being done in the name of religion by the self-declared,
unscrupulous, and seemingly ‘holy’ men…..All praise is due to Allah Subhanah
Alone Who has guided you towards the Truth and bestowed upon you the courage
and the wisdom to recognize the Truth from the falsehood.
May Allah Subhanah make your trial easy for you, bestow
His Mercy and Guidance upon you, and give you the patience, the wisdom, and the
courage required to challenge the falsehood with the Truth of the Quran. Ameen.
Q-1: The
way of Namaz and various duas that we perform (takarrab etc.)are way different
than other muslims. Is it possible to know step by step the rules of performing
complete Namaz so that has no Bidaa in it?
Beloved brother, although the rite of prayer performed by
the sect fulfills all the obligatory commands of prayer in Islam, the
self-declared ‘priests’ of the sects have added a lot of injunctions and
innovations in the rite of prayer. Only
if one recognizes and removes all these innovations which the supposed ‘holy’
men have added and innovated in the rite of prayer, will their prayer be in
alignment with the prayer of the one who best worshipped Allah Subhanah on this
earth; that of the Last and Final Messenger of Allah (saws).
Without going into too much detail, what we can do here is
provide you with a short and concise description of the prayers as prayed by
the Messenger of Allah (saws). If you
have any further questions or need any clarifications whatsoever, you could go
to any good righteous God-fearing believer, or alternatively write to us and we
will try to answer them to the best of our abilities in light of the Sunnah of
the Messenger of Allah (saws), Insha Allah.
1. INTENTION AND TAKBIR
To make intention in your heart regarding the prayer you
are about to make. Then raise your
hands to your ears and say “Allah o Akbar”
meaning Allah is the Greatest, signaling
the start of Prayer.
2. QIYAM or Standing
Pray the Surah Al Fateha and any other aayahs from the
Quran. (minimum 3 aayahs) These meanings can be learnt from the Quran
Translation of the Surahs you want to pray.
3.
RUKU or bowing
The Prophet (saws) used to say: “Subhan Allah il
Adheem” meaning Glory be to
Allah, the Most Great 3 times or more (but preferably in odd number
formations, 3,5,7,9….)
4. STANDING UP FROM RUKU
The Prophet (saws) used to say: “Sameh Allah ho Leman
Hameda” meaning Allah listen to the one who is grateful (for the
bounties received by Allah).
In reply the nobles companions in the congregation used to
say: “Rabbana lakal hamd” meaning O our
Lord, we are grateful to you.
5. SAJDAH
The Prophet (saws) used to pray: “Subhana
Rabb eil A’ala” meaning Glory be
to Allah, the Most High. (3 times or
more in odd number formation 3,5,7,9…)
6. SITTING BETWEEN TWO SAJDAHS
(This can be used to invoke any prayer to Allah.)
At times the Prophet (saws) used to make this
supplication: ‘Allah hum mag firli wale waale dayya,
wal lil mu’minina, wal mu’minate, wal muslemeena, wal muslemaate, hayy
min hum wala hum amwaat.’
O Allah, forgive
me, my parents, the true believing men, the true believing women, the believing men, the believing women, whether alive from amongst them, or they have died. (We beg You to forgive
them all)
7. TASHAHUD
At tahiya
tu lillahe was salawaato, wat tayyebato
lillahe.
Every kind of salutes,
all kinds of prayers, and all
kinds of good and pure words and things, are for Allah Alone.
As Salaam alieka ya ayyo han nabi o, wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.
(Allah told the Prophet(saws) these words on the Night of
Mairaaj in His audience): May Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon you, O Prophet (saws)
As Salaam o alayna wa a’la ibaa dallah hiss
saleheen.
(The Prophet(saws) replied, as Allah Himself is the source of All
Peace, and the Prophet (saws) could not
possibly send Peace upon Allah): May
Peace be upon me (saws), and the good,
obedient or pious slaves of Allah.
Ash hado ann laa ilaha illahlah, wahdahu,
laa sharika lahuu,
(The Prophet(saws) said to Allah in audience): I bear
witness that there is no god, except Allah,
Alone, He has no partners.
Wa ash hado anna Mohamed dan abdullahi wa
Rasul Allah.
(And Allah replied): And I bear witness that (you, O)
Mohamed, are the slave and Messenger of
Allah
Allah humma salle a’la Mohamed din wa aa’le
Mohamed,
May Allah’s blessings be upon Mohamed (saws), and his ummah (or family or both), just like the blessing of Allah on Ibrahim
and his ummah (or family or both)
Innaka
Hameed un Majeed
For You are the All-Praiseworthy, the Glorious One.
Allah humma barik a’la Mohamed din wa aa’le
Mohamed,
May Allah’s baraka be upon Mohamed (saws) and his ummah
(or family or both) just like the baraka of Allah on Ibrahim and his ummah (or
family or both)
Innaka Hameed un Majeed.
For You are the All-Praiseworthy, the Glorious One.
(Any Invocation to Allah)
Allah hum mag firli wale waaledayya war hum
homa
O Allah, forgive
me, and my parents, and have mercy upon them both, just as they had mercy on me when I was an
infant.
8. TASLEEM to signal the end of
prayer.
After completion of the ‘tashahud’, the Prophet (saws)
would end his prayer by first turning his face towards his right and then left
by saying: ‘As Salaam-o-alaykum wa Rahmatullah’
meaning ‘May Peace be upon you and the Mercy of Allah’.
Q-2: Reading the Quran my mother say has sawaab
only if I read in Arabic. I prefer to read the translation instead, as it keeps
me interested and gives me more knowledge.
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 in engaged in supererogatory worship.
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
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.”
In light of the above guidance of the Messenger of Allah
(saws) it is absolutely evident that although both, the recitation of the
Glorious Book and the acquiring and understanding of its knowledge are good,
one is superior in rank to the other.
The difference here is not between right and wrong but between one which
is good and one which is best.
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 39 Surah
Zumar verse 23:
23 Allah has revealed the most Beautiful Message
in the form of a Book (Al-Quran) consistent with itself (yet) repeating (its
teaching in various aspects): the skins of those who fear their Lord
tremble thereat; then their skins and their hearts do soften to the celebration
of Allah's Praises. Such is the guidance of Allah: He guides
therewith whom He pleases but such as Allah leaves to stray can have none to
guide.
It is a condition of possessing ‘taqwa’ that when the
Quran is being rehearsed, the skins of those who sincerely and truly fear Allah
tremble, and their skins and their hearts do soften to the celebration of the
Lord’s Praises; and this condition is almost impossible if one does not
understand what is being recited of the Glorious Message! If one professes to be a believer but has
never experienced this magnificent sensation of his skin and his heart tremble
with the love and fear of Allah when the Quran is being rehearsed, one should
know for sure that the Verses of the Quran are only reaching his ears and not
the destination for which it is intended: ie. the heart!
Allah Subhanah warns the believers regarding the practice
of those who were given Scriptures before them who would recite the Scriptures
but did not strive to understand them nor implement its guidance! Allah sites their similitude of a donkey who
carries huge volumes of books and materials but understands them not!
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 62 Surah
Jumuah verse 5:
5 The similitude of those who were charged with the (obligations of
the) Mosaic Law but who subsequently failed in those (obligations) is that of a
donkey which carries huge volumes of books (but understands them not).
The Messenger of Allah (saws) too warned the believers
that during the end of time there would arise believers who would be foremost
in the recitation of the Quran, but its recitation would not go beyond their
ears and their throats! Such people who
neither strive to understand the wisdom of the Glorious Quran nor implement its
dictates in their lives….The Messenger of Allah (saws) said such people would
be the worst amongst creation in the Sight of Allah Subhanah!
Sahih Muslim Hadith 2335 Narrated by Abu Dharr
Allah's Messenger (saws) said: “Verily there
would arise from my Ummah after me or soon after me a group (of people) who
would recite the Qur'an, but it would not go beyond their throats, and they
would pass clean through their religion just as the arrow passes through the
prey, and they would never come back to it. They would be the worst among the
creation and the creatures (in the Sight of Allah)!
Thus in conclusion brother, as good a source for earning
rewards the recitation of the Glorious Book of Allah is; it is absolutely
imperative and obligatory upon every believer who sincerely fears Allah and the
Last Day to strive to understand this Magnificent Message of their Lord so that
they may follow and submit to its commandments.
Q-3: I
have extensively read about Shirk on your website and I was wondering when we
visit the graves of saints and pray to Allah (not the saints) seeking their
"vasila", why does that constitute Shirk?
Allah Says in the Holy
Quran Chapter 5 Surah Maidah verse 35:
35 O ye who believe! Fear Allah
and seek the ‘wasila’ (means of approach) unto
Him; and strive with might and main in His Cause: that ye may prosper.
In context of the absolutely clear guidance of the Quran and the Sunnah, ‘wasila’ is a means to approach Allah Subhanah by doing righteous good deeds like Jihad (striving in His Cause), Prayer, Fasts, Charity, etc. Sincere belief, trust, fear and hope, and the striving and doing righteous good deeds are the only means whereby one may approach the Pleasure and Good Will of the Merciful Lord and Creator.
Under absolutely no circumstances or context can the above Aayah of the Glorious Quran even remotely imply that ‘wasila’ means to take the graves of the pious righteous deceased slaves of Allah Subhanah and start invoking the ‘awliyaa-Allah’ in their graves as a means of approaching Allah Subhanah! Allah is our witness brother, such type or means of ‘wasila’ or approach are manifest acts of the abomination of ‘shirk’ in the Sight of Allah Subhanah!
Allah Says in the Holy
Quran Chapter 39 Surah Zumar verse 3:
Is it not to Allah
that sincere devotion is due? But those
who take ‘awliyaas’ other than Allah (say): "We only
serve them (the awliyaas) in order that they may bring us nearer to
Allah." Truly Allah will judge between them in that wherein they
differ. But Allah guides not such as are
false and ungrateful.
It has indeed always happened
that when some true and pious servant of Allah Subhanah died, some people
declared him after his death as a ‘Wali’ (plural Awliya) from themselves, and shared some of Allah's Rights and
Attributes with this departed person!
Some made images and worshipped them, some made idols and invoked them,
and some turned their graves into places of worship and invocations!
Allah Alone is All-Hearing; but some ignorant people shared this Noble
Attribute of Allah with their Awliyaas and declared them to be all-hearing
too!
Similarly, Allah Alone is All-Seeing; but some ignorant people shared this Noble
Attribute of Allah with their Awliyaas and declared them to be all-seeing
too!
This is precisely what has been
termed ‘shirk’ in the Glorious Quran!
And the Messenger of Allah (saws) invoked the curse of Allah Subhanah on
those who made and used the graves of the Noble Prophets of Allah as shrines,
tombs, or places of worship!
Abu Hurairah narrated: "The Prophet (saws) said: 'May Allah curse the Jews and the Christians for they turned the graves of their Prophets into places of worship' (dargahs).''
Related by Bukhari
and Muslim.
Aishah reported:
"Umm Habibah and Umm Salamah mentioned to Allah's Messenger (saws) a
church in which they saw drawings while in Abyssinia, whereupon he (saws) said:
'Those people used to build a place of worship (dargah) over the grave of a
righteous man among them when he died, and make such drawings in it. These will
be the worst of people in the sight of Allah on the Day of Resurrection.''
Related by Bukhari
and Muslim
Sahih Al-Bukhari
Hadith 7.706 Narrated by Aisha and
Abdullah bin Abbas
When the disease of
the Messenger of Allah (saws) got aggravated, he covered his face with a
Khamisa, but when he became short of breath, he would remove it from his face
and say, "It is like that! May Allah curse the Jews and Christians because
they took the graves of their prophets as places of worship. (dargah)" By
that he warned his followers of imitating them, by doing that which they did.
It is indeed unfortunate and absolute and utter ignorance, that after being specifically warned by the Messenger of Allah (saws); some people who profess their belief in him and his message start making and using the graves of the deceased pious slaves of Allah Subhanah as places of worship and invocation!
If one invokes anything or anyone other than Allah Subhanah, or if one invokes or call upon anything or anyone with Allah Subhanah… there is absolutely no doubt that such a person will be committing the heinous and abomination act of ‘shirk’!!!
It is the strict command and
sole Right of Allah Subhanah, as the Creator and Sustainer of the World, that
He and He Alone should be invoked for anything one desires and needs; for there
is none in the Universe who can give anything if Allah does not will to give,
and there is none in the Universe who can stop Allah if He wills to show mercy
on His slaves!
If one so much so as even tries
to invoke someone or something other than Allah Subhanah Alone, he will be
committing the most heinous of crimes in the sight of Allah Subhanah; that is,
‘shirk’!!!
Allah says in the Holy
Quran Chapter 10 Surah Yunus verse 18:
These people serve
beside Allah those which can neither harm nor benefit them, and say, “These are
our ‘shofa’a’ (intercessors) with Allah!”
(O Mohammed), tell them, “Do you wish to inform Allah of that thing
which He knows not in the heavens, or in the earth?” He is absolutely free from, and exalted above
the shirk that they commit.
Allah says in the Holy
Quran Chapter 18 Surah Kahf verse 102:
What? Do these people, who have disbelieved, presume that they would make My servants
their ‘auliyaas’ besides Me? We have
prepared Hell for the hospitality of such people.
Allah says in the Holy
Quran Chapter 5 Surah Maidah verse 72:
Whoever commits
‘shirk’ (invoking anything with Allah),
Allah shall forbid for him
Beloved brother in Islam, the
Glorious Quran is absolutely overflowing with the warnings of Allah Subhanah
regarding every manifestation of the heinous sin of ‘shirk’. Every nation who was destroyed before, be it
the nation of Prophet Nooh (a.s.), the nation of Aad, the nation of Thamud, the
nation of Prophet Lut (a.s.), the nation of Prophet Shoaib (a.s.), etc. Every nation was destroyed by Allah Subhanah
because they did exactly what they were warned against by the Prophets who came
to them: they invariably invoked others with Allah Subhanah and were guilty of
the heinous crime of ‘shirk’!
Some invoked the sun, the moon,
the stars; some invoked animals; some invented their own gods; and some made
images and graves of the deceased righteous pious people (awliyaas) and invoked
them with Allah Subhanah….and thus became guilty of the abomination and the
most hated crime in the sight of The All-Mighty Lord, ‘shirk’!!!
To visit the shrine or grave of
a pious deceased slave of Allah, and seek his intercession or ‘wasila’ is
precisely what has been termed as ‘shirk’ in the Glorious Quran!
Allah says in the Holy
Quran Chapter 10 Surah Yunus verse 18:
These people serve
beside Allah those which can neither harm nor benefit them, and say, “These are
our ‘shofa’a’ (intercessors) with Allah!”
(O Mohammed), tell them, “Do you wish to inform Allah of that thing
which He knows not in the heavens, or in the earth?” He is absolutely free from, and exalted above
the shirk that they commit!
There is absolutely no harm if
one prays to Allah to forgive the sins of the deceased soul, to have mercy upon
them, to grant them an honorable status in the Hereafter, etc.; but to seek
their intercession or ‘wasila’, or use their name to get something from Allah
Subhanah for oneself is a clear manifestation of ‘shirk’!
Thus in effect one may
supplicate FOR them; but never ever can one supplicate TO
them, or appoint them as their intercessors or ‘wasila’ to obtain something FROM
or THROUGH them….for that is precisely what has been termed
‘shirk’ in the Glorious Quran!
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 16 Surah
Nahl verse 20-21:
All the other beings, whom the people invoke
with Allah, create nothing! Nay, they
are themselves created. They are DEAD, not living, and they do
not at all know themselves when they shall again be raised to life!
May Allah have mercy on the
Ummah of Mohamed (saws), and save them from ever committing this abomination and
heinous crime of ‘shirk’!
Q-4: On
Lailatul-Qadr if I do not have any bohra mosque around me, what all I can do at
home as somewhat equivalent to what I would do if i had the choice to pray at
Mosque?
Sunan of Abu-Dawood Hadith 1039 Narrated by Zayd ibn Thabit
The Prophet (saws)
said: ‘The prayer a man offers in his house is more excellent than his prayer
in this mosque of mine, except obligatory prayer.’
In light of the above authentic
hadith and the established Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws), every type
of supererogatory prayer, including the Sunnah prayers, or the Nawafil prayers,
etc. a believer prays in his house are more excellent, more meritorious, and
earn more reward than if prayed in the mosques.
The worship of the last ten
nights of the blessed month of Ramadan, one of which is the Night of
Qadr….although it is absolutely permissible to worship the Lord in the mosques,
if one truly wishes to maximize one’s rewards, it is best done at one’s
home.
During this blessed night, one
may choose to offer nawafil or supererogatory prayers, recite the Glorious
Quran, study or understand the Quran, celebrate the Praises of the Lord Most
Majestic, and invoke and supplicate his Lord Most Gracious in absolute humility
and hope to forgive him his sins and save him for the torment of the Hell
Fire.
Abu Hurairah
reported that the Prophet (saws) said: "Whoever prays during the Night of
Qadr with faith and hoping for its reward will have all of his previous sins
forgiven."
Related by
Al-Bukhari and Muslim.
Hadrat Aishah said:
"I asked the Messenger of Allah (saws): 'O Messenger of Allah (saws), if I
happen to find the Night of Qadr, what should I say during it?' He (saws) said: 'Say: O Allah, You are
pardoning and You love to pardon, so pardon me.'" (Allah humma Innaka
Afuwun, tohibbul affwa, fah-foh anni.)
Related by Ahmad,
Ibn Majah, and by atTirmidhi.
Q-5:
What is the best way to do the charity outside paying my hard earned money to
Bohra clergy? What are the rules for that?
Whatever is given to some ‘holy’ men or clergy to satisfy
their pressure or appetite has absolutely no weight or acceptance in the Sight
of Allah Subhanah. Allah Subhanah has
appropriately warned the believers in His Glorious Quran regarding such
unscrupulous and self-declared clergy who devour the wealth of others in the
blessed Name of Allah!
Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 9 Surah Taubah
verses 34-35 :
O you who believe! There are indeed many among the priests and
the holy men who devour the wealth of others by evil means, and debar the people from the Way of
Allah. Give them the good news of a
painful torment, who hoard up gold and
silver and do not expend these in the Way of Allah. The Day shall surely come when the same gold
and silver shall be heated in the fire of Hell,
and with it will be branded their foreheads, their bodies and their backs. (And it will be said): “Here is that treasure
you had hoarded up for yourselves! Taste
now the evil of your hoarded treasure!”
Whatever one spends in the Cause of Allah with the intention
to earn nothing but the Pleasure and Good Will of his Lord Most High is the
charity which has weight and is acceptable to Allah Subhanah.
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah
Baqarah verse 215:
215 They ask thee (O Prophet (saws)) what they should spend (in
charity). Say: ‘Whatever ye spend that
is good is for parents, and kindred, and orphans, and those in want, and for
wayfarers. And whatever ye do that is
good, Allah Knows it well.’
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 9 Surah
Taubah verse 60:
60 Alms are for the poor, and the needy, and those employed to
administer the (funds), for those whose hearts have been (recently) reconciled
(to the Truth), for those in bondage, in debt, in the Cause of Allah; and for
the wayfarer: (thus is it) ordained by Allah, and Allah is full of Knowledge
and Wisdom.
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah
verse 261:
261 The parable of those who spend their substance in the Way of Allah
is that of a grain of corn: it groweth seven ears and each ear hath a hundred
grains. Allah gives manifold increase to
whom He Pleases; and Allah Cares for all and He Knows all things.
Your
Question: What are the rules for that?
The basic guidelines for giving charity which is
acceptable and has weight in the Sight of Allah are:
- The
funds one intends to spend must be earned lawfully.
- The
sole intention in giving charity should be to earn the Pleasure and Good
Will of none save Allah.
- If
one spends in charity and expects to earn even an iota of thanks, or
recognition, or to make a name for himself, or spends to earn the
good-will or pleasure of any other than Allah Subhanah Alone, or to get
any worldly benefit whatsoever for himself ….such charity has absolutely
no weight in the Sight of Allah Subhanah.
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 76 Surah
Dhahr verses 5-22:
5 As to the Righteous (in the Hereafter) they shall drink of a Cup (of
wine) mixed with Kafur
6 A Fountain where the Devotees of Allah do drink, making it flow in
unstinted abundance.
7 They (are those who would) fulfill (their) vows, and they fear a Day
whose evil flies far and wide.
8 And they feed for the love of Allah the indigent, the orphan, and
the captive
9 (Saying) "We feed you for the Sake of Allah Alone: No reward do
we desire from you nor thanks.
10 We only fear a Day of distressful Wrath
from the side of our Lord."
11 So Allah will deliver them from the evil of that Day, and will shed
over them a light of Beauty and a (Blissful) Joy.
12 And because they were patient and constant He will reward them with
a Garden and (garments of) silk.
13 Reclining in the (Garden) on raised thrones they will see there
neither the sun's (excessive heat) nor (the moon's) excessive cold.
14 And the shades of the (Garden) will come low over them and the
bunches (of fruit) there will hang low in humility.
15 And amongst them will be passed round vessels of silver and goblets
of crystal
16 Crystal-clear made of silver: they will determine the measure
thereof (according to their wishes).
17 And they will be given to drink there of
a Cup (of Wine) mixed with Zanjabil
18 A fountain there called Salsabil.
19 And round about them will (serve) youths of perpetual (freshness):
if thou seest them thou wouldst think them scattered Pearls.
20 And wherever you look, you will see a Bliss and a Realm Magnificent!
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
Wister