Amjad Tarsin – The Merit of Prayer Salah
AI: Summary ©
the closest people to whom
the closest people to whom
the closest people to whom
the closest people to whom
the closest people to whom
the closest people to whom
the closest people to whom
the closest people to whom
the closest people to whom
the closest people to whom
the closest people to whom
the closest people to whom
the closest people to whom
the closest people to whom
the closest people to whom
the closest people to whom
the closest people to whom
the closest people to whom
the closest people to whom
the closest people to whom
the closest people to whom
the closest people to whom
the closest people to whom
the closest people to whom
the closest people to whom
the closest people to whom
the closest people to whom
the closest people to whom
the closest people to whom
the closest people to whom
the closest people to whom
the closest people to whom
AI: Transcript ©
Salaam Alaikum. Wa Rahmatullahi, Taala Baraka, to everyone and good
morning. Masha Allah, thank you all for taking time to seek
knowledge and waking up on early on a weekend to seek sacred
knowledge as the messenger of Allah. Ali, hi, wa ali. Wa salam
informed us that whoever goes out on a path seeking sacred
knowledge, Allah, Subhanahu wa facilitates for them the path to
Paradise, and that this religion is built upon knowledge, that
without knowledge, we don't have guidance, and without guidance,
we're not able to be successful and truly live in the way that
Allah subhanahu wa has commanded us to and that the Messenger of
Allah Ali Hu asanam has taught us to live. So in order to accomplish
that, we need sacred knowledge. So these gatherings and this time
that we spend together inshallah to Allah is of the best time, the
best way that we can spend our time in this life. Inshallah. In
today's abridged seminar, we're going to be looking at this really
beautiful and profound book by Imam Al Ghazali from his irinum
Adin, the Revival of the Religious Sciences. And this is book four of
the 40 books that Imam Al Ghazali authored as part of this
collection, the Revival of the Religious Sciences. And in this
book, he goes into an explanation and a description of the slada of
the prayer, teaching us and kind of giving us an overview in the
book of the outward dimension of the Salah as it relates to the
validity of the sada and making sure that it's sound according To
the outward aspects and dimension. But he focuses primarily and
really gives us deeper insights into the meaning of the sada and
the state that a person should have when praying. So Inshallah,
in today's seminar, we'll have four sessions, two, beginning with
this session the merit of prayer. And then the next session,
inshallah wrote us will be on this inner states of prayer. Imam Al
hazali tells us that we should have these internal states within
the Salah in order for us to truly be experiencing and benefiting
from the prayer. And then in Session Three, Inshallah, we're
going to talk about reverence, khulshul, having this khulshu, and
reverential awe and presence of heart in the Salah. And then
finally, with Sheik. And Session Four, he will cover the inner
meanings of prayer. And that's going to be inshaAllah, very
valuable Imam Al Ghazali, is his treatment of that this the state
of heart that we should have when we hear the adhan, when we're
engaging in wudu, when we begin the prayer, and all of the
movements of the prayer in the Fatiha, all of the inner meanings
that should be present in our heart through all of those various
aspects of the Salah. So Inshallah, we ask Allah subhanahu
wa and we ask Allah that He blesses our time together and that
he really allows each and every one of us to walk away with
greater presence of heart and a deeper appreciation and
realization of the Salah, which is the pillar of this religion and
the greatest means by which we draw closer to Allah, Subhanahu wa
so Inshallah, we'll begin with the first session, the merit of the
Salah, and we'll look at the merit of the adhan, we'll look at the
merit of the obligatory prayers and the congregational prayer, and
we'll look at the merit of prayer in the mosque, and then finally,
the merit of sujood of prostration in this session. Tad Inshallah,
tada, so Imam Al Ghazali, he begins his book with this really
beautiful introduction, beginning in the Name of Allah, Subhanahu
wahim. All praise belongs to Allah, who has immersed His
servants in his gentleness and who cultivated their hearts with the
lights of this religion and the rituals of worship, who has in his
generosity and mercy come down from the throne of majesty to the
lowest heaven in order to make himself to call out to His
servants. So he mentions here this hadith of.
The Prophet sallallahu, alayhi wa alahi wa salhi wa sallam, that at
the end of every night and the last third of every night, Allah
subhanahu wa He descends in His mercy and in giving people the
opportunity to draw closer to Him. And He calls out every night, Hal
menday Bala, is there anyone making dua that I may answer them?
Wahemin Mustaf hearing Allah. Is there anyone seeking forgiveness
so that I may forgive them? And that Imam Al Ghazali, he has this
beautiful description. He says, look at how the kings of the
world, you have to sometimes pay a bribe just to get an opportunity
to meet with them. That there is all of this red tape, it is
extremely difficult to be in the presence and have access to the
kings of the world, but Allah subhanahu wa has opened the door
and lifted the veil so that we can be close to him and call upon him
and enter into His presence at any time.
Tama so this is a really beautiful Imam. Al Ghazali has this way of
showing us the depth and the beauty of this opportunity, and
this is one of the first things that we have to take into
consideration when we're learning about TAS
is that it's not a burden. We cannot look at the salah like it's
a burden. Sometimes people say, Oh, you have to get up very early.
It seems like a lot praying five times a day, but in reality, it's
the dunya that's quite heavy. It's the world that we want to always
have Allah subhanahu wa taala support and as the messenger of
allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, he taught us that when he would
ask Sayyidina, Bilal RadiAllahu Abu to make the Adan, he would
say,
Give us our comfort through the Adan bring what brings us comfort
by calling for the prayer. So here, Imam Al qazari is saying
that this is from Allah subhanahu wa's mercy and gentleness with us.
So he has made the prayers a way that they can draw close to Him
and be in his presence, whether in congregation or whether a person
is alone. And not only that, Allah subhanahu wa gave us that
opportunity to be with him. And then he also in his mercyness, in
his mercy and gentleness, he has actually made it. He has
encouraged us and invited us. In addition it's an obligation. But
Allah subhana wa taala, in addition to that, he has invited
us in a very gentle way and has called us to be with him. So how
exalted and Glorified is He and how gentle and beneficent is he
towards us. Subhan wa taala. So then he begins the book with that,
that this is a great opportunity and a gift from Allah, Subhanahu
wa taala. Then he has a breakdown of the book, because this is an
abridged seminar. We're just going to focus on the topics that I had
mentioned Inshallah, and maybe in another opportunity. We'll be able
to go into more depth in the book, but Inshallah, this will still be
very useful and beneficial, vidalah. So the first chapter is
on the merit of the various aspects of the prayer, the prayer
itself, prostration, praying in congregation, the Adhan and so
forth. So he starts off with the adhan, Allah Rasulullah Ali he was
Alam, the Messenger of Allah, sallAllahu, alayhi, wa sallam
said, la Yama, Adini jinnun, wala ins, wala shayun, illa Shahid,
alabu, Yang Malta Yama, that anything, whether it is the jinn
or any human being or anything, even inanimate objects in
creation, whenever they hear someone call the Adan, they will
testify and bear witness to that on the Day of Resurrection. So
this is a really beautiful thing, that whenever you call the Adan,
the trees, the animals, other people, other jinn, will testify
on behalf of that individual and say, I heard this person call the
Adan. So Imam Azali is telling us that the Adan will be a proof for
us when we meet Allah subhanahu wa says in the Noble Quran woman
assandihan, who is better in speech. In other words, there is
none better in speech than the one who calls and invites to Allah
and.
And does righteous actions that some of the scholars of tafsir
regarding that verse, some say that it's in relation to dawah,
calling people and inviting people to Allah. Other mufassirin said,
this is specifically in regards to the muadvin, right? This is the
one who invites to Allah. Is the one who calls to the prayer,
right? So this is the one who calls people to the salah. That's
one of the meanings of this ayah, the Messenger of Allah, Ali wa ali
wasallam also said, either Samir to mun need a mithla muadzin,
if you hear the call to prayer, then repeat what the muadlin says.
This is a really beautiful and important sunnah that when we hear
the adhan, we should, you know, bring to a conclusion any
conversations or pause the conversation that we're having and
listen to the Adhan and respond. And when the muadlin says, you
know, ashadu Allah, ILAHA, illallah, Allahu, Akbar Allah,
also say Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, and we'll talk about the
inner meanings of that. What should come to our heart when we
hear the Adan in Session Four, shadu Allah ILAHA, illAllah,
shadu, Allah Muhammad, rasulallah. Shadu, anna Muhammad, a
rasulallah. And then when the mu ABN says, Hey, Ya Allah, Salah,
come to the prayer. Our response there should be La hawla wala Fu,
wata, Illa, bila, there is no power or ability saved by Allah.
Ha yall, fella, Come to success. Once again we say, La hawla wala
Fu, wata, illa Billah, that there is no power or ability saved by
Allah subhanahu wa taala. And then after the muadh is done, and we
repeat all of the things that he says, we should say this dua,
Allah bahadah, what a damn Oh Lord, Oh Allah, Lord of this
comprehensive supplication. Was salatul ama, and this prayer that
is about to be established,
Muhammad, wasila tawal, fadila give Sayyidina, Muhammad the WA
sila and fadila this specific rank that Allah subhanahu wa grant him,
WADA Rajat al Aliya Taha and an exalted and lofty rank wabana, and
grant him the praiseworthy station that you have promised him in
Nakara to live you do not you always fulfill your promise. And
this is the messenger of allah sallallahu alayhi wa salam, he
said, Who hears the Adan and responds and says this dua, I will
intercede for them.
So one of the ways that we seek the intercession of the Prophet
Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa ala Salam is by responding to the
adhan, and also, once it is completed, to supplicate with this
dua,
ala sa Abdul musey. So this is not a hadith, but it's related to
something that was passed down in tradition. He said, Man, Salah,
Birn, Salah, whoever prays in kind of a barren or uninhabited area,
Salah, Ayami, Nihi, malakun, Wan shimadi, Malik. And when a person
is traveling or out in the woods or in the middle of nowhere or
camping or something of that nature, and they pray, even if
they're alone, there will be an angel praying to His right and to
the left. So then the statement continues for in Advan. So if a
person's alone and they just pray, there's two angels on either side
praying with them. But if the person calls the Adan and then
calls the AMA, sallawa ra Abu Adul Ji, Bali min al Malaika, there
will be a multitude of angels like the mountains, that will pray with
that individual person if they call the Adhan an IQ AMA.
So this is, once again, an indication of the merit of the
Adhan. It's not something to be taken like lightly. Now remember
Habib, Hussain, as May Allah preserve him. Well actually, you
know, one of the beautiful memories in this Masjid is
actually being here with with him. Sha Allah. He comes back to
America time and time again. Fij rafiyah. He was saying that one of
the indications of how quickly a person will traverse over the
srilat on the day of resurrection that they will go over the
traverse over Hellfire is according to how quickly they
respond to the ad. And
he said another indication is how quickly they reject evil
insinuations and the insinuations of the nafs or.
US is the speed with which they reject those things that are
displeasing to Allah, is another indication of the speed, of how
quickly they traverse over the srilat. So when we hear the adhan,
it's extremely important. We'll have questions inshallah at the
end.
So this is one of the things that the ADA, and then it's also
preparing for the Salah, that in order to have presence of heart
and really be in a state where you are internalizing the meanings and
the states of the prayer, it's not something that just when the Imam
says, Allahu, Akbar, and you enter into the prayer you're there. But
it's actually this gradual process that begins with the Adan, that
begins with making wudu. And as we mentioned yesterday at Lighthouse
master that Sayyidina Ali Zayn and abidi aradi Allahu anhu, when he
would actually be making wudu, his color would change, and he would
be turn yellow. And they would say, what is what's going on? You
look different. You look pale. Your color has changed. And he
would say to them, after making wudu, he says, Do you know before
whom I am about to stand? So he would be present, even in his
Waldo. So all of these things help facilitate our presence in LA
salah.
Then Imam Al Ghazali takes us to the merit of the obligatory
prayers and Allah subhanahu wa taala says in the Noble Quran in
NASA, Canada, Allah, meaning
that the prayer is at prescribed times for the believers, and this
is related to the obligatory prayers, because those are the
prescribed times. The Messenger of Allah, Ali wa ali, he was Abu
Salam teaching us the centrality after the shahada, after the
testimony of faith, there is nothing greater than the Salawat.
It is one of the it is central after the Shahada. It is the
central pillar that holds everything up in our deen. So he
tells us, Salawat Allah, he was Salawat in ketabahun Allahu,
alaiba, that there are five prayers that Allah has made
obligatory for the servants, famine ja abi, hinna, walam,
yudna, Shayan, istiq, haf and Bihan kalau and Allah herena. So
whoever establishes them the five prayers and does not lose any of
or does not leave aside any of its rights out of thinking little of
the prayer. Then that person has an oath with Allah that He will
enter him or her into paradise. The person establishes the Salah
and does not, you know, I'll pray it later, or does not think that
they're unimportant, and they literally give their lives and
that they construct their lives around the Salawat. That's what we
have to do. Is not something that we fit into our day, but really
that the Salawat are the pillars of our day and everything else is
fit in around them,
and that we establish them properly, and that we give time to
learning the reality and the inner states and meanings of the Salah.
This is, this is the purpose of our life.
And whoever does that, the Prophet sallallahu, alayhi wa sallam, says
that they have an oath with Allah that He will enter them into
paradise. In other words, it's a guarantee from Allah, Subhanahu wa
the Hadith continues. So that's the case of the one who
establishes them properly, wamalamiya, Tibi Hin and whoever
does not pray these five prayers, falay salah, who are in the lahit.
He has no oath with Allah. He has no covenant with Allah, Subhanahu
wa Jannah. If Allah wills, He will punish that person. And if Allah
wills, He can enter them into paradise. This is an indication
that they're Muslim. But we don't even want to be in the situation
of danger. We don't even want to risk it. And as Imam Al Razali is
going to teach us inshaAllah, not only do we not want to risk it,
the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa ali, he was like he was in them.
He said, well, to a need for Salah, the most beloved thing that
Allah gave me and placed in my heart, in the life of this world,
is the Salah.
So that's an indication of all of the various degrees of nearness
and the gifts and the blessings and the mercy and the openings
that.
Person can receive through the salah.
And this is something the Messenger of Allah, sallAllahu,
alaihi wasallam, he established. And you see that it saturated the
souls of the Sahaba Radi Allahu Anhu.
One of the things I always think about is that they didn't have
alarm clocks. So it's like, how do you get up for you know, not for
them. It wasn't even Fajr. Fajr wasn't even in issues like LA.
They were getting up and the middle of the night on a regular
basis, and they were praying, and it's something that was instilled
in their hearts of the reality of the Salah. Now that is the sahaba.
But when we seek this type of knowledge, and whoever is sincere
with Allah and puts forth an effort, those same treasures are
open to us as well.
That's why, even to this day, you find people the greatest thing in
their life is the salah. And as Sayyidina radiallahu anhu said, or
it might even be attributed to others, that if the people of the
world, say narma radilani said, one of the reasons that I one of
the only reasons that I love to remain in this world is and one of
the reasons that he mentioned was the night prayer and
other slaving. They said, if the kings of the world, the people who
love luxury, and they vie with one another and compete with one
another about the things of the dunya, and they want to have all
of these different experiences and enjoy the they think that their
joy, they're trying to acquire as much of it as they can in the life
of this world. If they knew the joy that we experienced in
quyanai, they would try to take our lives in order to steal it
from us, if they could, but they can't,
you know, this has a very special door that you have to go through,
and that door is abudiya, servitude to Allah subhanahu wa
taala, and recognizing that this is far better than you know, very
superficial and fleeting, worldly things.
The Messenger of Allah, sallAllahu, alayhi wa sallam, the
Ahadith continue. This is one of my favorite, and it's, it's often,
it's often referred to, with regards to the Salawat that he
said, salallahu alihiwa Ali, he was a Muslim, a bin RAM Rin be bad
the ahadikum, Yak Tah a Mufi he Kula, man ham summer part, the
likeness of the prayer. If you really want to understand the sada
and what it does and some of the spiritual benefits within the
Salah, it is like a sweet and deep
river or stream that flows right at the door of one of your houses.
Imagine, right before you walk out of your house, and there's this
beautiful, clear, sweet, cool stream that is right in front of
your house, and that that person, he then swims or immerses himself
in that river or that stream five times every day.
Fama taranaka, you believe in that on it, would you then see that
that person has any
any filth or anything that's unclean that remains on him. If
he's swimming in this river, this very you know, life giving and
vibrant and beautiful river, and he swims in it and immerses
himself in it five times a day, would that person have any dirt?
And obviously the answer is no. So the Prophet sallallahu, alayhi wa
SallAllahu, alhamdulhibula, he says the five prayers, they remove
sins the way that that water removes filth and things that are
unclean.
But once again, this goes back to why we're studying this book, and
the importance of understanding this Deen in the fullest sense,
and really seeking sacred knowledge that is comprehensive of
the outer and inner dimensions of these acts of ibadah, because
Allah subhanahu wa taala, he says in the Quran, in the slide, that
the salah prevents one from vile and evil deeds and wrongdoing. So
someone might say, I know someone who prays regularly and so forth.
But why is it that they they are not refraining from wrongdoing and
from vile actions and and oftentimes, you know, especially
young people, they'll notice that, that there might be something
that's not fully aligned, that a person's actions and a person's
state do not really seem to be indicating the same thing you.
And the ulama of the inner science of the heart, they say that that's
because Allah subhanahu wa taala, in this verse, is referring to the
reality of the Salah.
It's not just standing up and going through the motions, but the
reality of the Salah is meant to be transformative, that if someone
enters into the presence of the King of kings, Subhan wa taala.
Someone's heart is before Allah subhanahu wa Ta and they are
knocking at his door, and they are witnessing him as one is meant to
the Salah is transformative.
It's a powerful experience. So it's not something that is just
meant to be outward. And there were people even in the time of
the Prophet sallallahu, alayhi wa sallam, and he said that they from
these people, you'll see in the future that you will find people
who their Salah will make you embarrassed about the state of
your own prayer, their outward salah, their slay AM, will make
you feel like you're falling short in your own slam,
but it's merely an outward reality, because those people then
start, just like Iblis, may Allah subhanahu protect us. They start
to think that they're better than others. They
start to think that they're better than other. Look at my salah. Look
at my slina, but it's just an outward form. If you had the
reality of the Salah, you would it would humble you. You would not
look down on others. You would realize and begin to witness Allah
subhanahu as blessings upon you and His mercy, and you would
desire good for others. So it's not the outward form, once again,
it's a balance. It is both.
It is both that the Sharia. I remember hearing this from from
Shakira. I wrote it down that the Sharia is like the outer shell,
and in order to get to the pearl inside, you have to have the
Sharia, you have to have the outward dimension of this Deen.
But then the spiritual reality is the pearl inside. So you need the
shell to protect the pearl.
But we also, we want to get to the pearl. We want the fruit, the
essence of that act of ibadah, of that act of Ibadah now, so here
the Prophet is saying that these prayers, they remove sins, just
like if a person immerses himself in this river, this flowing river,
and that They will be cleansed of all dirt and impurities.
And this is also further, further emphasized or supported by another
Hadith of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, also narrated by
Imam Muslim in as kafara, kafara to Lima beyna, one majduni battle
kabadir, that the five daily prayers are expiations. They
expiate, they remove the sins that occur in between them, as long as
a person avoids major sins. So this is an indication that this
refers to the minor sins, right, that the Salawat, they remove and
they cleanse us of those sins. The Prophet sallallahu, alayhi wa
sallam, he also said, beynan Allah, Ben and Mona Phil your own
a woman. He said, the difference between us and hypocrites. Once
again, it's really interesting, and it's undeniable how the
Prophet sallallahu, alayhi wa sallam, he made the prayer and
congregation and praying on time, the the indication of the
soundness of a person's ima and the lack of that in an indication
of hypocrisy.
So he says, Why Salam? That the difference between us and the
hypocrites is being present for their Isha and Subba prayer.
So attama, Isha and Subah is also referred to, oftentimes as Fajr,
that those two prayers, especially the that the hypocrites are not
able to pray them.
So if we have a deficiency, and especially those two prayers, we
have to make an effort to rectify that. And the Prophet saw them
also said it in another Hadith that Fajr, that the heaviest, the
weightiest, that weighs them down. Prayers for the hypocrites is
salatul Asha and salatul, Fajr. And then what did he say? So I
said, wala ya ALA, Muna, Ma, fihi, ma, la tau, Huma, wala o habwa.
If they knew what Allah gives in those two prayers, they would come
to them, even if they had to crawl. Imagine someone can't even
walk, and all they can do is crawl. If they knew what Allah
subhanahu wa gives in those prayers, if they had to crawl from
their home to attend, they would do so
of the mercy and the blessings and the gifts and the veils that are
removed from the hearts and many of the great slaad nehem. We're
going to get to the masajid shortly, but it's all
interconnected. They said that just they received certain
openings from Allah subhanahu wa taala, a presence of heart, a
greater degree of witnessing Allah subhanahu wa taala and His
attributes and His blessings, kind of you know, attaining higher
levels of certitude. He said, we attained certain gifts from Allah,
related to that in the masajid, that even if we were somewhere
else, and we strived very hard in ibadah, we wouldn't have received
the same portion that we got in the masjid, because there's
something about the mercy that a person receives, you know,
particularly in those places that are dedicated to the worship of
Allah subhanahu wa taala, or gatherings where people come
together collectively to worship Allah subhanahu wa taala.
Here the Messenger of Allah salaam, Imam Al azhali, is now
warning us of the danger of falling short. So he says that the
Messenger of Allah Ali wa salam, says, Malala, Allah wa Humu, la
salah, Lam yah, and
that person has lost the prayer that they have not established it,
that they have been totally neglectful of the prayer Allah,
Subhanahu wa Tara cares not for any of his other good deeds.
A person meets Allah, Subhanahu wa taala, then they might have a lot
of other good deeds, but if they have been neglectful of the Salah,
Allah cares not for those other hassanah.
He also said, salallahu, alayhi wa ali wa Sahil, Salam as salaatu,
where Imad deen the prayer is the pillar of the religion holds
everything else up. Fament, tarakahadima, Deen, whoever leaves
it or is neglectful of it, has destroyed his religion. Everything
else is going to fall apart. Is on a very, very weak foundation,
without the Sada,
one of the companions. He asked the Messenger of Allah, what is
the most beloved and meritorious action a UL Amali Aftab, what is
the best action that's most beloved to Allah, Subhanahu wa
taala. And he said, as sada to Lima, the prayers in their
prescribed times, praying on time.
Some of those alim, the way that they and this might sound like an
oversimplification, but ash, it's really beautiful, if you think
about it, this really helps us prioritize what it's all about.
Some of those lahim, they said our lives consist of praying the five
prayers and waiting to die and meet Allah.
It shows us what it's really about, and everything else is
secondary.
There are many other Hadith about that.
We'll end
with this one, and then we'll move on to the next point Inshallah,
mantaraka, Salat and muta amid that very Muhammad, sallAllahu,
alaihi wasallam, whoever neglects the prayer on purpose,
purposefully, intentionally, that person has absolved themselves
From the protection of Muhammad SAW and from his community wala
Abullah. So this shows us this. It's really not something that we
can take lightly at all. But after the Shahadah tain, this is the
most important thing that we have to establish, and we have to
properly give Allah subhanahu wa taala his do with what relates to
this act of ibadah. The next section is the merit of praying in
Jamaah. And we touched on that a little bit. But here, Imam Al
azani gives us some Hadith related to that that the Messenger of
Allah, sallAllahu, alaihi salam, he said, salatul, Jamaat e
Tav, praying in congregation is more is more superior to praying
individually by 27 degrees, which can be understood as 27 times
better.
It than praying alone. So if a person prayed, for example, Shah
will pray salatu together. If a person prays in JAMA, Salat al
duhur, and they went and prayed it by themselves 27 times, then if
they did it 27 times, it might equal la Salah in JAMA. So it
shows that it is multiplied many, many times over, and that it's not
something that we want to miss out on, or, you know, think lightly
of, oh, I'll just pray by myself, you know. And even in our homes as
families, it should be a culture that we cultivate in our homes,
that we pray together as a family,
that we have these times and these points where we come together and
then praying together in the masjid, you know, especially for
men, is something that is even an even greater emphasis, an even
greater reward.
There are many a hadith related to that. One of the Ahadith the
Prophet sallallahu, alayhi wa sallam, he said man Shahid al
Ishaq,
whoever is present for the Isha prayer in congregation, it is as
if that person has prayed half of the night.
That's a beautiful gift from Allah subhanaw taala, the person has
prayed half the night. And then if the person, Shahida swam in
Shahid, a subhakaanama, ama lahilatan, oh amalekulu So, and
then whoever follows that up with praying salatul Fajr, or salatul
Subah in congregation, that makes up the second half of the night,
and it's as if the person has prayed the entire night. So a
person can come pray salatul Asha, go home and sleep all night and
get up for salatul fajit and pray salatul fajit in JAMA. And it's as
if they prayed the entire night.
It's that meritorious and important. There are many other
Ahadith related to that, but even the ones that we covered before in
the previous section, related to the state of the munafim, the
hypocrites, that's something that is significant enough to inform us
of the weightiness of salatul Asha and salatul Fajr, but also praying
in Jamar. And
that the more we strive to pray in congregation, and we commit
ourselves to that, and really are determined, the further away from
hypocrisy we are in Shabbat, and the more it's a testimony to the
soundness and the trueness of a person's Iman.
The last section that we'll look at is falina to sujood, the merit
of sujood. And this is a really beautiful section, and there are
many a hadith about this particular position in the sada.
So we looked at the Adan, we looked at the obligatory prayers.
We looked at praying in Jamaah. And then it says, If Imam Al Azadi
is taking us deeper and deeper and highlighting the most important
aspects of the Salah, and within the Salah, there is something very
distinct and unique about sujood,
and it also is the position that is the greatest representation of
abudi, complete servitude and humbling oneself entirely before
one's Lord and Creator, the Messenger of Allah, He said,
matatu ilalahi azawaj, be shayin aflame, sujud hafiq,
that a servant draws closer to
Allah subhanahu wa, nothing more meritorious. In other words,
there's nothing better in drawing closer to Allah subhanahu wa, then
a sujood, a prostration that is hidden,
as in private,
that you just maybe at home, you have a particular area where you
pray, maybe in your room, or maybe in your if you have a musalla at
home, or a room that's dedicated for prayer, or Even a small area
that you dedicate for prayer, and no one else is around. And you
engage in Salah, and you go into sujud, nobody else sees you. That
is the thing that brings you closest to Allah, Subhanahu wa and
as Imam Al Junaid, one of the greatest imams in Islamic history,
the sayyidul Allah, the Imam of especially in preserving the
sciences of Islamic spirituality and tasawwuf. Imam and Junaid,
after he passed away, someone saw him in a dream, and they say, What
has Allah given you? What have you received? What did you find after
passing.
Passing from this world and entering into the Barza. And he
said all of the various terminologies and different sort
of things that people kind of might compete with each other
about or think that is so important and so significant. He
said all of that kind of dissipated. And what I found that
benefited me the most is two rakats that I would pray in the
middle of the night.
That's what I found with ALLAH SubhanA. It's one
of the greatest Imams. It doesn't mean that those other things
aren't important, but it goes to show if that's really what he is
highlighting, what he found with Allah subhanahu wa Ta then it's
it's very valuable and weighty.
The Prophet sallallahu, alayhi wa alahi wa Sahibi wasallam was once
asked, and this is another one of these really kind of central and
foundational Hadith that one of the Sahaba Sayyidina, qab
Sayyidina, Rabbi AHA Ibn Kab al Islami, Rabbi Allahu Anhu. He was
serving the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, and he brought
him his wudu water, and the Messenger of Allah, he asked him.
He said, Salam. He gave him the option. He said, Ask for whatever
you want.
And he said, O Messenger of Allah, I ask you for your companionship,
for your murafa to be in your company in paradise. And the
Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, he said, Do you have any
other request? Sometimes the lover is tested. Anything else? And then
he was Masha Allah, He said, huwadak, that's it. That's
everything. And the Prophet sallallahu, alayhi wa sallam. He
gave him the way, the formula in order to be granted that he said
in Nia, aranafsika, be kerati sujood, assist me with your nafs
and assist me over your nafs. Or in order to do that with what,
with abundant sujood, through abundant sujood, it becomes more
accessible to be in the company of the Prophet sallallahu, alayhi wa
alayhi wa salhib, Sadam in paradise. So if that was the only
Hadith about sujil do, it would be enough
that that's the way to be with the Messenger of Allah, sallAllahu,
alayhi wa sallam in paradise,
the Messenger of Allah also said
in Maya kunula Abu min Allah and yakuna sahaji. Then this is Hadith
narrated by Imam Muslim. The closest a servant is to Allah,
Subhanahu wa Taala is when he is prostrating, or when she is
prostrating, that is the closest that a person is to Allah
subhanahu wa and remember what Imam Al Azari said at the
beginning of the book, that you know Allah subhanahu wa taala, in
his gentleness and in His mercy, He has made himself accessible in
a way that the Kings of this world can never, never make themselves
accessible to people, and that through his gentleness and mercy,
he has opened that door and removed the veil so that people
can be close to Him and seek from him at any time.
And this is also the meaning of the verse of the Quran when Allah
subhanahu says was Judd waq tarib, and make sujood and draw close
that that is the closest you are to Allah subhanahu wa taala. Allah
describes the Sahaba in the Quran, and he describes the Noor, the
light that emanates from their faces, and he ties it Subhanallah
to the sujood.
So he Allah subhanahu could have said anything that their the light
that emanates from their faces, from their zikr, the light that
emanates from their faces from their Slayer, the light that
emanates from their faces from all of the various acts of Ibadan
definitely illuminate one's heart. But Allah subhanahu said, sujood,
Sima humphy wuju, he him, mean, ether is sujood that their traits,
the radiance, can be witnessed and they can be recognized. But from
the effect from the impact of their sujood, that that Nur
emanates from them, from the impact of the sujood,
the Prophet sallallahu, alayhi wa alihi wa sah me wa sallam, his
great grandson, his great grandson, the son of Imam Al
Hussain, aladi Allahu, Anhu wa Allah Sayyidina Ali Zayn ala Abu
din Ibn Hussain, that he would, that he would make sujood 1000
times a day, that he would pray so abundantly that he would perform
1000
sujood a day, which is why he's known as Zain al Abu Deen, the
ornament, the beauty of the worshipers, because he.
He because of his sujood, and He is the great grandson of the
Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa alahi wa Sahib. And they are the
greatest exemplars and inheritors of the way of the Prophet
sallallahu, alayhi wa alihi wa Sahni wa sallam. And
then there are many stories that Imam Al wazali Then mentions of
the salihim. And we'll end with a few of them that can a use of Abu
asmaati, apoon, that Yusuf ibn asmaati would say to some of the
young people, you say Yamaha, Shabab. Oh young people. Bad. You
rubble and Mara FEMA beta ahadun, aha June was he? Says, you know,
take advantage of your health before your sickness. Because
there is no one on the face of the earth that I envy. And this is not
a haram envy. This is that I envy in this way that what the
opportunity that they have, that I wish that I had, except a person
who is able to perform the rukur and sujood completely and
perfectly.
That one of the ways that you show gratitude to Allah, subhanaw,
taala, for the health and the ability to do so is actually using
that health and that ability in ibadah, in the rukur and in the
sujood, there might be some people for a health reason, or if they
get elderly, that becomes more difficult. So he would say to
young people, take advantage, because the sweetness of sujood is
the only thing that I envy anyone in this world over that they're
able to do that. I
a Muslim, another one of the pious predecessors, he said, ma'am and
haslat in Phila, Abdi, ahabu, Ilahi, Mina, rajulin, you Hib,
Buli ha Allah, that the most beloved trait or characteristic
that a servant has that is the most beloved to Allah subhanahu wa
taala is that that person loves to meet Allah that
is the most beloved thing. And we ask Allah subhanahu wa taala that
He seals our lives, that when we leave this world, that He seals it
with a good end, and that He gives us at that moment the greatest
love and yearning to meet him. Ya Rama rahimin, because the Prophet
salallahu alayhi wa sallam said, Whoever loves to meet Allah, Allah
loves to meet them. So this is what he's referring to. So that's
the first part. Wama in sahat al abdufi Haqq, Abu il Allah, him in
who hay to yahu sahaji. Then that the moment, the time the trait
that's most beloved to Allah is loving to meet him. And the time
that the person is closest to Allah, Subhanahu wa taala, is when
they prostrate into sujood. And
then finally, that the closest a person is to Allah subhana wa
Taala is when they are in sujood. So abundantly supplicate when you
are in sujood, ask Allah subhanahu wa taala, when you are in sujood
to fulfill your needs and to give you what you are seeking, because
that is the moment that you are closest to him. Subhanahu wa
taala, sha Allah will finish here. Wa SallAllahu taala, alas, aydina
Muhammad, WA Allah Ali, he was happy. He AJ Marine, well,
Alhamdulillah, mean, maybe we'll just take five minutes for
questions, and then we'll take a brief break and transition to
session to a shamatha. Yes. MashaAllah? That's
a very good question. So if you're praying at home, it is always
better to call the Adhan yourself, and even though you know a
recording or YouTube, that's very nice, according to what I
understand from my teachers, that's not an actual replacement
for the Adhan so to actually call the Adan oneself is better, even
if you're at home, even if you're alone.
Yes,
and then we'll see the sisters, please. You.
Mashallah, that's a very good question. So in the Salah, there
are some slight differences of opinion among the Ulama. Some
ulama really emphasize that in the sujood, you only say the duas from
the Quran and the Sunnah, or that that's most highly emphasized as.
Another thing is that, because we're in the Salah and the
supplications, and that we should make those dua in Arabic. So
generally, when we're in the Salah, we should stick to the duas
from the Quran and from the Sunnah, and the duas that we
memorize that are in Arabic and then outside of the Salah, and
we're making general dua that can be in any language and so forth,
but to preserve the validity of the Salah, that is a the better
approach, just to keep it from the Quran and from the Sunnah one
knows in Arabic.
Yes, that's also the case for enough of the prayers as well,
about dua in Arabic in sujood.
No, yeah, for that's that's the case for,
you can make it in another language in your heart, but
whatever you verbally say In No, Salah should be in Arabic. Yes,
you
mashaAllah,
mashaAllah, beautiful. Two very good questions. So salatul, Imam
AB, that hadith indicates the prescribed times. There's another
Hadith that talks about the merit of praying in the earlier time
over the end of the prescribed time. So there's obviously a
window, but the praying at the beginning of the time is superior
to praying at the end of the time. So generally speaking, in addition
to praying in those times that there is an added Fabul, an added
merit of bringing the Salah and praying it in the earlier times.
So then his second question was, you know, praying in JAMA should I
pray at home with my wife, for example, if there's no one else
for her to pray with, or should I pray in Jamaat at the masjid? I
actually thought about that for a while, and then I heard one of our
teachers say something beautiful. He said that many of those lady
him, out of their concern and their their commitment to praying
in JAMA in the masjid is that they would pray at home with their
families and then pray in JAMA at the masjid as well. So that's a
way where you can, you know, also pray in JAMA with with your your
wife and your family. And then, in addition to that, the higher road
is also to create in JAMA at the masjid, to repeat it with with the
Jama in the masjid. So I thought that was the only, the most
comprehensive answer that I came across. Wanted to share with you
anything from the sisters. We'll take one question. Yes,
no,
no, yeah,
yeah, Mashallah. So sisters calling the Adhan. That's, that's
not the case for sisters. So thank you for asking that. It's, it's
for, it's encouraged for men to do so, and then for sisters praying
and congregation. I know that among the the great Imams of the
madah have there are differences of opinion regarding, you know, if
a sister can lead other sisters in JAMA, and I would just tell
people, encourage them to study according to one of the the four
schools and follow whatever you know there that school, the
position of that school, and there's flexibility with regards
to that.
Ah, mashaAllah,
masha Allah
Nam. So, so, once again, so this is something where a person has to
try to
really do the best that they can according with their particular
circumstances and their own kind of state. So the question is, you
know, if it applies to sisters to also pray in congregation and at
the masjid and so forth, the Prophet didn't prevent that.
But he also encouraged and said that it's better for women to pray
at home, if they so wish so it is better, but if they would like to
pray, let's say, for example, sometimes I have no one at home,
I'm feeling when I'm in the masjid I'm with the community that really
helps me stay motivated. And if I'm at home, maybe I'm going to be
affected by laziness or other things, so then a person can
really choose based on their own circumstances. But we recognize
that the Messenger of Allah SWT, it's better to pray at home, but
there were sahabiah to prayed in the masjid. So there's room.
There's flexibility there.
Jazakallahu, hayan musallallahu, Taala said, I'm.
Muhammad or miner.