- Prophetic Hadith / Explanation of Prophetic Hadith
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- Al Ahmadi Mosque's Lectures
Praise be to Allah, the Lord (The One and Only) of the Worlds, and blessings and peace be upon our Master Muhammad, the Truthful and the Faithful.
Reality of Friday congregational prayer:
Dear noble brothers,
(The prophet PBUH said: "He who leaves the Friday prayer (continuously) for three Fridays on account of slackness, a black spot appears in his heart." Then he PBUH recited: "Nay! But on their hearts is the Ran (covering of sins and evil deeds) which they used to earn.")
Making one of the acts of worship (i.e. Friday prayer) an educational worship marks the greatness of this noble religion. Hence, every Muslim should offer Friday prayer in Masjid, and the prayer should be preceded with Khutbah. Thus, the gist of this lecture is to tell you that you may reach high ranks (in the Sight of Allah) if you offer Friday prayer as Allah has ordained.
Most Muslims assume that being able to be at time for Friday prayer and offering one of its two Ruk'ats or both of them means that they fulfilled this act of worship, but what about the Khutbah which is an educational of worship to Muslims?
It is not enough to offer the two Ruk'ats and miss the Khutbah. The proof is in the following Ayah where Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He, says:
﴾ O you who believe (Muslims)! When the call is proclaimed for the Salat (prayer) on the day of Friday (Jumu'ah prayer), come to the remembrance of Allah﴿
You may look the following part of the Ayah up in all books of interpretation:
﴾ Come to the remembrance of Allah﴿
What is the exact meaning of "the remembrance of Allah"? You will find that it indicates listening to the Khutbah. Hence, the remembrance of Allah in this Ayah indicates listening to Khutbah. You spend 268 hours every week for yourself, do you consider it too much to spend only one hour to listen to Friday Khutbah?
The one, who arrives at the Masjid during the first Ruk'ah of Friday prayer or during the second one, misses the main point of this act of worship. The most specific part of the Ayah is the following:
﴾ O you who believe (Muslims)! When the call is proclaimed for the Salat (prayer) on the day of Friday (Jumu'ah prayer), come to the remembrance of Allah﴿
"As Sa'i" (endeavoring) means to come to the Masjid with energy and vitality. Some people mosey on to the Masjid while others come with full energy. Allah says:
﴾ come to ﴿
Endeavoring entails preparing for this Salah (i.e. Friday prayer) early.
(The Prophet PBUH said: "Any person who takes a bath on Friday like the bath of Janabah and then goes for the prayer (in the first hour i.e. early) it is as if he had sacrificed a camel (in Allah's cause); and whoever goes in the second hour it is as if he had sacrificed a cow; and whoever goes in the third hour, then it is as if he had sacrificed a horned ram; and if one goes in the fourth hour, then it is as if he had sacrificed a hen; and whoever goes in the fifth hour then it is as if he had offered an egg. When the Imam comes out (i.e. starts delivering the Khutbah), the angels present themselves to listen to the Khutbah.")
This Hadith means that there will be no rewards after the Khateeb climbs the Minbar (pulpit) and entering the Masjid while the Salah is already held is an error, because you miss the Barakah (benediction) of the Khutbah.
Dear brothers, a Muslim misses the Khutbah saying, "I can hear it while I am at home, because the Masjid is near my house." Well, attending Friday Khutbah should be an essential part of the believer's life. One should not choose the Masjid that is close, if he doesn’t trust the knowledge and sincerity of the Khateeb. In this case the purpose would not be achieved even if he fulfills the obligation.
It is like inviting a friend to lunch, but he comes after he has eaten or he does not want to eat. You feel hurt even though he comes to your invitation, because he does not eat from the food you spent the whole day cooking for him to enjoy it.
Man is consumed in the worldly concerns all week long, and given Friday is the celebrating day for Muslims, you will miss all the benefits of this worship if you come to the Masjid after Khutbah is over. Allah says:
﴾O you who believe (Muslims)! When the call is proclaimed for the Salat (prayer) on the day of Friday (Jumu'ah prayer), come to the remembrance of Allah﴿.
You should choose a Khateeb whose knowledge and sincerity you trust in order to make the best out of his Khutbah.
You should endeavor to find the Masjid (for Friday congregational prayer) where you can learn about the Quran, the Sunnah, Islamic ideology, Muslims suffering, how to reach Allah, and how to gain goodness. You should seek the remembrance of Allah.
The delicate point is: If someone attends Friday Khutbah, he is inspired and touched by it to a point that he makes benefit from it and learns about Islam, what should he do with the knowledge he gets?
(Abdullah bin 'Amr bin Al-'As (May Allah be pleased with them) reported: The Prophet (PBUH) said, "Convey from me even an Ayah of the Qur'an;")
After this Khutbah, you have the entire week ahead of you during which you will meet your family members, your friends, your neighbors, your colleagues, or your relatives in their celebrations, grieve, picnics, accidental meetings or scheduled meetings, so what are the discourses you have with all these people?
(The Prophet (PBUH) said, "Convey from me even an Ayah of the Qur'an")
If you spend one hour listening to the Khutbah, can’t memorize any part of it, such as an interpretation of an Ayah? Can’t you learn by heart an interpretation of a Hadith? Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ O you who believe (Muslims)! When the call is proclaimed for the Salat (prayer) on the day of Friday (Jumu'ah prayer), come to the remembrance of Allah﴿
Allah orders you to come to Masjid in order to listen to the Khutbah. In fact, there are 63 Masjid in Damascus, and 500.000 people go to them in order to attend Friday congregational prayer.
One might say, there is an awakening in Islam, all Masjids are full on Friday. Unfortunately, those 500.000 are only one tenth of the inhabitants of Damascus, which means that nine tenths do not offer Friday prayer, so do not be taken by the scene. This means that only one tenth of the inhabitants of Damascus go to Friday prayer. Thus, we need to learn about Islam, and Friday prayer has this educational role.
Islamic rulings regarding Friday prayer:
(He who leaves the Friday prayer (continuously) for three Fridays on account of slackness, a black spot appears in his heart.)
Let me give you more rulings about Friday prayer. If you live in a village where there is no Masjid, are you obliged to offer Friday prayer? The answer is: Yes, you are. You should offer it in a nearby village, and even if you do not own money for transportation, you should go there on foot. But what is the reference in that?
If you are able to be in the Masjid in the nearby village at Zuhr time, and you should get back home at sunset time, only then, offering Friday prayer in a Masjid in a nearby village is an obligation. Some people offer Friday prayer in the Masjid that is 10 meters away from their house, and they are not ready to offer it in another Masjid that is only 20 meters away. After all, Friday is an important day in Muslims' life, because during Friday prayer they get to know Allah. It is their only weekly opportunity to get closer to Him.
In fact, the ignorant person is the enemy of his own self, and he hurts himself in ways which even his enemy does not use to hurt him. Regarding this point, a farmer used to own so many green houses wherein he grew vegetables. He bought fertilizer for the soil, and according to the instructions he had to put only one kilogram of fertilizer for each barrel of soil. Yet, he used two kilograms instead in order to have bigger and abundant crops. The next day he woke up to see that all the vegetables in the green houses turned black, so he lost close to half million liras worth of crops, simply because he was ignorant when he used the fertilizer. Thus, your enemy might steal part of your crops, or might plot to swindle you and buy your crops at a law price, but burning your entire crops is an act of your own ignorance.
I repeat, an ignorant person hurts his own self in ways which even his enemy does use to hurt him. Our Lord will hold us accountable for everything, and He watches every human being, thus knowing Him is essential in our lives.
Once I asked a brother, "When do you treat your high blood pressure?" Someone might not know that he has high blood pressure which might reach 200 mmhg without any alert and might damage the eye or the brain. A clot in brain vessels (due to high blood pressure) is the most dangerous thing that might happen to a person, for it might paralyze him or cause sight loss.
The question is: When do you treat your high blood pressure? The answer is: You do so when you know that you have a high blood pressure and without this knowledge you will not go for treatment. Much in the same line, when does the believer treat his soul from its diseases? When does he cure himself from unlawful income? When does he cure himself from unlawful expenditure? When does he cure his house from dissoluteness? When does he cure his daughters and sons who are not religiously committed? He does so when he knows that there are flaws, that his daughters and sons have deviated from the Right Path, that his income is unlawful and that his expenditure is wasted in sinful things.
When does man know all that? He does so when he seeks the religious knowledge, given knowledge is the paved path to anything. Man should seek knowledge from religious sessions so that he may know where to stand in life and ask himself, "Am I following the truth or falsehood? Am I following evil or good? Am I following the Prophet's way or innovational ways? Am I affiliated with the people of Haqq (truth) or the people of Batil (falsehood)? Who am I with? What is my stance? What is my behavior?" The least level the Muslim should commit to is to attend Friday prayer regularly, listen attentively to its Khutbah and choose a Masjid where he can learn from its Khateeb whether it is near his house or far from it.
Some people go to a far restaurant in order to get the best fava beans in the city, am I right? You do not mind going that far for something you eat, but you mind going to a far Masjid to listen to the Khutbah and learn? This good Khateeb might be right next to your house, so be it, but do not choose the Masjid just because it is close to your house. Instead, choose the Khateeb who convinces you and from whose Khutbah you learn more about your religion.
If the purpose is not achieved, the obligation does not count. Do not offer Friday prayer, because it is just an obligation you fulfill and that is it. Do not be like that. You should choose the Masjid just like you choose your example in life, because Khutbah offers you the time during which you will enjoy it, learn from it, interact with it and apply it afterwards. If you do so, you will fulfill the purpose that is meant by Allah. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ Come to the remembrance of Allah﴿
Come to listen to the Khutbah early enough. Offer Ghusl, put on the best of your clothes, wear perfume, come to the Masjid early and sit in a comfortable place where you can look at the Khateeb, and then recite the Quran (while you are waiting for Friday prayer), because this period of time is dedicated for the acts of worship.
Always remember, dear brothers, that on Friday there is an hour when our supplications will be answered. Thus, you might supplicate in that hour and Allah the Almighty might answer your supplication. Khutbah is the essence of Friday prayer, and Allah means that we should come to listen to the Khutbah when He says the following part of the Ayah:
﴾ Come to the remembrance of Allah﴿
The second thing: You should choose the Khateeb whose words affect you and from whom you learn even if the Masjid is in another neighborhood. Well this is what you do when you want to purchase a very valuable thing. Some people wait for a month and go to a far neighborhood just to buy a very famous ice cream though there are tens of ice cream shops in their neighborhood, isn't that true?
Listening to a good Khateeb worth going to a far Masjid, thus choose the Khateeb whose Khutbah teaches you and you benefit from it more than any other Khutbah. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ Come to the remembrance of Allah and leave off business﴿
If you own a house in the most expensive neighborhood (such as Al-Malki) in Damascus, and you sold that house for 80 million Liras, however, the buyer proves that this contract is signed during Friday prayer, he can nullify this contract in the court of law based on the following Ayah:
﴾ And leave off business﴿
Selling is not concluded (during Friday prayer). Nonetheless, scholars have different opinions about that, for some of them said that selling is not concluded to begin with, whereas others said that selling is invalid. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ And leave off business﴿
Be aware that not all the things on your agenda will be done (during your lifespan), isn't that true? Man might die with 100 items on his "to do list" that are undone. Death comes and takes man from a world to another world, given death is man's final journey, so take part of your precious time (while you are still alive) and dedicate it to know Allah. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ And the slaves of the Most Beneficent (Allah) are those who walk on the earth in humility and sedateness, and when the foolish address them (with bad words) they reply back with mild words of gentleness.﴿
What does the word "Hawnan" refers to here? Does it mean to walk slowly for example? No, it does not. A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, said, "May Allah have mercy on Umar's soul, I have never seen any one more pious than him. He used to hasten if he walks, to feed up those he fed, to let his addressees hear him and to hurt those he punished."
Whenever the Prophet PBUH used to walk, he would lean forward as if he was going down a decline. The Prophet PBUH used to go fast when he walks. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ And the slaves of the Most Beneficent (Allah) are those who walk on the earth in humility and sedateness,﴿
How can we make this Ayah and the Prophet's Sunnah meet in the middle? Some scholars said, "'Hawnan' means that they walked, with a slow meditating mind (not slow paces), not allowing this worldly life to take them away or make them forget their goal in this life, keeping in mind the big questions: from where, where to and why?" Others said, "'Hawnan' means to use part of the believer's precious time to get to know Allah."
A notable scholar whom I admire a lot said to me once, "I will put the pen down to prepare myself to offer Salah whenever I hear Azan (call for prayer) even while I am authoring."
(A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, narrated: "We would be engaged in conversation with the Messenger of Allah (PBUH), but with the arrival of the time of prayers it would appear as if he neither knew us nor we knew him.")
He PBUH was very keen on Salah due to its importance. Accordingly, man should offer his prayers and think deep about his connection with Allah. A man said to me once, "Today, I reach my retirement age." "Congratulations", I said to him. Then, he said, "I worked 40 years for what is above earth, now I have to work for what is beneath earth (i.e. the grave)." It was well said, and his words reflected deep thinking, for now he will offer good deeds to be his affable in his grave.
I hope that whenever one of you sees a funeral, let him follow it even though he does not know the deceased, and let him reflect upon death. The dead man is taken from his luxurious house which is his residence in a luxurious neighborhood in order to be buried in a grave. Is there anyone with him in his grave? Will his stay be for a little while only? No, no one will accompany him, and he will never come back to life, for death is written on every living being:
Each creature will die, only Allah,
who has the Most of Pride and Omnipotence, will stay forever.
No matter how long night is,
it must be followed by dawn
No matter how long age is,
it must be followed by descending the grave
The purpose of this Khutbah:
The Prophet (PBUH) said, "Convey from me even an Ayah of the Qur'an;"
My assignment to you is the following: First, offer Friday prayer in a Masjid of your choice, because you are sure its Khateeb will teach you more about religion even though this Masjid is far from your house. Then, you listen to him attentively, and you memorize what you learn or write it down. After that, every day of the next week, you talk to others about the Ayah, the story, the Hadith, the Shari'ah ruling or the inimitability of the Quran he mentioned in his Khutbah. You do not know which word you say that may affect others:
﴾ See you not how Allah sets forth a parable? - A goodly word as a goodly tree, whose root is firmly fixed, and its branches (reach) to the sky (i.e. very high).﴿
﴾ Giving its fruit at all times, by the Leave of its Lord and Allah sets forth parables for mankind in order that they may remember.﴿
You do not know when a man determines to turn with repentance to Allah, do you?
(When a servant turns back to Allah, a caller calls those in the heavens and earth to congratulate him as he has reconciled with Allah).
This Ayah is essential. If someone says, "I am not a reformer. I am just a merchant who owns a store where I sell and buy to make a living. I am a committed Muslim, I pray all my five prayers, I fast in Ramadan, I performed Hajj and I have performed 13 Umrahs so far. Praise be to Allah, my wife and children are fine, and I have no problems", what should we say to this person? We say to him:
(He, who dies without having gone or thought of going out for Jihad in the Cause of Allah, will die while being guilty of having one of the qualities of hypocrisy.)
What is the available act of Jihad nowadays for the Ummah? There is an act of Jihad that is available for everyone, Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ But strive against them (by preaching) with the utmost endeavour, with it (the Qur'an).﴿
This means, if I comprehend the Quran, I should pass my comprehension over to others, because the Prophet PBUH said in an authenticated Hadith:
('Uthman bin 'Affan (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "The best amongst you is the one who learns the Qur'an and teaches it.")
This is a significant message, and when you convey this message, you will fulfill your duty. Scholars said, "Calling people to Allah is Fard Ayn (individual obligation) on every Muslim with the limits of his knowledge and towards the people he knows."
You are not assigned to interpret the entire Quran, but the least you can do is to convey the interpretation of an Ayah you have heard and comprehended very well. This is your message that you should convey to those you know, like your relatives, siblings, sons in law, neighbors, colleagues, friends and acquaintances, because your words might be the path for them to Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He:
﴾O you who believe (Muslims)! When the call is proclaimed for the Salat (prayer) on the day of Friday (Jumu'ah prayer), come to the remembrance of Allah [Jumu'ah religious talk (Khutbah) and Salat (prayer)] and leave off business (and every other thing), that is better for you if you did but know!﴿
A knowledgeable scholar once was asked, "Who is the Wali (The closest to Allah)?" He answered, "Al-Wali is the one who is found where Allah orders him to be and is missed where Allah forbids him."
Where are you supposed to be at 12 PM on Friday? If you are in the Masjid offering Friday prayer, then you are where Allah orders you to be, but if you are in a picnic abandoning the Friday prayer, you are a sinner.
I repeat, "Al-Wali is the one who is found where Allah orders him to be and is missed where Allah forbids him." It does not befit the Muslim to be found in a restaurant playing gammons and surrounded with women showing their beauty while the songs are played loud. This is not a place for a believer; you should be found where Allah orders you and be missed where Allah forbids you. Hence, you are forbidden to be in a place like this. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ Then when the (Jumu'ah) Salat (prayer) is finished, you may disperse through the land, and seek the Bounty of Allah (by working, etc.),﴿
When Friday prayer is over:
﴾ You may disperse through the land, and seek the Bounty of Allah (by working, etc.),﴿
When you go out of the Masjid, where do you go? You seek the bounty of Allah (by working, etc.). After you learn something about your religion in the Masjid, teach it to others out of the Masjid. Also, after you listen attentively to the Khutbah, offer good deeds when you go out of the Masjid. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ Then when the (Jumu'ah) Salat (prayer) is finished, you may disperse through the land, and seek the Bounty of Allah (by working, etc.),﴿
Scholars interpreted this Ayah by saying, "Apply what you heard in Khutbah."
The Prophet PBUH used to supplicate as narrated in the following Hadith:
(It was narrated that Fatimah the daughter of the Messenger of Allah said: "Whenever the Messenger of Allah entered the mosque he would say: 'Bismillah, was-salamu 'ala Rasulillah, Allahummagh-firli dhunubi waftah li abwaba rahmatika. (In the Name of Allah, and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah. O Allah, forgive me my sins and open to me the gates of Your mercy).' When he left he would say: 'Bismillah, was-salamu 'ala Rasulillah, Allahummagh-firli dhunubi waftah li abwaba fadlika. (In the Name of Allah, and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah. O Allah, forgive me my sins and open to me the gates of Your bounty).'")
You are in one of two places: Either you are learning about Islam and this is but a Mercy from Allah upon you, or you are on your way home, at home, at work or in your store to make a living, and this is but a Favor from Allah upon you. Thus, you are between Allah's Mercy and Favor. You are either learning about your religion, or teaching it to others by words, acts, services, alms giving, Sadaqah and the like.
Remembrance of Allah:
Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ Then when the (Jumu'ah) Salat (prayer) is finished, you may disperse through the land, and seek the Bounty of Allah ( by working, etc.), and remember Allah much, that you may be successful.﴿
If he does not remember Allah but little, will he be applying the previous Ayah? No he will not be applying it, because Allah in another Ayah describes the hypocrites as follows:
﴾ And they do not remember Allah but little.﴿
The hypocrite does not remember Allah but little. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ O you who believe! Remember Allah with much remembrance.﴿
﴾And glorify His Praises morning and afternoon [the early morning (Fajr) and 'Asr prayers].﴿
﴾ He it is Who sends Salat (His blessings) on you, and His angels too (ask Allah to bless and forgive you), that He may bring you out from darkness (of disbelief and polytheism) into light (of Belief and Islamic Monotheism). And He is Ever Most Merciful to the believers.﴿
﴾Their greeting on the Day they shall meet Him will be "Salam: Peace (i.e. the angels will say to them: Salamu 'Alaikum)!" And He has prepared for them a generous reward (i.e. Paradise).﴿
Conclusion:
Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ And when they see some merchandise or some amusement [beating of Tambur (drum) etc.] they disperse headlong to it, and leave you (Muhammad PBUH) standing [while delivering Jumu'ah's religious talk (Khutbah)]. Say "That which Allah has is better than any amusement or merchandise! And Allah is the Best of providers."﴿
This means: When man is ready to close his store in order to offer Salah or to attend a religious session, he does not have to worry about his livelihood, because Allah is Ar-Razzaq (The All-Provider). Allah sometimes brings exhaustion to man. To this effect, the Prophet PBUH narrates that Allah says in a Divine Hadith:
(O My salve! You desire (something) and I desire (something else). If you surrender to that which I desire, I suffice you concerning that which you desire; but if you refuse to surrender to that which I desire, I tire you out in that which you desire and then you get nothing but that which I desire.")
The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) also says:
(He who prefers the Hereafter to the life of this present world shall win them both; but he who prefers the life of the present world to the Hereafter shall lose them both.)
Allah the Almighty says:
﴾O you who believe! Let not your properties or your children divert you from the remembrance of Allah. And whosoever does that, then they are the losers.﴿
Allah the Almighty says:
﴾And when they see some merchandise or some amusement [beating of Tambur (drum) etc.] they disperse headlong to it, and leave you (Muhammad ) standing [while delivering Jumu'ah's religious talk (Khutbah)]. Say "That which Allah has is better than any amusement or merchandise! And Allah is the Best of providers."﴿
