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Teacher of Goodness
Author : An Article by His Grace Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalayleh
Date Added : 07-11-2019

Teacher of the Goodness 

 

 

Praise be to the Lord of all worlds. Prayers and peace be upon our Prophet, Muhammad, his family and all of his companions.

 

Allah the Almighty has sent His Prophets (PBUT) to take human beings out of the darkness of ignorance into the light of knowledge and guide them to all that is good in this life and the next. He The Almighty Says (What means): "And before thee also the apostles We sent were but men, to whom We granted inspiration: if ye realise this not, ask of those who possess the Message." [An-Nahl/43].

 

Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) was the seal of all Prophets and Messengers. As humanity was in a state of ignorance and manifest error, Allah sent him as a teacher and a guide to the truth and the straight path. With knowledge and faith, he (PBUH) watered the seed of goodness instilled in society and abolished the concepts and convictions that led it to ignorance and backwardness.  Allah The Almighty Says (What means): "It is He Who has sent amongst the Unlettered an apostle from among themselves, to rehearse to them His Signs, to sanctify them, and to instruct them in Scripture and Wisdom,- although they had been, before, in manifest error;" [Al-jumu`ah/2].

 

He (PBUH) was the best to carry the message of education and work for building a new nation guided by the light of knowledge and insight. His efforts have paid off for he (PBUH) managed to make it literate. This is reflected in the fact that first Surah that was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in Mecca at cave of Hira (The name of the cave located in Mecca) located at Mountain Jabal Al-Nour was Al-Alaq, which reads as follows: "Proclaim! (Or read!) in the name of thy Lord and Cherisher, Who created-Created man, out of a (mere) clot of congealed blood: Proclaim! And thy Lord is Most Bountiful,- He Who taught (the use of) the pen,- Taught man that which he knew not." [Al-Alaq/1-5].

 

It wasn`t easy for him to accomplish this difficult mission for life isn`t a bed of roses. It is difficult to raise a generation equipped with knowledge and faith particularly when ignorance is driven by personal interest and tribalism, which dominated that society. As a result, he (PBUH) was exposed to many forms of materialistic and non-materialistic resistance embodied in carrot-stick practices. His response to Quraish was decisive where he said to his uncle Abu Talib: "O my uncle! by God if they put the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left on condition that I abandon this course, until God has made me victorious, or I perish therein, I would not abandon it."

 

The Prophet (PBUH) has elevated the status of knowledge and the learned. He said: "The learned are the heirs of the Prophets who bequeath neither dinar nor dirham but only that of knowledge; and he who acquires it, has in fact acquired an abundant portion." [At-Tirmidhi]. This is because the learned are the corner stone for the advancement of the nation. They understand clearly the truth about the Prophet`s message and its teachings, which lead to reforming self by believing in Allah the Almighty and trusting that He will bless it with success. It also leads to building civilization and achieving progress in light of adhering to the injunctions of Allah The Almighty in everything. Allah Says (What means): "Those truly fear God, among His Servants, who have knowledge: for God is Exalted in Might, Oft-Forgiving." [Fatir/28].

 

He (PBUH) was the role model in teaching goodness. He was a source of guidance and inspiration. His character was the Quran. He practiced everything that he preached. He was an embodiment of the message; all of the verses of grace, ethics, and beauty were embodied in his example. He also established the values of truth and justice. His whole life was a practical valuable lesson to humanity. He was merciful, truthful, honest, polite and kind. He passed advice with wisdom and fair exhortation. He (PBUH) said: "God did not send me to be harsh, or cause harm, but He has sent me to teach and make things easy." [Moslim]. Moreover, Mu'awiya B. Al-Hakam said: "While I was praying with the Messenger of Allah (PBUH), a man in the company sneezed. I said: Allah have mercy on you! The people stared at me with disapproving looks, so I said: Woe be upon me, why is it that you stare at me? They began to strike their hands on their thighs, and when I saw them urging me to observe silence, (I became angry) but I said nothing. When the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) had said the prayer (and I declare that neither before him nor after him have I seen a leader who gave better instruction than he for whom I would give my father and mother as ransom). I swear that he did not scold, beat or revile me but said: Talking to persons is not fitting during the prayer, for it consists of glorifying Allah, declaring his Greatness. and recitation of the Qur'an or words to that effect….." [Moslim].

 

He also taught us the etiquette of giving rights and claiming them. This is reflected in the story of the infuriated man who took the Prophet by the shirt and said to him: "Give me my right, O Mohammad." Omar wanted to kill him for that, but the Prophet told him: "O, Omar! You should have ordered him to collect well and ordered me to pay back well."

 

Finally, his message has paid off. It produced a generation that managed to elevate the Muslim nation to the vanguard of international procession. Allah The Almighty Says (What means): "Say: "Are those equal, those who know and those who do not know?" [Az-Zumar/9]. Our nation used the intellect to conquer hearts and minds.  Its kind treatment to people from different races, backgrounds and affiliations constitutes a valuable lesson to humanity. It didn`t celebrate oppressing others or transgressing against them. Rather, it is all about collecting well and paying back well. Moreover, the Muslim nation has the capacity to continue the message of the Prophet (PBUH), adhere to his guidance and methodology as well as preserve his legacy. We are proud to have millions of learned men who pave the way for a brighter future to our nation and children. And all praise be to Allah The Lord of The Worlds.

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

Is it permissible for a pious Muslim woman to stay with her husband who had quit praying out of laziness?

Quitting prayer is one of the major grave sins that come after disbelieving in Allah, but the wife of such a person isn`t considered divorced, rather, she should exert all her efforts in order to bring him back to the way of Islam. However, if his sin is likely to lure her from the way of Islam, then she had better separate from him by lawful means such as Mokhal`aa (When a wife pays a compensation for her husband in return for divorcing her). Moreover, if she exercises patience, and remains steadfast on her faith, then there is no harm in doing that.

I have a date farm, and the dates come in different categories, and within each category there are different sizes. How is zakāh paid on the yield?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
If the yield reaches the niṣāb (the minimum threshold for zakāh to become obligatory) — which is five awsuq (plural of wasq), equivalent to (611) kg — then zakāh becomes obligatory upon it, at a rate of one-tenth ('ushr) if irrigated by rainwater (i.e., naturally, without the use of machinery), or one-twentieth (half of the 'ushr) if irrigated using machinery/equipment.
If the yield of dates consists of different varieties, then zakāh should be paid from each variety according to its respective proportion. If this proves difficult, it is permissible to pay from a medium-quality variety [representative of the average].
It is stated in Ḥāshiyatā Qulyūbī wa ‘Umayrah (Vol.2/P.22): "Different varieties are combined together [for the purpose of calculating the niṣāb] — such as the various types of dates, the various types of raisins, and so on — and zakāh is paid from each type according to its respective proportion. However, if this becomes difficult due to the large number of varieties and the small quantity of each individual type, then zakāh should be paid from a medium-quality variety among them — neither the best nor the worst — out of consideration for both sides [the giver and the poor recipient]. If one goes to the trouble of paying from each variety according to its proportion, this is also permissible." And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

What are the categories of the livestock permissible for Udhiyah?

In the Name of Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
An Udhiyah (sacrificial offering) is only valid if it is selected from Al-An'am (livestock), which includes: camels, cattle, and sheep or goats—whether male or female, and even if castrated. Allah Almighty says {what means}: "And for all religion We have appointed a rite [of sacrifice] that they may mention the name of Allah over what He has provided for them of [sacrificial] livestock." (Al-Hajj/ 34)
 
In terms of preference, camels are considered the best choice, followed by cattle, then sheep, and finally goats.
A single sheep or goat is valid as a sacrifice on behalf of one person. However, a single camel or cow can be shared by up to seven people. This is based on the narration of Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: "In the year of Al-Hudaybiyah, we sacrificed along with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) a camel on behalf of seven people, and a cow on behalf of seven people." (Narrated by Muslim)
 
(Note: The term "Badanah" used in the original Arabic text specifically refers to a camel in this context). And Allah the Almighty Knows Best.

What is the ruling on performing the night prayer (*qiyām al-layl*) between the first and second adhān of Fajr? And which is better: delaying the prayer until shortly before the Fajr adhān, or performing it earlier than that?

 

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
The time for night prayer (qiyām al-layl) begins after the Maghrib prayer and lasts until the second adhān of Fajr. The best time for it is the last third of the night, and best of all are the fourth and fifth sixths of the night. If the night is divided into two halves, the latter half is better.
Whoever intends to pray at night is encouraged to delay the Witr until he has prayed the night prayer. If he knows that he will not wake up, it is better for him to pray and perform Witr before sleeping, so that he does not miss both the night prayer and the Witr.
It is stated in Mughnī al-Muḥtāj (Vpl.1/p.462): “I say: The voluntary prayer of the night, that is, the absolute voluntary prayer (al-nafl al-muṭlaq), is better than the absolute voluntary prayer of the day, because of the report in Muslim: ‘The best prayer after the obligatory prayer is the night prayer.’ In another narration of his: ‘In the night there is an hour that no Muslim man meets while asking Allah for any good of this world and the next except that He gives it to him, and that is every night.’ It is also because the night is a time of heedlessness. I restricted the voluntary prayer to the absolute kind following the commentator, although what the ḥadīth and the underlying meaning require is that the night rawātib be preferred over the day rawātib, since the jurists preferred the two rakʿahs of Fajr over everything except Witr. The middle of the night is better than its two ends if it is divided into thirds, because heedlessness is greatest then and worship is hardest. If he wishes to pray during some third, the best is the fourth and fifth sixths, based on the ḥadīth in the two Ṣaḥīḥs: ‘The most beloved prayer to Allah the Exalted is the prayer of Dāwūd: he would sleep half the night, stand for a third of it, and sleep for a sixth.’ Then the latter part is better than the first if he divides it into two halves, because of the saying of Allah the Exalted: ‘And in the hours before dawn they would ask forgiveness’ [al-Dhāriyāt: 18], and the report of the two Shaykhs: ‘Our Lord, Blessed and Exalted, descends,’ meaning His command descends, ‘to the lowest heaven when the last third of the night remains, and says: Who calls upon Me, that I may answer him? Who asks of Me, that I may give him? Who seeks My forgiveness, that I may forgive him?’”
It is also stated in ʿUmdat al-Sālik (p. 60): “It is better to perform it [the Witr] immediately after the sunnah of ʿIshāʾ, unless he has tahajjud, in which case it is better to delay it so that he performs Witr after it. If he performs Witr and then wishes to pray tahajjud, he prays two rakʿahs at a time and does not repeat the Witr, nor does he need to cancel it with a single rakʿah before the tahajjud. It is recommended that he not deliberately pray after it.”
Qiyām al-layl is a term applied to any prayer performed at night. Tahajjud, on the other hand, refers to the night prayer that follows sleep, whether it is prayed after Maghrib or after ʿIshāʾ, or the prayer performed after ʿIshāʾ without sleep. On this basis, the Witr is also called tahajjud, since it is only prayed after ʿIshāʾ.
It is stated in al-Majmūʿ (Vol.4/p.84): “The sound position, as stated in al-Umm and al-Mukhtaṣar, is that the Witr is called tahajjud.”
It is stated in Nihāyat al-Zayn (Vol.1/p.114): “Among the absolute voluntary prayers is qiyām al-layl. If it is performed after sleep, even during the time of Maghrib and after having prayed ʿIshāʾ early (taqdīman), it is called tahajjud.”
And it is stated in Ḥāshiyat al-Bujayrimī ʿalā al-Khaṭīb (Vol.1/p.418): “His statement: ‘(the night prayer)’: the genitive construction (iḍāfah) carries the sense of fī, meaning a prayer in the night. His statement: ‘(it would be more fitting)’: the reason it is more fitting is that the night prayer includes both tahajjud and other prayers.” And Allah Almighty knows best.

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