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Inheritors of the Prophets
Author : Dr Noah Ali Salman
Date Added : 23-04-2024

Inheritors of the Prophets

 

 

All perfect praise be to Allah the Lord of the Worlds. May His peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions.

The humility of the scholars of Ahl al-Sunnah Wal Jama`a is so refined that they do not speak about their status in the sight of Allah and their role in conveying what Allah revealed to His Messenger, as well as the duty of the Muslim Ummah towards them. This is because anyone who speaks about these matters is accused of seeking attention, wanting to gain a place in people's hearts, and aiming for a prominent position in society. Although humility is a praiseworthy trait encouraged by Shariah (Islamic Law) and exhibited by the righteous predecessors (Salaf Saleh), it doesn`t befit a Muslim to keep silent when an important religious matter is being concealed.

Everyone who reads the books of the Prophetic Sunnah notices that the scholars of Hadith dedicate a specific section where they gather what has been narrated from the Prophet Mohammad, peace be upon him, regarding the encouragement to seek knowledge. What is meant by this is undoubtedly the knowledge that keeps the Islamic message alive among people as guidance and mercy for the worlds, and as a proof for Allah over His servants.

The rest of the sciences that sustain people's material lives, and in which followers of other religions also participate, come as secondary matters. The purpose behind them is the continuity of the Muslim community and the presence of essential life components for those who follow Islam. That is why the life sciences are considered among the communal obligations (fard kifayah). The latter means that when some fulfill these obligations, the entire community is cleared from liability before Allah the Almighty.

The religious sciences include what is known as individual duty "Fard Ayn," which everyone is required to learn and ignorance of it is not excused. This includes knowledge related to religious duties, whether they are rights of Allah, such as acts of worship, or rights of people, such as the conditions that validate transactions. However, such knowledge can only be acquired from scholars specialized in religious sciences.

I believe that what is mentioned in the Quran and the Prophetic Sunnah regarding the virtue of knowledge, the importance of scholars, and the encouragement to seek knowledge, indicates greatly the significance of the Sharia scholars in the lives of Muslims and their community.

One example of this is that Allah the Almighty Says (What means): "Say: "Are those equal, those who know and those who do not know?" [Az-Zumar/9]. In addition, The Messenger of Allah said: "When Allah wills good for a person, He causes him to understand the religion." [Agreed upon].

In fact, prayer is the backbone of the religion, and it is the most important pillar after the two testimonies of faith (Shahadah). Congregational prayer is a manifestation of the unity of the Islamic nation, and Friday prayer serves as a weekly Islamic conference to discuss religious and worldly matters, both local and global. When people gather for congregational prayer, the imam leads them all, regardless of their social status and everyone stands behind him. This reflects the practice of the Prophet Mohammad, peace be upon him, who used to lead the companions in prayer, and they would stand behind him. Doesn't this indicate that the imam inherits from the Prophet, peace be upon him? During the Friday sermon, the preacher (Khatib) ascends to a higher place in the mosque and delivers the sermon, and it is not permissible for anyone to interrupt, speak, or distract from it. This is the same manner the Prophet Mohammad, peace be upon him, used to ascend the pulpit and the companions would listen attentively.

Indeed, the Khatib is also an inheritor of the Prophet, peace be upon him. Moreover, it is expected that both the imam and the Khatib be knowledgeable. This doesn`t necessarily mean that they be the most knowledgeable among the attendees, but they must be knowledgeable about the necessary legal rulings required for their positions, as they stand in the position of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.

In addition to these spiritual matters of inheritance, there are material matters as well. Allah has ordained for the Prophet (peace be upon him) one-fifth of the spoils of war, as mentioned in the Quran (What means): "And know that anything you obtain of war booty - then indeed, for Allah is one fifth of it and for the Messenger and for [his] near relatives and the orphans, the needy, and the [stranded] traveler" [An-Nisa/41].

After the Prophet (peace be upon him) passed away, who is entitled to his share of the spoils of war and booty? The scholars have decided that it belongs to those who uphold matters of religion after him. These include scholars, judges, imams, muezzins, guardians of boundaries, and those responsible for safeguarding public interests. This is because these individuals protect the religion and safeguard the lands, just as the Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) did during his time. They are his heirs.

This means two things:

Firstly, scholars must be at the level of responsibility in terms of knowledge, conduct, and wisdom. People did not see the Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him), but they see the scholars. They believe that scholars represent the Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) and act as he would have acted. Consequently, the knowledgeable must fear Allah, for their words, actions, and even their silence are attributed to the Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him). The responsibility is huge, and the reward is great for those who fulfill it.

Secondly, Muslims should respect their scholars out of respect for the Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him). This is since he (peace be upon him ) said: "Part of respect for Allah is to show respect to an old Muslim and to someone who knows the Qur'an, as long as he does not go to excess in it nor turn away from it, and to respect a just ruler."

It's important to remind scholars of the necessity to adhere to the exemplary conduct of the prophets. We also emphasize to the general public that infallibility is exclusive to the prophets, and anyone else can stumble. Therefore, it's not permissible to constantly point out mistakes and overlook the good deeds of scholars. This is especially true for ordinary Muslims, so how about those who represent Islam? It has been said: "There are three whose slips shouldn`t be mentioned: the scholars, the family of the Prophet (peace be upon him), and the people of the two holy cities (Mecca and Medinah)," because these individuals are human and may make mistakes, but criticizing them directly is indirectly criticizing Islam itself.

Evidently, the enemies of Islam often scrutinize the mistakes of both past and contemporary scholars to attack Islam itself. Unfortunately, some naive Muslims emulate them under the pretext of scientific inquiry and seeking truth, causing harm to themselves, their community, and their religion unknowingly. Again,it is important to stress that infallibility is exclusive to prophets and messengers, not to anyone else.

It is incumbent upon scholars to inform people about the sanctity of scholars and the obligation to respect them, and recognize their status. This does not contradict commendable humility or imply self-aggrandizement. Scholars have said that a prophet is one who received revelation about the Sharia, even if he was not commanded to convey it. However, people must know that he is a prophet to avoid committing disbelief because insulting prophets constitutes disbelief. Similarly, scholars should inform people about the sanctity of scholars to prevent them from committing a grave sin. As the Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) said in a hadith narrated by Imam Al-Bukhari: "I will declare war against him who shows hostility to a pious worshipper of Mine." Imam Ash-Shafi'i also said, "If the scholars are not the allies of Allah, then Allah has no allies."

Indeed, respecting scholars is respecting the religion and safeguarding oneself from incurring the wrath of Allah. We have noticed that whoever insulted scholars faced consequences in this world before the Hereafter. 

Moreover, the weakest of faith is for the Sunni Muslims to respect their scholars as the people following other schools of jurisprudence respect their scholars and to honor them as adherents of other faiths honor their scholars.

It is truly disheartening to ask people for this but it is the weakest of faith and we are keen on preserving the faith of every believer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

What is the ruling on preparing food for someone who is not fasting in Ramadan?

It is forbidden to prepare food for someone who is breaking their fast without a valid excuse in Ramadan.
Doing so would be assisting in sin, and assisting in sin is itself a sin.
Allah says {what means}: "but help ye not one another in sin and rancour" [Al-Mai`dah/2]

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.

Is it valid to have Suhoor before sleeping, even if it is before midnight?

Suhoor refers to the pre-dawn meal eaten after midnight to help a Muslim endure fasting. The closer it is to Fajr, the better.
The Prophet ﷺ said: "My Ummah will remain upon goodness as long as they hasten to break the fast and delay Suhoor." [Narrated by Ahmad]
This is because delaying Suhoor makes it more effective in providing strength for worship. However, if there is a risk of Fajr entering while eating, one should refrain from Suhoor out of caution. 
The Prophet ﷺ said: "Leave what makes you doubt for what does not make you doubt." [Narrated by Al-Tirmidhi]

Should the Zakah (obligatory charity) giver tell the poor recipient that this is the Zakah of his money?

No, he shouldn`t. But, the Zakah giver should make an intention in his heart that it is the Zakah of his money when paying it to the poor. And Allah Knows Best.

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