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The Value of Glad Tidings (Bushārah)
Author : Dr. Fadi Rabab`ah
Date Added : 09-06-2026

The Value of Glad Tidings (Bushārah)

Among the values of Islam and the methods of the Islamic sharīʿah in calling people to Allah the Almighty is the giving of glad tidings and the bearing of good news. The Prophet ﷺ said: "Make things easy for the people, and do not make it difficult for them, and make them calm (with glad tidings) and do not repulse (them )." (Reported by al-Bukhārī.) The word bushārah (glad tidings) and its derivatives appear extensively throughout the Holy Qurʾān and the pure Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ, as in the words of Allah the Almighty {which mean}: "And give glad tidings to the believers" [Al-Baqarah/ 223], and His words: "So give good tidings to My servants" [Al-Zumar/ 17].

The Islamic sharīʿah and its call to Allah are not confined in their approach to warning, threatening, and frightening people with the punishment of the Fire. Rather, they equally embrace the giving of glad tidings — tidings of Allah's pleasure, of joy, and of a happy life in both this world and the next. It is for this very reason that Allah sent His messengers as both bearers of good news and warners, as He says: "And We do not send messengers except as bearers of glad tidings and as warners." [Al-Anʿām/ 48]

Abū Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that a Bedouin once urinated in the mosque, and the people rushed toward him to rebuke him. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to them: "Leave him, and pour a bucket of water over where he urinated — for you have been sent to make things easy, not to make them difficult." (Reported by al-Bukhari & Muslim)

The value of glad tidings carries profound educational and psychological significance for the human soul. It sharpens resolve and builds confidence; it eases pain and fills the heart with tranquillity; it stirs enthusiasm and the will to act, to bear hardship, and to face difficulty head-on. It gives a person the determination to persevere, to rise after falling, and never to surrender to despair or hopelessness.

The instances of glad tidings in the Holy Qurʾān and the pure Sunnah are many and varied. Among them is the glad tiding brought by the Prophet of Allah, ʿĪsā (Jesus), peace be upon him — the announcement of the coming of the Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ — as Allah the Almighty says {what means}: "And when Jesus, son of Mary, said: 'O Children of Israel, I am the Messenger of Allah to you, confirming what came before me of the Torah and bringing glad tidings of a messenger to come after me whose name is Aḥmad.' But when he came to them with clear proofs, they said: 'This is plain magic.'" [Al-Ṣaff/ 6]

Among them also is the glad tiding for those who are patient in the face of hardship. Allah the Almighty says {what means}: "And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth, lives, and fruits — but give glad tidings to the patient." [Al-Baqarah/ 155]

The angels brought glad tidings to the Prophet of Allah, Zakariyyā (Zechariah), peace be upon him, of the birth of Yaḥyā (John), while he stood in prayer in the sanctuary: "So the angels called out to him while he was standing in prayer in the sanctuary: 'Allah gives you glad tidings of Yaḥyā, who will confirm a word from Allah, and will be a master, chaste, and a prophet from among the righteous.'" [Āl ʿImrān/ 39]

And the angels brought glad tidings to Maryam (Mary) of ʿĪsā, peace be upon them both: "When the angels said: 'O Mary, indeed Allah gives you glad tidings of a word from Him, whose name will be the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary — distinguished in this world and the next, and among those brought near to Allah.'" [Āl ʿImrān/ 45]

They likewise brought glad tidings to Ibrāhīm (Abraham), peace be upon him, and his wife, of the births of Is-ḥāq (Isaac) and Yaʿqūb (Jacob), peace be upon them: "And his wife was standing, and she laughed. Then We gave her glad tidings of Isaac and, after Isaac, of Jacob." [Hūd/ 71]

There is also the glad tiding for those who have fallen into sin — the glad tiding of repentance and its acceptance: "Say: 'O My servants who have transgressed against themselves, do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Truly, He is the All-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.'" [Al-Zumar/ 53]

And there is the glad tiding of the Prophet ﷺ for the people of tawḥīd (pure monotheism). Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated: "The Prophet ﷺ was riding with Muʿādh ibn Jabal behind him on the mount. He said: 'O Muʿādh!' Muʿādh replied: 'At your service, O Messenger of Allah!' He called again: 'O Muʿādh!' And again Muʿādh replied: 'At your service, O Messenger of Allah!' He said this three times, then the Prophet ﷺ said: 'There is no servant who bears witness that there is no god but Allah and that Muḥammad is His servant and messenger, except that Allah has made him forbidden to the Fire.' Muʿādh said: 'O Messenger of Allah, shall I not tell the people so that they may rejoice?' He replied: 'If you do, they will rely upon it alone.' So Muʿādh disclosed it at the time of his death, considering it a sin to withhold it." (Reported by al-Bukhārī.)

Among the greatest glad tidings in Islam is the glad tiding of Paradise for those who believed in Allah and His prophets, peace be upon them all, and did righteous deeds. Allah, blessed and exalted, says {what means}: "And give glad tidings to those who believe and do righteous deeds that they will have gardens beneath which rivers flow. Whenever they are provided with fruit from it as provision, they will say: 'This is what we were provided with before.' And it will be brought to them in resemblance. And they will have purified spouses therein, and they will abide therein forever." [Al-Baqarah/ 25]

It is therefore incumbent upon callers to Islam, reformers, and those responsible for educational curricula to cultivate and reinforce the value of glad tidings in their approach to calling people to Allah and in their educational methods — following in the footsteps of the Holy Qurʾān and the noble guidance of the Prophet ﷺ, and being, in truth, bearers of good news.

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Summarized Fatawaa

Is it permissible for a woman to ride a taxi without a Mahram (unmarriageable kin) in order to attend a gathering of knowledge?

It is permissible for the woman to pursue the knowledge that she needs in order to perform the religious requirements due on her if there was nobody to teach her at home, provided that there is no temptation involved. Moreover, we don`t recommend that she rides a taxi without a Mahram although such an act isn`t from the forbidden Khulwah (seclusion).

What is the ruling on making up missed prayers during prohibited times?

 

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
It is permissible to make up (qada’) missed prayers at any time, even during the periods when prayer is generally prohibited. The prayers that are forbidden and considered invalid during these times are 'absolute voluntary prayers' (nafl mutlaq)—which have no specific cause—and voluntary prayers whose cause follows the prayer itself, such as the Sunnah of entering Ihram or the Sunnah of the Istikharah prayer. Furthermore, no prayer is considered disliked (makruh) during these prohibited times when performed within the Meccan Sanctuary (Makkah al-Mukarramah).
 
It is stated in Bushra al-Karim (Vol.1/P.181), one of the Shafi’i texts: 'It is not forbidden to perform prayers that have a cause that is not delayed (i.e., the cause is preceding), such as making up a missed prayer (fa’itah)—even if it was a voluntary one—and the funeral prayer (janazah); or a cause that is simultaneous, such as the prayer for rain (istisqa’) or the eclipse prayer (kusuf)... and the Sunnah of wudu, the greeting of the mosque (tahiyyat al-masjid), the Sunnah of circumambulation (tawaf), the Sunnah of arrival, and the prostrations of recitation (tilawah) or thankfulness (shukr). These mentioned prayers and their like are not forbidden provided that one does not specifically intend (ta'ammud) to perform them during the disliked time because it is a disliked time. If one does so intentionally, it becomes forbidden, even if it is a mandatory makeup prayer that is due immediately; because in that case, one is acting in defiance of the Sharia. This is in contrast to when one does not specifically seek out that time, even if the prayer happens to fall within it, or if one seeks it for another purpose—such as delaying a funeral prayer to that time so that a larger number of people may pray over the deceased; in such cases, it is permissible and valid... And it is forbidden to perform prayers with no cause at all, like absolute nafl, or those with a delayed cause, such as the Istikharah prayer, the prayer for Ihram, the prayer for a need (hajah), the prayer before leaving the house, or the prayer before execution; because their causes occur after the prayer itself.' And Allah the Exalted knows best."

How many prostrations of Quranic recital are there, and is it permissible not to offer them while reciting?

There is one prostration for the Quranic recital, and it is a Sunnah for which one is rewarded upon offering it. However, one who doesn`t isn`t punished. Therefore, those who fail to offer it aren`t considered sinful, rather they deprive themselves from the reward.

A man wishes to offer more than one uḍḥiyah (sacrificial offering), and intends by these sacrifices "on behalf of everyone whom Allah and His Messenger love." Is this intention valid?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
The uḍḥiyah (sacrificial offering) is not valid with this intention, because if the sacrificial animal is from sheep or goats, it suffices for one person only; and if it is from cattle or camels, it suffices for seven persons.
However, one may sacrifice it on his own behalf, and then gift the equivalent of its reward to whomever he wishes.
Imam ar-Ramlī (raḥimahullāh) says: "Ash-Shāfi‘ī (raḍiyallāhu ‘anh) said: It is within the vastness of Allah's bounty, the Exalted, that He rewards the one giving charity as well. From this, the scholars of the madhhab said: it is recommended for a person to intend the charity on behalf of his parents, for example — for Allah, the Exalted, will reward them, without this diminishing his own reward in any way." He then relates, as the relied-upon position, the permissibility of saying: "O Allah, convey the reward of what I have recited specifically to so-and-so, and to the Muslims generally." Az-Zarkashī said: "For reward varies in degree — its highest form is what one designates specifically, and its lowest form is what one dedicates generally [alongside others]." [End of quote from Nihāyat al-Muḥtāj]. And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

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