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Invoking Allah’s Blessings upon the Holy Prophet (sws)
Question: I wish to know if the verse 56 of the Surah Ahzab obligates us to invoke Allah’s blessings upon the Holy Prophet (sws). How do we do that? If this is not the meaning of this verse, what is its real implication?
Answer: A simple translation of the verse follows:
Lo! Allah and His angels shower blessings on the Prophet. O you who believe! Ask blessings on him and send peace unto him with a worthy salutation. (33:56)
The verse requires us to invoke Allah’s mercy and blessings upon the Holy Prophet (sws). We can discharge this obligation by simply praying for him as we pray for our dear ones and our own very selves. The wish to utter prayers is instinctively created in our hearts and our tongue expresses our petitions. Suppose I ask you to pray for me. How do you think you will grant me the request. You would definitely frame your words in your own way and pray to the Lord for me.
The verse actually makes a subtle allusion to the practice of the hypocrites of Madinah who would always contrive to harm the Holy Prophet (sws) and his family. The Almighty tells the Muslims that the appropriate way is to pray for the Prophet (sws) as the angels carry out this noble task; so much so, the Almighty Himself sends blessings upon him. It highlights the status of the Messenger of Allah and his coveted relationship with God and His angels. In other words, what we learn from the verse is that invoking Allah’s blessings upon the Prophet (sws) is an act cherished by the angels and well approved by the Almighty. This is the antibiotic that waylays the germs of hypocrisy and cleanses our hearts.
Explanation of a Qur’anic verse
Question: Please explain the following verse of the Holy Qur’an:
Call on your Lord humbly and secretly; surely He does not love those who exceed limits. (7:54-5)
Answer: To grasp the true message of the verse we need to study it in its proper context:
Lo! Your Lord is Allah Who created the heavens and the earth in six days, and then he mounted the throne. He covers the night with the day, which is in haste to follow it, and has made the sun and the moon and the stars subservient by His command. His verily is all creation and commandment. Blessed be Allah, the Lord of the Worlds! [O mankind!] Call upon your Lord humbly and in secret. Lo! He loves not the aggressors. (7:54-5)
In the preceding verses, polytheism has been criticized. The first of these two quoted verses implies that Allah is not sitting aloof, unconcerned after creating the universe; rather he is actively running the affairs of the universe. He is the master of the Universe. All the heavenly bodies and entire creations on the earth surrender to Him and obey His commands. It is only He who creates and then controls. He is the Most Wise and the Most Bountiful. These attributes of the Almighty entail that we praise His name and call upon Him when filled with emotions of gratitude or sorrow. We should remember Him with ultimate humility and modesty. The arrogant behaviour which some of the addressees of the Qur’an were showing has been disapproved of. They are reprimanded because such behaviour is not befitting for a humble creation as they are. They should observe the vast universe around them. Everything surrenders to the will of God and all yield to his commandments: why not they?
In simple words, ‘humility’ is what should ensue after observing the signs of the world. In ‘secret’, this humility reaches the pinnacle, where man worships and prays His Lord alone with utmost sincerity. It has been ordained by the Almighty that not a single creature goes against His will. Man has been given authority. He is therefore supposed to be in communion with other creatures, insofar as they praise the Lord, of his own volition. However, those who do not accord with the design of the universe and recognize not the Lord’s power in fact transgress the limits set by Him. Hence the statement: ‘Lo! He loves not aggressors.
The Friday Prayer
Question: What is the nature of the sermon delivered in the Friday Prayer? Who is authorized to deliver it? What should the speaker say in the sermon? Is it obligatory to say it in Arabic?
Answer:The sermon is an essential part of the Friday Prayer. This prayer provides an opportunity to the Muslims to gather in large congregations and offer the Salah. The congregational nature of this prayer was ordained to provide a platform for the Muslim rulers to address their people; these rulers of the Islamic state and their representatives were thus given the privilege to speak to the public and communicate to them information on national and local concerns. It was hence only the political representatives who were entrusted the responsibility to lead the Friday Prayer and deliver the sermon. They would not only exhort the believers to the right path, but also discuss the political and administrative affairs. They could state the government policies on any issue and seek the public opinion.
After the decline of the Muslim rule and abandonment of this duty by the state representative, the sermon is now merely said to simulate the decreed Friday sermon though the traces of the political aspects are still found in its contents.
We know that the blessings sent on the four caliphs and the descendents of the Prophet (sws) are analogous to the earlier tradition where leaders would defend their policies and exalt their predecessors. Initially, every political group used to exalt only those caliphs who were perceived to be the founders of their political group. It however changed and some neutral people decided to praise all the previous grand Muslim leaders.
This explanation is further corroborated by the fact that, many a time, a tradition is also narrated in the Friday Sermon, even in these days, which describes that the head of a state is the shelter provided to the Muslims by the Almighty.
In the light of the above explanation, we can say that the sermon in fact is a means of communication between the rulers and the ruled. Naturally, it should be in the language that the audience understands or it would mean nothing. The second part of the sermon has always been devoted for prayers and beseeching the audience to follow the right path. This again necessitates that the sermon should be delivered in the language the audience knows in order to make it fruitful.
Gender Reassignment Surgery
Question: I want to know that what does Islam say about Gender Reassignment Surgery. Is it prohibited in Islam? Can men or women go for this surgery and in what circumstances?
Answer: Islamic Shari‘ah has not dealt with the matter of changing sex. We can though form an opinion on the issue according to the guidance provided in the Shari‘ah, basic moral values and innate guidance.
You would agree that for a normal human being desire to change ‘sex’ is absent. Men and women both naturally pride themselves on being what they are; they think about the interests and rights of other members of their respective sexes: the terms ‘male chauvinism’ and ‘feminism’ though describe the undesirable extremes yet these are indicative of the spirit I am just hinting at. Thus no one normally and naturally feels aversion to having been born what he/she is.
Moreover, it should be taken as a part of divine scheme. A person should live his life being content with what Allah has decided. He has created us in a particular sex and wants us to live as he has fashioned us. Therefore, in normal circumstances, we should not tamper with the natural structure assigned by the Almighty Himself.
The Throne of the Queen Bilqis
Question: When Solomon (sws) asked his followers ‘who would bring the throne of Bilqis?’ an ‘Ifrit told him he will bring it before he rises from his place. However, a human being brought it to him in the blink of an eye. Will you please give me details on how the man did this?
Answer: I am afraid I will not be able to present the explanations offered by all the authorities on this matter. I will restrict myself to the most plausible and well-argued stance in this regard. First of all, I quote the relevant verse:
He [Solomon] said: O courtiers! Which of you will bring me her throne before they present themselves humbly before me? An ‘Ifrit [stalwart] from the Jinn said: I will bring it before you before you rise from your place. Lo! I am indeed strong and trustworthy for such work. The man [among the courtiers] who possessed the knowledge of the Scripture said: I will bring it to you within the twinkling of an eye. And [there it was]. When he [Solomon] saw it set before him, he said: This is boundless bounty of my Lord, that [has been showered upon me] so that He may try me whether I offer thanks or prove ungrateful. Whosoever shows thankfulness only does so for his own benefit: and whosoever is ungrateful [harms his own interest]. For My Lord is Independent, Bountiful. (27:38-40)
From these verses we can see that the Holy Qur’an did not mention the specific method employed by the person for transferring the throne of the queen. Therefore we can only make a conjecture in this regard, something which is never going to be substantiated. The Qur’an, however, has alluded to the fact that the knowledge which was used by the man was the divine guidance contained in the Scripture. It seems that some people had learnt this kind of knowledge, which could be used to make miraculous performances.
At another place in the Holy Qur’an, it is told that two angels were sent to the earth who would teach this kind of supernatural knowledge (Qur’an: 2:102). This knowledge was to be used very cautiously. The angels would clearly indicate that it was a sort of test for the people who learnt it and that it could be used both for positive as well as negative ends. This indicates that there existed in the ancient times knowledge of such powers though the specific mode of operation of this knowledge cannot be elaborated in absence of any divine guidance.
Status of the Tarawih Prayer
Question: I have some questions regarding the Tarawih prayer that is offered during Ramadan. Did the Prophet Muhammad (sws) offer Tarawih prayer throughout Ramadan? Did he mention any specific reward for it? I read somewhere that the Holy Prophet (sws) did not offer the Tarawih prayer every day because he did not want people to think that it was an obligatory act. If this is true, what was the maximum number of days Muhammad (sws) prayed the Tarawih. Can I still go on praying the Tarawih for thirty days bearing in mind that it is a voluntary act for myself? Also please tell me what number of Rak‘at one should offer.
Answer:1The Tarawih prayer is actually the Tahajjud prayer that was held obligatory for the Holy Prophet (sws) and optional for the rest of the Muslims. The Prophet (sws) would always offer the prayer at home. But once he happened to offer it in the mosque. However, he never offered this prayer with ‘Isha; rather at its prescribed time after midnight. Once, during a Ramadan, some Companions saw the Holy Prophet (sws) praying in the mosque at night and they joined him. The second night the Prophet (sws) again appeared in the mosque and this time the number of the Companions increased as they had learnt that the Prophet (sws) came to the mosque to offer Tahajjud the previous night; they in their earnest efforts to follow the Holy Prophet (sws) joined him in his prayer. The same happened on the third night. But the Holy Prophet (sws) did not come to pray on the fourth night. The reason being that he had noticed that the people started praying the Tahajjud in the mosque and he feared that it might be perceived as obligatory like the other five prayers.
Another important point in this regard is that the Prophet (sws) had allowed Muslims to offer this prayer before going to bed if they thought that it would be difficult for them to offer it at its prescribed time. He had said:
Whoever among you fears that he would not be able to rise during the last part of the night (for Tahajjud) he ought to pray an odd number of Rak‘ats before going to bed. However, those who are sure that they would be able to get up at that time must pray an odd number of Rak‘ats then as the recitation during the last part of the night best affords concentration and therefore bears excellence. (Muslim, No: 163)
As we have reached the conclusion that Tarawih is in fact Tahajjud prayer, we now proceed to ascertain the number of the Rak‘at. The following narrative is the most comprehensive on the issue:
Abu Salamah b. ‘Abd al-Rahmannarrates that I asked ‘A%’ishah, wife of the Prophet (sws): ‘How did the Apostle of Allah (sws) pray during Ramadan?’ She replied: ‘The Apostle of Allah (sws) did not pray more than eleven Rak‘ats during Ramadan and other than Ramadan. He would pray four Rak‘ats. Do not ask about their elegance and length! He would then pray four Rak‘ats. Do not ask about their elegance and length! Then he would pray three Rak‘ats’. (Bukhari: No. 1147)
Although some other narratives tell us that he sometimes prayed thirteen Rak‘ats but we believe that these two Rak‘ats had been added in the same way as he would add two during other obligatory prayers, for example Maghrib, which we generally call Nafl. It should be kept in mind that Tahajjud is obligatory for the Prophet (sws) in contrast to other Muslims.
As for the decision of the Caliph Umar (rta), it needs to be appreciated that he only organized the Companions who were reciting the Qur’an in their individual prayers in the mosque— he only intended to rectify the state of chaos in which no one could know who was reciting what. He however did not participate in the prayer himself and preferred to offer the prayer at its prescribed time. This is manifest from his remark as recorded in the well-known narrative about the Tarawih that ‘How blessed is the act they have left for the act they are performing!’
We think that a person can go on offering the Tarawih in the present form as it affords him an opportunity to recite and listen to the Qur’an. You therefore should go on praying all through Ramadan. However, it would be an unfounded claim to say that the prayer in question must essentially be offered with the ‘Isha prayer; the befitting way is to offer the Tahajjud at the prescribed time, which should always be stressed upon.