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From Issue: 454 [Read full issue]

Living the Quran

Al-Imran (The House of Imran)
Chapter 3: Verse 97 (Partial)

Duty of Hajj
"Pilgrimage to the House is a duty men owe to Allah, those who can afford the journey; but if any deny faith, Allah stands not in need of any of His creatures."

In this verse, failure to perform Hajj, in spite of possessing means to undertake it, is interpreted as Kufr and its elucidation is found in two Ahadith of the Holy Prophet:

1. "Whosoever possesses provisions and conveyance for a journey to the House of God and in spite of this does not perform Hajj, then his death in this condition and the death of a Jew and a Christian are both similar."

2. "Whosoever, not prevented from proceeding for Hajj by any clear preoccupation of his, or by an order of an oppressive ruler, or due to any deterrent disease, fails to perform the Hajj and dies in this condition, it is his volition either to die as a Jew or as a Christian."

Explaining this very Hadith, Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “I wish to impose Jizyah (tax) on those who do not perform Hajj in spite of possessing the required means. They are not Muslims. They are not Muslims."

From the commandments of Allah and from its explanation by the Holy Prophet and his caliph (peace be on them), you must have judged that this Fard (obligatory act) is not such as may be fulfilled or neglected as you like, but it is one which is obligatory once in a lifetime on every such Muslim who can afford the expenses of making journey to and from Kaba and is not physically incapable, no matter in which part of the world he resides and whatever may be his responsibility in regard to maintaining his family and his business or service.

Those who, despite the necessary means, avoid Hajj and put it off year after year on the pretext of thousand and one preoccupation should be mindful of their Iman. As for those who never care to think for once in their whole life that there is such an obligatory duty as Hajj, and go about travelling throughout the world, and pass by the coast of Hejaz, which is at a few hours' distance from Mecca, in the course of their frequent trips to other countries, they are certainly not Muslims. They lie if they call themselves Muslims, and that person who considers them Muslims is ignorant of the Quran. They may pose that their heart ache for the Muslims. In any case, their hearts are devoid of any feeling for obedience to God and they are bereft of faith in His Commandments.

Source:
"Towards Understanding The Quran" - Sayyid Abul Ala Mawdudi
Understanding the Prophet's Life

Removing Sins – The Simple Way!

Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "There is no servant (believer) who commits a sin and then performs wudoo (ablution) and perfects the purification, then stands and prays two rakahs (units of prayer), then asks Allah to forgive that sin, except that Allah forgives him."
(Collected by Ahmad ibn Hanbal and Abu Dawood)

Don't you sometimes feel bad after committing a sin that you probably did knowingly or unintentionally? Well, this is a sign of a person who fears and loves Allah! The fact that you feel guilty, is a sign of Taqwa (consciousness of Allah), in reality.

That is why our beloved Prophet (peace be upon him) has informed us of this simple way to sincerely ask Allah, from our hearts, to forgive and pardon our sins.

If we do all of the above, we should make sure that we make a promise to ourselves and Allah that we will not repeat that sinful act again, with the help and will of Allah. By doing this on regular basis, we will see how Allah will Help us in every affair of our lives, our hearts will always remain in the state of peace and confidence, and we will always be conscious of every action we do in the future.

Source:
"THE PRAYER: Its Effect in Increasing Iman & Purifying the Soul" - Husayn al-'Awaayishah
Blidspot!

Grave Mistakes

  • Neglecting the collective duties of concern to the whole Ummah (community) such as scientific, industrial, and military advancement and excellence, without which Muslims cannot attain strength or power.

  • Neglecting ijtihad, i.e. inference of ahkam (rules), dawa, and the opposition to unjust rulers.

  • Neglecting individual obligations (Fard Ayn), or at least underrating their value, such as the obligation on every Muslim to command the common good and to prohibit evil and the undesirable.

  • Giving more attention to some of the fundamental pillars of faith at the expense of others. For example, paying more attention to Siyam (fasting) during Ramadan than Salah (prayers); giving more attention to salah than zakah, although Allah combined the both in twenty eight places in the Quran, which made some of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) to say that “The salah of a person who does not give zakah is invalid.” And it is for this reason that Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with them) swore to declare war on those who failed to equate between salah with zakah.

  • Attaching more importance to some nawafil (voluntary actions) than to furud or wajibat (i.e. the obligations). This can be observed in the practice of those who concentrate on rituals, dhikr, and tasbih and neglect collective duties such as condemnation of corruption and resistance to social and political injustice.

  • Paying more attention to individual ibadah (worship), such as salah and dhikr, and neglecting the collective ibadah such as jihad (struggle in Allah's path), fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), reconciliation between people, and cooperation in the dissemination of righteousness, piety, compassion, and tolerance.

  • Attaching a great deal of importance to subsidiary matters at the expense of fundamental issues such as belief, Iman, and tawhid (Oneness of Allah), as well as the goal of moral and spiritual efforts, i.e., the seeking of Allah's pleasure.

Source:
"Islamic Awakening Between Rejection and Extremism" - Yusuf Al-Qaradawi

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