A Life of True Worship

Sh. Ahmed Arafat

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Prophet Muhammad :

One of the big problems in the classical works on “Seerah” or the life-story of the prophet is that they do not give an integrated image of the personality of the prophet . They are mainly concerned with the political developments and the different struggles of early Muslims. Many aspects of the character of the prophet

are found in the Quran, books of Hadith and Shamael (which covers intricate details of the prophet’s appearance and manners). This short article seeks to shed some light on the prophet’s dedication to worship, which is almost absent in the books of Seerah. Let us take few examples from Quran and Hadith that will help

us recognize the heart of Muhammad .

(1) The Quran commands the prophet to dedicate his life to worship.

Allah commands the prophet “And worship your Lord until death comes to you.” (15: 99) In another position Allah

said: “O you who are enwrapped ‘in a mantle’ [out of fear and awe], arise to pray during the night, except for a little ‘of it’. Or ‘pray’ half of it, or lessen the same a little, or add there-to. And ‘therein’ recite the Quran perfectly. For we shall assur-edly cast upon you a weighty Word [the Quran]. And, indeed, rising at night ‘for Prayer’ makes for a stronger impression ‘on the soul’, and is best for the recitation ‘of God’s word’. Indeed, during the daytime you shall have lengthy occupations ‘in calling to God’. So remember ‘with praise’ the name of your Lord. Thus shall you devote yourself with ‘sincere’ de-votion to Him ‘alone’—the Lord of East and the West. There is no God but Him! So take him ‘alone’ as a guardian.” (73: 1-8) These commands were highly illustrated in the life of the prophet; yet, they are missed in the books of Seerah.

(2) To the prophet , Salah was a source of comfort.

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December 2015 Vol. 06, Issue 98 Copyright © 2015 by The Mosque Foundation. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction without permission is strictly prohibited. Community Pulse is published monthly in the United States by The Mosque Foundation. Editorial and executive offices are located at 7360 W. 93rd Street, Bridgeview, IL 60455. Subscription rates in U.S. and possessions: 1 year (12 issues) FREE. Send address changes to: The Mosque Foundation, 7360 W. 93rd Street. Bridgeview, IL 60455. Printed in U.S.A.

MF BOARD OF DIRECTORS

EDITORIAL BOARD

Hussein AtaSh. Jamal SaidSh. Ahmed ArafatTareq Abu-AmmerAisheh SaidMohamed ChehadeBanan SaidAbdel Baset Hamayel

1. Hussein Ata2. Oussama Jammal3. Jamal Said4. Habes Abdallah5. Abdallah M Shuaibi6. Kalid Baste7. Fahim Aref8. Jehad Materiyeh9. Ahmed Kamni10. Aisheh Said11. Banan Said12. Marwan Elsafadi13. Jafar Ahmad14. Safaa Zarzour15. Mohamed Aduib16. Montaha Salem17. Muin Abu Sharara18. Ziad Zatar19. Karen Danielson

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A Life of True WorshipAbdullah ibn Ash-Shikheer was reported to have said: “I came to the prophet while he was praying, and his chest sounded like a boiling kettle.” It is unfortunate that this imagery of the prophet is not reflected in Seerah even though Salah was the favorite resort for the prophet . Whenever the prophet faced with mindfulness and awe for God any difficult time, he would rush to Salah asking Bilal to call the Athan saying: “Bring comfort to us by ‘calling’ it.” The prophet loved Salah so much that he said about it. “Salah is the pleasure of my eye.” He loved to stand before Allah, praying for a long time. According to Imam al-Bukhari, Ibn Mas’ud said: “I prayed with the prophet one night, and his standing was so long that I thought of something bad! He was asked: “What did you think of? “To sit down and leave him [the prophet ] standing!” replied Ibn Mas’ud.

There are many Ahadith that explain how devoted the prophet was to Salah despite of his sinless life. For instance, Imam Muslim reported on the authority of `Aisha (May Al-lah be pleased with her) reported: The prophet kept standing (in prayer) so long that the skin of his feet would crack. I asked him: “Why do you do this, while your past and coming sins are forgiven?’’ He said, “Should I not be a grateful servant of Allah?’’ Thus the prophet’s closeness to Allah did not lead him to pride; however, it led him to more hu-mility and worship as a proof of gratitude to Allah. In another Hadith, Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, described the prophet’s Salah: “Indeed, the prophet used to pray eleven rak’as. This is how he used to pray [at night]. His Sujud would last as long as one of you takes to recite fifty ayat. Thereafter, he would pray two rak’as before Fajr prayer; then, he would lie down on his right side till the Athan for Salah is called” (Reported by al-Bukhari).

(3) The prophet had frequent Munajah or intimate conversations with Allah.

Ibn Abbas reported that the prophet used to say when waking up for voluntary night prayer:”O Allah, to you is all praise. You are the Sustainer of the heavens and the earth and what is therein. To you is all praise. To You is the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and what is therein. To You is all praise. You are the Light of the heaven and the earth and what is therein. To you is all praise. You are the King of the heavens and the earth. To you is all praise. You are the Truth, Your Promise is the Truth, Your Word is the Truth, Heaven is true, Hell is true, prophets are true, and Muhammad is true. O Allah, to you I submit, in You I believe, on You I put my trust, to You I turn, with Your help I give arguments, and You do I take as a Judge. So forgive my sins past and future, secret and public for no one forgives sins but You.” (Re-ported by Imam Muslim). With this humble prayer, the prophet set the best example for us to communicate with God from the bottom of our hearts.

(4) The prophet had a heartfelt relation with the Quran.

The prophet’s heart was so soft that he would weep whenever he listens to the Quran, espe-cially the ayat that remind him of his prophetic tasks. Ibn Mas’ud said: “The prophet said to me, “Recite the Qur’an for me”. I said, “O Messenger of Allah, shall I recite the Qur’an for you, whereas it has been revealed to you?’’ He replied, “I love to hear from others.” Upon this I started reciting Surat An-Nisa’. When I reached the Ayah:”How [shall it be] then, when We bring from each nation a witness and We bring you [O Muhammad] as a witness against these people?” (4:41) He said, “that is enough”. When I looked at him, his eyes were tearful.” (Narrated by Imam al-Bukhari and Imam Muslim)

(5) The prophet used to contemplate on the glory and creations of Allah.

Imam al-Bukhari reported that Ibn Abbas said: “While I was staying with my aunt May-mounah, [I noticed that] the prophet spent some time conversing with his family, and then he slept. At the last third of the night, the prophet woke up and looked at the sky and re-

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By Ahmed Arafat

cited: “Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alteration of night and day are signs for those who reflect. Those who remember Allah while standing, sitting and lying down on their sides, and think deeply about the creation of the heavens and the earth, saying: ‘Our Lord, You have not created this in vain. Holy be You. So save us from the torment of the hellfire” (3:190-191). Thereafter, the prophet made Wudu’ and then prayed eleven rak’as. Thereafter this Bilal called the Athan. Then the prophet

prayed two rak’as and went out to offer the morning prayer [in congregation] with people.”

(6) The prophet practiced frequent fasts.

Here is a list of these fasts.

a) All the month of Ramadan,

b) All the month of Sha’ban except for few days,

c) Mondays and Thursdays of each week,

d) The13th, 14th and 15th of every Hijri month even if he was traveling,

e) The 9th of Muharram and the 9th of Thul-Hijjah,

f) Al-wisal fasting; that is, to fast successive days without break-ing the fast at all. However, the prophet forbade his companions from this kind of fasting, saying: “It is my Lord Who feeds me!”

g) Sometimes he would fast many days in a row for no occasions, and

h) Sometimes if he woke up and found no food for breakfast, he would intend fasting that day till sunset.

(7) The prophet was a generous giver.

Ibn `Abbas reported: “The Messenger of Allah was the most generous of all people; and he was extremely generous dur-ing the month of Ramadan when Jibril meets with him. In Rama-dan, Jibril used to meet with the prophet every night reciting the Quran to him. During this period, the prophet was more generous than the free-blowing wind!”

(8) The prophet practiced I’tikaf (Seclusion in the Masjid for Worship) as a spiritual vacation.

Abu Hurayrah reported: The Prophet used to observe I`tikaf every year (during Ramadan) for ten days. However, in the year when he passed away, he observed I`tikaf for twenty days. [Al-Bukhari].

(9) The prophet was a role model in seeking God’s forgive-ness.

In his Sahih, Imam Muslim reported, on the authority of al-Aghar al-Muzni that the prophet said: “Sometimes I forget [Thikr of Allah], and I would do Istighfar [asking Allah for forgiveness]

more than hundred times a day.” It is noteworthy to mention that the prophet considers his ‘forgetfulness’ as a sin! We all understand that any religious act missed out of ignorance or forgetfulness can be ex-cused or made up. However, because of his higher level of faith, the prophet considered his forgetfulness as a sin that requires Istighfar. Here is an example of the prophet’s Istighfar, usually called Sayyid al-Istighfar (the best form of seeking God’s forgiveness) that shows the prophet’s humility and gratitude and complete reliance on Allah:

“O Allah! You are my Lord. No one deserves to be worshipped ex-cept You. You created me, and I am Your servant. I will constantly keep my covenant of obeying You and my expectation of getting re-warded by You as much as I could. I seek Your refuge from the evil I did. I acknowledge the blessings You bestowed on me, and I confess my sins to You; So, forgive me for no one forgives sins but You.”

(10) The prophet lived in the presence of Allah.

The prophet’s love of Allah was so overwhelming and genuine that anything that happened around him reminded him of Allah. He was simply God-oriented. He had a prayer for every occasion during the day and night. He had a set of long prayers or Du’aas to be recited in the morning and the evening. His daily activities were also connected with prayers as he had sets of prayers to be recited before he sleeps, when he gets up, wears his clothes, wears new clothes, sees someone wearing new clothes, uses the bathroom, leaves the bathroom ...etc. Natural phenomenon around him was similarly a reminder of Allah. For example, he had a prayer to be recited when it is rains or when there is a change in the weather.

I here suggest three books for further information on Dhikr in the life of the prophet : The Invocation of God by Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah (or its Arabic version al-Wabil al-Sayyib), Remembrance and Prayer: The Way of the Prophet Muhammad by Muhammad al-Ghazali (or its Arabic version Fannu al-Dhikr wa al-Du’aa ‘Inda Khatam al-Anbi-ya’), and for a complete list of the prophet’s frequently-recited prayers for different occasions, check al-Qahtani’s booklet Fortress of the Muslim: Invocations from the Quran and Sunnah (or its Arabic ver-sion Hisn al-Muslim). Studying the prophet’s daily prayers is a great chance for exploring the purity of his heart and recognizing why the late Sheikh Muhammad al-Ghazali clearly stated that the world never knew anyone whose heart was full of the love and the presence of God like that of the prophet .

Moreover, focusing on the worship of the prophet leaves no room for anyone to doubt his sincerity, honesty and prophecy as this worship cannot emerge from the heart of a false prophet.

To conclude, the more you recognize Allah and His attributes, the more obedient to Him you will be. That is why the prophet was the perfect example of showing submission to Allah, simply because he had the perfect understanding of Allah and His glory.

This article gave some glimpses of the prophet’s worship which are missing in Seerah books. I hope Seerah would be rewritten in a way that illustrates the different aspects of his noble character, not merely the political success.

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Observing how Muslims offer their Salah, one can easily notice that they correctly stand, bow, prostrate and sit. However, some may miss an essential part of prayer, without which Salah is not valid; that is, “Tuma’neenah.”

What is “Tuma’neenah”? It basically means praying so calmly that you do not connect two movements together and that you do have enough time to recite the required words of praise. As a criterion for Tuma’neenah, scholars say “you do not move from one posture to another until the bones are settled.” A common mistake that illustrates the absence of Tuma’neenah, and thereby the invalidity of Salah, is making “half rising from the bowing position” or “half rising from the prostrating position.” You must make a complete standing after bowing and a complete sitting after prostrating.

Imam al-Bukhari and Muslim reported, on the authority of Abu Hurayrah , that the Messenger of Allah once entered the mosque and a man came in and prayed. Then the man greeted the Messenger of Allah . The Messenger of Allah greeted him back and said: “Go back and pray, for you have not prayed.” The man went back and prayed as he had prayed before, then he came to the Prophet and greeted him, and the Messenger of Allah greeted him back and said: “Go back and pray, for you have not prayed.” When he had done that three times, the man said: “By the One Who sent you with the truth, I cannot do more than that; so, teach me. The prophet said: “When you go to pray, say Allahu Akbar, then recite whatever you can of the Quran. Then bow until you have Tuma’neenah in bowing, then rise until you stand up with Tuma’neenah. Then prostrate until you have Tuma’neenah in prostration. Then sit up until you have Tuma’neenah in sitting. Then do that throughout the entire prayer.” Note that this Hadith placed emphasis on Tuma’neenah (not all Salah requirements) since the prophet was dealing mainly with what the man missed.

Hasty performance of Salah never brings in concentration or mindfulness. The prophet compared praying hurriedly to “stealing”! He says: “The worst thief is the one who steals from his own prayer. People asked, ‘Messenger of Allah, how could one steal from his own prayer?’ He said: By not completing its bowing and prostrating [positions]” [Reported by Imam Ahmad and others].

Spiritually speaking, maintaining a good pace between Salah actions is a necessary step in meditating on what we recite and allowing time for the values contained in the recitations to sink in and take hold. Practicing Tuma’neenah in Salah both physically and verbally will result in what we call the Tuma’neenah of the heart where feelings of peace and tranquility are inspired as the Quran says: “In the remem-brance of Allah do hearts find rest” (13:28).

In his al-Adhkar, Imam al-Nawawi explains that, for an effective reci-tation of the Quran or Dhikr, one must recite with mindfulness, un-derstating and humility. The Quran tells us how it should be received: “This is a Book that We revealed unto you so that they will ponder over its verses, and that people of understanding will reflect” (38:29). This is the recitation that enlightens our hearts and removes our wor-ries; however, we cannot reach that level without Tuma’neenah.

Practically, if you are not used to practice Tuma’neenah in your prayer, it may be hard for you to maintain it in the beginning; yet, you really need to keep trying and slow down till Tuma’neenah be-comes a second nature to them. This is part of what Imam al-Ghazali would call “mujahadah” or self-struggle. If you feel you need to fin-ish your prayer quickly, force yourself to slow down till you master Tuma’neenah. The Quran promises: “[As for] those who strive for Our cause, We will surely guide them unto Our ways, and Allah is surely with those who do good” (29:69).

How to Revive Your Salah, Part ThreeFrom Pace to Peace Sh. Ahmed Arafat

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Mosque FoundationInterfaith Activities

GrowingBy Karen Danielson,Interfaith Committee Chairwoman

The Mosque Foundation Interfaith activities are growing. We encourage you to participate in these activities as observers or get more involved and join the team. We’ve already shared details that in this past year the MF Interfaith’s regular dialogues have continued to grow in Bridgeview, Oak Lawn, and surrounding suburbs.

The dialogue with the Oak Lawn community is open to the public, and brothers and sisters, including youth have come to observe. The next several meets are actually scheduled at the MF (January 28, March 24, and May 26, 2016 from 7-9 pm). Come, observe and be a part of changing the landscape for a better community based on mutual understanding, respect for one another, and to combat the hateful rhetoric of Islamophobia.

Additionally, the MF has joined SWIFT, the Southwest Interfaith Team, this year, which offers service activi-ties for the whole family as well as interfaith forums and dinners. Mark your calendar for the next SWIFT Interfaith forum, March 20, 2016 (time and location TBA).

The MF has sent a representative to the Parliament of the World’s Religions Conference in Utah, this past October from the MF/St. Fabian Catholic Dialogue here in Bridgeview. At the PWR Conference the MF and St. Fabian representatives spoke to an audience in one of the parallel sessions modeling Sustainable Lo-cal Dialogue for Better Communities. It was an amaz-ing learning experience for both.

Most recently the MF Interfaith team hosted a lun-cheon with women from the Unitarian Universalist Community Church in Park Forest. Extraordinary pre-sentations by Deanna Othman on Islamophobia and by Suzanne Akhras addressing the Syrian Refugee Crisis and the Syrian Community Network involvement here in Chicagoland. The conversations that develop were anything but ordinary. Ideas and offerings to do more to combat hate and racism as well as support for the Syrian refugees gave direction to the group’s future involvement with one another. Contact kdanielson@mosquefoundation.org for more information about the MF Interfaith activities.

Mosque Foundation’s Volunteers alongside others prepare meals for the homeless as part of SWIFT service activity

6 January 2016 – Rabiul Awal - Rabiul Thani 1437

Weekend School’s Quran Competition

On October 25, AL-Siddiq School held their yearly Quran Competition. Each level of students had a different Surah to memorize. The surahs were Surat Al-Jumu’ah, Al-Kahf, and Luqman. We are very proud of all the participants, which included 88 students mashAllah! The following students are the winners:

Surat LuqmanFirst place: Hassan Hassan

Second place: Salma Habeeb

Yousef Monassar

Adam Abusini

Third place: Laith Awadallah: Luqman

Islam Bsharat: Luqman

Surat Al-Jumu’ahSecond place: Mohammed Amra

Kanan Mizyed

Mohammed Saadah

Deama Abusini

Third place: Abubakr Hassan

Daoud Safi

Mothers and Staff:Surat Al-KahfFirst place: Amal Dirawi

Ghada Ayyad

Faten Sheheibar

Merjan Razick

Fouzia ‘Abal

Second place: Ayah Shabaan

Mabrook to all of our winners and participants! And insha’Allah Allah will reward you all for your hard work!!

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El mejor modelo para los creyentes

Queridos hermanos de fe,

Alhamdulilah que puedo compartir una vez mas con ustedes un poco de lo que he aprendido. Cuando confirmamos el testimonio de fe ; creemos en Allah y en Su Mensajero nos damos cuenta cuan importante es el Mensajero de Allah para los creyentes. Es asi como el profeta (saws) es nuestro mejor modelo para seguir. Allah (SWAT) nos dice en el Sagrado Coran,capitulo 68:4; Ciertamente eres de una naturaleza y moral grandiosas. En el capitulo 9:127 Allah(SWAT) dice , Ciertamente se os ha presentado un Mensajero de entre vosotros que se apena por vuestras adversidades, se preocupa y desea que alcanceis el bien[e ingreseis al Paraiso];es compasivo y misericordioso con los creyentes.En el capitulo3:159 Por misericordia de Allah eres compasivo con ellos. Si hubieras sido rudo y duro de corazon se habrian alejado de ti; perdonales, pide perdon por ellos y consultales en las decisiones. Tambien en el capitulo 33:21; Hay un bello ejemplo en el Mensajero de Allah(de valor y firmeza en la fe) para quienes tienen esperanza en Allah, [anhelan ser recompensados] en el Dia del Juicio y recuerdan frecuentemente a Allah.Teniendo en mente todos estos versos que leemos sobre nuestro profeta Mohammad(saws) podemos comprender cuan maravilloso ejemplo tenemos. Conociendo la vida de nuestro profeta(saws) por medio del Sagrado Coran y la Sunnah en las hadices, podemos aprender como conducir nuestras vidas de acuerdo como Allah, El Todopoderoso nos ensena.

Obedeciendo lo que El Creador nos dice y el profeta(saws) podemos tener el Placer Divino. Allah(SWAT) nos dice en el capitulo 47:33 ! Oh, creyentes! Obedeced a Al-lah y al Mensajero, y no malogreis vuestras obras.Capitulo3:164 Allah ha agraciado a los creyentes enviandoles un Mensajero de entre ellos que les recita Sus preceptos, les purifica y les ensena el Libro y la sabiduria[la Sunnah]. Y por cierto que antes se encontraban en un extravio evidente. En una hadiz Aisha (la paz sea con ella) relata, el caracter de el Mensajero de Allah es como el Coran.(Muslim, Nisai) Esta hadiz asi como tambien todos estos versos nos motivan a tratar de desarrollar un mejor carac-ter, comportamiento y valores morales que nos ayudaran a ser mejores siervos de Allah(SWAT). Como creyente debemos adquirir sabiduria de el Islam para asi acercar-nos mas a nuestro Creador. Implementando lo que aprendemos de la Sunnah en nuestro diario vivir seremos capaces de desarrollar estas caracteristicas que ALLAH(SWAT) nos menciona. Que bendicion tan grande tenemos con nosotros que aunque no estuvi-mos junto al profeta(saws) en ese tiempo, podemos con-ocerlo por medio de el Coran y las hadices. InshaAllah, que aprovechemos la gran oportunidad de mejorar como creyentes mientras tenemos vida. Amen

Su hermana en Islam,

Celia Snowber

8 January 2016 – Rabiul Awal - Rabiul Thani 1437

In coordination with the Walgreens, the Mosque Foundation Community Center has been partnering with Walgreens for the second year in a row to make it easy to arm our community members with a free flu shot so they can stay healthy during the fall/winter seasons. last month MFCC conducted two flu shots campaigns in coordination with the Walgreens, more than 120 family members benefited from this opportunity. All thanks to the Walgreen at Roberts Rd and 95th St. and its staff. a special thank you to sister Tasneem Mousa who helped coordinating these campaigns.

Islam 101: the weekly “get together” Friday for our boys

Despite the fact that the class has been split into two groups, (8-10 & 11-12), and despite the age of accepted members has been increased from 6-8 years old, but the Islam class waiting list has grown bigger and bigger. However, because of the space limitations, the center could only accept 80 boys. They gather every Friday at 6:15-8:15 p.m, and enjoy this unique program. Each group would spend 45 minutes in an educational, spiritual session, and another 45 minutes in fun/sport session and end up the night with Ishaa, a short khatira and an emotional duaa which help charge the boys for the rest of the week. “this is the best two hours of the whole week” said Omar. Adam shares the same feelings, added “I can’t wait till Friday comes to come and meet my friends and sh. Zakariya”.

at MFCC