In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
When we hear a prayer being called, Qur'an being recited, or hadith being mentioned, immediately we should go to action.
If it is a call to prayer, repeat after the muezzin and say the du'a after adhan. Immediately go take wudu' and pray. If you can go to the masjid or if the masjid is close by, get to the masjid before the iqamah. You can do some extra worship--make up old missed prayers, do dhikr, recite Qu'ran, perform some sunnah prayers while waiting. Don't be waiting for iqamah before you walk to the masjid or worse, if you don't even have wudu' and properly dressed by that that time. You might miss a raka'a or two and if you join after the last ruku' of the iman you have deprived yourself of the reward of a group prayer. Especially for Jumu'ah prayer, there are great rewards for coming early to the masjid.
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: “Whoever does ghusl on Friday like ghusl for janaabah, then goes to the prayer (in the first hour, i.e., early), it is as if he sacrificed a camel. Whoever goes in the second hour, it is as if he sacrificed a cow; whoever goes in the third hour, it is as if he sacrificed a horned ram; whoever goes in the fourth hour, it is as if he sacrificed a hen; and whoever goes in the fifth hour it is as if he offered an egg. When the imam comes out, the angels come to listen to the khutbah.” [Bukhari and Muslim]
If it is Qur'an being recited, listen attentively and try to understand what it is saying, ask Allah to make you able to understand it, ask Allah to give you tawfiq to take lessons from it and perform His commands in best way, and so on--do something, don't ignore it. If you can't understand, immediately take steps to learn it. Similarly, when you hear a hadith being mentioned (or someone forwarded it to you, etc.), immediately project it into your life.
Everything from the Qur'an and Hadith is meant for immediate action, no passive listening. If it is a commandment, do it; if it is a prohibition, stay away from it; if it is a story, take lessons from it; and so on. Whatever fell into our ears is not by chance, it is not a coincidence. It is your test...Allah wants to see what you are going to do with it. Most people failed -- perhaps ignorance, perhaps heedlessness. But not the true believers--their heart quakes when God is mentioned and when His signs are recited, it increases them in faith.
Allah Almighty says,
نَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الَّذِينَ إِذَا ذُكِرَ اللَّـهُ وَجِلَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَإِذَا تُلِيَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتُهُ زَادَتْهُمْ إِيمَانًا وَعَلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ يَتَوَكَّلُونَ ﴿٢﴾ الَّذِينَ يُقِيمُونَ الصَّلَاةَ وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ يُنفِقُونَ ﴿٣﴾ أُولَـٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ حَقًّا ۚ لَّهُمْ دَرَجَاتٌ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ وَمَغْفِرَةٌ وَرِزْقٌ كَرِيمٌ ﴿٤[Qur'an, Al-Anfal 8:2-4]
Those only are believers who, when God is mentioned, their hearts quake, and when His signs are recited to them, it increases them in faith, and in their Lord they put their trust, (2) those who perform the prayer, and expend of what We have provided them, (3) those in truth are the believers; they have degrees with their Lord, and forgiveness, and generous provision. (4)
Remember the story of Ukasha? The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, told the sahabah that there will be 70,000 people who will enter Paradise without account and he described their special characteristics. What would most people do if an imam read this part of the hadith to them and it is the first time they heard it? You can experiment this in your masjid or with your group...you will find that most people don't have any reaction--it makes no difference to them whether you say it or not, it doesn't move them; and most who appear to be listening would forget it in the next instant like a news item.
The sahabah did not take what the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, told them as news items, but they would be busy reflecting it on themselves. Ukhasha immediately stood up and said, 'Ask Allah to make me one of them.' The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'You are one of them.' Then another sahabah stood up and said, 'Ask Allah to make me one of them.' He said, 'Ukkasha beat you to it.'
Ibn 'Abbas (Allah be pleased with him) said, "The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said,
'All the nations were shown to me and I saw a Prophet with a small group, and a Prophet with one or two men, and a Prophet with no one at all. Then an enormous mass was shown to me and I thought that they were my community. I was told, "This is Musa and his community, but look to the furthest horizon," and there was an enormous mass. It was said to me, "This is your community. Among them are seventy thousand who will enter the Garden without reckoning or punishment."' Then he got up and entered his house and the people discussed concerning those who would enter the Garden without reckoning or punishment. Some of them said, 'Perhaps it is those who were with the Messenger of Allah,' while others said, 'Perhaps it is those who are born in Islam and do not associate anything with Allah,' and they mentioned various things. The Messenger of Allah came out to them and said, 'What are you discussing?' They told him and he said, 'They are those who do not make charms or ask others for charms, and do not seek omens. They trust in their Lord.' 'Ukasha ibn Muhsin stood up and said, 'Ask Allah to make me one of them.' He said, 'You are one of them.' Then another man stood up and said, 'Ask Allah to make me one of them.' He said, "'Ukasha beat you to it.'" [Bukhari and Muslim]
May Allah awaken our hearts, enable us to hear and obey His commands, help us be active Muslims and enable us to make Islam a complete way of life for ourselves and our own families. Ameen.
Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
Related Archives:
Call of Prayer (Adhan)
Be The First
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