What is the du’aa’ that must be said at the time of an earthquake?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Earthquakes are one of the great signs of Allaah in this universe, with which He tests His slaves as a reminder or to instil fear of Him or as a punishment. Man must remember, when the signs occur, his weakness, incapability, humble status before Allaah and his need of Him, so he turns to Allaah, may He be exalted and glorified, in supplication, beseeching and humility, in the hope that Allaah will lift this great distress from the people.
Allaah says (interpretation of meaning):
“Verily, We sent (Messengers) to many nations before you (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم). And We seized them with extreme poverty (or loss in wealth) and loss in health (with calamities) so that they might humble themselves (believe with humility).
43. When Our Torment reached them, why then did they not humble themselves (believe with humility)? But their hearts became hardened, and Shaytaan (Satan) made fair‑seeming to them that which they used to do.
44. So, when they forgot (the warning) with which they had been reminded, We opened for them the gates of every (pleasant) thing, until in the midst of their enjoyment in that which they were given, all of a sudden, We took them (in punishment), and lo! They were plunged into destruction with deep regrets and sorrows”
[al-An’aam 6:42-44]
Hence the fuqaha’ (may Allaah have mercy on him) regarded it as mustahabb to offer a great deal of prayers for forgiveness and supplications, to beseech Allaah and to give charity when earthquakes happen, as is also mustahabb when solar and lunar eclipses occur.
The great scholar Zakariya al-Ansaari (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
It is mustahabb for everyone to beseech Allaah in supplication and so on when earthquakes and similar events, such as thunderbolts and strong winds, happen, and to offer prayers on his own in his house lest he be negligent, because the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) said, when the wind blew strongly: “O Allaah, I ask You for its good and the good of what is in it and the good of what it is sent with, and I seek refuge in You from its evil and the evil of what is in it and the evil of what it is sent with.” Narrated by Muslim. End quote.
Asna al-Mataalib Sharh Rawd al-Taalib (1/288). See also Tuhfat al-Muhtaaj (3/65).
See also the answer to question number 2593.
But there is no evidence in the Sunnah -- as far as we know -- to suggest that there is a particular dhikr or du’aa’ that it is mustahabb to recite when an earthquake occurs. Rather one should offer du’aa’ as inspired by Allaah to ask for mercy and help from Allaah, may He be exalted and glorified, so that He might divert this calamity from the people.
Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
What must be done at the time of an earthquake or other calamity, or an eclipse, strong wind or flood is to repent to Allaah, may He be glorified, and to beseech Him and ask Him for well-being, and to remember Him a great deal and ask Him for forgiveness, as the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) said at the time of an eclipse: “When you see that, then turn to remembrance of Allaah and call upon Him and ask for His forgiveness.” Agreed upon. It is also mustahabb to show compassion to the poor and needy, and to give charity to them, because the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) said: “Show mercy, you will be shown mercy.” (Narrated by Ahmad) And he said: “Those who show mercy will be shown mercy by the Most Merciful. Show mercy to those who are on earth and the One Who is in heaven will show mercy to you.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi. And he (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) said: “The one who does not show mercy will not be shown mercy.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari. It was related from ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azeez (may Allaah have mercy on him) that he used to write to his emirs when earthquakes took place telling them to give charity.
One of the means of being safe and sound from all evils is for those in authority to hasten to restrain the foolish and compel them to adhere to the truth, and to implement the laws of Allaah among them, and to enjoin what is good and forbid what is evil, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“The believers, men and women, are Awliyaa’ (helpers, supporters, friends, protectors) of one another; they enjoin (on the people) Al‑Ma‘roof (i.e. Islamic Monotheism and all that Islam orders one to do), and forbid (people) from Al‑Munkar (i.e. polytheism and disbelief of all kinds, and all that Islam has forbidden); they perform As-Salaah (Iqaamat-as-Salaah), and give the Zakaah, and obey Allaah and His Messenger. Allaah will have His Mercy on them. Surely, Allaah is All-Mighty, All-Wise”
[al-Tawbah 9:71]
“Verily, Allaah will help those who help His (Cause). Truly, Allaah is All‑Strong, All‑Mighty.
41. Those (Muslim rulers) who, if We give them power in the land, (they) enjoin Iqamat‑as‑Salaah [i.e. to perform the five compulsory congregational Salaah (prayers) (the males in mosques)], to pay the Zakaah and they enjoin Al‑Ma‘roof (i.e. Islamic Monotheism and all that Islam orders one to do), and forbid Al‑Munkar (i.e. disbelief, polytheism and all that Islam has forbidden) [i.e. they make the Qur’aan as the law of their country in all the spheres of life]. And with Allaah rests the end of (all) matters (of creatures)”
[al-Hajj 22:40-41]
“And whosoever fears Allaah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way for him to get out (from every difficulty).
3. And He will provide him from (sources) he never could imagine. And whosoever puts his trust in Allaah, then He will suffice him. Verily, Allaah will accomplish his purpose. Indeed Allaah has set a measure for all things”
[al-Talaaq 65:2-3]
And there are many verses with similar meanings. End quote.
Majmoo’ Fataawa Ibn Baaz (9/150-152).
And Allaah knows best.
Friday, 23 March 2012
For how long should Qunoot during prayers be said at times of calamity?
Some imams say Qunoot for one or two days at times of calamity then they stop. For how long should du’aa’ be offered at times of calamity?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Saying Qunoot in the obligatory prayers is prescribed when there is a reason for that -- which is when calamity is befalling the Muslims. So long as calamity is occurring, then Qunoot should be said for that, and when the reason is no longer present, then Qunoot should stop, because the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) continued to pray Qunoot against the mushrikeen and to pray for the oppressed Muslims in Makkah for a month, then he stopped saying Qunoot when the reason for it stopped with the arrival of those for whom he had prayed Qunoot. This is indicated by the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) according to which the Prophet (blessings of Allaah be upon him) prayed Qunoot for a month. After saying Sami’a Allaahu liman hamidah, he said in his Qunoot: “O Allaah, save al-Waleed ibn al-Waleed, Salamah ibn Hishaam, ‘Ayyaash ibn Abi Rabee’ah and the weak and oppressed believers. O Allaah, punish Mudar severely and send upon them a famine like that of Yoosuf.” Then Abu Hurayrah (the Allaah be pleased with him) said that they were saved from the clutches of the kuffaar and came to Madeenah, so the Messenger (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) stopped praying for them. Narrated by Muslim (675).
Ibn al-Qayyim said: He prayed Qunoot at the time of calamity to offer supplication for some people and to pray against others, then he stopped when those for whom he had prayed came (to Madeenah) and were saved from captivity, and those against whom he had prayed became Muslim and came repenting. So his Qunoot was for a purpose, and when that was achieved he stopped Qunoot. End quote.
Zaad al-Ma’aad (1/272)
If the calamity is still ongoing and has not ceased, such as the occupation of Iraq for example, or the occupation of Palestine, then Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) stated that in this case it may be said that Qunoot may be offered for a month and then stopped.
And Allaah knows best.
Praise be to Allaah.
Saying Qunoot in the obligatory prayers is prescribed when there is a reason for that -- which is when calamity is befalling the Muslims. So long as calamity is occurring, then Qunoot should be said for that, and when the reason is no longer present, then Qunoot should stop, because the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) continued to pray Qunoot against the mushrikeen and to pray for the oppressed Muslims in Makkah for a month, then he stopped saying Qunoot when the reason for it stopped with the arrival of those for whom he had prayed Qunoot. This is indicated by the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) according to which the Prophet (blessings of Allaah be upon him) prayed Qunoot for a month. After saying Sami’a Allaahu liman hamidah, he said in his Qunoot: “O Allaah, save al-Waleed ibn al-Waleed, Salamah ibn Hishaam, ‘Ayyaash ibn Abi Rabee’ah and the weak and oppressed believers. O Allaah, punish Mudar severely and send upon them a famine like that of Yoosuf.” Then Abu Hurayrah (the Allaah be pleased with him) said that they were saved from the clutches of the kuffaar and came to Madeenah, so the Messenger (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) stopped praying for them. Narrated by Muslim (675).
Ibn al-Qayyim said: He prayed Qunoot at the time of calamity to offer supplication for some people and to pray against others, then he stopped when those for whom he had prayed came (to Madeenah) and were saved from captivity, and those against whom he had prayed became Muslim and came repenting. So his Qunoot was for a purpose, and when that was achieved he stopped Qunoot. End quote.
Zaad al-Ma’aad (1/272)
If the calamity is still ongoing and has not ceased, such as the occupation of Iraq for example, or the occupation of Palestine, then Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) stated that in this case it may be said that Qunoot may be offered for a month and then stopped.
And Allaah knows best.
The Muslims have to pray for their brothers in Gaza in the daily prayers and otherwise
Is it mustahabb to say Qunoot during the daily prayers for our brothers in Gaza, so that Allaah will relieve them of the aggression of the Jews? In which prayer should Qunoot be said?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Yes, the Muslims should pray for their brothers in Gaza, asking Allaah to protect them and save them, and to help them against their enemy, and to defeat the Jews and those who help them.
The imam should say the du’aa’ out loud and the people behind him should say Ameen. If a person is offering the obligatory prayer on his own, he should also say Qunoot.
It is proven that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) said Qunoot at the time of calamity on a number of occasions:
1.
Some of the Arab tribes betrayed 70 of the companions of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) and killed them. Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: News of that reached the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him), and he prayed Qunoot for a month, praying during Fajr prayer against some of the tribes of the Arabs, against Ri’l, Dhakwaan, ‘Usayyah and Bani Lahyaan. Narrated by al-Bukhaari (3064).
2.
It was narrated that Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: Qunoot was offered in Maghrib and Fajr prayer. Narrated by al-Bukhaari (798).
3.
It was narrated that Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) prayed Qunoot for a month in Zuhr, ‘Asr, Maghrib, ‘Isha’ and Fajr prayer, when he said: Sami’a Allaahu liman hamidah in the last rak’ah, praying against some tribes of Banu Sulaym, and against Ri’l, Dhakwaan and ‘Usayyah, and those who were behind him said Ameen. Narrated by Abu Dawood (1443). Ibn al-Qayyim said: A saheeh hadeeth. Zaad al-Ma’aad, 1/280; classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood,
A number of things may be learned from these hadeeths, including the following:
Firstly: it is prescribed to pray Qunoot at times of calamity. Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Qunoot is Sunnah at the time of calamity. This view is that of the fuqaha’ among the muhadditheen. And it is narrated from the Rightly Guided Caliphs. End quote.
Majmoo’ al-Fataawa (23/108)
Secondly: The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) said Qunoot at times of calamity in all of the five daily prayers, and he said Qunoot in Fajr and Maghrib prayer, and especially in Fajr. Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Most of his Qunoot -- referring to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) -- was in Fajr. End quote.
Majmoo’ al-Fataawa (22/269).
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: The practice of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) was to say Qunoot especially at times of calamity, and not to do so at other times. He did not limit it only to Fajr, rather most of his Qunoot was in Fajr because it is prescribed to make that prayer lengthy. End quote.
Zaad al-Ma’aad (1/273)
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
To sum up, saying Qunoot during the obligatory prayers is not prescribed either in Fajr or any other prayer, except when a calamity befalls the Muslims that is deserving of Qunoot, in which case it is prescribed to say Qunoot for every worshipper in Maghrib and Fajr prayer, and if one says Qunoot in all the prayers, there is nothing wrong with that as some of the scholars said. And when this calamity ceases, Qunoot should be stopped. End quote.
Majmoo’ Fataawa Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (14/175)
We ask Allaah to hasten relief for our brothers in Gaza, and to give them a way out of every difficulty and relief for every distress, and to curse and destroy the Jews and their helpers, and to send punishment upon them, for He is able to do that.
And Allaah knows best.
Praise be to Allaah.
Yes, the Muslims should pray for their brothers in Gaza, asking Allaah to protect them and save them, and to help them against their enemy, and to defeat the Jews and those who help them.
The imam should say the du’aa’ out loud and the people behind him should say Ameen. If a person is offering the obligatory prayer on his own, he should also say Qunoot.
It is proven that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) said Qunoot at the time of calamity on a number of occasions:
1.
Some of the Arab tribes betrayed 70 of the companions of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) and killed them. Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: News of that reached the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him), and he prayed Qunoot for a month, praying during Fajr prayer against some of the tribes of the Arabs, against Ri’l, Dhakwaan, ‘Usayyah and Bani Lahyaan. Narrated by al-Bukhaari (3064).
2.
It was narrated that Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: Qunoot was offered in Maghrib and Fajr prayer. Narrated by al-Bukhaari (798).
3.
It was narrated that Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) prayed Qunoot for a month in Zuhr, ‘Asr, Maghrib, ‘Isha’ and Fajr prayer, when he said: Sami’a Allaahu liman hamidah in the last rak’ah, praying against some tribes of Banu Sulaym, and against Ri’l, Dhakwaan and ‘Usayyah, and those who were behind him said Ameen. Narrated by Abu Dawood (1443). Ibn al-Qayyim said: A saheeh hadeeth. Zaad al-Ma’aad, 1/280; classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood,
A number of things may be learned from these hadeeths, including the following:
Firstly: it is prescribed to pray Qunoot at times of calamity. Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Qunoot is Sunnah at the time of calamity. This view is that of the fuqaha’ among the muhadditheen. And it is narrated from the Rightly Guided Caliphs. End quote.
Majmoo’ al-Fataawa (23/108)
Secondly: The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) said Qunoot at times of calamity in all of the five daily prayers, and he said Qunoot in Fajr and Maghrib prayer, and especially in Fajr. Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Most of his Qunoot -- referring to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) -- was in Fajr. End quote.
Majmoo’ al-Fataawa (22/269).
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: The practice of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) was to say Qunoot especially at times of calamity, and not to do so at other times. He did not limit it only to Fajr, rather most of his Qunoot was in Fajr because it is prescribed to make that prayer lengthy. End quote.
Zaad al-Ma’aad (1/273)
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
To sum up, saying Qunoot during the obligatory prayers is not prescribed either in Fajr or any other prayer, except when a calamity befalls the Muslims that is deserving of Qunoot, in which case it is prescribed to say Qunoot for every worshipper in Maghrib and Fajr prayer, and if one says Qunoot in all the prayers, there is nothing wrong with that as some of the scholars said. And when this calamity ceases, Qunoot should be stopped. End quote.
Majmoo’ Fataawa Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (14/175)
We ask Allaah to hasten relief for our brothers in Gaza, and to give them a way out of every difficulty and relief for every distress, and to curse and destroy the Jews and their helpers, and to send punishment upon them, for He is able to do that.
And Allaah knows best.
Qunoot should be said at times of calamity with a supplication that is appropriate, not with Du’aa’ al-Qunoot
At times of calamity, some imams say Qunoot asking for forgiveness and mercy, or they recite Du’aa’ al-Qunoot (“Allaahumma ihdina fiman hadayta/O Allaah, guide us among those whom You have guided..”). What is prescribed in Islam in such cases?.
Praise be to Allaah.
What Islam prescribes for Qunoot at times of calamity is that the supplication should be appropriate to the calamity, and that Du’aa’ al-Qunoot (“Allaahumma ihdina fiman hadayta/O Allaah, guide us and among those whom You have guided..”) should not be recited.
The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) offered supplication (du’aa’) at times of calamity on a number of occasions, and his supplication was appropriate to the calamity for which he was praying Qunoot. When he prayed for the salvation of the weak and oppressed in Makkah, he said: “O Allaah, O Allaah, save al-Waleed ibn al-Waleed, Salamah ibn Hishaam, ‘Ayyaash ibn Abi Rabee’ah and the weak and oppressed believers.” When he prayed against some of the Arab tribes because of the severity of their enmity towards Allaah and His Messenger, he said: “O Allaah, punish Mudar severely and send upon them a famine like that of Yoosuf.” Narrated by Muslim (675).
When he (blessings of Allaah be upon him) prayed against some of the Arab tribes who had betrayed 70 of the Sahaabah and killed them, he prayed that they be cursed. It was narrated that Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) prayed Qunoot for a month in Zuhr, ‘Asr, Maghrib, ‘Isha’ and Fajr prayer, when he said: Sami’a Allaahu liman hamidah in the last rak’ah, praying against some tribes of Banu Sulaym, and against Ri’l, Dhakwaan and ‘Usayyah, and those who were behind him said Ameen. Narrated by Abu Dawood (1443). Ibn al-Qayyim said: A saheeh hadeeth. Zaad al-Ma’aad, 1/280; classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood.
According to a report narrated by Muslim (679), he said: “O Allaah, curse Banu Lihyaan, Ri’l, Dhakwaan and ‘Usayyah, for they have disobeyed Allaah and His Messenger.”
According to a report narrated by al-Bukhaari (4070) from Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him), he [Ibn ‘Umar] heard the Messenger of Allaah (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) say, when he lifted his head from bowing in the second rak’ah of Fajr: “O Allaah, curse So and so, and So and so, and So and so,” after he said Sami’a Allaahu liman hamidah, Rabbana wa laka’l-hamd.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
It is prescribed to say Qunoot at times of calamity, praying for the believers and praying against the disbelievers, in Fajr and other prayers. Thus ‘Umar said Qunoot when fighting the Christians, in his du’aa’ in which he said: “O Allaah, curse the disbelievers of the people of the Book…” Similarly, ‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him) once fought a people and said Qunoot and prayed against them. The person who is saying Qunoot should say, at the time of each calamity, a supplication that is appropriate to that calamity. If he names the believers for whom he is praying and the disbelievers against whom he is praying, that is good.
Majmoo’ al-Fataawa (22/271).
It says in Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah (22/271):
It is proven that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) used to say Qunoot at times of calamity, praying against the aggressors among the disbelievers, and praying for the week and oppressed Muslims to be saved from the plots and captivity of the kaafirs. End quote.
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen said in al-Sharh al-Mumti’ (4/45): He should say Qunoot with a supplication that is appropriate to the calamity that has come. Hence the Messenger (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) used to say Qunoot with words that were appropriate to the calamity, and he did not say “Allaahumma ihdini fiman hadayta/O Allaah, guide me among those whom You have guided…” as some of the common folk do. It is not narrated in any hadeeth, saheeh or da’eef, that the Messenger (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) ever used to say “Allaahumma ihdini fiman hadayta/O Allaah, guide me among those whom You have guided…”) in obligatory prayers; rather he would offer a supplication that was appropriate to that calamity. On one occasion, he (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) prayed for some of the weak and oppressed people, asking Allaah to save them, until they came (to him in Madeenah). End quote.
Based on this, the worshipper should choose a supplication that is appropriate to the calamity, and say that.
Whoever says the du’aa’ of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) because it is appropriate to a calamity that has befallen the Muslim, such as saying with regard to that which has befallen us nowadays, “O Allaah, save the weak and oppressed believers in Gaza; O Allaah, help them; O Allaah, punish the Jews and Christians, and those who support and help them, severely; O Allaah, curse them; O Allaah, send upon them years like the years of Yoosuf,” has done well, because the supplication of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) is the best and most comprehensive supplication that can be offered.
And Allaah knows best.
Praise be to Allaah.
What Islam prescribes for Qunoot at times of calamity is that the supplication should be appropriate to the calamity, and that Du’aa’ al-Qunoot (“Allaahumma ihdina fiman hadayta/O Allaah, guide us and among those whom You have guided..”) should not be recited.
The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) offered supplication (du’aa’) at times of calamity on a number of occasions, and his supplication was appropriate to the calamity for which he was praying Qunoot. When he prayed for the salvation of the weak and oppressed in Makkah, he said: “O Allaah, O Allaah, save al-Waleed ibn al-Waleed, Salamah ibn Hishaam, ‘Ayyaash ibn Abi Rabee’ah and the weak and oppressed believers.” When he prayed against some of the Arab tribes because of the severity of their enmity towards Allaah and His Messenger, he said: “O Allaah, punish Mudar severely and send upon them a famine like that of Yoosuf.” Narrated by Muslim (675).
When he (blessings of Allaah be upon him) prayed against some of the Arab tribes who had betrayed 70 of the Sahaabah and killed them, he prayed that they be cursed. It was narrated that Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) prayed Qunoot for a month in Zuhr, ‘Asr, Maghrib, ‘Isha’ and Fajr prayer, when he said: Sami’a Allaahu liman hamidah in the last rak’ah, praying against some tribes of Banu Sulaym, and against Ri’l, Dhakwaan and ‘Usayyah, and those who were behind him said Ameen. Narrated by Abu Dawood (1443). Ibn al-Qayyim said: A saheeh hadeeth. Zaad al-Ma’aad, 1/280; classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood.
According to a report narrated by Muslim (679), he said: “O Allaah, curse Banu Lihyaan, Ri’l, Dhakwaan and ‘Usayyah, for they have disobeyed Allaah and His Messenger.”
According to a report narrated by al-Bukhaari (4070) from Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him), he [Ibn ‘Umar] heard the Messenger of Allaah (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) say, when he lifted his head from bowing in the second rak’ah of Fajr: “O Allaah, curse So and so, and So and so, and So and so,” after he said Sami’a Allaahu liman hamidah, Rabbana wa laka’l-hamd.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
It is prescribed to say Qunoot at times of calamity, praying for the believers and praying against the disbelievers, in Fajr and other prayers. Thus ‘Umar said Qunoot when fighting the Christians, in his du’aa’ in which he said: “O Allaah, curse the disbelievers of the people of the Book…” Similarly, ‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him) once fought a people and said Qunoot and prayed against them. The person who is saying Qunoot should say, at the time of each calamity, a supplication that is appropriate to that calamity. If he names the believers for whom he is praying and the disbelievers against whom he is praying, that is good.
Majmoo’ al-Fataawa (22/271).
It says in Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah (22/271):
It is proven that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) used to say Qunoot at times of calamity, praying against the aggressors among the disbelievers, and praying for the week and oppressed Muslims to be saved from the plots and captivity of the kaafirs. End quote.
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen said in al-Sharh al-Mumti’ (4/45): He should say Qunoot with a supplication that is appropriate to the calamity that has come. Hence the Messenger (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) used to say Qunoot with words that were appropriate to the calamity, and he did not say “Allaahumma ihdini fiman hadayta/O Allaah, guide me among those whom You have guided…” as some of the common folk do. It is not narrated in any hadeeth, saheeh or da’eef, that the Messenger (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) ever used to say “Allaahumma ihdini fiman hadayta/O Allaah, guide me among those whom You have guided…”) in obligatory prayers; rather he would offer a supplication that was appropriate to that calamity. On one occasion, he (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) prayed for some of the weak and oppressed people, asking Allaah to save them, until they came (to him in Madeenah). End quote.
Based on this, the worshipper should choose a supplication that is appropriate to the calamity, and say that.
Whoever says the du’aa’ of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) because it is appropriate to a calamity that has befallen the Muslim, such as saying with regard to that which has befallen us nowadays, “O Allaah, save the weak and oppressed believers in Gaza; O Allaah, help them; O Allaah, punish the Jews and Christians, and those who support and help them, severely; O Allaah, curse them; O Allaah, send upon them years like the years of Yoosuf,” has done well, because the supplication of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) is the best and most comprehensive supplication that can be offered.
And Allaah knows best.
It is makrooh for the imam to single himself out in joint supplication to the exclusion of the people praying behind him
If the imam prays for himself during congregational prayer, is it considered to be a betrayal of the people praying behind him? Is that permissible, or must we pray for the members of the congregation?.
Praise be to Allaah.
What is meant by the du'aa' in which the imam and the people praying behind him all take part in a congregational prayer is where the imam says the du’aa’, and the people behind him say ameen. This is the case in which it is makrooh for the imam to single out himself in du'aa' to the exclusion of the people praying behind him. That is because of the report narrated from Thawbaan (may Allaah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allaah (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) said: “There are three things which it is not permissible for anyone to do: a man should not lead people in prayer and single himself out for du'aa' to the exclusion of them, and if he does that then he has betrayed them; and he should not look into a house before asking permission, and if he does that then he has entered; and he should not pray when he needs to relieve himself until he has done so.”
Narrated by Abu Dawood (no. 90) and al-Tirmidhi (37); he said the hadeeth of Thawbaan is a hasan hadeeth.
This hadeeth was classed as weak by Ibn Khuzaymah, Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah, Ibn al-Qayyim and others.
See Da’eef Abi Dawood by Shaykh al-Albaani (12, 13).
If we assume that the hadeeth is sound, then what it means is what we mentioned at the beginning: singling himself out for mention in a du'aa' which he shares with the people praying behind him.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked about the words of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him): “a man should not lead people in prayer and single himself out for du'aa' to the exclusion of them, and if he does that then he has betrayed them” -- is it mustahabb for the imam, every time he offers du'aa' to Allaah, glorified and exalted be He, to include the people praying behind him? Is it related in a saheeh report from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) that he singled himself out in du'aa' during his prayer to the exclusion of them? How can we reconcile between these two?
He answered:
It is proven in al-Saheehayn from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that he said to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him): When you are silent between the takbeer and recitation, what do you say? He said: “Allaahumma baa’id bayni wa bayna khataayaaya kama baa’adta bayna al-mashriqi wa’l-maghrib. Allaahumma naqqini min khataayaaya kama yunaqqa al-thawb al-abyad min al-danas. Allaahumma ighsilni min khataayaaya bi’l-thalji wa’l-maa’i wa’l-barad (O Allaah, put a great distance between me and my sins, as great as the distance You have made between the East and the West. O Allaah, cleanse me of sin as a white garment is cleansed from filth. O Allaah, wash away my sins with snow and water and hail).”
This is a saheeh hadeeth which clearly states that he prayed for himself alone when he was acting as an imam. Similarly, there is the hadeeth of ‘Ali concerning the opening du’aa’, which begins: “ I turn my face to the One Who created the heavens and the earth”, in which it says, “forgive me for no one forgives sin except You, and guide me to the best of attitudes for the one guides to the best of them except You, and divert bad deeds from me, for no one diverts bad deeds from me except You.”
Similarly, it is proven in al-Saheeh that he used to say after raising his head from bowing: “No one can withhold what You have given, and no one can give what You have withheld.”
All these hadeeths, which refer to his du'aa' after the tashahhud, are narrated in the singular, such as his words: “Allaahumma inni a’oodhu bika min ‘adhaabi jahannam wa min ‘adhaab il-qabri wa min fitnat il-mahyaa wa’l-mamaat wa min sharri fitnat il-maseeh il-dajjaal (O Allaah, I seek refuge with You from the torment of Hell and from the torment of the grave and from the trials of life and death and from the evil of the trial of the Dajjaal).”.”
the same applies to his du'aa' between the two prostrations, which is mentioned in al-Sunan in the hadeeth of Hudhayfah and in the hadeeth of Ibn ‘Abbaas, and in both cases the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) was leading the prayer, on one occasion leading Hudhayfah and on the second occasion leading Ibn ‘Abbaas..
According to the hadeeth of Hudhayfah, he said, “Lord forgive me, Lord forgive me,” and according to the hadeeth of Ibn Abbaas, he said: “Forgive me, have mercy on me, guide me, pardon me, and grant me provision” and so on.
These hadeeths which appear in the books of Saheeh and Sunan, indicate that in these places the imam may say du’aa’ in the singular. Similarly, scholars are agreed on that, as they were of the view that this type of du'aa' is prescribed.
Once this is understood, it will become clear that what is meant in the hadeeth mentioned -- if it is sound -- is the du'aa' in which the person praying behind the imam says ameen, such as du’aa’ al-Qunoot, when if the person says ameen then he is saying du’aa’. Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted, said to Moosa and Haroon (interpretation of the meaning: “Verily, the invocation of you both is accepted” [Yoonus 10:89]. And one of them was sayng the du’aa’ and the other was saying ameen.
If the person praying behind the imam is saying ameen to the du'aa' of the imam, then the imam should offer the du’aa’ in the plural form, as in the du’aa’ of al-Faatihah, “Guide us to the Straight Way”. The person praying behind the imam of says ameen because he believes that the imam is offering du’aa’ for both of them together, so if he does not do that then the imam has betrayed the person praying behind him.
As for the places in which each person offers supplication on his own behalf, as in the opening du’aa’, following the tashahhud and so on, where the person praying behind the imam is offering supplication for himself, then the imam may offer supplication for himself. End quote.
Majmoo’ al-Fataawa (23/116-118)
Al-Iraqi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
Part of the etiquette of supplication is that the one who offers du'aa' in a gathering should not single himself out for du'aa' among them, or single himself and some of them out but not all of them. All the members of the congregation should be included in the du’aa’ by the imam, so he should not single himself out to the exclusion of the people praying behind him, because of the report narrated by Abu Dawood and al-Tirmidhi from the hadeeth of Thawbaan (may Allaah have mercy on him) who said: The Messenger of Allaah (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) said: “A man should not lead people in prayer and single himself out for du'aa' to the exclusion of them, and if he does that then he has betrayed them.” al-Tirmidhi said: it is a hasan hadeeth.
The apparent meaning is that this is to be understood as referring to that in which the people praying behind him do not take part in saying the du’aa’, such as du’aa’ al-Qunoot and the like. As for that which everybody says, such as saying between the two prostrations, “O Allaah forgive me and have mercy on me and guide me,” each of the people praying behind him says this du’aa’, so there is nothing wrong in that case with saying it in the singular. But some of the people praying behind him may omit that because they forget or they do not know this is mustahabb. In that case the imam should make the pronoun plural. End quote.
Tarh al-Tathreeb (2/136-137)
And Allaah knows best.
Praise be to Allaah.
What is meant by the du'aa' in which the imam and the people praying behind him all take part in a congregational prayer is where the imam says the du’aa’, and the people behind him say ameen. This is the case in which it is makrooh for the imam to single out himself in du'aa' to the exclusion of the people praying behind him. That is because of the report narrated from Thawbaan (may Allaah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allaah (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) said: “There are three things which it is not permissible for anyone to do: a man should not lead people in prayer and single himself out for du'aa' to the exclusion of them, and if he does that then he has betrayed them; and he should not look into a house before asking permission, and if he does that then he has entered; and he should not pray when he needs to relieve himself until he has done so.”
Narrated by Abu Dawood (no. 90) and al-Tirmidhi (37); he said the hadeeth of Thawbaan is a hasan hadeeth.
This hadeeth was classed as weak by Ibn Khuzaymah, Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah, Ibn al-Qayyim and others.
See Da’eef Abi Dawood by Shaykh al-Albaani (12, 13).
If we assume that the hadeeth is sound, then what it means is what we mentioned at the beginning: singling himself out for mention in a du'aa' which he shares with the people praying behind him.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked about the words of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him): “a man should not lead people in prayer and single himself out for du'aa' to the exclusion of them, and if he does that then he has betrayed them” -- is it mustahabb for the imam, every time he offers du'aa' to Allaah, glorified and exalted be He, to include the people praying behind him? Is it related in a saheeh report from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) that he singled himself out in du'aa' during his prayer to the exclusion of them? How can we reconcile between these two?
He answered:
It is proven in al-Saheehayn from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that he said to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him): When you are silent between the takbeer and recitation, what do you say? He said: “Allaahumma baa’id bayni wa bayna khataayaaya kama baa’adta bayna al-mashriqi wa’l-maghrib. Allaahumma naqqini min khataayaaya kama yunaqqa al-thawb al-abyad min al-danas. Allaahumma ighsilni min khataayaaya bi’l-thalji wa’l-maa’i wa’l-barad (O Allaah, put a great distance between me and my sins, as great as the distance You have made between the East and the West. O Allaah, cleanse me of sin as a white garment is cleansed from filth. O Allaah, wash away my sins with snow and water and hail).”
This is a saheeh hadeeth which clearly states that he prayed for himself alone when he was acting as an imam. Similarly, there is the hadeeth of ‘Ali concerning the opening du’aa’, which begins: “ I turn my face to the One Who created the heavens and the earth”, in which it says, “forgive me for no one forgives sin except You, and guide me to the best of attitudes for the one guides to the best of them except You, and divert bad deeds from me, for no one diverts bad deeds from me except You.”
Similarly, it is proven in al-Saheeh that he used to say after raising his head from bowing: “No one can withhold what You have given, and no one can give what You have withheld.”
All these hadeeths, which refer to his du'aa' after the tashahhud, are narrated in the singular, such as his words: “Allaahumma inni a’oodhu bika min ‘adhaabi jahannam wa min ‘adhaab il-qabri wa min fitnat il-mahyaa wa’l-mamaat wa min sharri fitnat il-maseeh il-dajjaal (O Allaah, I seek refuge with You from the torment of Hell and from the torment of the grave and from the trials of life and death and from the evil of the trial of the Dajjaal).”.”
the same applies to his du'aa' between the two prostrations, which is mentioned in al-Sunan in the hadeeth of Hudhayfah and in the hadeeth of Ibn ‘Abbaas, and in both cases the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) was leading the prayer, on one occasion leading Hudhayfah and on the second occasion leading Ibn ‘Abbaas..
According to the hadeeth of Hudhayfah, he said, “Lord forgive me, Lord forgive me,” and according to the hadeeth of Ibn Abbaas, he said: “Forgive me, have mercy on me, guide me, pardon me, and grant me provision” and so on.
These hadeeths which appear in the books of Saheeh and Sunan, indicate that in these places the imam may say du’aa’ in the singular. Similarly, scholars are agreed on that, as they were of the view that this type of du'aa' is prescribed.
Once this is understood, it will become clear that what is meant in the hadeeth mentioned -- if it is sound -- is the du'aa' in which the person praying behind the imam says ameen, such as du’aa’ al-Qunoot, when if the person says ameen then he is saying du’aa’. Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted, said to Moosa and Haroon (interpretation of the meaning: “Verily, the invocation of you both is accepted” [Yoonus 10:89]. And one of them was sayng the du’aa’ and the other was saying ameen.
If the person praying behind the imam is saying ameen to the du'aa' of the imam, then the imam should offer the du’aa’ in the plural form, as in the du’aa’ of al-Faatihah, “Guide us to the Straight Way”. The person praying behind the imam of says ameen because he believes that the imam is offering du’aa’ for both of them together, so if he does not do that then the imam has betrayed the person praying behind him.
As for the places in which each person offers supplication on his own behalf, as in the opening du’aa’, following the tashahhud and so on, where the person praying behind the imam is offering supplication for himself, then the imam may offer supplication for himself. End quote.
Majmoo’ al-Fataawa (23/116-118)
Al-Iraqi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
Part of the etiquette of supplication is that the one who offers du'aa' in a gathering should not single himself out for du'aa' among them, or single himself and some of them out but not all of them. All the members of the congregation should be included in the du’aa’ by the imam, so he should not single himself out to the exclusion of the people praying behind him, because of the report narrated by Abu Dawood and al-Tirmidhi from the hadeeth of Thawbaan (may Allaah have mercy on him) who said: The Messenger of Allaah (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) said: “A man should not lead people in prayer and single himself out for du'aa' to the exclusion of them, and if he does that then he has betrayed them.” al-Tirmidhi said: it is a hasan hadeeth.
The apparent meaning is that this is to be understood as referring to that in which the people praying behind him do not take part in saying the du’aa’, such as du’aa’ al-Qunoot and the like. As for that which everybody says, such as saying between the two prostrations, “O Allaah forgive me and have mercy on me and guide me,” each of the people praying behind him says this du’aa’, so there is nothing wrong in that case with saying it in the singular. But some of the people praying behind him may omit that because they forget or they do not know this is mustahabb. In that case the imam should make the pronoun plural. End quote.
Tarh al-Tathreeb (2/136-137)
And Allaah knows best.
Is it permissible for him to ask Allaah for the girl who died and to whom he wanted to propose marriage to let her be his bride in Paradise?
The daughter of my maternal uncle died in an accident, and I was intending to propose marriage to her. Is it permissible to pray to Allaah to make her my bride in Paradise, or is this overstepping the mark in du’aa’? May Allaah reward you with good.
Praise be to Allaah.
First of all, we ask Allaah to encompass that girl with His mercy, and to admit her to His Paradise, and to bless her family and all her relatives with patience and consolation.
We advise you to treat her parents kindly, and help them to overcome their trial. With regard to yourself, we advise you to accept the decree of Allaah and to have faith that all things are in His hand (?), and that He controls all things in this universe, and He has great wisdom and He cannot questioned as to what He does, while they will be questioned.
With regard to your question about praying that this girl will be your wife in Paradise, there is no reason why you should not do that, if Allaah wills, and you may pray for that.
But what we would prefer for you is to pray to Allaah for mercy and forgiveness, and to raise her in status in Paradise. This is what will benefit her from you, and you will be rewarded for it, if Allaah Wills.
We are afraid that you may exaggerate about this matter, or use this du’aa’ too much, and that it may increase your attachment to her and affects your life or distract you from seeking that which will keep you chaste in this world, namely halaal marriage. We should also point out to you, so that you will not go to extremes in your attachment to her, that she has died and is a non-mahram to you, so be aware of going to extremes in expressing grief and sorrow for what you have missed out on, for Allaah has set an appointed time for all things.
We remind you of the verses in which Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And certainly, We shall test you with something of fear, hunger, loss of wealth, lives and fruits, but give glad tidings to As‑ Saabiroon (the patient).
156. Who, when afflicted with calamity, say: ‘Truly, to Allaah we belong and truly, to Him we shall return.’
157. They are those on whom are the Salawaat (i.e. who are blessed and will be forgiven) from their Lord, and (they are those who) receive His Mercy, and it is they who are the guided ones”
[al-Baqarah 2:155-157]
Shaykh al-Sa’di (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
Allaah tells us that He will inevitably test His slaves with trials, so as to differentiate those who are sincere from those who are lying, those who panic from those who have patience. This is His way with His slaves, because if ease were to continue with those who believe and no trials were to befall them, there would be no distinction between those who have faith and those who do not, which leads to corruption. The wisdom of Allaah dictates that the people of good should be differentiated from the people of evil.
This is the purpose of trials, not to take away what the believers have of faith or to turn them away from their religion. Allaah never causes the faith of the believers to be lost, and He tells us in this verse that He will test His slaves “with something of fear” from enemies, “ and hunger” i.e. He will test them with a little of both, because if He were to test them with extreme fear or with extreme hunger, they would be doomed, but the point of trials is to show this distinction, not to doom people.
“loss of wealth” this includes all kinds of loss of wealth such as disasters coming from the heavens, drowning, loss, seizing of wealth by wrongdoers such as unjust kings, banditry and so on.
“lives” i.e. loss of loved ones such as children, relatives and friends from various kinds of disease in a person's body or in the body of those whom he loves. “and fruits” means grains, the fruit of date palms and all other trees and vegetables, due to hail or cold or fire or a catastrophe such as locusts and the like.
These things will inevitably happen because the All-knowing All-aware has told us of them, so they happened as He told us. When they happen, people fall into one of two categories, those who panic and those who are patient. The one who panics suffers two calamities: the loss of a loved one, which is a calamity, and the loss of what is greater than it, which is the reward he could have attained if he had followed the command of Allaah to exercise patience, so he incurs loss and deprivation and a decline in the faith that he has; he misses out on patience, acceptance and gratitude and there befalls him the divine wrath which is indicative of great loss.
As for the one whom Allaah helps to be patient when these calamities come, he controls himself and does not express discontent in word or deed; he seeks reward for that which is with Allaah and realises that the reward he will attain by being patient is greater than the calamity that has befallen him. Indeed the calamity is in fact a blessing because it becomes a way to attain something that is better and more beneficial. He has obeyed the command of Allaah and attained reward. Hence Allaah says: “but give glad tidings to As‑ Saabiroon (the patient)”, i.e. give them the glad tidings that they will be given their reward without reckoning.
The patient are those who have earned these great glad tidings and bountiful gift from Allaah. Then He describes them as “ [those] who, when afflicted with calamity”, which refers to everything that pains the heart or body or both, of those things mentioned above.
“[they] say: ‘Truly, to Allaah we belong” i.e. we are slaves of Allaah, subject to His command and control; we have no control whatsoever over ourselves or our wealth. If He tests us with any of those things, the Most Merciful of those who show mercy sas disposed of His slaves and their possessions, and there can be no objection to Him; rather it is a part of a person's full and complete submission and servitude to Allaah (‘uboodiyyah) to know that calamity has come from the All-Wise, Who is more merciful to His slave than he is himself, and that requires him to be pleased with Allaah and to give thanks to Him for His decree, because that is better for His slave, even if he does not realize that, as we all belong to Allaah, then to Him we will return on the Day of Resurrection, then each person will be requited for his actions. So if we are patient and seek reward with Him, we will find an abundant reward with Him; but if we panic and get angry, there our lot will be no more than divine wrath and loss of reward. So each person belongs to Allaah and will return to Him, and this is one of the strongest means of being patient.
“They” i.e. those who are described above as being patient “are those on whom are the Salawaat (i.e. who are blessed and will be forgiven) from their Lord” i.e. praise and speaking of their virtue. “and (they are those who) receive His Mercy”, which is abundant. Part of His mercy towards them is that He helps them to be patient, by means of which they attain the reward in full. “and it is they who are the guided ones”, those who know the truth, which in this context refers to their knowledge that they belong to Allaah, that they will return to Him, and they act upon it, and that is their patience for the sake of Allaah.
This verse indicates that the one who is not patient will have the opposite of what they have, so he will be blamed by Allaah and punished, misguided and will suffer loss. How great is the difference between the two groups and how little is the effort of those who are patient, and how great is the pain of those who panic.
These two verses tell us that we should think about calamities before they happen, so as to reduce their impact and make them easier to bear if they do happen, and explain how to respond to them if they happen, which is with patience. And they explain what helps one to be patient, the reward that the patient person will have and they describe the situation of the one who is not patient, which is the opposite of patience. And they tell us that these calamities and trials are the law of Allaah and one can never find any alternative to the law of Allaah, and they describe different kinds of calamities. End quote.
Tafseer al-Sa’di (p. 75).
Think about these words of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) and these teachings of the salaf:
it was narrated that there Mother of the Believers, Umm Salamah (may Allaah be pleased with her), said: I heard the Messenger of Allaah (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) say: “There is no Muslim who is stricken with a calamity and says what Allaah has enjoined – ‘Verily to Allaah we belong and unto Him is our return. O Allaah, reward me for my affliction and compensate me with something better’ – but Allaah will compensate him with something better.”
She said: When Abu Salamah died, I said: Who among the Muslims is better than Abu Salamah, the first household to migrate to join the Messenger of Allaah (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him)? Then I said it, and Allaah compensated me with the Messenger of Allaah (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him).
She said: The Messenger of Allaah (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) sent Haatib ibn Abi Balta’ah to me with his proposal of marriage, but I said: I have a daughter and I am of a jealous nature. He said: “As for her daughter, we will pray to Allaah to make her independent of her, and I pray that Allaah will take away her jealousy.”
Narrated by Muslim in his Saheeh (918).
So pray to Allaah to reward you for your calamity and compensate you with someone better than her. Also pray to Allaah for this girl and for all the deceased Muslims, asking for mercy and forgiveness for them.
And Allaah knows best.
Praise be to Allaah.
First of all, we ask Allaah to encompass that girl with His mercy, and to admit her to His Paradise, and to bless her family and all her relatives with patience and consolation.
We advise you to treat her parents kindly, and help them to overcome their trial. With regard to yourself, we advise you to accept the decree of Allaah and to have faith that all things are in His hand (?), and that He controls all things in this universe, and He has great wisdom and He cannot questioned as to what He does, while they will be questioned.
With regard to your question about praying that this girl will be your wife in Paradise, there is no reason why you should not do that, if Allaah wills, and you may pray for that.
But what we would prefer for you is to pray to Allaah for mercy and forgiveness, and to raise her in status in Paradise. This is what will benefit her from you, and you will be rewarded for it, if Allaah Wills.
We are afraid that you may exaggerate about this matter, or use this du’aa’ too much, and that it may increase your attachment to her and affects your life or distract you from seeking that which will keep you chaste in this world, namely halaal marriage. We should also point out to you, so that you will not go to extremes in your attachment to her, that she has died and is a non-mahram to you, so be aware of going to extremes in expressing grief and sorrow for what you have missed out on, for Allaah has set an appointed time for all things.
We remind you of the verses in which Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And certainly, We shall test you with something of fear, hunger, loss of wealth, lives and fruits, but give glad tidings to As‑ Saabiroon (the patient).
156. Who, when afflicted with calamity, say: ‘Truly, to Allaah we belong and truly, to Him we shall return.’
157. They are those on whom are the Salawaat (i.e. who are blessed and will be forgiven) from their Lord, and (they are those who) receive His Mercy, and it is they who are the guided ones”
[al-Baqarah 2:155-157]
Shaykh al-Sa’di (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
Allaah tells us that He will inevitably test His slaves with trials, so as to differentiate those who are sincere from those who are lying, those who panic from those who have patience. This is His way with His slaves, because if ease were to continue with those who believe and no trials were to befall them, there would be no distinction between those who have faith and those who do not, which leads to corruption. The wisdom of Allaah dictates that the people of good should be differentiated from the people of evil.
This is the purpose of trials, not to take away what the believers have of faith or to turn them away from their religion. Allaah never causes the faith of the believers to be lost, and He tells us in this verse that He will test His slaves “with something of fear” from enemies, “ and hunger” i.e. He will test them with a little of both, because if He were to test them with extreme fear or with extreme hunger, they would be doomed, but the point of trials is to show this distinction, not to doom people.
“loss of wealth” this includes all kinds of loss of wealth such as disasters coming from the heavens, drowning, loss, seizing of wealth by wrongdoers such as unjust kings, banditry and so on.
“lives” i.e. loss of loved ones such as children, relatives and friends from various kinds of disease in a person's body or in the body of those whom he loves. “and fruits” means grains, the fruit of date palms and all other trees and vegetables, due to hail or cold or fire or a catastrophe such as locusts and the like.
These things will inevitably happen because the All-knowing All-aware has told us of them, so they happened as He told us. When they happen, people fall into one of two categories, those who panic and those who are patient. The one who panics suffers two calamities: the loss of a loved one, which is a calamity, and the loss of what is greater than it, which is the reward he could have attained if he had followed the command of Allaah to exercise patience, so he incurs loss and deprivation and a decline in the faith that he has; he misses out on patience, acceptance and gratitude and there befalls him the divine wrath which is indicative of great loss.
As for the one whom Allaah helps to be patient when these calamities come, he controls himself and does not express discontent in word or deed; he seeks reward for that which is with Allaah and realises that the reward he will attain by being patient is greater than the calamity that has befallen him. Indeed the calamity is in fact a blessing because it becomes a way to attain something that is better and more beneficial. He has obeyed the command of Allaah and attained reward. Hence Allaah says: “but give glad tidings to As‑ Saabiroon (the patient)”, i.e. give them the glad tidings that they will be given their reward without reckoning.
The patient are those who have earned these great glad tidings and bountiful gift from Allaah. Then He describes them as “ [those] who, when afflicted with calamity”, which refers to everything that pains the heart or body or both, of those things mentioned above.
“[they] say: ‘Truly, to Allaah we belong” i.e. we are slaves of Allaah, subject to His command and control; we have no control whatsoever over ourselves or our wealth. If He tests us with any of those things, the Most Merciful of those who show mercy sas disposed of His slaves and their possessions, and there can be no objection to Him; rather it is a part of a person's full and complete submission and servitude to Allaah (‘uboodiyyah) to know that calamity has come from the All-Wise, Who is more merciful to His slave than he is himself, and that requires him to be pleased with Allaah and to give thanks to Him for His decree, because that is better for His slave, even if he does not realize that, as we all belong to Allaah, then to Him we will return on the Day of Resurrection, then each person will be requited for his actions. So if we are patient and seek reward with Him, we will find an abundant reward with Him; but if we panic and get angry, there our lot will be no more than divine wrath and loss of reward. So each person belongs to Allaah and will return to Him, and this is one of the strongest means of being patient.
“They” i.e. those who are described above as being patient “are those on whom are the Salawaat (i.e. who are blessed and will be forgiven) from their Lord” i.e. praise and speaking of their virtue. “and (they are those who) receive His Mercy”, which is abundant. Part of His mercy towards them is that He helps them to be patient, by means of which they attain the reward in full. “and it is they who are the guided ones”, those who know the truth, which in this context refers to their knowledge that they belong to Allaah, that they will return to Him, and they act upon it, and that is their patience for the sake of Allaah.
This verse indicates that the one who is not patient will have the opposite of what they have, so he will be blamed by Allaah and punished, misguided and will suffer loss. How great is the difference between the two groups and how little is the effort of those who are patient, and how great is the pain of those who panic.
These two verses tell us that we should think about calamities before they happen, so as to reduce their impact and make them easier to bear if they do happen, and explain how to respond to them if they happen, which is with patience. And they explain what helps one to be patient, the reward that the patient person will have and they describe the situation of the one who is not patient, which is the opposite of patience. And they tell us that these calamities and trials are the law of Allaah and one can never find any alternative to the law of Allaah, and they describe different kinds of calamities. End quote.
Tafseer al-Sa’di (p. 75).
Think about these words of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) and these teachings of the salaf:
it was narrated that there Mother of the Believers, Umm Salamah (may Allaah be pleased with her), said: I heard the Messenger of Allaah (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) say: “There is no Muslim who is stricken with a calamity and says what Allaah has enjoined – ‘Verily to Allaah we belong and unto Him is our return. O Allaah, reward me for my affliction and compensate me with something better’ – but Allaah will compensate him with something better.”
She said: When Abu Salamah died, I said: Who among the Muslims is better than Abu Salamah, the first household to migrate to join the Messenger of Allaah (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him)? Then I said it, and Allaah compensated me with the Messenger of Allaah (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him).
She said: The Messenger of Allaah (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) sent Haatib ibn Abi Balta’ah to me with his proposal of marriage, but I said: I have a daughter and I am of a jealous nature. He said: “As for her daughter, we will pray to Allaah to make her independent of her, and I pray that Allaah will take away her jealousy.”
Narrated by Muslim in his Saheeh (918).
So pray to Allaah to reward you for your calamity and compensate you with someone better than her. Also pray to Allaah for this girl and for all the deceased Muslims, asking for mercy and forgiveness for them.
And Allaah knows best.
Is the supplication of an insane person answered?
Does the duaa of an insane person count?.
Praise be to Allaah.
There is nothing in the Sunnah to indicate that the supplication of an insane person is answered, so it is not permissible to claim that unless there is evidence to prove it, and there is nothing in the evidence that bears witness to that. Perhaps the origin of this claim comes from exaggeration of the Sufis thought concerning the insane and the simple-minded, or from the way in which the common folk go to extremes in mistreating these insane people. Many people wrong them and mistreat them unlawfully, and others think that they are better than same people or that they have a high status in worship or a special status before Allaah.
Rather we go further than that and say that the supplication of an insane person is not based on understanding and knowledge, so it does not fulfil the meaning of supplication which is worship and which implies that the person who is offering the supplication has in mind the meanings of Divinity and Lordship and the might of Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted, and he has in mind his need and submission and humility before Allaah. If an insane person says supplication, he is only uttering words that he does not know the meaning of and does not intend what they imply. Can something like this be called supplication, let alone be claimed that it is accepted and answered by Allaah?
But some of these insane people, who are not accountable, may have some understanding of some things and may be able to distinguish between the one who treats him kindly and honours him and the one who mistreats him and scorns him, so he may say some good words and supplication for the one who is kind to him. He may also supplicate against the one who mistreats him and scorns him, and it is not unlikely that his supplication may be answered in that case, especially if he is wronged and is seeking help against the one who wrongs him.
But saying in absolute terms that the supplication of the insane person is answered is something for which there is no evidence; rather it is speaking about Allaah without knowledge.
And Allaah knows best.
Praise be to Allaah.
There is nothing in the Sunnah to indicate that the supplication of an insane person is answered, so it is not permissible to claim that unless there is evidence to prove it, and there is nothing in the evidence that bears witness to that. Perhaps the origin of this claim comes from exaggeration of the Sufis thought concerning the insane and the simple-minded, or from the way in which the common folk go to extremes in mistreating these insane people. Many people wrong them and mistreat them unlawfully, and others think that they are better than same people or that they have a high status in worship or a special status before Allaah.
Rather we go further than that and say that the supplication of an insane person is not based on understanding and knowledge, so it does not fulfil the meaning of supplication which is worship and which implies that the person who is offering the supplication has in mind the meanings of Divinity and Lordship and the might of Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted, and he has in mind his need and submission and humility before Allaah. If an insane person says supplication, he is only uttering words that he does not know the meaning of and does not intend what they imply. Can something like this be called supplication, let alone be claimed that it is accepted and answered by Allaah?
But some of these insane people, who are not accountable, may have some understanding of some things and may be able to distinguish between the one who treats him kindly and honours him and the one who mistreats him and scorns him, so he may say some good words and supplication for the one who is kind to him. He may also supplicate against the one who mistreats him and scorns him, and it is not unlikely that his supplication may be answered in that case, especially if he is wronged and is seeking help against the one who wrongs him.
But saying in absolute terms that the supplication of the insane person is answered is something for which there is no evidence; rather it is speaking about Allaah without knowledge.
And Allaah knows best.
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