The title of the meeting today is..
Travelling[As-Safar].. as mentioned in the Noble Book of Allah.
And travelling[As-Safar] is wandering on earth.. and it can be called[Ad-Darb= hitting]
it's like saying [Let's hit the road] i.e. to travel.
One of the verses where, travelling was mentioned..
Allah, Almighty, said..
"O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you.. "2:183
".. that you may become righteous."
"[Fasting for] a limited number of days.. " 2:184
".. So whoever among you is ill or on a journey[Safar] [during them] - then an equal number of days [are to be made up]."
The, after that.. He, Almighty, said
"The month of Ramadan [is that] in which was revealed the Qur'an, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion.. " 2:185
".. So whoever sights [the new moon of] the month, let him fast it.. "
".. and whoever is ill or on a journey[Safar] then an equal number of other days.."
So, we can observe, in the verse.. He Almighty, said:
".. and whoever is ill or on a journey[Safar].."
two times..
So, why is the repetition?
and I'll explain this.. in general..
because, our topic is about travelling[As-Safar]..
and not about the rules of fasting[Siyam].
In the first verse, fasting[Siyam] was a choice..
not obligatory.
Then in the second verse, that choice was canceled..
as He, Almighty, said: ".. So whoever sights [the new moon of] the month, let him fast it.."
this part of the verse..
has caused cancellation of the rule in the previous verse.. totally..
So, the command was to be repeated again in the second verse because it was cancelled.
So, the repetition was not for the sake of repetition..
but, because the command was cancelled..
because, fasting was for limited number of days
i.e. man was having a choice.. as indicated by..
the saying of Allah, Almighty: ".. But to fast is best for you.. "
That was a rule of Siyam, as found on the verse:
"The month of Ramadan [is that] in which was revealed the Qur'an.. "
A second verse about travelling[As-Safar]..
Allah, Almighty, said:
"And when you travel [Darabtum] throughout the land.." 4:101
".. there is no blame upon you for shortening[Qasr] the prayer[Salat].. "
".. if you fear that those who disbelieve may disrupt [or attack] you.. "
We've already explained the word [Darabtum]..[Daraba]..
It means..
What does it mean?
have travelled.
"And when you travel throughout the land, there is no blame upon you.. " i.e. you believers..
".. there is no blame upon you for shortening[Qasr] the prayer.. "
".. if you fear that those who disbelieve may disrupt [or attack] you.. "
So, the last sentence of the verse..
looks like it is limiting..
a conditional clause.
Ya'ala Bin Umayyah said:
may Allah put mercy on him..
he said to Umar Bin Al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased of him and please him..
Why do we..
still shortening[Qasr] Salat..
and we are in peace?!!
Why do we still shortening[Qasr] Salat, and people are not having wars?!
and, Allah, Almighty, said:
".. there is no blame upon you for shortening[Qasr] the prayer.. "
" if you fear that those who disbelieve may disrupt [or attack] you
Then Umar answered him:
'I had wondered as you are wondering now..'
i.e. I thought about the matter as you are thinking now..
'so, I've asked the messenger of Allah, SAW..
then he said to me;
'It is a gift[Sadaqah] Allah has granted to you.'
before we proceed..
Let's study a fundamental[Osooly] approach..
as an example..
A rule adopted by the fundamentalists[Osoolyeen], to prove a concept known a the concept of antagonism.. opposition..[Mukhalafah]
The concept of what?
of antagonism.. opposition..[Mukhalafah]
Because, if Ya'ala Bin Umayyah didn't ask Umar..
and Umar didn't ask the prophet, SAW..
the meaning of the verse would be; shortening[Qasr] of Salat, is not allowed when people are not in situations of war!
it is allowed only when there are conditions of fear..
So, Ya'ala and Umar had the right to be confused.. and ask..
And the rule to apply the concept of the opposite[Mukhalafah]..
must have basic regulations..
as.. we need to know that..
'The unmentioned aspects of a matter.. was not mentioned, to stress on that which is mentioned, in particular.'
This means that..
Sometimes, the verse may state a point that looks like.. of restriction..
but, actually it doesn't mean that it is for exceptioning..
Sometimes, the verse may state a limitation to a certain situation..
but, actually, it is not only for this case, in particular.. with exception of other cases.
This is a deep rule in Fundatism[Osoolyah]..
Sometimes, we have to deliver preaching and education at the same time..
For example..
If the restriction was mentioned because it represents the most common situation..
e.g. Allah, Almighty, said:
".. and your step-daughters under your guardianship.. " 4:23
meaning is; It is prohibited to marry the step-daughter..
if you were her guardian or not.
But, the verse is saying..
".. under your guardianship.. "
this is just about; the way how thing are.. in most cases..
Another example.. Allah, Almighty, said:
"And do not kill your children for fear of poverty.. " 17:31
So, when He, Almighty, said; for fear of poverty..
this was just a figurative speech about what happens most of the time..
and the verse doesn't mean that I can kill my child for another reasons..
other than poverty!!
Killing children is prohibited, in all situations!
for fear of poverty or not.
But, what was happening with most of them..
they used to kill their children for fear of poverty.. of becoming needy..
So, the verse was expressed with the most common situation..
Sometimes, the verse is expressed with exaggeration..
in a way of amplification..
Allah, Almighty, said:
".. If you should ask forgiveness for them seventy times.. " 9:80
He didn't mean that number, literally..
so that if you ask forgiveness for them seventy one or seventy two..
.. then we will forgive them!!
Actually, this expression, with giving a big number, is just for exaggeration..
a figurative way of expression.
Or, the purpose of giving a form of limitation is..
to inform about a certain situation that is happening..
Allah, Almighty, said:
".. do not consume usury, doubled and multiplied.. " 3:130
".. do not consume usury, doubled and multiplied.. "
So, it is not about consuming usury, doubled and multiplied..
even if you consume just a small part of usury..
not to the level of doubled and multiplied..
still it is prohibited..
But, that was the common situation of most people.
Let's return to our verse..
Our Lord said: "And when you travel [Darabtum] throughout the land there is no blame upon you for shortening[Qasr] the prayer[Salat].."
This was one of the rules that was given in Qur'an.. in general.. in brief..
and then it was given in delailes in..
Where?! Answer me!!
in Sunnah.
In Sunnah, the prophet had explained how to do shortening[Qasr] of Salat..
so, in Sunnah, three main Salat [Fard] were specified for [Qasr]..
and two main Salat were left unchanged..
So, Maghrib and Fajr are left unchanged..
And, [Qasr] is applicable only for Salat of 4 [Ruba'aiyah].
i.e. Dhuhr, Asr and Isha.
they can be shortened.. from 4 to 2 Roku'a
Is it allowed to pray Salat complete while travelling.. or we must do [Qasr]?
Scholars had different opinions about this matter?
Imam Malik, may Allah put mercy on him..
he said; We must do [Qasr]
and his evidence is; the Hadith of Ibn Umar..
He said: 'I've prayed with the prophet, SAW, and with Aba Bakr..
and with Umar..
and with Uthman..
while traveling, and they didn't pray more that 2 Raka'at of Salat at all.'
It was never said, never narrated that..
the prophet, SAW, has completed these Salat while travelling..
the [Ruba'aiyah] Salat.
So, being with him, SAW, all the time..
is the strongest evidence which.. the Maliki group have..
that Salat while travelling must be 2 Raka'at only.
And the opinion of some people of knowledge indicates that..
it is permissible to pray the [Ruba'aiyah] Salat as 4.. complete..
but, the perfect way is to pray it as 2 Raka'at.
Now, we have a related issue..
suppone the person while travelling.. he was praying behind a local Imam..
i.e. the Iman was supposed to pray the 4 salat complete..
This issue has caused a disagreement upon people..
So, some people of knowledge had suggested that..
[And this is the Fatwa.. the action adopted by many countries.]
The person should finish the Salat as the Imam does it.
As according to the Hadith of Ibn Abbas..
he said; That's how it was in Sunnah.
Others think that this opinion of Ibn Abbas can be discussed..
as regards the statement itself.
Because, Ibn Abbas, may Allah put mercy on him.. He said;
When he was asked; Why should the traveller who is praying behind a local Imam, he should pray Salat complete?!
He answered: 'This is how the Sunnah used to be like.'
and we've said just now..
that the prophet, SAW, never..
prayed..
4 Rak'aat, while travelling!!
Is it clear what I want to say?
So, we can't say that the Sunnah was the evidence, and it was proved, with certainty..
and no one has conveyed..
that the prophet, SAW.. did that..
because, actually, he, SAW, didn't pray behind any Imam, while travelling.
But, it was narrated that he had prayed behind Abdur-Rahman Bin Awf..
but it was Fajr Salat.
And Abdur-Rahman Bin Awf was travelling with him..
So, even if it was Dhuhr or Asr Salat..
Abdur-Rahman would have did [Qasr] too!
Whatever the case was..
that was the argument of those who suggested doing the Salat in full..
And, some people of knowledge say that; He can pray 2 Raka'at..
and wait for the Imam..
Because, Allah did not require that the traveller should do more than 2 Raka'at.
so, we cannot require that from him!
And for me, I prefer.. and Allah knows best..
If the person was to pray with a local Imam from the beginning of Salat..
He should finish Salat with him.
But if he began praying, from the last 2 Raka'at.. with the Imam..
of Dhuhr, Asr or Isha..
while travelling..
he can finish Salat with his Imam..
because, we can't ask him to do more than 2 Raka'at.
And, Ibn Umar said:
'The messenger of Allah, SAW, and Abu Bakr and Umar..
and Uthman..
they never prayed more than 2 Raka'at while travelling.'
And Allah knows best!
So, keep in mind..
And this is important..
Most of Fiqh rules have differences..
And from that, you should know that the 4 Imams, may Allah put mercy upon them..
they've tried their best..
Some of them were right in some issues..
and were mistaken in other issues!
So, not only one of them has all the correct answers..
and not only one of them has all the mistakes..
And, to make this clearer to you..
I'll give you an example of how might happen between people..
because they love to do goodness..
when they listen to this or that..
We can say..
Give me this box!
Suppose..
there was a mountain..
Ok.
and there was a spring of water on top of it..
and, people were here..
and they want to get water..
[This is the best example that would explain the matter of the 4 Imams.]
Then, a person came and he volunteered..
and he climbed to the top of the mountain..
and he reached the spring of water..
Then, he began to dig a path for the waterflow..
then the water came down the mountain..
dividing into tracks
which he made.
till where the people were waiting.. and so, they could drink from the water.
Then, another man came..
he had the power.. the ability.. as the previous man..
So, he climbed the mountain..
He was thinking about people who are crowding over one path..
and he dug more tracks.
Definitely..
the water, while flowing down the mountain.. it might..
get mixed with some constituents.. of the path..
because the distance is long..
the mountain is..high..
Same thing might influence the water, that is flowing along all the tracks.. passing by good land or bad land..
it mixes with some good things and some bad things!
Then a third person came and he did.. and a fourth person came, and he did..
So, the spring of water..
is the Qur'an and the Sunnah.
And the people down the mountain, are the Muslims..
and those who had dug the paths are .. who are they?
The 4 Imams.
Abu Hanifah, Malik, As-Shafi'i and Ahmad.
And each of them did good in some issues and missed some other issues!
But it is impossible..
that Allah would write..
acceptance by people for all the 4 of them!
and people come to agreement about them all.. that they are honored..
and they are known as The Followed Imams[Al-Matbo'aeen]..
and they..
want to prevent or antagonise..
or negate the Hadiths of the prophet, SAW.. impossible!!
Muslims won't allow this..
And Allah won't write this for them to happen.
Is it clear now?
So.. this one did good, that one missed something..
this one was strict.. that one had a tougher rule applied to an issue..
and an easier rule in another issue.
With this, the believer must understand..
e.g. You, as a Muslim..
You can observe yourself..
if you were just copying..
then, you'll have a release of responsibility..
if you'd imitated the one whom you find to be qualified.. of giving [Fatwa].
But, the person who imitates.. he shouldn't..
deny diligent work[Ijtehad]..
this is flipping of the balances..
and it wasn't, ever, the attitude of Muslims .
because; 'The person who is non-having, is not-giving'
You have the right to declare that you are convinced of the way of a certain scholar!
and to follow him..
and he will be between you and Allah.
You'll be released.
".. So ask the people of the message if you do not know." 16:43
But, if you confess that you are an imitating follower..
and that you do not master a knowledge.. an ability to give decisions..
So, how come you have the right to..
inspect scholars..
then you oppose them, or you say.. or you do..
This needs..
Fear of Allah.. a devout frame of mind [Wara'a]
I've said that repeatedly, in my lectures..
Some of our Sheiks, whom we were with them, at the Haram of the messenger of Allah..
He said:
'People are not lacking knowledge now..
because, knowledge is everywhere..
But, they need the belief and the devotion..
rather than they would need Fiqh[knowledge of Deen].'
Let me give you an example..
when summer vacations come..
some people would go..
[and I always say this.. with the same wording]
.. to the clubs of the west and the bars of the east..
By, Allah, does anyone of them, doesn't know..
that, this is Haram?!!
impossible!
actually, he goes in secret..
He doesn't tell, where he is going..
because, he knows that it is Haram..
was that because of his lack of knowledge?
impossible!
it is because of lack of Iman.. or let's say..
it is because of lack of knowledge about.. Who?!
about Allah..
For that, it was said..
The true knowledge is..
[Khashyah] being afraid!!
Knowledge, is the fearing of Allah.
However, the knowledge of Haram and Halal..
the big sin and the small mistake..
Praise to Allah..
Allah has granted, for the scholars, access..
to..
edited means..
to channels..
to screens..
and they explain to people..
But..
Unknowing Allah..
is that which has driven some people.. [we ask refuge with Allah!]
to disobediences..
and it was said:
'The person who fears Allah, is a scholar up to the level of his fear..
and the person who disobeys Allah, he is an ignorant down to the level of his disobedience!.'
And, Allah is saying: ".. Only those fear Allah, from among His servants, who have knowledge.." 35:28
That was about the verse.. Allah, Almighty said: "And when you travel throughout the land.. "
Other verses, where travelling was mentioned..
Our Lord, Almighty, said:
"Had it been an easy gain and a moderate trip[Safar], they would have followed you.. " 9:42
".. but distant to them was the journey.. "
And the kalk was about the hypocrites..
who had lagged behind, and they didn't go with the messenger of Allah, SAW..
at the battle of Tabuk.
And, Tabuk is actually.. a spring of water..
and the city was named after it.
and it is very far from the city of Madinah..
And, Allah, Almighty, has named that army; The army of [Usrah= Difficulty]
So, some people didn't join that army..
as we will discuss that at other meetings..
But now, we will explain the part of the verse; Had it been an easy [A'aradan]..
[A'aradhan] means a profit that is easy to get.
And a [Qasidan] trip, means; an easy short trip..
that won't be hard for their bodies nor costy for them..
they would have followed you!
Not for the sake of pleasing Allah..
But, for the sake of earning the profit..
that is easy to get.. at the same time!
So, in the verse, Allah is telling His prophet, SAW, about the case of these hypocrites.
"Had it been an easy gain and a moderate trip, [the hypocrites] would have followed you.. "
".. but distant to them was the journey[As-Shukah].. "
[As-Shukah]..
means; The difficulties in the journey and the long distance from homes..
it has many indications..
and the people of knowledge has explained the word, giving meanings around these meanings said before!
And, the battle of Tabuk, was the last battle that was with the messenger of Allah, SAW..
It was at the 9th year of Hijrah..
and, many great things had happened during it..
rarely unknown for Muslims..
The most important among them was;
The honored Sahabi.. Abdullah..
Al-Muzani..
Who was known as; zil-Bijadain
The word[Al-Bijad] means a kind of wear..
it is rough.. he used to wear it..
he left the home of his people.. after they've prevented him of Hijrah, for some time..
then he left and all that he had, was that wear, which was divided in two parts..
a part to cover the lower part of his body, and the second, was to cover the upper part of his body..
he went to the prophet, SAW, and he entered Islam..
and he was with him at the invasion, named Tabuk..
Abdullah Bin Mas'ud, may Allah be pleased of him and please him.. he said:
'I woke up at the middle of the night..
[at the site of the battle of Tabuk.]
I saw fire at the site where the soldiers are..
so, I went there..
There, I found the messenger of Allah, and Abu Bakr and Umar..
and Abdullah Al-Muzani [ zil-Bijadain] was dead..
and they were by the grave..
and the messenger of Allah, SAW, was in the pit..
saying to Abu Bakr and Umar..
lower your brother down to me..
So, they lowered him down..
to him, SAW, to put him in..
Abdullah said: When he arranged him on his side..
He, SAW, said:
'Allahumma, I became pleased of him ..
so, be pleased of him!'
'Allahumma, I'm pleased of him, so, be pleased of him!'.'
Abdullah Bin Mas'ud said:
'I would have wished to be the possessor of that pit..
and, By Allah, I've entered Islam before him, by 10 years.'
For what reason!!
When we are with Qur'an..
we want to comprehend the words of our Lord!
don't mind that your knowledge would increase..
more important is to increase your rewards.. your belief.. your confidence..
The point here..
we need to ask ourselves..
Why had Abdullah gained..
this status?!
and it wasn't a small gain..
The persons who had carried him down to his grave, were Abu Bakr and Umar..
and the person who was setting him on his side, in the greave, was the messenger of Allah, SAW.
So, he has gained that..
because of his intention..
because of his honest hidden intention..
and the good hidden relation with Allah..
and this..
is unknown.. A wise person can't..
praise the intention of anyone nor..
dispraise it!
applaud the intention of anyone or vilify it.
Absolutely, no way to do so..
irrespective of your observations..
You can only say; [Nahsaboh= we think he is]
and don't praise him, in front of him..
only Allah, knows about the hidden intentions!
But still, the wise person can judge himself..
and he knows his own intentions.. more than others.
So, That honorable Sahabi has migrated to Al-Madinah..
and Allah didn't write that he would be graved in it..
so, his grave was far from it..
But, when he was to be graved..
the messenger of Allah, SAW, was the one to be down in his pit..
may Allah be pleased of him and please him..
.. saying.. and others hearing what he was saying..
'Allahumma, I'm definitely pleased of him, so, be pleased of him!'
Ibn Rajab said:
'If you didn't have the capacity..
to compete with good chosen persons..
doing as their righteous deeds..
so, compete with the sinners in their asking for forgiveness!
Allahumma, we ask for your forgiveness and we repent to You.
May Salat and Salam be upon Muhammad and his family..
And [All] praise be due to Allah, Lord of the worlds.