|
|
Reflections |
|
In the Name of Allah,
the Most Gracious,
the Ever Merciful
|
The Real Status of Tarawih Prayers
To the less-informed Muslims,
Tarāwihs are additional, almost obligatory prayers prescribed specially for
the holy month of Ramadhān. Anybody who does not say them in congregation,
it is generally believed, loses a good share of the Ramadhān’s blessings. As
a result, Muslims throng the mosques for the ‘Ishaa prayers and make sure
that they manage to endure twenty additional rak’ats every night. The Huffāz,
however, gifted with the extraordinary ability of briskly uttering the
Message of God in the most incomprehensible manner, squeeze long passages
into as short duration as possible. Completing the recitation of the Holy
Book at least once during these prayers is also considered an important part
of this formality, making the Huffāz a highly sought-after group as the
Ramadhān approaches near.
The reality, however, is that
the Tarāwih prayer is neither obligatory nor is it supposed to be said by
all means after ‘Ishā in congregation. It is, as is evident from the Sunnah
of the Prophet, nothing but Tahajjud, the late-night prayer, allowed for the
common Muslims to be said in the early part of the night during the Ramadhān.
The Prophet, may Allah be pleased with him, it appears, never said this
prayer in the earlier part of the night. In one of the Ramadhān night’s,
however, he came out into the mosque to say his Tahajjud prayers and did so
thrice in successive nights. He was joined in by his Companions who grew in
number each successive time. On the fourth night, an even larger number of
Companions waited vainly---only to see him at the Fajr prayers. He informed
his Companions that he had deliberately kept himself from saying prayers in
the mosque, lest the people should take it as binding on them.
It appears that people who were
not used to saying Tahajjud regularly (as is evident from the Qur’ān that
there was a group which did not) and some others who perhaps found praying
in the later part of the night during the Ramadhān impractical because of
the time-involving task of preparing Sehri, got permission from the Prophet
(sws) to say it in the early half. It seems, moreover, that people formed
many small groups to say this prayer in congregation. The practice continued
till the caliphate of Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, who found the
plurality of congregational prayers led by the loudly reciting Imāms,
scattered in the confines of the mosque, much to the dislike of his
sensitive religious taste. He lost no time in asking the people to pray
behind one Imām, Ubai Ibni Ka`ab. Later, one night, impressed on witnessing
the disciplined congregation behind a single Imām, he remarked: `What a fine
innovation is this!’ Of course, the statement was induced by the fact that
although the arrangement was apparently an innovation, it was, nevertheless,
in complete consonance with the Sunnah of the Prophet; his practice which
continued for three days running. Umar is also reported to have remarked on
that occasions thus: `That (the prayer which is said alone in the later part
of the night) is indeed superior to the one they are saying instead.’
We may conclude from the above
that the Tarāwih prayer has no distinct status---it is only the Tahajjud
prayer allowed to be said earlier during the Ramadhān. As such, it is
clearly not binding on the Muslims, although the blessings of the Ramadhān
clearly add to its significance. Tahajjud, the night prayer, however, is far
more preferable, whether in Ramadhān or otherwise. A Muslim should,
therefore, try to say these night prayers regularly at least in the Ramadhān
and recite the Qur’ān slowly and clearly to facilitate maximum understanding
while praying. If, owing to some difficulty which may include the fact that
very little of the Qur’ān is committed to memory, Tahajjud is not possible,
then he should seek to find a mosque to say his Tarāwih prayers after ‘Ishā
where the Imām is doing justice with the Book of Allah with proper
recitation.
Completing the recitation of the
Qur’ān at least once in these night prayers is, of course, no religious
obligation. The Qur’ān can be completed many times by reciting it on
occasions other than prayers.
Author:
Dr Khalid Zaheer
Topic URL:
http://www.monthly-renaissance.com/issue/content.aspx?id=978
|
|
In this Issue |
|
Reflections
* The Real Status of
Tarawih Prayers
|
|
Read & Reflect
* The Surah as a Unit
|
|
Debate & Discuss
* Discussion Forum:
Introduction to the
Hadith
return
to the top ^
|
|
Express & Explain
*
General Discussion
The
Ramdhan
Forum
return
to the top ^
|
|
|
Pause & Ponder
* Sighting
the Moon
Announcements
*
Urdu Course "Roza"
Launched
*
Successful
Participants
Recent Additions
* Articles
* Q n As
return
to the top ^
Spot on Site
return
to the top ^
|
|
|
|
Read and Reflect |
|
The Surah as a Unit
Author
Imam
Hamiduddin Farahi
(Tr. by Tariq Haashmi)
By this discussion
we aim to establish that each sūrah is a well-structured unit. It is only lack
of consideration and analysis on our part that the sūrahs seem disjointed and
incoherent. Every student of the Holy Qur’ān can notice that the Qur’ān contains
both short and long sūrahs. Each sūrah imparts a specific message as its central
theme which when completed marks the end of the sūrah. If there were no such
specific conclusion intended to be dealt with in each sūrah, there would be no
need to divide the Qur’ān in sūrahs. Rather the whole Qur’ān would have formed a
single sūrah. We also know that the sūrahs are not equal in length. There are
longer sūrahs and shorter ones. Had God not intended dealing a specific issue in
each sūrah in a well-coherent fashion, He would not have threaded the verses in
a single unifying thread. He would have, on the contrary, scattered everything
casually whereby some of the sūrahs could have comprised of a single line.
We see that a set of
verses has been placed together and named sūrah the way a city is built with a
wall erected round it. A single wall must contain a single city in it. What is
the use of a wall encompassing different cities? Another thing that needs to be
appreicated is that each sūrah does not discuss a seperate issue. Everybody
knows that the last two sūrahs are remarkably similar in their contents yet
they are not considered one sūrah. Both of these have always been considered
independent and distinct units. Similary, Sūrah Takwīr (Abundance, 108), Sūrah
Inshiqāq (The Rending, 84), Sūrah Mursalāt (Those that are sent forth, 77),
Sūrah Nāzi‘āt (Those that snatch away, 79) and Sūrah Dhāriyāt (The Winds, 51)
address similar issues. But their structure as well as style of expression is
completely different.
We also see that
when the Quraysh were not able to compose ten sūrahs of the quality of the
Qur’ānic sūrahs, they were challenged to try composing even one. They were,
however, not asked to compose something less than a sūrah. This challenge
implied all the sūrahs, long or shortr, but it no way implied a given length of
discourse lacking qualities of a sūrah. Some of the Muslim exegetes have missed
this fact. They thought that the Quraysh were challenged to compose a number of
verses of the length of a sūrah. Then they had to go a great length to see what
aspect of inimitability was required of such a quanity of Qur’ānic verses. For
example, the verse
(٤: ٢٣) حُرِّمَتْ
عَلَيْكُمْ أُمَّهَاتُكُمْ وَبَنَاتُكُمْ
(Forbidden to you
are your mothers, your daughters, (4:23)) is longer than Sūrah Kawthar. This
made them wonder what aspect of inimitibility was involved in this lengh of
discourse which was more than a sūrah but not a sūrah in its form. In fact the
Holy Qur’ān did not challenge them to carve a discoure equal or above than a
sūrah but a sūrah as a unit containing a meaningful well-ordered discourse. All
jinn and humans can never succeed in composing a sūrah of the same grandeur or
even smaller than Sūrah Kawthar. The above mentioned facts lead us to conclude
that in the Qur’ānic challenge to the Quraysh, by a sūrah, God meant a
well-structured and coherent discourse. The length of such a discourse was not
relevent. Just as the common words like tree, plants and animals etc are applied
to a class of things disregarding any kind of difference in the members of such
a class, the word sūrah covers all sūrahs, short and longe. Some of the earlier
scholars expressed similar views which corroborates our thesis. Suyūtī writes:
قال
الجعيري حد السورة قرآن يشتمل على آي ذي فاتحة و خاتمة و أقلها ثلاث آيات
Ju‘ayrī has said: “A
sūrah is defined as a set of Qur’ānic verses which contain an introduction and a
conclusion. The least amount of verses in a sūrah is three.”
I, however, define a
sūrah as a set of verses which is a well-knit discourse dealing with a specific
theme. This set of verses must contain an introduction, a central theme and a
conclusion. Therefore the minimum number of verses in each sūrah is three.
A study of the shorter sūrahs reveals
that they peer the longer ones in that they are equally well-knit coherent
chapters. The shorter sūrahs contain all the elements of beautiful ordering and
well-structuredness, the characterisics of the longer ones. Therefore, to hold
that the shorter sūrāhs like Sūrah Kawthar (108), Sūrah Mā‘ūn (107) and Sūrah
‘Asr (103) do not contain any fine coherence would be wrong. Understanding
inner-connectedness of the shorter sūrahs can greatly be helpful in deciphering
the coherence in the longer sūrahs. Similarly, some of the longer sūrahs contain
passages which are well-knit in obvious fashion. Only a dull-minded person can
fail to notice it. For example, first twenty verses of Sūrah Baqarah (2) are
manifestly well-knit. When a student ponders over such passages in smaller
sūrahs, he develops the ability to discocver finer points of interconnetion in
other sūrahs. I have come to understand the coherence in the Qur’ān in this very
manner. I am certain that any person who intends to seriously ponder over the
Holy Qur’ān in this aspect will be able to understand the coherence in the
Qur’ān. For “those who adopted the right
path, he increased their guidance”.
(Translated from Farāhī’s
Majmū‘ah Tafāsīr by Tariq Hashmi)
Read URL: http://www.monthly-renaissance.com/issue/content.aspx?id=1008
|
|
Debate and Discuss: |
|
|
Discussion Forum:
Introduction to the Hadith
Topic: Importance of Ahadith
Hischam khan
How important are the Ahadith when it comes to getting a correct
understanding of the Qur’an? I’m thinking particularly of times of
revelation for the verses and Surahs, the context to certain verses, to the
environment of the time etc.
atifrafi
I think the points you mentioned regarding the time of revelation & context
to certain verses. We don't have any other source as authentic as Ahadith
and if any one wants to know about the context of a certain verse, the
environment & time in which it was revealed the only and most authentic
source is the Ahadith.
So, we being Muslims cannot deny the importance of the ahadith in our daily
life.
Shereen
The importance of hadith cannot be undermined. Hadith is a source of
detailed narrations which demonstrate Islamic principles found in the Quran.
However it is important to keep in mind the validity of hadith.
Tariq
Hashmi (Moderator)
Is
the discussion:
http://www.monthly-renaissance.com/janqur2y3.html
of any importance in this regard??
hkhan
Yes
I think its important in order to understand the similar stance regarding
hadith e.g.
"Only those narratives should be considered worthwhile in this regard which
are in harmony with the context of the surah rather than those which disrupt
its coherence."
Perv1
How can you rely on a source which was written 200 years after completion of
the Quran. It contradicts itself and the Quran. There are numerous
contradictions within the hadith. If these contradictions are so obvious how
can you trust anything within the hadith. How on earth did the Muslims
interpret the Quran for 250 yrs until the hadith came long. What is the
point of an hadith when it merely confirms what is in the Quran, if however
it cannot be validated by the Quran then how can you trust it to be true.
God has used the word Hadith approx 18 times in the Quran every mention is
to condemn any hadith other than the Quran. Are you seriously suggesting
that God was not aware what the word hadith would come to symbolize in the
present day or what was the purpose of God stating in the Quran not to
believe in any hadith other the ayats and verses of the Quran or not to
believe in any hadith other than the Quran. hadith and mullahs have caused
endless damage to Islam by diverting people away from the true message of
God as revealed in the Quran.
It is also astonishing that virtually all the translations of the Quran the
word hadith has not been left just as such.
hkhan
Actually we need to keep the hadith in its right position.
People who took it as a source of religion i.e. trying to find rulings or
laws from hadith, transgressed because the source of religion is comprised
of the Qura'n and the Sunnah and the people who ignored it completely
whilst understanding the religion, i.e. day to day manners and dealings,
manners of eating, dressing up, manners of talking, cleanliness, details
about the life of the prophet sws, etc, they transgressed as well when they
ignored the hadith completely. Facts found in the hadith are like jewels.
These jewels have the spirit of the deen and the best practice of the
prophet sws i.e. uswa e hasanah If a person has a vision, he can gain
something from the hadith, which is not available anywhere else
Hischam khan
Historic events and happenings can often not be known with absolute
certainty. However, there can at least be a high probability that they are
correct. The way of the historians in such instances has always been to
accept historic information if there is nothing to invalidate it and if it
fits in alongside the facts. There are indeed numerous Ahadith going back to
the Prophet (p) with complete chains of narrators and also enough
information on their personality. The Ahadith scholars have invented a whole
new science in their study of the accuracy of Ahadith which historians
worldwide have come to admire. Had we rejected all historic information
merely on the grounds that they are not 100 % facts, then we would have very
little knowledge of our history today.
All Ahadith do not contradict each other. There is an enormous amount of
Ahadith that are authentic, and in complete harmony with what is in the
Qur’an, the Sunnah and established facts. If this is so, should we then
reject it merely because it is not an absolute certainty, even though we
cannot find anything wrong in it? Is this how little importance we give to
knowledge on the life of the Prophet (p)?
The first Muslims would have interpreted the Qur’an in light of its context
and style. They would have understood its language best. But they also would
have had knowledge of its background. The Ahadith provide us with background
information and such a thing for a piece of literature is always of value.
There is no doubt about that.
The Ahadith do not merely confirm what is in the Qur’an, they are a historic
source on the life of the Prophet (p).
There is nothing astonishing about it whatsoever. The word has a meaning and
the meaning is what is important. It was not used as a term in the Qur’an –
bottom line! You can say that God knew about the future emergence of Ahadith,
but that does not mean that we interpret verses as we desire, taking them
out of context and adding new meanings on to them. Why did He not clearly
tell them that the “Hadith” He is referring to are those which are going to
be compiled by Muhammad’s (p) followers? Why leave it so vague, especially
when such a big issue is now being made out of it? What I find astonishing
is the lengths that people go to, to invent and clutch unto their own ideas
even when it is completely unsupported by the context. Have they forgotten
how to interpret a piece of literature?
Lastly, if you haven’t already done so, I would advice you to read through
the modules as you will find answers to most of what you have in mind there.
It is also a pre-requisite for anyone wishing to take this course. Without
it, you would struggle in the quizzes.
Perv1
All Ahadith do not contradict each other. There is an enormous amount of
Ahadith that are authentic, and in complete harmony with what is in the
Qur’an, the Sunnah and established facts. If this is so, should we then
reject it merely because it is not an absolute certainty, even though we
cannot find anything wrong in it? Is this how little importance we give to
knowledge on the life of the Prophet (p)?
If you are looking at Islam there is no room for for even slightest
falsehood or contradiction. However if you are looking at hadith book merely
as a source of history then that that is a completely different issue.
The first Muslims would have interpreted the Qur’an in light of its context
and style. They would have understood its language best. But they also would
have had knowledge of its background. The Ahadith provide us with background
information and such a thing for a piece of literature is always of value.
There is no doubt about that.
Why is it of a value? How can you be so sure that there is no doubt when you
yourself accept that some of the hadiths are not accurate.
There is nothing astonishing about it whatsoever. The word has a meaning and
the meaning is what is important. It was not used as a term in the Qur’an –
bottom line! You can say that God knew about the future emergence of Ahadith,
but that does not mean that we interpret verses as we desire, taking them
out of context and adding new meanings on to them. Why did He not clearly
tell them that the “Hadith” He is referring to are those which are going to
be compiled by Muhammad’s (p) followers? Why leave it so vague, especially
when such a big issue is now being made out of it? What I find astonishing
is the lengths that people go to, to invent and clutch unto their own ideas
even when it is completely unsupported by the context. Have they forgotten
how to interpret a piece of literature?
Lastly, if you haven’t already done so, I would advice you to read through
the modules as you will find answers to most of what you have in mind there.
It is also a pre-requisite for anyone wishing to take this course. Without
it, you would struggle in the quizzes.
Perv1
All Ahadith do not contradict each other. There is an enormous amount of
Ahadith that are authentic, and in complete harmony with what is in the
Qur’an, the Sunnah and established facts. If this is so, should we then
reject it merely because it is not an absolute certainty, even though we
cannot find anything wrong in it? Is this how little importance we give to
knowledge on the life of the Prophet (p)?
If
you are looking at Islam there is no room for for even slightest falsehood
or contradiction. However if you are looking at hadith book merely as a
source of history then that that is a completely different issue.
The first Muslims would have interpreted the Qur’an in light of its context
and style. They would have understood its language best. But they also would
have had knowledge of its background. The Ahadith provide us with background
information and such a thing for a piece of literature is always of value.
There is no doubt about that.
why
is it of a value? How can you be so sure that there is no doubt when you
yourself accept that some of the hadiths are not accurate.
There
is nothing astonishing about it whatsoever. The word has a meaning and the
meaning is what is important. It was not used as a term in the Qur’an –
bottom line! You can say that God knew about the future emergence of Ahadith,
but that does not mean that we interpret verses as we desire, taking them
out of context and adding new meanings on to them. Why did He not clearly
tell them that the “Hadith” He is referring to are those which are going to
be compiled by Muhammad’s (p) followers? Why leave it so vague, especially
when such a big issue is now being made out of it? What I find astonishing
is the lengths that people go to, to invent and clutch unto their own ideas
even when it is completely unsupported by the context. Have they forgotten
how to interpret a piece of literature?
I am afraid you are the one interpreting the word and its meaning I have
simply left it intact.
What do you think God means by the sentence- which hadith other than the
Quran are you going believe.
I am not sure why you are so convinced that you are ideas so right and
others merely clutching, exactly which text supports your prejudices.
Perhaps you can start a course on how to interpret the literature correctly
then no one will ever disagree with your interpretation.
Read on:
http://www.studying-islam.org/forum/topic.aspx?topicid=933&forumid=30
|
|
Express and Explain: |
Discussion Forum:
The Ramadhan Forum
Fasting by Muslims and those
before them?
tilawat
"Fasting has
been made for you as it was made for those before you so that you become
fearful of God." Al Quran
What is meant by 'Those before you'? Does it mean
Jews and Christians?
But they observe fasting for the full day (24
hours, night and day) whereas the Muslims observe it only for the day light,
i.e., for 12 hours or so only.
Why this apparent contradiction?
Yes it mean Jews
and Christians.
They started observing fasting for the full day
of there own. The verse you've quoted states clearly that the same "sawm" was
made for them.
It's also possible that Allah may have made it
long for them as a punishment as He has made some other religious acts
difficult for them as a punishment. Detail of such orders can be seen in
Bible. Quran has also pointed out one/two such things.
Topic URL :
http://www.studying-islam.org/forum/topic.aspx?topicid=3057&lang=&forumid=37
|
|
Pause
and Ponder: |
|
|
Sighting the Moon
Question asked by
Anonymous
Posted on: Sunday, September
16, 2007 - Hits: 318
Question
Why do we have to sight the moon
for starting Ramadan? Why is the lunar calendar followed in Islamic rituals? Is
there any advantage in following this calendar? Also, why is it that Eid happens
one day after it is celebrated in Makkah?
Answer:
Eid al-Fitr is observed at a
particular day of the Islamic Calendar, which is based on the movements of the
moon. According to this calendar, the beginning of each month is marked by the
appearance of the moon above the horizon. This appearance can be observed by the
naked eye. If accurate mathematical calculations can help in this sighting,
physically observation is not required. Consequently, just as clocks have helped
man in accurately determining the time of the five prayers and one no longer
needs to measure one's shadow for this, if at some point of time (if not
already) scientific advancement is able to determine the exact time of the
appearance of the moon, then, on similar grounds, one can benefit from this.
The lunar calendar was followed by the Arabs more out of necessity than choice.
In the absence of clocks, the easiest way to measure time was through stars and
the moon. The Arabs like their contemporary nations were well versed in finding
out time through the passage of the heavenly bodies. Moreover, since the lunar
calendar falls on different dates of the solar calendar, the lunar months fall
in different weathers each year making the inhabitants of the earth experience
Eid and other religious rituals (like Hajj) in different seasons. This of course
is a great advantage.
Because Eid is dependent on moon sighting, which is at different dates in
different areas, Eid day at Makkah and other places is likely to be different.
regards
Shehzad Saleem
See:
http://www.studying-islam.org/querytext.aspx?id=666
return
to the top ^
|
