Fulfill only obligatory deeds.

Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

 

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Assalamo alaykum,


If the Quraan is complete guidance sent by allah for the mankind. Than why one souldnt learn to understand it. I think there will no need for any Hadith or any other leaving person guidance if one understand it. I have been reading your answers in this forum and come to a conclusion that:

1)major Bidaa` are beeing done today are on base of some or some Hadith.

2) we are giving more importance to recite quraan though we do not understand it

3) we are giving more importance to Hadeeth than undersatnding the complete guidance to manking `the Quraan`

4)much importance is given on Sunnah & nafil


I have some questions:

a) is it obligatory to read the Quraan in arabic only b) Why there are some hadiths are named as Sahih Hadith, the others are not sahih?

c)if I cant undderstand Quraan recite in arabic how will I get guidance sent by Allah.

d) is there any clue given by Quraan or from Our messenger (s.a.w.s) that there will be requirement of Hadith after his death.

e) how much importance is given to wordly education in Quraan.

f)what if i will fulfill the obligatory requirement i.e. only obligatory prayer, fast in ramazaan, zakaah & hazz and not the Sunnah/nafil deeds

 

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

 

Answer:

 

Fulfill only obligatory deeds

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

 

Your Statement: If the Quraan is complete guidance sent by allah for the mankind.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah verse 185:

Ramadan is the month in which the Quran was sent down: this Book is a Perfect Guidance for mankind and consists of clear Teachings which show the Right Way, and are a Criterion of the Truth and falsehood.

 

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 16 Surah Nahl verse 89:

We have sent down to you this Book, which makes everything plain,  and is a guidance,  blessing and good news to those who have surrendered themselves entirely.

Without an iota of a doubt, the Glorious Quran is a complete and perfect Book revealed by the Lord Most Majestic Most Supreme for the guidance of all mankind.

 

Your Question: Than why one souldnt learn to understand it.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 19 Surah Maryam verse 97:

O Mohamed,  We have made this Quran easy,  and sent it down in your tongue so that you should give good news to the pious and warn the stubborn people.

 

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 44 Surah Dukhan verse 58:

We have made this Book easy in your own tongue so that they may ponder and take good counsel.

 

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 43 Surah Zukhruf verses 1-3:

Haa Meem.  By this lucid (clear or open) Book.   We have made it an Arabic Quran,  so that you may understand it.

 

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 12 Surah Yusuf verse 1-2:

These are the verses of the Book that makes its object perfectly clear.  We have sent it down as a Quran in Arabic,  so that you may understand it well.

 

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 43 Surah Zukhruf verses 43-44:

So,  hold fast to the Book that has been revealed to you,  you are surely on the Siraat al Mustaqeem.  The fact is that this book is a great honor for you and your people,  and soon you shall be CALLED TO ACCOUNT for it.

 

Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 218         Narrated by Anas ibn Malik

Allah's Messenger (saws) said: ‘The seeking of knowledge is obligatory for every Muslim.’

 

It is the obligatory duty of every believer, who sincerely believes in Allah and the Last Day, to seek to understand the guidance of the Glorious Quran.

 

Your Statement: I think there will no need for any Hadith or any other leaving person guidance if one understand it.

When one purchases a basic apparatus…be it a television, a video, a washing machine, or even a mobile phone or a car, etc….the manufacturer sends an instruction manual regarding how best to use that apparatus.

 

The Lord Creator, in His Sublime and Infinite Mercy, not only sent an instruction manual in the form of the Glorious Quran, but sent an ideal and perfect ‘engineer’ who would live a practical and exemplary life in absolute accordance with the guidance of the Glorious Quran.

 

The Lord Commands the believers to pray….the Sunnah and practice of the Messenger of Allah (saws) will teach the believers ‘how’ to pray.

 

The Lord Commands the believers to give in charity….the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws) will teach the believers ‘how’ and ‘what’ exactly to give in charity.

 

The Lord Commands the believers to perform the pilgrimage….the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws) will teach the believers ‘how’ exactly to fulfill the Command of the Lord.

 

Thus brother, no matter how well one understands the Glorious Quran, if one distances the guidance of the Quran from the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws), one would not be able to tread on the Straight Path.   

 

Your Questions: I have been reading your answers in this forum and come to a conclusion that:
1)….major Bidaa` are beeing done today are on base of some or some Hadith.

The evil of ‘bida’ (innovation) is the complete and absolute opposite of a Sunnah…. A bida or innovation is something which is invented, innovated, and added to the deen of Islam after the deen was completed on Prophet Mohamed (saws). It especially concerns the rites and rituals of worship,  or any deed which was not performed or endorsed by the Messenger of Allah (saws),  but was added as a part of the deen after his (saws’s) death.   It also concerns any innovated deed which one does and believes that by doing this innovated deed, he is eligible to earn more reward from Allah Subhanah.   

 

If a religious rite is endorsed by the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws) then it cannot be a ‘bida’ or innovation…….thus to say that major ‘bida’ is being done today on the basis of some hadiths is absolutely incorrect and inaccurate.  The very basis of ‘Bida’ is that it is a practice in religion which is not found in the authentic and established ‘hadiths’ of the Messenger of Allah (saws).

 

2) ….we are giving more importance to recite quraan though we do not understand it

Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 2137        Narrated by Abdullah ibn Mas'ud

Allah's Messenger (saws) said, "If anyone recites a letter from Allah's Book (Al-Quran) he will be credited with a good deed, and a good deed gets a tenfold reward. I do not say that ‘Alif-Lam-Mim’ are one letter, but ‘Alif’ is a letter, ‘Lam’ is a letter and ‘Mim’ is a letter!"

 

Dear and beloved brother in Islam, there is absolutely no doubt that Allah Subhanah bestows a huge reward for those who honor and recite His Book of Guidance….but that is only half the story! 

 

As huge as the reward is for one who recites the Glorious Book of Allah in the language it was revealed, there are many authentic narrations from the Prophet (saws) who said that the one who strives to understand, acquire, study and learn the dictates of this Glorious Book so that they may follow its commandments with more conviction is superior to the one who recites the Quran or is engaged in supererogatory worship.

 

Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 257         Narrated by Abdullah ibn Amr

Allah's Messenger (saws) happened to pass by two groups (of muslims) in the mosque and he (saws) said: ‘Both of them are good, but one is superior to the other.  One group is supplicating Allah and praying to Him. If He so wills, He will confer upon them and if He so wills He will withhold.  So far as those who are acquiring the understanding of religion and its knowledge and are busy in teaching the ignorant, they are superior. Verily I have been sent as a teacher.’  He (saws) then sat down amongst them.

 

Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 256         Narrated by Abdullah ibn Abbas

Acquiring (religious) knowledge in company for an hour in the night is better than spending the whole night in prayer.

 

Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 250         Narrated by Al-Hasan al-Basri

Allah's Messenger (saws) was asked about two people of Banu Israel: one of them was a scholar observing prescribed prayer, then sitting and teaching the people goodness; the second one observed fast by day and prayed during the night - which of them was superior. Thereupon Allah's Messenger (saws) said: ‘The superiority of a scholar who observes the prescribed prayer and then sits down to teach people goodness over the worshipper who observes fast during the day and worships during the night, is like my superiority over the lowest in rank amongst you!’

 

Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 249         Narrated by Al-Hasan al-Basri

Allah's Messenger (saws) said: “He whom death overtakes while he is engaged in acquiring (religious) knowledge with a view to reviving Islam with the help of it, there will be one degree between him and the Prophets in Paradise.”

 

Allah's Messenger (saws) said: “One who goes out to search for (religious) knowledge is (devoted) to the Cause of Allah till he returns.”

Transmitted by Tirmidhi and Darimi.

 

Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 217         Narrated by Abdullah ibn Abbas

Allah's Messenger (saws) said: “A single scholar of religion is more formidable against the Shaytaan than a thousand devout people!”

 

Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 213         Narrated by Abu Umamah al-Bahili

Mention was made to Allah's Messenger (saws) of two persons: the one being a devout, and the other being a scholar. Thereupon Allah's Messenger (saws) said: “The superiority of the scholar over the devout is like my superiority over one who is of the lowest rank amongst you.” Then Allah's Messenger (saws) said: “Verily (for the scholars) Allah and His Angels, the dwellers of the Heavens and of the Earth, even an ant in its hole and fish (in the depth of water) invoke blessings on one who teaches people goodness.”

 

Having said that, we indeed agree with you that it is indeed unfortunate that some people insist on giving more importance to the proper recitation of the Quran, rather than to its understanding and thus its obedience.

 

3) ….we are giving more importance to Hadeeth than undersatnding the complete guidance to manking `the Quraan`

The similitude I would like to give here, and its only a similitude to make our point…..is that the Guidance of the Glorious Quran and the guidance of the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws) can be compared to one’s two eyes…..if one tries to see with only one eye, one would miss the whole picture!

 

If one tries to learn Islam only from the Glorious Quran, one will find enough guidance to align his elements of belief in Allah, in the Signs of Allah, in the ‘unseen’, in the Hereafter, Paradise, Hell-Fire, etc…..but one will find oneself short when it comes to actual and practical implementation of the guidance in one’s daily life. 

 

No man in the annuls of creation who was ever blessed to walk on this earth feared Allah Subahnah more, or loved The Lord Most Gracious more, or obeyed the Commands of The Lord Most High more, or followed the guidance of the Glorious Quran more or better than the Last and Final Messenger of Allah, Mohamed ar-Rasool Allah (saws)!  The Sunnah or practice of the Messenger of Allah (saws) is no more than a perfect reflection and an absolute manifestation of the Guidance and the Commands of the Glorious Quran!

 

4) ….much importance is given on Sunnah & nafil

Allow us to clarify the difference between the ‘Fard’, the ‘Sunnah’, and the ‘Nafl’:

 

 Fard:  These are the obligatory duties laid upon the believers by Allah and His Messenger (saws)……… If one fulfills them, they will earn a huge reward from Allah Subhanah;  and if one does not fulfill them,  there will be a severe accounting and punishment.

 

Nafl:  These are the voluntary or extra deeds one does to earn the Pleasure of Allah Subhanah.  If one does them, he will earn a huge reward from Allah Subhanah;  and if one does not do them, there is no sin.  

 

Sunnah:   These are the ‘Nafl’ or voluntary deeds which were practiced by the Messenger of Allah (saws),  and thus they become his (saw’s) Sunnah for us.   If one does them,  he will earn a huge reward from Allah Subhanah;  and if one does not do them,  there is no sin.  

 

Abu Hurairah reports that the Prophet (saws) said: "The first thing that the people will be called to account for on the Day of Resurrection will be the prayers. Our Lord will say to the Angels although He Knows better: 'Look into the (obligatory) ‘salah’ of my servant to see if he observed it perfectly or been negligent in it. So if he observed it perfectly it will be recorded to his credit, but if he had been negligent in it in any way, Allah would say: ‘See if My servant has any supererogatory (Sunnah or Nafl) prayers.’ Then if he has any supererogatory prayers, Allah would say: ‘Make up the deficiency in My servant's obligatory prayer with his supererogatory prayers.' Thereafter all his actions will be examined in like manner"

Related by Abu Dawud.

 

Without belittling the importance and significance of the ‘Sunnah’ or ‘Nafl’ acts of worship and deeds in any way whatsoever, there is absolutely no doubt that ‘Sunnah’ or ‘Nafl’ deeds cannot even remotely be compared to the importance and significance of the ‘Fard’ deeds.

 

Your Qeustion: a) is it obligatory to read the Quraan in arabic only

Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 2137         Narrated byAbdullah ibn Mas'ud

Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "If anyone recites a letter from Allah's Book he will be credited with a good deed, and a good deed gets a tenfold reward. I do not say that ‘Alif-Lam-Mim’ are one letter, but ‘Alif’ is a letter, ‘Laam’ is a letter, and Meem’ is a letter."

 

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 6.459         Narrated by Aisha

The Prophet (saws) said, "Such a person as recites the Quran and masters it by heart, will be with the noble righteous scribes (in Heaven). And such a person exerts himself to learn the Quran by heart, and recites it with great difficulty, will have a double reward."

 

Although there is no denying the rewards and the merits of reciting the Glorious Quran in the language it was revealed, if one whose ‘mother-tongue’ is not Arabic or does not know the Arabic language, recites from a transliteration of the Quran or strives to understand the guidance of the Quran in a language one understands best, there is absolutely no harm.

 

Your Question: b) Why there are some hadiths are named as Sahih Hadith, the others are not sahih?
When the eminent scholars began to record the ‘hadiths’ of the Messenger of Allah (saws) in a book or documented form after his death, they initiated several criteria to determine whether what was being attributed to the Messenger of Allah (saws) was indeed accurate or not.  For example:

  1. The content of the hadith: to determine whether what was being attributed to the Prophet (saws) was in accordance with the Guidance of the Quran or not; for it is absolutely inconceivable that the Prophet (saws) would ever do or say anything which is against the Guidance of the Glorious Quran.
  2. The ‘sanad’ or chain of narrators: to determine the chain of narrators regarding who heard the hadith from who until it reached the Messenger of Allah (saws). 
  3. Authenticity of the ‘sanad’: to determine whether there were any ‘weak’ links amongst the chain of narrators; whether or not each amongst the chain of narrators was considered a truthful and pious person or was a liar; whether or not one who claimed to have heard the narration from ‘so and so’ lived at the same time or not; and if they lived in the same period, did they ever happen to meet or not.

 

Only after the eminent recorder of hadiths was absolutely satisfied with every aspect of the narration and its chain of narrators, would they include the ‘hadith’ in their records of ‘sahih’ or authentic hadiths.  It is recorded that Imam Bukhari collected in excess of 300,000 hadiths, but only about 7,000 of them passed through the strict criteria set up by him and are recorded in his collection of ‘sahih’ hadiths.

 

Your Question: c) if I cant undderstand Quraan recite in arabic how will I get guidance sent by Allah.
If one’s ‘mother-tongue’ is not Arabic, nor does one understand the Arabic language….there is absolutely no harm if one strives to understand the guidance of the Glorious Quran in a language they understand best…..if they are indeed sincere in their striving, it is expected that they will derive sufficient benefit from their study of the translation of the Glorious Quran, even if from a foreign language.

 

But one must understand, that no matter how good or how pious and God-fearing the translator might be…..a phrase when translated from one language to another will inevitably not be able to do justice to the original phrase!  For example:

 

If I were to translate the English phrase ‘drop me to the airport’ into the Urdu (or any other language), the literal translation would read: ‘mujhe airport ‘phek’ do’….which obviously was not the intention of the original phrase!

 

It would be nigh impossible for even the best of translators to do justice to the original Arabic language of the Glorious Quran….even with the best of intentions, one would not be able to capture the rhythm, the vastness and the depth of meaning, the flow, the tenacity, and the culture associated with the original language of the Glorious Quran. 

 

There is absolutely no doubt that one who does not understand the Arabic language would derive a great deal of benefit by studying a translation of the Glorious Quran in another language, but it cannot even be compared to the benefit one would be able to derive if one were to study this Glorious Book in the original language in which it was revealed.

 

Your Question d): ….is there any clue given by Quraan or from Our messenger (s.a.w.s) that there will be requirement of Hadith after his death.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter  4 Surah Nisa verse 79-80:

We have sent you (O Mohamed) as a Messenger to mankind,  and Allah’s witness suffices for this.  Whoever obeys the Messenger, in fact obeys Allah,  and whoever turns away from him, he will be accountable for his deeds.  Anyhow,  we have not sent you (O Mohamed) to be a guardian over them.

 

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 3 Surah Ale Imran verse 31-32:

O Prophet,  tell the people, “If you sincerely love Allah,  follow me.   Then Allah will love you and forgive you your sins,  for He is All Forgiving,  All Merciful.”  Also say to them, “Obey Allah and His Messenger.”  And if,  in spite of this,  they do not accept your invitation,  warn them that Allah does not love those,  who refuse to obey Him and His Messenger.

 

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 33 Surah Ahzab verse 21:

There is indeed the best example for you to follow in the Messenger of Allah, for every such person looks forward to Allah and the Last Day, and remembers Allah much.

 

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chatper 59 Surah Hashr verse 7:

So take what the Messenger (saws) assigns to you and deny yourselves that which he withholds from you. And fear Allah; for Allah is strict in Punishment.

 

Time and time again the Lord Most High has Commanded the believers in His Glorious Quran: ‘Obey Allah and His Messenger (saws)…..’. 

 

The ‘hadiths’ are a mere record of what the Messenger of Allah (saws) said, or did, or what happened in his presence and he did not object…..and because of the obvious stage of time, the authentic and established hadiths amongst these records are our only access to the Sunnah and Guidance of the Messenger of Allah (saws).

 

Your Question e): ….how much importance is given to wordly education in Quraan.

Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 218         Narrated by Anas ibn Malik

Allah's Messenger (saws) said: ‘The seeking of knowledge is obligatory for every Muslim.’

 

If one divides ‘knowledge’ into two parts:

  1. Religious Knowledge
  2. Worldly Knowledge

 

….then it is considered absolutely obligatory or what is known as ‘fard-ayn’ in Islamic Jurisprudence upon every believer to strive to seek at least the basic Islamic knowledge. Other examples of ‘fard-ayn’ or things which are absolutely obligatory upon every believer are things like prayer, fasts, obedience to parents, etc. None can fulfill these obligatory duties for another; one must do so oneself.

 

To strive and seek ‘worldly’ knowledge is also considered obligatory in Shariah, but it is regarded as ‘fard-kifaya’…..if some amongst the believers seek this knowledge, it would suffice for the whole Ummah, but if none amongst the believers strive to seek this knowledge, the whole Ummah would be in sin.   Examples of deeds which fall under ‘fard-kifaya’ are the Eid prayers, funeral prayers, etc….although these prayers are obligatory, every believer is not required or obligated to attend the Eid or funeral prayers; if some amongst the believers offered these prayers, it would suffice for the believing society. 

 

Similarly, some amongst the believers must strive to attain ‘worldly’ knowledge in all the important fields….business, economics, medicine, science, technology, education, etc.  Every believer is not obligated or required to fulfill this duty, if some amongst the believers strove to seek such ‘worldly’ knowledge, it would suffice for the Ummah.

 

Your Question f): what if i will fulfill the obligatory requirement i.e. only obligatory prayer, fast in ramazaan, zakaah & hazz and not the Sunnah/nafil deeds

Talhah ibn 'Ubaidullah narrated that a ‘bedouin’ (desert Arab) with unkempt hair came to the Messenger of Allah (saws) and said, "O Messenger of Allah (saws), inform me of what Allah has made obligatory on me as regards praying." He (saws) said, "Five prayers, unless you do others voluntarily." He asked the Prophet (saws) to inform him about fasting, and he (saws) said, "The fast of Ramadan, unless you do others voluntarily." Then he asked him about charity...and the Messenger of Allah (saws) informed him of the Islamic legislations. The ‘bedouin’ then said, "By the One who has honored you, I shall not voluntarily add anything to it, nor shall I be deficient in what Allah has ordered me to do."  The Messenger of Allah (saws) then said, "He will enter Paradise if he is truthful (to what he said)."

Related by Bukhari and Muslim.

 

If one trusts, obeys, and follows the guidance and commands of Allah and His Messenger (saws),   one can be assured of never ever being misled;   but if one believes, obeys and follows any other guidance, other than that of Allah and His Messenger (saws), one can be assured of being led astray.  

 

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone.  Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

 

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

 

 

Burhan

 

 
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