Names and Attributes of Allaah, Dought & clear, - * Ten textual and rational proofs that the Qur’an is the word of Allah and is not created

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I hope that you can advise me how to deal with the specious argument of the innovators, especially the innovated view that says that the Quran is created. I hope that you can give a detailed refutation of their specious argument, mentioning the books of trustworthy scholars who spoke at length in refuting the innovators concerning this issue.
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Praise be to Allah
Refuting innovation should be based on the fundamentals of the Sunnah and the fundamentals of ‘aqeedah, as knowledge should follow sound methodology that is based on Qur’an and Sunnah.
That type of knowledge cannot be acquired from random fatwas or reading at random; rather it is done through the methodical pursuit of knowledge, studying that is truly founded on the fundamentals, in which the seeker of knowledge spends years of his life researching, memorising, understanding and learning. Only then will he be able to understand the specious arguments and to understand the words of the scholars, and he will be able to have deep insight into ambiguous arguments that led to such serious errors in ‘aqeedah.
Here we will present a brief discussion to show how we could build an argument based on the fundamentals of religion, in order to prove that the Qur’an is the word of Allah and refute the specious argument that it is created. We will present this argument in brief, quoting it from specialised research, and from this presentation you will learn a little of the way to discuss issues of ‘aqeedah, and how vast in scope and subtle it is, and how much research and study is needed to understand it properly.
Hence we say:
We can quote ten proofs to demonstrate that the Holy Qur’an is the word of Allah and is not created. These proofs are as follows:
1. The first proof
Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Indeed your Lord is Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth in Six Days, and then He Istawa (rose over) the Throne (really in a manner that suits His Majesty). He brings the night as a cover over the day, seeking it rapidly, and (He created) the sun, the moon, the stars subjected to His Command. Surely, His is the Creation and the Command. Blessed be Allah, the Lord of the Alameen (mankind, jinns and all that exists)”
[al-A‘raaf 7:54].
The evidence in this verse consists of two points:
(i) Allah, may He be exalted, differentiated between the creation and the command, which are two of His attributes which He ascribed to Himself. As for the creation, this has to do with His deeds; as for the command, it has to do with His words. In principle, when two words are mentioned in conjunction, they should have different meanings, unless the context indicates that no differentiation is intended. In this case there is evidence to indicate that there is a difference between them, including the following point.
(ii) Creation can only occur through the command, as Allah, may He be exalted, says elsewhere (interpretation of the meaning):“Verily, His Command, when He intends a thing, is only that He says to it, ‘Be!’ and it is” [Ya-Seen 36:82].
The word “‘Be!’” is His command. If it were created, then its creation would require a command, and that command would require another command, and so on ad infinitum. That cannot be so.
Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) quoted this verse as evidence against the Mu‘tazili Jahamis.
He (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
I say: Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):“Surely, His is the Creation and the Command” [al-A‘raaf 7:54]. Thus He differentiated between the creation and the command.
Narrated by Hanbal inal-Mihnah(p. 53)
And he said to them: Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):“The command of Allah has come” [an-Nahl 61:1], and His command is His word and His power, and that is not created. So do not interpret the Book of Allah in such a way as to make it sound as if it contradicts itself.
Narrated by Hanbal inal-Mihnah(p. 54)
In what he wrote for al-Mutawakkil, when he asked him about the issue of the Qur’an, Imam Ahmad said:
Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):“And if anyone of the Mushrikoon (polytheists, idolaters, pagans, disbelievers in the Oneness of Allah) seeks your protection then grant him protection, so that he may hear the Word of Allah (the Quran), and then escort him to where he can be secure, that is because they are men who know not” [at-Tawbah 9:6]and“Surely, His is the Creation and the command” [al-A ‘raaf 7:54]. So He tells us that the creation is His, then He says “and the command”. Thus He informs us that the command is not created. End quote.
Narrated by his son Saalih inal-Mihnah(p. 210-121)
Before Imam Ahmad, this argument was presented by Imam Sufyaan ibn ‘Uyaynah al-Hilaali al-Haafiz ath-Thiqah al-Hujjah [a great muhaddith] (may Allah have mercy on him) who said:
Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):“Surely, His is the Creation and the command” [al-A‘raaf 7:54]. The creation is the creation of Allah, may He be Blessed and exalted, and the command is the Qur’an.
Narrated by al-Aajurri inash-Sharee‘ah(p. 80) with a jayyid isnaad from him.
2. The second proof
Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“The Most Beneficent (Allah)
Has taught (you mankind) the Quran (by His Mercy).
He created man”
[ar-Rahmaan 55:1-3].
Here Allah may He be exalted, differentiates between His knowledge (which He taught) and His creation. The Qur’an is His knowledge and man is His creation. His knowledge is not created.
Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Say: "Verily, the Guidance of Allah (i.e. Islamic Monotheism) that is the (only) Guidance. And if you (O Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)) were to follow their (Jews and Christians) desires after what you have received of Knowledge (i.e. the Quran), then you would have against Allah neither any Walee (protector or guardian) nor any helper”
[al-Baqarah 2:120].
Allah, may He be exalted, calls the Qur’an knowledge , because it is what came to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) from his Lord, and it is what Allah, may He be exalted, taught him (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). Allah’s knowledge is not created because, if it were created, He would have had the opposite attribute before it was created – glorified and exalted be Allah far above that.
This proof was cited by Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) when he presented his argument against the Jahamis in the court of al-Mu‘tasim:
‘Abd ar-Rahmaan al-Qazzaaz said to me: Allah was there and there was no Qur’an. I said to him: Then (what you are saying is that) Allah was there and there was no knowledge that He possessed! He kept quiet, because if he had claimed that Allah was there and there was no knowledge that He possessed, then he would be a disbeliever in Allah.
Narrated by Hanbal inal-Mihnah(p. 45)
It was said to him (may Allah have mercy on him):
Some people say, if a man says that the words of Allah are not created, they say: Who is the scholar who taught you that? Where did you get the idea that His words are not created?
He said: The proof is the words of Allah, may He be Blessed and exalted (interpretation of the meaning):“Then whoever disputes with you concerning this matter after (all this) knowledge that has come to you” [Aal ‘Imraan 3:61]. There is nothing that came to him except the Qur’an (i.e., the Qur’an is the knowledge referred to here).
And he (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
The Qur’an is knowledge from Allah. Whoever claims that the knowledge of Allah is created, is a disbeliever.
Narrated by Ibn Haani’ inal-Masaa’il(2/153, 154)
3. The third proof
Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Say (O Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) to mankind). ‘If the sea were ink for (writing) the Words of my Lord, surely, the sea would be exhausted before the Words of my Lord would be finished, even if we brought (another sea) like it for its aid’”
[al-Kahf 18:109]
and
“And if all the trees on the earth were pens and the sea (were ink wherewith to write), with seven seas behind it to add to its (supply), yet the Words of Allah would not be exhausted. Verily, Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise”
[Luqmaan 31:27].
Allah, may He be exalted, tells us – and what He says is true – that His words are unending, and that if the seas that Allah has created were ink with which to write, and the trees that Allah has created were pens with which to write, the ink of the seas would run out, and the pens would wear out, but the words of Allah would not be exhausted.
This highlights the greatness of His words, and that His words or speech is His attribute and His knowledge. This cannot be compared with the created, finite words of His creation, for if His words were created, they would have been exhausted before one of the seas was exhausted. But Allah, may He be exalted, has only decreed an end and a limit for created beings, not for Himself or His attributes.
4. The fourth proof
The names of Allah in the Qur’an, such as Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful, the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing, the Oft-Forgiving, the Most Generous and so on are part of His words or His speech, because it is He Who gave these names to Himself, with these words and meanings. Allah, may He be exalted, has made it equal to glorify His Essence and to glorify His names, as He, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):“Glorify the Name of your Lord, the Most High” [al-A‘laa 87:1]. He, may He be exalted, has made it equal to call upon Him by His Essence and to call upon Him by His names, as He says (interpretation of the meaning):“And (all) the Most Beautiful Names belong to Allah, so call on Him by them” [al-A‘raaf 7:180]. Similarly, He, may He be exalted, has made it equal to remember Him by His Essence and to remember Him by His names, as He says (interpretation of the meaning):“And remember the Name of your Lord every morning and afternoon” [al-Insaan 76:25].
This glorification, supplication and remembrance, if applied to anything that is created, would constitute disbelief in Allah.
If it is said that His words are created, His names are included in that, and whoever makes such a claim has gone beyond the pale of Islam, for the reasons we have mentioned, and because what that implies is that Allah, may He be exalted, did not have those beautiful names before He created His words; and the one who swore an oath by one of His names would be a mushrik, because he would be swearing by something that is created, and that which is created is different from the Creator.
This argument was presented by a number of the early generations and imams to prove that the Qur’an is not created, including Imam al-Hujjah Sufyaan ibn Sa‘eed ath-Thawri, who said: Whoever says that [the words]“Say (O Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)): He is Allah, (the) One, Allah-us-Samad (The Self-Sufficient Master, Whom all creatures need, He neither eats nor drinks)”[al-Ikhlaas 112:1-2]are created is a disbeliever.
Narrated by ‘Abdullah inas-Sunnah(no. 13). Its isnaad is jayyid.
Imam ash-Shaafa‘i said:
Whoever swears by one of the names of Allah and breaks his oath has to offer expiation, because the name of Allah is not created; whoever swears an oath by the Ka‘bah, or by as-Safa and al-Marwa, does not have to offer expiation (for breaking his oath), because these things are created, whereas (the name of Allah) is not created.
Narrated by Ibn Abi Haatim inAadaab ash-Shaafa‘i(p. 193) with a saheeh isnaad.
Ahmad ibn Hanbal said:
The names of Allah are in the Qur’an, and the Qur’an is part of the knowledge of Allah. So whoever claims that the Quran is created has gone beyond the pale of Islam, and whoever claims that the names of Allah are created has gone beyond the pale of Islam.
Narrated by his son Saalih inal-Mihnah(p. 52, 66-67)
5. The fifth proof
Allah, may He be exalted, has told us that the Book is from Him and is attributed to Him, as He says (interpretation of the meaning):
“The revelation of the Book (this Quran) is from the Lord of the Alameen (mankind, jinns and all that exists)”
[as-Sajdah 32:2]
“Those unto whom We gave the Scripture (the Taurat (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel)) know that it is revealed from your Lord in truth”
[al-An‘aam 6:114]
“Say (O Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)) Ruh-ul-Qudus (Jibrael (Gabriel)) has brought it (the Quran) down from your Lord with truth”
[an-Nahl 16:102].
Allah has not attributed anything to Himself that He sent down, except His words, which indicates that there is a special meaning for that, so it is not like the sending down of rain, iron and so on. Allah has told us that He sent down these things, but He did not attribute them to Himself, unlike His words. His words or His speech is an attribute, and an attribute can only be ascribed to the one who possesses it, and not to anyone else. If His words were created, they could have departed from the Creator and would not be attributed to Him, because He, may He be exalted, has no need of His creation and none of it is His attribute.
6. The sixth proof
It was narrated that Khawlah bint Hakeem said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) say: “Whoever stops at a place and says: I seek refuge in the perfect words of Allah from the evil of that which He has created, nothing will harm him until he moves on from that place.”. Narrated by Muslim (2708).
If His words were created, then seeking refuge in them would be shirk, because that would be seeking refuge in something that is created. It is well-known that seeking refuge in anything other than Allah, may He be exalted, and His names and attributes is shirk, so how could the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) have taught his ummah something that is obviously shirk, when he is the one who came to teach them pure Tawheed?
This indicates that the words of Allah, may He be exalted, are not created.
Na‘eem ibn Hammaad said: Refuge is not to be sought in anything that is created, or in the words of people, jinn, humans or angels.
Al-Bukhaari said, after quoting that: This indicates that the words of Allah are not created, and that everything other than Him is created.
See:Khalq Af‘aal al-‘Ibaad(p. 143)
7. The seventh proof
The hadith of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) who said:
“The superiority of the words of Allah over all other words is like the superiority of Allah over all of His creation.”
A hasan hadith, narrated by ‘Uthmaan ad-Daarimi inar-Radd ‘ala al-Jahamiyyah(no. 287, 340); al-Laalkaa’i (no. 557)
This hadith confirms the belief of the salaf, that the Qur’an is the word of Allah and is not created. It does so in two respects:
(i) It differentiates between the words of Allah and other words. Words are either the speech of Allah, which is one of His attributes, or they are created words, which are part of the creation of Allah. Whatever is a divine attribute is ascribed to Allah, whereas the rest are mentioned in general terms, so as to include all words other than those attributed to Allah. If all words were created, there would be no need for this differentiation.
(ii) The differentiation between the words of Allah and the words of others is like the differentiation between the essence of Allah and the essence of others. Allah’s words and the nature thereof are connected to His essence and the nature thereof, just as the words of created beings and the nature thereof are appropriate to and connected to the essence of created beings and the nature thereof.
This argument was presented by Imam ‘Uthmaan ibn Sa‘eed ad-Daarimi inar-Radd ‘ala al-Jahamiyyah(p. 162-163). After quoting the hadiths on this topic, he said:
These hadiths indicate that the Qur’an is not created, because you would not see such a great difference when comparing between two created beings as you will see when comparing between Allah and His creation, because the difference between the two created beings is measurable, whereas the superiority of Allah over His creation is unmeasurable and no one can grasp it. The same applies to the superiority of His words over the words of created beings. If the words of Allah were created, there would not be such a great difference between them and the words of others, which is like the superiority of Allah over His creation. There is nothing like unto Him, so there are no words like His words, and no one could ever produce anything like them. End quote.
8. The eighth proof
On the basis of rational thinking, if the words of Allah were created, then it must be one of two scenarios:
(i) They are created and exist as part of the essence of Allah
(ii) or they are separate from Allah.
Both scenarios are false and in fact constitute abhorrent disbelief.
As for the first, it implies that a created thing could exist within the Creator, which is false according to the view of Ahl as-Sunnah and most of the followers of innovation [among the Muslims]. Allah, may He be exalted, is independent of His creation and has no need of any of them in any way whatsoever.
As for the second, its implications lead to denying the attribute of divine speech, because the attribute exists in the one who possesses the attribute – as stated above – and does not exist in anyone or anything else. If it existed in anything else, then it would be an attribute of the one in whom it existed. What this would imply is that the Lord, may He be exalted, does not speak, and this is obvious disbelief, as we have explained above.
9. The ninth proof
As is clear to everyone, an attribute does not exist by itself. If the attribute is an attribute of the Creator, it should exist in Him, and if it is an attribute of a created being, it must inevitably exist in him, such as moving, staying still, standing, sitting, power, will, knowledge, life and other attributes. If an attribute is ascribed to something, then it is describing it and it belongs to the one in whom it exists. So these attributes may be ascribed to the created being, therefore they are descriptions of the created being, as they are ascribed to him. Some of them may also be ascribed to the Creator, such as power, will, knowledge, life and so on. Therefore they are attributes of His, as they are ascribed to Him. When they are ascribed to the created being, they are created, and when they are ascribed to the Creator, they are not created.
The attribute of speech is like other attributes; it must exist in something, and if it exists in that thing then it is an attribute of that thing and not of anything else. If it is ascribed to the Creator, may He be exalted, then it is His attribute. If it is ascribed to anyone else, then it is an attribute of that other entity. The attribute of the Creator is not created, just as His essence is not created, whereas the attribute of the created being is created, just as his essence is created. As Allah has ascribed speech to Himself, and has described Himself as speaking, then His speech (or words) is not created, because it is something that is connected to His essence, and His essence is not created. Discussion of the divine attributes is connected to discussion of the divine essence, and it must be discussed in the same terms.
If it is said that the Quran is created, we say: Allah should be above having ascribed to Him anything that is created. You (Jahamis) – according to your claim – declare Allah, may He be exalted, to be above having any created things existing in Him. As you declare your Lord, may He be exalted, to be above that, then you should not attribute speech to Him, but if you do not attribute speech to Him, you will be denying textual and rational evidence which testify that Allah, may He be exalted, possesses the attribute of speech.
But they refuse to admit that the words of Allah, may He be exalted, are not created, on the basis of an argument that is even more false than what is discussed above. They say: We affirm that Allah speaks with words that exist in something other than Him. Allah, may He be exalted, spoke to Moosa through created words that existed in the bush and did not exist in Him, therefore we declare Him to be above having created things (i.e., words) exist in Him.
We say in response: you regard the words as an attribute of the thing in which they exist, which implies – according to your view – that these were the words of the bush, so it is the bush that spoke to Moosa and said (interpretation of the meaning):“ ‘O Moosa (Moses)! Verily! I am Allah, the Lord of the Alameen (mankind, jinns and all that exists)’” [al-Qasas 28:30]. In that case, there is no difference between the words of the bush and the words of the accursed Pharaoh (interpretation of the meaning):“ ‘I am your lord, most high’” [an-Naazi‘aat 79:24], because the words of the bush are its attributes, and not the attributes of Allah, and the words of Pharaoh are his attributes; each of them claimed to be divine [according to your claim], so Moosa had no right to object to what Pharaoh said, yet accept the words of the bush!
Think about this blatant disbelief which led people who believed in this argument to this shameful innovation and not to submit and accept the facts of revelation mentioned in the Qur’an, and to turn away from the noble revelation and prefer to it the scum of minds that are controlled by whims and desires that direct them wherever they want.
This rational argument was something used by Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) against the Mu‘tazili Jahamis when he debated with them in the presence of al-Mu‘tasim. He (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
This is the story of Moosa. Allah said in His Book, speaking of Himself (interpretation of the meaning):“and to Moosa (Moses) Allah spoke directly” [an-Nisa’ 4:164]. Thus Allah affirms that He spoke to Moosa by way of honouring Moosa, and confirms that it was indeed speech. Allah, may He be exalted, said (interpretation of the meaning): O Moosa“Verily! I am Allah! La ilaha illa Ana (none has the right to be worshipped but I)” [Ta-Ha 20:14]but you are denying this, so this pronoun (“I”) would then refer to something other than Allah, and a created entity would be claiming to be the lord!
Narrated by Hanbal inal-Mihnah(p. 52)
10. The tenth proof
Words of the leading scholars of the early generations affirming this belief:
‘Amr ibn Dinaar – one of the best of the Taabi‘i imams – said:
I have been meeting the companions of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and others who are next in status to them for seventy years, and they say: Allah is the Creator, and everything other than Him is created. The Qur’an is the word of Allah; it came from Him and will return to Him.
‘Abdullah ibn Naafi‘ said: Maalik used to say:
The Qur’an is the word of Allah. And he used to regard as abhorrent the view of those who said that the Qur’an was created.
Narrated by Saalih ibn Ahmad inal-Mihnah(p. 66) with a saheeh isnaad from him.
Ar-Rabee‘ ibn Sulaymaan, the companion and student of ash-Shaafa‘i, said, narrating a debate that took place between him and Hafs al-Fard concerning the Qur’an:
He (Hafs) started the debate with Ash-Shaafa‘i, and ash-Shaafa‘i presented his argument with proof, and there was a lengthy debate in which ash-Shaafa‘i established proof that the Qur’an is the word of Allah and is not created, and he regarded Hafs al-Fard as a disbeliever. Ar-Rabee‘ said: I met Hafs al-Fard in the gathering later on and he said: ash-Shafaa‘i wanted to kill me.
Narrated by ‘Abd ar-Rahmaan ibn Abi Haatim inAdaab ash-Shaafa‘i(p. 194-195). Its isnaad is saheeh.
Ibn Abi Haatim said:
I asked my father and Abu Zar‘ah about the views of Ahl as-Sunnah concerning the fundamentals of religion and what they learned from the scholars in all regions, and what they believed concerning that.
They said:
We met the scholars from all regions, the Hijaz, Iraq, Syria and Yemen, and their view was that faith is both words and deeds, and it may increase or decrease; the Qur’an is the word of Allah and is not created in any way.
Narrated by Ibn at-Tabari inas-Sunnah(1/176) with a saheeh isnaad.
Imam Abu’l-Qaasim Hibatullah ibn al-Hasan at-Tabari al-Laalkaa’i quoted, in his great bookSharh Usool I‘tiqaad Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa‘ah: This is the view of five hundred and fifty individuals among the scholars and early generations of this ummah, all of whom say: The Qur’an is the word of Allah and is not created; whoever says that it is created is a disbeliever.
He (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
These people number five hundred and fifty or more, from among the Taabi‘een and their followers and leading scholars, other than the righteous Sahaabah, despite the differences in their locations and the passage of many years. Among them are approximately one hundred imams from whom the people learned their beliefs and followed them in their views. If I wanted to write down the views of the hadith scholars (concerning this issue), their names would be many thousands.
End quote fromas-Sunnah(493)
Summarised from the bookal-‘Aqeedah as-Salafiyyah fi Kalaam Rabb al-Bariyyah wa Kashf Abaateel al-Mubtadi‘ah ar-Radiyyah(p. 121-147)
For more information on this topic, see also the twelfth volume ofMajmoo‘ Fataawa Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah, “al-Qur’an Kalaam Allah”; andMukhtasar as-Sawaa‘iq al-Mursalahby Ibn al-Qayyim
See also a useful article on this topic entitledLima kaana al-Qawl bi Khalq al-Qur’an Kufran? Wa’l-Kalaam an-Nafsiby Shaykh ‘Amr Basyooni, on the following link:
http://taseel.co m/display /pub/default.a spx?id=3300& mot=1
And Allah knows best.

PUBLISHERM.NajimudeeN. MD,IRI

How to Perform Eid Prayer?

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" Eid is Waajib! " - {for Hanafi} - The Eid Prayer has two rak'ah to perform in the normal way, with the only addition of six takbirs, three of them in the beginning of the first rak'ah, and three of them just before ruku' in the second rak'ah. - *The detailed way of performing the 'Eid prayer is as follows: - The Imam will begin the prayer without Adhan or Iqamah. He will begin the prayer by reciting takbir of Tahrimah (Allahu Akbar). You should raise your hands up to the ears, and reciting the takbir, you give a little pause during which you should recite Thana' (Subhanak Allahumma.......)· After the completion of Thana' the Imam will recite takbir (Allahu Akbar) three times, and after reciting each Takbir (Allahu Akbar) in a low voice, you should bring your hands down and leave them earthwards. But, after the third takbir, you should set them at the level of your navel as you do in the normal prayer. After these three takbirs the Imam will recite the Holy Qur'an, which you should listen quietly. The rest of the rak'ah will be performed in the normal way. After rising for the second rak'ah, the Imam will begin the recitations from the Qur'an during which you should remain calm and quiet. When the Imam finishes his recitation, he will recite three takbirs once again, but this time it will be before bowing down for ruku'. At each takbir you should raise your hands up to the ears, and after saying "Allahu Akbar' bring them down and leave them earthwards. After these three takbirs have been called and completed, the Imam will say another takbir for bowing down into the ruku' position. At this takbir you need not raise your hands. You just bow down for your ruku' saying, 'Allahu Akbar'. The rest of the Salah will be performed in its usual way. - {for Shafi - * according to the Shafi'ee Madhab, there are twelve extra Takbiraats in Eid Salaah, i.e. 7 in the first and 5 in the second Rak'ah.}.

PUBLISHERM.NajimudeeN. MD,IRI

How to Perform Eid Prayer

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" Eid is Waajib! " - {for Hanafi} - The Eid Prayer has two rak'ah to perform in the normal way, with the only addition of six takbirs, three of them in the beginning of the first rak'ah, and three of them just before ruku' in the second rak'ah. - *The detailed way of performing the 'Eid prayer is as follows: - The Imam will begin the prayer without Adhan or Iqamah. He will begin the prayer by reciting takbir of Tahrimah (Allahu Akbar). You should raise your hands up to the ears, and reciting the takbir, you give a little pause during which you should recite Thana' (Subhanak Allahumma.......)· After the completion of Thana' the Imam will recite takbir (Allahu Akbar) three times, and after reciting each Takbir (Allahu Akbar) in a low voice, you should bring your hands down and leave them earthwards. But, after the third takbir, you should set them at the level of your navel as you do in the normal prayer. After these three takbirs the Imam will recite the Holy Qur'an, which you should listen quietly. The rest of the rak'ah will be performed in the normal way. After rising for the second rak'ah, the Imam will begin the recitations from the Qur'an during which you should remain calm and quiet. When the Imam finishes his recitation, he will recite three takbirs once again, but this time it will be before bowing down for ruku'. At each takbir you should raise your hands up to the ears, and after saying "Allahu Akbar' bring them down and leave them earthwards. After these three takbirs have been called and completed, the Imam will say another takbir for bowing down into the ruku' position. At this takbir you need not raise your hands. You just bow down for your ruku' saying, 'Allahu Akbar'. The rest of the Salah will be performed in its usual way. - {for Shafi - * according to the Shafi'ee Madhab, there are twelve extra Takbiraats in Eid Salaah, i.e. 7 in the first and 5 in the second Rak'ah.}.

Schools of Thought and Sects, Dought & clear, - * He wants to move from being Ibaadi to being Sunni (Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa‘ah)

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I follow the Ibaadi madhhab and I want to change my madhhab to Sunni but there are many obstacles, including the fact that I grew up with the Ibaadi madhhab, and my family and the people of the region where I live all follow this madhhab. My question is: what should I do?
Can I pray with my arms by my sides, without raising them, clasping my hands on my chest and saying Ameen, whilst doing all of these things in my heart?
What about my duties towards my parents and my family?
I hope that you can explain the differences between the four madhhabs and how to pray according to each madhhab.
What is the most famous of these madhhabs?
Which madhhab do you advise me to follow?
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Praise be to Allah
Firstly:
Wisdom and kindness are the essence of the answer and advice that we will give you. Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):“He grants Hikmah (wisdom) to whom He pleases, and he, to whom Hikmah is granted, is indeed granted abundant good. But none remember (will receive admonition) except men of understanding” [al-Baqarah 2:269]. We hope that you will be one of the men of understanding, whom Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, guides and enables to bring about change at a personal level and at a community level, affecting the people around him too. That may be attained by reflecting, researching and pondering, and calling others to look critically at what they were brought up with and to re-examine it. Perhaps the greatest means that will help you to achieve that is learning the true differences between contemporary Ibaadis and the Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa‘ah (the Sunnis), who are the overwhelming majority of the Muslim ummah, namely the followers of the well-known madhhabs and the leading imams. If you study these matters, you will realise what you must do and the direction which you must take.
On our website, in fatwa no. 11529, we have previously discussed these differences, but we may sum them up here as follows:
1.
The Ibaadis believe that the one who commits a major sin will abide forever in the fire of Hell and will never emerge from it, like the disbelievers and polytheists. Hence they will never attain the intercession of those who intercede or the intercession of our Prophet Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)
2.
They misinterpret the attributes of Allah, may He be exalted, that are confirmed in the Qur’an and Sunnah, and also deny the meanings thereof that are befitting to the majesty of Allah, may He be glorified and exalted. In that regard they are close to the Mu‘tazilis, because they say that the Holy Qur’an is created; they deny that the believers will see Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, in Paradise; and they misinterpret some matters of the unseen, such as the Balance (for weighing good and bad deeds on the Day of Resurrection) and the Siraat (bridge over Hell over which all must pass).
3.
Some of their books contain distorted readings of history and accusations against some of the senior Sahaabah such as ‘Uthmaan ibn ‘Affaan, ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib, Talhah and az-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with him). This led some of them to take a hostile stance and disavow Ahl as-Sunnah and disregard them completely. All of this is proven in some of their books; were it not for fear of making this article too lengthy, we would have quoted all of that.
But the questioner is not asking for detailed research on this matter.
What concerns us here is to explain what we always point out and highlight, which is that being in a good position before Allah, may He be exalted, on the Day of Resurrection can only be attained by following the middle path and adopting moderation in thought, belief and action. All of that has to do with following the overwhelming majority who constitute the Muslim ummah from the time of the Sahaabah and Taabi‘een, until the present day. This is an easy standard to follow, which the ordinary Muslim who is not specialised in the study of Islamic sciences can use in order to distinguish between what is right and what is wrong, exactly like the way in which he may feel revulsion in his heart if he hear some people speaking about the benefits of smoking, when he knows that all the doctors, east and west, speak of the harmful effects of smoking. He will find himself with no choice but to accept what medicine has determined in most medical schools and scientific centres about the harms of smoking.
In the same way, it is a basic standard by which all Muslims may measure the details of beliefs, so that they will not divert to the right or left. There are innumerable sects and groups who have always been present throughout the entire history of Islam. The one who reflects will clearly see that all of them, without exception, remain aloof, with their leaders and their few scholars, from the main school of thought of the Muslim ummah, which is the school of thought of the Sahaabah, Taabi‘een and leading scholars whose biographies we read in the great books of Islam. Why would a Muslim take the risk of choosing to separate himself from the main body of the ummah and choose to follow one of these sects, no matter how much it claims to be following the truth, and no matter how much effort they put into producing proof to support their school of thought? In that case he will have separated himself from the majority of the ummah and its path, which was followed by the leaders and scholars of Islam. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, advising Hudhayfah ibn al-Yamaan of what he should do at times when people are confused between truth and falsehood: ‘Adhere to the jamaa’ah (main body) of the Muslims and their imam (leader).’ I asked, ‘What if there is no jamaa’ah and no leader?’ He said, ‘Then keep away from all those groups, even if you have to bite on the roots of a tree until death overtakes you whilst you are in that state.’”
Narrated by Muslim (1847)
Imam at-Tirmidhi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: According to the scholars, what is meant by the jamaa‘ah (main body of the Muslims) here is the scholars of fiqh, knowledge and hadith. Then he narrated with his isnaad from Ibn al-Mubaarak that he was asked about the jamaa‘ah and he said: Abu Bakr and ‘Umar. It was said to him: Abu Bakr and ‘Umar are dead. He said: So-and-so and So-and-so.
End quote fromal-Jaami‘ as-Saheehby at-Tirmidhi (4/37).
What Mubaarak was trying to do was to give the names of some of the imams of Islam whom the non-specialist may take as examples and follow so that he may be guided to the straight path.
It was narrated from the great Sahaabi ‘Abdullah ibn Abi Awfa (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: You should follow the overwhelming majority.
Narrated by Imam Ahmad inal-Musnad32/157). This was narrated as a marfoo‘ report (i.e., attributed to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)) via da‘eef (weak) isnaads.
Imam ash-Shaatibi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
All are unanimously agreed that the view that matters is the view of the scholars and mujtahids. … Rather the overwhelming majority are the scholars whose ijtihaad carries weight. Whoever differs from them and dies, his death is a kind of jaahiliyyah. The phrase “overwhelming majority” may also refer to the ordinary people who are followers of these scholars, because they have no knowledge of share ‘ah, so they have no choice but to refer to the scholars concerning matters of their religion.
End quote fromal-I‘tisaam(3/217)
So the best advice we can give you is to believe in general terms in what was brought in the Qur’an and saheeh Sunnah, in the way intended by Allah, may He be exalted, and His Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), without distorting or misinterpreting anything, and to avoid indulging in that in which the Sahaabah, Taabi‘een and leading scholars of Islam throughout the centuries avoided, such as saying that the Qur’an is created, or that those who commit major sins will abide forever in Hell. In fact you should disavow these beliefs that were introduced at a later stage and are contrary to the Islamic texts and the consensus of the overwhelming majority, namely Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa‘ah, and which were the cause of many sects splitting from Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa‘ah, such as the Mu‘tazilis and Khaarijis.
When you do that, you will feel reassured and content, and you will belong to the history of this great ummah and its leading scholars. You will feel yourself connected to its civilisation and path throughout the long centuries going back to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). You will realise that you had been isolated from that civilisation and culture, limited to a small school, with few scholars and few classical books and a narrow view of history. That is sufficient reason to instil doubt in the heart of anyone who belongs to a group or sect, and make him check himself and wonder about the best generations, namely the generation of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), then those who came after them, then those who came after them, and the overwhelming majority of the ummah and scholars – does it make sense that this huge multitude could all have gone astray from the truth, throughout the entire history of Islam, then no one followed the truth except this particular sect?! Thus he will come back to the standard of truth and justice which Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, described in the verse in which He said (interpretation of the meaning):
“And whoever contradicts and opposes the Messenger (Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)) after the right path has been shown clearly to him, and follows other than the believers way. We shall keep him in the path he has chosen, and burn him in Hell - what an evil destination”
[an-Nisa’ 4:115].
This is the idea which we advise you to use in discussions with your people and your family, but you should use a cautious and gradual approach, by raising questions which will illuminate the path for those around you to rethink the matter once more, so that they will gradually accept from you your being different from them in your ideas and beliefs. If you are not able to do that, then at least you should believe in your heart what we have explained above, so that you can be reassured by returning to the moderate Sunni path.
Secondly:
During all that, there is nothing wrong with you delaying adhering to some Sunnah and mustahabb actions, such as placing the right hand over the left when praying, or raising the hands when saying takbeer, or saying Ameen out loud. All of these are Sunnah and mustahabb actions for which a person does not incur sin if he does not do them, and his prayer is not invalidated thereby.
Ibn Qudaamah (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
Placing the right hand on the left in prayer is one of the Sunnahs of prayer according to many of the scholars. That was narrated from ash-Shaafa‘i and ashaab ar-ra’y, and was narrated by Ibn al-Mundhir from Maalik. This also appears to be the view of his madhhab, as followed by his companions who keep their arms by their sides (when praying). That was also narrated from Ibn az-Zubayr and al-Hasan.
End quote fromal-Mughni(1/341).
But no one said that this is obligatory. Please seeal-Mawsoo‘ah al-Fiqhiyyah(27/86)
Similarly, we have not come across anyone who said that it is obligatory to raise the hands with the opening takbeer (takbeerat al-ihram) or other takbeers (in the prayer); rather this is one of the actions that are Sunnah and mustahabb – apart from the view narrated by Ibn Hazm inal-Muhalla(2/264). Please seeal-Mawsoo‘ah al-Fiqhiyyah(27/84). The same also applies to the ruling on saying Ameen out loud. No one said that it is obligatory; rather the view of the Hanafis is that it is mustahabb to say it quietly. See:al-Mawsoo‘ah al-Fiqhiyyah(16/184)
In all cases, these Sunnahs are not the distinguishing feature to which attention must be paid, so you should not be striving to introduce outward changes that may put off the people around you. Rather you should strive to change the proper way of learning about Islam and interpreting texts, and change the way you understand the beliefs of Islam, which we hope will be a means of salvation in this world and the hereafter, and a step towards a new way of thinking.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
There may be a single action which sometimes it is mustahabb to do and sometimes it is mustahabb not to do, depending on what interests are best served by doing it or not doing it, according to the shar‘i evidence. A Muslim may sometimes refrain from doing something that is mustahabb, if doing it is most likely to be detrimental to his interests, as the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) refrained from rebuilding the Ka‘bah on the foundations laid by Ibraaheem, and he said to ‘Aa’ishah: “Were it not that your people have only recently left Jaahiliyyah behind, I would have demolished (and rebuilt) the Ka‘bah, brought its door down to ground level, and given it two doors, one through which the people could enter it and one through which they could exit from it.” The hadith is narrated inas-Saheehayn. So the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) decided not to go ahead with the better of the two options with good reason, namely the fact that Quraysh had only recently embraced Islam, and this would have been too strange and off-putting for them, so in this case the likely negative consequences outweighed the good.
End quote fromMajmoo‘ al-Fataawa(24/195). See also (22/407)
And Allah knows best.

PUBLISHERM.NajimudeeN. MD,IRI