Prophet's simple life

One of the Ansar (indigenous people of Madinah) once prepared food and
sent it to the home of 'Ali ibn Abi Talib (radhi Allahu 'anh). When
Ali and Fatimah sat down,Fatimah remembered her father, the Prophet of
Allah, and said, "This is such nice food, I wonder ifmy father has
eaten his dinner." Ali immediately went to invite him (salla Allahu
'alayhi wa sallam) over to their home for dinner. Rasul Allah
happilyaccepted the invitation and accompanied Ali home. As he entered
the house, he saw that Fatimah (radhi Allahu 'anha) had decorated the
house with expensive curtains. He immediately turned around and left.
Aliapproached him and asked, "Why are you upset, O Rasul Allah? What
have we done?" He calmly answered, "It is not permitted for a
Messenger of Allah to enter a house which has extravagant
decorations!"
Something to consider: If the Prophet were to visit YOUR home today,
would he feel comfortable and welcome entering it?

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A bus driver converts to Islam

Several years ago an Imam moved to London, United Kingdom. He often
took the bus from his home to the downtown area. Some weeks after
hearrived, he had occasion to ride the same bus. When he sat down, he
discovered that the driver had accidentally given him a twenty pence
(a.k.a 'tuppence') too much change.
As he considered what to do, he thought to himself,you better give the
twenty pence back. It would be wrong to keep it. Then he thought, "Oh,
forget it, it's only tuppence. Who would worry about this little
amount? Anyway the bus company already gets toomuch fare; they will
nevermiss it. Accept it as a gift from Allah (swt) and keep quiet."
When his stop came, the Imam paused momentarily at the door, then he
handed the twenty pence back to the driver and said, "Here, yougave me
too much change". The driver with asmile, replied,"Aren't you the new
Imam in this area? I have been thinking lately about going to worship
at your Mosque.I just wanted to see what you would do, ifI gave you
too much change."
When the Imam, stepped off the bus, his knees became weak and soft,
heliterally grabbed the nearest light pole, and held on for support,
and looked up to the heavens and cried: "Oh Allah, I almost sold You
and Islamfor twenty pence!"

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2a] Sunnahs of Taraweeh Prayer

2a]
"Should I not be a thankful servant?" [9]
It is not being said that theTaraaweeh prayer offered in congregation
must be as long as this, but on mere reflection does it not leave much
to be questioned and sought when we compare our sadstate of affairs
today? What has befallen Muslimsthese days? In their Salaahand Qiyaam
is fast recitation of the verses of the Qur'aan and hurried movements
which hardly resemble the Ruku, Sujoodand other positions in Salaah -
what benefits can we possibly hope to secureby neglecting the Sunnah?
Best Time for Taraweeh:
The majority of mosques hold taraweeh prayer aftersalaat al-Ishaa, and
by doing so they are able to accommodate the varying needs and
conditions of those who attend, (i.e. amongst them there may be the
weak, sick, old etc.) attract more people due tothe convenient earlier
timing which in turn encourages families to bring along their younger
children and those being only a few of the benefits. Therefore it is
good thing and we know lslaam does not impose any hardships. However
if you are praying taraaweeh at home, then it is worth knowing that it
is best to delay the taraaweeh prayer to the last third portion of the
night. Allah's Messenger salla allahu alaihe wa-sallam said: "The
nearest that a slave comes to his Lord is during the middle of the
later portion of the night. If you can be among thosewho remember
Allaah, theExalted One, at that time then do so." [10]
Also, once when 'Umar ibn al-Kattaab went out during Ramadaan and
sawthe people praying taraaweeh, he commented, "prayer at thetime when
they sleep is better than at the time when they are praying it." Since
the people used to pray in the early part of the night. [11]
Know also dear reader; that it is the time when Allaah descends to the
lowest Heaven during the last third of the night, inquiring (though He
knows everything).
"[Is there anyone] who invokes Me, so that I may respond to his
invitation? [ls there anyone] who asksMe, so that I may grant him his
request? [Is there anyone] who seeks My forgiveness, so that I may
forgive him?" [12]
Laylatul-Qadr:
We are encouraged to exert our efforts even further; towards the end
of Ramadaan while seeking out Laylatul-Qadr. 'Aa'isha reported that
Allah's Messenger salla allahu alaihe wa-sallam used to exert himself
in devotion during the last ten nights to a greater extent than at any
other time. [13]
Allah's Messenger salla allahu alaihe wa-sallam said: "Whoever stands
[in prayer] in Lailatut Qadr outof Eemaan and seeking reward, then his
previous sins are forgiven." [Bukhariand Muslim]
Moderation:
As with all aspects in lslaam, moderation and consistency are the
cardinal words - avoiding the two extremes i.e. negligence and
excessiveness, and this is the correct position. He salla allahu
alaihe wa-sallam said: "The deedsof anyone of you will not save you
(from the hell fire)." They said, 'Even you (will not be saved by your
deeds) O Messenger of Allaah?" He said, "No, even I (will not be
saved) unlessand until Allaah bestows His Mercy on me. Therefore, do
good deeds properly. Sincerely and moderately, and worship Allaah in
the forenoon andduring a part of the night and always adopt a
middlemoderate, regular course whereby you will reach your target
(i.e. paradise)." [14]
Allah has ordained the compulsory prayer, after which the most
excellent prayer is the night prayer [15] and that which I have
mentioned regarding its characteristics is applicablein every prayer-
whether compulsory or voluntary (i.e. such as Taraaweeh). It is not
possible for us to perform prayer as it should be performed, or even
approach it, unless we know the detailed description of the Prophet's
(sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) prayer. [16] I hope that the
significance of the Taraaweeh prayer has been correctly established
and I pray thatit's a benefit to all those rushing to fulfill his
command. "Pray as you have seen me praying." [l7]
FOOTNOTES:
1. Saheeh AL- Bukhari (eng. Tran. Vol.2, p. 126,no.227)
2. Fiqh us-Sunnah (v.2, p.28). It is preferred for women to pray at home.
3. Saheeh - Related by al-Bukhari from Urwah (eng, trans. Vol.3,
p.127, no.229) and Muslim from Aaisha' (eng. Trans.
Vol.1, p.367, no.1667). Note that this Hadeeth is a proof that
performing the Taraweeh prayer in congregation was a
Sunnah of the Prophet which Umar later revived and it was not a new
practice which he inventedas many claim.
4. Related by Ibn al-Mubaarak in Az-Zuhar [162/2 from al Kawaakib 575]
Aboo Dawood and Ahmed with a saheeh isnad.
5. Related by Muslim and Malik.
6. Saheeh related by al-Bukhari (eng. Trans. v.2, no.236) and Muslim.
7. Saheeh related by Muslim (eng. Trans. V.1, no. 1697) and Nasaa'ee.
8. Related by al-Bukhari (eng. Trans. vol. 1, Pg. 424 no.766)

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2] Sunnahs of Taraweeh Prayer

2]
Ramadaan is an event in which the whole Muslim Ummah participates and
during this month many ofus observe Qiyaam al-Layl , also known as
Taraaweeh (literally, the break between individual prayers), which is
a Sunnahfor both men and women. It is performed after the Isha prayer
up until the end of the night i.e. before the Fajr prayer and prayed
in sets of two rak'aat each.
Taraaweeh has an important place in Ramadaan. To find out why read on:
Its Excellence and Merit from the Qur'aan:
During Ramadaan, we are not only pre-occupied withour daily activities
but are also subjected to hunger and thirst, and so naturallyat the
end of the day we become tired and cherish the prospect of a good
nights rest! However, in the Qur'aan Allah commends those who observe
the night prayer and He exhorts the believers towards it, "Verilythe
rising by night (for Tahajjud prayer) is very hard and most potent and
good for governing (the soul) and most suitable for(understanding) the
Word (of Allaah)" [Soorah al-Muzzammil (73):6]
From the Sunnah
"And whoever stands (in prayer) in Ramadan out of sincere faith and
hoping for a reward (from Allah) then all his previous sins will be
forgiven." [1]
In this Hadeeth the Prophet salla allahu alaihe wa-sallam wanted us to
earn this great reward, encouraging us towards taraaweeh. His
statement, "out of sincere faith hoping for a reward.." suggests that
in order to get reward one must purify his niyyah (intention) to
perform this act of worship.
Praying Taraaweeh in Congregation
"It is allowed to pray taraaweeh of the month ofRamadan in a
congregation just as it is allowed to pray them on an individual
basis. The majority of scholars, however prefer to pray them in
congregation." [2]
Aa'ishah reported that: "Allah's Messenger salla allahu alaihe
wa-sallam went out in the middle of the night and prayed in the
mosque, and the people prayed behind him,then in the morning people
spoke about it. Then a large number gathered (the second night), and
he prayed and they prayed behind him, then the people spoke about it
in the morning. On the third night the mosque was crowded, so Allah's
Messenger salla allahu alaihe wa-sallam came out and could not
accommodate the number of people, but he only came out for the
morning. Then when he finished themorning prayer he turned to the
people repeated theShahaadah and said: 'Indeed your presence wasnot
hidden from me, but I feared that it would be made obligatory upon
youand that you would not beable to mange it.' [3] So Allaah's
Messenger salla allahu alaihe wa-sallam passed away and the situation
remained like that."
When Prophet salla allahu alaihe wa-sallam was taken by Allaah, the
Sharee'ah had been completed and this fear had ceased (i.e. that
Taraaweeh would be made obligatory) and so it remained prescribed in
congregation - since the reason preventing it had ceased.
Tarteel - recitation in slow, rhythmic tones
It was the practice of the Prophet salla allahu alaihe wa-sallam to
recite one verse at a time, pausing after every verse. He used to
recite the Qur'aan in slow, measured, rhythmic tones as Allaah had
instructed him, not raising or hurrying, rather; his was"a recitation
clearly distinguishing each letter,"[4] so much so that he would
recite a soorah in such slow rhythmic tones that it would be longer
than it would seem possible." [5]
The Length and Beauty of the Prayer
There are a number of Ahadeeth which mention how the Prophet would
sometimes exceedingly lengthen his recitation in asingle rak'ah, so it
is not surprising when 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ood said: "I prayedwith the
Prophet salla allahu alaihe wa-sallam one night and he carried on
standing for so long that I was struck by a wrong idea." He was asked,
"What was this idea?" He said, "I thought Iwould sit down and leave
the Prophet salla allahu alaihe wa-sallam" [6]
And in another narration we learn that the Messenger salla allahu
alaihe wa-sallam recited Soorat al-Baqarah (286 verses), an-Nisaa'
(176 verses) and Aal-lmraan (200 verses) all in one standing. [7] Just
imagine that! How long does it take to recite just half of Soorat
al-Baqarah: then allof it, then Soorat an-Nisaa' etc!! And remember
the Prophet salla allahu alaihe wa-sallam recited in a 'slow, rhythmic
style' and then he would go into Rukoo' and Sujood. He salla allahu
alaihe wa-sallam used to make his Qiyaam (standing), his Ruku, his
standing after rukoo', his sujood, and his sitting between the two
sajdahs, nearly equal in length. [8] When 'Aa'isha asked why he salla
allahu alaihe wa-sallam offered such an unbearable prayer;which caused
his feet to swell due to the prolongedstanding, he humbly replied:
"Should I not be a thankful servant?"...

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