Quran: the way to salvation

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- > - > The Book of Allaah is the rain thatbrings forth
true life on Earth.
I bear witness that there is no deity besides Allaah—alone, who has no
partner, no equal; Lord of the Messengers, Creator of the heavens and
the earths. I bear witness that Muhammad is His devoted-servant and
His Messenger sent with a Clear Bookthat separates guidance from
misguidance, deception from righteousness, and conjectures from
certainty.
Allaah revealed the Book (Noble Quran) in order for us to read it, and
mull over it with care and vigilance; to enrich our souls from its
remembrance; to carry itand construe it in the best of manners; to
affirm it and strive to establish its commands and prohibitions; pick
the fruits of its precious knowledge that is our way to Allaah and to
glean the wisdom from its gardens and flowers.
For it is His Book, and nothing else, that can guide His seekers
toHim. It is the path that leads the traveler to Allaah. It is His
brilliantLight that illuminates the darkness of uncertainty and
disbelief. It is His mercy of guidance and source of happiness for all
creation. It is the bridge that connects His devotee to Him when all
else fails. It is the great door to Him that remains open, when all
else is closed. It is the straight path that is not tainted by the
opinions of mortals. It is the remembrance full of wisdom thatis not
swayed by desires. It is the noble revelation containing wisdom that
sages can never fathom. Its wonders never end, nor are its clouds
barren, its signs are never exhausted, its agreements never
contradict.
The more a soul delves into its depths, the more it increases in
insight and guidance. It is the cure for mankind from diseases of the
heart. It is life to the hearts and pleasure and brillianceto the
souls. It is the harbinger that calls night and day: "O seekers of
good, hurry to me"
It is the caller of faith at the headof the straight path, calling
(whatmeans): "O our people, respond to the caller of Allaah and have
faith in Him so He may forgive your sins for you and may save you from
a painful chastisement." [Referring to verse 31 of chapter 46]
The Quran is Allaah's greatest blessing on us. It is the fulfillment
of His promise to Aadam and his descendants, as Allaah Almighty Says
(what means): ''…There shall come to you guidance from Me, and
whatsoever follows My Guidance no fear shall be on them, nor shall
they sorrow'' [Quran 2:38]
It is the only weapon for struggling against the forces of evil and
temptation in this world.It is the only means to overpowerour fear and
anxiety. It is the onlyLight as we grope in the darkness, with which
to find our way to success and salvation. It isthe only healing for
our inner sickness, as well as the social ills that may surround us.
It is the constant reminder of our true nature and destiny, of our
stationand our duties.
But alas! Desires have put out thelamps of the hearts, and opinionsof
the mortal humans have shut those doors of Divine guidance and lost
the keys. The hearts are laden with the rust of their own earning, so
much so that they do not find the realities of the Quranopening to
them. The burdens of ignorance have so settled upon itthat its
knowledge does not blossom into righteous actions.
Woe unto you, how have you made the nourishment of your heart those
vain opinions that contradict the Quran and Sunnah (Prophet's
Tradtion) that neither replenish it nor quench its thirst?So now your
heart does not accept nourishment of the Word of the Lord of the
worlds, and thespeech of His eminent Messenger!
For how will you ever find your way through the darkness of
conjectures and opinions of mortals to the clear distinction ofright
and wrong when you haveclosed your eyes to the light of the Book of
Allaah and the way ofthe Messenger?
Woe unto you, how have you adulterated the right opinions with the
sick ones, and the accepted ones with the rejected ones, and have
managed to incapacitate your souls from receiving the guidance and
knowledge from the Book that is immune to falsehood from all
directions.
Nay, but it is, by Allaah, a trial that has blinded the hearts from
the sources of righteousness and has embezzled the minds from their
goals.
The Book of Allaah is the coolnessof eyes for which the
competitorscompete, the finality to which the contenders contend.
How can you still be in the dark under a rising sun?
How can you lose your way undera bright constellation?
Glory be to Allaah, The Exalted!

Oppression and Intrigue, and the Ultimate Punishment - II

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- - > - > Meaning of the planning of AllaahThe Almighty
As is common knowledge, the manner in which Allaah The Almighty plans,
fits His Majesty; it indicates the way in which He inflicts punishment
on those whoconspire evil against His allies andMessengers, which is
countering their schemes with good plans. Therefore, while their plots
are most vile, the planning of Allaah The Almighty is the finest,
because it constitutes justice andfair recompense. In addition, His
manipulation of the disbelievers is a punishment for their
deceitfulness of His messengers and allies. Verily, there is no plan
or deception better than His.
Bearing in mind that the ill effects of conniving are suffered by the
perpetrators, the same applies to the oppression they inflict, which
is a sin that entails a swift recompense. It was said that anyone who
draws the sword of injustice will be killed with it, for it afflicts
its doer; therefore, one should avoid injustice.
'Abdullaah ibn 'Abbaas wouldsay, "If it happened that a mountain
repressed another mountain, Allaah The Almighty would level the unfair
one." The following quote is also attributedto him: "A king uttered a
word ofinjustice while he was sitting on his throne. Allaah The
Almighty then transformed him into an unknown object, perhaps a fly or
something else. Most importantly, he did not have any significance
after that again."
Furthermore, 'Abdullaah ibn Mu'aawiyah Al-Haashimi relates, "When he
was on his deathbed, 'Abdul-Muttalib asked his ten sons to assemble
and advised them as follows, 'O sons, do not be unjust, for, I swear
by Allaah, [He] did not create anything more speedy in generating
punishment than injustice. I have never witnessed people who continued
[to live in peace] despite their transgression, except perhaps your
relatives from Banu 'Abd Shams.'"
Ibnul-Qayyim remarked, "How strange it is that the human self has the
arrogance of Iblees, the envy of Qaabeel (Cain), the insolence of
'Aad, the transgression of Thamood, the audacity of Nimrod, the
discourtesy of Pharaoh, the tyranny of Qaaroon, the ugliness of
Haamaan, the fancies of Bal'aam, the deception of the people of
Sabbath, the rebellion of Al-Waleed and the ignorance of Abu Jahl! It
is also characterized by some beastly characteristics, such as the
keenness of the crow, the voracity of the dog, the vanity of the
peacock, the vileness of the scarab, the ingratitude of the Dhabb (a
kind of reptile), the grudge of the camel, the leaping of the cheetah,
the hostility of the lion, the wrongdoing of the mouse, the
maliciousness of the snake, the toying of the monkey, the persistent
hoarding of the ant, the slyness of the fox, the lightness of the
butterfly and the laziness of the hyena. However, despite all that,
struggling against these bad traits, does, eventually, remove them."
Texts in the Quran vilify injustice, such as where Allaah The Almighty
Says (what means): {Thecause is only against the ones who wrong the
people and tyrannize upon the earth withoutright. Those will have a
painful punishment.} [Quran 42:42] In general, injustice incorporates
haughtiness, arrogance, oppression, corruption and committing sins. It
is one of the five things that all divine faiths prohibit, as Allaah
The Almighty Says (what means): {Say, "My Lordhas only forbidden
immoralities - what is apparent of them and what is concealed - and
sin, and injustice without right, and that you associate with Allaah
that forwhich He has not sent down authority, and that you say
aboutAllaah that which you do not know."} [Quran 7:33]
That is why the promise of AllaahThe Almighty of His support, to all
those that have been oppressed should suffice them, as He Says (what
means): {That [isso]. And whoever responds [to injustice] with the
equivalent of that with which he was harmed and then is tyrannized -
Allaah will surely aid him.} [Quran 22:60]
Moreover, the Prophet said: "No sin is worthier of its doer's
punishment being hastened by Allaah in the worldly life, in addition
to what is stored for him in the Hereafter, than injustice and
severance of family relations." [Ahmad and Abu Daawood] A slightly
different version reads: "No act of obedience to Allaah necessitates a
reward faster than upholding the ties of kinship; and nothing prompts
punishment swifter than injustice, cutting off ties andthe untruthful
oath and empty promises." [Al-Bayhaqi, Saheeh – Albaani]
The Prophet also said: "Allaah revealed to me that you should be
humble such that no one boasts over another or transgresses against
another." [Muslim]
If we reflect on the history of nations, we will discover that there
are lessons to be learned from the stories of the tyrants among them
in the past and present. We will find that their final ends affirm the
fact that the norms established by Allaah The Almighty in the universe
are in total conformity with what is stated in His Book.
For instance, Pharaoh persecuted others in the land without right,
claimed Lordship and Divinity, and said, as cited in the verse (which
means): {Does not the kingdom of Egypt belong to me, and these rivers
flowing beneath me?} [Quran 43:51] He tried to apprehend Prophet
Moosaa (Moses) and those who believed in him among the Children of
Israel. Along with his army, he pursued them out of cruelty and
enmity. However, Allaah The Almighty drowned him and caused water to
surge over him as an appropriate punishment. Later, the Egyptians saw
his rotten corpse after they had earlier worshipped him instead of
Allaah The Almighty, Who Said (what means): {So today We will save you
in body that you may be to those who succeed you a sign.} [Quran
10:91]
The Quran also relates the story of another tyrant, Qaaroon; Allaah
The Almighty Says that his people advised him, saying (whatmeans):
{And desire not corruption in the land. Indeed, Allaah does not like
corrupters.} [Quran 28:76] But when he did not heed this, Allaah The
Almighty destroyed him, as He describes, Saying (what means): {And We
caused the earth to swallow him and his home.} [Quran 28:81]
The tyranny that the preceding nations practiced against the Prophets
and Messengers contains many admonitions and morals for all those who
have intellect, for Allaah The Almighty seized them with His might and
power. The people of Nooh (Noah) and 'Aad, and many other generations
lived until they [disbelieved in them and] perished along with their
deeds that were presented to Allaah The Almighty, Who Says (what
means): {And how many have We destroyed before them of generations? Do
you perceive of them anyone or hear from them a sound?} [Quran 19:98]

Oppression and Intrigue, and the Ultimate Punishment - I

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The tradition of Allaah The Almighty has no scope for favoritism or
flattery, as He Says (what means): {You will not find in the way of
Allaah any change} [Quran 33:62], and, in fact, stresses in another
place, {You will never find in the way of Allaah any change.} [Quran
35:43] The fair Sharee'ah neither distinguishes between equals
norrenders the unequal as equivalent.
Thus, the inevitable destruction of the evil planner, the one who
breaks his word and the unjust person is only a question of
time,which, in itself, is a chance for reform. However, that does not
reflect a change in principles and what has been established as
thetradition of Allaah The Almighty.
Muhammad ibn Ka'b Al-Qurathi says, "Three traits beset those who
possess them: scheming, as Allaah The AlmightySays (what means): {Evil
plans shall not beset any save the authors of it} [Quran 35:43];
injustice, as in the verse (which means): {O mankind, your injustice
is only against yourselves} [Quran 10:23]; reneging, as Allaah The
Almighty Says (what means): {So he who breaks his word only breaks it
to the detriment of himself} [Quran 48:10]."
Why these attributes particularly,and others in general, affect
theirbearer is because consequences are closely related to the causes,
as Allaah The Almighty Says (whatmeans): {Whoever does a good deed -
it is for himself; and whoever does evil - it is against the self.}
[Quran 45:15] Similarly, He Says (what means): {[And said], "If you do
good, you do good for yourselves; and if you doevil, [you do it] to
yourselves."} [Quran 17:7] Moreover, the Prophet said, "Do whatever
you want, for you will be rewarded or punished accordingly."
He also narrated that Allaah The Almighty Said:"O My servants,indeed,
I enumerate and record your deeds for you, then I grant you your
reward or punishment in full, correspondingly. Therefore, anyone who
finds [in life] delight and good reward, should praise Allaah The
Almighty[for His enabling him or her to dogood]. Likewise, whoever
finds otherwise, should blame none but him/herself."
Once, a man went to a scholar and said, "The people of so-and-so have
collaborated to harm me,as if they are a single hand." So, he read out
the verse (what means): "The hand of Allaah is over their hands."
[Quran 48:10] The man then complained, "They hatch plots", so the
scholar recited (what means): "The evil plot does not encompass except
its own people." [Quran 35:43] Then, when he said: "They are so many",
the scholar recited the verse (which means): "How many a small company
has overcome a large company by permission of Allaah." [Quran 2:249]
The plots of the disbelievers destroy only them
If you want to be saved from the unbelievers and the immoral people,
have faith in their inescapable destruction being caused by their
scheming, oppression and betrayal. In fact, they destroy themselves
with their own hands before anyone else's weapons touch them and they
alone suffer the outcome of their evil qualities. Allaah The Almighty
Says (what means): {Andthe disbelievers planned, but Allaah planned.
And Allaah is the best of planners.} [Quran 3:45] He also Says (what
means): {And thus We have placed within everycity the greatest of its
criminals to conspire therein. But they conspire not except against
themselves, and they perceive [it]not.} [Quran 6:123]
The Noble Quran tells us of the intrigues of Thamood against their
Prophet Saalih where Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): {And they
planned a plan,and We planned a plan, while they perceived not. Then
look how was the outcome of their plan - that We destroyed them and
their people, all.} [Quran 27:50-51]
Commenting on these verses, some scholars said that the phrase {while
they perceived not} implies that the people of Thamood were unaware of
the angels that Allaah The Almighty ordered to descend to protect
Saalih from their assassination attempt. These angels pelted every one
of them with stones until they were all killed, and their Prophet
wassafe from their conspiracy.
In another version, it is said that the people plotted to kill him so,
they pretended to embark on a journey, when, in reality, they hid in a
cave, so as toreturn and murder him at night. However, Allaah The
Almighty caused a rock to roll down over the mouth of the cave until
it became blocked; and this was Hisscheme against them.
Similarly, the disbelievers hatchedplots against Prophet Muhammad as
Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): {And[remember, [O Muhammad],
when those who disbelieved plotted against you to restrain you or kill
you or evict you [from Makkah]. But they plan, and Allaah plans. And
Allaah is the best of planners.} [Quran 8:30]
Thus, He saved the Prophet who consequently immigrated safely to
Madeenah and managedto eliminate the leaders of the disbelievers, such
as Abu Jahl, 'Utbah ibn Rabee'ah and Shaybah ibn Rabee'ah. Later,
Allaah The Almighty spread Islam among their very own after the
conquestof Makkah. When the Prophet passed away, Allaah The Almighty
had granted him victoryover them and exalted him in status and
reputation.
The hypocrites had also contrivedevil plans against the Prophet .
Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): {But they who plot evil deeds
will have a severe punishment, and the plotting of those - it will
perish.} [Quran 35:10] Therefore, their schemes were eventually
thwarted and their deception was evident to allrational people. In
this manner, anyone who conceals anything evil will have it divulged
by AllaahThe Almighty through his or her facial expressions and slips
of thetongue; then, he or she will surely be affected suitably.
In addition, the Jews conspired extensively against the Prophet tried
to assassinate him and colluded with other disbelievers against him
several times. Yet, he managed to kill some of them and evicted
others; later, heemerged victorious and his message was propagated to
all. As the ultimate response to their attitude, before the end of
time, the stones and trees, except the Al-Gharqad (boxthorn), which is
their shrub, will betray the Jews hiding behind them by revealing
their location to the Muslims pursuing them; and, Allaah The Almighty
will let the Muslims conquer the Al-Aqsaa Mosque in Jerusalem.
Therefore, beware of scheming and do not be stunned by the people who
plot against you. Qays ibn Sa'd ibn'Ubaadah said: "Had I not heard the
Prophet say that plots and deception are in Hell, I would have been
one of the most evil planners." [Al-Albaani: Saheeh]

Dought & clear, - The length of du‘aa’ al-Qunoot and reciting it.

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- - > - > What is the ruling on reciting du'aa'
al-qunootand making it last for more than twenty minutes, which
includes du'aa' that resembles how people ordinarily talk?
Praise be to Allah.
Firstly:
Qunoot in Witr prayer is Sunnah and mustahabb; it was narrated from
the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and there are
somehadeeths which give thewording for du'aa' al-qunoot.
It was narrated that al-Hasan ibn 'Ali may Allah be pleased with him) said:
The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)
taught me some words to say in Qunoot of Witr:
"Allaahumma ihdini feeman hadayta wa 'aafini feeman 'aafayta wa
tawallani feeman tawallayta wa baarik li feema a'tayta, wa qini sharra
ma qadayta , fa innaka taqdi wa la yuqda 'alayk, wa innahu laa
yadhillu man waalayta wa laa ya'izzu man 'aadayta, tabaarakta Rabbana
wa ta'aalayta (O Allaah, guide me among those whom You have guided,
pardon me among thosewhom You have pardoned, turn to me in friendship
among those on whom You have turned in friendship, and bless me in
what You have bestowed, and save me from the evil of what You have
decreed. For verily You decree and none can influence You; and he is
not humiliated whom You have befriended, nor is he honoured who is
Your enemy. Blessed are You, O Lord, and Exalted.)."
Narrated by Abu Dawood, 1425; at-Tirmidhi, 464. Classed as hasan by
at-Tirmidhi and as saheeh by Ibn 'Abd al-Barr in al-Istidhkaar, 2/285
and an-Nawawi in al-Adhkaar, 86
See question no. 14093 .
In Saheeh Ibn Khuzaymah (1100) it is narrated that the people, at the
time of 'Umar, used to pray against the disbelievers in the middle of
Ramadan, (saying): "O Allah, destroy the disbelievers who seek
toprevent people from following Your path and who disbelieve in Your
Messengers and do not believe in the Day of Resurrection. Create
disunity among them and instil fear in their hearts, and send Your
wrath and punishment upon them, O God of truth."
Then he would send blessings on the Prophet(blessings and peace of
Allah be upon him) and pray for the Muslims for whatever he could of
good, then he would pray for forgiveness for the believers. He said:
And he used to say whenhe had finished praying against the
disbelievers, sending blessings upon the Prophet, praying for
forgiveness for the believing men and women and asking for good: "O
Allah, You (alone) we worship and to You (alone) we pray and
prostrate; for Your sake we strive and worship. We hope for Your
mercy, our Lord, and we fear Your inevitable punishment, for Your
punishment willsurely befall the one whom You oppose." Then he would
say takbeer and fall down inprostration.
Al-Albaani said: Its isnaad is saheeh
Secondly:
Paying attention to the du'aa' that was narratedfrom the Prophet
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), thenfrom his Companions
after him, is better and ispreferable and brings more blessings than
making up flowery supplications and invented awraad, for which there
is no guarantee that they will be free from mistakes in meaning or
that they will not be contrary to proper etiquette when calling upon
Allah, may He be exalted, and it willbe more likely to keep one safe
from showing off.
Al-Qaadi 'Iyaad (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Allah, may He be
exalted, has given us permission to call upon Him and has taught
du'aa' in His Book to His creation, and the Prophet (blessings and
peace of Allah be upon him) has taught his ummah how to offer du'aa'.
The du'aa' of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)
is based on three things: proper knowledge of Tawheed (the Oneness of
Allah), proper knowledge of the (Arabic) language and sincerity to the
ummah. So no one should turn away from his du'aa' (blessings and peace
of Allah be upon him).
Al-Maawardi (may Allah have mercy on him) said in al-Haawi al-Kabeer
(2/200): What is narratedfrom the Prophet (blessings and peace of
Allah be upon him) is what is more liked by us than anything else, but
whatever a person says in Qunoot of 'du'aa's narrated from the Prophet
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and otherwise is good for
that purpose.
Both texts were quoted by Shaykh Muhammad Ismaa'eel al-Muqaddim in his
essay: 'Oodu ila khayr al-Huda, p. 45-46]
Ibn 'Uqayl al-Hanbali (may Allah have mercy on him) narrated that
'du'aa's narrated from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be
upon him) should be what is recited as regular wird, and anything
added to it is by way of a concession. He said: What is mustahabb in
our view is that which was narrated by al-Hasan ibn'Ali from the
Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him): "Allahumma
ihdini…" – the well-known hadeeth. He said: If one adds to that the
words narrated from 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), "Allahumma
inna nasta'eenuka… (O Allah, we seek Your help)…", there is
nothingwrong with that. End quote.
This was quoted by Ibn Muflih in his comment on al-Muharrar, 1/89
Indeed, some of the scholars spoke sternly about the issue of adding
to the 'du'aa's narrated from the Prophet (blessings and peace of
Allah be upon him, to the extent that al-'Izz ibn 'Abd as-Salaam(may
Allah have mercy on him) said – as it says in his Fataawa, 87 –: It is
not appropriate to add anything to or subtract anything from what the
Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said in
Qunoot.
Quoted from 'Oodu ila Khayr al-Huda, p. 45
Thirdly:
There is nothing wrong with adding to the wording narrated from the
Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) in Qunoot words
that may be appropriate to the situation, because this is the issue of
du'aa' (supplication), and the issue of du aa' is broad in scope, and
adding to it is something that is allowed in Islam. Concerning the
du'aa' narrated from 'Umar, it says: … and he would pray for whatever
he could of good for the Muslims, then he would pray for forgiveness
for the believers.
An-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said in al-Majmoo' (3/477-478):
Shaykh Abu 'Amr ibn as-Salaah said: The view of those who say that one
should limit du'aa' in Qunoot to that which is narrated from the
Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) is odd (shaadhdh)
and is not acceptable; it is contrary to the opinion of the majority
of our companions and in fact is contrary to the opinion of the
majority of scholars. Al-Qaadi 'Iyaad narrated that the scholars were
unanimously agreed that there is no specific du'aa' for Qunoot… The
author of al-Haawi said: It may be done reciting the du'aa' narrated
fromthe Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) or by
saying other du'aa's. End quote.
It says in al-Mawsoo'ah al-Fiqhiyyah, 34/63:
He may add whatever hewants of du'aa's that arepermissible to say
during prayer. End quote.
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said in ash-Sharh
al-Mumti', 4/52:
If he adds to that, there is nothing wrong with that, because it is
the matter of du'aa' (supplication). End quote.
Fourthly:
It is important to note that although adding (phrases not narrated in
the Sunnah) to a du'aa' narrated from the Prophet (blessings and peace
of Allah be upon him) is permissible according to the majority of
scholars, it is not permissible to take that as a regular practice,
thus neglectingthe Sunnah and missing out on the blessing (barakah) of
following the Sunnah as a result ofthat. Indeed, one should not always
combine the two and regard them as being the same in status.Rather the
worshipper should do that sometimes and not do it sometimes, according
to the situation.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
Undoubtedly dhikr and du'aa's are among the best kinds of worship.
Acts of worship are based on tawqeef and following, not on whims and
desires and innovation. The du'aa's and dhikrs narrated from the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) are the best that
anyone can find of dhikr and du'aa', and the one who limits himself to
them will be safe and sound. The beneficial results that they bring
cannot be putinto words or fully comprehended by man. Any other dhikrs
may be haraam or they may be makrooh. They may involve shirk which
mostpeople may not realize and which would take too long to explain in
detail.
No one has the right to prescribe for people any kind of dhikr or
du'aa' that is not narrated in the Sunnah and make it an act of
worship that people should perform regularly as they perform the five
daily prayers regularly. Ratherthis is a kind of innovation in
religion for which Allaah has not given permission… As foradopting a
wird that is not prescribed in sharee'ah and dhikr thatis not
prescribed in sharee'ah, this is something that is forbidden. Moreover
thedu'aa's and adhkaar thatare prescribed in sharee'ah are the best
and lead to achieving all aims and goals; no one turns away from them
and adopts innovated and invented adhkaar except one who is ignorant,
negligent or a wrong doer.
Majmoo' al-Fataawa, 22/510- 511
Fifthly:
How long should Qunootbe? Is it prescribed to make it lengthy or not?
If we study the hadeeth of al-Hasan ibn 'Ali quoted above, we will
find that the du'aa' that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be
upon him) taught him is a brief and concise du'aa' that only takes a
few minutes. This indicates that what is appropriate in du'aa'
al-Qunoot is to make it brief and to stick to concise phrases.
It says in Mughni al-Muhtaaj, 1/369:
It says in al-Majmoo', narrating from al-Baghawi: It is makrooh to
make Qunoot lengthy, like the first tashahhud. Al-Qaadi Husayn said:
If he makes Qunoot longer than is usual, that is makrooh. End quote.
In fact an-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) indicated that
combining the du'aa' of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be
upon him) and the du'aa' of 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) in
Qunoot comes under the heading of making it lengthy, and one should
pay attention to the people'scircumstances and find out whether they
approve of that.
He said: Our companions said: It is mustahabb to combine the Qunoot of
'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) and that which is mentioned in
the hadeeth quoted above. If they are combined, then the more correct
way is to recite the Qunoot of 'Umar second. And if he wants to keep
it short, he should limit it to what is narrated in the hadeeth.
Rather it is mustahabb to combine the two if he is praying on his own
or if he is an imam of people who approve of making it lengthy. And
Allah knowsbest.
Al-Majmoo', 3/478
If combining the two du'aa's mentioned, even though they are brief, is
regarded as a kind of making it lengthy, then how about what is
mentioned in your question of making it last for twenty minutes or
thereabouts? What about those who offer du'aa' for double that time or
more, which many imams do who do not care about anything except giving
a performance in front of people, Allah forbid? People have seen
strange things of that nature nowadays.
The best approach in all of that – and Allah knows best – is to be
moderate, for the best ofaffairs are those that aremoderate; and Islam
forbids making things difficult for people, especially if there is a
custom of doing that every night.
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen was asked the following question in Fataawa
'Ulama' al-Balad al-Haraam (152):
In Ramadan, some of theimams in the mosques make the du'aa' long, and
some make it short. Which is the correct way?
He (may Allah have mercy on him) replied:
The correct way is not toexaggerate or to fall short. Making it so
long that it causes hardship for the people is forbidden. When the
Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) heard that
Mu'aadhibn Jabal was making the prayer very lengthy when he led his
people in prayer, he got angry in exhortation in an unprecedented
manner, and he said to Mu'aadh ibn Jabal: "O Mu'aadh, do you want to
put people off their religion?" Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 6106; Muslim,
465.
So what should be done is adhering to the wordsnarrated (in hadeeth)
or one may add more to that.
Undoubtedly making it very lengthy causes hardship to people and
exhausts them, especially the weak onesamong them. Among thepeople are
those who have work ahead of them but they do not like to leave before
the imam, although it is difficult for them to stay with the imam. So
my advice to my brother imams is to adopt a moderate approach. By the
same token, they should refrain from offering du'aa' on occasion, so
that the common folk do not think that du'aa' is obligatory. End
quote.
See also the answer to question no. 93051
Sixthly:
With regard to what youasked about reciting du'aa' al-Qunoot (in a
manner like reciting Qur'an) and beautifying the voice in it, if he
exaggerates about that and is preoccupied with it and makes it his
main concern, and he uses it as a means of attracting people's
attention to him, or he crosses the boundary between du'aa' and
exhortation or speaks as people ordinarily do, as in the case of the
person referred to in your question, and as is done by many imams who
toy with the people's worship and emotions – if the situation is as
described, then it is objectionable and is disapproved by everyone who
knows the teachings of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be
upon him) and is rejected by everyone who has a sound nature.
Al-Kamaal ibn al-Humaam al-Hanafi (may Allah have mercy on him) said,
when discussing the mu'adhdhins who used to repeat the takbeers behind
the imam – in histime –
With regard to what youare accustomed to in thiscity, it is not
unlikely that it is wrong, becauseit usually involves elongating the
first syllable in the words "Allah" and "akbar", or the second
syllable in the word "akbar", and that is wrong. Even if it does not
involve that, they still raise their voices too much, more than is
needed to conveythe words, and they focus too much on their
performance of tunes to show their proficiency indoing so, which has
nothing to do with carrying out the act of worship properly.
It is obvious that the purpose behind this is toimpress the people. It
is as if he is saying: Look atmy beautiful voice and how I come up
with nicetunes, and that is wrong.I do not think that this would come
from one who really understands the meaning of prayer and worship!
If this is what he said concerning the mu'adhdhins, then what about
the imams who dothat in the prayer itself?!It is no wonder that he
commented further and said:
Similarly, I think that coming up with nice tunes in du'aa', as some
reciters do in our times, is not done by one who understands the real
meaning of du'aa' and asking of Allah. That is no more than a kind of
playing about. If you saw someone making a request of a king and he
put on this kind of performance, with his voice rising and falling as
if singing, he would be accused of mockery and fooling about, because
the appropriateway to ask is with beseeching and humility, not
singing! End quote.
Fath al-Qadeer by Kamaal ibn al-Humaam, a Hanafi faqeeh, 2/225-226
With regard to paying attention to making the voice beautiful, without
exaggerating or pronouncing the letters differently from the correct
Arabic pronunciation, it seems that this does not come under the
heading of blameworthy singing referred to above.
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked about
this and he replied in detail.
He (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked the following question, as
it says in Fataawa al-Balad al-Haraam, 153:
Some imams of mosques try to soften people's hearts and move them by
changing the tone of voice sometimes during taraweeh prayer and in
du'aa' al-Qunoot, and I heard that some scholarsdisapprove of that.
Whatis your opinion of that?
His reply was:
What I think is that if this is done within shar'ilimits, without
exaggerating, then there is nothing wrong with it. Hence Abu
Moosaal-Ash'ari said to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be
upon him): If I had known thatyou were listening to myrecitation, I
would have beautified it for you." If someone has a beautiful voice or
recites in a way that softens people's hearts, I do not think there is
anything wrong with that. But exaggerating with regard to that so that
he does this with every single word of the Qur'an, as mentioned in the
question – I think that this is excessive and should not be done. And
Allah knows best. End quote.
And Allah knows best.
See [in Arabic] the essaysDu'aa' al-Qunoot by Shaykh Bakr ibn
'Abdullah Abu Zayd; 'Oodu ila Khayr al-Huda by Shaykh Muhammad
Ismaa'eel al-Muqaddim.