Fathwa, - Deliberately leaving recitation of a Surah after Al-Faatihah in prayer

Question
The Imaam in the second Rak'ah of Maghrib prayerdid not recite a Surah
after Al-Faatihah and then he bowed and prostrated normally. After
the third Rak'ah, the Imaam ended his prayer with Tasleem without
performing Sujood as-Sahw. We asked the Imaam to perform Sujood
as-Sahw but he told us that there was no need for it. He informed us
that he deliberately abstained from reciting a Surah after Al-Faatihah
and thatwhat he did was permissible. What is the religious ruling on
not reciting a Surah after Al-Faatihah intentionally in the second
Rak'ah of Maghrib prayer? May Allaah The Exalted Reward you
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify
that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad
isHis slave and Messenger.
It is disliked for a worshipper to deliberately not recite a Surah
after Al-Faatihah inthe first and second Rak'ah of a prayer. Whoever
does so will be abandoning a Sunnah according to the majorityof Muslim
scholars. The Imaam in such a case should not perform Sujood as-Sahw
since it isprescribed to compensate for a worshipper's forgetfulness
in the prayer.
However, if the worshipper deliberately neglected an obligation or a
pillar of the prayer, his prayer is considered invalid and performing
Sujood as-Sahw does not compensate for such a mistake.
If a worshipper neglects a Sunnah, his prayer is valid despite his
mistake. However, even then, Sujood as-Sahw is not prescribed in such
a case to compensate for such error.
Allaah Knows best.

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Being Bashful of Allaah The Almighty

A person who is bashful of people seeing him commit an evil act,
should be more bashful of Allaah The Almighty. Consequently, he should
neither neglect an obligation nor commit a sin as he knows that Allaah
The Almighty sees him and that He will inevitably call him to
reckoning on the Day of Resurrection. Therefore, he feels bashfulness
of his Lord.
It was narrated on the authority of Ibn Mas'ood that the Messenger of
Allaah, , once said to his Companions : "Show due reverence to
Allaah." They (the Companions ) said, "We show (Allaah The Almighty)
due reverence, O Messenger of Allaah." He said: "It is not that (which
you think). Rather, a person who shows Allaah due reverence should
preserve his head (i.e., bynot using it to commit any act of
disobedience) as well as what it includes (i.e., the eyes, ears and
mouth) and preserve his belly (i.e., from eating unlawful food) and
what it includes and should constantly remember death and perishing.
Whoever pursues (the reward of) the Hereafter should abandon the
pleasures of this worldly life. Whoever does so hasshown due reverence
to Allaah." [Ahmad]
"His head as well as what it includes" means that the head and its
external and internal senses should be used only in permissible
things.
It was narrated on the authority of Mu'aawiyah ibn Haydah that he
said, I said, "O Messenger of Allaah from whom should we conceal our
'Awrah (private parts) and to whom can we expose it?" He replied:
"Conceal your 'Awrah except from your wife and from whom your right
hands possess (slave-girls)." I then asked, "O Messenger of Allaah,
(what should we do) if the people are assembled together?" He replied:
"If you can do so in a way that no one looks at it ('Awrah), then no
one should look at it ."I then asked, "O Messenger of Allaah, if one
of us is alone, (what should he do)?" He replied : "Allaah is more
entitled than people that bashfulness should be shown to Him." [Ahmad]
Bilaal ibn Sa'd said, "Do not look at the smallness of the sin, but
look at the greatness of the one you are sinning against."
Once, when a man was alone with a woman and he wanted to have unlawful
sexual intercourse with her, she said to him, "Look if thereis anyone
who can see us?" He replied, "Only the stars see us." She asked, "
Then where is The One who created them?
In Madaarij As-Saalikeen , Ibn Al-Qayyim divided bashfulness into ten
parts: bashfulness out of committing wrongdoings, bashfulness out of
being negligent, bashfulness out of exaltation, bashfulness out of
generosity, bashfulness out of chastity, bashfulness out of belittling
and disdaining oneself, bashfulness out of love, bashfulness out of
worship, bashfulness out of honor and glory, and bashfulness of the
person who is bashful of his own self.
Ibn Al-Qayyim elaborated on this and here I will mention them briefly:
1- Bashfulness out of committing wrongdoings:
An example for this, Aadam (Adam) tried to flee in Paradise.
Thereupon, Allaah The Almighty said to him: "Areyou fleeing from Me, O
Aadam?" He replied: "No, my Lord. I am fleeing out of bashfulness of
You."
Another example is bashfulness of the prophets, may Allaah exalt their
mention, on the Day of Resurrection although they have no faults to
discredit their high and sublime ranks.
2- Bashfulness out of being inelegant:
An example of this is bashfulness of the angels,may Allaah exalt their
mention, who exalt Allaah The Almighty nightand day and do not
slacken. On the Day of Resurrection, however, they will say (to
Allaah), "Glory be to You. We did not worship You as You are due." ---
3- Bashfulness out of exaltation:
This aspect of bashfulnessoccurs due to knowledge. The degree of one's
bashfulness is according to the degree of his knowledgeable of his
Lord. For example, it was narrated that 'Amr ibn Al-'Aas used to say,
"By Allaah, I was the most bashful of people with the Messenger of
Allaah . I never gazed at the Messenger of Allaah nor argued with him
on a matter I desired until he died, as I was bashful of him." [Ahmad]
4- Bashfulness out of generosity:
The Prophet, , was bashful of the guests whom he invited to the
wedding banquet of Zaynab . They ate and then sat for a long time. The
Prophet, , was bashful to tell them to leave. Thereupon, Allaah The
Exalted revealed the verse in which He Says (what means): }
…withoutseeking to remain for conversation. { [Quran 33:53]
5- Bashfulness out of chastity:
For example, ' Ali ibn Abi Taalib was too bashfulto ask the Messenger
of Allaah, , about pre-ejaculatory fluid as he was his son-in-law. It
was narrated on his authority that he said, "I used to discharge
pre-ejaculatory fluid frequently. I told Al-Miqdaad ibn ' Amr to ask
the Prophet and he did. The Prophet replied: "You should perform
ablution."
The wording of another narration reads: "I used to discharge
pre-ejaculatory fluid frequently. Being the son-in-law of the Prophet
I told a man to ask himabout it. So the man asked the Prophet about it
and the Prophet replied, "Perform ablution after washing your organ
(penis)." [Al-Bukhaari]
6- Bashfulness out of belittling and disdaining oneself:
An example of this is the bashfulness of the slave of Allaah The
Almighty in front of his Lord when heasks Him for his needs out of
belittling and disdaining himself. It is mentioned in an Israelite
reported citation that Moosa (Moses) said: "OLord, I find myself in
need of something in thisworld but I feel bashful to ask you." Allaah
The Almighty Says: "Ask Me…..even (if it were for) salt for your dough
and the fodder for your sheep."
7- Bashfulness out of love:
It is bashfulness of the lover in front of his beloved. Even when he
remembers the absence of his beloved, bashfulness arises in his heart
and he finds its impact on his face while he does not know the reason
behind this. Also, when the lover suddenly meets his beloved, he feels
intense fear. Undoubtedly, love has a powerful sovereignty over the
heart, which is greater than that overcoming the body. Sovereignty
over the heart and soul is incomparable to sovereignty over the body.
Therefore, kings and tyrants wonder [at this], because they overcome
creatures but are overcome and humiliated by their beloved. When the
beloved surprises his lover and the latter suddenly sees him, the
lover's heart experiences his sovereignty and feels [a kind of ] fear
andawe.
8- Bashfulness out of servitude:
This aspect of bashfulnesscombines both love and fear and feeling that
one does not properly fulfill the concept of servitude towards his
Lord The Almighty for He is greaterand more sublime than that
servitude. Therefore,this servitude inevitably necessitates
bashfulness of Him.
9- Bashfulness out of honor and glory:
It is the great and noble soul's bashfulness when it accords something
less than its true value, such as offering, giving or kindness. In
such a case, one is bashful of his offering due to his honorand glory.
10- Bashfulness of the person who is bashful of his own self:
It is bashfulness of the noble, dignified and honorable souls to be
imperfect and inferior. Consequently, one finds himself bashful of
himselfas if he has two selves, each of them is bashful ofthe other.
This is the mostperfect degree of bashfulness. When a slave is bashful
of himself, then bashfulness of others is worthier. - - ▓███▓
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Deterring people from backbiting (Gheebah)

Definition of Gheebah:
When the Prophet wasasked about backbiting, he answered: "To mention
your brother in a manner which he dislikes". Then he was asked, "What
if my brother actually has (this failing) that I made mention of?" The
Prophet said: "If (that failing) is actually found in your brother,
you in fact backbit him, and if that is not in him it is a slander."
[Muslim]
Backbiting refers to a Muslim mentioning his Muslim brother in a
manner that the latter dislikes, whether by referring to a defect in
his body, or in his lineage, or in his morality. The meaning of
insulting is included in backbiting, whether it is in the form of
words, gestures, or writing.
Ruling of Gheebah:
Backbiting is forbidden in the Noble Quran and the Sunnah. The person
who commits it is given the similitude of a personwho eats the flesh
of his dead brother. Allaah Says(what means): "… And do notspy or
backbite each other. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his
brother when dead? You would detest it…" [Quran 49: 12]
To highlight the sanctity of the Muslim, the Messenger of Allaah said
in his sermon duringthe Farewell Pilgrimage: "…Your blood, your wealth
and your honor are sacred, as this dayof yours, in this month of
yours, in this land of yours, are sacred…?" [Ahmad and Muslim] This
firmly proves haw far beyond limits one transgresses when he backbites
his fellow Muslim
Let us think deeply aboutthis, and regard the orders of Allaah and His
Prophet with the awe that they deserve. In the sight of Allaah,
violating the rights of your brotherby backbiting is equivalent to
violating the sanctity of the Day of Sacrifice, in the month of
Thul-Hijjah, in Minaa. Do we really realize the enormity of this
violationof a Muslim's honor?
Islamic perception of Gheebah:
Al-Baraa' Ibn 'Aazib narrated that the Messenger of Allaah said: "
There are seventy-two degrees of Ribaa (usury), the least of which is
equivalent to committing adultery with one's own mother. The worst of
them (the seventy two degrees) is a man's insulting his brother's
honor (i.e. by backbiting)." [Ibn Jaaroot]
`Aa'ishah said: "I said to the Prophet : 'It's bad enough that
Safiyyah is such and such.(Some of narrators said: she is short).' He
said: "You have said a word which, if itcould be mixed with the water
ofthe sea, it would have been… (i.e., the enormity of it is such that,
if it were mixed with the vast water of the sea, it wouldspoil it.)"
[Abu Daawood]
A word which, if it could be mixed with the water of the sea, it would
have been…! One word alone could do this, and have such a far-reaching
impact! So what do you think of the backbiting people of today, whose
tongues never cease to wag? What vast oceans could be tainted and
corrupted by their words? How many quiet lives are disrupted by them?
'Amr Ibn Shu`ayb narrated from his father from his grandfather : (the
people) mentioned aman to the Messenger of Allaah saying: "He doesn't
eat until he is fedand he doesn't visit anybody until they have
visited him first." The Prophet said: "You have backbit him." They
said: "O Messenger of Allaah! We have mentioned about him something
which is true." He said: " It is bad enough that you have
mentionedsomething about your brother which is true." [Al-Asbahaani]
We should all ask ourselves: who among usis infallible? Who among us
is free from errors, faults and sins? Who among us would be content to
have everything about him, good and bad, spoken of by others? Any one
of us becomes furious if he hears someone hinting something about him;
so what would you do if it was said clearly and in detail, let alone
behind your back?
'Abdullaah Ibn Mas'ood said: "We were with the Prophet when a man got
up and left, whereupon another manimmediately started backbiting him.
The Prophet said: "Clean the bits of meat from between your teeth!"
The man asked:"What should I clean from between my teeth? I haven't
eaten any meat!" He said: "You haveeaten the flesh of your brother!"
[At-Tabaraani]
This is the state of our community nowadays: any one of us may commit
the sin of backbiting, but then will say: I didn't backbite, I didn't
eat flesh, I haven't done anything! Why?
Because we have allowedour tongues to become accustomed to speaking
this way, without knowing what backbiting is. Let us learnabout our
religion. Let uslearn about what is lawful and unlawful - as much as
we can - and distinguish between the speech which is lawful and the
speech which is not.
The evil consequence of Gheebah:
Due to its negative impact on individuals and communities alike, the
Prophet frequentlymade mention of backbiting, and greatly warned
against it.
The Prophet said: "O youwho have believed (only) with their tongues
while (true) belief has not visited their hearts! Do not backbite
Muslims nor pursue their defects (and faults), otherwise Allaah will
pursue yourfaults, and whomever Allaah pursues his defects (and
faults) He disgraces him even though inside his house." [Ibn Abu
Ad-Dunyaa]
The Prophet showed us the safe way of freeing ourselves from the evil
consequence of backbiting others when he said: "Whoever has wronged
his brother with regard to wealth or honor, should ask for his pardon
(before his death), before he will pay for it (in the Hereafter) when
he will have neither a Dinaar nor a Dirham (gold and silver
currencies). (He should secure pardon in this life) before some of his
good deeds are taken and paid to this (his brother), or (if he has no
good deeds) some of the bad deeds of this (his brother) will be taken
(from the person he wronged) and will be loaded on him." ] Al-Bukhaari
and Muslim] - - ▓███▓ Translator:->
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The crucial role of the heart

Prophet Muhammad informed us in a very famous narration, commonly
quoted with reference to lawful and unlawful, about the important role
of the heart. He said: "Both lawful and unlawful matters are evident
but in between them there are doubtful(suspicious) things and many
people have no knowledge aboutthem. So whoever saves himself from
these suspicious matters (by staying away from them) saves his
religion and his honor. And whoever indulges in these suspicious
matters (will eventually) indulge in what is forbidden. This is like
(the example of) a shepherd who grazes (his animals) near the Hima
(private pasture) of someone else and at any moment he is liable to
get in it. (O people!) Beware! Every king has a Hima and the Hima of
Allaah on the earth is His illegal (forbidden) matters. Beware! There
is a piece of flesh in the body, if it is reformed, the whole body
becomes good, but if it getsspoilt the whole body gets spoilt;indeed
it is the heart." [Al-Bukhaari]
He said that after explaining that the lawful matters are clear and
that the forbidden ones are clear and that between them are obscure
areas, not known to many people. However, what protects a person from
the forbidden matters and ensures that he remains in the lawful ones
is knowledge; but beyond knowledge, it is the state of the heart. If
the heart is good, then itmakes use of the knowledge and it avoids
what is prohibited. If the heart is corrupted, then the knowledge is
of no benefit to it and it will indulge in what is prohibited.
The Prophet during the last (and only) pilgrimage, informed his
Companions and it was aninstruction to the entire Muslim nation to
come, that people are not favored based on their race or color, but
rather based on piety and on how much they are Allaah fearful. After
that, he clarified that the place of piety is in one's heart."
In these statements and other similar statements, we find stress being
placed on the heart -that the heart is the part of the body, which
Allaah has favored over all other parts. It is the placeof faith, and
had there been in the body another part that was nearer to Allaah,
piety would have been placed there, because faith is the most valuable
thing that a human possesses. It (faith)is the determination
ultimately ofthose who have belief in Allaah - those who have accepted
the message and who have chosen Paradise over Hell. It is the
distinction of those who have belief and those who have disbelief.
The value of faith is greater than the value of all the things of this
world. This is why Prophet Muhammad said that for Allaah to guide by
your hands a single person to Islam is worth more than anything in
this world.For you to help someone to find faith is worth more than
any of the things in this world. [Al-Bukhaari]
The heart is the place in which the correctness of deeds is judged.
The Prophet said: "Deeds are judged according to the intention." The
place of the intention is not on the lips. It is in the heart.
'Umar Ibn Al-Khattaab narrated that the Messenger of Allaah said: "The
reward of deeds depends upon the intention and every person will get
the reward according to what he has intended…" [Al-Bukhaari]
Our deeds - what we do externally - are judged ultimately by the
states of our hearts. Good deeds are in reference to those that we
perceive to be a part and parcel of righteousness. Allaah will inspect
the hearts to determine whether they are trulyacts of righteousness.
The Prophet informed us thatthe first three people who would be cast
into the Hell Fire are those who were involved in whateverybody
considers great acts ofrighteousness. They are the scholar who taught
knowledge; the wealthy person who gave from his wealth in charity and
the martyr who gave his life fighting in the path of Allaah.
The Prophet in an authentic narration, said that some people from
among these types of people would be among the first groups of people
thrown into Hell because the scholar, when hetaught the knowledge that
Allaahgave him, did not do so for the sake of Allaah. He taught so
that people would praise him, saying what a great scholar he was and
how knowledgeable he was. Allaah will Say to him: "You received your
praise, what you sought in that world. But there will be nothing for
you in the Next." So he will be drawn off on his face and thrown into
Hell.
Similarly, the benefactor, who was generous with his wealth. Hegave
and people praised his generosity, but Allaah will Say: "You did it
for the praise and you were praised. You did it for people to
appreciate you." So that individual will be drawn off on his face and
thrown into Hell. [Muslim]
The martyr - the one whom we all assumed had died in the Path of
Allaah. We would think that his place in Paradise is guaranteed. But
Allaah will Say: "You fought so people would say,'How brave this one
is! How strong and courageous he was!'" People said it; they praised
you, so he will be drawn off on his face and thrown into Hell.'
All is telling us that ultimately, even the highest of deeds can be of
no avail if the hearts are sick; ifthe hearts are corrupt. So the
place of the heart should, in our minds, occupy great attention. We
have to spend much of our time observing, being aware of the state of
our heart.
So there is no other faculty in the human body and existence that
abeliever should be more concerned about. We have to make sure that
this faculty is functioning as Allaah wishes it to function. We should
be greatly concerned about it. The Prophet often used to supplicate,
beginning with: "I seek refuge in You, O Allaah, from knowledge that
does not benefit, and from aheart which does not fear." [At-Tirmithi,
Abu Daawood, An-Nasaa'i and Ibn Maajah]

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