The Prophet's acts of worship during Hajj -I

Introduction
Hajj is one of the most prominentforms of worship in Islam. It is
anembodiment of true following of the Prophet'sexample. Unfortunately,
it has recently become apparent that too much emphasis is being placed
upon rulings pertaining to common mistakes committed by pilgrims
during Hajj, and to what validatesor invalidates this major ritual.
The fact that these rulings are indeed important, even necessary)since
the validity of Hajj is largelycontingent on them( has made people
forget other equally important aspects of the Prophet'sconduct during
the Hajj. As a consequence, pilgrims nowadays perform many acts that
do not exactly follow his guidance.
The main aim of this article is therefore, to give an accurate account
of the Prophet'sacts of worship during Hajj, with the hope that this
will help those who wish to accurately follow the Prophet'sexample.
The Prophet'sacts of worship during Hajj
Educating and leading the pilgrims, as well as caring for his wives
and household did not prevent the Prophetfrom worshipping Allaah, or
from showing submissiveness to Him. This attitude took various forms,
and here are some of the most significant examples:
1.Realizing and enhancing Tawheed)Islamic monotheism(
Tawheed is one of the fundamental principles of Islam that the
Prophetrealized and fostered. This was very evident in his conduct
during the Hajj as it was in his recitation of Talbiyah)saying
Labbayka Allaahumma labbayk(, which has become the Hajj motto. It
means that the act of Hajj is offered to Allaah, the One, Who has no
associates. The Prophetcontinued to recite Talbiyah from the moment he
began the ritual, and until he hadcast Jamratul-'Aqabah )Aqabah stone(
on the Slaughter Day )i.e. 'Eed day(. His Talbiyah went as follows:
"Labbayka Allaahumma labbayk. Labbayka laa shareeka laka labbayk.
Innal-hamda wan-n'imata laka wal-mulk, laa shareeka lak".
Moreover, the Prophetobserved strict devotion in all his deeds.
Healways asked Allaahto help him avoid hypocrisy and showing-off.
Anasreported that he heard the Prophetsay:"O Allaah, make my
Hajj)pilgrimage( free of hypocrisy andshowing-off."]Muslim[
While he was on the hills of Safaaand Marwah, the Prophetsupplicated
to Allaah as narrated by Jaabirwho said, "The Prophetbegan by
ascending As-Safaa until the Ka'bah was visible to him, then he faced
Qiblah and said"Laa ilaaha illallaah, Allaahu Akbar" )There is no god
worthy of worship but Allaah, Allaah is the greatest( andrepeated "Laa
ilaaha illallaah." There are no associates to Him; He is the Owner of
the universe, to Him we give thanks, He is the Omnipotent; there is no
god worthy of worship but Allaah, theOne... "He repeated this three
times until he reached Al-Marwah, where he did the same as he did on
As-Safaa."]Muslim[
The Prophetsupplicated Allaah on the Day of 'Arafah saying as narrated
in the authentic hadeeth,"The best invocation is performed on the Day
of 'Arafah, and the best supplication ever offered by me or by
previous apostles is: Laa ilaaha illallaah. There are no associates to
Him; He is the Owner of the universe, to Him wegive thanks, He is the
Omnipotent; there is-no god but Allaah, the One."]Muslim[
2.Repudiating the polytheists and insisting on acting differently from them
In many of the Hajj rituals, the Prophetinsisted on acting differently
from the polytheists and on following in the footstepsof our father
Ibraaheem. This attitude was culminated by his rejection of their
actions in the sermon he delivered on the Day of 'Arafah. "All
Jaahiliyah )pre-Islamic( traditions are under my feet," the
Prophetdeclared.]Muslim[ Some of the most important rituals that the
Prophetinsisted on changing are as follows:
Talbia:The polytheists used to associate other gods with Allaah when
they said "Except one associate; he is yours; you own him and whatever
he owns."]Al-Bukhaari[ The Prophetmade Tawheed )monotheism( pure, and
cast away the association of other gods with Allaah, repudiating such
practice.
Another example of the Prophet'sinsistence on acting differently from
the polytheists isseen in his stopping with the pilgrims at 'Arafah,
unlike the Quraysh who used to stop at Muzdalifah, saying:"We do not
perform Al-Ifaadah )departure( except from Haram."]Al-Bukhaari[
3.His overwhelming supplication, invocation and humility to Allaah
Supplication has a special status in Islam as it aims at expressing
total submissiveness, surrender and humility to Allaah. The
Prophetsaid: "Supplication is worship." ]Abu Daawood[ He used to
per-form supplication during the Hajj more than at any other time. He
would supplicate Allaah, Almighty, in Tawaaf, and while standing on
the hills of Safaa and Marwah. He also offered lengthy supplications
on the Day of 'Arafah, riding on his camel back, raising his hands
close to his chest as if he were a poor man begging for
sadaqah)charity(. Hewould remain in that condition from the moment he
had chosen the spot at which he would stop after salaah)prayer( and
until sunset. Healso did the same at Al-Mash'ar Al-Haraam )the Sacred
Monument( in Muzdalifah right after he had offered the Fajr)dawn(
prayer and almost until sunrise. ]Al-Bukhaari[ On the Daysof Tashreeq,
and when hehad cast the first two jamaraat)pebbles(, he would face
Qiblah, raise his hands, and start a prolonged
supplication.]Al-Bukhaari and Muslim[

Evolution of the science of the Quran –I

The Era of the Companions:
The Quran is the final revelation sent by Allaah to Prophet Muhammad.
It is an eternal miracle that grows in clarity and strength with time
and each new scientific discovery. It was revealed over nearly
twenty-three years, during which the Prophettaught it and explained it
to his companions. He sallallaahu' alayhi wa sallam also answered all
of their questions and did not die before completely delivering
themessage of the Quran, making it clearly understood.
At the same time, the Companionswere verykeen to memorise, understand
and practice it. Due to their mastery ofArabic, the purity of
theirminds and hearts, and because they had witnessed the Quran being
revealed under many circumstances and in response to diverse events,
they were able to accumulate much understanding and knowledge of the
Quran.
Some of them actually mastered its knowledge. Abdullaah bin Mas'oodwas
one of those whorealised this great achievement. He described his
knowledge of the Quran by saying:"I swear by Allaah that there is not
a verse of the Quran except that I know where and why it was revealed,
and if I knew of anyone who knows the Book of Allaah more than I do, I
would travel to him."]Al-Bukhaari[
Other Companions devoted all of their lives to the Quran. Abdullaah
bin 'Umarfor example,was reported by Imaam Maalikin 'Al-Muwatta'as
having spent eight consecutive years completely memorising and
learning Soorah)chapter( Al-Baqarah )the second Quranic chapter(.
It was also reported that the Companionsused to say, "It is considered
tobe a great thing that one of us learns the Soorahs Al-Baqarah and
Aal 'Imraan )The second and third chapters(." And that: "They used to
learn the Quran from the Prophetten verses at atime, and that they
would not go beyond them until they had learned all possible knowledge
and actions in them and applied them."
This great knowledge was not all written down as text, except for what
was written down by some Companions. The reason was that the basic
process of teaching and learning in those times was the oral
tradition. Only the Quran itself and those Companions' writings were
received in written format by the next generation of Muslims.
However, many of the Companionswere known for their excellentknowledge
and understanding of the Quran. People like 'Uthmaan, Ali, Zayd,
Ubay,Ibn Mas'ood, Ibn 'Abbaas and Ibn 'Umaras well as others, had many
brilliant and inspired students, such as Mujaahid, Qataadah and
'Ataa'who then conveyed that knowledge to the rest of Ummah )Muslim
community( as the practice of writing down knowledge became
widespread.
The Companions' circles of teaching were attended by hundreds of
students. As those students went back home, they taught othersthe same
knowledge as they had learned. Within a short period of time, the
Companions' knowledge, was spread across the vast Muslim lands.
What is so remarkable is that after writing became popular, the pieces
of knowledge collected from different scholars who had never seen or
known one another were found to be the same and, therefore, supported
oneanother – showing consistency in the knowledge and the guidance of
Islam.
To this day and forever, no other Ummah or religion can claim
similarity to this unique feature of Islam.

The birth of the Prophet Muhammad, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam

Muhammadthe Masterof Prophets, was born in Bani Hashim lane in Makkah
on Monday morning, the ninth of Rabi' Al-Awwal, the same year of the
Elephant Event, and forty years of the reign of Kisra
)KhosruNushirwan(, i.e. the twentieth or twenty-second of April, 571
A.D., according to the scholar Muhammad Sulaimân Al-Mansourpuri.
Ibn Sa'd reported that Muhammad's mother said: "When he was born,there
was a light that issued out of my pudendum )genital organs( and lit
the palaces ofSyria." Ahmad reported on the authority of 'Arbadh Ibn
Sariya something similar to this.
It was but controversially reported that significant precursors
accompanied his birth: fourteen galleries of Kisra's palace cracked
and rolled down,the Magians' sacred fire died down and some churches
onLakeSawasank down and collapsed.
His mother immediately sent someone to inform his grandfather
'Abdul-Muttalib of the happy event. Happily he came toher, carried him
to Al-Ka'bah, prayed to Allaah and thanked Him. 'Abdul-Muttalib called
thebaby Muhammad, a namenot then common amongthe Arabs.
The first woman who suckled him after his mother was Thuyebah, the
freed slave of Abu Lahab, with her son, Masrouh. She had suckledHamzah
Ibn 'Abdul-Muttalib before, and laterAbu Salamah Ibn 'Abd Al-Asad
Al-Makhzumi.
Babyhood:
It was the general customof the Arabs living in towns to send their
children away to bedouin wet nurses so that they might grow up in the
free and healthy surroundings of the desert whereby they would develop
a robust frame and acquire the pure speech and manners of the
bedouins,who were noted both forpurity of their language and for being
free from those vices which usually develop in sedentary societies.
The Prophetwas later entrusted to Haleemah bint Abi Dhuaib from Bani
Sa'd Ibn Bakr. Her husband was Al-Harith Ibn 'Abdul 'Uzza called Abi
Kabshah, from the same tribe.
Muhammadhad several foster brothers and sisters, 'Abdullah Ibn
Al-Harith, Aneesah bint Al-Haarith, Hudhafah or Judhamah bint
Al-Haarith)known as Ash-Shayma'(, and she used to nurse theProphetand
Abu Sufyan Ibn Al-Haarith Ibn 'Abdul-Muttalib, the Prophet's cousin.
HamzahIbn 'Abdul-Muttalib, the Prophet's uncle, was suckled by the
same two wet nurses, Thuyeba and Haleemah As-Sa'diyah, who suckled the
Prophet.
Traditions relate how Haleemah and the whole of her household were
favoured by successive strokes of good fortune while the baby
Muhammadlived under her care. Ibn Ishaq states that Haleemah narrated
that she, along with her husband and a suckling babe, set out from her
village in the company of some womenof her clan in quest of children
to suckle. She said:
It was a year of drought and famine and we had nothing to eat. I rode
on a brown she-ass. We also had with us an old she-camel. By Allaah we
could not get even a drop of milk. We could not have a wink of sleep
during the night for the child kept crying on account of hunger.
Therewas not enough milk in my breast and even the she-camel had
nothing tofeed him. We used to constantly pray for rain and immediate
relief. At length we reached Makkah looking for children to suckle.
Not even a single woman amongst us accepted the Messenger of
Allâhoffered to her. As soon asthey were told that he was an orphan,
they refused him. We had fixed our eyes on the reward that we would
get from the child's father. An orphan! What are his grandfather and
mother likely to do? So we spurned him because of that. Every woman
who came with me got a suckling and when we were about to depart, I
said to my husband: "By Allâh, I do not like to go back along with the
other women without any baby. I should go to that orphan and I must
take him." He said,"There is no harm in doing so and perhaps Allaah
might bless us through him." So I went and took him because there was
simply no other alternative left for me but to take him. When I lifted
him in my arms and returned to my place I put him on my breast and to
my great surprise, I found enough milk in it. He drank to his heart's
content, and so did his foster brother andthen both of them went to
sleep although my baby had not been able to sleep the previous night.
My husband then went to the she-camel to milk it and, to his
astonishment, he found plenty of milk in it. He milked it and we drank
to our fill, and enjoyed a sound sleep during the night. The next
morning, my husband said: "By Allaah Haleemah, you must understand
that you have been able to get a blessed child." And Ireplied: "By the
grace of Allaah, I hope so."
The tradition is explicit on the point that Haleemah's return journey
and her subsequent life, as long as the Prophetstayed with her, was
encircled with a halo of good fortune. The donkey that she rode when
she came to Makkah was lean and almost foundered; it recovered speed
much tothe amazement of Haleemah's fellow travellers. By the time they
reached the encampments in the country of the clan of Sa'd, they found
the scales of fortune turned in their favour. The barren land sprouted
forth luxuriant grass and beasts came back to themsatisfied and full
of milk. Muhammadstayed with Haleemah for two years until he was
weaned as Haleemah said:
We then took him back to his mother requesting her earnestly to have
himstay with us and benefit by the good fortune and blessings he had
broughtus. We persisted in our request which we substantiated by our
anxiety over the child catching a certain infection peculiar to
Makkah. At last, we were granted our wish and theProphetstayed with
usuntil he was four or five years of age.
When, as related by Anas in Sahih Muslim, Gabriel came down and ripped
his chest open and took out the heart. He then extracted a blood-clot
out of it and said: "That was the part of Satan in thee." And then he
washed it with the waterof Zamzam in a gold basin. After that the
heartwas joined together and restored to its place. The boys and
playmates camerunning to his mother, i.e. his nurse, and said:"Verily,
Muhammadhasbeen murdered." They allrushed towards him and found him
all right only his face was white.
After this event, Haleemah was worried about the boy and returned him
to his mother with whom he stayed until he was six.

Dought and Clear, - Rulings on Tawbah, - Permissibility of a fornicator Marrying a Believing Woman.

Please tell me, can I marry a beliver if I`ve had sex with a
non-Muslim? Please answer.
Praise be to Allah.
If a fornicator repents sincerely, Allah accepts his repentance. Allah
says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And those who invoke not any other ilaah (god) along with Allah, nor
kill such person as Allah has forbidden, except for just cause,
norcommit illegal sexual intercourse and whoever does this shall
receive the punishment. The torment will be doubled to him on the Day
of Resurrection, and he will abide therein in disgrace; Except those
who repent and believe (in Islamic Monotheism), and do righteous
deeds; for those, Allah will change their sins into good deeds, and
Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. And whosoeverrepents and does
righteous good deeds; then verily, he repents towards Allah with true
repentance" [25:68-71]
See also question no. 728.
If he repents, then he may marry a believing woman. If a fornicator
repents, he should conceal his past and not spread word of it.
And Allah knows best.