Breaking the Fast and Maghrib (Sunset) Prayer

Some Muslims have exaggerate about breaking their fast to the point
that they miss the Magrib prayer( after eatingdates comes the soup and
juice and so on).
What is your advice with regard to such behavior?
If the meal is put in front of a person without his own intention
being to miss the congregational prayer, then he can eat and drink,
even if he misses the congregational prayer, based on the statement of
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), "If the meal
is served and the prayer starts, begin with the meal." (Bukhari
narrated it, #631.)
As for putting a large portion of food out purposely to miss the
congregational prayer, thisis the wrong approach andincorrect
behavior. The correct thing is for a Muslim to take a lot of food
unsuspectedly, thereby making him miss the congregational prayer, but
he still gets the bigger reward. Then what is the sunnah? The sunnah
is what is reported on the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him) "that he used to break the fast before he prayed with fresh
dates, if there were no fresh dates then with dry dates, and if there
were no dry dates, then he sipped from water." (At-Tirmidhi narrated
it and others. He stated it was hasan, gharibhadith. Also Al Albanni
declared it hasan in Sahih Al Jama #4995.)

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Buy a kingdom for aglass of water

Once Sheikh Ibne Sammak(may Allah have mercy onhim) paid a visit to a
king.It so chanced that, when the Sheikh greeted him, the king was
holding a glass of water in his hand.He said to the Sheikh,"Give me a
word of advice." The Sheikh said,"Suppose you could have this glass of
water only at the cost of your entire kingdom and you have to choose
between dying of thirst or giving your kingdom away, which onewould
you prefer?" The king replied, "I would naturally prefer a glass of
water and part with my entire kingdom." The Sheikh said, "Then, I do
not understand why anyone should take joy in a kingdom which is
worthonly a glass of water."
Source: "Fadhail-e-Sadaqaa Part II", translated by Prof. Abdul Karim.
These incidents show thateach one of us has been granted by Allah such
precious gifts, the value whereof cannot be determined in terms of
millions and billions of dollars.

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The Keepers of Hell

"Those in the Fire will say to the keepers of Hell, 'Pray to your Lord
to lighten for us the penalty for a day (at least).' They will say,
'Did there not come to you your messengers with clear signs?' They
will say, 'Yes.'They will reply, 'Then prayas you like. But the
prayerof those without faith is not but in error.'"
[Ghafir, 40: 49-50]
"O you who believe, save yourselves and your families from a fire
whosefuel is men and stones, over which are (appointed) angels, stern
and severe, and who do not disobey Allah in what He orders them and
who do precisely what they are commanded."
[at-Tahreem, 66: 6]
"Over it are nineteen. And We have not made the guardians of the Fire
except angels. And We have made their number only as a trial for the
unbelievers - in order thatthe People of the Book may be certain and
that the believers may increase in faith, and so that the People of
the Book and the believers would not doubt, and that those in whose
hearts is a disease and theunbelievers would say, 'What example does
Allahintend by this?' Thus doesAllah leave to stray whomhe pleases and
guides whom He pleases. And none can know the soldiers of your Lord
except He. And this is nothing other than a warning to mankind."
[Muddaththir, 74: 30-31]
"They will cry out, 'O Malik, let your Lord put anend to us.' He will
say,"Surely, you will stay (as you are).'"
[adh-Dhukhrub, 43: 77]
Samurah (radiAllahu anhu) narrated that the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi
wasalam) said: "Last nightI saw [in a dream] two men coming to me. One
of them said, 'The one who lights the fire is Malik, the gatekeeper of
Hell; I am Jibreel, and this is Mika'eel.'"
[Sahih al-Bukhari]
Ibn Abbas (radiAllahu anhu) related: "The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi
wasalam) said, 'On the night of my ascent to Heaven. I saw Musa (who
was a tall, brown, curly-haired man) as if he was one of the men of
the Shan'awah tribe. Then I saw 'Isa, a man of medium height, of
moderate complexion inclined to the red and white colors, and of lank
hair. I also saw Malik, the gatekeeper of the Hellfire.'"
[Muslim]

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The Names of Hell-Fire

Jahannam:
"Truly Jahannam (the Hellfire) is lying in wait."
[an-Naba, 78: 21]
Latha:
"By no means! For it is Latha (the fire of Hell) burning away right to
theskull."
[Ma'arij, 70: 15-16]
Al-Hutamah:
(Crusher which Smashes or Breaks to Pieces):
"By no means! He will certainly be thrown into al-Hutamah. And what
will make you understandwhat al-Hutamah is? It is the fire of Allah,
kindled to a blaze, which mounts right to the hearts."
[al Humazah, 104: 4-7]
Sa'eer (the Burning Fire):
"�a group in Paradise and a group in Sa'eer."
[ash-Shura, 42: 7]
Saqar:
"Soon will I cast him into Saqar. And what will explain to you what
Saqaris? It permits nothing to endure and it leaves nothing alone,
darkening and changing the color of man."
[al Muddaththir, 74: 26-29]
Al-Jaheem (The Fierce Fire):
"And al-Jaheem will be brought out before those straying in evil."
[ash-Shu'ara, 26: 91]
Al-Hawiyah (The Pit)
"But he whose scales are light - his home will be a pit. And what will
make you understand what thatis? (It is) a fire, blazing fiercely."
[al Qar'iah, 101: 8-11]

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