Fathwa - Why is it better to pray at home for women?

Question:
Assalaam Alaikum,
I have been always told that it is better forwomen to pray at home. I
never thought about the reasons for it, until today. I've readon your
site that the reason for it was because it was more concealing and it
would prevent womento beautify themselveswhen going to the mosque.
Even though these are good reasons, I'm really wondering if there is
more to it. I also heard that a woman gets more blessings from
prayingat home? If you could tell me more reasons for it, I would love
to know...
Answer:
In the Name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful.
Dear Sister,
I pray this message reaches you in good health and iman.
Thank you for your question.
Why are women encouraged to pray at home?
The reasons you mentioned are correct.
However, the first and foremost reason is because there are rigorously
authenticated traditions that specify that women should pray at home.
For example, the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace said, "A
woman's prayer in the depths of her house is better than her prayer in
this masjid of mine."
Aisha, may Allah be well pleased with her, said,"Had the Prophet
(Allah bless him and give him peace) seen what women do now, he would
have forbidden them the mosque as the women of Bani Isra'il were
forbidden."
Women receive the sameblessing for praying at home that men receive
for going to the mosque.
Traditionally, Muslim women were encouraged to stay at home in order
to create a peaceful, loving environment for their families. There is
also theneed to protect women from being exposed to negative
influences and harassment outside the home.
Islam, being a practical religion, also understands that it would be
difficult for women if they were required to go to the mosque. When a
woman is busy running a home and taking care of her children, going to
the mosque five times a day would become an unduehardship.
This is not to say that women may not visit the mosque. The Prophet,
Allah bless him and give him peace, said, " Do not prevent the female
slavesof Allah from coming to the mosques of Allah. When a wife of one
of you asks for permission to go to the mosque, she should not be
refused this permission."[Bukhari and Muslim]
In a previous answer on SunniPath, Shaykh Faraz Rabbani mentioned that
it is permitted for a woman to go to the mosque particularly when she
goes to seek knowledge or enjoy the fellowship of her Muslim sisters.
This is especially relevant for Muslim women in the West whose only
contact with other Muslims may be through the mosque.
Please see these related articles:
Women and Congregational Prayer

Gratitude - I

Gratitude is the greatest way to live for those whopossess high ranks
of righteousness, and such people did not reach these lofty ranks
except through their gratitude; this is because belief is comprised of
two halves; one half is gratitude and the other is perseverance.
Gratitude is to acknowledge being treated well by Allaah; it is also
to praise the One who has done one many favors. It also entails
displaying the effect of the favors of Allaah upon a person by
believing with one's heart, utteringpraise and glorifications of
Allaah by ones tongue,and to use one's limbs in the worship and
obedience of Allaah. If only a few favors are worthy of a great deal
of gratitude, how would the case be when favors are abundant? People
are either grateful or ungrateful.
Gratitude holds a high rank in Islam:
·Allaah parallels it with His mention. He Says )what means(:"So
remember Me; I will remember you. And be grateful to Me and do notdeny
Me".]Quran 2: 152[
·Allaah parallels it with belief. He Says )what means(:"What would
Allaah do with ]i.e., gain from[ your punishment ifyou are grateful
and believe?..."]Quran 4: 147[Meaning, if you fulfil the rights due to
Allaah and the reason for which He has created you by gratitude and
belief, He will not punish you.
·Those who practice gratitude to Allaah are those who are chosen to be
granted His favors. He Says )what means(:"And thus We have tried some
of them through others that they ]i.e., the disbelievers[ might say,
'Is it these whom Allaah has favored among us?' Isnot Allaah most
knowing of those who are grateful?"]Quran 6: 53[
·Allaah has classified people into being either grateful or
ungrateful; the worst matter in the scale of Allaah is ingratitude
whilst the dearest things to Him are gratitude and the grateful.Allaah
Says )what means(:"Indeed, We guided him ]i.e., man[ to the way, be he
grateful or ungrateful"]Quran 76: 3[
·Allaah tests His slaves in order to see who will practice gratitude
and who will not.Allaah informs us about what Prophet Sulaymaansaid
when He Says )what means(:"…This is from the favor of my Lord to test
me whether I will be grateful or ungrateful. And whoever is grateful
–his gratitude is only for]the benefit of[ himself. And whoever is
ungrateful – then indeed my Lord is Free of need and Generous."]Quran
27: 40[
·Allaah promises increased favors for those who are grateful.He Says
)what means(:"And ]remember[ when your Lord proclaimed, 'If you are
grateful, I will surely increase you ]in favor[; but if you deny,
indeed My punishment is severe.'"]Quran 14: 7[
·Allaah loves gratitude and the deeds of the grateful. He Says )what
means(:"If you disbelieve– indeed, Allaah is Free from need of you.
And Hedoes not approve for His servants disbelief. And if you are
grateful, He approves ]i.e., likes[ it foryou…"]Quran 39: 7[ The
grateful people mentioned in the verse are those who remain steadfast
upon belief during trials and who do not retreat or recantontheir
belief. Some people verbally thank Allaah during times of ease, but
during trials they give uptheir faith. The truly grateful are those
who express the true condition of their hearts during trials by
remaining steadfast and continuing to thank Allaah by their tongues,
hearts and limbs. Additionally, this verse clarifies that the
pleasureof Allaah is achieved by being grateful to Him.
·Allaah did not make the reward for the grateful subject to any
condition, as He did for other acts ofworship, which He conditioned to
His will; rather, Allaah immediately mentions their reward;He Says
)what means(:"…And Allaah will reward the grateful."]Quran 3: 144[and
also )what means(:"…And We will reward the grateful."]Quran 3: 145[
·Allaah informs us that one of Satan's primary objectives is to
prevent humans from being grateful; HeSays )what means(:"]Satan said[
'Then I will come to them from before them and from behind them and on
their right and on their left, and You ]i.e., Allaah[ will not find
most of them grateful ]to You[."]Quran 7: 17[
·Allaah describes His grateful slaves to be few in number; HeSays
)whatmeans(:"…And few of My servants are grateful."]Quran 34: 13[The
reasonbeing that many people enjoy blessings and bounties from Allaah,
butfail to practice gratitude to Allaah.
·Allaah praised the first prophet sent to man on earth, Prophet
Noohdue to him being grateful.Allaah Says )what means(:"O descendants
of those We carried ]in the ship[ with Noah. Indeed, he was a grateful
servant."]Quran 17: 3[This is as an indication that we shouldimitate
him.
·Gratitude is the first instruction given to man as soon as he begins
to comprehend.Allaah Says)what means(:"And We have enjoined upon
man]care[ for his parents. His mother carried him,]increasing her[ in
weakness upon weakness, and his weaning is in two years. Be grateful
to Me and to your parents; to Me is the]final[ destination."]Quran 31:
14[
·Allaah specified it as oneof the main qualities of a person who sets
himself as a good example for others to follow. He says regarding
prophet Ibraaheem)what means(:"Indeed, Ibraaheem was a]comprehensive[
leader, devoutly obedient to Allaah, inclining toward truth, and he
was not of those who associate others with Allaah. ]He was[ grateful
for His favors. He ]i.e., Allaah[ chose him and guided him to a
straight path."]Quran 16: 120-121[
Therefore, gratitude is one of the objectives thatman is commanded to
accomplish.
Imaam ibn Al-Qayyimmentioned that gratitude isone of the ranks of
belief, which canbe extracted from the fifth verse of Soorah
Al-Faatihah, )what means(:"It is You we worship and You we ask for
help."Then hementioned the following additional points regarding
gratitude:
·It is one of the highest ranks of belief.
·It is higher than the rank of contentment; andnobody can be content
without being grateful.
·Allaah praises the grateful.
·Allaah promises the grateful the best of rewards.
·Allaah makes gratitude areason for attaining more of His bounties.
·It is a means to preserve the favors of Allaah upon a person.
·It is one of the main objectives that a slave must accomplish.
·It is extracted from Ash-Skakoor, which is one of the Names of
Allaah, and which impliesgratitude.
·Those who are grateful are very few in number.
·Gratitude results in morefavors from Allaah.
Gratitude is having ones heart devoted to loving the One bestowing the
favors, having the limbs continuously obedient to Him and having the
tongue repeatedly mentioning Him, praisingHim and glorifying Him.
Gratitude entails the following three things:
1.One should realise the favors bestowed upon him and have it present
in his mind constantly, because this leads him to remember the
Bestower of favors and therefore being grateful to and loving Allaah,
who is of course the Bestower of favors. This would therefore make one
exertmore effort in worshipping Allaah.
2.One should receive favors with humility and express his need to
Allaah, the Bestower of favors, and mention that he is unworthy of the
favors bestowed upon him, and that it is only due to the Grace and
Kindness of Allaah that such favors were bestowed.
3.One should praise Allaah, the Bestower of favors, and this is done intwo ways:
1(Generally: To describe Allaah as being generous and kind.
2(Specifically: To mention His favors upon one.
There are two points regarding the issue of mentioning and talking
about favors from Allaah:
1(To mention all that Allaah Has bestowed upon one.
2(To utilise these favors in His obedience.
People fall into three categories with regards to the favors from Allaah:
1.Those who are gratefuland praise Allaah for bestowing them upon them.
2.Those who are ungrateful and do not mention them.
3.Those who express thatthey are worthy of them, when in fact they
certainly are not.
An-Nu'maan ibn Al-Basheersaid:"He who does not thank Allaah for small
favors will not thank Him for great ones; and he who does not express
gratitude to people )for doing him favors( will not express gratitude
towards Allaah. Appreciating and mentioning the favor bestowed upon
one fromAllaah is gratitude, and not doing so expresses
ingratitude."]Ahmad[
This should be done in front of people and between a person and
himself )i.e., to himself( but if people are of the envious type, then
one should conceal such favors, and he would not be ungrateful in this
case, because he is simplyconcealing them in an attempt to prevent an
evil from befalling him, such as an evil eye or an evil plot from the
envious, and it must be known that to prevent harm from afflicting man
is an objective set forth by the Islamic Sharee'ah.
There is no way one can do anything to repay the favors bestowed upon
him by Allaah, except thathe should continue to praise and thank
Allaah for having bestowed them upon him, as well as utilising these
favors for the pleasure of Allaah.
What is our duty towardsAllaah with regards to the favors He bestows upon us?
·Being submissive to Allaah.
·Loving Allaah.
·Acknowledging that He is the Bestower of all favors.
·Praising Him.
·Utilising these favors in a way that pleases Him.
Does the way of expressing gratitude towards Allaah differ, justlike
the favors themselvesdiffer?
Yes; gratitude can be expressed by the heart, the tongue and the limbs.
Expressing gratitude by the heart:This is by knowing that Allaah is
the Bestower of these favors, and this is something that is very
important when cultivating children, so that they know where favors
come from, as Allaah Says )what means(:"O Mankind, remember the favor
of Allaah upon you. Is there any creator other than Allaah who
provides for you from theheaven and the earth? There is no deity
except Him, so how are you deluded?"]Quran35: 3[

Gratitude - II

Again, knowing and recognising the favors, aswell as their source, is
the initial step and it precedes thanking Allaah. Recognising favors
such as the favors of being able to move, walk, work, exercise, sleep,
eat etc. all branch from the great favor of being healthy. The favor
of being humans; the favor of being Muslims; the favor of being
guided; the favor of being well-mannered; the favor of being a Prophet
)when it applies for those whom Allaah Has chosen( are also great ones
to reflect on. This issue is very important to mention when calling
people towards Allaah. Allaah repeatedly reminds us in different parts
of the Quran of His favors upon us.Hesays )what means(:"…And ]He[
subjected for you the ships to sail for you through the sea by His
command and subjected for you the rivers. And He subjected for you the
sun and the moon, continuous ]in orbit[, and subjected for you the
night and the day. And He gave you from all you asked of Him. And if
you should count the favor ]i.e., blessings[ of Allaah, you could not
enumerate them. Indeed, mankind is]generally[ most unjust and
ungrateful."]Quran 14: 32-34[ There are many other verses in the Quran
in which Allaah reminds us of the favors that He has bestowed upon us.
One way of calling people towards Allaah is to remind them of the
favors of Allaah upon them, so that they may be grateful and not to be
amongst those about whom Allaah says)what means(:"…And Allaah is full
of bounty to the people, but most of the people do not show
gratitude."]Quran 2: 243[ Some people attribute favors to other than
the actual source, like Qaaroon, who said when he was reminded of the
favors of Allaah upon him )which means(:"…I was only given it because
of the knowledge I have'…"]Quran 28: 78[ It is arrogance that leads to
such a reaction, which results in misery for such people, because
Allaah says )what means(:"And whatever you have of Favor – it is from
Allaah…"]Quran 16: 53[
Expressing gratitude by the tongue: One's tonguereflects what he
conceals in his heart, and thus when his heart is overwhelmed by
gratitude to Allaah, the tongue will naturally constantly utter praise
and gratitude to Allaah. One should ponder upon how the Prophetwould
perform Thikr, or supplications and remembrance of Allaah, to see how
much gratitude and praise theycontained;
·Whenever hewoke up, he would say:"All praise is due to Allaah, Who
has brought us backto life after He has causedus to die, and to Him is
the return."
·Whenever hewould retire to bed, he would say:"All Praise is due to
Allaah who has fed us, provided us with drink, satisfied us and given
us protection. Many are those who have no one to provide for them or
give them shelter."
·Some of his regular morning and evening supplications were:"O Allaah!
Whatever favor I, or any of Your creation has, is solely from You;
there is no partner with You; All praise and gratitude is due to You."
·Hewould ask forgiveness saying:"I seek refuge in You from the evil of
what I have done. I acknowledge the favors that You have bestowed upon
me, and Iconfess my sins, so forgive me."
·All his supplications would begin with the praise of Allaah, which
Heis very worthy of.
·Hewould begin all hisspeeches by praising Allaah.
·The opening supplication for prayer, Soorah Al-Faatihah,
supplications whilst bowing and prostrating, and his supplications
after concluding his prayers, were all filled with praise and
gratitudeto Allaah.
·Whenever hewished to eat, drink, travel or sneeze, he would praise
Allaah and thank him.
·On one of the nights when it was the turn of 'Aa'ishahto be with him,
she began looking for him in the dark by feeling around with her hand,
then her hand touched his hands and she heard him saying:"O Allaah! I
seek protection against Your Wrath in Your Pleasure. I seek protection
in Your Pardon against Your punishment; I am not capable of
enumerating praise of You. You are as You have lauded Yourself".
Expressing gratitude by the limbs: Any righteous deed or act of
obedience which the son of Aadam performs is a form of expressing his
gratitude to Allaah, the Lord. There are different means of performing
gratitude of the limbs; one of which iswhen one practices the
instruction of Prophet Muhammadwhen he said:"When you get up inthe
morning, charity is due from every one of your joints. There is
charity in every ascription of glory to Allaah; there is charity in
every declaration of His Greatness; there is charityin every utterance
of praise of Him; there is charity in every declaration that He is the
only true God )worthy of worship(; there is charity in enjoining good;
there is charity in forbidding evil. Two Rak'as of Dhuhaa )i.e.,
forenoon prayer( is equal to all this)in reward(."Thus, any ofthe
things mentioned in the above narration is a righteous deed which
reflects gratitude to Allaah. One should exert all efforts to thank
Allaah using all his limbs and should never feel that he has thanked
Allaah enough, or that he does not need to do it again the next day.
There is no contradiction between thanking people and being grateful
to Allaah, because Allaah commands us to thank and reward those who do
us favors, the foremost of them being one's parents, as Allaah says
)what means(:"…Be grateful to Me and to your parents…"]Quran31: 14[The
problem is when one thanks people and abandons thanking Allaah; this
is a great disaster. Additionally, there is a difference in the manner
in which onethanks people and thanks Allaah; one shouldbe submissive
and humble whilst thanking Allaah because this reflects servitude,
while on the other hand, one cannot do so with other humans; one
should instead supplicate for their forgiveness and praise them. One
who does not thank other people is evil and it is unlikely that he
would thank Allaah and express gratitude towards Him.
Additionally, favors and bounties from Allaah are preserved and even
increase by one being grateful, but what is it that helps a person to
be grateful?
·By observing the condition of those who are lower than you in status,
and to remember when seeing those who are higher than you in standard
that it is only bythe decree of Allaah.Allaah says )what means(:"And
it is He who has made you successors upon the earth and has raised
some of you aboveothers in degrees ]of rank[ that He may try
youthrough what He has given you."]Quran6: 165[
·By realising that one willbe held accountable for these favors,
asAllaah says )what means(:"Thenyou will surely be asked that Day
about ]worldly[ pleasure".]Quran102: 8[Even for bounties as seemingly
minor as cold water. Some people, due to their misunderstanding of the
concept of gratitude, deprive themselves from enjoying them, whereas
in fact they were bestowed upon us to enjoy.Allaah says )what
means(:"…Eat from the good ]i.e., lawful[ things which We have
provided for you and be grateful to Allaah if it is ]indeed[ Him that
you worship."]Quran2:172[Thus, gratitude cannot entail deeming lawful
matters as prohibited, which is one of the principles of the Soofees.
If gratitude was a precondition of enjoying the bounties of Allaah,
then nobody would have been able to enjoy any of the favors orbounties
from Allaah, because no one can do enough deeds to appropriately
express gratitude to Allaah for what He bestowed upon us. The solution
thereforeis to utilise these favors and bounties in ways that please
Allaah, and to thank Him and seek His pardon for our shortcomings -
and Allaah will accept this much from us.
·By supplicating to Allaahto help us to be grateful to Him, as in the
prophetic supplication in which hetaught Mu'aathto say: "O Allaah!
Help me remember You, express gratitude to You and worship You in the
best manner."
It is more virtuous to be grateful when blessed with a favor than to
persevere when one is afflicted. Allaah loves to see the effects of
His favors. Once, Imraan ibn Husayncame out wearing a fine garment,
and when he saw how his friends were looking at him, he said: "The
Prophetsaid:"Allaah loves to see the effect of His Bounties on His
slaves."
The Prophetsaid:"Eat, drink and give out in charity without arrogance
or exaggeration, because Allaah loves to see the effect of His
Bounties on His slave."Therefore, the limit when expressing and
showing the effect of the favors from Allaah on oneself is to neither
be boastful and proud, nor to exaggerate.
Allaah hates a Kanood, oran ungrateful person, and punishes him.
ImaamAl-Hasansaid: "A Kanood, is one who remembers the disasters which
befall him and always forgets to mention the favors from Allaah )upon
him(." This quality is more apparent in women; for example, awoman's
husband is kindto her for many years, but as soon as she experiences a
minor shortcoming from him, she will immediately tell him that she has
never seen anything good fromhim. This is a form of oppressing the
husband, and thus the majority of the dwellers of Hell are women, the
reason beingthat they are ungrateful to their husbands. If being
ungrateful to one'shusband results in punishment in Hell, how will the
case be for those who are ungrateful to Allaah?
'Umar ibn 'Abdul-'Azeezwould look at the favors of Allaah upon himand
say: "O Allaah! I seek refuge in You from meeting Your favors
withungratefulness or denying them after knowing them, or forgetting
them and not mentioning them with praise )i.e., praising You(."
It is also recommended that one prostrates whenever he receives news
about a new favor or bounty from Allaah, as was the practice of the
Prophet. Likewise, when Abu Bakrreceived the news that Musaylamah the
liar)who claimed to be a Prophet after the death of Prophet Muhammad(
was killed, he went down into prostration. Ka'b ibn Maalikalso
prostrated when he was given the good news of forgiveness from Allaah
after he failed to participate in a battle. Onthe other hand, this
should not be a daily practice, but rather, it should only be done
when one receives good news or a new favor. An example of a new favor
or good news is the incident when one of theSalafwho was hiding from
Al-Hajjaaj, prostrated when he received the news of his death, because
the deathof a tyrant is a great bounty and favor from Allaah. Also,
the news of having a new baby, or a Muslim victory over the infidels,
warrants such a prostration to be made.
Imaam Ibn Al-Qayyimsaid: "The religion consists of two halves; one
half is represented by gratitude and the other half is by
perseverance."Scholars have disputed regarding who is better, a rich
person who is grateful, or a poor person who is patient, but it seems
that it is best for the rich person to be grateful, and for the poor
to persevere.

A Summer Reminder

Allaah Almighty reminds His slaves of the heat of Hell by making them
experience very high temperatures during the summer.
The Prophetinformed us that Hell has two breaths: it inhales during
our winter and exhales during our summer; healso stated that the
extreme heat people experience during the summer is due to this
exhalation. This information from the Prophetis a reminder to us of
the Hellfire.
The narration of the Prophetregarding this is not a figurative one;
rather, it is unambiguous and veryreal. The Prophetsaid:"When the heat
reaches an excessive level then )delay the( prayer until it cools, as
extreme heat comes from the vehement raging of Hell."]Al-Bukhaari &
Muslim[ This was said because if people wereto pray during such a very
hot time, then they would be distracted from their prayers and lose
their submissiveness and humility in it.
Abu Hurayrahreported that the Prophetsaid:"The)Hell( Fire complained
to its Lord saying: 'O my Lord! My different parts consume each other,
so allow me to breathe.' Therefore He)i.e., Allaah( allowed it to take
two breaths, one in the winter and the other in summer, and this is
the reason for the severe heat andthe bitter cold you find)in
weather(."]Al-Bukhaari[
As believers we are commanded to believein this as it is from the
unseen, even though we may not perceive it or understand exactly how
it could occur. We fully believe in it regardless, because it was
narrated to us via the truthful, trustworthy Prophet ofAllaah. It is
therefore the duty of the believer to protect himself from the
punishment of Hell.
The punishment of Hellin the grave
The punishment of Hellis not limited to the Hereafter; rather, part of
it touches the person who deserves itin his grave, just as parts of it
touch all people in this worldly life in the form of extreme heat in
the summer and bitter cold in the winter.
Al-Baraa' bin 'Aazib, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the
Prophetwas once at the funeralof one of the Ansaarwhen he began
informing some of his companions who werepresent of the situations of
the believer, the disbeliever and the sinner upon their burial in
their graves. After mentioning the situation of the believer,
headdressed that of the sinner and the disbeliever, saying:"…And two
angels come to him and ask him to sit; they say: 'Who is your Lord?'
He answers: 'Haah, Haah, Ido not know.' They ask: 'What is your
religion?' He answers: 'Haah, Haah, I do not know.' Then, a voice says
from Heaven that My slave is not telling the truth, so make his
clothing and furnishing that of fire, and open a gate of fire towards
him so as to make him smell )its terrible stench( and suffer its
scorching wind. His grave is then made so tight that his bones
intertwine. A voice then says: `Spread his grave with the fire )of
Hell( and dress him with the fire)of Hell( and open a gate towards him
fromHell, so that he may feel its heat.' Then a blind and mute
creature will appear with an iron rod in his hand, and if a mountain
were to be struck with this rod it would turn into dust;)the creature(
would strike him with this rod and cause him to make such a piercing
scream that it could be heard in the farthest parts )of the earth(,
east and west, and everything will hear his cry except Jinn and
mankind. Then a man of evil complexion and horrid smell visits him.The
buried slave man asks him: 'Who are you?' and adds: 'You have a
threatening andwretched face.' The man answers: 'I am your evil deeds
comingto you with the bad news'…." ]Ahmad & Abu Daawood[This is how
hewould admonish and remind his companions.
Allaah Says )what means(:"Not equal are the blind and the seeing. Nor
are the darknesses and the light. Nor are the shade and the
heat."]Quran 35: 19-21[ HereAllaah highlights that opposites are not
necessarily equal: faithis not equal to disbelief; those who follow
the Sunnah are not equal to those whoinnovate in the religion; and,
the religious person is not equal to the dissolute; Allaah Says )what
means(:"The example of the two parties is like the blind and the deaf,
and the seeing and hearing. Are they equal in comparison?..."]Quran
11: 24[
Paradise has shade that never decreases or disappears, unlike that of
this worldly life which is dependant on the movement of the sun. But
how is the shade in Hell? It is a 'shade' of hot black smoke that
neither shades nor protects from any heat; rather, it only adds to it.
Also, the drink of the people of hell is water that is so hot that it
slashes the intestines and doesnot quench thirst in the least.
Ways to protect oneself against the heat of the Hellfire
Allaah gives us reminders so that we may take heed and consider. The
following are some means to protect oneself against the Hellfire:
Seeking refuge in Allaah from its heat:The Prophetdirected us to seek
refuge in Allaah as a means of protecting ourselves from the Hellfire.
Abu Hurayrahreported that the Messenger of Allaahsaid:"When any one of
you has completed his Tashahhud during prayer, he should seek refuge
in Allaah from four things, saying:"Allaahumma inni a`oothubika min
`athaabi jahannam, wa min `athaabil-qabr, wa min fitnatil-mahya
wal-mamaat, wa min sharri fitnatil-maseehid-dajjaal )i.e., 'O Allaah!
I seek refuge in You from the torment of Hell, from the torment of the
grave,from the trials of life and death, and from the mischief of
Al-Maseeh Ad-Dajjaal )i.e., the Antichrist('."]Muslim[
Fasting:Abu Sa'eed Al-Khudrireported: "The Prophetsaid:"He who
observes fasting for a day in the Cause of Allaah, Allaah will
distance his face from the Hellfire for a distance equivalent to
seventy years of travel, as a reward for fasting that
day."]An-Nasaa'i[ Due to this narration, Abu Sa'eed Al-Khudriwould
select the hottest and longest days for fasting in.
Jihaad )i.e. fighting, struggle( for the sake of Allaah:This is one of
the greatest means with which one can protect himself from the heat of
Hellfire, even if it entails fighting on the hottest of summer days.
The summer heat is what made the hypocrites refrain from Jihaad, as
Allaah Says )what means(:"…And they]i.e., the hypocrites[ said: 'Do
not go forth in the heat ]i.e. for Jihaad[.'…"]Quran 9: 81[ Allaah
responded to this at the end of thevery same verse, Saying )what
means(:"Say: 'The fire of Hell is more intense in heat.'…"]Quran 9:
81[ Jihaad is the act of worship that enables the slave to attain the
highest rewards; it is thus a protection from Hellfire and its heat.
Spending in charity:Charity is another means by which the slave can
protect himself from the heat of the Hellfire. `Adiyy bin
Haatimreported: "I heard the Prophetsaying:"Protect yourself from the
)Hell( Fire, even )if( by giving half a date)in charity(."]Al-Bukhaari
& Muslim[ We ask Allaah to protect us all from the Hellfire.
Fever is a reminder of the Hellfire
One of the things that remind a person of the heat of Hellfire is
beingstruck by fever. The Prophetinformed usthat its heat is from the
vehemence of the Hellfire. `Aa'ishahnarrated that the
Prophetsaid:"Fever comes from the vehement raging of Hellfire, so cool
it with water."]Al-Bukhaari & Muslim[
This is proof that there is a real connection between fever and the
Hellfire, and that fever is not merely caused by other physical
factors as some peoplebelieve, based on their limited view in how to
judge matters.
Abu Sa'eed Al-Khudrireported: "I enteredinto the presence of the
Prophetwhile he was sick and placed my hand upon him andcould feel the
heat of his body from above the blanket. I said: `O Prophet of Allaah!
You are afflicted with a very difficult fever.` Heresponded:"This is
how the case is with usProphets; we get multiples of the hardship and
thus receive multiples of reward."I asked: `O Prophet of Allaah!
Whoare the one's facing thetoughest hardships and trials?`
Heresponded:"Those who face the toughest trials and hardships are the
Prophets."I asked: `Then who?' Hereplied:"Then those who are the most
pious )after them(. Oneof them would be afflicted with poverty to the
point that he canfind only a single garment with which tocover
himself. Such a person would rejoice upon receiving a hardship just
like one of you rejoices at being eased of one.""]An-Nasaa'i[
Imaam Al-Bayhaqireported the following story about fever: "Once Abu
Bakrhad a very bad fever and `Aa'ishahconveyed the news to the
Prophetwho said:"O Allaah! Make Madeenah as beloved to us as Makkah
and even more so. Make its climate clear and bless our Saa' and Modd
)i.e. measures of weight forfood(, and move its fever to the area of
Juhfah"Allaah responded to the supplication of the Prophetand fever,
which was one of the famous diseases of Madeenah, shifted to the area
of Juhfah."
One should not curse fever, as it is man's share of Hell and is a
means by which Allaahexpiates sins. The Prophetforbade cursing it,
saying:"Do not curse it, as it expiates sins."
Incidentally, Imaam Ibn Al-Qayyimmentioned that fever is to be treated
by means of cold water for three consecutive days just before dawn,
and this is also a well known method of treatment in modern medicine.
Being wary of our odour during hot seasons
A Muslim must be heedful of his fellow Muslims and ensure that he does
not get a bad odour as a result of the summer heat. During the summer
it is likelier for a person to sweat and thus develop a very bad smell
if he fails to wash himself and change his clothes regularly.
'Ikrimahnarrated: "A group of people from Iraq came to Madeenah and
questioned Ibn 'Abbaas, saying: `O Ibn 'Abbaas! Do you rule the Ghusl
)i.e. ritual bath( on the day of Friday )before the sermon( as
mandatory?` Heresponded: `No, but it is purity and is)therefore(
better for the one who performs it. I will tell you how the
legislation of Ghuslcame about: The poor inhabitants of Madeenah would
wearwoollen clothes and toil very hard. The mosque was very smallwith
a low ceiling made of tree branches.One hot day, the Prophetcame out
while these people were sweating profusely due to the type of clothes
they were wearing and a very bad smell emanated from them, to the
extent that it offended others. When the Prophetsmelt this, he said:"O
people!On this day )i.e. Friday( you need to perform Ghusl and each of
you should use the best perfume he has."`"
Based on the above narration, some of the scholars ruled that
performing a Ghusl on the day of Friday )i.e. before the sermon( is
mandatory upon those who have a bad smell emanating from them,
otherwise they will be sinning. Others hold the opinion that it is
mandatory upon everybody who will attend the Friday prayer and sermon.