Part 38

goodness and give us a good deed in this world, a good deed in the next and keep us away of the Hell-Fire.

65) Forgoing the Congregational Prayer to Pray Alone Without a Legal

`Abdullah Ibn Mas'ud related that the Prophet (pbuh) said,

"I have considered having a man lead people at prayer and going myself to those who stay back from

attending the congregational prayer to bum their houses down upon them.."

"If the people forgo the Friday Prayer, Allah will set a seal on their hearts for them to become heedless."1

"Whoever misses three Friday prayers without a legal excuse, Allah will set a seal on his heart."2

"Whoever misses the Friday prayer without a (legal) excuse or a danger will be accounted amongst the

hypocrites in a record that cannot be erased or altered."3

Hafsa (may Allah be pleased with her) related, the Prophet (pbuh) said,

"Going to the Friday prayer is obligatory for every male who has reached puberty."4

Reported by Abu Dawud and AtTirmidhi

66) Constantly Missing the Friday and Congregational Prayer

{The Day that the shin shall be laid bare, and they shall be summoned to prostrate, but they shall not be

able. Their eyes will be cast down--ignomity will cover them, seeing that they had been summoned

aforetime to bow in adoration, while they were whole, (and had refused).} (Al-Qalam: 42-43)

Ka'b Al-Ahbar said, this Ayah is only revealed concerning those who miss the congregational prayers.

Sa'id Ibn Al-Musayyib (may Allah have mercy on him) said, "Those people heard the call to prayer and did

not respond while they were whole."

"By Him in Whose Hands is my soul, I have considered having wood gathered when the call to prayer is

made and going myself to those who stay back from attending the congregational prayer to burn their

houses down upon them. "

In the aforementioned Ayah and hadith there is a severe warning waiting for those who miss the

Ibn ' Abbas related that the Prophet (pbuh) said,

"Whoever hears the caller to prayer and does not have a valid excuse that withholds him from responding.

Someone asked what is an excuse, Messenger of Allah? He said. "Fear or sickness," will not have his

prayer accepted i.e., the prayer, which he performed at home.

Al-Tirmidhi related on the authority of Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) who was asked

about a man who spends the day fasting and the night praying but he does not pray in a congregation. Ibn

`Abbas answered, if he dies adhering to that, he will enter the Hell fire. "

Once, a blind man came to the Prophet (pbuh) and submitted,

"0 Messenger of Allah, I have nobody to lead me to mosque, do I have a dispension to pray at home? Then

the Prophet permitted him. But when he was going back the Prophet called him and asked, do you hear the

call to prayer? The man replied, yes. "Therefore respond to it." the Prophet said."

The same hadith is reported by Abu Dawud as follows: Ibn Umm Maktum came to the Prophet (pbuh) and

"0 Messenger of Allah, there are large number of reptiles and beasts in Medina and I am blind, do I have a

dispension to pray at home? Then the Prophet (pbuh) said, do you hear the words of the call to prayer

(haiyaala salah, haiyaala salah). He said, yes."

The Prophet said, then you have to respond to. Another narration states that,

"0 Messenger of Allah, I am a blind man and live far away from the mosque and love an inconvenient

guide, do I have dispension? "Whoever hears the call to prayer and no excuse withholds him to respond

will not have his prayer accepted. They asked, 0 Messenger of Allah, what is an excuse? He said, fear or

"May Allah curse three people: he who leads a group of people who hate him, a woman who spends

a night angry with her husband, and a man who hears the call to prayer and does not answer. "

Abu Hurairah said, it is better for one's ears to be filled with molten lead than to hear the call to prayer

Ali Ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "The prayers performed by a neighbor of a

mosque are not accepted except in the mosque." Someone asked, who is a neighbor of a mosque? He re-

plied, he who hears the call to prayer." Ali also said, whoever hears the call to prayer and does not respond

his prayer will not go further than his head except if he has an excuse."

Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him said, whoever likes to meet Allah as a Muslim should keep

on performing the five prayers when the call to them is issued. This is because, Allah has given your

Prophet the traditions of guidance (Sunna) and they (the five prayers) belong to such traditions. If you pray

at home as does the one who remisses the prayer, then you neglect the Prophet's Sunna. If you neglect the

Prophet's Sunna you will be astray. Verily, none of us would miss the congregational prayer but a well-

known hypocrite or a sick man. I remember that a man would be brought leaning on two men and put in the

raw to attain its reward and escape the sins of missing it."

Performing prayers in congregation is so great as mentioned in Quran Allah most high says,

{Before this We wrote in the psalms, after the message given to Moses): "My servants the righteous, shall

inherit the earth.} (AI-Anbiya': 105)

The exegetes said that the righteous servants are those who perform the five prayers in congregation. In

{And we record that which they leave behind.} (Yasin: 12)

The exegetes said, "What they leave behind" means then steps.

"Whoever purifies himself (makes his ablution) at home and then goes to one of the houses of Allah

(mosque) to discharge his duty to Allah (to offer obligatory prayers) his one step towards a mosque wipes

out a sin and another step rises his status". If he continues sitting on prayer -carpet, after prayer is over,

and he remains with ablutions, the angels beseech Allah for his blessings upon him and pray. /' Allah!

Forgive him! Allah have mercy on him." 1

"May I tell you something thereby, Allah will remit your sins, and thereby your position will be raised.

The companions said, "Do tell us 'O Messenger of Allah! He said, "Performing the ablution properly,

going to the mosque frequently for prayers even in difficult and distressing circumstances and waiting for

the next prayer after one is over. This is your Jihad in the cause of Allah."2

67) Bringing Loss to the Bequest

{After payment of legacies and debts: so that no loss is caused (to any).} (An-Nisa': 12)

This means that when someone brings loss to heirs by claiming that he is indebted to such and such.

{Thus is it ordained by Allah, and Allah is All-Knowing, Most Forbearing. Those are limits set by Allah:

those who obey Allah and his Messenger will be admitted to gardens with rivers flowing beneath, to abide

therein (forever) and that will be the supreme achievement. But those who disobey Allah and his Messenger

and transgress his limits will be admitted to a fire, to abide therein: and they shall have a humiliating

The reward and the punishment mentioned in the aforementioned Ayat concerns those who deal with

the inheritance. Abu Hurairah related that Prophet (pbuh) said,

"A man or a woman work abiding by Allah's commandments for sixty years until the death comes to them.

Then they bring loss to the bequest and thereby they enter the hellfire". Then Abu Hurairah reads, Allah's

saying: {After payment of legacies and debts: so that no loss is caused (to any one)}" 1

"Whoever prevents his heirs from receiving their inheritance, Allah will prevent his inheriting Paradise."2

"Allah has given every one his right. Thus there is no bequest for an heir." 3

Reported by Abu Dawud and AtTirmidhi.

Reported by Ibn Majah, AtTirmidhi, Abu Dawud and Ahmad.

68) Deception and Evil Schemes

{But the plotting of evil will hem in only the authors thereof} (Fatir: 43)

"Plotting and duplicity are in the Hell-Fire."1

"A deceiver, a miser and he who reminds recipients of his charity to them will not enter paradise."

Allah the Almighty says about the hypocrites:

{They seek to deceive Allah, but it is Allah who deceive them.} (An-Nisa: 142)

Al-Wahidi said, "They will be treated in the manner they treated others: they will be shown the light as

the believers but when they approach the Sirat (a bridge on fire) the light diminishes and they will be left

"The people of Hell-Fire are five" and mentioned a man who disaffects one's wife or property from him day

69) Spying on the Muslims and Revealing their Weaknesses

Included in this subject is the hadith of Hatib Ibn Abi Balta'ah (1) (who sent a secret letter telling of

the Muslims military plans to his relatives in Mecca in hopes that they would not get hurt), 'Umar (Allah be

well pleased with him) wanted to kill him for what he had done, but the Prophet (pbuh) forbade 'Umar to,

as Hatib had fought at Badr (and by accepting Hatib's excuse, left nothing for any Muslim to criticize.3

If someone's spying entails undermining Islam and its people, or the killing of captives, enslavement,

or plundering of the Muslims, or anything of the like, then he is one of those who strive for corruption in

the land, destroying tillage and offspring, and he is subject to death, and deserves the torment (of Hell-

Fire), may Allah save us from it, Anyone who spies necessarily knows that if ordinary talebearing is a

major sin, spy's carrying information is far more abominable and heinous, May Allah save us from that for

Reported by Ai-Hakim and A1-Baihaqi.

This story ismantioned in the Sahih of AI-Bukhri.

70) Disparaging the Companions of the Prophet

"Allah most high says: he who is hostile to a friend (Waliyy) of Mine, I declare war against"

"Do not revile my companions, for by Him in Whose Hand is my soul, were one of you to spend gold equal

to mount Uhud, you would not attain the reward of the handful of one of them or even half of it."1