Part 8

Eat with three fingers.

The Prophet (#) used to eat with three fingers. This was his (4) way of eating and is better, unless a need requires otherwise.’””

5. The etiquette of sitting when eating:

[1}ie. near to you.

e Kneel on one’s shins and front of the feet, or

@ Keep the right leg upright and sit on the left.

This is what is preferred, as was mentioned by Al-Haafidh Ibn Hajar in Fath Al-Baarev.

Observe the following Sunan after eating:

1. Lick the bowl and the fingers: The Prophet (#) ordered the licking of the fingers and bowl, and he said:

Verily, You do not know in which of it (i.e. which morsel of food) is the blessing.'”* 2. Praise Allah:

And the supplication of the Prophet # is:

All praise is for Allaah, who fed me this and provided it for me without any might or power from myself.

From the Sunan of drinking is:

In the Name of Allah. Drink with the right hand: O young man, mention the Name of Allah, eat with your right.) 1! When drinking, breathe outside of the vessel. And do not drink all at once, but rather, take three breaths.!** Sit while drinking: Let not one of you drink standing...1"? Say Talimeed after drinking:

4 This Hadecth does not explicitly mention drinking

with the right hand. However, there is a narration of Muslim, on the authority of Ibn ‘Umar (4): When one of you eats, let him eat with his right hand; and when he drinks, let him drink with his right hand-because the Shaytaan eats and drinks with his left hand.

sahih Muslim, The Book Of Drinks, hadith 2020.

Verily, Allah is pleased with the slave who eats his food and praises Him for it... and he who drinks and praises Him for it.'**

PERFORMING VOLUNTARY PRAYERS AT HOME

Regarding the excellence of praying at home, the Prophet (&) said:

increase his reward and fulfil the Sunnalt.

Implementing these voluntary prayers in

the house is a means to:

O Perfecting tranquillity and sincerity.

(1 Distance oneself from showing off.

CO Have mercy descend on the house.

C] Cause the Shaytaan to leave.

DO Multiply the reward of the voluntary prayer, just as the reward of the

obligatory prayer is multiplied by performing it in the Masjid.

Say the Du‘aa for atonement of the gathering:

ai) y Si ag4i Suste3 ai ncn 6h bal, Masel eit of

Far removed are You from any

imperfections, O Allah and I praise You.

I bear witness that there is no deity worthy

of worship except You.

I seek Your forgiveness and to You I

A Muslim attends many gathering during the course of the day and night. Here are a few examples:

1 When you see a person who is your friend or neighbour, you would speak to them, even if you were standing.

O) When sitting, for example at work, school or place of study, and some of your friends or colleagues are with you.

O When sitting with your wife and children

and you are conversing with them and they with you.

CO) When you are on a journey or on the way to a place in the car and you are talking with whoever is with you, whether your wife or children.

1 Ina public lecture or private lesson.

Notice how many times you mention this dua during the day and night. In this way, you continually maintain a connection with Allah. How many times do you praise your Lord, declare Him free of anything not befitting Him and glorify Him, when you say:

Far removed are You from any

unperfections, O Allah and I praise You. How many times have you acknowledged the Oneness"! of Allah the Most High, in His Lordship, Worship and Names and Attributes, when you say: '

I bear witness that there is no deity worthy

of worship except You.

''] Oneness means to believe that Allah (4g) is alone, unique and no-one shares with Him in the three issues mentioned (i‘e. His Lordship, Worship of Names and Attributes).

How many times have you renewed your repentance and forgiveness with Your Lord in the day and night, from that which you have done or earned in that gathering, when you say:

I Seek Your forgiveness and to You I repent. So, during the day and night, you are between confirming the Oneness of Allah while negating what does not belong to Him, and seeking His forgiveness and tepentance for that which you have earned of wrong-doings.

From the benefits of implementing this Sunnah:

DD It is redemption for sins and mistakes you may have spoken in that gathering.

Ibn Al-Qayyim said the gathering of Muslims is of two types:

Q A social gathering to occupy time. This is more detrimental than beneficial and to a lesser extent it corrupts the heart and wastes time.

0 A gathering on cooperating on means of success and advising to truth. This is of the greatest treasures and most beneficial.

MAKING THE CORRECT INTENTION

Know, that all permissible action, like sleeping, eating, working and other than these, can be changed into acts of obedience and a means of nearness to Allah. One can obtain many good deeds due to these actions, if they have the intention of drawing close to Allah when doing them. For example, if you go to sleep early, so you can wake up for Qiyaam Al-Layl or Salaah AlFajr, then this sleeping becomes an act of worship. This is true for all other permissible actions. ‘

COMBINING MULTIPLE ACTS OF WORSHIP

The way to utilize a single opportunity to perform multiple acts of worship is only known to those who know how to manage

Here are some examples:

Ol When you go to the Masjid, either walking or by car, this act of going is worship, in and of itself and you will be rewarded for this. But, it is also possible to utilize the same time in remembrance of Allah (Dhtkr) or recitation of the Qur’an. Hence, a single opportunity has been utilized to perform multiple acts of worship.

0 When going to a Waleemah that is free from evil acts, this attendance is an act of worship itself. But, it is possible to also utilize the time to call people to Allah or to engage in the remembrance of Allah

O For a lady to remain at home and

perform household chores is itself an act

of worship, if she intends to get close to Allah by this. It is also possible for her to utilize this time with other acts of worship, like Dhikr or listening to an Islamic tape.

On the authority of Ibn ‘Umar (#) who said:

While in a sitting with the Messenger of Allah 4#, we counted that he said,

tN ST GB gle Ly gb EI Sp O Allah, forgive me and I repent to You.

... one hundred times.

Ponder on how the Prophet (4) took a

single opportunity to perform two acts of

REMEMBERING ALLAH AT ALL TIMES

Points to note regarding Dhikr of Allah:

1, Dhikr is the foundation of the worship of Allah. It is the link of the worshipper with his Creator, in all times and conditions. On the authority of ‘Aishah (42) who said:

The Messenger (#) remembered Allah at all times.19

This connection with Allah is life, Tresorting to Him is salvation, nearness to Him is success and pleasure and being far from Him is misguidance and loss.

2. Dhikr distinguishes a believer from a hypocrite, as one of the characteristics of the hypocrites is that they do not remember Allah, except a little:

“... and they do not remember Allah except a little.”

8, Shaytaan does not triumph over the

people unless they are heedless of the Dhikr of Allah. The Dhikr of Allah is an impregnable shield. A person can take sanctuary in it from the plots of Shaytaan. Shaytaan loves for a person to forget the Dhikr of Allah.

. Dhikr is a means to happiness:

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“Those whe believe and whose hearts find rest in the remembrance of Allah, verily, i" the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest.”"

. Remember Allah continuously. The people of Paradise will not regret anything except an hour that passed them in the world in which they did not remember Allah, the Great and the Almighty. Remembering Allah continuously, results in a continuous connection with Him. In this regard, Imaam An-Nawawee said! The scholars are unanimous on fl¢

permissibility of Dhikr with the heart and on the tongue for the ritually impure, menstruating women and during postnatal bleeding, by saying Tasbeeh Tahmeed, Takbeer, Tahleel, as well as Salaah on the Messenger of Allalt (s#) and other supplications. There is a difference of opinion about reciting the Qur‘an.

6. Allah remembers the one who remembers Him. Whoever remembers his Lord, the Great and Almighty, He will remember him:

Ame, 4) * sap Bebe. hae oS VS Sly Eat B85) Geib } “Remember me and I will remember you

and be grateful to Me and never be ungrateful to Me.”’

(Al-Bagarah, 2:152) A person would be extremely happy if it was conveyed to him that the ruler of land mentioned him his gathering and praised him. So, how would he feel if Allah, the Most High, Lord of the Worlds, mentioned him in a gathering, better than this?