Part 37

The evidence for the Prayer (as-salaat) and the zakaat, [112] and the explanation of tawhid is the Saying of Allaah, the Most High, "And they were not commanded except that they should worship Allaah alone, making their worship and obedience purely for Him, upon the true Religion and free from shirk; and that they should establish the Prayer, and pay the zakaat [113] – ____________________________________________________________ That is, the evidence that the Prayer and the zakaat are from the Religion, is the Saying of Allaah, the Most High, "And they were not commanded except that they should worship Allaah alone, making their worship and obedience purely for Him, upon the true Religion and free from shirk; and that they should establish the Prayer, and pay the zakaat." [surah al-Bayyinah (98):5] This Aayah is general and covers all types of worship, so a person must perform all of them purely and sincerely for Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic, being upon the straight and true Religion and following the Revealed way prescribed by Him. This is an example of something particular being mentioned after the general. So establishment of the Prayer and payment of the zakaat are types of worship; however Allaah, the one free of all imperfections, mentioned them specifically due to their great importance. So the Prayer is a bodily worship, and the zakaat is a worship involving giving wealth, and they are mentioned jointly in the Book of Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic. and that [114], the straight and true Religion" [115] [surah alBayyinah (98):5]. And the evidence for Fasting (siyaam) [116] is the Saying of Allaah, the Most High, ________________________________________________________________________ i.e. the worship of Allaah, making the Religion purely for Him, keeping aloof from shirk and establishment of the Prayer and payment of the zakaat. The true and straight Religion, containing no crookedness since it is the Religion laid down by Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic, and Allaah's Religion is straight and upright, just as Allaah, the Most High, says, "This is My Straight Path, so follow it and do not follow any of the other paths, for they will split you and take you away from that way which He prescribed for you." [surah al-An'aam (6):153] Just as the noble Aayah mentioned by the author contains a mention of worship, and the Prayer and the zakaat, then it comprises the reality of tawhid and that it is to make worship purely for Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic, without any inclination to shirk. So whoever does not make his worship purely for Allaah is not a muwahhid (person upon tawhid), and whoever makes his worship for other than Allaah is not a person upon tawhid. The proof for its obligation is the saying of Allaah, the Most High, "O you who believe Fasting is prescribed as an obligation for you as it was prescribed as an obligation for those who came before you." [surah alBaqarah (2): 183] His Saying “as it was prescribed as an obligation for those who came before you" contains a number of beneficial lessons: (i) The importance of Fasting since Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic, made Fasting obligatory upon the nations before us. This shows that it is something which Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic, loves, and that it was binding upon every nation. (ii) Ease for this ummah (nation) since it is not alone in having this duty to fast placed upon it, a duty which may be difficult for the souls and the bodies. (iii) An indication that Allaah, the Most High, perfected the Religion for this ummah and completed it with the virtues which were given to earlier nations. "O you who believe Fasting is prescribed as an obligation for you as it was prescribed as an obligation for those who came before you, so that you may attain taqwa (obedience to Allaah and avoidance of whatever He has forbidden)" [117] [surah alBaqarah (2): 183]. ___________________________________________________________________ In this Aayah Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic, makes clear the wisdom behind fasting, in His Saying that you should fear Allaah through fasting, and attain the characteristics of taqwa resulting from it. This benefit was indicated by the Prophet in his Saying, "Whoever does not abandon falsehood and evil actions, then Aliaah has no need that he should abandon his food and drink" [Reported by al-Bukhaaree (Eng. transl. 3/70/127)]. The evidence for hajj [118] is the Saying of Allaah, the Most High, "And hajj to Allaah's sacred House is an obligation upon those able to perform it; and whoever refuses and rejects the obligation of hajj to Allaah's House, then Allaah has no need of him or of any of the creation" [119] [surah Aal-'Imraan (3):97]. ________________________________________________________ The proof for its obligation is the Saying of Allaah, the Most High, "And hajj to Allaah's sacred House is an obligation to those able to perform it; and whoever refuses and rejects the obligation of hajj to Allaah's House, then Allaah has no need of him or of any of the creation," [surah Aal-'Imraan (3):97] This Aayah was sent down in the ninth year after the hijrah, when the hajj became an obligation. However Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic, says, “those able to perform it." So it shows that hajj is not an obligation upon one unable to perform it.