45 Nay, seek (Allah’s) help with patient perseverance and prayer: It is indeed hard, except to those who bring a lowly spirit,-
Yes, Salaah is indeed hard to maintain except for those who fear Allah. Watch any documentary and listen to non-Muslims speaking about Islam; the first thing you hear is ‘Muslims pray five times a day’ because it is indeed difficult to imagine how one must pray that much every day.
But to those who are conscious of Allah, it is indeed doable and not difficult. Hardly do you forget your Salaah. You will not feel comfortable with yourself whenever Salaah approaches until you offer it.
He is not a good Muslim who does not offer his daily prayer or offers some and neglects others. Those who will not pray at the appointed time but combine all prayers at night are committing a grievous sin. Salaah is at fixed periods, Kitaaban Mauqutan.
The God-fearing are those who do not find any hardship in offering Salaah at its fixed periods.
Another question is, ‘Do we have God-consciousness when we pray these days?’ Has this Khushu’ been in our Salaah since the advent of mobile phones?
Yes, we’ve learnt to switch off our phones to see the Honourable Minister, His Excellency and whatnot. It is embarrassing to have your phone ring suddenly when you meet with ‘big people,’ but we cannot even put it on silent mode in Salaah. And as soon as that phone rings. 80% of your attention and that of other worshipers in the mosque goes out of the Salaah. You will be busy thinking who the caller might be, and other faithful are wondering who could be so inconsiderate as not to switch off his phone during prayers. In both cases, Satan has won in distracting all from giving full attention in Salaah.
Ibn al-Musayyab saw a man fiddling with his beard during prayer, and he said: If his heart were humble, his wings would be humble.
You will see somebody with a saved message on their phone: Please in prayers; will call later, so he’ll quickly send the message if the phone rings when he’s in Salaah.
Whoever calls at the exact time of prayer will not be praying at that time or will not even pray altogether.
46 Who bear in mind the certainty that they are to meet their Lord, and that they are to return to Him.
This means that only those who fear Allah in their prayers are certain to return to and meet with their Lord. They can leave at any time….
Remembering Allah’s Favours
47 Children of Israel! call to mind the (special) favour which I bestowed upon you, and that I preferred you to all other (for My Message).
The Yahud are to remember Allah’s favours so they may do the right thing, while the Ummah of Muhammad is called upon to recognise the Provider of the favours to appreciate what He provided.
- Therefore, remember Me, I will remember you. Give thanks to Me, and reject not Me. (Al-Baqarah)
I preferred you to all others for My message at the time of the prophets. That preference was for that time only and not an everlasting one. They were preferred in the past when prophets were sent from their race when He made kings out of them and gave them what He has not given to any among humankind.
- And (remember) when Moses said unto his people: O my people! Remember Allah’s favour unto you, how He placed among you Prophets, and He made you Kings, and gave you that (which) He gave not to any (other) of (His) creatures. (Al-Maa’idah)
Fear Of The Last Day
48 Then guard yourselves against a day when one soul shall not avail another nor shall intercession be accepted for her, nor shall compensation be taken from her, nor shall anyone be helped (from outside).
The Yahud in Madinah used to say, ‘We are the sons of God and His loved ones; He will not punish us.
- The Jews and Christians say: We are sons of Allah and His loved ones. Say; Why then doth He chastise you for your sins? Nay, ye are but mortals of His creating. He forgiveth whom He will, and chastiseth whom He will. Allah’s is the Sovereignty of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them, and unto Him is the journeying. (Al-Maa’idah)
They also said, ‘We are the descendants of prophets and messengers of Allah; whatever we do, they will intercede on our behalf.’
Allah countered by saying, “Then guard yourselves against a day when one soul shall not avail another nor shall intercession be accepted for her, nor shall compensation be taken from her, nor shall anyone be helped (from outside).”
But Shafaa’ah in respect to those who believe is established:
- He knoweth what is before them and what is behind them, and they cannot intercede except for him whom He accepteth, and they quake for awe of Him. (Al-Anbiyaa)
Also, Shafaa’ah is confirmed by the Ahaadeeth of the Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam. Therefore, “nor shall intercession be accepted for her,” as seen in the verse under discussion, refers only to non-Muslims who die in disbelief.
- And no familiar friend will ask a question of his friend
- Though they will be given sight of them. The guilty man will long be able to ransom himself from the punishment of that day at the price of his children
- And his spouse and his brother
- And his kin that harbored him
- And all that are in the earth, if then it might deliver him.
- But nay! for lo! it is the fire of hell (Al-Ma’aarij)
- And though those who do wrong possess all that is in the earth, and therewith as much again, the verily will seek to ransom themselves therewith on the Day of Resurrection from the awful doom; and there will appear unto them, from their Lord, that wherewith they never reckoned. (Az-Zumar)
It is not what we see in the world, where if you are in a problem, you look for a highly paced person in society to intercede on your behalf, hide behind a high-ranking person in government, or bribe your way out of a difficult situation. There is nothing of that sort on the Day of Judgement.
A mother will see her son on the Day of Judgement and shout at the top of her voice, ‘O my son! My womb had been a resting place for you; my back has been your couch, and my breast your nourishment. Could you now kindly take some of this burden off me?’
The son will say, ‘You are right in all that, mother, but this Day is not like any other … stay away from me. I am overwhelmed by my burden already. I’m preoccupied with my problems. I cannot help, mother!’
- Every man that day will have concern enough to make him heedless (of others). (Abasa)
Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: When this Verse was revealed: “And warn your tribe (O Muhammad (Sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam)) of near kindred”. (26: 214) Messenger of Allah (Sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) called the Quraish; when they gathered, he said to them: “O sons of ‘Abd Shams; O sons of Ka’b bin Lu’ai, rescue yourselves from the Fire! O sons of Murrah bin Ka’b, rescue yourselves from the Fire! O sons of ‘Abd Manaf, rescue yourselves from the Fire! O sons of ‘Abdul-Muttalib, rescue yourselves from the Fire! O Fatimah, rescue yourself from the Fire, for I have no power (to protect you) from Allah in anything except that I would sustain a relationship with you”. [Muslim].
Riyad as-Salihin 329
Abu Abdullah ‘Amr bin Al-’as (May Allah be pleased with them) said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (Sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) saying openly, not secretly, “The family of so-and-so (i.e., Abu Talib) are not my supporters. My supporter is Allah and the righteous believing people. But they (that family) have kinship (Rahm) with whom I will maintain good the ties of kinship”. [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
Riyad as-Salihin 330
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: Whoever removes a worldly grief from a believer, Allah will remove from him one of the griefs of the Day of Resurrection. And whoever alleviates the need of a needy person, Allah will alleviate his needs in this world and the Hereafter. Whoever shields [or hides the misdeeds of] a Muslim, Allah will shield him in this world and the Hereafter. And Allah will aid His slave so long as he aids his brother. And whoever follows a path to seek knowledge therein, Allah will make easy for him a path to Paradise. No people gather together in one of the Houses of Allah, reciting the Book of Allah and studying it among themselves, except that Sakeenah (tranquillity) descends upon them, mercy envelops them, and the angels surround them, and Allah mentions them amongst those who are with Him. And whoever is slowed down by his actions will not be hastened forward by his lineage.
It was related by [Muslim] in these words.
Hadith 36, 40 Hadith an-Nawawi
