Your past is meant to be a place of reference, not a place of residence. It has given you the strength and wisdom you have, so you need to celebrate it and not let it hunt you. When the pain overtakes you, all you need to do is to hand them over to Allah (SWT). This is an excerpt from the words of Ustadha Yesmin Mogahed in this video, as she urges us to learn from our past. Watch this video to learn more! - aboutislam.net
The One who created you is profoundly in touch with you; so extremely close, that He knows your most hidden thoughts and innermost feelings.
He knows, intimately, your dreams and hopes, and how your heart hurts sometimes.
When your whole world seems to be crashing down around you, He is there.
In your moments of greatest joy or accomplishment, He is more attentive and understanding of your happiness than your closest companion.
He wants you to succeed. He wants you to step easily into Jannah; and He wants you can see and feel the wonderful accolades and pleasures He has prepared just for you.
Salah: The GPS of Life
To help you stay focused, He has provided you with many tools and methods to stay connected to your purpose. Think of them like the GPS of life. They help you find your way, and get you out of tough situations, so you can return to the right road, even in the darkest moments.
The single most important of these tools is the Salah: the daily prayers.
The Prophet Muhammad said:
The first matter that the slave (‘abd) will be brought to account for on the Day of Judgment is the prayer. If it is sound, then the rest of his deeds will be sound. And if it is bad, then the rest of his deeds will be bad. (At-Tirmidhi)
From this hadith, we learn that the prayers are a metric by which we can assess the rest of our actions. By working to perfect our prayers, as a natural progression the rest of our lives will likewise improve.
If we find ourselves faltering, and feeling generally weak willed when it comes to doing good, it is a clear indication that our prayers need repairs. Allah Himself confirmed this when He said:
Verily, the prayer keeps one from the great sins and evil deeds (Quran 29:45).
He described the prayer as shielding us from being impatient and greedy:
Indeed, man was created anxious: When evil touches him, impatient, and when good touches him, withholding [of it], Except for those devoted to prayer those who remain constant in their prayers… (70:19-23).
In addition to the greater level of self-awareness and control we can attain by guarding and sharpening our prayers, they also may wipe away our sins like water washes away impurities. Due to this great importance, it is imperative to approach and learn them in a way that is effective, not overwhelming.
The prayers can be learned at your own pace. The quality of your prayers will develop over time, as long as you put in the necessary effort.
My Own Experience
As you learn the prayers, be sure you are performing them in the same manner as the way the Prophet Muhammad did. In order to do this, it is crucial to check any sources you are learning from and make sure that they are teaching according to the way the Prophet Muhammad prayed.
This is a useful link to a great video that explains and demonstrates the prayer according to the authentic reports, made by the Foundation For Knowledge and Development, an organization dedicated to educating and developing Muslims with authentic knowledge.
When I began to learn to pray, I recorded everything and I would listen to it repeatedly while practicing the positions. I learned a little at a time: first I memorized the takbir: Allahu Akbar, then I began memorizing chapter Al-Fatihah, then gradually, over several weeks I memorized the entirety of the prayer.
It is essential to memorize the translation of all the words in a language that is natural to you, so that you can focus on the meaning of every part of the prayer as you say it.
I do not recommend learning the whole prayer in Arabic, without knowing the meanings, because prayer is a communication; and if you don’t know what you are saying, you are only regurgitating words. It may be even easier for you to learn initially in a language you understand and then superimpose the Arabic words as you progress.
To this day, almost 14 years since I entered Islam, I still repeat the meanings of every saying in English in my head after the Arabic, because my Arabic is not yet fluent enough such that it is my internal language. Thus, I feel more secure repeating everything in English to be sure I truly mean what I am saying.
Don’t be deterred if you find the prayer difficult at first. Many people learn how to do it, and you will too, by Allah’s will and with His help. One of the important parts of chapter Al-Fatihah is where we say:
You alone we worship, You alone we ask for help. Show us the straight way. (1:6)
Abundantly seeking Allah’s help will draw you nearer to your Lord; it will increase your gratitude to Him as you grow and progress. It’s okay if your pace is slower than others; remember Allah recognizes the effort you are putting in. If you are trying your best, He is fully aware and appreciative.
Know the Prayer Timings
In addition to learning the prayer itself we must also learn the timings. The spacing of the prayers throughout the day serves to reorient our souls; and it helps prevent us from becoming wholly distracted and enamored by our material lives.
The prayers are meditation; during them we work to constantly pull our hearts and minds back to the remembrance of the source and destination of life, Allah. Doing this throughout the day is like training, keeping our spirits fit and nimble; ready to face whatever life throws at us.
The timings have been prescribed and they are not something we can alter. We have to try to find a way to do our prayers at the times prescribed except in extenuating circumstances such as travel. This brings us to the issue of praying in public, or in front of our families who are not Muslim.
At first, it might seem embarrassing to tell your family in the middle of a gathering or while out on an excursion together, that you need to stop and pray. This can be especially difficult for those of us that come from backgrounds that scoff at religion, or those that are very strong in a particular religion, and strongly opposed to (what they believe is) Islam.
Unless your life is threatened, you should try to find a way to make your prayers on time. Initially there may be discomfort but, with Allah’s help, as you grow in faith, you will feel more confident to pray wherever, whenever. As you grow and begin to understand the value of the prayer, your worries will pale in comparison.
To help you feel more confident in this regard, please know that many people have come to Islam, due to witnessing the prayer; and many others find it touchingly beautiful.
An Inspirational Story
I read an account written by a non-Muslim woman. She and her husband were being driven by taxi, when their driver began looking at the sky anxiously. Finally, he apologized and told them he had to stop and pray- he was about to miss the Asr prayer.
They watched as he pulled out a rug and performed his prayer on the side of the road. The woman was deeply moved by that moment. That captivating experience instilled respect in her for both the driver and Islam.
Of course not everyone will feel this way. A friend of mine told me that in the early days of her Islam, her mother used to kick her when she would bow in prayer. I have another friend who is keeping her Islam a secret at the moment, so finding the ability to pray all the prayers on time has been a struggle.
This life is fleeting. Guarding the thing that brings us closer to our Lord and the quality of which will determine whether our outcome is good or bad, is worth the struggle.
The best things don’t often come easy, so garner up whatever strength you have and put it into your prayers!
- aboutislam.net
Wa `alaykum as-salamu wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
1- As a priority, the first option is to always make the obligatory actions up.
2- The second option is that let’s say you had many fasts to make up, like twenty, and you started on the 10th of Shawwal. So, once you finish the obligatory, you are going to be outside of Shawwal. So when are you going to do the six days of Shawwal? Well, what you would do there is that you would actually do the obligatory fasts, and then you would follow it up with six extra with the intention of it being Shawwal even though you are not in Shawwal.
3- The third option is that if you have many missed fasts, you can begin with the six days of Shawwal and you can make up the missed fasts later.
Source: Faith IQ Facebook page.
Allah Almighty knows best.
A person’s prayer is invalidated if a woman, donkey or black dog passes in front of him. It was reported from `Abd-Allah ibn al-Samit that Abu Dharr said: “The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: ‘If any one of you stands up to pray, then he has a sutrah [an item placed in front of a praying person as a “screen”] if he has something the height of the back of a saddle in front of him. If he does not have something the height of the back of a saddle in front of him, then his prayer is invalidated if a donkey or a woman or a black dog passes in front of him.’” I [‘Abd-Allah] asked, “O Abu Dharr, what is the difference between a black dog and a red or yellow dog?” He said, “O son of my brother, I asked the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) the same question, and he said, ‘The black dog is a shaytan (devil).’” (Muslim)
The height of the back of a saddle is one cubit or 2/3 of a cubit.
Does This Rule Apply to Congregational Prayer?
But this ruling applies only when one of these three pass in front of the imam or a person who is praying on his own, not when they pass between the rows of a congregation praying behind the imam during prayer in congregation, as the sister who asked the question thinks.
The Evidence from Ibn Abbas’ Hadith
The evidence for that is the report in which ‘Abd-Allah ibn ‘Abbas said: “I came along riding on a female donkey one day when I had just reached the age of puberty. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was leading the people in prayer in Mina, without any kind of wall in front of him. I passed in front of part of the row, then I got down and sent the donkey to graze, and joined the row, and no one rebuked me for that.” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
Imam Al-Bukhari gave this hadith the heading of “Sutrat al-Imam sutrat man khalfahu (the sutrah of the imam is the sutrah of those behind him).” This hadith clearly proves our point, which is that the person who is praying behind the imam does not have to have a sutrah, and it does not matter what passes in front of him, especially since Ibn ‘Abbas passed in front of them with his donkey, which is one of the things which invalidates prayer if it passes in front of the imam or a person who is praying on his own.
Ibn `Abd al-Barr said:
This hadith – i.e., the hadith narrated by Al-Bukhari and Muslim from Abu Sa`eed al-Khudri which says “If any one of you is praying, he should not let anyone pass in front of him. Let him push him away as much as he can, and if he insists then let him fight him, for he is nothing but a shaytan (devil)” – indicates that it is makruh to pass in front of a person who is praying if he is praying on his own and without a sutrah. The same ruling applies to the imam if he is praying without a sutrah.
Does the Imam’s Sutrah Apply to the Whole Congregation?
But with regard to the person who is praying behind the imam, it does not matter what passes in front of him, just as it does not matter what passes in front of the imam or person praying alone if it passes behind the sutrah. The sutrah of the imam is also the sutrah of those who are praying behind him.
We say this concerning the imam and the person who prays alone, because the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “If any one of you is praying…” According to the scholars, this means praying on his own, because of the hadith of Ibn `Abbas. Hence we say that the person who is praying behind the imam does not have to push away the person who passes in front of him, because Ibn ‘Abbas said: “I came along riding on a female donkey one day when I had just reached the age of puberty. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was leading the people in prayer in Mina, without any kind of wall in front of him. I passed in front of part of the row, then I got down and sent the donkey to graze, and joined the row, and no one rebuked me for that.” (Al-Tamheed, 4/187)
Does a Woman Walking in Front Break the Prayer?
On this basis, the sister who asked this question, and other people, do not have to push away anyone who passes in front of them if they are praying behind the imam, and there is no sin on the person who passes in front of the row if this is done for a reason. Pushing a person away and preventing them from passing in front is to be done by the imam or the person who is praying alone, if a person wants to pass between him and his sutrah.
Almighty Allah knows best.
Source: https://islamqa.info/en/3404
Ramadan is over, yes. But there’s still a chance that you could gain more rewards even after Ramadan, and that is by fasting 6 days of Shawwal. And guess what, if you do it, it’s considered a sign of an accepted Ramadan! Watch the video for more information. - aboutislam.net
Let us quickly review the background of the chant you mentioned; it is called Takbir of Eid.
Eid means an Islamic, public celebration.
Such celebrations occur twice a year. Each time following the completion of one of the five pillars of Islam.
The first, Eid al-Fitr, marks the completion of fasting the blessed month of Ramadan, the fourth pillar of Islam.
The second, Eid al-Adha, marks the completion of Hajj (Pilgrimage to Makkah), the fifth pillar of Islam.
According to the Sunnah (tradition) of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) everyone is urged to attend Eid Prayer—men, women, and children.
During Eid, Muslims express their gratitude to Allah for enabling them to observe the major acts of worship preceding each Eid.
And they also visibly show joy and congratulate each other.
Therefore, Eid is a day of joy, thanksgiving to Allah, brotherhood, and unity.
Muslims have no public celebrations apart from Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said what means:
[…] Every nation has its festival, and this is your festival. (Al-Bukhari)
Also, the time for Eid Prayer is when the sun has risen about three meters (10 feet) above the horizon.
Eid Prayers cannot be said after midday. It is better to hold Eid Prayers in the open if there is no rain or bad weather.
The Prophet never performed Eid Prayers in the mosque except once due to rain.
There is neither Adhan (call to prayer) nor Iqamah (second call to prayer) called for these prayers.
After performing prayer, the imam delivers a khutbah (sermon, speech) just like Friday khutbah.
It was reported that Sa`id ibn Jubayr said,
Three things are Sunnah (prophetic traditions, preferred to be followed by Muslims) on Eid: to walk (to the place of prayer), to take a bath, and to eat before coming out (if it’s Eid al-Fitr).
People should exchange greetings on Eid. They walk to prayer wearing their best clothes and change their route on returning.
Additionally, it is also considered good Islamic practice to visit one another and exchange gifts. (Editor’s Note: Please maintain social distancing while you meet, due to the COVID-19 pandemic)
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
Exchange gifts in order to foster love. (Al-Bukhari in his book Al-Adab Al-Mufrad)
The true spirit of Eid is reflected in generosity to the poor and the needy.
It is recommended to make lots of istighfar (asking Allah for forgiveness) and pray that Allah accepts our fast, pilgrimage (after Eid ul Adha), prayers, and devotion, and grant the Muslim nation glory and success.
The loud chanting of Takbir of Eid is one of the greatest Sunnahs of this day. It brings us to your question of the meaning of the Takbir.
The transmitted wording of takbir is: “Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, la Ilaha illa Allah; Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, walillah al-hamd“.
Additionally, there are other forms used by the Prophet’s Companions and reported to us from trusted chains of transmission.
They are generally combinations of the expressions below. These are the most respected forms of praise and exaltation to Allah in Prophetic traditions.
They are to be recited loudly and in unison by everyone attending Eid Prayer. And everyone on their way there. This show of power enforces the feeling of unity and solidarity and declares the joy of Eid to all.
Allahu Akbar: This statement is said by Muslims numerous times. It means “Allah is the Greatest”. Muslims praise Allah in every aspect of life, and as such, they say “Allahu Akbar” as they proceed to Eid Prayer.
La ilaha illa llah: This expression is the most important one in Islam. It is the declaration of faith that every person has to announce to be considered a Muslim. It is part of the first pillar of Islam.
And this means, “There is no god worthy of worship except Allah.” The second part of this declaration means, “Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.”
Al-hamdu lillah: This means, “all praise be to Allah” and is said as an expression of thanks and gratitude to Allah. A Muslim (a person who chooses to surrender peacefully to the Creator) invokes the praises of Allah when he finishes any work, thanking Allah for His favors.
A Muslim is grateful to Allah for all His blessings. It is a statement of thanks, appreciation, and gratitude from the creature to his Creator.
Subhan Allah: This means: “Allah is Exalted. Glory be to Allah. Far removed is He from anything imperfect associated with Him and from anything unsuitably ascribed to Him.”
Also, it is an expression that Muslims use to express wonder, exclamation, or surprise.
It is also an expression of respect for Allah.
Allahumma salli `ala Muhammad: This means “may the blessings and the peace of Allah be upon Muhammad.” It is an expression that Muslims use whenever the name of Prophet Muhammad is mentioned or written.
In the Quran, Allah has ordered Muslims to say such an expression. This reflects the Muslim’s love and affection towards the Last Prophet, who carried the burden of conveying the last divine message to mankind.
Allahu Akbaru Kabeera: This means that God is Greater than everything that exists and the term “kabeera” is a superlative form of the same meaning. This expression is simply an emphasis on the greatness of the Creator.
Al hamdu lillahi katheera: This is also an expression of emphasis on the gratitude of the Muslims towards their Creator. Its meaning is: “high gratefulness and thankfulness is to be to Allah, the Creator.”
It is strongly recommended to repeat in a loud voice Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, La ilaha illa Allah, Allahu Akbar wa lillahi-l-hamd after every congregational prayer on the days and nights of Eid.
- aboutislam.net
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Every nation has its festival, and this is your festival.” Here, he referred to the fact that these two Eids are exclusively for the Muslims.
The Muslims have no festivals apart from Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of Allah came to Madinah, the people of Madinah used to have two festivals.
On those two days, they had carnivals and festivity. The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) asked the Ansar (the Muslims of Madinah) about it.
They replied that before Islam, they used to have carnivals on those two joyous days. The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) told them, “Instead of those two days, Allah has appointed two other days which are better, the days of Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha.” (Abu Dawud)
These two Eids are among the signs of Allah, to which we must show consideration and understand their objectives. Below, we will elaborate the rulings and etiquette of Eid.
1- Fasting: It is haram to fast on the days of Eid because of the hadith of Abu Sa`id Al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) in which he said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade fasting on the day of Fitr and the day of Adha. (Muslim)
2- Offering Eid Prayers: Some of the scholars say that Eid Prayers are obligatory – this is the view of the Hanafi scholars and of Ibn Taymiyyah. Some scholars say that Eid Prayer is Fard Kifayah (a communal duty, binding on the Muslims as a group, and it is fulfilled if a sufficient number of people perform it, thereby absolving the rest of sin). This is the view of the Hanbalis. A third group says that Eid Prayer is Sunnah Mu’akkadah (confirmed sunnah). This is the view of the Malikis and Shafi`is.
3- Offering Supererogatory Prayers: There are no Supererogatory Prayers to be offered either before or after the Eid Prayer, as Ibn `Abbas reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to come out on the day of Eid and pray two rak`ahs, with nothing before or after them. This is the case if the Prayer is offered in an open area. If, however, the people pray the Eid Prayer in a mosque, then they should pray two rak`ahs for Tahiyat Al-Masjid.
4- Women attending the Eid Prayers: According to the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), everyone is urged to attend Eid Prayer, and to co-operate with one another in righteousness and piety. The menstruating woman should not forsake the remembrance of Allah or places of goodness such as gatherings for the purpose of seeking knowledge and remembering Allah – apart from mosques. Women, undoubtedly, should not go out without the Hijab.
1- Ghusl (taking a bath): One of the good manners of Eid is to take a bath before going out to the Prayer. It was reported that Sa`id ibn Jubayr said: “Three things are Sunnah on Eid: to walk (to the prayer-place), to take a bath, and to eat before coming out (if it’s Eid al-Fitr).”
2- Eating before coming out: One should not come out to the prayer-place on Eid al-Fitr before eating some dates, because of the hadith narrated by Al-Bukhari from Anas ibn Malik who said: “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) would not go out in the morning of Eid al-Fitr until he had eaten some dates… and he would eat an odd number.” On Eid al-Adha, on the other hand, it is recommended not to eat until after the Prayer, when one should eat from the meat of one’s sacrifice.
3- Takbir on the day of Eid: This is one of the greatest Sunnahs of this day. Al-Daraqutni and others reported that when Ibn `Umar came out on Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, he would strive hard in making Takbir until he reached the prayer-place, then he would continue making Takbir until the Imam came.
4- Congratulating one another: People may exchange congratulations and good greetings on Eid, no matter what form the words take. For example, they may say to one another, “Taqabbal Allahu minnaa wa minkum (May Allah accept, from us and from you, our good deeds!)”.
Jubayr ibn Nufayr said: “At the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) when people met one another on the day of Eid, they would say, ‘Taqabbal Allahu minnaa wa minka.’” (Ibn Hajar)
5- Wearing one’s best clothes for Eid: Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had a Jubbah (cloak) that he would wear on Eid and on Fridays.” Al-Bayhaqi reported that Ibn `Umar used to wear his best clothes on Eid, so men should wear the best clothes they have when they go out for Eid.
6- Changing route on returning from Prayer-place: Jabir ibn `Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to change his routes on the day of Eid. (Al-Bukhari)
Allah Almighty knows best.
Source: Excerpted, with slight modifications, from, www.islamqa.info
