The five salats (branch 21)

The Five Salats
77 Branches of Faith, Imam Al-Bayhaqi (03.04.10)

- Kafara means covering up. Leaving salah is kufur and doing solah is kafarah (covering up the sins).

- In the full version of the book, there is a chapter about doing prayers in congregation and consequences of abandoning jama'ah without excuse (uzur). Uzur according to Imam Haddad (Rahmatullahi 'alayh) is extreme difficulty that one could hardly bear for example ill health.
- Sayidina Abdullah ibnu Umm Makhtum (a blind companion, radhiyaAllahu 'anh) was having difficulty to go to the masjid. He has no one to guide him to the masjid and the path has many potholes and lizards. Rasul Sallallahu 'alayhi wa alihi wassalam said to him you are excused. Then, when he wanted to leave Rasul Sallallahu 'alayhi wa alihi wassalam asked him 'atasma' (can you hear) hayya 'alal solah, hayya 'alal falah? and he said yes. Rasul Sallallahu 'alayhi wa alihi wassallam said 'Halla Mahalla' It is better for you to come.
- Uzur is like raining heavily that makes it difficult to go to the masjid. Most scholars agreed that difficulties include snow, hurricane and chronic diarrhoea.

- Riyadhul Saliheen 1050. Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “There are angels which take turns in being with you in the night and other angels in the day and they meet together at the prayers of Fajr and ‘Asr. Then the ones who were with you during the night ascend and Allah asks them - although He knows better than they do - ‘How were My slaves when you left them?’ They say, ‘When we left them they were praying and when we came to them, they were praying.’” [Agreed upon] Allah asked the angels as a tasyrif (honour) for them and tasyrif for you.

- 1057. Abu Musa reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “The people who get the greatest reward for the prayer are those who live furthest away and then the next furthest. Someone who waits for the prayer so that he can pray it with the Imam has a greater reward than someone who prays and then goes to sleep.” [Agreed upon].

- 1070. Abu’d-Darda’ said, “I heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, ‘If there are three in a village or desert and they do not pray (together) Shaytan will overpower them. You must perform the group prayer. The wolf devours the stray sheep.” [Abu Dawud]

- 1056. Jabir said, “The area around the mosque was empty and the Banu Salama wanted to move near to the mosque and the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, heard about it. He said to them, ‘It has reached me that you want to move near to the mosque?’ They said, ‘Yes, Messenger of Allah, we do want that.’ He said, ‘Banu Salama, keep the houses you have. Your footprints are written down. Keep the houses you have! Your footprints are written down.’” [Muslim]. Banu Salma was the tribe that welcomed Rasul Sallallahu 'alayhi wa alihi wassalam in Madina. Masjid Jum'a was built on the land of Banu Salma.

- Abdullah Ibnu Abbas radhiyaAllahu 'anhu lived in Taif and not in Haram (He is one of the most knowledgable companions). The Haram is the only place that if someone wants to do evil, he will be punish for it. 120 rahmah descended to Ka'bah itself and distributed from thereof.

- Rasul sallalahu 'alayhi wa alihi wassalam said ”.. The prayer done by two persons is superior to the prayer done by one person; the prayer done by three persons is superior to the prayer done by two persons..” (Abu Dawud).

- Musalla is not a masjid or jami'. It is a place where your prayer place in the house or by the roadside etc.

- We can understand the role of masjid in the community from the story of Abu Hurayra and one glass of milk. Rasul sallallahu 'alayhi wa alihi wassalam asked Abu Hurayra (RadhiyaAllahu 'anhu) to pass one glass of milk to Ahlus suffah (between 50-700 people at time). Abu Hurarayrah was hungry himself at that time but he still listened to Rasul sallallahu 'alayhi wa alihi wassalam's order. After everyone drank the milk, Rasul salllallahu 'alayhi wa alihi wassalam told him 'Ya Aba Hirr, drink (isyrab)' twice and he drank until he can't drink anymore “No, by the one who sent you with the truth, I have no room left in my belly for it!”.
~ the masjid is a place of sanctuary for everybody.
~ Sayidina Abdullah ibnu Makhtum radhiyaAllahu 'anhu was asked to come to masjid eventhough he was a blind man.

- Two narrations about building a mosque and getting house (bayt) in Jannah.
1) Rasul salllahu 'alayhi wa alihi wassalam said: “Whosoever builds a masjid requesting the reward of Allah, then Allah will build for him a house in jannah.”
2) Rasul sallallahu 'alayhi wa alihi wassallam said: “Whosoever shares in building a masjid for Allah,even if it is as small as a bird’s nest, Allah will build for him a house in Paradise.” [Ahmad]

-Rasulullah saw said: 'If you see (iza ra'aitum) a man who is used to Masjid, bear witness that he has Iman. Allah swt says: Surely (innama) the only one who built the mosque is the one who has iman.' Built means the one who associate himself with the mosque, not just by building it but by being part of it. Mosque has to be a living functioning entity in the community.

- On Yawmul Jum'ah (Friday),يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا نُودِي لِلصَّلَاةِ مِن يَوْمِ الْجُمُعَةِ فَاسْعَوْا إِلَى ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ وَذَرُوا الْبَيْعَ ذَلِكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ

62:9 fas'aw ila zikrilLah : Mufasiroon said it meant hasten to the Khutba

Solat means to put effort into something. We have to put the effort in our body and from the heart. This includes ghusl for Friday which can be done anytime after Fajar. (For eid, we can do the Ghusl from nightime).

- وَشَاهِدٍ وَمَشْهُودٍ 85:3
Witness and witnessed; Syaheed - on the Day of Jum'ah, the Jum'ah will be a witness for you; Masyhood - on the Day of Arafa, you witnessed.

- In one of the sermon on Friday, Rasul Sallallahu 'alayhi wa alihi wassalam said 'O people, turn back to Your Lord before you die...'