HAJJ72 - Is there any particular virtue if ‘Arafah falls on a Friday?

HAJJ: Is there any particular virtue if ‘Arafah falls on a Friday?

Is it true that if ‘Arafah falls on a Friday when Jumu’ah prayer is held, it is equivalent to seven Hajjs?.

 Praise be to Allaah.

Firstly:

We do not know of any hadeeth which says that if ‘Arafah falls on a Friday then Hajj in that year is equivalent to seven Hajjs, rather what is narrated is “seventy Hajjs” or “seventy-two Hajjs”, but neither of them is saheeh anyway.

The former was narrated in a hadeeth, but it is false and is not saheeh. As for the latter, we could not find any isnaad or matn (text) for it, so it has no basis.

The text of the hadeeth that has been narrated is: 

“The best of days is the day of ‘Arafah, if it falls on a Friday, and it is better than seventy Hajjs on a day other than Friday.” 

The imams judged this hadeeth to be false and not saheeh: 

1.     Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: 

As for that which is commonly spoken of among the common folk, that it is equivalent to seventy-two Hajjs, this is false and there is no basis for it (in any report) from the Messenger of Allaah or from any of the Sahaabah or Taabi’een, and Allaah knows best.

Zaad al-Ma’aad (1/65).

2.     Shaykh al-Albaani (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in al-Silsilah al-Da’eefah (207) – after ruling that the hadeeth is false and has no basis- :

As for the view of al-Zayla’i – according to what it says in Haashiyat Ibn ‘Aabideen (2/348): It was narrated by Razeen ibn Mu’aawiyah in Tajreed al-Sihaah – it should be noted that this book of Razeen’s is a compilation of the six books of Sunnah – al-Saheehayn, the Muwatta’ of Maalik, Sunan Abi Dawood, al-Nasaa’i and al-Tirmidhi – similar to the book of Ibn al-Atheer entitled Jaami’ al-Usool min Ahaadeeth al-Rasool, but in al-Tajreed there are many ahaadeeth for which there is no basis in any of these sources. That is also known from what the scholars have narrated from him, such as al-Mundhiri in  al-Targheeb wa’l-Tarheeb, and this hadeeth is of that type; there is no basis for it in these books, or in any other well known book of hadeeth. In fact, the great scholar Ibn al-Qayyim stated in al-Zaad (1/17) that it is false.   After discussing the merit of ‘Arafah coinciding with Friday in ten ways that he mentioned, he said: As for that which is commonly spoken of among the common folk, that it is equivalent to seventy-two Hajjs, this is false and there is no basis for it (in any report) from the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or from any of the Sahaabah or Taabi’een. 

This was supported by al-Manaawi in Fayd al-Qadeer (2/28), then by Ibn ‘Aabideen in al-Haashiyah. End quote.

In al-Silsilah al-Da’eefah (1193) it says:

Al-Sakhaawi said in al-Fataawa al-Haeethiyyah (2/105):

This was mentioned by Razeen in his Jaami’ and attributed to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), but he did not mention the Sahaabi who narrated it or anyone who transmitted it. End quote.

 In al-Silsilah al-Da’eefah (3144) it says:

Al-Haafiz said in al-Fath (8/204), after quoting it from Razeen in al-Jaami’ and noting that he attributed it to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): I do not know whether it is valid or not, because he did not mention the Sahaabi who narrated it or anyone who transmitted it.

 Al-Haafiz ibn Naasir al-Deen al-Dimashqi said in Fadl Yawm ‘Arafah:

The hadeeth “If the day of ‘Arafah falls on a Friday, it is equivalent to seventy-two Hajjs” is a false hadeeth and is not saheeh. Similarly the report narrated from Zurr ibn Hubaysh, that it is better than seventy Hajjs on a day other than Friday” is not proven. End quote.

3.     Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked: Is there anything narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) about the virtue of Hajj being on a Friday?

He replied:

There is nothing narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) about there being any special virtue in the Day of ‘Arafah falling on a Friday, but the scholars said that if it happens to fall on a Friday, that is a good thing.

Firstly – because it means that the Hajj is like the Hajj of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), as the Prophet’s standing in ‘Arafah happened to be on a Friday.

Secondly – because on Friday there is a hour when no Muslim slave stands to pray and asks his Lord for something but He will grant it to him, so that is more likely to be answered.

Thirdly – The Day of ‘Arafah is an Eid and Friday is an Eid, so if the two Eids come together, that is a good thing.

 As for the commonly-held view that Hajj on a Friday is equivalent to seventy Hajjs, that is not correct.

Al-Liqa’ al-Shahriyyah, 34/question no. 18.

4.     The scholars of the Standing Committee were asked:

Some people say that if the Day of ‘Arafah happens to fall on a Friday, as it does this year, it will be like doing seven Hajjs. Is there any evidence from the Sunnah for that?

 They replied:

There is no saheeh evidence for that. Some people claim that it is equivalent to seventy Hajjs, or seventy-two, but that is not correct either. 

Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah (11/210, 211).

See also: Fath al-Baari (8/271); Tuhfat al-Ahwadhi (4/27)

Secondly:

Perhaps the reason why this view is so widely held among people is because it is mentioned in the books of the Hanafis and Shaafa’is.

 The Hanafis said:

If ‘Arafah falls on a Friday it has the virtue of seventy Hajjs and all the people will be forgiven with no intermediary.

 And they said:

The best of days is the day of ‘Arafah, if it falls on a Friday, and it is better than seventy Hajjs on a day other than Friday.

Radd al-Muhtaar ‘ala al-Durr al-Mukhtaar, 2/621

And the Shaafa’is said:

It was said that if the Day of ‘Arafah falls on a Friday, Allaah will forgive all the people in the place of standing, with no intermediary, and on a day other than Friday they will be forgiven with an intermediary i.e., it will be granted to the sinners because of the doers of good.

Mughni al-Muhtaaj (1/497).

 Thirdly:

The fact that this hadeeth is false does not mean that there is no special merit in the Day of ‘Arafah falling on a Friday, rather Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) mentioned ten special merits thereof, which we will quote here because they are of great benefit.

 He (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: 

The correct view is that Friday is the best day of the week and the day of ‘Arafah and the day of Sacrifice are the best days of the year, as are Laylat al-Qadr and the night before Friday. Hence if the day of ‘Arafah falls on a Friday, it is superior to all the other days in several ways:

 1-    Coincidence of two days that are the best of days.

2-    It is a day in which there is an hour when prayers are answered. Most (scholars) are of the view that it is the last hour after ‘Asr, and the people in the place of standing are all there to offer du’aa’ and beseech Allaah.

3-    It falls on the same day that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did Hajj.

4-    People all over the world gather there to listen to the khutbah and pray Jumu’ah, and that coincides with the gathering of the people of ‘Arafah on the day of ‘Arafah in ‘Arafah, So the Muslims’ gathering in their mosques and their standing to offer du’aa’ and beseech Allaah coincide in a way that does not happen on any other day.

5-    Friday is an Eid, and the day of ‘Arafah is an Eid for the people in ‘Arafah, hence it is makrooh for those who are in ‘Arafah to fast on this day.

Our Shaykh – i.e., Ibn Taymiyah – said: The day of ‘Arafah is only an Eid for those who are in ‘Arafah because they are gathered there, unlike the people in other regions, who only gather on the Day of Sacrifice. So it is an Eid for them. What is meant is that if the day of ‘Arafah falls on a Friday, it is two Eids in one.

6-    It coincides with the day when Allaah perfected His religion for His believing slaves and completed His favour upon them, as it is proven in Saheeh al-Bukhaari that Taariq ibn Shihaab said: A Jew came to ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab and said: O Ameer al-Mu’mineen, there is averse which you read in your Book; if it had been revealed to us Jews and we knew the day on which it was revealed, we would have taken it as a festival. He said: Which verse is that? He said: “This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My Favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion” [al-Maa'idah 5:3]. ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab said: I know the day which it was revealed, and the place in which it was revealed. It was revealed to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in ‘Arafah, on a Friday, when we were standing with him in ‘Arafah.

7-    It coincides with the day of the greatest gathering and the great standing of the Day of Resurrection, for the Day of Resurrection will take place on a Friday as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The best day on which the sun rises is Friday. On it Adam was created, on it he was admitted to Paradise, on it he was expelled therefrom, and on it the Hour will begin. On that day there is an hour when no Muslim slave asks Allaah for something good but He will grant it to him.”

8-    An act of worship or obedience done by the Muslims on Friday or the night before Friday are more than those done on other days, because even evildoers respect Friday and the night before it, and they think that if a person dares to commit sin at that time, Allaah will hasten his punishment and will not give him respite. This is something that is well established in their minds and they know it by experience, because of the great honour that this day has before Allaah, and because He chose it out of all other days, and undoubtedly standing in ‘Arafah on this day is better than on any other day.

9-    It coincides with the day when Allaah gives people more in Paradise, which is a Friday. So if ‘Arafah falls on that day, it is extra special and enjoys a virtue that is not shared by any other day.

10- The Lord, may He be blessed and exalted, draws close to the people in the place of standing in the afternoon of the day of ‘Arafah, then He boasts of them before the angels. 

For these reasons and others, Friday is superior to other days.

 But as for that which is commonly spoken of among the common folk, that it is equivalent to seventy-two Hajjs, this is false and there is no basis for it (in any report) from the Messenger of Allaah or from any of the Sahaabah or Taabi’een. And Allaah knows best.

Zaad al-Ma’aad (1/60-65)

 And Allaah knows best.

 

ref: http://islamqa.info/en/95283

 

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Who is Allah

Introduction

Islam means the submission to Allah. Allah is the Lord and Creator of all. Every Muslim has to bear testimony that there is none worthy of worship except Allah,

What it means to bear witness that there is no god except Allah is to deny that anyone other than Allah has the right to be worshipped, and to affirm that this is the right of Allah alone, with no partner or associate. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“That is because Allah  He is the Truth (the only True God of all that exists, Who has no partners or rivals with Him), and what they (the polytheists) invoke besides Him, it is Baatil (falsehood). And verily, Allah He is the Most High, the Most Great”[al-Hajj 22:62]

Allah further says in Quran in describing Himself:

"Say, 'He is Allah, the One;

 Allah, the Eternal, Absolute;

 He begets not, and neither is He begotten;

 And there is nothing that can be compared to Him."

 Qur'an 112:1-4

Allah Described

It is reasonable that when one does not know someone, that that someone introduces him or herself. One can further expect that this introduction happens at the beginning of a conversation.

It is this introduction that gives the listener a sense of comfort and awareness of the speaker. It is thus befitting that Allah, our Creator, introduces himself and there is no better way than He Himself doing this via His word, Quran.

Allah says in the opening chapter (called al-Fatihah) of Quran:In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.All praise and thanks be to Allah, the Lord of existenceThe Most Gracious, the Most MercifulThe Owner of the Day of Recompense

From this we gather that the name of this deity, the only one worthy of worship, is Allah. He further clarifies some of His attributes, being Most Gracious, Most Merciful. Already we are introduced to a God that advises and gives us a sense that He created us with mercy and calls us to His mercy. Everything is at our disposal through the mercy of Allah. He has created us with perfection, every organ is in its place; He has sent down the rain that make the earth fertile so that we may eat from its produce and so many more blessings because He, Allah, is Most Merciful.

Gratitude and Worship

Having given us so much, surely we have much to be grateful for and He, Allah, reminds us to thank Him. And why do we have to thank Him? We have to thank Him, Allah, because He is Rabb? And what does Rabb mean? Simply translated as Lord, it means much more than that in case we misunderstand. Rabb also, amongst other qualities, refers to the one who cares and nurtures. Thus it is clear that this Rabb already plays an important part in our lives (from the very start of our creation) and it is up to us to realise this and understand this.

So who is Allah - Allah is the Lord of existence without whom nothing will exist and come to being. And He has placed much at our disposal because He is Ar-rahman - Most Gracious.

He, Allah, created us for a very special purpose and that is one of worship or, for the sake of further clarity, for His obedience (although worship entails obedience and more). It is logical that the One who provides us with much, needs to be shown obedience and devotion.

A Unique God

Throughout Quran there are further descriptions of Him but closer to the end of Quran, a short chapter called Ikhlaas - encapsulates all.

Say (O Muhammad (peace be upon him)): "He is Allâh, (the) One. (1)

"Allâh-us-Samad - Allâh the Self-Sufficient Master, Whom all creatures need, (He neither eats nor drinks). (2)

 "He begets not, nor was He begotten; (3)

 "And there is none co-equal or comparable unto Him." (4)

Chapter 112: 1-4

This, short but powerful chapter, confirms that He is One, He does not have a son nor daughter, neither was He begotten. And the final statement is clarified further as follows: "if you imagine what Allah is like in appearance, know that He is nothing like that". It is impossible to imagine Him except through His attributes. Whatever you may imagine, He is far superior to that.

Creator

He is the one who gave us life and to Him we shall return

Firstly - when we were created we accepted Allah as our Lord. Allah says in Quran 7:172

 وَإِذْ أَخَذَ رَبُّكَ مِن بَنِى ءَادَمَ مِن ظُهُورِهِمْ ذُرِّيَّتَهُمْ وَأَشْهَدَهُمْ عَلَى أَنفُسِهِمْ أَلَسْتَ بِرَبِّكُمْ قَالُواْ بَلَى شَهِدْنَآ أَن تَقُولُواْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَـمَةِ إِنَّا كُنَّا عَنْ هَـذَا غَـفِلِينَ

And (remember) when your Lord brought forth from the Children of Adam, from their loins, their seed and made them testify as to themselves (saying): "Am I not your Lord'' They said: "Yes! We testify,'' lest you should say on the Day of Resurrection: "Verily, we were unaware of this.'')

And Allah says further in Quran 3:26

 

قُلِ اللَّهُمَّ مَـلِكَ الْمُلْكِ تُؤْتِى الْمُلْكَ مَن تَشَآءُ وَتَنزِعُ الْمُلْكَ مِمَّن تَشَآءُ وَتُعِزُّ مَن تَشَآءُ وَتُذِلُّ مَن تَشَآءُ بِيَدِكَ الْخَيْرُ إِنَّكَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيرٌ - تُولِجُ الَّيْلَ فِى الْنَّهَارِ وَتُولِجُ النَّهَارَ فِى الَّيْلِ وَتُخْرِجُ الْحَىَّ مِنَ الْمَيِّتِ وَتُخْرِجُ الَمَيِّتَ مِنَ الْحَىِّ وَتَرْزُقُ مَن تَشَآءُ بِغَيْرِ حِسَابٍ

Say: "O Allah! Possessor of the power, You give power to whom You will, and You take power from whom You will, and You endue with honor whom You will, and You humiliate whom You will. In Your Hand is the good. Verily, You are able to do all things

 Conclusion

This topic is vast and the above is but an introduction to knowing who Allah is. Consider everything in your life and your surroundings and therein lay signs of Allah and His glorious Book, Quran, is itself a sign.

He, Allah, is the Lord, the Creator, Nourisher, Cherisher and Sustainer of all. He is All-Knowledgeable, All-Wise, All-Aware (not a leaf falls but he is aware of it). He gave us life and He will cause us to die for to Him do we belong. There is nothing fanciful or mysterious about our Lord, Allah. He is one and is unique.

And Allah knows Best

We pray for His guidance and protection.

Islam - Articles of Faith

The word “Islam” is an Arabic word which means “submission to the will of God”.  A follower or adherent to Islam is called a Muslim which means one who submits (to Allah)

Islam is a monotheistic religion (also known as an Abrahamic religion) and was the way of all the prophets such as Adam, Noah, Abraham, Ismael, Isaac, Moses, David and Jesus – Peace be upon them all. Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the final messenger. All these Prophets taught the belief in One God, Allah. Muslims also believe that many of these prophets came with divine scriptures such as the scrolls of Abraham, the Torah given to Moses and the Gospel (or more specifically the Injeel) given to Jesus (Eesa) – peace be upon them all. The final divinely revealed scripture was given to the final messenger Muhammad – peace be upon him – namely the Quran.

Declaration of Faith

Every Muslim has to utter the Declaration/Testimony (Arabic: Shahadah). The Shahadah reads as follows:

I bear witness that there is no other deity to be worshipped except Allah and I bear witness that Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the final messenger.

Angels

Allah created angels who have no ability to act of their own free will. They do as commanded and different angels fulfil different responsibilities.

Scriptures

As mentioned earlier, Muslims believe that over time Allah revealed scriptures to various messengers. Muslims, however, adhere strictly only to the teachings of Quran as the final revelation.

Prophets and Messengers

It is an article of faith for Muslims to accept and love all the Prophets and messengers (peace be upon them all) that were sent by Allah. These include Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad (peace be upon them all)

Life After Death

Muslims believe that there will be a great day when we will be resurrected from death and brought to account for our life here on earth. There will be some who will enter paradise and others will enter hell.

Good and Bad

Allah is the All-powerful. He possesses the knowledge of everything and is All-aware, All-hearing and All-seeing. Man was created with an intellect and the ability to choose. From the choices of man, he commits sin and he does good. Allah has the power to allow good and bad.

 

 

Islam and Robert Davila - an amazing story

A man who has never before heard of Muhammad (peace be upon him) and was on the religion of Christianity. His first experience of Islam is without any human intervention. Listen to his story on the attached video. People who sincerely seek the truth will most certainly be guided to it.

InshaAllaah, God-willing, over the next little while we will cover more on the life of Muhammad (peace be upon him), the universal message of all the Prophets (peace be upon them all) before him and what Islam is.