The Friday Prayer
On Fridays, it has been
made incumbent upon Muslims to pray in congregation at the time of zuhr prayer
and in place of it. The way prescribed by the shari‘ah for this prayer is the
following:
1. There are two rak‘at of
this prayer.
2. In contrast with the
zuhr prayer, the recital shall not be silent.
3. The takbir shall be said
before the prayer.
4. Before the prayer, the
imam shall deliver two sermons to remind and urge people about various teachings
of Islam. He shall deliver these sermons while standing. The imam shall sit for
a short while after he ends the first sermon and then stand up to deliver the
second one.
5. The adhan for the prayer
shall be recited when the imam reaches the place where he is to deliver the
sermon.
As soon as the adhan is
said, it is incumbent upon all Muslim men to leave all their involvements and
come to the mosque if they have no legitimate excuse.
The sermon shall be
delivered and the prayer shall be led by the rulers of the Muslims and this
prayer shall only be offered at places which have been specified by them or
where a representative of theirs is present to lead the prayer.
The Qur’an has mentioned
this prayer in the following words:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا نُودِي لِلصَّلَاةِ مِن
يَوْمِ الْجُمُعَةِ فَاسْعَوْا إِلَى ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ وَذَرُوا الْبَيْعَ
ذَلِكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ فَإِذَا قُضِيَتِ الصَّلَاةُ
فَانتَشِرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَابْتَغُوا مِن فَضْلِ اللَّهِ وَاذْكُرُوا اللَّهَ
كَثِيرًا لَّعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ (٦٢:
٩-١٠)
Believers, when you are summoned to Friday prayers, hasten
to the remembrance of God and cease your trading. That would be best for you, if
you but knew it. Then, when the prayers end, disperse and go your ways in quest
of God’s bounty. Remember God greatly so that you may prosper. (62:9-10)
The Prophet (sws) has
directed those who lead the prayer to shorten the sermon and prolong the prayer.
He has said that it is enough for a person to be sensible if he has this trait.
It is evident from certain
narratives that for reminding and counseling people and for the purpose of
collective worship, it was this day that had in reality been fixed in the
religions of the Prophets.
According to historians, before the advent of Muhammad (sws), Ka‘b Ibn Luyy or
Qusayy Ibn Kalab would also assemble the people of Quraysh on this day.
Regarding the selection of this day, the Prophet (sws) has said that it was on
this day that Adam was created and on this day was he cast into the orchard and
on this day was he cast out and the Day of Judgement will also be a Friday.
The Prophet (sws) is also
reported to have said that there comes a time in this day in which the Almighty
grants a rightful wish of a believer.
Consequently, he warned people that if they do not come for the Friday prayer,
their hearts shall be sealed and indifference shall overcome them.
On the other hand, the Prophet (sws) has given glad tidings to people – who take
a bath, fully cleanse themselves, are befittingly adorned and attired, try not
to pierce and sit between two people, pray whatever they can at the beckoning of
the Almighty and sit silently to listen to the sermon of the imam – glad tidings
that the Almighty will forgive the sins they have committed between the two
Fridays.[7]
He has also said that on Friday, angels stand at the door of the mosques and
write the names of people in order of their entry to the mosques. Consequently,
those who come very early are similar to a person who has sent a camel for
sacrifice, then he who sends a cow for this purpose and then he who sends a
sheep for this purpose and then a hen and then an egg. Then once when the imam
comes to deliver his sermon they fold their scrolls and listen to his advice and
counsel.
The Id Prayers
On the days of ‘id al-adha
and ‘id al-fitr, it is essential for the Muslims that they arrange a collective
prayer like that of the Friday prayer. Following is its methodology:
1. This prayer shall
consist of two rak‘at.
2. In both rak‘at, the
Qur’an shall be recited loudly.
3. While standing in qiyam
some additional takbirs shall be recited.
4. Neither will there be
any adhan for the prayer nor takbir.
5. After the prayer, the
imam shall deliver two sermons to remind and urge people regarding the basic
message of Islam. Both these sermons shall be delivered with the imam standing.
He shall sit for a while in between the two.
6. Like the Friday prayer,
this prayer too shall be led and its sermon delivered by the rulers of the
Muslims and their representatives and it shall be offered only at those places
which have been prescribed by them, where either they or their representatives
are present to lead the prayer.
The Funeral Prayer
In the religion of the
prophets, the prayer for a deceased is held obligatory.
Once the dead body of the
deceased is bathed and enshrouded, this prayer shall be offered in the following
manner:
People shall stand in rows
behind the imam after placing the dead body between themselves and the qiblah.
The prayer shall begin by
saying the takbir and by raising hands.
Like the ‘id prayer, some
additional takbirs shall be said in this prayer.
The prayer shall end after
the salam is said while a person is standing once the takbirs and the
supplications have been offered.
The above method of the
funeral prayer is attested by the consensus of the Muslims and their perpetual
adherence to it. Narratives which depict the knowledge and practice of the
Prophet (sws) in this matter are detailed out below:
Abu Hurayrah (rta) narrates
from the Prophet (sws): “You should show haste in taking away the dead body [to
its destination] because if the deceased is pious, some good awaits him towards
which you send him, and if this is not so then he is an anathema from which you
should relieve your necks from”.
Abu Sa‘id (rta) narrates
from the Prophet (sws): “When you see a funeral procession, stand up, and those
walking in it should not sit down also until it is placed on ground”.
Abu Hurayrah (rta) narrates
from the Prophet (sws): “A person who walks in the funeral procession of a
Muslim while professing full faith in the Almighty and with a feeling of
accountability [to Him], then remains there till the funeral prayer is offered
and the deceased is buried, he returns with two carats worth of reward with each
carat being [as big as] the mountain of Uhud. And he who offers the funeral
prayer, but comes back before the burial, he too returns with one carat from
them’.
Abu Hurayrah (rta) narrates
that the day Negus died, the Prophet (sws) had it announced, then reached the
place of the prayer with the people, made rows [for the prayer] and said four
takbirs in the prayer.
Ibn Abi Laylah narrates
that Zayd Ibn Arqam usually said four takbirs in our funeral prayers. In one
funeral, he said five takbirs. When we asked him, he replied: “The Prophet (sws)
too used to do this at some instances”.
It is narrated by Talhah
Ibn ‘Abdullah: “I prayed behind Ibn ‘Abbas and he read Surah Fatihah in it and
remarked: ‘I have recited [this out to you] so that you should know that this
was the practice of the Prophet (sws)’.”
‘A’ishah (rta) narrates
that the Prophet (sws) said: “Do not speak ill of the dead because they have
reached the place where their deeds led them to”.
Abu Hurayrah (rta) narrates
from the Prophet (sws): “When you offer the funeral prayer for someone, pray
specifically for him”.
The supplications of this
prayer which are ascribed to the Prophet are the following:
1.
اللهم اغفر له وارحمه واعف عنه
وعافه وأكرم نزله ووسع مدخله واغسله بماء وثلج وبرد ونقه من الخطايا كما ينقى الثوب
الأبيض من الدنس وأبدله دارا خيرا من داره وأهلا خيرا من أهله وزوجا خيرا من زوجه
وقه فتنة القبر وعذاب النار
O Lord forgive him, have
mercy on him, pardon him and [O Lord] grant him prosperity and be a good host to
him. Broaden his grave and wash him with water and with snow and with hail.
Cleanse him of his sins just as a white piece of cloth is cleansed from dirt. [O
Lord!] Grant him a better house in place of his own house and a better family
than his own family and a wife better than his own and protect him from the
punishment of the grave and from the torment of the Fire.
2.
اللهم اغفر لحينا وميتنا وشاهدنا وغائبنا وصغيرنا وكبيرنا
وذكرنا وأنثانا اللهم من أحييته منا فأحيه على الإسلام ومن توفيته منا فتوفه على
الإيمان اللهم لا تحرمنا أجره ولا تضلنا بعده
O Lord! Forgive our living
and our dead, those [who are] present [here] and those who are not and forgive
our young ones and old ones, our men and our women. Lord! Whoever you give life,
give him life such that he [follows] Islam and whoever you give death, let him
die on faith. Lord! Do not deprive us of the reward of this deceased person and
do not lead us astray after him.
3.
اللهم إن فلان بن فلان في ذمتك وحبل جوارك فقه من فتنة القبر
وعذاب النار وأنت أهل الوفاء والحمد اللهم فاغفر له وارحمه إنك أنت الغفور الرحيم
Lord! Such-and-such a
person who is the son of such-and-such a person is in your refuge and in the
covenant of your asylum. So, [O Lord!] protect him from the trial of the grave
and the torment of the Fire. Only You are worthy of all praise and of the
fulfillment of your promises. So, O God! Forgive him and have mercy on him.
Indeed, you are Forgiving and Ever-Merciful.
The Optional Prayer
The Qur’an (2:158) says:
وَمَن تَطَوَّعَ خَيْرًا فَإِنَّ اللّهَ شَاكِرٌعَلِيمٌ
(He who does a virtue of his own will God will accept it and is fully aware of
it). Similarly, in 2:45, it has been said that in case of difficulty, help
should be sought from the prayer and from perseverance:
وَاسْتَعِينُوا بِالصَّبْرِ وَالصَّلَاةِ.
Thus in the light of these verses, besides the obligatory prayer, Muslims also
offer the optional prayer. The optional (nafl) prayers which the Prophet (sws)
has offered or has urged people to offer are detailed out below:
i. Before the Prayer
Before the fajr prayer, the
Prophet (sws) would generally offer two light rak‘at.
Hafsah (rta) says that he
would pray these rak‘at as soon as the time of fajr would begin.
‘A’ishah (rta) says that she never saw him more punctual than in offering these
rak‘at.
She has also narrated from the Prophet (sws): “Thes rak‘at of fajr are better
than this world and everything it has”.
Before the zuhr prayer, he
would sometimes pray two rak‘at and sometimes four.
Before the maghrib prayer,
the Prophet (sws) himself, in all probability, never offered any rak‘at, but he
urged others to offer them if God provides them with the will and opportunity.
Consequently, it has been narrated that in his lifetime, the Companions (rta)
would be vigilant in offering these rak‘at.
ii. After the Prayer
The Prophet’s routine was
to offer two rak‘at at home once he returned from the mosque after praying zuhr,
maghrib and ‘isha.
He followed a similar routine after the Friday prayer.
A narrative from Abu Hurayrah says that the Prophet (sws) asked people to pray
four rak‘at also after the Friday prayer.
Similarly, there are narratives which depict the blessings of praying four
rak‘at after the zuhr prayer.
Of the rak‘at which are
offered before and after prayers, the Prophet (sws) is reported to have said
that those who adhere to offering two rak‘at of fajr, six of zuhr, two each of
maghrib and ‘isha, the Almighty will make for them a house in Paradise.
In mid-morning (chasht)
too, the Prophet (sws) urged people to offer two rak‘at
.
He has said: “As soon as morning comes, charity becomes obligatory upon each of
your joints. If a person wants to do it [then he should know that] every word of
tasbih is charity, every takbir is charity, urging others to do a pious deed is
charity, stopping others from bad deeds is charity and if two rak‘at are offered
in mid-morning, then they suffice for all these”.
However, one cannot be
certain whether the Prophet (sws) offered this prayer since the narratives in
this regard are contradictory.
iii. At the time of Eclipse
When once in the time of
the Prophet (sws), a solar eclipse occurred, he led the believers in offering
two rak‘at. It is narrated that in this prayer, he recited the Qur’an loudly,
did very long ruku‘s and prostrations and while in the qiyam also celebrated the
praises of the Lord, glorified Him and beseeched and implored Him. He even
repeated the ruku‘ and the qiyam more than once while waiting for the eclipse to
disappear. Then after finishing the prayer remarked: “The sun and the moon are
two signs of the Almighty. Solar and Lunar eclipses do not occur because of the
life or death of someone; in fact, the Almighty warns His people through such
phenomena. So, when you see them, implore the Almighty, celebrate his
sovereignty, offer the prayer and spend in His way”.
iv. To ask for Rain
Narratives mention that the
Prophet (sws) offered two rak‘at to beseech the Almighty to send rain. In
religious parlance, this prayer is called istisqa. These narratives say that the
words of the prayer were recited out loud and before the prayer, the Prophet (sws)
supplicated before the Almighty by raising his hands for a long time while
facing the qiblah.
One of the supplications uttered by him on such occasions is:
اللهم اسقنا غيثا مغيثا مريئا مريعا نافعا غير ضار عاجلا غير
آجل
O Lord drench us with rain
that answers our calls; whose consequences are good, which makes things cheeper,
which is beneficial and not harmful and which comes soon and not late.
v. In the Solitude of Night
Besides the five prayers
during the day and night times, there was another prayer which was obligatory
for the Prophet (sws). It is called “the night prayer” or the tahajjud prayer.
In the seventy ninth verse of Surah Bani Isra’il, this obligatory nature of the
prayer for the Prophet (sws) is mentioned by the words
نَافِلَةً لَكَ. Then in Surah
Muzzammil it is further stated that when the Prophet (sws) was asked to deliver
open warning to his people, he was specially directed to be diligent in this
prayer. The Qur’an says:
يَا أَيُّهَا
الْمُزَّمِّلُ قُمِ اللَّيْلَ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا نِصْفَهُ أَوِ انقُصْ مِنْهُ
قَلِيلًا أَوْ زِدْ عَلَيْهِ وَرَتِّلِ الْقُرْآنَ تَرْتِيلًا إِنَّا سَنُلْقِي
عَلَيْكَ قَوْلًا ثَقِيلًا إِنَّ نَاشِئَةَ اللَّيْلِ هِيَ أَشَدُّ وَطْءًا
وَأَقْوَمُ قِيلًا إِنَّ لَكَ فِي اَلنَّهَارِ سَبْحًا طَوِيلًا وَاذْكُرِ اسْمَ
رَبِّكَ وَتَبَتَّلْ إِلَيْهِ تَبْتِيلًا (٧٣:
١-٨)
O you enfolded in your shawl! stand [in prayer] by night,
but not all night. Half the night, or even less or a little more and [in this
prayer of yours] recite the Qur’an in a slow measured tone. Because soon We
shall lay on you the burden of a heavy word [the burden of open warning].
Verily, this rising by night is very suitable for the mind’s peace and the
heart’s resolve and for the speech’s correctness. Because during the daytime you
will be hard-pressed with [this task; so pray at this time], and remember the
name of your Lord, and [in this loneliness of the night] devote yourself
entirely to Him. (73:1-8)
For common Muslims, this is
an optional prayer and it is a great blessing for them if in following the
Prophet (sws) they offer this prayer. It has been narrated that he would at most
offer eleven rak‘at in this prayer and would stand, kneel and prostrate for
great lengths of time in it. Indeed some narratives do mention thirteen rak‘at
but two of them are the optional rak‘at. Since the tahajjud prayer was
obligatory on the Prophet (sws), he prayed two optional rak‘at before them much
like the optional rak‘at Muslims pray before or after the obligatory part of
their prayer. This status of the optional rak‘at was not properly understood by
people and they counted it among the rak‘at of the tahajjud prayer.
In this regard, the narrative which holds primary importance is the following:
عن أبي سلمة بن عبد الرحمن أنه سأل عائشة رضي الله عنها كيف
كانت صلاة رسول الله في رمضان فقالت ما كان يزيد في رمضان ولا في غيره على إحدى
عشرة ركعة
Abu Salamah, the son of
‘Abd al-Rahman narrated that he asked from ‘A’ishah: “Describe the Prophet’s
prayer in the Ramadan?” She replied: “Never did the Prophet pray more than
eleven rak‘at either in ramadan or in any other month”.
As per the verbal or
practical corroboration of the Prophet (sws), the various ways in which this
prayer was offered are the following:
1. After offering two
rak‘at, the prayer should be ended with the salam and then one more rak‘at
should be offered as witr.
2. After praying two, four
or six rak‘at in groups of two rak‘at the prayer should be ended with the salam,
and then five rak‘at should be offered in a manner that one does qa‘dah in the
last rak‘at only.
3. After praying four
rak‘at or eight rak‘at in groups of four rak‘at, three rak‘at should be offered
in a manner that one does qa‘dah only in the last rak‘at.
4. After praying two, four,
six or eight rak‘at in groups of two without the qa‘dah, which should be done in
the last rak‘at, one rak‘at should be offered standing up after the qa‘dah
without saying the salam and then after the qa‘dah the salam should be said.
It is evident from the
narratives that initially in this prayer, the Qur’an was at times recited loudly
and at times silently. Later, the Almighty directed the Prophet (sws) to recite
it in a medium pitch:
وَلاَ تَجْهَرْ
بِصَلاَتِكَ وَلاَ تُخَافِتْ بِهَا وَابْتَغِ بَيْنَ ذَلِكَ سَبِيلاً (١١٠:١٧)
And pray neither with too loud a voice nor in a soft one,
but, between these extremes, seek a middle course. (17:110)
Consequently, the Prophet
(sws) also directed his Companions (rta) to recite in this way. Abu Qatadah
narrates that the Prophet told Abu Bakr (rta): “When I passed by you, you were
reciting the Qur’an in a low pitch [in the night prayer]”. He replied: “I recite
it to Him Who hears [even my] whispers”. The Prophet continued: “Raise your
pitch a little”. Then he told ‘Umar (rta): “When I passed by you, you were
reciting the Qur’an in a very loud pitch”. He replied: “I awake those who sleep,
and make Satan run away”. The Prophet said: “Lower your pitch a little”.
It is evident from Surah
Bani Isra’il and Surah Muzzammil, the real time of this prayer is when one gets
up at night, and for this reason it is called tahajjud. The Qur’an says that
this is the time when one is in the presence of the Almighty. The Prophet (sws)
has said: “Every night, the Almighty directs His attention upon our world. When
one-third night remains, He says: ‘Who is there at this moment to call me so
that I can respond to his call; who is it that can ask from Me so that I give
him; who is it that seeks mercy that I forgive him’ ”.
However, if a person is not
able to reap the blessings of this prayer, he can offer this prayer before going
to sleep. This inference is also evident from the verses of Surah Muzzammil
which mention a reduction of the amount of the prayer in the following words:
إِنَّ رَبَّكَ يَعْلَمُ أَنَّكَ تَقُومُ أَدْنَى مِن ثُلُثَيِ اللَّيْلِ وَنِصْفَهُ
وَثُلُثَهُ وَطَائِفَةٌ مِّنَ الَّذِينَ مَعَكَ وَاللَّهُ يُقَدِّرُ اللَّيْلَ
وَالنَّهَارَ عَلِمَ أَن لَّن تُحْصُوهُ فَتَابَ عَلَيْكُمْ فَاقْرَؤُوا مَا
تَيَسَّرَ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ عَلِمَ أَن سَيَكُونُ مِنكُم مَّرْضَى وَآخَرُونَ
يَضْرِبُونَ فِي الْأَرْضِ يَبْتَغُونَ مِن فَضْلِ اللَّهِ وَآخَرُونَ يُقَاتِلُونَ
فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ فَاقْرَؤُوا مَا تَيَسَّرَ مِنْهُ وَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ
وَآتُوا الزَّكَاةَ وَأَقْرِضُوا اللَّهَ قَرْضًا حَسَنًا وَمَا تُقَدِّمُوا
لِأَنفُسِكُم مِّنْ خَيْرٍ تَجِدُوهُ عِندَ اللَّهِ هُوَ خَيْرًا وَأَعْظَمَ
أَجْرًا وَاسْتَغْفِرُوا اللَّهَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ (٧٣:
٢٠)
[O Prophet! We had enjoined
upon you to stand by night]. Your Lord, indeed, knows that sometimes you stand
two thirds of the night and sometimes half and sometimes one third of it, and so
does a group among your followers. And Allah alone [keeping in regard the need
of people] appoints the day and night in due measure. He knew that you would not
be able to follow this [routine]. So He turned towards you mercifully. Recite
then from this Qur’an [in this prayer] as much as you are able to. He knows that
there are among you who will be sick and others who will be travelling to seek
the bounty of Allah and others who will be fighting for the cause of Allah; so,
recite then from this as much as is possible for you. (73:20)
The Prophet (sws) is
reported to have said:
أيكم خاف أن لا يقوم من آخر الليل فليوتر ثم ليرقد ومن وثق
بقيام من الليل فليوتر من آخره فإن قراءة آخر الليل محضورة وذلك أفضل
Whoever among you fears
that he would not be able to get up in the last part of the night, he should
offer the witr; but he who is certain that he would be able to get up, he should
offer this prayer in the last part of the night because the recital [of the
Qur’an] at that time is in the presence of the Almighty and it is this which is
more blessed.
The Prophet (sws) always
offered this prayer alone. However, once in a ramadan when he got up and came
out from his retiring enclosure into the mosque and offered this prayer within
the mosque, Muslims started to gather with the desire to pray behind him. When
the Prophet (sws) saw this, he discontinued offering this prayer fearing that
this prayer might also become obligatory for the Muslims. ‘Urwah Ibn Zubayr
narrates:
أن عائشة رضي الله عنها أخبرته أن رسول الله خرج ليلة من جوف
الليل فصلى في المسجد وصلى رجال بصلاته فأصبح الناس فتحدثوا فاجتمع أكثر منهم فصلى
فصلوا معه فأصبح الناس فتحدثوا فكثر أهل المسجد من الليلة الثالثة فخرج رسول الله
فصلى فصلوا بصلاته فلما كانت الليلة الرابعة عجز المسجد عن أهله حتى خرج لصلاة
الصبح فلما قضى الفجر أقبل على الناس فتشهد ثم قال أما بعد فإنه لم يخف علي مكانكم
ولكني خشيت أن تفرض عليكم فتعجزوا عنها
‘A’ishah informed him that
the Prophet came out at midnight and offered the prayer in the mosque. Some
people also prayed behind him there. When in the morning, these people mentioned
[this incident], more people gathered the next day. In this night also, when he
prayed in the mosque, people prayed behind him. When again in the morning people
mentioned this, the third night a large number gathered at the mosque. In this
night too, the Prophet came out and people prayed behind him. In the fourth
night, the mosque was packed to capacity with people, but in that night he did
not come out until it was fajr time. Then he turned to the people and bore
witness to the oneness of the Almighty and said: “I was not unaware of your
presence; I only feared that it might be made obligatory upon you and then you
would not be able to offer it”.
Until the time of ‘Umar’s
(rta) rule, people generally offered this prayer alone at their homes or in the
mosques when one day he came to the mosque of the Prophet (sws), and saw that
people were praying in different groups such that some of them were reciting
individually and others behind an imam. Since in this prayer the recital is
loud, there was a state of indiscipline in the mosque. ‘Umar (rta) deeming this
to be a show disrespect to the Qur’an, appointed Ubayy Ibn Ka‘b (rta) as the
overall imam of the prayer. After this, when another night he happened to chance
by and saw the people praying thus, he remarked: “This new thing is good, but
that which they leave because of sleep is better than this”.
It is evident from this
narrative that not only did ‘Umar (rta) not join the congregational tahajjud
prayer, but opined that if this prayer is offered at its actual time, then it
earns more blessings than if it is offered before going to sleep.
The Prophet (sws), as is
mentioned earlier, never offered more that eleven rak‘at for this prayer.
However, since the number of rak‘at of this prayer is not fixed, when one imam
was appointed to lead the people, they started to pray twenty three rak‘at in
ramadan and called it tarawih. Ever since that time, Muslims have generally been
offering the tarawih prayer in this manner and most of them are unaware of the
fact that it is in fact the tahajjud prayer which they are offering with the
‘isha prayer.
Besides these optional
prayers, the Prophet (sws) has regarded two rak‘at after wudu and adhan as a
means of earning great blessing and reward.
Narratives also mention that he would offer two rak‘at after returning from a
journey.
The Prophet (sws) has also asked Muslims to offer two rak‘at and pray to the
Almighty for forgiveness of sins and for istikharah.
This supplication of istikharah is as follows:
اللهم إني أستخيرك بعلمك وأستقدرك بقدرتك وأسألك من فضلك العظيم
فإنك تقدر ولا أقدر وتعلم ولا أعلم وأنت علام الغيوب اللهم إن كنت تعلم أن هذا
الأمر خير لي في ديني ومعاشي وعاقبة أمري أو قال في عاجل أمري وآجله فاقدره لي وإن
كنت تعلم أن هذا الأمر شر لي في ديني ومعاشي وعاقبة أمري أو قال في عاجل أمري وآجله
فاصرفه عني واصرفني عنه واقدر لي الخير حيث كان ثم رضني به
O Allah! I seek goodness
through Your Knowledge and through Your Might I seek strength, and I beg from
You Your great blessings, because You have the might and I do not have the
might. You know everything and I do not know, and You have knowledge of the
unseen. Oh Allah! If in Your Knowledge this action [which I intend to do] is
better with regard to my religion, my life and my fate then destine it for me
and make it easy for me and then add blessings to it for me. O Allah! In Your
knowledge if this action is bad for me, for my religion and for my fate, then
turn it away from me and [O Allah!] whatever is better for me, ordain that for
me wherever it is, and then make me satisfied with it.
(Translated from Ghamidi’s Qanun-i ‘Ibadat by Shehzad
Saleem)
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