VIRTUE OF DHUHA

The time of Dhuha begins when the sun is about a spear’s length above the horizon and
it continues until the sun reaches its meridian. It is preferred to delay it until the sun has risen high and the day has become hot.

The minimum number of rak’ahs to be prayed is two. The most that the Prophet
(SAW) performed was eight rak’ahs. Umm Hani narrated that the Prophet (SAW)
prayed eight rak’ahs of Dhuha and made the taslim after every two rak’ahs.
(Abu Dawud)

After the completion of the prayer, one is recommended to recite the following du’a:

DHUHA (Chaasht) SALAAH:


According to authentic Ahaadeeth of Rasulullah [sallallaahu alayhi wasallam]:

When anyone of you awakens in the morning, you must give sadaqah (charity) for every joint (of your body).

So, every tasbih is sadaqah and every tahmeed is sadaqah and and every tahleel is sadaqah and every takbeer is sadaqah and to enjoin a good action is sadaqah and forbidding an evil action is sadaqah.

And equal to all of this collectively is (the reward) a person gains from performing two raka’aat at the time of Dhuhaa (Chaasht).

(Sahih Muslim)

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(http://www.islaam.com/Article.aspx?id=518)


From Anas bin Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, who said: "The Messenger of Allah, sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam, said:

'Whoever prays the morning prayer in congregation then sits remembering Allah until the sun rises, then prays two units of prayer has the reward like that of Hajj and `Umrah.'" He said, "Allah's Messenger, sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam, said: 'Complete, complete, complete (i.e. reward).'"

(Related by at-Tirmidhi (2/586), Takhreej Ahmad Shakir. `Abu `Isa (at-Tirmidhi) said: This hadeeth is hasan ghareeb. Shakir said in his verification: At-Tirmidhi declared it hasan, and in its chain of narrators is Abu Dhilaal, and he has been spoken about, but the hadeeth has other supporting narrations. Al-Albani declared it hasan in Saheeh at-Tirmidhi (591) and At-Ta`leeq ar-Ragheeb (164 and 165) and Saheeh at-Targheeb (1/461) and declared it saheeh in Saheeh al-Jaami` (6346).)

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From Abi Umaamah who said: "Allah's Messenger, sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam, said:

'Whoever prays the morning prayer in congregation then sits remembering Allah until he sun rises, then stands up ad prays two units of prayer returns with the reward of Hajj and `Umrah.'"

[Majma` uz-Zawaid of al-Haythami 10/104-105] Related by at-Tabarani and its isnad is good. Al-Albani declared it hasan in Saheeh at-Targheeb (1/464)]

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From `Usrah who said, "I heard the Mother of believers, meaning `Aa'isha, say:

'I heard Allah's Messenger, sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam, say: 'Whoever prays fajr (or he said al-ghadaah, [transl. both referring to the morning prayer]), then sits in his place and does not speak idly with something from matters of this world and remembers Allah until he prays four units of Dhuha, he will leave his sins like the day his mother bore him, without any sin.''"

[al-Mataalib al-`Aaliyah bi Zawaa'id al-Masaaneed ath-Thamaaniyah of Ibn Hajr (3/3394), takhreej: Habeeb ur-Rahman al-A`dhami. The authenticator said: "Al-Buwaysari said: 'Abu Ya`laa related it about Salat adh-Dhuha with a hasan chain.'"] Related by Abu Ya`laa and at-Tabarani related something similar to it in al-Awsat.

Salaat-ul-Istikhara

Bismillahi Rahmani Raheem
Assalaamu alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu
Salaat-ul-Istikhara and its Rulings

(Summary from the Book, "The Three Abandoned Prayers" by Shaykh Adnaan Ali Uroor)

(http://www.geocities.com/albayaan/shaban1421/istikhara.html)

When the servant is concerned about an affair or decides upon a matter, or a problem arises in his mind and he wishes to act upon it, then he should seek guidance from his Lord before embarking upon it (as established in Sahih Bukhari vol.2, no.263; Ahmad 3/344; Abu Dawood vol.1. no.1533, an-Nasa'i no.3253, Tirmidhi no.480, Ibn Majah no.1383) by the following:

FIRSTLY: that he fulfills all the conditions of superogatory prayer - which are the same conditions for the obligatory prayer except the condition of enterning of the time for that particular prayer.

SECONDLY: that he prays two rakaahs of superogatory prayer, with the intention of al-Istikharaah (seeking guidance).

THIRDLY: after the prayer, he should make the supplication of al-Istikharaah:

Translation:
"O Allah, I seek your counsel by Your knowledge and I seek your assistance by Your power and I ask You from Your immense favor, for verily You are able while I am not, and verily You know while I do not, and You are the Knower of the Unseen. O Allah, if You know this affair (and here he mentions his need) to be good for me in relation to my religion, my life and aftermath, then decree it and facilitate it for me, and bless me with it, and if You know this affair to be ill for me concerning my religion, my life and end, then remove me from it, and decree for me what is good, wherever it maybe, and make me satisfied with it"

"The du'aa of one of you in answered so long as he does not become impatient and say "I made a du'aa to my Lord but He did not answer me"" (Bukhari, vol.8 352; Muslim, vol.4 6595).


FOURTHLY: He should have a strong assurance in his Lord and truthful reliance upon his Lord , being sure of guidance, waiting for the answer.



SOME FURTHER POINTS

* Salaat ul Istikharaah is not allowed in the times when salah is prohibited

*There is no specific surah to be recited in al-Istikharaah.

*The du'aa is to be performed after the two rakahs, without interruption. If one forgets to say it immediately but he still has wudhu and is still sitting then he should make it. If one has walked away then he must repeat the two rakahs.

* It is necessary to adhere to the exact text - "Verily the wordings of the duas are maintained exactly to the form established from the Prophet" (an-Nawawi, al-Majmoo 3/495). The scholars differ whether one is permitted to say something before the dua (praising Allah swt) and after it (saying salaam on the Prophet saw), as the general evidences for du'aa suggest this; or if it should be disallowed given al-istikharaah is a specific du'aa, therefore it is not befitting to add to it.

*The general rule is one hands should be raised unless proved that the Prophet (saw) did not do this in a particular dua. "Verily your Lord is generous, shy. If His servant raises his hands to Him (in supplication) He becomes shy to return them empty" (Ahmad, Abu Dawood vol.1 1483, Tirmidhi)

* Whether ones heart inclines towards something before al-Istikharah or not, the individual should still make al-Istikharaah for this affair.

*The individual should also seek guidance from those whom he knows to be righteous, whether before or after performing al-Istikharaah.



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"There is not a Muslim on the face of the earth that invokes Allah with a supplication except that he will be granted it or will be protected from an evil equal to his supplication, so long as the supplication is not for a sinful matter or for severing the family ties"
(Tirmidhi no.3568; see also Ahmad 3/18; and al-Haakim 1/493)

Salaah - Taraweeh Prayer

From : (http://ramadan.com.au/prayer?start=9)

‘Taraweeh prayers are daily night prayers observed after Isha prayer in Ramadan and can be carried out in congregation or individually. Although not compulsory but widely practiced, Taraweeh prayers are recognized as a special part of the holy month of Ramadan for Muslims.

The reason why Muslims prayer the Taraweeh prayer can be best explained in the following hadith.

“The Messenger of Allah, sala Allahu alahi wa sallam, said: "Whoever observes night prayer in Ramadan as an expression of his faith and to seek reward from Allah, his previous sins will be blotted out." (Muslim)

The practice of performing Taraweeh prayers in the mosque was established by our beloved Prophet Mohammed, sala Allahu alahi wa sallam. However, he did not continually observe the Taraweeh prayers in the mosque for fear that it would be made compulsory on all Muslims to do so throughout the Holy month of Ramadan.

Taraweeh prayers consist of various numbers of raka'ats, generally ranging from 8 to 20 (not including the witr prayer). Muslims are encouraged to perform the Taraweeh prayers in Ramadan to increase their level of spirituality amongst many other benefits.

Taraweeh is an opportunity to acquire the pleasure of Allah swt. Depending on a Muslims physical strength, time constraints and willingness, Taraweeh prayer can be varied in units and extended for greater rewards in the manner of more rakaa’s prayed or longer surat being read. In fact it is sunnah to complete reading the entire Quran in Taraweh prayer in Ramadan.

"The Messenger of Allah, (sala Allahu alahi wa sallam), observed Taraweeh prayer in the mosque one night and people prayed with him. He repeated so the following night and the number of participants grew. The companions congregated the third and fourth night, but the Messenger did not show up.

In the morning he told them, "I saw what you did last night, but nothing prevented me from joining you except my fear that it might be made mandatory on you in Ramadan."

It was only Omar bin kutab (r.a), that had made the companions join together and pray Taraweeh in congregation.

Apart from the obvious benefits as mentioned in the hadith above, Taraweeh prayer other positives include building a sense of community by bringing together Muslims during Ramadan every evening, physical benefits through mediation and movement of the body, and building and strengthening a spiritually conducive environment for Muslims.

It is in fact quite common that the leader of the congregation, the Imam, recites the entire Qur'an throughout the month. This gives the listeners a chance to hear the Holy Qur'an in its entirety and gives them a chance to reflect over its meanings. It is common to see grown men cry and shed tears as they reflect on the words of their creator, and they reflect on their lives.

Praying Taraweeh, with sincerity and correctly not only wipes away previous sins and increases the level of closeness to Allah swt, building greater conviction, and certainty, which strengthens a Muslim in their speech and actions in and outside of Ramadan.

For most Muslims as they approach the end of the month of Ramadan, the aura in the air at Taraweeh prayers is one of sadness and sorrow that this special prayer is gone for another year.

The Muslim who has the capacity, but fails to grasp the opportunity of performing the Taraweeh prayers with sincerity and correctly, knowing well the benefits of it, truly suffers from a poverty of incorrect priorities.

5 DAILY OBLIGATORY SOLAH

Allah states in Surah At Taubah verse 103 :

" Verily ! Your solahs are a source of security for them, and Allah is All- Hearer, All Knower."

Solah is defined as :

Specific words and actions that begins with "takbiratul ihram" and ends with the "salaam".

It is a gift to Muslims from Allah, a form of prayer that includes a number of Rakaah (praying during standing, bowing, prostrating and sitting) whilst facing the Qiblah (Direction towards the Ka'abah in Makkah, Arabia).

Salaah is performed in a specific manner, read in Arabic and includes recitations of the Holy Quran and words of that praise, gratify and glorify Allah - The Most Beneficent, The Most Merciful.

Five salaah are (Fardh) obligatory and are the second pillar of Islaam, and compulsory upon every Muslims that fulfils the following requirement :

1. Mukallaf ( reached the age of pubescence ).

2. Sane

3. Free from menstruation ( haid ) and post child-birth ( nifas ).


These Solah are determined by its time period and cannot be performed before or after its pre-determined time.

These timings were taught by Angel Gabriel to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) after the occasion of Israk and Mi'raj.


1. Fajar (2 Raka'ats)

The time of Fajar starts from the break of dawn ( fajar sadiq ) till the sunrise.


2. Zuhur (4 Raka'ats)

The time of Zuhur starts when the sun passes its median to the West. During this time, the shadow of each object starts elongating towards the East.The time for Zuhur continues till the length of the shadow is the same as the object itself.


3. 'Asar (4 Raka'ats)

The time of 'Asar starts when the shadow of each object equals its own height. It continues till sunset.


4. Maghrib (3 Raka'ats)

The time for Maghrib starts from sunset and continues till the redness of the clouds ( syafak ahmar ) dissappears.


5. 'Isyak (4 Raka'ats)

The time for 'Isyak starts when the redness of the clouds clears and continues till the break of dawn.

Allah Almighty knows best.

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It was reported in Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was asked by a Bedouin Arab about the obligatory Solah and he answered :

5 solahs in the day and night.

The Bedouin asked again : Anything more imposed on me ?

The Prophet answered : No, unless you want to perform the voluntary ones.

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