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What is îmân? Question: What is îmân?
ANSWER
Îmân means having belief in the six fundamental principles (Âmantu) of faith, and also accepting by heart all the commandments and prohibitions revealed to Muhammad (�alaihis-salâm) by Allahu ta�âlâ and delivered by him to us, and to state this belief with the tongue.

The six fundamental principles of faith (âmantu) are as follows:

Âmantu bi�llâhi wa Malâ�ikatihi wa Kutubihi wa Rusûlihi wal-yawm-il-âkhiri wa bil-qadari khairihi wa sharrihi minallâhi ta�âlâ walbâ�thu ba�d-al-mawt haqqun ash-hadu an lâ ilâha illallâh wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan �abduhu wa Rasûluhu.
[That is, I have belief in Allahu ta�âlâ, in His angels, in His books, in His prophets, in the Day of Resurrection and Judgement, and in qadar [that is], that good and (khair) evil (sharr) are from Allahu ta�âlâ. I bear witness that there is no ilâh (being to be worshipped) except Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad (�alaihis-salâm) is His born slave and His Messenger.]

Îmân itself is without consulting mind, experience or philosophy, to confirm, to believe the facts which Hadrat Muhammad communicated as the Prophet. If one confirms them because they are reasonable, one has confirmed mind, not the Prophet. Or one will have confirmed the Messenger and the mind together, in which case the Prophet has not been trusted completely. When confidence is incomplete, there is not îmân. Allahu ta�âlâ purports in the third âyat of Sûrat al-Baqara, (They believe in the Unseen [even though they do not see, they believe in what My Prophet communicates].). In addition, His Messenger declares, (There is no one more corruptive than one who measures the religion [religious knowledge] with one�s mind.) [Tabarânî]

If one who does not believe in the effects of evil eye says, �Today science explains that rays that are invisible to the eye effect tasks in many areas. For example, we can turn on or off our TVs and radios, or start our cars by using a remote control machine. For this reason, from now on, I believe that the rays coming out from eyes may cause damage,� this reasoning will have no worth then. For, this person does not believe in what the religion states, but the rays streaming from a remote control machine. Or one believes in both the rays and the Prophet. That is, it is not îmân, because one believes them due to the fact that science accepts the existence of the rays, and that one bears witness to the effects of them. It is necessary for us to believe in what are communicated in the religion even if science cannot prove them, and even if we cannot see their benefits and harms with our eyes. The real belief is to believe in the unseen; that is, believing something without seeing it. After one has seen, it is not îmân any more. In fact, it will be a confession of eye-witnessing. What is praised in the 3rd âyat of Sûrat al-Baqara is having îmân in the ghayb, that is, believing in the unseen. Likewise, the six fundamental principles of îmân necessitate having faith in the ghayb. Because we have not seen any of them with our eyes.

Our Master, the Prophet explained the îmân as follows by clarifying the âyats concerning the faith below:
(Îmân is having faith in Allahu ta�âlâ, in His angels, in His books, in His prophets, in the Last Day, [that is, having belief in the Day of Qiyama, Paradise, Hell, Judgement, and Mîzân �balance�] in qadar [that is], that good (khair) and evil (sharr) are from Allahu ta�âlâ, and in death and Resurrection. Also, îmân is to bear witness that there is no ilâh except Allah, and that I am a born slave and the Messenger of Him.) [Bukhârî, Muslim, Nasâî]

It is purported in the Qur�ân al-karîm:

(The real piety is to believe in Allah, in the Last Day, in His angels, in His books, and in His messengers.) [Sûrat al-Baqara 177]

(They believe in the Unseen [even if they do not see Allah, angels, the Doomsday, Paradise, and Hell]) [Sûrat al-Baqara 3]

(They believe in that which is revealed unto thee (Muhammad �alaihis-salâm� ) and that which was revealed before thee, and are certain of the Hereafter.) [Sûrat al-Baqara 4]

The necessity of believing in Allah, in the Last Day, in His angels, In His books, in His prophets, and in the unseen is declared in the above-mentioned three âyats.

(He knows what lies before them and what is after them.) [Sûrat al-Baqara 255]

(And no person can ever die except by Allah�s leave.) [Sûrat Âl-i �Imrân 145]

(Allah has decreed a stated term [for you].) [Sûrat al-An�âm 2]

The three âyats above highlight that whatever comes upon humanbeings is by Allahu ta�âlâ�s Will, and also indicate that one must believe in qadar.

(If some good reaches them, they say, �This is from Allah� but if some evil befalls them, they say, �This is from you.� Say: "All things are from Allah," so what is wrong with these people that they fail to understand any word?) [Sûrat an-Nisâ 78]

The âyat above notifies us of the fact that good and evil are from Allahu ta�âlâ.

(Muhammad (�alaihis-salâm) is the Messenger of Allah and the Last of the prophets.) [Sûrat al-Ahzâb 40]

Furthermore, that âyat declares that Hadrat Muhammad is the Prophet of Allahu ta�âlâ.

The meaning of Âmantu
The hadîth-i sharîf stating the Âmantu purports as in the following:
(Îmân is having faith in Allahu ta�âlâ, in His angels, in His books, in His prophets, in the Last Day, [that is, having belief in the Day of Qiyama, Paradise, Hell, Judgement, and Mîzân �balance�] in qadar [that is], that good (khair) and evil (sharr) are from Allahu ta�âlâ, and in death and Resurrection. Also, îmân is to bear witness that there is no ilâh except Allah, and that I am a born slave and the Messenger of Him.) [Bukhârî, Muslim, Nasâî]

Faith in Allah:
Having faith in Allahu ta�âlâ means accepting and believing with one�s heart in His existence, His Oneness, His having no partner, His creating everything out of nothing, and there being no creator other than Allah. It means accepting and loving all of the rules of the religion which Allahu ta�âlâ has sent through with the mediation of the Last Prophet Muhammad (�alaihis-salâm) who came as rahmat-al-lil-�alamîn (grace to all nations).

It is purported in an âyat-i karîma:
(Believe in Allah and His Messenger, the ummî Prophet!) [Sûrat al-A�râf 158]

Faith in His Angels:
Angels are nûrânî (luminous, spiritual) creatures. They are neither male or female. It is a condition for us to love their deeds, and to accept, to confirm that they are all sinless and obedient.

It is purported in an âyat-i karîma:
(The real piety is to believe in Allah, in the Last Day, in His angels, in His Books, and in His messengers.) [Sûrat al-Baqara 177]

Faith in His Books:
The faith in the Books has to be as follows: The Zabûr (the original Psalms), the Tawrât (Torah), the Injîl (Latin Evangelium), the Qur�ân al-karîm, and all other books were sent down by Allahu ta�âlâ. All of the Books are just and right; however, with the Last Book, the Our�ân al-karîm, Allahu ta�âlâ abolished the validity of other books. Besides, one must also accept and confirm that the books before Qur�ân al-karîm were defiled by people, and they are no longer The Word of Allahu ta�âlâ.

It is purported in an âyat-i karîma:
(They believe in that which is revealed [Qur�ân al-karîm] unto thee and that which was revealed before thee) [Sûrat al-Baqara 4]

Faith in His Prophets:
One must accept and confirm that all prophets were selected by Allahu ta�âlâ, and they were all devoted, truthful, and did not commit any grave or venial sins. A person who does not certify and who belittles even one of them becomes a kâfir (disbeliever). One must believe, accept and certify that the first prophet is Âdam (�alaihis-salâm), and the last one is Muhammad (�alaihis-salâm). One must put faith in this fact that our Master, the Prophet communicated the rules of the religion in the best and precise manner, and one must accept and love all these commandments and prohibitions.

An âyat-i karîma purports:
(Those who believe in Allah and His messengers and do not make a distinction between any of them- Allah will grant them their rewards.) [Sûrat an-Nisâ]

Faith in Qadâ� and Qadar:
Having faith in qadâ� and qadar necessitate a person to believe that Allahu ta�âlâ has bestowed irâda-i juz�iyya (partial will) upon people, and that people make selections using their partial wills, and that all of their deeds are created by Allahu ta�âlâ in the end. The meaning of khair (good) and sharr (evil) is to know, to accept, to confirm and to esteem highly that all deeds are opted and willed by people, and that Allahu ta�âlâ creates them if He also wills.

It is purported in an âyat-i karîma:
(The command of Allah is a predestined qadar that will certainly take place.) [Sûrat al-Ahzâb 38]

Faith in the Last Day:
Faith in the Last Day means believing, accepting and esteeming highly that people will resurrect after the annihilation of everything, and that, after Judgement and Mîzân �balance,�

The Muslims will be awarded Paradise and the disbelievers will be in Hell eternally.

An âyat-i karîma purports:
(They [Muslims] believe in Yawm al-âkhir.) [Sûrat al-Baqara 4]

Faith in Kalima-i shahâdat has to be as follows:
I bear witness; that is, I know and utter as if I saw that there is no ilâh save Allah. Again, I bear witness; that is, I know and utter as if I saw that Muhammad (�alaihis-salâm) is a born servant, the Messenger and the Last Prophet of Allahu ta�âlâ.

Two âyat-i karîmas purport:

(Muhammad (�alaihis-salâm) is the Messenger of Allah and the Last of the prophets.) [Sûrat al-Ahzâb 40]

([As for] Those who believe in Allah and His Prophet will have their light and rewards.) [Sûrat al-Hadîd 19]

What is �having faith�?
Question: In order to be a Muslim, it is obligatory that we have faith in all six tenets of belief in Âmantu. What is �having faith� then?
ANSWER
Believing means admitting, confirming and loving as if we saw it. In order for one to be a Muslim, it is obligatory that one have faith; that is, one has to believe in the commandments and the prohibitions of our religion. Indeed, it does not suffice to have faith alone; additionally, one must also love and regard them with reverence. So this issue is a matter of knowledge. Practising the rules of the religion is separate from accepting, loving and respecting them. Whereas whether one carries out these commandments or not is related to committing sins or gaining thawâb, accepting and loving them are related to îmân (belief). The six fundemantal principles of faith are a complete indivisible ensemble which are crucially important. They do not tolerate even a shadow of doubt. Not to love and not to like any of them are signs of disbelief no matter whether one believes in it or not.

What is the definition of îmân?
You define îmân as in the following:
�Îmân itself is without consulting mind, experience or philosophy, to confirm, to believe the facts which Muhammad (�alaihis-salâm) communicated as the Prophet. If one confirms them because they are reasonable, one has confirmed mind, not the Prophet. Or one will have confirmed the Messenger and the mind together, in which case the Prophet has not been trusted completely. When confidence is incomplete, there is not îmân. Îmân is to believe for certain in the six tenets of belief in the Âmantu. For, when the pious are exalted in the Qur�ân al-karîm, it is purported, (They believe in the Unseen.)�
This definition contradicts the Qur�ân, and is contrary to the 62th âyat of Sûrat al-Baqara. Îmân should be having faith in only Allahu ta�âlâ and in the Last Day. This definition has nothing to do with Muhammadî path, either.
ANSWER
The term Muhammadî is not appropriate. This term belongs to orientalists and missionaries who do not believe in our Master, the Prophet�s prophethood, and who allege that the Qur�ân is not the Word of Allah, but the Word of Muhammad (�alaihis-salâm). Are the principles that must be believed in highlighted only in the 62th âyat of (sûra) Baqara?

Why are you drawing a veil over other âyats? However, in this way, you cannot hide the truth. Îmân is not believing only in Allah and in the Last Day. As a matter of fact, îmân is having faith in all six tenets of belief in the Âmantu. What is praised in the 3rd âyat of Baqara Sûra is believing in the ghayb; that is, believing in the unseen. Likewise, the six tenets of belief necessitate believing in the unseen, because we have not seen any of them with our eyes.

Do you know how Hadrat Abû Bakr as-Siddîq (radiy-Allahu ta�âlâ �anh), the highest and the most auspicious of all human beings after prophets, was promoted to this high grade and attained the name of �Siddîq�? The reason for his receiving this honor is his saying with his heart, (Every word Allahu ta�âlâ reveals is true, and every word declared by His Prophet is true). These words of his bewildered the disbelievers, and being at a loss, they said, (How amazing! Verily, Muhammad bewitched Abû Bakr, because he believes and confirms His [Muhammad �alaihis-salâm�] ascent to the Mi�râj in a moment.)

Our Master, the Prophet explained the îmân as follows by clarifying the âyats concerning the faith below:

(Îmân is having faith in Allahu ta�âlâ, in His angels, in His books, in His prophets, in the Last Day, [that is, having belief in the Day of Qiyama, Paradise, Hell, Judgement, and Mîzân �balance�] in qadar [that is], that good (khair) and evil (sharr) are from Allâhu ta�âlâ, and in death and Resurrection. Also, îmân is to bear witness that there is no ilâh except Allah, and that I am a born slave and the Messenger of Him.) [Bukhârî, Muslim, Nasâî]

It is purported in the Qur�ân al-karîm:

(The real piety is to believe in Allah, in the Last Day, in His angels, in His books, and in His messengers.) [Sûrat al-Baqara 177]

(They believe in the Unseen [even if they do not see Allah, angels, the Doomsday, Paradise, and Hell]) [Sûrat al-Baqara 3]

(They believe in that which is revealed unto thee [Muhammad �alaihis-salâm�] and that which was revealed before thee, and are certain of the Hereafter.) [Sûrat al-Baqara 4]

The necessity of believing in Allah, in the Last Day, in His angels, In His books, in His prophets, and in the unseen is declared in the above-mentioned three âyats.

(He knows what lies before them and what is after them.) [Sûrat al-Baqara 255]

(And no person can ever die except by Allah�s leave.) [Sûrat Âl-i �Imrân 145]

(Allah has decreed a stated term [for you].) [Sûrat al-An�âm 2]

The three âyats above highlight that whatever comes upon humanbeings is by Allahu ta�âlâ�s Will, and also indicate that one must believe in qadar.

(If some good reaches them, they say, �This is from Allah,� but if some evil befalls them, they say, �This is from you.� Say: �All things are from Allah,� so what is wrong with these people that they fail to understand any word?) [Sûrat an-Nisâ 78]

The âyat above notifies us of the fact that good and evil are from Allahu ta�âlâ.

(Muhammad [�alaihis-salâm] is the Messenger of Allah and the Last of the prophets.) [Sûrat al-Ahzâb 40]

Furthermore, that âyat declares that Hadrat Muhammad is the Prophet of Allahu ta�âlâ.

Îmân is an imperative need for every person
Question: Is �having îmân� not a requirement of the mind?
ANSWER
Our Master, the Prophet (sall-Allâhu alaihi wa sallam) informed that a person without îmân will burn eternally in the fire of Hell. This information is definitely true. Believing this is as essential as believing in the fact that Allahu ta�âlâ exists and is One. What does it mean to burn eternally in a fire? Imagining being burned eternally in a fire could drive anyone mad with fear. And one would look for a way to secure oneself against this horrifying disaster. The way to do this, in its turn, is very simple. What will secure one against this everlasting disaster is merely �to believe that Allahu ta�âlâ exists and is One, and that Muhammad (�alaihis-salâm) is His Last Messenger, and that all the facts he has informed of are true.�

If one says that one does not believe in the threat of burning eternally, that one does not fear such a disaster, that one is not looking for a way to escape that disaster, our challenge is: �Do you have an evidence, a document to base your disbelief on? What knowledge or science keeps you from believing?� Certainly, one will not be able to adduce an evidence. Can a statement not based on documentary facts be said to be knowledge or science? It may be called a supposition or assumption. Would it not be necessary to secure oneself against the horrendous calamity of �burning in everlasting fire� even if it were one to a billion probability? Wouldn�t a judicious person avoid such a misadventure? Wouldn�t one look for safety precautions against the possible danger of burning eternally in fire? As it is seen, îmân is the only choice for any person who has wisdom.

Having îmân does not require enduring hardships such as paying taxes, donating property, carrying loads, and the deprivation of abstaining from pleasant, sweet tastes. A heartfelt, devoted, sincere belief will do. Nor is it necessary to inform unbelievers about one�s belief. Imâm ar-Rabbânî (rahimahullahu ta�âlâ) states, �Even if one does not believe in the fact that there will be eternal burning (for unbelievers), one should at least surmise for prudence� sake.� Supposing timeless burning in a fire were a mere possibility, would it not be idiocy, a very grave eccentricity to refrain from the blessing of îmân, which is its only and definite remedy?

People who are deprived of îmân
Question: �If one is endowed with the blessing of îmân, is there any other blessing more precious than it? But, if one is deprived of the blessing of îmân, is there any other deprivation more desperate than it? � What do these words of wisdom mean?
ANSWER
The ultimate conclusion is drawn after judging the last status. What is considered important is eternal profit or loss. The cause of attaining the eternal blessings or falling into eternal torments is conditional upon the existence of a treasure in one�s heart. This treasure is having îmân; that is, becoming a Muslim. Accordingly, those words of wisdom mean that one possesses all things if one has this treasure but one is deprived of all things if one does not have this treasure. For example, suppose a pious Muslim who is the poorest of all people in the world. If people say to him, � If you give up your îmân, we will grant you all the imaginable fortunes, and the title deeds. You will also lead the world,� that needy pious Muslim never accepts this offer. As it is seen, a person with îmân has acquired not only an unattainable grade but also a treasure that cannot be bought, even when all the fortunes of the world come together.

To sum up, if one who has faith in Allahu ta�âlâ keeps this credal state at one�s last breath, one will be in Paradise eternally. In that case, if one does not have any other wordly things, does it really matter? As for unbelievers, the ultimate doom for them is the eternal Hell fire. Even if they possess all the world, can it ward off the bitter end? For this reason, when we are doing any deed, our major concern must be the Consent of Allahu ta�âlâ; whether He is pleased with our occupation with a certain deed or not. If He is pleased with that deed, rumblings of discontent from other people do not set any value. Conversely, if He is not pleased with it, it is of no value whether people are content or pleased with it. Then, our supreme measure of value in all our deeds must be the Consent of Allahu ta�âlâ.

Stating the belief with the tongue
Question: I have a friend from England. He has become a Muslim, and practices namâzes [ritual prayers], but he has not informed people about his belief. He says that if the English hear about his belief they will have a bad opinion of him. He has read in the books that it is necessary to accept by heart and to state this belief with the tongue. So he wants to learn that in the presence of how many people he must state his belief with his tongue, and also wants to learn that he will not be considered a Muslim if he dies before stating his belief with his tongue in the presence of people.
ANSWER
Yes, in order to become a Muslim, it is obligatory to accept the tenets of belief by heart and to state this belief with the tongue. However, (as for your friend) it is not necessary for him to inform others about his belief. One must state one�s belief with the tongue in a Muslim country so that one can be known as a Muslim, so that religious and social dealings which concern Muslims can be applied to one as well, and so that one can be interred in a Muslim cemetery.

Believing and loving
Question: It is said that all people who believe in Paradise, in Hell and in the existence of Allah are Mu�mins and they, who believe in this way, will be awarded Paradise. Is it true?
ANSWER
It is plainly wrong! Shaytân, in the same way, believes in Allah, in Paradise and Hell, in the other tenets of belief, in angels, in prophets, in the heavenly books, in the Resurrection after death, and in the Day of Judgement; that is, Shaytân knows them as well. However, it does not suffice only to know and to believe in the six fundemantal principles of belief in the Âmantu. As well as believing in the six fundemantal principles of belief in the Âmantu, it is an additional condition that one must also accept and love all the commandments and prohibitions revealed by Allahu ta�âlâ. One who does not love any of them cannot become a Muslim. Apart from these, there is another issue; namely, hubb-i-fillah and bughd-i-fillah.

That is, one must consider Allah�s friends as friends and His enemies as enemies. If one stays away from His friends and loves His enemies, then one is not a Muslim.

As it can be seen, even Shaytân believes in Âmantu, and knows it in detail. But Shaytân does not accept and love them, and, what is more, considers the enemies of Allah as the friends and the friends of Allah as the enemies. A person who knows and believes like Shaytân is not a Muslim.

The most virtuous îmân
Question: What is the most virtuous îmân?
ANSWER
After believing in the six tenets of belief and having hubb-i-fillah and bughd-i-fillah, the most virtuous of all good deeds is to remember Allahu ta�âlâ all the time, and to do one�s all acts compatibly with the religion and for the sake of Allah.

It is stated in a hadîth-i sharîf:
(The most virtuous îmân is your knowing that Allahu ta�âlâ is with you no matter where you are.) [Tabarânî]


Deeds are not a part of îmân Question: Are a�mâl [deeds, conduct, or practice] a part of îmân [belief]? That is, does a person who does not perform a fard [a command] or who commits a harâm [a prohibited act] become a kâfir [disbeliever]?
ANSWER
No, such a person does not become a disbeliever. If deeds were a part of îmân, every sinner would become a disbeliever. There would remain no Muslim.
Although Mu�tazilas, Wahhâbîs and some other heretical sects have claimed that deeds are included in îmân, in fact, they are not included in it. While the opposite of disbelief is belief, the opposite of sins are acts of worship. Whereas people who abandon îmân become disbelievers, those who abandon acts of worship become sinners. Îmân without acts of worship is acceptable, but acts of worship without îmân is not acceptable. Though it is sometimes permissible and necessary to omit the acts of worship like performing namâz and fasting, e.g. during the days of menstruation and puerperium, it is never permissible to omit the îmân.

Though îmân alone leads a person to Paradise, acts of worship alone do not lead a person to Paradise. Whereas îmân that is not accompanied by deeds is valid, deeds that are not accompanied by îmân are not valid. Acts of worship performed by disbelievers will be of no avail in the Hereafter. Îmân cannot be presented to others, but the thawâb of acts of worship can be presented to others. Îmân cannot be bequeathed, yet people can will acts of worship to be performed for themselves. While people who neglect acts of worship do not become disbelievers, people who neglect the îmân become disbelievers. Deeds lapse from people in case of an excuse, but îmân never lapses from anyone.

Hadrat Imâm-i Ghazâlî declares:
�Offering the 29th âyat of Sûrat-ur-Ra�d which purports, �They believed and did pious deeds,� as proof, heretical groups assert that deeds are a part of îmân. However, this and such kinds of âyats indicate that deeds are not included in îmân, but excluded from it. If it were the contrary, the phrase �wa �amilussâlihâti� would have been reiterated unnecessarily. For it is declared in a hadîth-i sharîf, �A person does not become a disbeliever as long as he does not deny the thing he has confirmed.� Sinners are not in an act of denial of the fundamentals of îmân they confirmed. In the Hereafter, only the disbelievers will not get benefit from the Shafâ�at [intercession]. And this shows the fact that the interceded sinners are not disbelievers. When it is reported in a hadîth-i sharîf, �I will intercede for those who have committed grave sins,� Hadrat Abû-d-Dardâ asked, �Oh Rasûlullah, will people who have committed adultery and acts of theft get benefit from the intercession? He replied, �Yes, I will also intercede for those who have committed adultery and acts of theft.� People who have died with îmân will enter Paradise sooner or later.�
It is reported in hadîth-i sharîfs:

(I will intercede for every Mu�min [Muslim] who has not died in a state of shirk.) [Bazzâr, Hâkim, Bayhaqî]

(He who has a mote of îmân in his heart will not remain in Hell.) [Bukhârî]

(I will intercede for every Mu�min who has committed grave sins.) [Nasâî, Tirmudhî]

(I will intercede for sinners who have died with îmân.) [Bukhârî, Muslim]

Sinful Muslims will enter Paradise after they suffer the penalty. The hadîth-i sharîf, �Îmân departs from a person who has committed adultery and who has drunk alcoholic drinks,� point outs the fact that sinners are not kâmil [perfect] Mu�mins. The meaning of the statement, �Îmân is belief with the heart, affirmation with the tongue, and deeds with the limbs,� is as follows: The role of îmân in humans is like the role of the head among the organs of the body. Limbs such as hands and arms are like deeds. A human can be without hands and arms, but not without the head. We describe a normal human being with all the limbs. That is, even if some of the limbs are missing, a human is a human, anyway. Likewise, when a perfect Mu�min is described, deeds are also added. As a person whose hands and feet are amputated called a �living dead,� so a person who commits grave sins is called �a non-Mu�min� in the meaning of not being a perfect Mu�min. (Ihyâ)

Who commit sins
Question: Are the Muslims who commit sins called disbelievers?
ANSWER
They are not called disbelievers because according to the Ahl as-sunna, a person does not become a disbeliever due to committing evils. Some sects of bid�at involve themselves in the heresy of calling sinners and those who do not share their thoughts disbelievers.
It is stated in a hadîth-i sharîf:
(A person who calls a Mu�min [Muslim] a disbeliever becomes one himself.) [Bukhârî]

People who profess that they are Muslims and who say the Kalima-i shahâdat cannot be named disbelievers. In a war, our Master, the Prophet asked the person who had killed another one who said the Kalima-i shahâdat, �Why did you kill a person saying the Kalima-i shahâdat?� He answered, �He was saying by word of mouth, but he was denying in his heart.� He scolded him, �Did you cleave his heart and look inside?�

For this reason, you have to beware of calling a Mu�min a disbeliever.

When wine gets in, does îmân go out?
Question: In the book Ethics of Islam, Hadrat �Uthmân is quoted as saying, �I swear by Allahu ta�âlâ that while a person is drinking wine îmân addresses to the wine, �O you, the accursed one, halt! First I leave, then you enter.���
Also there are hadîth-i sharîfs in the same meaning:
(A person cannot drink alcoholic drinks while being a Mu�min [Muslim].) [Nasâî]
(The îmân of a wine drinker goes away like a shirt�s taking off from the body.) [Hâkim]
(Alcoholic drinks and îmân cannot come together; one of them makes the other go away.) [Bayhaqî]
(The light of îmân within the heart of a alcohol drinker fades away.) [Tabarânî]
My question is: does the îmân of a wine drinker go away? That is, does such a person become a disbeliever?
ANSWER
No. In our religion, deeds are not a part of îmân. In other words, we cannot call wine drinkers or those committing evils disbelievers. If they were a part of îmân, every sinner would become a disbeliever; there would remain no Muslim. Morover, even deviants themselves who maintain, �Acts of worship are included in îmân; sinners become disbelievers,� would not be Muslims. For being ma�thûm, that is, sinless is peculiar to prophets alone.
Hadrat Imâm-i Rabbânî states:
�Hadrat Imâm-i A�zam noted, �A Believer�s îmân does not go away no matter how grave a sin committed.� If a Believer with a lot of sins has died without making tawba [repentance], if Allahu ta�âlâ wishes, He will forgive all the sins, or He will torment that person as much as the amount of sins. But at last He puts that one in Paradise. It is only disbelievers who will not attain salvation in the Hereafter. Those with the tiniest îmân will be saved.� (Second Volume, 67th Letter)
While clarifying the abovementioned hadîth-i sharifs, Hadrat Imâm-i Ghazâlî explains, �Those with perfect îmân cannot drink alcoholic drinks. If they drink, it is understood that their îmân is weak.� It is purported in a hadîth-i sharîf:

(Hadrat Jabrâ�îl [Gabriel �alaihissalâm�] said that every Muslim who died without having attributed anything as a partner to Allahu ta�âlâ would go to Paradise. I asked, �Even if he has committed theft and adultery?� He answered, �Yes.� I asked this of him three times. He answered, � Yes, he will enter Paradise, even if he has drunk wine.�) [Bukhârî, Tirmudhî]


Committing sins and îmân Question: Do committing sins and continuing to commit them not cause people to lose their îmân [belief]?
ANSWER
Committing grave sins and continuing to commit them may lead people to kufr [disbelief] and result in dying without îmân.

Question: What are the grave (major) sins?
ANSWER
Some of them are as follows:

1- To hold a bid�at. [Any change or reform made in the religion is termed a bid�at. It is a grave sin to hold a bid�at pertaining to tenets of belief and acts of worship.]
2- To continue committing sins.
3- Not to render your gratitude for being a Muslim.
4- Not to have the fear of dying without îmân.
5- To commit oppression.
6- To be rebellious to your parents.
7- To swear oaths very often, even if they are true.
8- Not to attach importance to learning the namâz [ritual prayer] and teaching it to your children.
9- To drink alcoholic beverages.
10- To make others think you are a pious person, though you are not.
11- To belittle your sin.
12- To have self-love.
13- To hold yourself superior to others owing to your knowledge and acts of worship.
14- To be jealous.
15- To say that a certain person is �good� before testing him/her.
16- To continue telling lies and backbiting.
17- To avoid the books of Ahl as-sunnat savants.
18- To maltreat your neighbors, even if they are disbelievers.
19- To get angry very often for worldly affairs.
20- To practise sorcery.
21- To give up visiting your mahram relatives who obey Islam.
22- Not to love those whom Allahu ta�âlâ loves, and to love those whom He does not love.
23- To feel hatred of your Muslim brother for more than three days.
24- To commit fornication, adultery, or sodomy.
25- Not to cover yourself as Islam has commanded.
26- To commit murder.
27- To steal.
28- To take narcotic drugs.
29- To commit usurpation.
30- To eat publicly in the month of Ramadân.
31- To pay fâidh [interest] without a darûrat.
32- To devour the wealth of orphans unjustly.
33- To cheat in measuring or weighing.
34- To perform namâzes [ritual prayers] before or after their due times.
35- To break others� heart.
36- To accept a bribe
37- Not to give the zakât and �ushr of one�s property. [zakât: (fard duty of giving annually) a certain amount of certain kinds of property given to certain kinds of people; �ushr: the zakât of production obtained from one�s land is termed �ushr.]
38- To burn a living animal.
39- To forget how to read the Qur�ân al-karîm after learning it.
40- To despair of Allah�s Mercy.
41- To commit perfidy.
42- Not to love any of the Ashâb-i kirâm.
43- To call chaste women unchaste.
44- To spread gossip (carry words) among Muslims.
45- To expose your awrat parts or to look at a person�s awrat parts.
46- To breach of trusts.
47- To be stingy.
48- Fondness for the world.
49- Not to fear the torment of Allahu ta�âlâ.
50- Not to accept a harâm [a thing that is prohibited] as harâm and a halâl [a thing that is permitted] as halâl.
51- To believe in what soothsayers say.
52- To look at women and girls, that is, to look at harâm.
53- For women, to wear like men and vice-versa.
54- To remind people of your doing them favors.
55- To swear an oath with any name other than Allah, for example, to say, �May I kiss my child�s dead body!�
56- To be a perpetual committer of a venial sin.
57- To remain junub [one who has to perform a ghusl] so long as to miss a prayer time.
58- To play and listen to musical instruments.
59- To commit suicide.
60- Not to learn your religion.

Slighting the sins
Question: What does �slighting the sins� mean? How are they slighted?
ANSWER
The meaning of �slighting the sins� is not known by many people, and as a result, committers of sins are declared to be disbelievers. For example, it is wrong to say, �If people who continue drinking alcohol valued it�s being harâm, they would not drink it. In the same way, a woman who goes out by not covering herself as Islam has commanded valued that this act of hers is harâm, she would cover herself. Therefore, such people are kâfirs [disbelievers] as they do not get upset about their sins, that is, as they belittle the harâm.�

Yes, it is true that those who do not get upset about and who do not value them become disbelievers, but what does �not to get upset about and not to not value� mean in this context? For instance, if a woman who practises namâzes is in the knowledge that it is a sin to go out by not covering herself and says, �Covering ourselves is a commandment of Allahu ta�âlâ, and it would be better if we could, but we cannot conform to it in today�s time,� she cannot be attributed disbelief. Likewise, if a man who drinks alcohol says, �It is harâm to drink alcoholic beverages, but I am addicted to them, I cannot give up,� he cannot be called a disbeliever. On the contrary, if a man who does not drink alcohol at all says, �It is not a sin to drink a glass of wine,� then he falls into disbelief. Or it is also kufr [disbelief] to belittle the harâm by saying, �All people go out by not covering themselves, and so do we. What happens? All people drink alcohol, and we do, too. Is there any harm as long as we are not drunk?�

Allahu ta�âlâ�s Wrath is hidden in sins. He may avenge for any sin which has not been repented for. He may refuse eternally a liked slave of His who has been worshipping for a hundred thousand years. For example, the Devil [Shaytân], who had been obeying Him for a hundred thousand years, will be eternally in Hell because he was too arrogant to prostrate. A son of Hadrat Âdam�s (�alaihissalâm) will be in eternal Hell as he killed a man. Bal�âm-i Bâûrâ, whose every prayer would be accepted, died without îmân due to his inclination towards a sin. Qârûn, as he did not pay the zakât of his property, was made to go under the earth together with his entire property. Then each Believer must be very much afraid of committing sins. It is stated in a hadîth-i sharîf, �Avoiding a mote of [very small] sin is better than the worships of all genies and men.�

Upon committing a sin, you must not lose hope; you must repent and beg for forgiveness immediately. A Believer must have fear of Allahu ta�âlâ�s punishment as well as hope of His Mercy. It is reported in a hadîth-i sharîf, �If a Mu�min takes a middle path between khawf [fear] and rajâ� [hope], Allahu ta�âlâ gives him the hoped-for and makes him feel secure of the feared-for.� That is, if Believers fear the chastisement of Allahu ta�âla but not despair of His Mercy, avoid the harâm and try hard to perform acts of worship, they will enter Paradise.

No matter how grave a sin people commit, they must not lose hope of Allah�s Mercy. Morover, even an ingrained disbeliever�s sins are forgiven and (s)he becomes an absolutely pure person after repenting and saying, �Lâ ilâha ill-Allah Muhammadun Rasûl-Allah.� In other words, in this world, there is not a sin that Allahu ta�âlâ does not forgive. When one repents, He even forgives the shirk, that is, disbelief. However, after death, there will be no mercy on disbelievers. It is purported in the Qur�ân al-karîm, �Do not despair of Allah�s Mercy! Allah forgives all the sins.� [Sûrat-uz-Zumar 53]

We cannot know in which deed or word Allahu ta�âlâ�s Consent and Wrath is hiding. Therefore, we must not slight even one of the good and evil deeds. He has concealed His Consent in good deeds and His Wrath in evils. Any sin which is supposed to be small may cause His Vengeance, His Wrath. So we have to be wary of our words. Our ancestors would say, �A single word may be an end to a problem and also may be an end to you.�

Hadrat Munkadir was crying on his deathbed. When asked the reason, he answered, �I have not committed a grave sin deliberately. I am crying on account of the fact that a venial sin, which I thought it to be unimportant, might incur the wrath of Allahu ta�âlâ.� As is seen, this kind of worries cause a Muslim to attain salvation. For it is declared in a hadîth-i sharîf, �Allahu ta�âlâ imparts in the Hereafter: �Take those who remembered and make mention of Me for a day, who feared me just once when they were in worldly life out of Hell.��

A very important admonition
It is indispensable for all Muslims, male or female, to obey the rules, that is, commandments and prohibitions of Allahu ta�âlâ in their every word and deed. The îmân [belief, faith] of a person who does not attach importance to doing a fard [a commandment] or avoiding a harâm [a prohibited act] goes away. People without îmân will be subjected to torment in the grave and go to eternal Hell-fire in the Hereafter. There is no possibility or likelihood for them to be pardoned and go out of Hell. It is very easy to slide into kufr [disbelief]. One may fall into disbelief in any word or deed. But it is equally easy to extricate oneself from disbelief. If people, even if the exact reason that has caused their disbelief is not known, make repentance and implore Allahu ta�âlâ by saying the following prayer once everyday, �Oh my Allah, if I, knowingly or unknowingly, have uttered a word or done a deed that has caused disbelief, I have repented of it. Forgive me,� they are certainly forgiven, and they thus escape Hell-fire. In order not to burn in eternal Hell-fire, you have to make tawba [repentance] without fail. There is not a duty of top priority than this tawba. When making tawba for the sins that involve violations of others� rights, you have to compensate for the harm given. As for the tawba for omitted qadâ prayers, it is necessary for you to make qadâ of them. (Endless Bliss)


The fards of a ghusl Question: What are the fards [compulsory acts] of a ghusl [ritual washing] according to the four madhhabs?
ANSWER
In the Hanafî Madhhab:
1- To wash the mouth,
2- To wash the nose,
3- To wash every part of the body.
[It is fard to wash inside the navel, the moustache, the eyebrows, and the beard as well as the skin under them, the hair on the head. It is not fard to wash the eyes, the closed ear ring holes.]

In the Mâlikî Madhhab:
1- Niyyat [intention],
2- To wash every part of the body,
3- Dalk [to rub the washed limbs gently with the palm or with a towel],
4- Muwâlât [quickness, to wash the limbs one right after another],
5- To make khilâl [to comb it with the fingers] of the hair.

In the Shafi�î Madhhab:
1- Niyyat,
2- To wash every part of the body.
[In some religios books, it is written that the fards of a ghusl in the Shafi�î Madhhab, including cleaning the body from najâsat, are three. Since najâsat will also have been cleaned when the body is washed, it is not an inconvenience to say that the fards of a ghusl are two.

In the Hanbalî Madhhab:
The fard of a ghusl is one, namely, washing the entire body. It is the rukn of the ghusl. That is, it is the fard inside the ghusl. When beginning to perform ghusl, it is also fard to make niyyat and to say the Basmala. Because the inside of the mouth and the nose is considered to be an outer part of the body, it is fard to wash there. When these are included, the fards of the ghusl are 5:
1- To make niyyat,
2- To say the Basmala,
3- To wash the entire body,
4- To wash the inside of the mouth,
5- To wash the inside of the nose.

How to perform a ghusl Question: How to perform a ghusl as prescribed in the sunnat?
ANSWER
It is very easy to perform a ghusl. After having washed the mouth and the nose, if one dives into the sea, into a lake, or wets one�s body thoroughly under the shower, then one will have performed a ghusl. It will be in accordance with the sunnat if one performs an ablution first, and then washes the whole body.Niyyat [intention] for a ghusl is sunnat in the Hanafî Madhhab but fard in the other madhhabs. If a person forgets to make niyyat when performing a ghusl, the ghusl will be valid.

When performing a ghusl, one says the Basmala. Also, it will be good if one says the Kalima-i shahâdat. To perform a ghusl as prescribed in the sunnat, we must first wash both of our hands and private parts even if they may be clean. Then, if there is any najâsat [substances which Islâm prescribes as dirty] on our body, we must wash it away. Then we must perform a complete ablution by intending for the ghusl. Then, we must pour water on our entire body three times. To do this, we must pour it on our head three times first, then on our right shoulder three times and then on the left shoulder three times. Each time, the part on which we pour water must become completely wet. We must also rub it gently during the first pouring. In a ghusl, it is permissible to pour the water on one limb so as to make it flow onto another limb, which, in this case, will be cleaned, too. For, in a ghusl, the whole body is counted as one limb. But when performing an ablution, if the water poured on one limb moistens another limb, the second limb will not be considered to have been washed. When a ghusl is completed, it is makrûh [improper, disliked or abstained by the Prophet] to perform an ablution again, but it will become necessary to perform an ablution again if it is broken while making a ghusl. While performing a ghusl, if one�s ablution is broken, it does not affect the ghusl. But one has to make a new ablution to perform a namâz [ritual prayer].

While making a ghusl, it is not appropriate to soap oneself or to get rubbed with a coarce bath-glove. You should wash the dirt after or before the performance of the ghusl. It is not proper to perform both of them at the same time, and also one will have used more than the necessary amount of water for the ghusl, which is makrûh. In the Mâlikî Madhhab, if it poses an obstacle to muwâlât, i.e. washing the limbs one right after another, the ghusl will not be valid.

When having a shower, one should make a ghusl first. Then one should wash oneself for cleaning the dirt. While washing oneself to clean the dirt, it is not an inconvenience to use necessary amount of much water.

During the performance of the ghusl, if things nullifying the ablution (e.g. if blood or urine issues, or if one breaks wind) occur, one carries on the ghusl. For a thing that nullifies an ablution does not nullify a ghusl. However, one cannot perform a namâz with this ablution, so one has to make an ablution later.

Ghusl and extravagance
Question: Is it extravagance to use more than the necessary amount of water when performing an ablution and a ghusl?
ANSWER
Yes. However, it is not an inconvenience to wash oneself before or after the ghusl in order to clean the dirt.
Waswasa
Question: I am a person overwhelmed by waswasas. Despite taking great care, if there is any dry place on my body during an ablution and ghusl, or if I forget to make the sajda-i sahw, or if I forget to perform such things, if I eat or drink as a result of forgetfulness during fasting, if I miss a prayer time by forgetting, and if I do not make qadâ of it for being unable to remember, what will be my state in the Hereafter?
ANSWER
In our religion, it is an excuse to forget. It does not break your fast to eat or drink by forgetting, and it does not necessitate making qadâ of it. Also, It is not a sin to miss a prayer time due to forgetfulness.

If there is any dry place on our body during the ghusl and ablution, it is not an inconvenience as we do not know. It is not necessary to wash over and over in case there is any dry place. These are waswasas; it is a sin to have these kinds of waswasas.

Talking while performing ghusl
Question: Is it an inconvenience to talk during the ghusl?
ANSWER
It is an act of sunnat not to talk during the ghusl. One should not talk if there is no necessity.

Performing it at some other place
Question: In the book Endless Bliss, it is written: �When a ghusl is completed, it is makrûh to perform an ablution again. It is permissible to perform it at some other place even if it has not been broken.� What is meant by �to perform it at some other place�?
ANSWER
It means that you should perform an ablution not at the place where you have performed the ghusl, but at a washbasin which is in any other place. If it is done so, it will not become makrûh.

Washing the feet again after the ghusl
Question: Is it necessary to wash the feet again after the ghusl?
ANSWER
If water accumulates under the feet, it is necessary to wash them again. But, if water does not accumulate, then it is not necessary to wash them again.

The fards of the ablution

Question: According to the four madhhabs, what are the fards [obligatory acts] of the ablution? ANSWER In the Hanafî Madhhab: 1- To wash the face, 2- To wash the two arms, 3- To apply masah [to rub a wet hand softly] at least on one-fourth of the head, 4- To wash the feet. In the Mâlikî Madhhab: 1- To make a niyyat [intention], 2- To wash the face, 3- To wash the two arms, 4- To apply masah on the whole head, 5- To wash the feet, 6- To observe the muwâlât [to wash the limbs one right after another], 7- To make dalk [to rub the washed limbs gently with the palm or with a towel]. In the Shâfi�î Madhhab: 1- Niyyat [intention], 2- To wash the face, 3- To wash the two arms together with the hands, 4- To apply masah on a little part of the head, 5- To wash the feet, 6- Tartib [to wash all these limbs by observing their order]. In the Hanbalî Madhhab: The fards of the ablution are 6. The sharts [conditions] of the ablution are also fard. When these are included, the fards of the ablution add up to 10: 1- Niyyat [intention], 2- To say the Basmala, 3- To wash the face, 4- To wash inside the mouth, 5- To wash inside the nose, 6- To wash the two arms together with the hands, 7- To apply masah on the whole head [the ears are included in the head], 8- To wash the feet, 9- Tartib [to wash all these limbs by observing their order], 10- To observe the muwâlât [to wash the limbs one right after another].

The importance of namâz Since Âdam (alaihissalâm), there was namâz [ritual prayer] once a day in every religion. All that had been performed were brought together and were made fard [commanded] for us. Although performing namâz is not a pillar of îmân [belief], it is a pillar of îmân to believe that namâz is fard. �Namâz� means �duâ.� The �ibâdat that is commanded by the Sharî�at and which we all know was named �namâ.� Performing the five daily prayers of namâz is fard-i �ayn for every Muslim who has reached the age of puberty. That it is fard is openly stated in the Qur�ân and hadîths. Five daily prayers of namâz became a commandment on the Mi�râj night. The Mi�râj happened on the twenty-seventh night of the month of Rajab a year before the Hegira. Before the Mi�râj, only the morning and afternoon prayers were performed. A child must be ordered to perform namâz at the age of seven and should be beaten if it does not perform it at the age of ten. It is also necessary to teach other ibâdats to children at this age, to accustom them to doing them, and to prevent them from sins.

For the purpose of showing the importance of fard namâz, Muhammad Rabhâmî (rahmatullahi alaih) wrote the Persian book Riyâd-un-nâsihîn, a collection from four hundred and forty-four books, in India in 853 A.H., in the twelfth chapter of the first section of the second part of which he said:

�In the two fundamental books of Islam called Sahîhayn [Bukhârî and Muslim], Rasûlullah (sall-Allahu alaihi wa sallam) asked in a hadîth-i sherîf reported by Jâbir bin �Abdullah (radiy-Allahu �anh): �If there were a river in front of one�s house and if he washed himself in this river five times every day, would there be any dirt left on him?� We [Jâbir ibn �Abdullah and other Sahâbîs present there] said, �No, O Rasûlallah.� The Prophet said, �Likewise, minor sins of those who perform the five daily prayers are forgiven.� [Some ignorant people, upon hearing this hadîth, say, �Then, I will both perform namâz and amuse myself as I wish. My sins will be forgiven anyhow.� This thought is not correct because a namâz that is performed observing its conditions and âdâb and is accepted will cancel sins. In fact, even if minor sins are forgiven, continuing to commit or insisting on minor sins will become grave sins. And insisting on committing grave sins will cause kufr (disbelief.)]

Ibn Jawzî wrote in Tafsîr-i-Mugnî: �Abû Bakr-i Siddîq (radiy-Allahu �anh) said that, when the time of a daily prayer of namâz comes, angels say, �O the sons of Âdam, stand up! Extinguish the fire prepared to burn human beings by performing namâz.�� In a hadîth-i sherîf, it was said, �The difference between the Believer and the unbeliever is namâz,� that is, the Believer performs namâz, and the unbeliever does not. Munâfiqs, however, sometimes perform it and sometimes do not. Munâfiqs will undergo very bitter torment in Hell. �Abdullah ibn Abbâs (radiy-Allahu �anh), the leader of mufassirs, said that he heard Rasûlullah say, �Those who do not perform namâz will find Allahu ta�âlâ angry on the Day of Resurrection.�

The imâms of hadîth unanimously said, �People who do not perform a namâz in its due time intentionally, that is, if they are not sorry for not performing a namâz while its due time is ending, will become kâfirs or will lose their îmân during their death. What will become of those who do not remember namâz or see namâz as a duty?� The Ahl as-Sunnat savants unanimously said, �Ibâdât are not a part of îmân.� But there was not a unanimity concerning namâz. The fiqh imâms, Imâm Ahmed Ibn Hanbel, Is�hâq ibn Rahawayh, �Abdullah ibn Mubârak, Ibrâhîm Nahâî, Hakem ibn Hutayba, Ayyûb Sahtiyânî, Dâwûd Tâî, Abû Bakr ibn Shayba and Zubeyr ibn Harb and many other great savants, said that one who does not perform a namâz intentionally becomes a kâfir. Then, O Muslim Brother, do not miss any namâz and do not be slack; perform it with love! If Allahu ta�âlâ punishes according to the ijtihâd of these savants on the Day of Judgement, what will you do?

Tafsîr-i Mugnî says, �One of the superiors asked the devil what he should do to become damned like him. The devil was pleased and said, �If you want to be like me, do not pay attention to namâz and take an oath on everything right or wrong, that is take an oath very much!� That person said, �I will never neglect namâz and will not take any oath from now on. �� In the Hanbalî Madhhab, a Muslim who does not perform a namâz without an excuse will be put to death like a murtad [renegade], and his corpse will not be washed or shrouded, nor will his janâza namâz be performed. He will not be buried in Muslims� cemetery, and his grave will not be made distinguishable. He will be put in a hollow on the mountain. In the Shâfi�î Madhhab, one who persists in not performing namâz does not become a murtad, but the punishment will be death. That the Mâlikî Madhhab is the same as the Shâfi�î in this respect is written in Ibni �Âbidîn and on the sixty-third page of the translation of Milal-nihâl. And in the Hanafî Madhhab, he is imprisoned until he begins namâz or beaten until bleeding. [However, he who attaches no importance to namâz or who does not know it as a duty will be a kâfir in all the four madhhabs. It is written in the subject of the afflictions incurred by the tongue in Al-hadîqa that he becomes a kâfir according to the Hanafî Madhhab, too, if he neglects namâz intentionally and does not think of performing its qadâ and does not fear that he will be tormented for this.] Allahu ta�âlâ did not order non-Muslims to perform namâz or to fast. They are not honored with the commandments of Allahu ta�âlâ. They are not punished for not performing namâz or for not fasting. They only deserve Hell, which is the punishment for kufr.

In the book Zâd-ul-muqwîn, it is said: �Early savants wrote that those who do not do five things are deprived of five things:
1- They who do not give the zakât of their property do not get any benefit from their property.
2- In the land and earning of people who do not give their �ushr, there is no abundance left.
3- Health is absent in the body of a person who does not give alms.
4- People who do not pray will not attain to their wishes.
5- People who do not want to perform a namâz when its
time comes cannot say the Kalima-i shahâdat at their last breath. A person who does not perform namâz because of laziness although he believes that it is the first duty, is a fâsiq. He is not the peer of a sâliha [pious] girl, that is, he does not deserve and is not suitable for her.� As it is seen, not performing the fard namâz causes one to die without îmân. Continuing to perform namâz causes the enlightenment of the heart and the attainment of endless bliss. Our Prophet (sall-Allahu alaihi wa sallam) declared, �Namâz is nûr,� that is, it brightens the heart in the world and illuminates the Sirât in the next world.� (Riyâd-un-nâsihîn)

A hadîth-i sherîf, quoted in the book Qurratul�uyûn,
declares, �If a person does not perform namâz though he has no good excuse, Allahu ta�âlâ will give him fifteen kinds of plague. Six of them will come in the world, three will come at the time of death, three will come in the grave, and three will come when rising from the grave. The six plagues in the world are:

1- A person who does not perform namâz will not have barakat in his lifetime.
2- He will not have the beauty, the lovableness peculiar to those who are loved by Allahu ta�âlâ.
3- He will not be given thawâb for any good he does.
4- His prayers (duâs) will not be accepted.
5- No one will like him.
6- Blessings that (other) Muslims invoked on him will do him no good.

Kinds of torment he will suffer when dying are:
1- He will expire in an abhorrent, unsightly, repugnant manner.
2- He will die hungry.
3- Much water as he may have, he will die with painful
thirst.

Kinds of torment he will suffer in the grave are:
1- The grave will squeeze him. His bones will intertwine.
2- His grave will be filled with fire, which will scorch him day and night.
3- Allahu ta�âlâ will send a huge serpent to his grave. It is not like terrestrial serpents. It will sting him at every prayer time each day. It will never leave him alone any moment.

Kinds of torment he will suffer after rising are:
1- Angels of torment that will drag him to Hell will never leave him alone.
2- Allahu ta�âlâ will meet him with wrath.
3- His account will be settled in a very vehement manner, and he will be flung into Hell.�


Namâz and kufr Namâz is the most important of the arch-stones of Islam. Allahu ta�âlâ made namâz fard so that His slaves would worship Him only. The hundred and third âyat of Sûrat-un-Nisâ� purports that namâz became fard, the times of which are definite, for the Believers. A hadîth-i sherîf declares, �Allahu ta�âlâ has made it fard to perform namâz five times every day. Allahu ta�âlâ has promised that He will send to Paradise a person who performs namâz five times every day esteeming it highly and observing its conditions.� Namâz is the most valuable of worships. A hadîth declares, �He who does not perform namâz has no share from Islam!� A hadîth-i sherîf quoted in Mishkât, and in Kunûz-ud-daqâiq, and in Sahîhayn, and in Halabî declares, �Difference between man and disbelief is to give up namâz!� It does not mean, �Men and disbelief are two separate beings. Between them lies not to perform namâz. When not to perform namâz goes away from between them, that is, when a person performs namâz, the connection between him and disbelief goes up, the two cannot be united, and man will not be a disbeliever.� But it means, �Disbelief is a property. It does not exist alone. It exists with some people. People who have disbelief have not performing namâz.But people who do not have disbelief do not have not performing namâz. Difference between a person who has disbelief and one who does not have disbelief is not performing or performing namâz.�

This hadîth-i sherîf is like the saying, �Difference between man and death is not to breathe.� That is, a person who has death does not breathe. But a person who does not have death does not have (the property) �not breathing.� When a person does not breathe, it will be understood that this one is dead. This hadîth vehemently threatens those who are lazy in performing namâz.

The virtues in namâz Hadrat Imâm-i Rabbânî writes in the 20th Letter of the Second Volume of his Maktûbât:

�May hamd-u-thanâ be to Allahu ta�âlâ! Salâmat to the good people whom He loves! O My Dear Brother! This world is the place for work. The next world is the place for getting wages. Strive to do pious actions! The most useful of these actions, the most superior worship is to perform namâz. Namâz is the archstone of the dîn [religion]. It is the mi�râj for Believers. Then, one should do one�s best to perform it well. One should observe its precepts, its conditions, its sunnats and adabs in a manner liked and suitable. When performing namâz, one should be careful about its tumânînat [keeping all one�s limbs motionless in rukû (bowing during namâz), in sajda (prostration), in qawma (standing for a while after straightening up from the bowing position), in jalsa (sitting for a while between the two sajdas)] and about the ta�dîl-i-arkân [to remain motionless for a while after becoming calm at these four places]. Many people, paying no attention to these, have been ruining their namâzes. They have been neglecting the tumânînat and the ta�dîl-i-arkân. It was informed that they will be tormented. When namâz is performed correctly, the hope of salvation will increase. For the archstone of the dîn will then have been erected. The plane to fly to endless bliss will have been boarded.�



The fards of the namâz Question: What are the fards [obligatory acts; if any of them is omitted, the namâz will be invalid] of the namâz?
ANSWER
Namâz has 12 fards. Six of them are inside and the other six are outside the namâz. The fards that are inside are termed rukns while those that are outside are termed sharts.

A- The fards that are outside the namâz:
1- Tahârat from hadas:
It means the performance of an ablution by a person who does not have it and performance of a ghusl by those who are junub and who has got out of the states of haid [menstruation] and nifâs [puerperium].

2- Tahârat from najâsat:
People who is to perform namâz must purify their bodies, clothes, the places to perform namâz from najâsat, that is, from the things that are declared to be religiously dirty.

3- Satr-i awrat:
It is to cover awrat parts. Those body parts of people which are harâm [prohibited] for them to open and show others and for others to look at during namâz, or any time, are termed awrat parts. A man�s awrat parts are between his navel and lower parts of his knees. As for a woman, all parts of her body, except her face and hands, are her awrat parts.

4- Istiqbâl-i-qibla:
It is to perform a namâz towards the qibla.

5- Waqt:
It is to perform namâzes in their due times.

6- Niyyat:
It is to make niyyat [intention] by passing through heart when one begins a namâz. It is not considered a niyyat to say orally only. To make niyyat for the namâz means passing through heart its name, time, qibla, and wishing to follow the imâm (if it is performed in jamâ�at). Niyyat is made while saying the takbîr of iftitâh [saying Allahu akbar while beginning namâz].

B- The fards that are inside the namâz:
1- Takbîr of iftitâh:
It means saying �Allahu akbar� when beginning namâz. No other word to replace it is acceptable.

2- Qiyâm:
It means standing when performing namâz. Those who are too ill to stand perform it sitting, and if too ill to sit, they lie down on their back and perform namâz with their head (by moving, nodding, etc.their head).

3- Qiraât:
It means reciting a sûra [a chapter of the Qur�ân al-karîm] or an âyat [a verse of the Qur�ân al-karîm] of the Qur�ân al-karîm.

4- Ruku�:
It means bending and putting the hands on the knees after finishing the qiraât.

5- Sajda:
It means prostrating on the ground after the ruku�.

6- Qa�da-i-âkhira [last sitting]:
It means sitting in the last rak�at as long as it would take to say the prayer �Attahiyyâtu.�


The five daily namâzes It is fard [obligatory] for every Muslim who is sane and has reached the age of puberty to perform the five daily namâzes (prayers). When a prayer time comes, it becomes fard for him/her the moment he/she begins performing the prayer. If he/she has not performed it and if there is time left enough to make an ablution and begin the namâz before the prayer time is over, it becomes fard for him/her to perform it. If the prayer time is over before he/she has performed it without an �udhr [good excuse] not to do so, he/she will have committed a grave sin. Whether he/she has had a good excuse or not, qadâ will be necessary.

[�udhr [good excuse]: by a good excuse we mean a situation which Islam recognizes as an excuse that will absolve a Muslim from the responsibility of not performing an Islamic commandment. An excuse of this sort is termed �udhr.]

The same applies to situations such as when a child reaches puberty, when a disbeliever or a renegade becomes a Muslim, when a woman becomes canonically clean (i.e. immediately after the cessation of the menses at the end of a menstrual or lochial period), when an insane or unconscious person recovers, and when a sleeping person wakes up. It is fard for a new Muslim to learn the essentials (conditions) of namâz first. After learning them, it becomes fard to perform namâz.

Sleep is not a good excuse if it begins after the prayer time has begun. If you do so, it is fard for you to make sure that you will wake up before the prayer time is over, while it would be mustahab for you to make sure to wake up before the end of the prayer time if you were to go to sleep before the beginning of the prayer time.

These five daily prayers add up to forty rak�ats (units), out of which seventeen are fard [obligatory], three are wâjib [almost as compulsory as fard, so not to be omitted], and twenty are sunnat [act, thing, though not commanded by Allahu ta�âlâ, done and liked by the Prophet (�alaihissalâm) as an act of worship]:

1- Morning prayer [Salât-ul-fajr] consists of four rak�ats. First, two rak�ats of the sunnat prayer are performed. Then the fard prayer, of two rak�ats, is performed. The sunnat (the first two rak�ats) is very important. Some scholars classify it as wâjib.

2- Early afternoon prayer [Salât-uz-zuhr] consists of ten rak�ats, the initial sunnat consisting of four rak�ats, the fard consisting of four rak�ats, and the final sunnat consisting of two rak�ats. The early afternoon prayer is performed in this order.

3- Late afternoon prayer [Salât-ul-�asr] consists of eight rak�ats. First the sunnat, which consists of four rak�ats, and then the fard, which consists of four rak�ats, are performed.

4- Evening prayer [Salât-ul-maghrib] contains five rak�ats. First the fard, which is composed of three rak�ats, then the sunnat, consisting of two rak�ats, are performed.

5- Night prayer [Salât-ul-�ishâ] consists of thirteen rak�ats. The initial sunnat contains four rak�ats. The fard also contains four rak�ats, and the final sunnat has two rak�ats. After performing these ten rak�ats, you perform the witr prayer which is wâjib.

The initial sunnats of the late afternoon prayer and night prayer are ghayr-i muakkada [unemphatic, omittied from time to time by our blessed Prophet]. When sitting during their second rak�at, after reciting the Attahiyyâtu � , the prayers of Allahumma salli �alâ ... and ... bârik �alâ ... are recited completely. After standing up for the third rak�at, the prayer Subhânaka ... is recited before saying the Basmala. But the first sunnat of the early afternoon prayer is muakkad [emphatic, practised regularly by our blessed Prophet. They are the shi�âr (symptoms) of the Islâmic religion]. That is, it has been commanded emphatically. There are more thawâbs (blessings) for it. During its second rak�at, as in the fard prayers, only the Attahiyyâtu is said and then we stand up for the third rak�at. After standing up, we first recite the Basmala and then the sûra of Fâtiha.

It is mustahab to perform four more rak�ats after the fard of early afternoon and night prayers and six more rak�ats after the fard of the evening prayer. In other words, it is very blessed. One can perform all of them with one salâm or by saying the salâm after every two rak�ats. In either case the first two rak�ats are deemed to be the final sunnat. These prayers, which are mustahab, can be performed separately after the final sunnats of the two namâzes as well.

The first rak�at commences with the beginning of the prayer and the other rak�ats begin right after standing up, and each rak�at continues until one stands up again. The final rak�at continues until the salâm. No prayers can be less than two rak�ats. All prayers contain an even number of rak�ats, except the fard of the evening prayer and the witr prayer. After the second sajda (prostration) of each second rak�at, we sit. Each rak�at of prayer contains its fards, wâjibs, sunnats, mufsids [things or acts which nullify a prayer], and makrûhs [acts that are improper, disliked, or abstained by the Prophet].

What is the meaning of awrat parts? Question: What is the meaning of �awrat parts�? How to cover oneself in order to obey it during namâz?
ANSWER
Those parts of a discreet and pubescent person�s body that are harâm [prohibited] for him/her to leave uncovered during the performance of a namâz and/or whenever in company, and which are equally harâm for others to look at, are called awrat parts. Men and women were commanded to cover their awrat parts through the Sûras of Ahzâb and Nûr, which were revealed in the third year of the Hegira. In the Hanafî and Shâfi�î Madhhabs, a man�s awrat parts for namâz are between his navel and lower parts of his knees. The knees are awrat in the Hanafî and the navel is awrat in the Shâfi�î. The namâz performed with these parts open is not acceptable. When performing the namâz, it is sunnat for men to cover their other parts [arms, head, and feet]. It is makrûh for them to perform the namâz with these parts exposed.

As for women, their all parts, except their palms and faces, including their wrists, outer parts of their hands, their hair and feet are awrat for namâz in the four madhhabs. There are also valuable books saying that outer parts of hands are not awrat. According to them, it is permissible for women to perform namâz while outer parts of their hands up to wrists are bare. But, for having followed all the books, it is better for women to perform namâz wearing a gown with sleeves long enough, or a head cover large enough, to cover their hands. If one-fourth of a man�s or woman�s awrat part remains bare as long as one rukn, the namâz becomes annulled. If a smaller part remains exposed, the namâz does not become nullified. Thin tissue that lets the shape or colour of the thing under it be seen is equal to none.

When a sick person who lies naked under a blanket performs namâz by signs with his head inside the blanket, he has performed it naked. If he performs it keeping his head outside the blanket, he will have performed it by covering himself, which is acceptable.

When alone and not performing namâz, it is fard for women to cover between their knees and navels, wâjib to cover their backs and bellies, and adab to cover their other parts.

It is harâm for men to look at the awrat parts of other men and for women to look at those of other women. As it is harâm for men to look at women�s awrat parts and vice versa, so it is equally harâm for men and women to look at the awrat parts of their own sexes. A man�s part of awrat for other men are the same as those of a woman for other women: the area between the knees and navel. In the Hanafî Madhhab, the knees are awrat, but the navel is not awrat. Likewise, the awrat parts of a woman for other women are as such. A woman�s parts of awrat for men nâ-mahram to her, on the other hand, are all her body with the exception of the hands and face. It is harâm to look at the awrat parts of nâ-mahram women even without the feeling of lust.

[mahram: one of the eighteen women whom Islam has prescribed as a man�s close relatives, and vice versa; nâ-mahram: not one of the eighteen women whom Islam has prescribed as a man�s close relatives, and vice versa.] It is purported in the Qur�ân al-karîm:
(O My Messenger, �sall-Allahu �alaihi wa sallam�! Tell the Believers not to look at harâms and to protect their awrat parts against harâms! Tell those women who have îmân not to look at harâms and to protect their awrat parts from committing harâms.) [Sûrat-un-Nûr 30]

It is stated in hadîth-i sharîfs:
(The eyes of a person who looks at a nâ-mahram woman lustfully will be filled with fire and he will be flung down into Hell. The arms of a person who shakes hands with a nâ-mahram woman will be tied around his neck and then he will be sent down to Hell. Those who talk with a nâ-mahram woman lustfully without any necessity will remain in Hell a thousand years for each word.) [Riyâd-un-nâsihîn]

(Looking at one�s neighbour�s wife or at one�s friends� wives is ten times as sinful as looking at nâ-mahram women. Looking at married women is one thousand times as sinful as looking at girls. So are the sins of fornication.) [Riyâd-un-nâsihîn]

(On the Day of Judgment, melted hot lead will be poured into the eyes of those who look lustfully at the faces of women who are nâ-mahram to them.) [Majma�ul-anhur]

(If a person, upon seeing a nâ-mahram girl, fears Allah�s torment and turns his face away from her, Allahu ta�âlâ will make him enjoy the taste of worships.) [Hâkim, Bayhaqî, Abû Dâwud]

A man, if he feels secure of lust, can look at the heads, faces, necks, arms, legs below the knees of the eighteen women who are harâm for him to marry by nikâh [Islamic marriage contract]. He cannot look at their breasts, at spaces under their arms, at their flanks, thighs, knees, or upper parts of their back.
Paternal and maternal uncles� or paternal or maternal aunts� sons are not mahram to a woman. The situation is the same with brothers-in-law of a woman. It is harâm for her to talk to them, joke with one another, or to stay alone [halwat] with them in the same room. It is, in turn, harâm for a man to talk to his sisters-in-law and paternal or maternal uncles� and paternal or maternal aunts� daughters.

It is etarnally harâm for a man to marry eighteen mahram women. He can talk to and stay alone with them in the same room. A woman, in the same way, cannot marry eighteen mahram men.

It is gravely sinful for women to go out with bare head, hair, arms and legs, to let their voice be heard by nâ-mahram men without necessity, to sing to them, to let them hear their voices through films or records or by reading the Qurân-al karîm or by reciting the mawlid or the adhân.

Seven or ten year old attractive girls as well as all girls who have reached the age of fifteen or the age of puberty are equivalents to women. It is harâm for such girls to show themselves with bare head, hair, arms and legs to nâ-mahram men, or to sing to them, or to talk to them softly and gracefully. Women are permitted to talk to nâ-mahram men seriously in a manner that will not cause fitna when there is necessity such as buying and selling.

It is harâm for women and girls to go out with dresses that are thin or tight or of fur, wearing their ornaments such as ear-rings and bracelets without covering them, wearing like men, cutting their hair short like men. Therefore, it is not permissible for them to wear trousers, not even ample ones. Trousers are men�s clothing.

It is declared in a hadîth-i sharîf:
(Those women who dress themselves like men and those men who ornament themselves like women are accursed.) [Targhîb-us-salât]

Prayer (namâz) times It is fard [obligatory duty] for all Muslims, male or female alike, who are �âqil and bâligh, that is, who are sane and have reached the age of puberty or, in other words, the age for marriage, to perform the five daily prayers termed namâz within their correct times. If a namâz is performed before the beginning of the time prescribed by Islam, it will not be sahîh [acceptable]. In fact, it will be a grave sin to do so. As it is fard to perform a namâz in its correct time for it to be acceptable, it is also fard to know without any feeling of doubt that you have performed it in its correct time.

[When a girl first begins menstruating, she becomes a bâligha (adolescent). A boy whose genitalia has started producing spermatozoa becomes a bâligh. From that day forth, they are responsible for the commands and prohibitions of Islam.The age limit for them to be considered as such is 9 for girls and 12 for boys. A boy who has not had sperm yet and a girl who has not experienced the menses are counted bâligh and bâligha once they are beyond the age of 15.]

It is declared in a hadîth-i sharîf:
(There is a beginning and an end of the time of each salât.) [Targhîb-us-salât]

Prayer times
A hadîth-i sharîf quoted in the books Muqaddimat-us-salât, Tafsîr-i Mazharî, Halabî states:

�Jabrâîl alaihissalâm (and I performed namâz together, and Jabrâîl �alaihissalâm) conducted the namâz as the imâm for two of us, by the side of the door of Ka�ba, for two days running. We two performed the morning prayer as the fajr (morning twilight) dawned; the early afternoon prayer as the Sun departed from meridian; the late afternoon prayer when the shadows of things became as long as their lengths; the evening prayer as the Sun set [its upper edge disappeared]; and the night prayer when the evening twilight darkened. The second day, we performed the morning prayer when the morning twilight matured; the early afternoon prayer when the lengths of the shadows of things increased by twice as much as their lengths, the late afternoon prayer immediately thereafter; the evening prayer at the prescribed time of breaking fast; and the night prayer at the first one-third of the night. Then he said �Oh Muhammad, these are the times of prayers for you and the prophets before you. Let your Ummat perform each of these five prayers between the two times at which we performed each.��

1- The time for morning prayer at a certain location begins, an all four madhhabs, at the end of shar�î night [canonical night], which in turn is when the whiteness called fajr sâdiq [true dawn] is seen at one of the points on the line of apparent horizon [ufq-i zâhirî] in the east. This time is also the beginning of fast.

Chief of Astronomy Department Ârif Bey reports: �Because there are weak reports saying that fajr sâdiq [true dawn] begins when the whiteness spreads over the horizon and the altitude of the Sun is -18° or even -16°, it is judicious and safe to perform the morning prayer 20 minutes later than the time shown on calendars.�

The time of morning prayer ends at the end of solar night, which is when the preceding [upper] edge of the Sun is observed to rise from the line of apparent horizon.

2- The time for early afternoon prayer starts after the shadows of the things begin gaining length when they are short. This prayer time lasts until the shadows of the things become as long as or twice as long as their lengths. The former is according to the Imâmayn [Imâm-i Abû Yûsuf and Imâm-i Muhammad] while the latter is according to Imâm-i A�zam.

3- The time of late afternoon prayer begins at the end of the time of early afternoon prayer, and this happens in the following manner:
a- According to the Imâmayn, it begins when the shadow of an object becomes as long as its length and continues until the Sun disappears.
b- According to Imâm-i A�zam, it begins when the shadow of an object becomes twice as long as its length and continues until the Sun disappears.

However, it is harâm [prohibited] to postpone the prayer until the Sun turns yellow, an event that takes place when the distance between the Sun�s lower edge and the line of apparent horizon is a spear�s length, which is five angular degrees. The only prayer that Muslims are allowed to perform during the period of sunset is the day�s late afternoon prayer, which they have somehow failed to perform till then.

4- The time of evening prayer begins when the Sun apparently sets; that is, when its upper edge is seen to disappear below the line of apparent horizon of the observer�s location. The canonical and solar nights also begin at this time.

The time of evening prayer continues until the time of
night prayer. It is sunnat to perform the evening prayer within its early time. It is harâm to perform it in the time of ishtibâk-i nujûm, that is, when the number of visible stars increases, that is, after the rear edge of the Sun has sunk down to an altitude of 10° below the line of apparent horizon. For reasons such as illness, traveling, or in order to eat food that is ready, it might be postponed until that time.

5- The time of night prayer begins according to the Imâmayn, with �ishâ-i-awwal, that is, when the redness on the line of apparent horizon in the west disappears. The same rule applies in the other three madhhabs. According to Imâm-i A�zam it begins with �ishâ-i-thânî, that is, after the whiteness disappears. When the time of night prayer begins according to the Imâmayn, if people wait for half an hour and then performs this namâz, they will have performed it by obeying all imâms.

It ends at the end of canonical night, that is, with the whiteness of fajri-sâdiq (true dawn) according to Hanafî Madhhab.

It is mustahab to perform the morning prayer when it gets rather light everywhere in every season; this is called �isfâr.� It is mustahab to perform the early afternoon prayer in jamâ�at late on hot days in summer and early on winter days. Performing the evening prayer early is mustahab always. And it is mustahab to perform the night prayer as late as one-third of the canonical night, i.e., by the end of the first one-third of the time between ghurûb (sunset) and fajr (dawn). It is makrûh tahrîmî to postpone it beyond the time of midnight. These postponements apply only to those who perform namâz in jamâ�at. One who performs alone at home should perform every prayer as soon as its time begins.

(The most valuable �ibâda is the salât performed in its early time.) [Hâkim, Tirmudhî]

(Such a time will come when directors and imâms will kill the salât; [that is,], they will postpone it till the expiration of its [prescribed] time. You should perform your salât within its time! If they perform in jamâ�at after you [have performed it], perform it again together with them! The one you perform the second time will become nâfila [supererogatory].) [Muslim]

It will be precautionary to perform the late afternoon and night prayers according to Imâm-i A�zam�s report. Those who will not be able to wake up later should perform the witr prayer right after the night prayer. Those who perform it before night prayer should reperform it. And those who can wake up should perform it towards the end of the night.

The times at which it is makrûh to perform namâz

Question: At which times is it harâm [prohibited] to perform namâz [ritual prayer]? When do these time periods end? ANSWER There are three times at which it is makrûh tahrîmî with much stress, ito perform namâz. A namâz is not valid if it is fard [obligatory] and is started at one of these times. If it is supererogatory, it will be valid but will be makrûh tahrîmî. Supererogatory prayers begun at these times must be stopped and performed later (must be made qadâ later). These three times are the period of sunrise, that of sunset and the period when the sun is at zawâl [midday, the time at which the Sun leaves its highest point from the horizon and after which the time of early afternoon prayer begins]. Here, the period of sunrise is until the time of ishrâq [the time when the lower edge of the Sun is as high as the length of a spear from the line of the apparent horizon]. The time of zawâl begins when there are only twenty minutes left for the early afternoon prayer. The period of sunset begins when the Sun, or the places where its light emanates, become yellow enough to be looked at as it sinks. The duration of this period varies between 40 and 45 minutes. While the sun is setting, only the late afternoon prayer of that day can be performed. However, it is makrûh tahrîmî to delay the late afternoon prayer until this time. (Ethics of Islâm) Question: How long, in minutes, are the time periods in which performing supererogatory prayers is makrûh tahrîmî? ANSWER It cannot be said precisely. One is 45-50 minutes till the time for the evening namâz. This time period never goes below 40 minutes in length. Another period of time in which it is makrûh to perform supererogatory prayers is the time for the morning prayer. It is from imsâk [fajr, the time when fasting begins] till sunrise. The third time is the 50-minute period after sunrise. One other is about 20 minutes before the time for the early afternoon prayer. These figures are not 100% accurate, they fluctuate within a range of a few minutes. Question: Is it an inconvenience to recite the Qur�ân al-karîm, to pray or to perform other acts of worship during the times at which it is makrûh to perform namâz? ANSWER It is only namâz which one should not perform. It is not an inconvenience to recite the Qur�ân al-karîm, to pray, or to perform other acts of worship. (Durar) Question: At the karâhat time [the time wherein it is not permissible to perform namâz] before the evening prayer, if, say, there are only 10-15 minutes left for the evening adhân [calling for prayer], which one of the following is more appropriate: to perform the late afternoon prayer, or to leave it to qadâ [to postpone the namâz till after its prescribed time is over]? ANSWER It is fard to perform the late afternoon prayer even if there are three seconds left for the evening prayer time to begin. In other words, if there is enough time to say �Allahu akbar�, it is fard to perform the namâz, it would be harâm not to perform. In the case that one has 10-15 minutes before the prescribed time is over, it is a grave sin, harâm not to perform it. It is as such for all other daily prayers except the morning prayer. If there is enough time to say �Allahu akbar�, one must perform the namâz and it will have been performed in its prescribed time. If the namâz is postponed till that time with an excuse, it would not even be makrûh. It is certainly makrûh tahrîmî if it is postponed with a minor excuse. However, it is a graver sin to leave it to qadâ.

Rights of a husband and wife Question: What are the rights of a man on his wife?
ANSWER
A man, too, has many rights on his wife. A woman should get on well with her husband! It is declared in a hadîth-i sharîf [blessed word of Rasûlullah [the Messenger of Allah] �peace be upon him�]:
(The jihâd [holy war] of a woman is to get on well with her husband.) [Tabarânî]

A woman used to welcome her husband and try to attain the contentment of him by saying beautiful words. Because of this behavior of hers, our Master the Prophet �peace be upon him� declared to her husband:
(Tell your wife, she has acquired half the blessings of a martyr!) [Shir�a]

It is easier for women to enter Paradise compared to men. A hadîth-i sharîf purports:
(If a woman performs the five daily prayers, fasts, protects herself from the nâ-mahram [not one of the eighteen men whom the Sharî�at has prescribed as a woman�s close relatives] and obeys her husband, she enters Paradise.) [Ibni Hibbân]

There is no fear for a woman who has attained the consent of her husband. Two hadîth-i sharîfs purport:
(A woman who dies with she having attained the consent of her husband enters Paradise.) [Tirmudhî]

(If a woman shows love for her husband, bears child and does not sleep until she reconciles her husband when she gets angry or when her husband gets angry with her, she is for Paradise.) [Tabarânî]

Jewelry is permissible for women. A woman should not put her husband into a difficult situation for buying jewelry and must not show her jewelry to the nâ-mahram [not one of the eighteen men whom the Sharî�at has prescribed as a woman�s close relatives]! If women observe these, their jewelry does not prevent them from entering Paradise. A hadîth-i sharîf purports:
(I saw that women were few in number in Paradise. I asked for the reason. They said: �Gold and jewelry kept them busy�.) [I. Ahmad]

She should be cheerful towards her husband, show her love and should not hurt him with her tongue. It is declared in a hadîth-i sharîf:
(On Doomsday, Allâhu ta�âlâ makes the tongue of a woman who tortures her husband with her tongue 70 arshins long [an arshin is half a meter] and wraps it around her neck. In addition, He puts a woman who gives bad looks to her husband in such a situation that her head is cut off and her body is cut into pieces.) [Shir�a]

She should not be ungrateful to her husband by saying (You didn�t give me anything!) Two hadîth-i sharîfs purport:
(If they were not ungrateful to their husbands, those who performed namâz [ritual prayer] would immediately enter Paradise.) [Shir�a]

(I saw that women constituted the majority of the dwellers of Hell. The reason is that they curse frequently and are ungrateful to their husbands.) [Bukhârî]

If she did a favor for her husband, she should not taunt him with that. She should not hurt her husband for such things as food and dressing and should not demand from him what he cannot afford! She should keep her husband�s glory, try to attain his consent and try to please him in every deed! It is purported in a hadîth-i sharîf:
(The rights of a man on his wife are just like my rights on you. Therefore, she who does not observe the rights of her husband will have failed to observe the rights of Allâhu ta�âlâ.) [Shir�a]

A woman should not hurt her husband.
(One day, Hadrat Fâtima came crying before her father. Rasûlullah [the Messenger of Allah] declared:
- O Fâtima, why are you crying?
- Alî got angry with me because of a word of mine which I said unintentionally. I apologized to him but I am crying since I hurt him.
- O my daughter, don�t you know, the consent of Allâhu ta�âlâ is conditioned on the consent of husband. How lucky for a woman who always seeks the consent of her husband and with whom her husband is contented. The most superior act of worship for a woman is to obey her husband. When a man is contented with his wife, that woman earns the right to enter Paradise from any door she wants. A woman who hurts her husband will be under the curse of Allâhu ta�âlâ until she makes him contented.) [R. Nâsihîn]

Observing the rights of her husband causes a woman to earn thawâbs [blessings] as if she made jihâd [holy war]. It is declared in hadîth-i sharîfs:
(Observing the rights of husband is just like making jihâd in the way of Allah.) [Tabarânî]

(A woman cannot perform supererogatory fast without her husband�s permission. If she does so, she will have remained hungry and thirsty, she cannot earn any thawâb. She cannot get out from home without her husband�s permission. If she does so, the angels in the sky curse her until she comes back home.) [Tabarânî]

(If a man calls his wife for his need, let her answer his need immediately, even if she is around a tandoor!) [Tirmudhî]

(If a man calls his wife to his bed and she refuses to come, the angels will curse her till morning.) [Bukhârî]

(Without her husband�s permission, a woman cannot spend her own property, either.) [Tabarânî]

(If a woman gets out from home without permission, everything on which the sun and the moon rise curses her until her husband is contented.) [Daylamî]

(A woman cannot let anyone [including her mother, father and siblings] in the house and cannot perform supererogatory prayers without her husband�s permission.) [Tabarânî]

(Prevent your wives from ornamenting themselves! The women of Banî Isrâîl [sons of Israel] were cursed because they ornamented themselves and walked to the masjid [the place where they worshipped] arrogantly.) [Ibn-i Mâja]

(Namâzes [ritual prayers] and any good deeds of a woman will be unacceptable until her husband is contented.) [Tabarânî]

�Namâzes of the woman will be unacceptable� means that she will get clear of debt, but will not earn the great thawâbs to be gained by performing namâz. It does not mean that her namâz will be wasted.

If a woman�s husband is not contented with her, she will enter Paradise after suffering the punishment of her sin. Only kâfirs [disbelievers] cannot enter Paradise. Muslims will absolutely enter Paradise eventually even if they have many sins.

The spouses should get on well with each other and try to attain each other�s consent.

Rights of wife
Question: What is the way to get on well with our wives?
ANSWER
He who wants his wife to have beautiful morals should himself have beautiful morals first! In the Qur�ân al-karîm, it is declared that calamities striking people are caused by their sins. Thus, he who observes the commandments and prohibitions of our religion gets on well with his wife.

Hadrat [title of respect used before the names of great people like prophets and Islamic scholars] Fudayl bin Iyâd declares:
(By means of my wife�s bad temper, I used to understand if I made something religiously inappropriate. If I made repentance for that thing immediately, the bad temper of my wife would disappear as well. This way, I would realize that my repentance was accepted.)

Hadrat �Aliyy-ul-Havâs� wife had been cross with him. His wife would use a separate cruse and a separate cup in order to oppose her husband. One day, because Hadrat �Aliyy-ul-Havâs had mistakenly drunk water from his wife�s cruse, she immediately broke the cruse. Hadrat did not even say �Why did you break the cruse?� and he behaved as if nothing had happened.

Nûraddîn Shûnî Effendi [former Turkish title of respect], the neighbor of Hadrat �Uthmân al-Khattâb, tells: One night, I went out and saw a person covered with an old straw mat sleeping and said to him �Who are you, why are you sleeping here?� He said: �O my neighbor, I am �Uthmân al-Khattâb. I went out to the street because my son�s mother expelled me from the house and I decided to sleep here until she calms down.�

Bad-tempered wife
Hadrat Ibn-i Ab-il-Hamâyil-i Sawrî�s wife was bad-tempered. She used to rail and not give him a break. On the other hand, that pious person would always be patient. Again one day, he escaped from the bad temper of his wife by flying. His wife looked from behind and said �Look at him, he thinks he will be saved from me by flying�. Since it is not possible for people like us to fly, we should try to stay away from any disputes and quarrels. We should not make an attempt to prove that we are right!

It is declared in hadîth-i sharîfs: (Let not any Mu�min [Believer] get angry with his wife! If she has bad habits, she also has good habits.) [Muslim]

(Woman is weak. Defeat her weakness by keeping silent! Try not to see her faults at home!) [Ibn-i Lâl]

(The most superior of Muslims in terms of îmân [belief] is he who has the most beautiful morals, who treats his wife in the best, in the most gracious way.) [Tirmudhî]

(The best, the most beneficial of Muslims is he who is the best, the most beneficial towards his wife. Among you, I am the one who is the best, the most auspicious, the most beneficial towards his wife.) [Nasa�î]

(The salâts [ritual prayers] and fasts of those who do not observe the rights of their wives and children will not be acceptable.) [Murshid-un-nisâ]

(Namâzes [ritual prayers] and any good deeds of a woman will be unacceptable until her husband is contented.) [Tabarânî]

�Namâzes will be unacceptable� means that she will get clear of debt, but will not earn the great thawâbs to be gained by performing namâz. It does not mean that her namâz will be wasted. If a woman�s husband is not contented with her, she will enter Paradise after suffering the punishment of her sin. Only kâfirs [disbelievers] cannot enter Paradise. Muslims will absolutely enter Paradise eventually even if they have many sins. It is purported in the Qur�ân al-karîm:
(Good women obey Allah and observe the rights of their husbands. When their husbands are absent, they guard their honor and property with the help of Allah.) [Sûrat-un-Nisâ 34]

When a man comes home, he should greet his wife, ask how she is and share her sadness and happiness because she is the one who is hopeless of others, his friend accustomed to him, the fellow sufferer, who makes him happy, raises his children and satisfies his needs. It is declared in hadîth-i sharîfs:
(On Doomsday, I will be the enemy of him who hits his wife unrighteously. He who hits his wife will be rebellious towards Allah and His Messenger.) [R. Nâsihîn]

(Do not torture your wives! They are entrusted to you by Allâhu ta�âlâ. Be mild towards them and do favors!) [Muslim]

(The thawâb [blessing] of emancipating a slave is written in the deed-book of him who looks at his wife with a smiling face.) [R. Nâsihîn]

(Allâhu ta�âlâ loves him who gets on well with his wife and banters with her and He increases their sustenance.) [I. Lâl]

Are women�s voices harâm? Question: Some people say that it is halâl [permitted] for women to talk to nâ-mahram men [not one of the eighteen men whom Islam has prescribed as a woman�s close relatives]. Is it not harâm [prohibited]?
ANSWER
It took 23 years for the rules of Islam to be introduced. It is a mistake to deal with events that occurred before the âyat commanding (women) to cover themselves was revealed and thus consider it mubâh [permissible] for them to talk to nâ-mahram men. Likewise, drinking alcohol had not been a sin before it was forbidden. By instancing the past events that took place, can we say, �Drinking alcohol is mubâh because it was drunk during our Prophet�s time termed the Asr-i-Sa�âdat [Era of Happiness]�? In the same way, by giving the cases in former prophets� religions as examples, is it said, �There you are, it is permissible (for men) to talk to women�? In the religion of Hadrat Âdam (�alaihissalâm), it was permissible to marry some people who are now harâm to marry. Afterwards, that permission was lifted. Is it proper to give then rules as examples for present events?

Jâriyas� [women slave captured in a holy war] singing songs cannot be put forth as an example for free women. When Hadrat �Umar (radîy-Allahu �anh) recommended decreasing the amount of mahr, an old woman behind the curtain, in an act of objection, recited the 20th âyat of Sûrat-un-Nisâ� which reads: �Don't take anything back from the wife you have divorced, even if you gave her loads (of gold as mahr).� Hadrat �Umar did not object to that woman.

[mahr: according to Islam, the mahr comprises things like gold, silver, banknotes, or any kind of property or any kind of benefit that is given by a man to the woman he is to marry.]

Some deviants say, �This event shows that a woman�s voice is not harâm.� They do not explain that the woman behind the curtain was old; an old woman�s voice is not harâm. Some rules which are permissible for old women may not be permissible for the young ones.

Deviants also utter the following:
�Hadrat Âisha (radîy-Allahu �anhâ) narrates: �On the Day of 'Iyd [Eid], two jârias were singing gallantry poems by playing the tambourine. Rasûlullah (sall-Allahu alaihi wa sallam) lay down on his bed and turned his face to the other direction. Later, my father (Hadrat Abû Bakr) came in. When he scolded me by saying, �How on earth is the Devil�s whistle and sound in the presence of Rasûlullah?� Rasûllulah stated, �Do not interfere with them! Every nation has its own eid, and this is our eid.� When my father was busy with something else, I motioned the jârias away, and they left the house.���

Adducing the mentioned event to support their claim, deviants say that it is permitted for women to sit together with men, to play musical instruments, to sing songs, and to let their voices be heard by men.

Now let us analyze the statements above:
1- Those, who were singing gallantry poems, were jâriyas, not free women. It is not a sin for jâriyas not to cover their hair, arms and to let their voices be heard by nâ-mahram men. It does not befit a Muslim to say that these, by assuming jâriyas as role models, are also mubâh [permissible] for free women.

2-Gallantry poems and songs and mahtar marches (Ottoman military marches) are permissible. This does not mean that other kinds of songs are permissible as well. Songs and ballads can be sung by playing the tambourine, but ilâhîs [eulogies] cannot be sung with instruments. Because singing ilâhîs is an act of worship. It is not permitted to mix musical instruments into acts of worship. The term �the music of Tasawwuf� has no connection with Islam. In a house where Rasûlullah (sall-Allahu alaihi wa sallam) entered, small Black girls (jârias) were playing tambourines and singing. They stopped singing [and playing thambourines], and started lauding Rasûlullah. �Do not mention my name! [Go on with what you have been reciting already!] Eulogizing me [reciting ilâhî] is an �ibâdat. It is not permissible to perform �ibâdat while making merry and playing,� he declared. (Kimyâ-i Sa�âdat)

3- Hadrat Abû Bakr's saying Satan�s whistle for the tambourine shows that musical instruments are not permissible. Islamic savants states that what is permissible is only women�s playing tambourines at wedding parties and �Iyds. That is, permissibility of women�s playing the tambourine includes wedding parties and �Iyds. It is not permissible at other times.

Some of the documents proving that a woman�s voice is harâm:
Because Rasûlullah�s blessed wives are the mothers of Muslims, marrying them, that is, our Mothers is harâm. The purport of three âyats:

(O you who believe! It is not permissible for you to marry Rasûlullah�s wives.) [Sûrat-ul-Ahzâb 53]

(Rasûlullah's wives are Mumins� Mothers.) [Sûrat-ul-Ahzâb 6]

(O you wives of the Prophet! You are not like any other women. Fear Allah, do not be soft and graceful in your speech lest he in whose heart is a disease yearns. Always speak in a serious manner.) [Sûrat-ul-Ahzâb 32]

In that âyat, while it is not permissible for the wives of Rasûlullah (sall-Allahu alaihi wa sallam,) to speak softly, how can it be permissible for other women? Seeing that there may even be people who have a desire for our blessed Mothers, may there not be people with such a desire for other women?

As it is not permissible for women to let their voices be heard by nâ-mahram men without necessity, so it is not permissible for women to look at them.

It is purported in an âyat:
(Tell, also, the Believing women to lower their gaze [from looking at nâ-mahram men].)[Sûrat-un-Nûr 31]

The following are purported in some hadîth-i sharîfs:

(It is harâm for men to look at women and for women to look at men with lust.) [Tabarânî]

(When you see a nâ-mahram woman, turn your face away from her.) [Abû Dâwud]

(It is harâm to listen to a singing woman and to look at her face.) [Tabarânî]

(It is the fornication of the eyes to look at nâ-mahram women.) [Bukhârî]

Umm-i Salama (radiy-Allahu �anhâ), our blessed Mother, narrates:
When we were with the Messenger of Allah (sall- Allahu alaihi wa sallam), Ibn-i-Umm-i-Maktûm (radiy-Allahu �anh) asked for permission and entered. When the Messenger of Allah saw him, he said to us, �Withdraw behind the curtain!� When I said, �Is he not blind? He will not see us,� the Messenger of Allah answered, �Are you blind, too? Do you not see him?� That is, he meant, �He may be blind, but you are not.� (Tirmudhî, Abû Dâwud)

It is purported in an âyat:
(When you ask Rasûlullah�s wife for anything you want, ask them from behind a curtain.) [Sûrat-ul-Ahzâb 53]

Not only looking at nâ-mahram men (or women) but also talking to them is a sin. It is purported in two hadîth-i sharîfs:

(O you women! Talk to only your mahrams; don�t talk to your nâ-mahrams.) [Râmûz, Ibni Sa�îd]

(He who talks to a nâ-mahram woman lustfully will be tortured in Hell for each word.) [R.Nâsihîn]

Since it is not permissible for women to speak loudly or softly and let their voices be heard by nâ-mahrams, it is not permissible for them to say the adhân and the iqâmat. (Radd-ul-mukhtâr)

A young woman must not greet nâ-mahram men and must not say anything to a man who has sneezed. If she is said, she does not respond. (Hamawî�s Explanation of Ashbâh)

It is harâm for women to let their voices be heard by nâ-mahram men. Some scholars state that, when there arises necessity, it is permissible for women to talk to nâ-mahram men as much as needed but it still is not permissible for women to talk to them more than necessary. (Tazkiya-i Ahl-i Bayt)

Sounds of musical instruments and voices of women are not simâ�, but ghinâ�, and they are harâm. (Durr-ul-Ma�ârif)

[simâ�: a voice without instrumental music is called simâ�; ghinâ�: a human voice accompanied with instrumental music is called ghinâ� (that is, music)]

Allahu ta'âlâ prohibits women from talking to nâ-mahram men softly.(Maktûbât-i Rabbânî, Vol. III, page 41)

It is gravely sinful for women to go out with bare head, hair, arms, and legs, to let their voice be heard by nâmahram men without necessity, to sing to them, to let them hear their voices by reading Qur�ân al-karîm or by reciting the mawlid or the adhân. Women are permitted to talk to nâmahram men seriously in a manner that will not cause fitna when there is necessity such as buying and selling. (Targhîb-us-salât, Hadîqa, Endless Bliss)

Question: Is it permissible to look at women�s photographs? My friends have some photographs of mine that were taken with them when I was not covered compatible with Islam. It is not possible for me to take them back from my friends. Is there a sin for me due to those photoghraphs?
ANSWER
It is makrûh [improper, disliked or abstained by the Prophet] to look at women�s pictures without any necessity and without lust, yet it is harâm [prohibited] to look at them with lust. If there is necessity, it is permissible to look at them without lust.

A picture cannot be liken to the sound coming out from a loudspeaker. Even if their pictures are not women themselves, after all, they are women�s pictures. It is not permissible to look at women�s pictures with lust (no matter who the woman in the picture is).

It is makrûh tanzîhî [makrûh of a lesser degree] for women to look, without necessity, at men�s faces and for men to look at women�s faces. If there is necessity, they can look at as much as necessary. Now that you have repented of your sin (going out wearing incompatible with Islam) and there is no chance to get your pictures back, there is no sin for you.

Question: Is it permissible to look at the pictures of the women on TV with or without lust and listen to their voices?
ANSWER
It is not harâm to look without lust at the reflections on mirrors of those parts of women that are harâm to look at, such as their hair, arms. Looking at their pictures or visions on TVs is like looking their reflections on mirrors. They are permissible to look at without lust, but harâm to watch lustfully or to look at those visions of theirs and listen to their such voices that will arouse lust.

Question: Is it harâm for women to let their voices be heard by nâ-mahram men by reading the Qur'ân al-karîm or by reciting the mawlid and ilâhîs?
ANSWER
Yes, it is harâm. [But it is makrûh for them to let their voices be heard by men through loudspeakers, radios, and TVs.] (Targhîb-us-salât, Hadîqa)


Glossary

Verbal English equivalents and explanations are given for the purpose of helping the reader develop some initial notion concerning such technical Islamic terms, although their meanings would require considerable background to understand.

-A-

�âbid: one who worships much, devoted.
adâ: performing namâz in its appointed time
adab: (pl. âdâb) there is a special adab in doing everything. The adab of doing something means to follow the conditions necessary for doing it in the best way.
adhân: call to prayer
adilla ash-Shar�iyya: the four sources of Islam: al-Our�ân al-karîm, al-Hadîth ash-sharîf, ijmâ� al-Umma, and qiyâs al-fuqahâ�.
afdal: more meritorious
Ahd-i atik: the Old Testament
Ahd-i jadid: the New Testament
ahkâm: rules, conclusions.
ahl: people; Ahl al-Bait; immediate relatives of the Prophet: (according to most �ulamâ�) �Alî (first cousin and son-in-law), Fâtima (daughter), Hasan and Husain (grandsons).
Ahl as-Sunnat or Ahl as-Sunna (wa�l-Jamâ�a): the true pious Muslims who follow as-Sahâbat al-kirâm. These are called Sunnî Muslims. A Sunnî Muslim adapts himself to one of the four Madhhabs. These Madhhabs are Hanafî, Mâlikî, Shâfi�î and Hanbalî
ahl-i zimmat: see zimmî
a�immat al-madhâhib: pl. of imâm al-madhhab.
âisa: old woman, older than 55 for Hanafî, 70 for Mâlikî
âkhirat: Hereafter
�alaihissalâm: peace be upon Him
Alastu: Allah�s declaration: Alastu bi-rab-bikum? �Am I not your Rabb?� which, when He created Hadrat Adam, He asked to all the souls of Hadrat Adam�s descendants that would come until the end of the world.
�âlim: scholar, savant
�Alîm: the Omniscient. One of the 99 Beautiful Names of Allahu ta�âlâ
Allahu ta�âlâ: Allah The Most High
Âmantu: the prayer in which all six tenets of belief in Islam are declared.
Âmîn: (to Allahu ta�âlâ) �Accept my prayer.�
Amr-i-bi-l-ma�rûf: duty to teach Allahu ta�âlâ�s commandments and prohibitions.
Ansâr: those Muslims who lived in Madîna and helped Rasûlullah when he migrated to Madîna. Those companions of the Prophet who migrated to Madîna from Mekka are called Muhâjir.
�âqilbâligh: sane and pubert, who reach the age of maturity.
aqîqa: animal killed (by cutting its throat) to thank Allahu ta�âlâ for a newly born child. Two are killed for a son, while one is killed for a daughter. It is not fard. It is mustahab to kill it. That is, it is not sinful not to kill it.
�aql-i salîm: the wisdom which is salîm never goes wrong and never errs. It never does anything to necessitate repentance. It does not make mistakes in the things it considers. It always follows the course of actions that are good and that turn out good. It thinks properly, and finds the right way. Its deeds are always correct. This wisdom existed in Prophets only. They were successful in every activity they had started. They would not do anything that would make them repent or that would harm them. The one which is close to theirs is the wisdom of the Sahâba, of the Tâbi�ûn, of the Taba-i tâbi�ûn, and of the religious imâms. Theirs was a wisdom that was suitable for the rules of the Sharî�at.
�aql-i saqîm: the wisdom that is saqîm is quite the opposite. It errs in its acts and thoughts, which always incur sorrow, repentance, harm and trouble.
�Arafât: a mount near Mecca, the open space located 24 kilometers north of Mecca.
�ârif: an �âlim who knows what is possible to know of ma�rifa.
�Arsh: the end of matter bordering the seven skies and the Kursî which is outside the seventh sky and inside the �Arsh.
Ashâb-i kahf: the seven Believers (in a cave in Tarsus) who attained high status because of emigrating to another place in order not to lose their faith when disbelievers invaded their land.
Ashâb-i kirâm: A person who saw Hadrat Muhammad at least once when he was alive, is called a �Sahâbî�. It goes without saying that a Sahâbî is a Muslim. Ashâb is the plural form of Sahâbî. All the Sahâbîs are called �Ashâb-i Kirâm�.
A'ûdhu: A�ûdhu billâhi min-ash-shaytânirrajîm
Awâmir-i ashara: the Ten Commandments which Allahu ta�âlâ gave Mûsâ (Moses �alaihissalâm) on Mount Tur
awlâ: better
awliyâ: pl. of walî which means a person very much beloved to Allahu ta�âlâ.
awrat parts: parts on one�s body which one must not open or show others and it is forbidden for others to see outside or during namâz, parts of the body that men and women have to cover, both during namâz and elsewhere. In Hanafî and Shâfi�î Madhhabs a man�s awrat parts for namâz and at all times are between his navel and lower parts of his knees. The knees are awrat in Hanafî and the navel is awrat in Shâfi�î. All parts of free women, except their palms and faces, including their wrists, outer parts of their hands, hanging parts of their hair and under their feet are awrat for namâz, in Hanafî. There are also valuable books saying that outer parts of hands are not awrat. When alone and not performing namâz, it is fard [obligatory] for women to cover between their knees and navels, wâjib [almost obligatory] to cover their backs and bellies, and adab [an act for which there is blessing, if omitted there is no sin] to cover their other parts. It is harâm in all the four Madhhabs for women to show nâmahram men [not one of the eighteen men whom the Sharî�at has prescribed as a woman�s close relatives] and female non-Muslims their bodies other than their faces and inside and outside their hands, and for these people to look at them.� In the Shâfi�î Madhhab, on the other hand, their faces and hands are awrat (and therefore must be covered) in the presence of men who are nâmahram to them.
âyat: a Qur�anic verse, a verse of the Qur�ân al-karîm; al-âyat al-karîma.
Âyat-al-kursî: one of the âyats in the Qur�ân. It explains the greatness of Allahu ta�âlâ and the fact that His power is infinite.
�ayn-ul-yaqîn: certainty coming from direct observation and seeing.
azîmat: the more meritorious and difficult ways in carrying out commanments, which Islam holds superior.
Azrâ�il: one of the four archangels, who takes the soul of human beings.

-B-

balâghat-i ilâhî: Divine Eloquence
Banî Israil: sons of Israel; Israelites; Jews.
barakât: abundance, blessing
Basmala: Bismillâhirrahmânirrahîm
bid�at: heresy, a heretical conduct or belief. Bid�at means something that was concocted afterwards. They are things that had not existed during the time of our Prophet and his four caliphs �radiy-Allahu anhum� which were, afterwards, fabricated and done in the name of worships.
Bi�that: the year in which Hadrat Muhammad �sall-Allahu alaihi wa sallam� was informed that he was the Prophet.
bughd-i fillah: to dislike for the sake of Allah.
Burâq: the animal of Paradise which took Rasûlullah from Mecca to Jerusalem during the Mi�râj event. It was white, very fast, sexless, smaller than a mule, and bigger than an ass.

-D-

Dajjâl: He will appear in the time period close to Doomsday. He is called Antichrist by Christians and who will also be called Masih because his fame will spread over the world will be an enemy of Islam commanding innumerable soldiers. He will kill Muslims and bring discomfort and disorder. After shedding much blood, he will be killed by Mahdî.
dalk: to rub the washed limbs gently with the palm or with a towel
darûrat: 1- strong necessity, a samâwî (involuntary) reason that forces one to do something, that is, a reason which happens beyond one�s will, is called a darûrat 2- an involuntary excuse such as the danger of dying or losing a limb, or severe pain. These excuses make it mubâh [allowed] to perform an act that is normally harâm [forbidden] in Islâm.
dhikr: to mention the name of Allahu ta�âlâ through the heart, to remember, phrases of reciting the name of Allahu ta�âlâ
dîn: religion
duâ: supplication

-E-

effendi: former Turkish title of respect

-F-

fâiz: (or fâidh=interest) a percentage of a sum of money loaned to someone or borrowed from someone, which is harâm.
fanâ: it means to forget everything except Allahu ta�âlâ.
fard: obligatory, an obligation clearly commanded by Allahu ta�âlâ in the Qur�ân al-karîm. When this commandment is incumbent on every individual Muslim, it is termed fard-i-�ayn. Otherwise, i.e. if all Muslims are absolved from a certain Islamic commandment when only one Muslim performs it, it is termed fard-i-kifâya.
fâsid: null, invalid
fâsiq: a Muslim who commits sins habitually and frankly
Fâtiha: first sûra in the Qur�ân al-kerîm. It is recited during every standing position when performing namâz. It is also recited for the souls of dead Muslims.
fatwâ: an explanation on how to do Islam�s commandments.
fiqh: knowledge dealing with what Muslims should do and should not do, actions, deeds, �ibâdât. Teachings pertaining to religious practices
fitna: mischief, upheaval, instigation
fitra: alms that must be given when the month of Ramadân is over

-G-

ghayb: the unseen. Things that are not communicated by Islam, by calculations or by experiments are called ghayb (unknown).
ghayr-i muakkad: unemphatic, omitted from time to time by our blessed Prophet
ghinâ�: a human voice accompanied with instrumental music is called ghinâ� [that is, music]
ghusl: ritual washing

-H-

hadîth-i sharîf: blessed words of Rasûlullah [the Messenger of Allah] �sall-Allahu �alaihi wa sallam�
hadji: Muslim pilgrim
hadrat: title of respect used before the names of great people like prophets and Islamic scholars
haid: menstruation
hajj: pilgrimage to Mecca
hâl: continuous variation of the kashfs and manifestations that come to the heart.
halâk: lexical meaning of halâk is destruction, perishing, exhaustion. In the context, it is used to mean �the measure of harm or danger which Islam dictated as a gauge whereby to decide about the step to be taken.�
halâl: permitted in Islam
halwat: staying together at a lonely place.
haqq-ul-yaqîn: certainty coming from experience.
haraj: difficulty. When it is difficult to prevent something from hindering the doing of a fard or from causing a harâm to be committed, the case is called haraj.
harâm: prohibited, not permitted in Islam. Also means prohibition.
hâshâ: Never! This exclamation is used before saying a blasphemy.
hashamas: beach shorts which are long enough to come down beyond the knees
hawâ: the things which the nafs loves, desires
Hegira: Hadrat Muhammad�s (�alaihissalâm) migration to Medina in 622.
hidâya: the right way of Islâm
hubb-i fillah: to love for the sake of Allah.

-I-

�ibâdât: acts of worship
ifrât: too much of something
iftâr: the act of breaking a fast. Fasting is done for thirty days in Ramadân. Iftâr is done when the sun sets.
ihrâm: a special garment worn during the rites of pilgrimage in Mecca
i�jâz-i ilâhî: Divine Conciseness (of the Qur�ân al-karîm)
ijmâ�: the Sahâbat al-kirâm�s and the Tâbi�ûn�s common act or unanimous comment on an affair; such unanimity or consensus.
ijtihâd: it means to work with all one�s might, to strive and to take pains. In other words, it is to strive to derive the rules to solve problems that have not been explained clearly and openly in the Qur�ân or in the hadîths by likening them to matters that have been explained clearly and in detail. This can be done only by our Prophet (sall Allahu �alaihi wa sallam), by all his Ashâb and, from among other Muslims, by those who have been promoted to the grade of ijtihâd; these exalted people are called Mujtahid.
ikhlâs: sincerety, doing everything only to please Allahu ta�âlâ
ilâh: god [God means ma�bûd (that which, or who, is, or is to be, worshipped). Anything which is worshipped is called a god. The name of Allahu ta�âlâ is Allah, not God. There is no ilâh (god) besides Allahu ta�âlâ. It would be a very vile mistake to say �God� instead of �Allah�.]
�ilm-i hâl book: a book written for the religiously non-educated people and that briefly and clearly describes the knowledge of kalâm (îmân [belief]), morals and fiqh which everybody must know and do.
�ilm-i tasawwuf: it explains the things to be done or avoided with the heart, and the ways to purify the heart and the soul. This is also called �ilm-i akhlâq or �ilm-i ikhlâs.]
�ilm-ul-yaqîn: certainty coming from knowledge.
Imâm: (pl. a�imma) 1-Profound savant, Imâm-al-Madhhab, leader, founder of a
Madhhab; twelve a�imma (imâms), three male members of the Ahl-i bayt and their nine successors; Imâm-i a�zam (the greatest leader), title of Abû Hanîfa, leader of the Hanafî Madhhab. 2- Leader in public salât (namâz in jamâ�at).
Imâmayn: the two imâms, namely, Imâm-i Muhammad and Imâm-i Abû Yûsuf.
îmân: belief
imsâk: fajr, the time when fasting begins
iqâmat: the words recited while standing before beginning one of the five daily fard prayers
irâda-i juz�iyya: partial will
ishrâq: the time when the lower edge of the Sun is as high as the length of a spear from the line of the apparent horizon
isrâf: spending wastefully
istibrâ: Lexical meaning of �istibrâ� is to exert yourself, to free yourself from something disagreeable or impure. In the Islamic branch of fiqh, it means �after urination, to make sure that there is no urine left in the urethra lest it should drop into your pants afterwards and dirty them and brealk your ablution.� Istibrâ is done by gently squeezing urine drops out of the penis (manual istibrâ), by walking up and down for a while (about twenty minutes), or by lying on your left-hand side for a while. Istibrâ has yet another meaning in the branch of fiqh, used in matters pertaining to conjugal relationships.
istidrâj: Allah�s inciting a sinner to perdition by granting that person success.
istighfâr: begging Allah for His forgiveness
istihâda: flux of blood from a woman other than catamenia and lochia; excuse
istikhâra: see salât of istikhâra
istinbât: it means to extract the essence of something
i�tiqâd: the tenets of belief
�Iyd: Eid
�izzat: superiority, honor, glory
izâr: an outer garment worn below the waist

-J-

jâiz: permitted, permissible
jamâ�at: a congregation of Muslims who perform namâz together adapting themselves to the movements of the imâm, the person who is staying in the front
janâbat: the state of being junub
Janâb-i Haqq: Allahu ta�âlâ
janâza: funeral
jâriya: a woman slave captured in a holy war.
jizya: the tax which disbelievers under Muslim control pay to a Muslim government. Allahu ta�âlâ commands the jizya in the Qur�ân in order to disgrace disbelief.
junub: a person who needs a ghusl.

-K-

Kâ�ba: the big structure in the great mosque in Mecca
kâfir: disbeliever
Kalima-i shahâdat: �Ashhadu an lâ ilâha ill-Allah wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan �abduhû wa rasûluh.� It means: �There is no ilâh (being to be worshipped) except Allah; and Muhammad (�alaihis-salâm) is His born slave and His Messenger whom He has sent to (guide) all humanity.�
Kalimat at-tawhîd: the phrase �Lâ ilâha ill-Allah Muhammadun Rasûl-Allah.�
kâmil: perfect
karâhat time: the time wherein it is not permissible to perform namâz
karâmat: wonders which Allaha ta�âlâ creates outside His law of causation through the hands of His Awliyâ [dear slaves].
khafîf: light
khair: good, goodness
kashf: manifestation, appearence of Allahu ta�âlâ�s Attributes.
khatm: to read the entire Qur�ân al-karîm
khawf: fear
khodja: master (especially in a religious school); a person who leads people in religious affairs.
khutba: sermon, the speech made in the mosque by the îmâm during Friday prayer or �Iyd prayer
kufr: disbelief
kufr al-juhûdî: also known as kufr al-inâdî, becoming a kâfir [disbeliever] knowingly, obstinately

-L-

lâ-madhhabî: a person who does not follow any madhhab.
Lawh-i mahfûz: in pre-eternity, Allahu ta�âlâ knew everything that would happen in the world. He explains His knowledge of eternity and His eternal Word to angels at a place called Lawh-i mahfûz. Angels do what they learn from the Lawh-i mahfûz.
leave a namâz to qadâ: to postpone a namâz till after its prescribed time is over

-M-

madhhab: all of what a profound �âlim [scholar] of (especially) fiqh (usually one of the four � Hanafî, Shafi�î, Mâlikî, Hanbalî) or îmân (one of the two, namely Ash�arî, Mâturîdî) communicated.
mâ-i musta�mal: water that has been used for ghusl or ablution.
Mahdî: Hadrat al-Mahdî will be a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad (�alaihi �s-salâm). His name will be Muhammad and his father�s name will be �Abdullâh. He will preside over Muslims, strengthen Islam and spread it everywhere. He will meet �Îsâ (�alaihi �s-salâm), and together they will fight and kill ad-Dajjâl. During his time, Muslims will settle everywhere and live in comfort and ease.
mahr: according to Islam, the mahr comprises things like gold, silver, banknotes, or any kind of property or any kind of benefit that is given by a man to the woman he is to marry.
make iâda: performing any namâz for the second time before its time is over is named iâda.
make jam�: to perform the early and late afternoon prayers or the evening and night prayers one immediately after the other within the time prescribed for either one of them
make khilâl: to comb with fingers, insert one or more fingers to wash or moisten, takhlîl.
make niyyat: to intend by heart
make qadâ of: to make up
makrûh: improper, disliked or abstained by the Prophet
makrûh tahrîmî: makrûh with much stress, it is close to harâm
makrûh tanzîhî: makrûh of a lesser degree
mandûb: an act for which there is thawâb [blessing] and if omitted there is no sin
mansûh: some âyats were changed by some other âyats that descended later. The former are called mansûh, which means ��changed.�� The latter are called nâsih, which means ��the one that has changed the other.�� The âyat about wine is an example.
ma�rifat: knowledge pertaining to Allahu ta�âlâ�s Person. Religious knowledge that cannot be comprehended through the five senses or through the intellect can be learned from the Prophet�s words. Within religious information there is such knowledge which cannot be recorded in books or which cannot be explained through words. No words can be found to explain them. They are called ma�rifats. The owner of these ma�rifats is called �Murshid.� They can be obtained only as a result of flowing from the murshid�s heart or from the dead ones� souls into the hearts of those who desire them. There are some conditions to be fulfilled for attaining this.
ma�rûf: good acts approved by Islâm
masah: rubbing one�s wet hands (on one�s masts, which are soft, soleless, and waterproof shoes that cover the feet) while performing an ablution
masbûk: a person who has not caught up with the imâm in the first rak�at
mashrû�at: things that Muslims are commanded to do
masjid: mosque
masts: waterproof shoes covering the part of the foot which is fard to wash (in ablution)
mawlid: it refers to the observance of the birthday of Islamic Prophet that occurred in Rabi� al-awwal, the third month in the Islamic calendar. It also means �eulogies that narrate his birthday.�
mazî: see mazy
mazy: (also mazî) a few drops of white fluid liquid that comes out when one is aroused
Mi�râj: the Prophet�s ascent to Heaven
Mîzân: in the Hereafter, there will be a Mîzân �balance� for weighing deeds and conduct. It does not resemble worldly balances.
muakkad: emphatic, practised regularly by our blessed Prophet
mubâh: permissible; a thing, action permitted in Islâm; an act neither ordered nor prohibited.
mufsid: an act which makes a worship invalid
muhabbat-i zâtiyya: love for only Allah without including His Attributes. Divine love is love for Allah together with His Attributes
mu�jiza: miracles for prophets
mujtahid: great �âlim capable of employing ijtihâd.
mukhlâs: owners of permanent ikhlâs
mukhlis: those who have inconstant ikhlâs and who strive to obtain ikhlâs.
mulaffiq: one who looks for and gathers the facilities of the four madhhab.
mulhid: a person who does ilhâd.
Mu�min: Believer
munâfiq: hypocrite, a person who pretends to be a Muslim though being a disbeliever.
munazzah: free from any unworthy thing
muqîm: settled
murtad: renegade
musâfir: traveler
Mushaf: It is the state of the Qur'an collected between two covers with the style as starting from the chapter Fâtiha and ending with the chapter Nâs.
mustahab: an act for which there is thawâb (blessing) and if omitted there is no sin.
muwâlât: quickness, to wash the limbs one right after another
Muzdalifa: the area between the city of Mecca and �Arafât

-N-

nafs: a negative force within humans that prompts them to do evil
nafs-i ammâra: headstrong nafs
nafy: to dispel the thought of creatures from the heart
Nahy-i-ani-l-munkar: Admonishing, warning against the Islamic prohibitions
najâsat: substances which Islâm prescribes as dirty
najs: religiously dirty
na�ls: pattens
nâ-mahram: not one of the eighteen women whom the Sharî�at has prescribed as a man�s close relatives, and vice versa
namâz: ritual prayer
nass: âyats and hadîths with clear and obvious meanings.
nifâq: faction
nifâs: puerperium
nikâh: marriage contract made in accordance with Islam
niyyat: intention
nûr: light, halo.

-Q-

qaba: heavy
qadâ: make-up, not to perform acts of worship in their due times, but to perform them after their due times are over. A namaz of qadâ is the one which is performed after its prescribed time.
qa�da-i akhîra: last sitting in namâz
qadar: destiny
qawl: report
qawma: standing upright and motionless after ruku�
qibla: the direction a Muslim turns when performing namâz, the direction pointing to Kâ�ba
qirâat: standing and reciting the Qur�ân when performing namâz; recitation
Qirâat-i Shâzza: the Qur�ân which follows the rules of Arabic grammar and which does not change the meaning, but which is unlike the one that was collected together by Hadrat �Uthman. It is not permissible to read it during namâz or at any other place; it is a sin.
qiyâm: standing position in namâz
qiyâs: (conclusion drawn by a mujtahid through) likening or comparing a matter not clearly stated in the Nass [âyats and hadîths] and ijmâ� to a similar one stated clearly.
Qiyâmat: Doomsday
quddisa sirruh: used for scholars and other notable personalities in Islam in the meaning of �May his secret be very sacred.�
Qurbân: 1- Sacrifice, 2- the animal to be slaughtered
Qutub-i sitta: the six hadith books which all Islamic savants have confirmed to be correct.

-R-

radîy-Allahu �anh: used for any righteous and noble male companions of the Prophet in the meaning of ��May Allah be pleased with him.��
rajâ�: hope
rak�at: units of namâz each of which comprises the actions of standing, bowing and two times prostration. Most prayers of namâz consist of two or four rak�ats. One of them contains three rak�ats.
Rasûl: Prophet
Rasûlullah: the Prophet of Allahu ta�âlâ, Muhammad �alaihissalâm
rizq: sustenance
rukhsat: permission; the easy way in carrying out a fard or avoiding a harâm.
rukn: recitation of an âyat, the rukû�, the two sajdas and sitting in the last rak�at are each a rukn
ruku�: bowing by putting hands on the knees

-S-

safar: travel
safarî: traveler
sahûr: the meal which is eaten towards dawn before beginning the fast
sajda-i sahw: two sajdas (prostrations) done as soon as namâz is over in order to have some errors that may have been done while performing namâz forgiven.
sajda-i tilâwat: prostration after the recital of certain verses in the Qur�ân al-karîm
sahîh: 1- Valid, lawful; 2- A kind of hadîth. Kinds of hadîth are explained in the sixth chapter of the second fascicle of Endless Bliss.
sajda: prostration
salâm: 1- greeting, 2- saying �Assalâm-u �alaikum wa rahmat-ullah� at the end of a namâz
salât: prayer, namâz,
salât of istikhâra: a prayer performed to seek Allahu ta�âlâ�s guidance when one is unsure about a decision
salawât: the prayer upon saying or hearing the blessed name of Hadrat Muhammad �sallAllahu �alaihi wa sallam�
sâlih: pious, devoted
sallallahu �alaihi wa âlihî wa sallam: used exclusively after the name of Hadrat Muhammad in the meaning of ��May blessings of Allahu ta�âlâ be upon him and his family.��
samâwî: involuntary
shad: (in Arabic) means to soundly fasten something with a wire.
shafâ�at: intercession.
Shaikhayn: Imâm-i A�zam and Imâm-i Abû Yûsuf.
shaikh-ul-Islâm: the chief religious official in the Ottoman Empire.
shalwar: baggy trousers
sharr: evil
Shaytân: Satan
simâ�: a voice without instrumental music is called simâ� [that is, taghannî]
sultân: Muslim ruler in the past
sunnat: act, thing, though not commanded by Allahu ta�âlâ, done and liked by the Prophet (�alaihissalâm) as an �ibâda; there is thawâb if done, but no sin if omitted, yet it is a sin if continually omitted and disbelief if despised.
sunnat-i zawâid: things which Rasûlullah (sallallahu �alaihi wa sallam) has done continuously not as �ibâdat (worship) but as �âdat (habit) are called sunnat-i zawâid.
sûra(t): a chapter of the Qur�ân al-karîm

-T-

taannî: opposite of hastiness
tadbîb: to wind around a band or something wide and flat like the sliding iron bar of a door.
ta�dîl-i arkân: to be still as long as to say �Subhânallah�
tafrît: too little of something
tafsîr: explanation, expounding
tajdîd: renewal
tajwîd: the branch of knowledge teaching how to read the Qur�ân correctly
tahârat: cleaning private parts after urinating or defecating
takbîr: Allahu akbar
takbîr (of) iftitâh: the takbîr said at the beginning of a namâz
ta�khîr: performing the earlier one of two prayers in the time of the later one
takhlîl: to comb with fingers, insert one or more fingers to wash or moisten, make khilâl
talfîq: eclecticism; unification of madhhabs. Collecting the permitted, easy things of madhhabs, which is harâm.
tama�: using forbidden means to obtain worldlies
taqdîm: performing the later one of two prayers in the time of the earlier one
taqwâ: fearing Allahu ta�âlâ, abstention from harâms [prohibitions]
Tarafayn: Imâm-i A�zam Abû Hanîfa and Imâm-i Muhammad.
tartîb: to wash your limbs in prescribed order.
tasawwuf: see �ilm-i tasawwuf
tasbîh: subhânallah, alhamdulillah, Allahu akbar, 33 times each after five daily prayers. It is also used for only subhânallah.
tasfiya: purification in the heart
tashahhud: sitting postures, sitting and reciting certain prayers during namâz
taswîf: procrastination in performing pious deeds
tawakkul: trust in, expectation of everything from Allahu ta�âlâ exclusively; expecting from Allahu ta�âlâ the effectiveness of the cause [sabab] after working and holding on to the cause.
tawba: repentance
tawhîd: (belief in) the Oneness of Allahu ta�âlâ.
tawqifî: Allahu ta�âlâ�s Names are tawqîfî, that is, it is permissible to use His Names shown by Islam and not permissible to use other words.
tayammum: rubbing one�s hands and face with one�s hands dusted with clean soil in some situations, for instance, when there is no water
ta�zîr: general name for various types of punishment which the Islamic religion inflicts for some crimes.
thawâb: Muslims will be rewarded in the next world for all their pious actions which they have done in the world. The rewards which Muslims will be given in the next world are called �thawâb.� The word is used as an adjective as well as a noun. For example, when we say that an action is very thawâb, it means that Allah will give many rewards for that action, it is rewardful.
tumânînat: to remain motionless for a while after the ruku� and between the two sajdas

-U-

'udhr: excuse
ummat: followers of Prophets
umûm al-balwâ: a common plight, tribulation that plagues the masses.
usûl-i fiqh: the knowledge of usûl-i fiqh explains how learnings of fiqh are derived from âyats and hadîths.

-W-

wadî: turbid white thick liquid that issues after urination
wahy: divine revelation; Allah�s commands that come to prophets directly or through an angel. The entire Qur�ân is wahy that has come through the angel Jabrâîl (�alaihissalâm).
wâjib: essential, almost obligatory, almost as compulsory as fard, so not to be omitted; that never omitted by the Prophet.
walî: see awliyâ
waswasa: evil suggestions insinuated by the devil
watan: home
watan-i aslî: one�s real home
watan-i iqâmat: one�s transient home
waty: intercourse
witr: the namâz that follows the night prayer

-Y-

yaqîn: absolute belief; belief which is as positive as the conviction you feel when you have seen something you are to believe

-Z-

zâhid: those people who do not set their hearts on worldly possessions
zakât: (fard duty of giving annually) a certain amount of certain kinds of property given to certain kinds of people, whereby the remaining property becomes purified and blessed, and the Muslim who gives it protects himself against being (called) a miser.
zawâl: midday, the time at which the Sun is at its highest point from the horizon and after which the time of early afternoon prayer begins.
zimmî: disbelievers who realize their inferiority against Islam�s strength and greatness and who accept to give the jizya, thus accepting asylum in Islam�s domination and justice.
zindiq: one who endeavors to defend and spread one�s own thoughts under the name of Islam, though they are, in fact, incompatible with Islam.