Something to brighten your Jummah

This is by far my favorite nasheed ever. If you haven't seen this, you have been missing out. It truly soothes the soul, and I have broken down crying on numerous occasions while listening to this. Subhanallah.

I just want to say...

I just want to say Alhamdulillah. I love ALLAH, I love the Qur'an, I love all the Prophets (peace be upon them all), and I love Islam. I love all of you for the sake of ALLAH. Thank You, ALLAH, for everything You have given to me, and for having me follow Your Guidance. Please let me remain always on the Straight Path to You, and let us all strive to do what pleases You, and keep us always safe in Your Care. Ya ALLAH, You are the First and the Last, the One, the Loving, the Protecting Friend, the Most Merciful. Ya ALLAH, You are Peace and from You comes peace. Blessed are You, O Possessor of Glory and Honor. Ameen!

Feel free to post any du'as or praise to ALLAH here, and let the love grow Insha'Allah!

An Answer

Assalaamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatu everyone!

So about a month ago I sent in the question about me needing to make up the prayers I didn't do even though I hadn't officially said shahadah to SeekersGuidance.com, a reputable Sunni site that answers fiqh questions. Here is that I received (and was featured on their website, Masha'Allah!):

"Question: I converted to Islam about a year and a half ago. However, I have been studying Islam for years, and I knew I wanted to become a Muslim for a while. Since I was living with my parents earlier and they absolutely forbade me from converting, I did not pray, fast, or say the shahadah out loud, even though I believed it. This went on for a a few years until I entered college and finally had the freedom to start practicing Islam. Do I need to make up the prayers and fasts that I didn’t do during those three and a half years? I wasn’t officially Muslim yet in that I hadn’t said the shahadah, and I didn’t know how to pray properly. Some say that I have to make up these prayers and fasts, while others say that because I wasn’t really Muslim then (since I didn’t say shahadah) I don’t need to make them up since my sins have been forgiven through repentance and me taking my shahadah. Please advise.

Answer: assalamu `alaykum

I pray you are well and in the best of spirits.

May Allah bless you with your new found faith and grant you success in this life and the next. It is beautiful to hear how you persisted in your faith despite all the obstacles and difficulties.

As for your question, it would be best to make up the prayers you had missed, if you are able to do so, and to do so in the most effective of ways.

There is a difference of opinion between the scholars regarding the testimony of faith (shahada) and its relation to faith (iman). There are three major opinions:

1. It is a condition (shart) for the soundness of one’s faith (iman).
2. It is an actual part (shatr) of faith, which would render it similar to the first position, namely that faith without it is not valid.
3. It is a condition for worldly rulings to apply to a person, not for faith itself.

[Bajuri, Jawharat al-Tawhid]

According to the first two positions, an individual who believed but did not pronounce the testimony of faith to enter into Islam never entered it to begin with. According to this position, since the individual never entered Islam there would be no obligation to make up missed prayers as they were missed while the individual was still a non-Muslim.

According to the third position, having conviction and accepting Islam in one’s hearts would suffice for one to be considered a Muslim with Allah. However, the testimony of faith is a condition for worldly Islamic rulings to apply to the individual, such as issues related to marriage, burial, giving Zakat, and so forth. This is because though inward conviction suffices in the knowledge of Allah, the Muslim community requires an outward indicator of an individuals Islam before applying the laws of Islam to them.

All three of these positions are strong and have been held by great scholars throughout our tradition.

As such, the more cautious approach would be to make-up such missed prayers. You should try to do this gradually, viewing it as an opportunity that Allah has given you to draw closer to Him. There is no need to overburden yourself. Rather, the best actions in the eyes of Allah are the ones that are consistent, even if small.

May Allah facilitate you to do what is best for He is the best of facilitators.

Wassalam
Salman

Checked & Approved by Faraz Rabbani"

So it looks like both options (either making them up or not) are strong and valid, Alhamdulillah. However, I think I am going to take his advice and try to make them up. I really like what he said about seeing it as an opportunity to get closer to ALLAH rather than a burden, and his encouragement to take it slow. I'll make a spreadsheet and check off all the made-up prayers once I do them; in order not to overburden myself, I'll maybe try and do one make-up prayer a day, or more if I'm up for it Insha'Allah. Yes, it will take a long time to complete this way, but at least this way I won't burn out and will be more likely to stick to it Insha'Allah. Also, I will definitely try and see it as a positive thing; i.e. more time to spend with the Lord of the Worlds! If that's not positive, I don't know what is. :)

Subhanallah, Islam is really so practical and moderate. ALLAH has said that He doesn't give us anything more than we can handle, and He has granted us so many mercies to make our lives easier; He doesn't want to make worship difficult for us. I believe there is a hadith that said (and I'm paraphrasing here) that prayer is supposed to be a joy and something to look forward to rather than merely a duty or a hassle. Thank You, ALLAH, for Your Great Mercy!!!

Making some changes...

Salaam alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatu everyone!

Insha'Allah I hope everyone has been doing well and is in the best of health and iman.

So I've been doing some thinking lately, and I made a realization about myself. Alhamdulillah, I love Islam, and Alhamdulillah I am pretty good about fulfilling the basic requirements (salat, sunnah prayers, fasting, trying to eat only halal meat, no drinking, khimar and jilbab-type clothes, etc.). However, I feel like I'm lacking the spirituality associated with these acts; that is, I'm doing them, but I am having trouble actually connecting to them and understanding their deeper meaning. When I'm in salah, I often get distracted. I read the Qur'an, but not nearly as often as I would like to. I also don't know much about the life of Prophet Muhammad (saw), which I think is crucial. There's so much I could be doing, but I just don't, Astaghfirullah. However, Insha'Allah, I have decided to change this. I want to become a more Islamically spiritual person, rather than a Muslim who does the requirements but doesn't have any passion for them.

Sometimes people jump into decisions like this headfirst, but I don't think this is a good idea; people may be very ambitious in the beginning, promising to read five surahs a day and praying all the sunnah and nafl prayers and practicing Arabic for an hour each day, but this zeal can burn out fast. Prophet Muhammad (saw) said that it is better to do small things consistently than big things only occasionally, and this makes perfect sense. When someone exercises, they can't just start out running five miles immediately; they need to start out slow and then gradually increase their distance until they can do it comfortably. I think this philosophy is applicable to religion, as well.
Here are my goals. They seem very insignificant, but Insha'Allah I will implement them and they'll become part of my everyday life.

-read the Qur'an for at least five minutes before bed (or more if I'm up for it, but at least five)
-recite the last three surahs after each prayer and before going to bed
-choose at least one prayer each day and recite a special du'a afterwards, either in Arabic or English (I'm thinking either after Isha or Fajr, since this is when I have the most free time)
-try and make dhikr more often, especially when I'm not doing anything (for example, as I'm walking to class I could repeat "Subhanallah" until I arrive); this is very important to me, since ALLAH said in the Qur'an that the remembrance of ALLAH ("dhikrALLAH) is the best thing
-try and say the full greeting to people, i.e. instead of "salaam alaikum", say "salaam alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatu"; this seems a bit strange to me (Astaghfirullah) since it's so many syllables, and most people just say "salaam alaikum", but a person can receive 30 rewards in Paradise for saying the full greeting. It also has a beautiful meaning, "Peace be upon you and the Mercy of ALLAH and His Blessings".

Insha'Allah, we will all strive to get closer to ALLAH and increase our love for Him, as well as our love for the Prophets (peace be upon them all). Ameen!