what a Muslim is required to know about his religion pdf

what a Muslim is required to know about his religion – Book Sample

WHAT A MUSLIM IS REQUIRED TO KNOW ABOUT HIS RELIGION

Conditions And Status of Pilgrimage.

Dear Pilgrim

You -have left the worldly ambitions behind, renounced the world’s fascinated pleasure and sacrificed your precious money, and valuable possessions so willingly for the sake of Allah, and for the sake of Pilgrimage to His Sacred House to perform one of the fundamental bases of Islam. Ever

since you left home, you felt exhausted throughout restless travel by Air, by Sea, by Land or on camelback. Whatever means of transport you maintained, yet fatigue and lack of comfort cannot be avoided:

Despite all difficulties you have set aside all kinds of worldly pleasures to perform an important Pillar of Islam,

placing the love of Allah above the love of your homeland and the performance of the Pilgrimage ritual above national duties.

You have given up your relatives and children, who are the most delightful sources of life, and preferred the spiritual enjoyment as well as the encounter of your Muslim

brothers around the Sacred House to mention with them the Name of Allah and to perform together the duty unto Allah, than other pleasures of Life.

By so doing, dear pilgrim, you are under the protection and hospitality of Allah during your visit to His Sacred House, for Allah has secured to pilgrims either a safe return

home or a domicile in Paradise for those who pass away while on pilgrimage. The Divine hospitality provides for the response of Allah to the call of pilgrims and the reward for their expenditures.

According to lbn Omar, the Holy Prophet was quoted as having said: Pilgrims and Umrah-makers are the delegation of Allah: If they request they shall be given, if they pray they shall be responded, and if they spend they shall be compensated by Allah…….

Book’s epilogue

Days, nights, months as well as site vary in veneration according to their prominence and characteristics bestowed by Allah that distinguish them from others. For instance, Friday is the most preferable day of the week as confirmed

by the Hadith (The best day of the week is Friday) and the Night of Power is of a particular sacred over all nights since it is better than one thousand months. Ramadan is regarded by the Traditions as the master of all months and Muharam is the Month of Allah.

And so are the sites as Makka, Medina and Jerusalem are  highly esteemed in position and honour over all parts of the world. Similarly, the three Holy Mosques are distinguished from other Mosques in terms of spiritual reverence that prompt exalted and devout worshippers of Allah to take the opportunity of spending part of their religious life therein either to perform the Pilgrimage, the Fifth Pillar of Islam;

to carry out the Umrah; or to compass round the Sacred House of Allah in Makka; or to visit the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina and to pray at the sanctified Garden; or to visit the Aksa Mosque in Jerusalem, for the merit is much greater in these most holiest shrines.

In outlining the virtues of the three Mosques as  distinguished from other mosques, the Prophet, «Salla Allahu Alayhi Wa Sallam» said : «It is worthy indeed to make full preparations for a journey and to set up the necessary means of transport only for the visit of the three Mosques:  the Sacred Mosque, this my Mosque and Al-Aksa Mosque».

The Apostle, upon whom may be peace, named the three mosques in chronological sequence according to their preference and exalted position.

The Prophet, peace be upon him, in pointing out the degree of the merit of praying in these Mosques said :

«Prayers performed in this Mosque are rewarded by a  thousand fold over prayers observed in any other mosque save the Sacred Mosque. Prayers carried out in the Sacred Mosque (Makka) are better than the prayers performed in this my Mosque by one hundred times». (i.e. it is rewarded by one-hundred thousand fold).

It was confirmed that the prayers at Al-Aksa Mosque are  rewarded by half the merit received for prayers observed at the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina, i.e. by five hundred fold over prayers carried out at any other mosque.

Visit to the Prophet’s Mosque :

The visit to the Great Mosque in Medina, one of the

holiest shrines of Islam; and the payment of homage and due respect to the Apostle «Salla Allahu Alayhi Wa Sallam» upon whom may be peace , at his tomb are symbols of the most exalted acts of approach and adherence to the prescribed loyalty and obedience through which the visitor achieves his heightened objectives as useful instrument for

rescue from torment on the Day of Resurrection. The merit is great for any person visiting the City of the Prophet, peace be upon him;_and the Holy Mosque, which once served as a perennial source of guidance and enlightenment, an institute for learning rules of prophecy behaviour and a stronghold for the religion.

A visitor paying homage to the Prophet, the Herald of pleasant tidings and the Warner, at his tomb in the Holy Mosque, following his traditions, will recall that immortality is for Allah alone and that death is certain for all creatures. 120