Fiqh 4.95: The Abode of Souls

Ibn al-Qayyim dealt with this subject under a separate chapter in which he mentions opinions of various scholars concerning the abode of souls. Mentioning the most correct position he explained, "It is said that the abodes of the souls in barzakh vary considerably. Some of them are in the highest reaches of the heavens, such as the souls of the Prophets, peace be upon them all. Their status also varies as observed by the Prophet, peace be upon him, during the night of Isra."

Some souls are in the form of green birds who roam around freely in Paradise. These are the souls of some of the martyrs, but not all of them. The souls of some martyrs are prevented from entering Paradise on account of their debts or some other similar thing. This is supported by a report by Ibn Hanbal in his Musnad from Muhammad ibn Abdallah ibn Jahsh that "A man came to the Prophet, peace be upon him, and asked, 'O Allah's Prophet! What would I have if I am killed in the cause of Allah?' The Prophet, peace be upon him, replied, 'Paradise.' But, when the man got up to go, the Prophet added, 'Unless you have some debts to pay. Gabriel has informed me about it just now'."

Some souls will be locked out at the gate of Paradise, in accordance with this hadith: "I have seen your companion locked out at the gate of Paradise." Other souls are restricted to their graves as is evident from the hadith about the martyr who had stolen a cloak (He had stolen it out of the spoils of war before their proper distribution) when he was killed, the people asked, "Will he have bliss in Paradise?" The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "By Him in whose hand is my soul, the cloak which he stole causes a fire to flare over him in his grave."

The abode of others is at the gate of Paradise, as described in a hadith by Ibn 'Abbas that, "The abode of martyrs is in a green dome, on a bright river, near the gate of Paradise. Their provision comes from Paradise in the morning and in the evening.'' (Ahmad) This does not apply to Ja'far ibn Abi Talib, whose hands were transformed into wings, and with these he flies wherever he wishes in Paradise.

Others remain confined to earth, for these souls cannot rise to heaven. Indeed, these are base, earthly souls which do not mix with the heavenly souls, just as they do not mix with them during their sojourn on earth. A soul that is oblivious to its Lord, blind to His love, negligent of His remembrance, and remiss in seeking His pleasure is a despicable earthly soul. After separation from its body, it cannot go anywhere, but remains here. On the other hand, the heavenly soul in this life clings to the love of Allah and to His remembrance, and seeks His pleasure and nearness. After separation from its body, it will join other kindred heavenly souls. In the barzakh (Literally an interval, a separation or a partition, Al-barzakh may be defined as the intervening state between death and the Last Day) and on the Day of Resurrection a person will be with those he loved. Allah will join some souls with others in the abode of barzakh and on the Day of Resurrection, placing the believer's soul with other pure souls, that is, other pure souls kindred to his soul. A soul, after separation from the body, joins other kindred souls who in their nature and deeds are similar to it and stays with them.

Some souls would be thrown in an oven or a pit along with other fornicators and harlots. Other souls would be in a river of blood, floating therein and swallowing rocks.The two categories of souls - the blessed and the damned - do not share a similar abode, for there are souls that reside in the highest reaches of heavens, while the others, low and mean earthly souls, cannot rise above the earth.

When one ponders the hadith and traditions on this subject carefully, one can easily find the reason for this. There is no contradiction in the sound traditions on this subject. In fact, they are all true and each supports the other. It is important, however, to understand the soul and to appreciate its essence and the laws that govern its functions. Indeed, the soul is something completely different from the body. It is in Paradise, but at the same time is attached to the grave and the body in it. It is the swiftest thing in moving, relocating, ascending, or descending from one place to another.These souls are divided into various categories: the ones that are free to move about, those that are confined, the ones that are celestial, and the others that are earthly and of a low order. After separation from their bodies, souls do experience health and sickness, and they feel far more pleasure and pain than they experienced when they were joined together.They are subject to confinement, pain, punishment, sickness, and grief as they are to various states of joy, rest, bliss, and freedom. How similar is its condition in the body to when it was in the womb of its mother! And likewise how analogous is its situation after separation from the body to when it came out of the womb into this world! There are four abodes of the soul, and each abode is bigger and greater than the previous one.

The soul's first abode is the womb of the mother, where there is confinement, compression, seclusion, and three layers of darkness.The second abode is its earthly habitat where it grows, does good and evil, and accumulates blessings for its ultimate success or failure. Its third abode is the abode of barzakh, which is more spacious and immense than the abode of this world. This abode, compared to the fourth one, is like this [third] abode compared to the first abode.

The fourth abode is the abode of eternity, either Paradise or Hell. There is no other abode after these.Allah causes the soul to pass through these abodes in stages, until it reaches the abode most suitable for it, an abode that only it deserves and for which it is [uniquely] suitable, because this abode was created for it, and the soul was given the ability to perform the deeds that lead precisely to this abode.

In each abode the soul enjoys a peculiar status and position altogether different from what it has in other abodes. Blessed indeed is soul's Originator and Creator, Who gives it life, causes it to die, makes it happy or subjects it grief and sorrow. Blessed is He Who appointed for it various levels of success and failure, and distinguished them by various grades in accordance with their knowledge, performance, faculties, and morality.Whoever truly understands and appreciates this cannot, but bear witness to the fact that there is no deity except Allah, Who has no partners. With Him alone rests all authority, praise, and all that is good, and to Him alone all affairs return for decision. His is the absolute authority, and all dominion, might, honor, wisdom, and perfection free of any defects or imperfections. He is known through the testimony of His truthful Prophets and Messengers. They did indeed come with Truth. Reason testifies to its truthfulness, and nature supports and confirms it. And anything that contradicts this testimony is untrue.

Fiqh 4.99: AZH-ZHIKR

All words of praise and glory to Allah, extolling His Perfect Attributes of Power and Majesty, Beauty and Sublimeness, whether one utters them by tongue or says them silently in one's heart, are known as zhikr or remembrance of Allah. He has commanded us to remember Him always and ever. The Qur'an says: O you who believe! Celebrate the praises of Allah, and do so often; and glorify Him morning and evening. Qur'an 33.41

If anyone remembers Allah, He remembers that person: "Remember me, I shall remember you." Qur'an 2.152 In a hadith qudsi, the Prophet, peace be upon him, narrated: "Allah says: 'I am to my servant as he expects of Me, I am with him when he remembers Me. If he remembers Me in his heart, I remember him to Myself, and if he remembers me in an assembly, I mention him in an assembly better than his, and if he draws nearer to Me a hand's span, I draw nearer to him an arm's length, and if he draws nearer to Me an arm's length, I draw nearer to him a fathom length, and if he comes to me walking, I rush to him at [great] speed. (Bukhari and Muslim)

Allah has bestowed a special distinction upon those who remember Him. The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "The devotees have surpassed all." They asked, "Who are these exceptional people (Mufarridun), O Prophet of Allah?" He replied, "Those men and women who remember Allah unceasingly." (Muslim) These are the people who are really alive. Abu Musa reported, "The likeness of the one who remembers his Lord and the one who does not remember Him is like that of a living to a dead person.'' (Bukhari)

Remembrance of Allah is the foundation of good deeds. Whoever succeeds in it is blessed with the close friendship of Allah. That is why the Prophet, peace be upon him, used to make remembrance of Allah at all times. When a man complained, "The laws of Islam are too heavy for me, so tell me something that I can easily follow," the Prophet, peace be upon him, told him, "Let your tongue be always busy with the remembrance of Allah." The Prophet, peace be upon him, would often tell his Companions, "Shall I tell you about the best of deeds, the most pure in the sight of your Lord, about the one that is of the highest order and is far better for you than spending gold and silver, even better for you than meeting your enemies in the battlefield where you strike at their necks and they at yours?" The Companions replied, "Yes, O Messenger of Allah!" The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "Remembrance of Allah.'' (Reported by Tirmizhi, Ahmad, and Al-Hakim, who considers its chain of narrators sound)

Remembrance of Allah is also a means of deliverance from Hell Fire. Mu'azh reported, "The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, 'No other act of man is a more effective means for his deliverance from the chastisement of Allah than the remembrance of Allah.'' (Ahmad) Ahmad reports that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "Whatever you say in celebration of Allah's Glory, Majesty, and Oneness, and all your words of Praise for Him gather around the Throne of Allah. These words resound like the buzzing of bees, and call attention to the person who uttered them to Allah. Don't you wish to have someone there in the presence of Allah who would call attention to you?"

Fiqh 4.100: How Much zhikr is Required?

Allah, the Exalted, ordered that He should be remembered a lot. Describing the wise men and women who ponder His signs, the Qur'an mentions, "those who remember Allah standing, sitting and on their sides,'' Qur'an 3.191 and "those men and women who engage much in Allah's praise. For them has Allah prepared forgiveness and a great reward.'' Qur'an 33.35 Mujahid explained, "A person cannot be one of 'those men and women who remember Allah much' as mentioned in the above verse of the Qur'an, unless he or she remembers Allah at all times, standing, sitting, or lying in bed."

When asked how much zhikr one should do to be considered as one of "those who remember Allah much," Ibn Al-Salah said that "much" is "when one is constant in supplicating, in the morning and evening and in other parts of the day and the night as reported from the Prophet, peace be upon him." Concerning the above Quranic verses 'Ali b. Abi Talha relates that Ibn 'Abbas said, "All obligations imposed upon man by Allah are clearly marked and one is exempted from them in the presence of a genuine cause. The only exception is the obligation of zhikr. Allah has set no specific limits for it, and under no circumstances is one allowed to be negligent of it. We are commanded to 'remember Allah standing, sitting and reclining on your sides,' in the morning, during the day, at sea or on land, on journey or at home, in poverty and in prosperity, in sickness or in health, openly and secretly, and, in fact, at all times throughout one's life and in all circumstances."

Fiqh 4.101: Zhikr as an Integral Part of Worship

Sa' id b. Jubair said, "Anyone engaged in obeying Allah is in fact engaged in the remembrance of Allah." Some of the earlier scholars tied it to some more specified form. 'Ata said, "The gatherings of zhikr are the gatherings where the lawful and the prohibited things are discussed, for instance, selling, buying, prayers, fasting, marriage, divorce, and pilgrimage." Al-Qurtubi said, "Gatherings of zhikr are the gatherings for knowledge and admonition, those in which the Word of Allah and the sunnah of His Messenger, accounts of our righteous predecessors, and sayings of the righteous scholars are learned and practiced without any addition or innovation, and without any ulterior motives or greed."

Fiqh 4.101 a: Etiquette of Zhikr

The purpose of zhikr is to purify hearts and souls and awaken the human conscience. The Qur'an says, "And establish regular prayer, for prayer restrains from shameful and unjust deeds, and remembrance of Allah is the greatest thing in life, without doubt.'' Qur'an 29.45 In other words, the remembrance of Allah has a greater impact in restraining one from shameful and unjust deeds than just the formal regular prayer. This is so because when a servant opens up his soul to his Lord, extolling His praise, Allah strengthens him with His light, increasing thereby his faith and conviction, and reassuring his mind and heart. This refers to "those who believe, and whose hearts find satisfaction in the remembrance of Allah, for without doubt in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find satisfaction.'' Qur'an 13.28

And when hearts are satisfied with the Truth, they turn to the highest ideals without being deflected by impulses of desire or lust. This underscores the importance of zhikr in man's life. Obviously it would be unreasonable to expect these results just by uttering certain words, for words of the tongue unsupported by a willing heart are of no consequence. Allah Himself has taught us the manner in which a person should remember Him, saying, "And do bring your Lord to remembrance in your very soul, with humility and in reverence, without loudness in words, in the mornings and evening, and be not of those who are unheedful.'' Qur'an 7.205

This verse indicates that doing zhikr in silence and without raising one's voice is better. Once during a journey the Prophet, peace be upon him, heard a group of Muslims supplicating aloud. Thereupon the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "Give yourselves a respite, you are not calling upon someone deaf or absent. Surely He Whom you are calling upon is near you and He listens to all. He is nearer to you than the neck of your mount." This hadith underlines the love and awe a person should feel while engaged in zhikr.

A part of this etiquette is the requirement that a person wishing to do zhikr be clean in body and dress, and smell sweet and fragrant. This will give him a fresh zeal and he will feel invigorated. One should face the qiblah during zhikr, for the best assemblies are those that face the Ka'bah.

Fiqh 4.102: Excellence of Assemblies of Zhikr

Joining the assemblies or circles of zhikr is a commendable practice as shown by the following hadith: Ibn 'Umar reported, "The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, 'When you pass by a garden of Paradise, avail yourselves of it.' The Companions asked, 'What are the gardens of Paradise, O Messenger of Allah? ' The Prophet, peace be upon him, replied, 'The assemblies or circles of zhikr. There are some angels of Allah who go about looking for such assemblies of zhikr, and when they find them they surround them'."

Muslim reports that Mu'awiyyah said, "The Prophet, peace be upon him, went out to a circle of his Companions and asked, 'What makes you sit here?' They said, 'We are sitting here in order to remember Allah and to praise Him because He guided us to the path of Islam and he conferred favors upon us.' Thereupon he adjured them by Allah and asked if that was the only purpose of their sitting there. 'They said, By Allah, we are sitting here for this purpose only. ' At this the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, 'I am not asking you to take an oath because of any misapprehension against you, but only because Gabriel came to me and informed me that Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, was telling the angels that He is proud of you'."

Abu Sa'id Al-Khudri and Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "When any group of men remember Allah, angels surround them and mercy covers them, tranquility descends upon them, and Allah mentions them to those who are with Him."

Qatadah reported that Anas ibn Malik said, "The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, 'When a human is laid in his grave and his companions return and he hears their footsteps, two angels will come to him and make him sit and ask him, "What did you say about this man, Muhammad, may peace be upon him?" He will say, "I testify that he is Allah's servant and His Messenger." Then it will be said to him, "Look at your place in Hell-Fire. Allah has exchanged for you a place in Paradise instead of it".' The Prophet, peace be upon him, added, 'The dead person will see both his places. As for a non-believer or a hypocrite, he will respond to the angels, "I do not know, but I used to say what the people used to say ! " It will be said to him, "Neither did you know nor did you seek guidance from those who had knowledge." Then he will be hit with an iron hammer between his two ears, and he will cry and that cry will be heard by all except human beings and jinns'." (Bukhari and Muslim)

Fiqh 4.102 a: Excellence of Pronouncing La llaha illa-Allah Sincerely

Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "When a servant of Allah utters the words la ilaha illa'Allah (there is none worthy of worship except Allah) sincerely, the doors of heaven open up for these words until they reach the Throne of Allah, so long as its utterer keeps away from the major sins.'' (Tirmizhi, who says it is a hasan gharib hadith)

Abu Hurairah also reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "Renew your faith." "How can we renew our faith?" they asked. The Prophet, peace be upon him, replied, "Say always, 'La ilaha ill-Allah'.'' (Reported by Ahmad with a sound chain of authorities)

Jabir reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "The best remembrance of Allah is to repeat La ilaha ill-Allah and the best prayer is alhamdu li-Allah (All Praise is due to Allah).'' (Reported by Nasa'i, Ibn Majah, and Al-Hakim, who considers its chain sound)

Fiqh 4.103: Excellence of Tasbih, Tahmid, Tahlil, Takbir and Other Supplications

Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "There are two phrases that are light on the tongue but heavy on the scale of rewards and are dear to (Allah) the Gracious One. These are, subhanallah wa bi-hamdihi (All Glory is to Allah and all Praise to Him), and subhanallah al-azim (Glorified is Allah, the Great).'' (Muslim, Bukhari, and Tirmizhi) Abu Hurairah also reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "I love repeating subhanallah, wal-hamdulillah, wa la-ilaha ill-Allah, wa-Allahu akbar (Glorified is Allah, all praise is due to Allah, and there is no God but Allah, Allah is the greatest) more than all that the sun shines upon.'' (Muslim and Tirmizhi)

Abu Zharr reported, "the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, 'Shall I tell you the words that Allah loves the most?' I said, 'Yes, tell me, O Messenger of Allah.' He said, 'The words most dear to Allah are subhan-Allah wa bihamdihi (Glorified is Allah with all praise due to Him)'." This is narrated by Muslim and Tirmizhi. In Tirmizhi's version, we also find the following: "The words most dear to Allah which He has chosen for His angels are subhana Rabbi wa bihamdihi, subhana Rabbi wa bihamdihi (Glorified is my Lord with all praise due to Him, Glorified is my Lord with all praise due to Him)."

Jabir reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "Whoever says Subhan-Allah-al-Azim wa bihamdihi (Glorified is Allah, the Great, with all praise due to Him), will have a palm tree planted for him in Paradise.'' (Reported by Tirmizhi who considers it a sound hadith.)

Abu Sa'id reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "Perform the enduring goods deeds more frequently." The asked, "What are these enduring deeds?" The Prophet, peace be upon him, replied, At-Takbir, (Saying Allahu akbar i.e., Allah is the greatest) At-Tahlil, (Saying la ilaha ill-Allah, i.e., there is no god but Allah) At-Tasbih, (Saying subhan-Allah meaning, Exalted and far removed is Allah from any weakness) al-hamdu li-Allah, (This means: All praise belongs to Allah alone) and la hawla wala quwwata illa billah. (There is no power nor any authority except with the permission of Allah) This is reported by An-Nasa'i and Al-Hakim, who consider its chain of authorities sound.

Abdallah reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "During the Night Journey I met Ibrahim who said to me, 'O Muhammad, convey my greetings to your ummah, and tell them that the Paradise is of pure land, its water is sweet, and its expanse is vast, spacious and even. And its plants are Subhan-Allah, wal-hamdulillah, wala ilah illallah, wa-Allahu akbar'.''

Samura ibn Jundab reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "The dearest phrases to Allah are four: Subhan Allah, (Glorified is Allah), al-Hamdulillah (All praise be to Allah), Wa la ilaha ill-Allah (There is no God but Allah), and Allah-o-Akbar (Allah is the Greatest). There is no harm in beginning them in any order you choose while remembering Allah.'' (Muslim)

Abu Mas'ud reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "If anyone recites the last two verses of Surat al-Baqarah, they will suffice for him,'' (Bukhariand Muslim) that is, these two verses will bring him a reward equivalent to that of a night prayer, and will safeguard him from any hurt during that night. Ibn Khuzaimah in his Sahih has also mentioned it under the chapter "The Recitation of the Qur'an Equivalent in Reward to a Night Prayer."

Abu Sa'id reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, asked, "Can anyone of you recite a third of the Qur'an during the night?" The Companions considered this rather difficult and they said, "Who among us can do so, O Prophet of Allah?" Thereupon the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "(Say:) He is Allah, the One and Only; Allah, the Eternal, Absolute; He begetteth not, nor is he begotten; and there is none like unto Him.'' (The reference here is to recitation of Surah 112 (Suratul Ikhlas) of the Qur'an, which the Prophet, peace be upon him, described as equivalent to reciting one-third of the Qur'an. This hadith is reported by Bukhari, Muslim, and Nasa'i)

Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "Whoever says, 'La llaha illa-Allahu wahdahu la sharika lahu, lahul-mulku wa lahul-hamd wa huwa 'ala kulli shai'in qadir' a hundred times during a day will have a reward equivalent to the reward for freeing ten slaves. Besides, a hundred good deeds will be recorded for him and a hundred bad deeds of his will be wiped off, and it will be a safeguard for him from Satan that day until evening, and no one will be better in deeds than such a person except he who does more than that.'' (Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmizhi, Nasa'i, and Ibn Majah) In the version of Muslim, Tirmizhi, and Nasa'i, we find this addition: "And whoever says subhan Allah wa bi-hamdihi a hundred times during a day, will have all his sins wiped off even if they were as numerous as the foam on the surface of the sea."

Fiqh 4.105: Excellence of Istighfar

Anas reported that he heard the Prophet, peace be upon him, saying that Allah says, "O son of Adam, whatever you asked Me and expect from Me I forgave - respecting that which you owed to Me - and I don't care [how great this was]. O Son of Adam, even if your sins pile up to the sky and then you seek My forgiveness I will forgive you, and O son of Adam, even if you have an earthful of sins but you meet Me without associating any other thing with Me I will forgive you.' (Reported by Tirmizhi, who considers it a hasan sahih hadith)

Abdallah b. 'Abbas said, "If one supplicates without fail for forgiveness from Allah, He finds a way out for him to get out of every distress and difficulty, and gives him sustenance through ways utterly unthought of.'' (Reported by Abu Daw'ud, Nasa'i, Ibn Majah, and Al-Hakim, who says its chain of authorities is sound.)

Fiqh 4.105 a: Some Comprehensive Forms of Zhikr

Juwairiyah (One of the wives of the Prophet, peace be upon him) reported that one day the Prophet, peace be upon him, left her apartment in the morning as she was busy observing her dawn prayer in her place of worship. He came back in the forenoon and she was still sitting there. The Prophet, peace be upon him, said to her, "You have been in the same place since I left you?" She said, "Yes." Thereupon the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "I recited four words three times after I left you and if these were to be weighed against what you have recited since morning these would outweigh them, and these words are: Subhanallah wa bihamdihi 'adada khalqihi wa rida' nafsihi wa zinata 'arshihi wa midada kalimatihi (hallowed be Allah and praise is due to Him to the extent of the number of His creation and to the extent of His pleasure and to the extent of the weight of His Throne and to the extent of ink used in recording words for His Praise).'' (Reported by Muslim and Abu Daw'ud)

Sa'd ibn Abu Waqqas reported that once the Prophet, peace be upon him, saw a woman who had some date-stones or pebbles which she was using as beads to glorify Allah. The Prophet, peace be upon him, said to her, "Let me tell you something which would be easier and more excellent for you than that." So he told her to say instead Subhan-Allah 'adada ma khalaqa fil-ard wa subhan Allah 'adada ma khalaqa bayna zhalika wa subhan-Allah 'adada ma huwa khaliq wa Allahu akhar mithla zhalik wa la ilaha illa-Allahu mithla zhalik wa la hawla wa la quwwata illa mithla zhalik (Glory be to Allah as many times as the number of what He has created in Heaven, Glory be to Allah as many times as the number of what He has created on Earth, Glory be to Allah as many times as the number of what He has created between them, Glory be to Allah as many times as the number of that which He is creating, Allah is the most great a similar number of times, praise be to Allah a similar number of times, and There is no god but Allah a similar number of times, and there is no might and no power except with Allah a similar number of times).'' (Reported by the Compilers of the Sunan and Al-Hakim, who says it is a sound hadith according to the criterion of Muslim)

Ibn 'Umar reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, told them, "A servant of Allah said 'My Lord! All praise is for You as much as Your Glory and Sublime Majesty rightly deserve. ' This was too much for the two angels to record. They did not know how to record it. So they soared to the heaven and said, 'Our Lord! Your servant has said something which we don't know how to record?' Allah asked them--and, of course, He knew what the servant had said--'What did My servant say?' They said, 'He has said, "My Lord! All praise is for You as much as Your Glory and Sublime Majesty rightly deserve." Allah said to them, ' Write it down as My servant has said until he should meet Me and I reward him for it'.' (Reported by Ahmad and Ibn Majah)

Fiqh 4.106: Counting on One's Fingers is Better than Counting Beads

Yusairah reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, commanded them (the emigrant women) to be regular in remembering Allah by saying, "Allah is the most great," "Glory be to Allah, the Holy," and "There is no God but Allah," and never to be forgetful of Allah and His Mercy, and to count them on their fingers, for the fingers will be questioned and will speak. (Reported in the Sunan and by Al-Hakim with a sound chain of authorities)

Abdallah b. 'Amr b. al-'As reported, "I saw the Prophet, peace be upon him, counting the glorifications of Allah on his right hand's fingers.'' (Reported in the Sunan)

Fiqh 4.107: Warning Against Sitting in Company Where Allah is Not Mentioned and Blessings on His Prophet are Not Invoked

Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "If peopie sit in an assembly in which they do not remember Allah nor invoke a blessing on the Prophet, it will be a cause of grief for them on the Day of Judgment." This is reported by Tirmizhi, who says it is a sound hadith.

In the version of Ahmad, however, we read, "If people sit in an assembly in which they do not remember Allah, it will be a cause of sorrow for them, and if a man is walking and does not remember Allah, it will be a cause of sorrow for him, and if a man lies down on his bed and does not remember Allah, it will be a cause of sorrow for him." Another version says, "It will be a sorrow for them, even if they are given Paradise in reward."

The author of Fath al-'Allam says, "This hadith proves that it is incumbent on one to remember Allah and invoke blessings on the Prophet while sittmg in an assembly, for whether we take the words 'cause of grief or sorrow' to mean torment of fire or any other chastisement, obviously a punishment is incurred only when an obligatory act is neglected or a forbidden act is committed, and here it is both the remembrance of Allah and the invoking of blessings on His Prophet that are apparently incumbent."

Fiqh 4.107 a: Atonement for Sitting in an Assembly

Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "If anyone sits in an assembly where there is much clamor and says before getting up to leave, Subhanaka Allahumma wa bihamdika, ashadu an-la illaha illa-anta, astaghfiruka wa atubu ilayka (Glory be to You, O Allah, and I begin with declaring all praise is due to You, I testify that there is no god but You; I ask Your pardon and turn to You in repentance), he will be forgiven any sin that he might have committed while in that assembly. (Tirmizhi and Al-Baihaqi, (Kitab ad-D'wat Al-kabir))

Fiqh 4.107 b: Atonement for Backbiting

It is related that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "The atonement for backbiting [and slander] is to pray for forgiveness of the person who was slandered and to say, 'O Allah, forgive us and him'."

The preferable course in this regard is to pray for forgiveness of the person who was the target of the slander and to mention his good qualities. This will wipe off the effects of such backbiting, and it is not necessary to announce such a thing.

Fiqh 4.109: Injunction on Supplication

Allah has commanded people to call upon Him humbly and sincerely, promising them He will respond to their prayers and fulfill their needs.

Nu'man b. Bashir reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "Verily supplication is worship." Then he recited the Qur'anic verse, "And your Lord says, 'Call on Me. I will answer your prayer, but those who are too arrogant to serve me will surely find themselves humiliated in Hell!'' Qur'an 40.60. This is reported by Ahmad and Sunan.

'Abdar Razzaq reported from Al-Hasan that the Companions asked the Prophet, peace be upon him, "Where is our Lord?" At this Allah sent down the following verse of the Qur'an, "When My servants ask you (O, Muhammad) conceming Me, I am indeed close to them. I listen to the prayer of every supplicant when he calls upon Me.'' Qur'an 2.186

Abu Hurairah reported, "The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "Nothing is more dear to Allah than one's supplication to Him.'' (Tirmizhi and Ibn Majah)

Abu Hurairah also reported, "The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, 'Whoever wants Allah to answer his prayers during difficult times, should supplicate to Him more and more in times of ease'.'' (Tirmizhi)

Abu Ya'la related from Anas that the Prophet, peace be upon him, reporting from his Lord said, "Allah said, 'There are four characteristics, of which one is Mine, one yours, one common between Me and you, and one is common between you and My other servants. The one that is Mine is that you shall not associate any other god with Me, the one that is for you is that when you do a good deed I shall reward you for it, the one that is common between Me and you is that when you supplicate I shall respond to your supplications, and the one that is common between you and My other servants is that you should like for them what you like for your own selves'."

In a sound hadith the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "Allah's wrath is on the one who does not call upon Him for help." 'Aishah reported, "The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, 'Precautions are of no avail against the decree of Allah, but the supplication benefits in the case of a calamity that strikes or is about to strike. And when a calamity descends the supplication intercepts it and holds it at bay until the Day of Resurrection'. (Reported by Al-Bazar, At-Tabrani, and Al-Hakim, who says its chain of authorities is sound)

Salman Al-Farisi reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "Nothing can avert the decree of Allah except supplication, and nothing increases life except virtuous deeds." (Tirmizhi)

Abu 'Awanah and Ibn Hibban reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "When one of you supplicates, he should ask Allah for something important and great, for nothing is difficult for Allah."

Fiqh 4.110: Etiquette of Supplication

There are certain manners that must be observed while making a supplication to Allah. These are given in the following topics.

Fiqh 4.110 a: Pursuit of lawful means of Livelihood.

Ibn 'Abbas reported, "Once, when I recited the verses of the Qur'an, 'O you people! Eat of what is on earth, lawful and good' (2.168) in the presence of the Prophet, peace be upon him. Sa'd b. Abi Waqqas got up and said, 'O Messenger of Allah! Ask Allah to make me one whose supplication is heard.' At this the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, 'O Sa'd, consume lawful things and your supplications will be heard, and by Him in Whose hands is the soul of Muhammad, when a man puts into his stomach a morsel of what is forbidden his prayers are not accepted for forty days, and a servant of Allah whose body is nourished by usury or by what is forbidden becomes more deserving of the Hell fire." (Al-Hafiz b. Marduwiyah)

Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "O people, Allah is Good and He, therefore, accepts only that which is good. And Allah commanded the believers as He commanded the Messengers by saying, 'O Messengers, eat of the good things, and do good deeds; verily I am aware of what you do,' Qur'an 23.51 and He said: 'O those who believe, eat of the good things that We gave you'." Qur'an 2.172 The Prophet, peace be upon him, then made mention of a person who travels widely, his hair dishevelled, and covered with dust. "He lifts his hands and makes supplication, 'O Lord, O Lord,' but his diet is unlawful, his drink is unlawful, and his clothes are unlawful, and his nourishment is unlawful. How then can his supplication be accepted?" (Muslim and Ahmad)

Fiqh 4.111: Facing the Qiblah while making a Supplication.

The Prophet (peace be upon him went out and prayed for rain and faced the qiblah.

Fiqh 4.111 a: Supplicating at the most Opportune Times and Locations.

These are, for instance, the day of 'Arafah, month of Ramadan, Friday, the last part of the night, at dawn, during prostration, at the time of rainfall, between the azhan and iqamah, at the time of encounter of armies, at times of panic, and when one's heart is soft and tender.

Abu Umamah reported, "The Prophet, peace be upon him, was asked, 'What supplication finds the greatest acceptance?' He answered: 'A prayer offered in the middle of the latter part of the night and after the prescribed Prayers'.' (Reported by Tirmizhi with a sound chain of authorities)

Abu Hurairah reported, the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "The servant is nearest to his Lord when he is prostrating to Him, so make supplication in this state." (Muslim) There are very many hadith found in various books on this subject.

Fiqh 4.111 b: Raising One's hands to one's shoulders.

Ibn 'Abbas is reported as saying, "When asking for something from Allah, you should raise your hands opposite to your shoulders; when asking for forgiveness you should point with one finger; and when making an earnest supplication you should spread out both your hands." This is reported by Abu Daw'ud.

Malik b. Yassar reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "Supplicate Allah with the palms of your hands, and do not supplicate Him with their backs upwards."

Salman reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "Your Lord, the Blessed and the Exalted One, is Modest and Generous, and He loathes to turn away His servant empty-handed when he raises his hands to Him in supplication."

Fiqh 4.111 c: Starting the Supplication with Allah's Praise and Blessings on His Prophet.

Fudalah b. 'Ubaid reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, heard a man supplicating during prayer. He did not glorify Allah, nor did he invoke blessings on the Prophet. The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "He has been hasty." Then he called the man and said either to him, or to someone else, "When any one of you prays, he should begin by glorifying and praising his Lord and then he should invoke blessings on the Prophet, peace be upon him, and after that he should supplicate Allah for anything he wishes."

Fiqh 4.111 d: Supplicating with attention and humility, in a voice neither loud nor low.

Allah says: "Neither say your prayer aloud, nor speak it in a low tone, but seek a middle course between." Qur'an 17.110 And "Call on your Lord with humility and in private, for Allah does not love those who go beyond bounds." Qur'an 7.55

Abu Musa Al-Ash'ari reported, "Once the people raised their voices in supplication. At this the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, 'Be easy on yourselves. You are not calling upon someone deaf or absent. Y ou are calling upon one Who is All-seeing and All-hearing. He is nearer to you than the neck of your mount. O Abdallah b. Qais, shall I tell you a word that is one of the treasures of Paradise? It is: "There is no power nor any might except with the permission of Allah''.' (Muslim and Bukhari)

Abdallah b. 'Umar reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "Hearts are like vessels, some more attentive and capacious than others. When you supplicate Allah you should be certain of being answered, and know that Allah does not answer a supplication that comes from a careless and inattentive heart." (Ahmad)

Fiqh 4.112: Supplications without a sin or breaking blood ties.

Ahmad records that Abu Sa'id reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "Any Muslim who makes a supplication containing nothing that is sinful and nothing that involves breaking ties of blood relationships, will be given for it by Allah one of these three things: He may accept his request, or assign its reward for him in the next world, or turn away from him an equivalent amount of evil." Those who heard it said, "We would, then, make many supplications." The Prophet, peace be upon him, replied, "Allah is more than ready to answer what you ask."

Fiqh 4.112 a: Avoiding hastiness for acceptance of supplication.

Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "Your supplication will be answered if you are not impatient, and if you do not say, 'I supplicated but my supplication was not heard'." (Malik)

Fiqh 4.112 b: Supplicating with confidence in its acceptance.

Abu Hurairah also reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "None of you should say, 'O Allah, forgive me if You wish, (or) O Allah, have mercy on me if you wish.' Rather you should be firm in your request, for (Allah does whatever He wishes) and no one can force Him to do otherwise."

Fiqh 4.112 c: Choosing comprehensive words for supplication.

The Prophet, peace be upon him, loved comprehensive supplications but used other supplications as well. The Qur'anic supplication, "Our Lord, give us good in this world, and give us good in the hereafter," is just such a comprehensive supplication.

A man came to the Prophet, peace be upon him, and said, "O Messenger of Allah, which is the best supplication?" The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "Supplicate to your Lord for forgiveness and security in this world and in the Hereafter." He came again the next day, and then again on the following (third) day and asked him the same thing. The Prophet, peace be upon him, gave him the same answer, and then said, "If you are given forgiveness and security in this world and in the Hereafter you have attained success." Another version says: "The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, 'No supplication made by a person is better than asking "O Allah, I ask You for security in this world and in the Hereafter"'." (Ibn Majah)

Fiqh 4.113: Avoid Supplicating Against (Cursing) Yourself, your Family, or Property.

Jabir reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "Do not supplicate against your own selves, your children, your servants, or your property, lest you should supplicate at a time when supplications are accepted."

Fiqh 4.113 a: Repeating a supplication three times.

Abdallah b. Mas'ud reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, loved to repeat his supplication three times, and pray for forgiveness three times." (Abu Daw'ud)

Fiqh 4.113 b: When supplicating for someone begin with yourself.

The Qur'an says that the believers pray, "Our Lord, forgive us and our brethren in faith who have preceded us in faith." Ubayy b. Ka'b reported, "When someone requested the Prophet, peace be upon him, to pray for him, he used to begin by supplicating for his own self." (Reported by Tirmizhi with a sound chain of authorities)

Fiqh 4.113 c: Supplication of a father, of one who is fasting, a traveller, and of a person who is wronged.

The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "The supplications of three persons are accepted, and there is no doubt concerning their acceptance: the supplication of a father, of a traveller, and of one who is wronged.' (Reported by Ahmad, Abu Daw'ud, and Tirmizhi, with a sound chain of transmitters)

The Prophet, peace be upon him, also said, "The supplications of three persons are not rejected: the supplication of a fasting person at the time of breaking fast, of a just ruler, and of a person who is wronged. Allah causes their supplications to rise above the clouds, and gates of heaven are opened for them, and God says, 'By My Majesty, I will help you, even it be after a while'." (Reported by Tirmizhi with a sound chain of authorities)

Fiqh 4.114: Prayer of a Muslim for Another Muslim in his Absence

Safwan ibn 'Abdallah reported, "I visited Abu Darda's house in Syria. I did not find him there but Umm Darda was present at the house. She asked, 'Do you intend to perform Hajj during this year?' I replied, 'Yes.' She said, 'Do supplicate Allah for us, for Allah's Messenger, peace be upon him, used to say, "The supplication of a Muslim for his brother in his absence is accepted when he makes a supplication for blessings for his brother, and the commissioned Angel says, 'Amen, May it be for you too!"" I went to the market and met Abu Darda and he narrated a similar report from Allah' s Messenger, peace be upon him. (Reported by Muslim and Abu Daw'ud)

Abdallah ibn 'Amr ibn al-'As reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "The supplication that gets the quickest answer is the one made by one Muslim for another in his absence.'' (Abu Daw'ud and Tirmizhi)

'Umar ibn al-Khattab reports, "I sought permission of the Prophet, peace be upon him, to perform 'Umrah. He gave me permission, and said, 'My younger brother, do not forget me in your prayers. ' 'Umar said, 'It was a word more pleasing to me than the entire wealth of the world'."

Fiqh 4.114 a: Opening Words Recommended for a Supplication

Buraidah reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, heard a man saying, "O Allah, I ask You, I bear witness that there is no god but You, the One, the Etemal, Besought of all, Who begets not, nor is begotten; and there is none like unto Him." The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "You have asked Allah by His Greatest Name. When one asks Him by this name, He gives, what one desires, and when supplicated by this name He answers." (Reported by Abu Daw'ud and Tirmizhi, who regards it a sound hadith)

Commenting on the above hadith, Al-Munzhri says, "Our teacher Abu al-Hasan Al-Maqdisi said, 'There is no weakness in its chain, and no other and more sound hadith is found on this subject'."

Mu'azh b. Jabal reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, heard a man saying, " O Lord of Majesty and Honor!" At this the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "Your supplication will be heard, so ask for what you want to ask.'' (Reported by Tirmizhi, who says it is a sound hadith)

Anas reported, "Once the Prophet, peace be upon him, passed by Abu 'Ayyash, Zayd b. as-Samit az-Zarqi, while he was offering prayer and saying, 'O Allah, I call upon You for to You is due all praise, there is no god but You, O the Compassionate One, O the True Benefactor, the Originator of the heavens and the earth, the Lord of Majesty and Honor, O the Living One, O the One Who is self-subsisting and sustains all.' The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, 'You have called upon Allah by His greatest name. Anyone calling upon Him by this name is heard, and whatever one asks Him for, He grants it'." (Reported by Ahmad and others. Al-Hakim says that it is sound according to the criterion of Muslim) Mu'awiyah reported, "I heard the Prophet, peace be upon him, saying, 'Whoever supplicates with these five phrases will be granted whatever he asks, 'la ilaha illa-Allah wallahu akhar (there is no god but Allah and Allah is the greatest), la ilaha ill-Allahu wahdahu la sharika lahu (there is no god but only Allah, and he has no partners), lahul-mulku wa lahul-hamd wa huwa 'ala kulli shai'in qadir (to Him belongs the authority and His is all praise, and He has power over all things), la ilaha illa-Allahu wa la hawla wala quwwata illa billah (there is no god but Allah and there is no power nor any strength except with His permission)." (Reported by At-Tabarani with a sound chain)

Fiqh 4.115: Supplications for Morning and Evening

The time for the supplications of morning is from dawn until the sunrise, and those of the evening are meant for the time between 'Asr (late afternoon) until the sunset.

Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "If anyone said in the morning and evening: 'subhana-Allah wa bihamdihi' (Glory to Allah and all praise to Him), a hundred times, on the Day of Judgment none will come with anything better than that except the person who utters similar words or adds some to them."

Ibn Mas'ud reported, "When it was evening the Prophet, peace be upon him, would supplicate, "We have evening and the whole Kingdom of Allah also has evening and all praise is due to Allah. There is no god but Allah, the One Who has no partner with Him, His is the Sovereignty and all Praise is due to Him, and He has power over all things. O Allah, I ask You the good of this night and I seek refuge in You from the evil of this night and the evil that follows it. O Allah, I seek refuge in You from sloth and from the evil of vanity. O Allah, I seek refuge in You from the torment of Hell-Fire and from the torment of the grave." And likewise when it was morning he would say, "It is morning for us and [also] for the whole Kingdom of Allah." (Muslim)

Abdallah b. Habib reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "Speak." I asked, "O Messenger of Allah, what should I say?" He replied, "Recite Surat al-Ikhlas, and the two last surahs (of the Qur'an), i.e. Surat al-Falaq and Surat an-Nas, in the morning and evening three times, and it will suffice you for everything."

Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, used to teach his Companions, "When it is morning you should say, 'O Allah, we have reached morning with Your help and evening with Your help, and with Your help we live and by Your command we die, and to You is our Resurrection.' And when it is evening you should say, 'O Allah, with Your help we have reached evening, and with Your help we will reach morning, with Your help we live and by Your command we die, and to You is our return'." (Reported by Tirmizhi, who says it is a hasan sahih hadith)

Shaddad b. Aws reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "The best supplication for forgiveness is to say, 'Allahumma anta Rabbi la ilaha illa anta, Khalaqtani wa ana 'abduka, wa ana 'ala 'ahdika wa wa'dika mastata'tu. A'uzhu bika min sharri ma sana'tu, abu'u laka bini'matika 'alayya wa abu'u laka bizhanbi faghfirli innahu la yaghfiru zhzhunuba illa anta (O Allah, You are my Lord, there is no god but You. You created me and I am Your servant, and I try my best to keep my covenant (faith) with You and to live in the hope of Your promise. I seek refuge in You from evil done by me. I acknowledge Your favors upon me and I acknowledge my sins. So forgive me for none forgives sins but You."') The Prophet, peace be upon him, added, "If somebody recites this during the day with firm faith in it, and dies on the same day before the evening, he will be one of the people of Paradise. And if somebody recites it at night with firm faith in it, and dies before the morning, he will be one of the people of Paradise." (Bukhari)

Abu Hurairah reported ihat once Abu Bakr as-Siddiq asked the Prophet, peace be upon him, to tell him something to pray in the morning and in the evening. The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "Say, O Allah, Creator of the heavens and the earth, Who knows the unseen and the seen, Lord and Possessor of everything! I testify that there is no god but You. I seek refuge in You from the evil within myself, from the evil of the devil, and from his inciting one to attribute partners to Allah." Then he added, "Say this in the morning, in the evening, and when you go to bed."

'Uthman b. 'Affan reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, 'If any servant of Allah says daily in the morning and in the evening, ' In the name of Allah, by Whose name nothing in the earth or in the heaven can do any harm, and He is All-Hearing, All-Knowing!" three times, nothing will harm him.' (Reported by Tirmizhi who regards it a hasan sahih (sound) hadith)

Thawban reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "If anyone says in the morning and in the evening, 'I am pleased with Allah as my Lord, with Islam as my religion, and with Muhammad as the Prophet,' Allah will certainly please him." (Tirmizhi, who says it is a sound (hasan sahih) hadith)

Anas b. Malik reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "If anyone says in the morning or in the evening, 'O Allah! it is morning, I call to bear witness to You, and to the bearers of Your Throne, Your angels, and all Your creatures, that You are Allah other than Whom there is no god, and that Muhammad is Your servant and Messenger,' Allah will emancipate one-fourth of him from Hell. If one says it twice, Allah will emancipate one-half of him from Hell. If one says it three times, Allah will emancipate three-fourths of him (from Hell). And if he says it four times, Allah will emancipate him (completely) from Hell. (Tirmizhi)

Abdallah ibn Ghannam reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "If anyone says in the morning, 'O Allah! Whatever favor has come to me, has come from You alone Who has no partner. To You all praise is due and all thanksgiving,' he expresses his thanksgiving for the day. And if anyone says the same in the evening, he expresses his thanks for the night. (Abu Daw'ud)

Abdallah ibn 'Umar said, "The Prophet, peace be upon him, always uttered these supplications in the evening and in the morning: 'O Allah, I ask You for security in this world and in the Hereafter. O Allah! I ask You for forgiveness and security in my din and in my worldly affairs, in my family and in my property. O Allah! Cover up my faults, and keep me safe from the things I fear. O Allah! Guard me from the front and the behind, from the right and the left, and from above. And I seek in Your greatness the protection from unexpected harm from beneath." (Abu Daw'ud and Al-Hakim) Waki' said, "This means to be swallowed up by the earth."

'Abdur-Rahman b. Abu Bakrah said that he told his father, "O my father! I hear you supplicating every morning with the words: 'O Allah! Grant me sound health. O Allah! Grant me sound hearing. O Allah! Grant me sound eyesight. There is no god but You.'

You repeat them three times in the morning and three times in the evening.' He replied, 'I heard the Prophet, peace be upon him, using these words as a supplication and I like to follow his practice'." (Abu Daw'ud)

Ibn 'Abbas reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "If anyone said, 'O Allah, I have risen with Your help, blessings, security, and protection, so complete Your blessings upon me, Your security for me, and your protection, in this world and in the Hereafter,' three times in the morning and in the evening, Allah will certainly complete His favors upon him."

Anas reported that once the Prophet, peace be upon him, exclaimed, "Can't anyone of you be like Abu Damdam?" The Companions asked, "Who is Abu Damdam, O Messenger of Allah?" He replied, "When he gets up in the morning he says, 'O Allah, I offer my honor and life to You?' So that he would not abuse those who abused him, nor would he wrong those who wronged him, or hit those who hit him."

Abu Darda reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "If anyone says daily in the morning and in the evening, 'Allah suffices me, there is no god but He, in Him is my trust, and he is the Lord of the Throne, Supreme,' seven times, Allah will suffice him for all the concerns of the life of this world and of the Hereafter."

It is reported that Talq b. Habib said, "A man came to Abu Darda and said to him, 'O Abu Darda, your house has burned.' He said: 'No, it cannot be burned. Allah will never allow this to happen because of the words that I heard from the Prophet, peace be upon him. Whoever says these words in the beginning of a day, the Prophet, peace be upon him, told us, will not be afflicted by a misfortune until the end of the day, and whoever says these words in the evening will not be afflicted until morning. These words are, "O Allah, You are my Lord, there is no god but You, I put my trust in You, You are the Lord of the Mighty Throne. Whatever Allah wills will happen and what He does not will, cannot happen. There is no power or strength except with Allah, the Exalted, the Mighty. I know that Allah has power over all things, and Allah comprehends all things in knowledge. O Allah, I seek refuge with You from the evil of myself and from the evil of all creatures under Your control. Surely the straight way is my Sustainer's way"."'

In some versions of this hadith we further find that he said, "Come, let us go. So he went with them to his house. They found all the area surrounding the house burned but his house was not damaged."

Fiqh 4.119: Supplications at Bed-Time

Huzhaifah and Abu Zharr reported that when the Prophet, peace be upon him, went to bed, he would say, "O Allah, by Your name I live and die." And when he woke up he said, "Praise be to Allah Who gave us life after death and to Him is the return." He placed his right hand under his cheek and prayed, three times, "O Allah, save me from Your punishment on the day when You will raise Your creature."

He would also say, "O Allah, Lord of the heavens, the earth, and the Mighty Throne, our Lord and the Lord of everything, Who causes the seed to grow and the date-stone to split and sprout, Who sent down Taurah, Injil, and the Qur'an, I seek refuge in You from the evil of all evil-mongers under Your Control. You are the First and there is nothing before You, and You are the Last, and there is nothing after You. You are the Evident and there is nothing beyond You, and You are the Source and there is no power beside You. Relieve us of our debt and poverty." This is reported by Bukhari.

The Prophet, peace be upon him, also prayed, "Praise be to Allah Who has fed us and given us to drink, met all our needs, and given us refuge, while there are many who have neither anyone to meet their needs nor anyone to provide them with a refuge." And every night when he retired to bed he would hold out his hands together imploringly and blow over them after reciting Surah Al-Ikhlas, Surah Al-Falaq, and Surah An-Nas, and then rub his hands over whichever parts of his body he was able to rub, starting with his head, face, and front of his body. He used to do that three times.

The Prophet, peace be upon him, instructed his Companions that when they go to bed they should supplicate, "In Your name, O Lord, I lay me down to sleep. And by Your leave I raise myself up. So if You take away my soul during sleep, forgive it, and if You keep it alive after sleep protect it just as You protect Your pious servants."

The Prophet, peace be upon him, once advised his daughter, Fatimah, "Say subhan-Allah thirty three times, al-hamdu-lillah, thirty three times, and Allahu akbar, thirty four times." He also commended the recitation of ayatal-Kursi, the verse of the Throne, Qur'an 2.255 along with the above supplications, and said that he who does so will be under the protection of Allah, Who will assign a protector to protect him.

The Prophet, peace be upon him, said to Bara, "When you go to bed make wudu as you do for the regular prayer, and then lie down on your right side and say, ' O Allah, I surrender my soul to You, and I tum my face toward You, and I trust my affairs to Your care. I turn to You in fear and hope. There is no refuge nor any protection against You except in You. I believe in Your book which You have revealed to Your Prophet whom You sent'." Then he added, "If you die, you will die in your true nature, and these words will be your last words."

Fiqh 4.121: Supplication on Waking Up

The Prophet, peace be upon him, advised that on waking up from sleep one should say, "Thanks be to Allah Who returned my soul, made my body sound, and permitted me to remember Him."

When the Prophet, peace be upon him, woke he would say, "There is no god but You, glory be to You. O Allah, I seek Your forgiveness of my sins, and ask for Your mercy. O Allah, increase me in knowledge, and let not my heart deviate after You have guided me on the right path. Grant me mercy from You, for You are the Grantor of bounties without measure."

In another sound hadith the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "Whoever wakes up from sleep and cannot go back to sleep, and says, "La ilaha illa-Allahu wahdahu la sharika lahu, lahul-mulk wa lahul-hamd, wa huwa 'ala kulli sha' in qadeer, al-hamdu lillahi, wa subhan'Allah, wa la ilaha illallahu, wallahu akbar, wala hawla wala quwwata illa billah (there is no god but Allah, He is One and has no partner, to Him belongs all praise and all authority, and He has power over all things, praise be to Allah, glory be to Aliah, there is no god but Allah, Allah is the greatest, there is no power nor any authority but with Allah),' and then says, 'Allahumma ighfir li (O Allah, forgive me), or asks some other thing, will be answered, and if he makes wudu and offers a prayer it will be accepted from him."

Fiqh 4.122: When One is Frightened During Sleep

'Umar b. Shu'aib reported from his father and he from his grandfather that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "When one of you is frightened during sleep he should say, 'I seek protection in the perfect words of Allah, from His displeasure and punishment and from evil people, and from the (evil) prompting of devils and from their presence.' Then nothing will harm him." The narrator added, "Ibn 'Umar used to teach this to his children, both grown up and young, and he would write it on a piece of paper and make them wear it around their necks." The chain of authorities of this hadith is sound.

Khalid b. Walid reported that once he suffered from insomnia. The Prophet, peace be upon him, said to him, "Shall I teach you words that will make you go to sleep when you say them? Say, 'O Allah, the Lord of the seven heavens and whatever they cover, Lord of the earths and whatever they contain, Creator of devils and whomever they mislead, be my protector from the evil of all Your creatures lest some of them may hasten with insolence against me or transgress the bounds. Honored is he who is in Your protection and blessed be Your name, there is no god except You'.' (Reported by At-Tabrani in his Al-Kahir and Al-Awsat. Its chain is sound, although Abdur-Rahman did not hear it from Khalid. Al-Hafiz al-Munzhari has mentioned it)

Bara' b. 'Azib reported that a man complained to the Prophet, peace be upon him, about fear and depression. The Prophet said to him, 'Say, 'Glory to Allah, the Holy, the King, Lord of the angels and of Gabriel. Your power and glory encompass the heavens and the earth." The man said these words and Allah healed him of his depression and fear.

Fiqh 4.122 a: Prayer on Dreaming Something Unpleasant

Jabir reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, -If someone of you sees an unpleasant dream he should spit three times on his left side and seek Allah's refuge from the accursed Satan, and change the side on which he was lying.' (Reported by Muslim, Abu Daw'ud, Nasa-i, and Ibn Majah)

Abu Sa'id Al-Khudri reported that he heard the Prophet, peace be upon him, saying, "When someone among you sees a good and pleasing dream, he should know that it is from Allah, and so he should praise and thank Allah, and describe to others what he saw in the dream. But if he sees something he dislikes then it is from Satan, so he should seek Allah's refuge from its evil and should not mention it to anyone. It will not harm him." (Reported by Tirmizhi, who said it is a hasan sahih hadith)

Fiqh 4.123: Prayer On Wearing Clothes

Ibn As-Sinni reported that when the Prophet, peace be upon him, put on his clothes, whether a shirt, a cloak, or a turban, he would say, "O Allah, I seek from You its goodness and the goodness for which it is made, and I seek Your refuge against its evil and the evil that is apportioned for it."

Mu'azh b. Anas reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "If anyone wears a new garment and says, 'All thanks and praise be to Allah, Who clothed me and gave me sustenance, whereas I have no power or strength,' Allah will forgive all his previous sins." To pronounce the name of Allah is also recommended, because anything done without invoking Allah's name is flawed.

Abu Sa'id Al-Khudri reported that when the Prophet, peace be him, got a new piece of garment, he would mention it, whether a turban or a shirt or a cloak, and then would say, "O Allah all praise and thanks be to You. You have given me this garment. I seek from You its good and the good that is made of it and I seek Your refuge against its evil and the evil that it is made of." (Reported by Abu Daw'ud and Tirmizhi, who considers it a sound hadith)

'Umar reported that he heard the Prophet, peace be upon him, say "If anyone wears some new clothing and says, 'all praise and thanks be to Allah Who clothed me to cover my nakedness, and made it a means of adomment for me,' and then takes his old garment and gives it in charity, will be under the protection of Allah and will be treated as if struggling in the cause of Allah, in life and after his death."

Fiqh 4.123 a: On Seeing Another Muslim Wearing Some New Clothes

According to a sound hadith, the Prophet, peace be upon him, dressed Umm Khalid, a small girl, in a black woolen blanket and said to her, "May you live so long that you will wear out many garments." The Companions used to say, "May you live so long that you wear out this garment and may Allah replace it with a better one." On seeing 'Umar wearing some new clothes the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "May you wear new clothes and may you live nobly and die as a happy martyr.' (Reported by Ibn Majah and Ibn As-Sinni)

Fiqh 4.124: On Discarding a Piece of Clothing

Anas reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "The barrier between the eyes of the Jinn and the nakedness of the Children of Adam is [created] when a Muslim discards a garment and says, 'In the name of Allah besides Whom there is no other god'." (Ibn As-Sinni)

Fiqh 4.124 a: On Leaving One's House

Anas reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "When one of you leaves the house he should say, 'In the name of Allah, I put my trust in Allah. There is no power or strength except with Allah.' To him is said, 'This is sufficient for you. You are protected, saved, and guided.' The devil leaves him alone, saying to another devil, 'How can you tackle a man who is guided, saved, and well protected'.' (Abu Daw'ud)

A sound hadith reports the following supplication from Anas: "In the name of Allah, I believe in Allah, and I seek protection of Allah. There is no power or strength except with Allah." (Musnad Ahmad)

Umm Salmah reported that whenever the Prophet, peace be upon him, whenever left her apartment he would look up and then pray, "O Allah, I seek Your refuge against going astray or leading others astray, slipping or causing others to slip, doing wrong or being wronged by others, and behaving arrogantly or being treated arrogantly by others." (Reported by Tirmizhi, who considers it a sound hadith)

Fiqh 4.125: Prayers On Entering One's House

Jabir reported, "I heard the Prophet, peace be upon him, saying, 'If a man remembers Allah while entering his house and eating his meals, the devil says to his forces, "You will have no place to sleep or food to eat." But if the person fails to remember Allah while entering his house the devil says to them, "You have found the place to rest at night." And if he does not remember Allah while eating meals, the devil says, "You have found the place to rest and meals to eat.' ' "(Muslim)

Abu Malik Al-Asha'ri reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "When a man enters his house he should say, 'O Allah, I seek of You the best of entrance and the best of departure. In the name of Allah we enter and in the name of Allah we go out, and we put our trust in Allah, our Lord,' and then he should greet his family." (Abu Daw'ud)

Anas reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said to him, "O son, when you enter your house say, 'As-Salamu Alaykum (peace be upon you).' It will bring blessing to you and to your family." (Tirmizhi)

Fiqh 4.125 a: On Seeing Something Pleasing About One's Own Property

On seeing something good and pleasing concerning one's family or property one should say, "Allah's will be done! There is no power or strength except with Allah." (Reported by Ibn As-Sinni) And on seeing in them something unpleasant, he should say, "Praise and thanks be to Allah under all circumstances." Allah says in the Qur'an (18.39), "Why did you not say, as you went into your garden, 'Allah's Will be done! There is no power but with Allah!"'

Anas reported, "The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, 'If for every blessing bestowed by Allah upon his servant in his family or property the servant says, "Allah's will be done! There is no power but with Allah," he will witness no misfortune concerning them except that of death'." (Reported by Ibn As-Sinni)

It is reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, on seeing something good and pleasing used to say, "Praise be to Allah with Whose blessings all good deeds are perfected." And when he saw something that displeased him, he would say, "Praise and thanks be to Allah under all circumstances." (Reported by Ibn Majah. Al-Hakim said, -The chain of this hadith is sound and its narrators are trustworthy)