Tying Your Camel
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Subject: Tying Your Camel
ASSALAMO ALYKUM WA REHMATULLAHE WA BARAKAATUH
All Praise to Almighty Allah Ta’ala
and the choicest salutations on our Beloved Nabi Muhammad Sallallahu 'Alaihi wa Sallam.
Tying Your Camel
Islam: A Complete and Comprehensive Way of Life
More than a religion, Islam is a complete and a comprehensive way of life.
It has brought Civilization, Refinement, Contentment, Elegance and Happiness to man. It caters for all the Fields of Human Existence.
In fact, to appreciate the Spirit of Islam is to appreciate the very Spirit of Humanity.
It provides guidance for all walks of life – Individual and Social, Material and Moral, Economic and Political, Legal and Cultural, National and International.
It also has solutions to all our problems provided we obey Allah’s Commands, gain His Proximity by acquiring His Marifat (recognition), as much as we can.
Two Supreme Sources
Allah with His infinite Mercy has provided us two Extraordinarily Supreme and Unmatched Sources from which we can find ways of living such a complete Islamic way of life and solving all our problems in an Islamic way.
These two sources are:
- The Kalaam of Allah, the Qur’an Majeed.
- ·The Ahaadith (Hadiths) and the Mubarak Sunnah of His Beloved Nabi Muhammad Sallallahu ‘Alaihi wa Sallam.
Unfortunately many of today’s Muslim are misusing the divine texts and the contents provided by these two sources. They tend to use them in wrong contexts. This is especially the case in their interpretation of some Ahaadith for their worldly benefits or for the contentment of their nafs.
Tying Your Camel
In the early periods of the Coronavirus disease when the Masajid were closed, quite a few Muslims, instead of getting upset and sad, became relieved and tension-free. They had a misconception that going to the Masjid for Allah’s 'Ibadah would make them victims of Coronavirus, Nauzubillah.
Even today when most of the Masajid are open there are many Muslims who prefer to offer their Salah at home. They do not want to come to the Masjid at all, while there are others who come to the Masjid for the Jumu’ah Salah only.
Then there are others who prefer to offer Salah in the Masjid in congregation, but staying away from the main Saffs (rows) and practicing social distancing.
When we ask any one of the above mentioned men the reasons for behaving in that manner then quite often his answer would be: “We have been told in a Hadith to tie our camel.”
This actually is a part of the following Hadith that seems to have gone viral amongst most of today’s Muslims:
Anas ibn Malik RadhiAllahu ‘Anhu reported: A man said, “O Messenger of Allah, should I tie my camel and trust in Allah, or should I leave her untied and trust in Allah?” Nabi Sallallahu ‘Alaihi wa Sallam said, “Tie her and trust in Allah.”
Source: Sunan Tirmidhī 2517
In the above Hadith the precaution that we are asked to take is simply ‘to tie the camel’.
This situation can be compared to a present-day one in which a man parks his car to visit somewhere. Obliviously he has to take the precaution before relying on Allah. In simple terms this precaution is to lock his car.
It does not tell him to disobey the Commands of Allah nor act contrary to the Mubarak Sunnah of His Beloved Nabi Sallallahu ‘Alaihi wa Sallam.
However, the precautions that we are asked to take in these Coronavirus Days are grossly and totally un-Islamic. These precautions, instead of letting us gain the proximity of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala, are actually taking us away from Him, Nauzubillah.
Ahaadith about importance of offering Salah in Masjid
There are numerous Ahaadith on the importance of offering Salah in Masjid. Some of them are given below.
- Allah’s Shade
A very significant Hadith is the one narrated by Abu Hurairah RadhiAllahu ‘Anhu, in which Rasulullah Sallallahu ‘Alaihi wa Sallam has defined the seven whom Allah will shade in His Shade on the Day when there is no shade except His Shade. One of these seven will be a man whose heart is attached to the Masjid.
- ·27 times more rewards
Narrated Abdallah ibn Umar RadhiAllahu ‘Anhum: Nabi Sallahllah ‘Alaihi Wa Sallam said: The reward of the congregational prayer is twenty seven times greater (than that of the prayer offered by a person alone).” (Sahih al Bukhari and Muslim)
- Protection of Allah
Abu Bakrah RadhiAllah ‘Anhu said: The Messenger of Allah Sallallahu ‘Alaihi wa Sallam said: “Whoever prays Fajr in congregation is under the protection of Allah.........” (At-Tabraani)
Gaining Allah’s Pleasure
Nabi Sallallahu ‘Alaihi wa Sallam said, “He who purifies (performs Wudu’) himself in his house and then walks to one of the houses of Allah (Masjid) for performing an obligatory Salat, one step of his will wipe out his sins and another step will elevate his rank (in Jannah).” (Muslim).
Reward Equal to Praying the Whole Night
Uthman ibn Affan RadhiAllah ‘Anhu reported: The Messenger of Allah Sallallahu ‘Alaihi wa Sallam said, “Whoever prays the evening prayer in congregation is as if he has stood for prayer half of the night. Whoever prays the dawn prayer in congregation is as if he has stood for prayer the entire night.” (Sahih Muslim)
Wrongs committed in offering Salah at home instead of going to the Masjid.
Hadhrat Mu’az bin Anas RadhiAllahu ‘Anhu narrates that he heard Nabi Sallallahu ‘Alaihi wa Sallam saying, “A person who does not go for Salah after hearing the Adhan is committing a great wrong and is committing an act of kufr and nifaaq.”
Hadhrat Abu Huraira has reported that Nabi Salallahu ‘Alaihi wa Sallam said, “I wish I could ask the boys to collect a huge quantity of firewood for me, and then I would go around and set fire to the dwellings of those who say their Salah at their own house without any excuse.”
Rasulullah Sallallahu ‘Alaihi wa Sallam, who was most kind and merciful towards the Ummah and was greatly pained to see them even in a little trouble, gets offended so much that he is ready to set fire to the houses of those who are content with performing Salah at home.
Shaytan instills weird thoughts in our minds
When you want to go to the shopping mall, to your workplace (office, shop or farm), to the bank, to the playing field to play some games or to a park for a walk, Shaytan offers you the Green Light.
However, when it comes to going to the Masjid Shaytan at once flashes a bright Red Light in front of you. He drills in your mind the waswasa, “If you go to the Masjid you will be infected with Coronavirus!” (Nauzubillah).
Congregation Salah: Social Distancing v/s Standing Shoulder to Shoulder
It seems to have become a trend, a fashion with many Muslims of today to come to the Masjid and stand with social distancing. In the Masjid social distancing is not recommended at all as the empty space between the two Musallis becomes a gap for the Shaytan to occupy as you can see in the following Hadith:
Ibn 'Umar RadhiAllahu ‘Anhu reported:
The Messenger of Allah Sallallahu ‘Alaihi wa Sallam said, "Arrange the rows in order, stand shoulder to shoulder, close the gaps, be accommodating to your brothers, and do not leave gaps for the Shaytan. Whoever joins up a row, he will be joined to Allah (i.e. to the Mercy of Allah); and whoever cuts off a row, he will be cut off from Allah (i.e. from His Mercy)."
[Abu Dawud].
Reference: Riyad as-Salihin 1091, Book Reference: Book8, Hadith 101
While we must take precautions, we have to remember that we should not go against the Commands of our Creator, Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala or against the Mubarak Sunnah of His Beloved Nabi Muhammad Sallallahu ‘Alaihi wa Sallam.
May Allah grant us the right understanding...Ameen.
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Compiled, edited and adapted by Khalid Latif