FAQ in the category of Sunnah (what Prophet Muhammad said, did or conducted)

As it is known, beard is something that needs to be present in men due to fitra and is the sunnah of the previous prophets. In many hadiths, it is ordered that the beard be left in its natural form and be lengthened. There is no permission to shorten it. Islamic scholars and believers have adopted that natural state and applied it for centuries.

As it is understood from those hadiths, the Messenger of Allah grew a beard as other prophets did and advised us to grow beards. There is no recording that Hazrat Prophet and his companions shaved their beards. However, Hazrat Prophet (pbuh) clipped his beard at the bottom and on the sides. (Tirmidhi, Adab, 17). Imam Malik says, "A Muslim should grow his beard in the form that the majority of Muslims grow; he should cut the extra part; it is mandoob (recommended). If that extra part is not cut, it causes an ugly appearance. There is no limit in shortening the beard. The best way is to shorten it so that it will look beautiful. "He said, based upon an application reported from Imam Baji Abdullah Ibn Umar and Abu Hurayra that the extra part out of a handful could be cut.”

It is stated in Durrul-Muhtar that it is sunnah to have a handful of beard. Similarly, according to the opinion of the majority, it is sunnah to cut the extra part out of a handful.

Scholars have different opinions about growing, shortening and shaving the beard. According to some scholars, it is fard to grow a beard and it is haram to shave it; according to some, it is sunnah to grow a beard and it is makrooh (abominable) to shave it; others say it is mustahab (preferred) to grow. As for their evidence, the first opinion that says it is fard to grow a beard and it is haram to shave it belong to the majority of the scholars. Their evidence is mainly as follows:

a) Hazrat Prophet ((pbuh) ordered us to grow beards in a hadith. Orders are obligatory unless it is stated that they are mandoob  or mubah (optional) . The order “Grow beards” necessitates it to be fard.

b) Likewise, Hazrat Prophet (pbuh) ordered us not to resemble polytheists or fire-worshippers. Saving the beard means resembling them. And it is haram. 

c) Shaving the beard means changing what Allah created, which is mentioned in the 119th verse of Chapter an-Nisa. That act, which is carried out by obeying the devil, is forbidden.

d) Beard is a quality that discriminates men from women. Men who shave their beards resemble women. Our religion forbids men from resembling women.

However, some scholars who say that it is haram to shave the beard mean shaving the beard after deciding to grow a beard. Otherwise, it is not haram to shave the beard without deciding to grow a beard.  

Those who have the opinion that to grow a beard is sunnah and to shave it is makrooh are people like Imam Nawawi, a Shafii scholar, Razi, Ghazzali, Sheikh Zakariyya al-Ansari, Ibn Hajar, Ramli, Hatib, Shirbini. Those who have that opinion say the following.

a) The order in the hadith does not make growing a beard fard because our Prophet (pbuh) also ordered to dye the hair so as not to resemble Jews and Christians but some companions did not dye their hair. That incidence shows that the orders like that do not show obligation.

b) It is haram to resemble polytheists in the issues relating to religion and belief. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) put on sabots like the priests did. If it were definitely haram to resemble them in issues like that, Hazrat Prophet would have never done it.

c) If the issue is dealt with only in terms of resembling polytheists even if in the customs and traditions, contrarily, it will be concluded that growing a beard is haram because many priests and non-Muslims grow beard today. 

d) The ten items that are listed as the sunnahs of prophets are regarded as sunnah or mustahab by most of the scholars. Since beard is one of them, it should be evaluated like that. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) advised his umma the best customs.  .

Those who say it is mustahab and customary sunnah to grow a beard and optional to shave it say the following: Growing a beard, eating, drinking, sitting, wearing clothes are the natural customs of the Prophet that he does because he is a human being.  Therefore, growing a beard is not a sunnah related to worshipping but a sunnah that is done customarily. It is also called sunnah zawaid (customary sunnah). Some scholars of our time like Mahmud Shaltut and Muhammad Abu Zahra are of that opinion. Accordingly, it is virtuous to grow a beard but shaving the beard is permissible. If a person does not grow a beard or if he shaves his beard, no judgment against him is given. It will be appropriate to act in accordance with the environment one lives in.

As for the mustache, which is almost a part of the beard, there are some narrations from Hazrat Prophet about clipping the mustache so as to show the edge of the upper lip or cutting it all. According to the opinion that is the judgment is based on, it is sunnah to clip the mustache or to cut it all: The believer is free to do either way.

However, it is not regarded permissible to clip the sides of the mustache and leave a small amount in the middle. It is stated in the sharh (explanation) of Shir’a that Hazrat Umar lengthened both ends of his mustache and that there is no drawback to it. 

(For the judgments, opinions and ijtihads about the beard and mustache, see Ibn Abidin, II, 113, V, 261; al-Mahhal, I,183-189; Shawkani, Naylul-Awtar, I, 137-138; al-Madhahibul-Arbaa, II, 44-46; Sharhu'n-Nawawi (Marginal notes of Irshadushshari), II, 261-265; Ianatu't-Talibin, II, 340; Fathu'r-Rabbani, XVII, 313-314; Mahmut Shaltut, al-Fatawa, 227-229; İslâmda Helal ve Haram, Yusuf al-Qardawi, (Trns. Mustafa Varlı), 107-109; Muhammad Abu Zahra, İslâm Hukuku Metedolojisi (Trns. Abdülkadir Şener), 51-52; Zakariyya Kandahlavi, Wujubu i'fail-Iihya).

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Is it haram to shave the beard?

“Swimming, Archery, Horse riding” in hadiths:

The Prophet (pbuh) dwelled insistently on the games that have a purpose since they are related to the military for men and uttered many hadiths to encourage them. The issues that he dwelled on the most were archery, horse riding, walking and swimming.

When the Prophet (pbuh) lists the duties of a father toward his children, he mentions teaching archery and swimming along with “feeding them with halal sustenance” and “teaching writing”. In a narration that Tirmidhi states to be "sound", all of the entertainments of man are declared to be wrong except "archery, riding, swimming, walking and having fun with one’s spouse"; it is stated that they are "appropriate".

Let us deal with the incentives about them separately:

Shooting (Archery):

This is the one that is encouraged insistently and mentioned the most among the games that are described as having a purpose. We should state that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) does not say archery (throwing arrows) but throwing (shooting) in general when he praises “throwing” and does not limit it with arrows, which were the weapons thrown in his age, as we will see in the interpretation of the relevant verse by the Prophet (pbuh), he praises throwing in general; this word includes the means of throwing in all ages – including atoms, rockets, etc. in our age. Thus, as long as the deed "throwing" is dominant, the call of the verse will maintain its validity fully.

"Against them (enemies) make ready your strength to the utmost of your power, including steeds of war..." (al-Anfal, 8/60)

The Prophet (pbuh) interprets the word “strength” mentioned in the verse of the Quran above by saying,

"Know it that strength is ramy (throwing), strength is ramy, strength is ramy."

Thus, he interprets the word strength as "throwing" and gives an exceptional importance to "throwing" or "shooting".

According to the Prophet (pbuh), throwing is a skill that needs to be learned at a young age and that should not be forgotten until death. It is the most legitimate means of entertainment when one feels bored and needs to have fun. The following is stated in a narration:

"When one of you feels bored and troubled, the only thing he can do is to take his bow and arrows and to be relaxed by shooting arrows."

The following is stated in a narration of Muslim:

"None of you should keep away from having fun with his arrows."

He used the following statements and similar ones for those who learned shooting but gave up afterwards: "They are not of us; they have disobeyed me", "They have shown ingratitude to a boon of Allah". Some narrations tell us that some Companions practiced shooting arrows even when they were old due to those threats.

The Prophet (pbuh) describes shooting as "the defeat of the enemy"; he regards shooting as the most distinguished game among military games by saying, "shooting is more important than riding." According to the narration of Utba Ibnu Abi Hakim, when “bow”, which is a tool of shooting, was mentioned in the presence of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), he said,

"No weapon overweighs it."

Sarakhsi states that the Prophet encouraged the warriors to practice shooting by saying that bow is the strongest instrument of jihad.

"Learn shooting because the place between two targets is a garden of Paradise."

When Hz. Muhammad (pbuh) met a group who were practicing shooting, he repeated the same statement and walked barefoot in the field of shooting by taking off his shoes.

When he was told that a group of Companions went out to have fun, he showed displeasure but when he was told that they went out for shooting practice, he said,

"Shooting is not entertainment; shooting is the best thing among the ones that you have fun with."

He states the following in another narration:

"Angels are not present in any of your games except shooting and horse riding."

The Prophet (pbuh) said that the archers (shooters) would not be regarded to have broken their vows when they said "By Allah, I have hit the target, by Allah I will hit the target, etc." in order to provoke and encourage one another; when the people stopped uttering such statements because the Prophet (pbuh) arrived, he encouraged them to go one. 

The narrations show that the Prophet (pbuh) complimented on the people who shot well. He used the sentence, “May my mother and father be sacrificed for you”, which he used for nobody else, for Sa’d b. Abi Waqqas, due to his shooting on target during the Battle of Uhud. Sarakhsi uses this incident among the evidences that shooting is superior to other games; it is narrated that when Abu Talha, who was said to be among good archers, shot an arrow, the Prophet (pbuh) would “crane his neck” to see the place where the arrow went. It is stated that every arrow that is shot for Allah’s sake will be “a light for the shooter on the Day of Judgment” whether it hits the target or not and will protect that person from fire as if he freed a slave.

We even see that the Prophet (pbuh) watched archery matches and supported some archers. However, when the other party gave up shooting by saying, "You support the other party", the Prophet said, "Throw! I support both of you."

As a natural result of those incentives, the Companions gave importance to shooting and they competed even after the evening prayer until it got dark. It is stated that Hz. Anas sat on a pillow and practiced shooting arrows in front of his child. Once, Anas saw his children shooting but did not like their shots because they did not hit the target; he took the arrow from them and shot a few times, hitting the target in all of them. When Uqba Ibn Amir heard the hadiths about the virtues of shooting, he said, "I will not give up shooting arrows even if my hand is cut off."

Hz. Umar often gave advice to the people of Madinah in his sermons and sent instructions with letters to the people living in places like Damascus and Azerbaijan, and to his commanders like Abu Ubayda Ibn Jarrah, telling them about the hadiths mentioned above and asking them to give importance to military practice like shooting, riding, swimming and running and to teach them to children. 

Various narrations show that children practiced archery by setting certain targets. We sometimes see that children use some living animals as targets in shooting; such deeds are strictly forbidden.  

Riding:

As we have mentioned above, the Prophet (pbuh) regarded shooting as superior to riding but ordered people insistently not to neglect riding, to learn and to teach it to children and to include them among daily entertainment; he also encouraged horse and camel races.

It is understood from narrations that the Prophet (pbuh) sometimes organized races and rewarded the winners financially. According to some narrations, - the Prophet (pbuh) himself took part in two races on a camel; in one of them the camel was a trained one but in the other it was an untrained one; he rode six miles between Hafya and Thaniyyat al-Wada with the trained camel and one mile between Thaniyyat al-Wada and the Mosque of Zurayq with the untrained one. However, it can be deduced from the following narration that the Prophet (pbuh) raced more. Hz. Anas (ra) narrates:

"Adba, the camel of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), was very fast in races and it was almost impossible to surpass it in speed. There came a Bedouin riding a camel of his, and that camel outstripped it in the race. That result was hard on the Muslims. The Prophet (pbuh) stated the following to console them:

"It is the law of Allah that every rise has a fall."

It is also mentioned in narrations that the Prophet (pbuh) made a camel race with a horse.

Swimming:

The Prophet (pbuh) learned how to swim in Madinah when he was a child; he appreciated swimming and “was pleased with the people who could shoot and swim”; he encouraged his ummah to learn swimming. We saw above that swimming was encouraged along with writing, shooting and riding. We will not repeat the same narrations here. However, it is understood that Muslims gave more importance to swimming than writing in the periods that followed. Abdulmalik, the caliph addresses Sha’bi (in Ibn Qutayba's narration, Hajjaj addresses the teacher of his son) as follows:  

"Teach my children how to swim because they can find someone who will write for them any time but they cannot find anyone to swim for them at the moment of danger."

Walking and running:

We see in some narrations that walking is also advised along with shooting and riding and that the Companions gave importance to it. The Prophet (pbuh) states the following in a narration reported from Abu Dharr:

"There is a reward for every step of a person who runs between two targets."

He states the following in another narration:

"Compete in archery and harden your body; walk barefoot." (Majmauz-Zawaid, 5/136)

The following statement is reported from Hz.Umar:

"Teach your children how to swim and to walk barefoot between targets."

Mujahid narrates that he saw Abdullah Ibn Umar running very fast between two targets and said, "I have come, I have come" as he approached one of the targets. It is also narrated that Hudhayfa ran between two targets in Madain without wearing an izar.

It is also reported that the Prophet ran a race with Hz. Aisha twice, that she won the first race and that she lost the second race due to her weight and that the Prophet (pbuh) said to her, "This is the answer to the first race; we are even now." (see Abu Dawud, Jihad 68)

Wrestling:

It is possible to include wrestling in this group. A mursal narration from Muhammad Ibn Abi Ali states that Hz. Hasan and Husayn wrestled in the presence of their grandfather. According to what is stated in the narration, the Prophet (pbuh) supported Hasan; when he was asked why, he said, "Jibril is helping Husayn and I want to help Hasan."

According to a narration from Ibn Hisham, the Prophet himself wrestled. Rukana Ibn Abdi Yazid, the famous wrestler of Makkah, asked the Prophet to wrestle him and beat him if he wanted him to be a Muslim. The Prophet (pbuh) accepted his offer and Rukana, who had very strong biceps, lost; this astonished Rukana very much. (see Ibn Hisham, Siyar, 1/390)

The Islamic scholars deduced from the hadiths encouraging games that have a purpose mentioned above that they encourage all kinds of practices and exercises that will help the struggle in war and that will help people to be skilled in them and various sports that develop organs. They say, "For, they elevate the religion and weaken the enemy."

The Prophet does not encourage only the games and exercises that are related to the military; he also gives importance to the tools used in those games and exercises and their preparation. For instance, he states the following for the arrow, which was the tool of “shooting” at that time:

"Allah admits three people into Paradise because of one arrow:

1. The one who makes it, doing so with a good intention,

2. the one who shoots it,

3. the one who hands it over to the archer."

Similarly, those who raised and fed “horses”, which are the means for riding, were also appreciated very much. They were given the following glad tiding: "Horses fed for jihad, the dusts and traces on their feet, the sweat, excrement and urine coming out of them, in short, everything, will gain their owners rewards and they will be weighed on the Day of Judgment. (see Bukhari, Jihad 78)

The last point we will mention here is the issue of the origin of those tools. The narrations state that war equipment should be native and that foreign war equipment should not be used if there is native war equipment. According to a narration coming from two separate ways with some small differences in detail, the Prophet saw a soldier carrying a “Persian bow” during the conquest of Khaybar and said to him,  

"Throw it away because this bow and the person who carries it are damned. Use Arabian bows and arrows. For, Allah made your religion glorious with it and enabled you to conquer various countries with it."

The age of military training:

There are narrations confirming that learning shooting, riding and swimming and being skilled in them started at early ages. In one of them, we see that Hasan and Husayn, the grandsons of the Prophet (pbuh), shot arrows and competed in the presence of their grandfather. If it is taken into consideration that when the Prophet (pbuh) died, Hasan was 7 and Husayn was six years old, it is understood that they started shooting arrows at a very early age.

We can mention the narration about the races in which the Prophet (pbuh) participated related to the age of riding horses and camels. For, it is stated in those narrations that one of the racers was Abdullah Ibn Umar. The year of the incident is not mentioned but we know that Abdullah was fifteen years old during the Battle of Khandaq and that he took part in that battle. When the possibility that this race took part before the Battle of Khandaq is taken into consideration, it means a person who reached the age of joining the army (14-15 years old) became skilled enough in riding to take part in races. In fact, that he was recruited as a soldier at that age means that he had learned skills like shooting arrows, using a sword, horse riding and camel riding, which were necessary for the military.

Finally, we can look at a statement written by the author of Qabusname to have an idea about the actual practice related to the issue of age. He states the following for children: 

"After the Quran (...), send him to a master of weapons so that he will learn how to use weapons, that is, how to shoot an arrow, how to poke with a bayonet, how to hit with a sword and how to ride a horse. It is necessary to for the child to learn those skills and how to swim..."

After that, he states that he was sent to a master of weapons called Abu Mansur Hajib when he was ten years old, that he received military education and that he learned how to "ride a horse, poke with a bayonet, throw spears, play chawgan (a kind of polo) throw a lasso, etc."

(Prof. Dr. İbrahim Canan, Kütüb-ü Sitte Tercüme ve Şerhi)

That hadith is true. The Prophet (pbuh) led the Taraweeh Prayer for eight rakats. The Taraweeh Prayer is a sunnah al-muakkada. The shortest is two rakats and the longest is twenty rakats. However, during the time of Umar b. Abdulaziz, the people of Medina observed the Taraweeh Prayer for thirty-six rakats. (Fathu’l Bari, v.4, p.220)

The number of rakats of the Taraweeh Prayer is based on the practice of Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). Umar led the Taraweeh Prayer in Masjid an-Nabawi for twenty rakats in the final times of his caliphate. After the period of Four Caliphs, no one objected to observing the Taraweeh prayer for twenty rakats. Scholars depend acted upon this hadith of the Prophet (pbuh) regarding this issue: “ After me, follow my sunnah and the sunnah of the caliphs in the right path” (Tirmidhi, Ilm, 16; Ibn Hanbal, IV, 126). Furthermore, it is reported that Abdullah b. Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) observed the Taraweeh Prayer for twenty rakats and afterwards he observed three rakats of Witr prayer in the month of Ramadan. When Imam Abu Hanifa was asked about Umar’s application as regards to this issue, he answered: Taraweeh Prayer is a sunnah al-muakkada with no doubt. Umar’s observing this prayer in community and for twenty rakats is not a personal preference and not an innovation, either. He did so depending on a juridical principle that he knew and on a will of Muhammad (pbuh). (at-Tahtawi, Hashiya, 334).

Being naked while having a bath is not a sin but it is against good morals.

We should not speak and we should close our private parts when we bathe or take a Ghusl (ritual ablution of the whole body). However, the Ghusl is valid if we do not act accordingly. The accepted way of bathing: 1- We should clean our teeth with miswak (Islamic toothbrush) before we bathe. 2- We should take a bath with nice thoughts like being clean when we pray in the presence of Allah. 3- We should enter to the bathroom stepping first with our left foot. 4- When entering we should say “in the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful, I seek refuge in Allah from the evils of devil banished and every kind of excrements. We should close the door so that nobody sees inside the bathroom. 5- When bathing especially in a public bathing place, we should cover our private parts and wear a loincloth. 6- We should firstly wash our right and left shoulders. 7- We should not waste the water. 8- When we feel hot water on our skins, we should think of  Hell and compare the hell fire with this hotness of water. 9- We should not talk while bathing; we should not sing songs including Allah’s names or holy things and should not read verses from the Quran. 10- We should not enter the bathroom towards the evEning and between the evening prayer and night prayer. 11- We should not pour water on us while standing but while sitting. 12- We should not urinate or defecate in the place of bathing. Our Prophet especially warns us about it, “one of you should not urinate in the place where he bathes. If he does, he should not make wudu  (ablution) in that place. Most of doubts come from this.” 14- Those who have bath should wash and clean the bathroom. There should not be any unpleasant sight in the bathroom. They should clean all the dirt of soap, hair, and dirty water on the floor. The dirty clothes should not be hung and should not be left as dirty. 15- Everybody should have their own loincloths and use that. 16- Before bathing if they have long hairs and mustaches, they should shorten and cut them off. 17- It is mustahab (recommended) to pluck and shave the hairs of your armpits once in maximum forty days 18- It is Sunnah to remove the pubic hairs once in maximum forty days it is Sunnah. 19- It is Sunnah to have kohl three times on our right eye, two times on our left eye, and to begin from the right one. 20- We should bury or burn the nails and hairs we cut by wrapping them in something. 

The literal meaning of Sunnah is way, (trodden) path, nature, principal, and law. Terminologically, the word Sunnah means what the Prophet Muhammad said, did, or conducted. Conduction is responding silently and not rejecting. Hadiths are the interpretations of the Quranic verses. They explain the divine secrets that are briefly given in the verses and decree on subject, which there is no mention of it in Quran.

Pray at stated times! command is in brief; details are left to the hadiths. The number of reqats (a series of ritual movements form part of the namaz) in namaz (ritual of worship centered in prayer), the way of the ritual were not given in details. If that is so, in the absence of Sunnah, Pray at stated times! command would be useless. Pray as I do pray (Hadith)

In the same way, give zakat (alms)! commands full explanation and details are fixed stand by Hadiths.

The author of the Nur collection Bediuzzaman uses the expression First interpretation of the Quran for Hadiths. The answers about Islamic Jurisprudence of the Messenger of Allah are first complementary rulings of the Divine Law, just as the explanations about verses that were given by him (pbuh) are first commentaries. The interpretations (of the Quran and Sunnah) of him are the first interpretations. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) led his community for this matter as he had guided them in every incident.

Whenever any news comes to them, related to (public) security or alarm, they go about spreading it (without ascertaining if the news is true or not without thinking about whether it is beneficial or harmful to spread it). Whereas if they would but refer it to the Messenger and to those among them (in the community) who are entrusted with authority, those from among them who are competent to investigate it would bring to light what it is really about.(An- Nisaa Surah, 4:83)

Every objective is reached by following a different path. The way to be rich and the way to become an erudite are different from each other. For the first, specific conditions of economy have to be applied and successful people in the field have to be taken as a model. For the second, one should become a student of the erudite people.

It is only possible to reach the divine truth by following the people who are entrusted with authority in the field.

Self- evidently truth and Reality lie in the prophethood and in the hands of prophets. (Flashes, 17th Flash)

In a verse which offers affection of Allah (swt) with the condition of following Sunnah (states), Say (to them, O Messenger): If you indeed love God, then follow me, so that God will love you and forgive you your sins. God is All-Forgiving, All-Compassionate. (Al-i Imran Surah, 4:31)

Our Prophet is an exceptional human who is loved and is given consent by God. Ones love of God who does not abide our Prophets (Sunnah) is subject to be in the abstract.

When this is the reality, abiding only to Quranic verses and excluding Sunnah is leaving to take after the one who is loved by God.

If one starts to comment Quran with his own mind instead of consulting to the light of Hadiths, would be the way of his own, not Allahs Messenger. Moreover, the consequences of this way are not known for sure.

The intention of comprehending Quran is to live and to make others live it. At this point, the most competent guide is the prophet of Allah (pbuh). Let us read the realities from the Quranic Verses;

Whatever the Messenger gives you accept it willingly, and whatever he forbids you, refrain it. Keep from disobedience to God in reverence for Him and piety. Surely God is severe in retribution. (Al- Hashr Surah, 59:7)

He does not speak on his own, out of his own desire; that (which he conveys to you) is but a Revelation that is revealed to him. (An-Najm Surah, 53:3-4)

He who obeys the Messenger (thereby) obeys God (An- Nisaa Surah, 4:80)

When we say, Ittibaai Sunnah (following Sunnah), we understand following the way of Messenger of Allah (pbuh) and being in the right path

Let us ask, What will a believer do if he would have reached to Al-asri Saadah (age of happiness, when Prophet Muhammad has lived)? He would definitely follow the Messenger of Allah on every matter, wouldnt he?


Today, abiding to his Sunnah word for word bears the same meaning.

In the Risale-i Nur Collection, Sunnah is divided into three main groups: The sources of the Noble Prophets Illustrious Practices (Sunnah- Saniyyah) are three; his words, his acts, and his conduct. (Flashes, 17th Flash)


That is to say, our Prophets holy (practices) Sunnah are consist of heavenly lightening sentences come out from his blessed language, his acts, and his exclusive morality which he lays out with his conducts.

A Muslim starts to imitate the Prophet (pbuh) of prophets with farz (necessity religious duties). Allahs commands are farz, at the same time they are Sunnah because the Messenger of Allah practiced them. That is to say, a believer, who literally follow Allahs commands and refrain from forbidden corresponds farz part of the sunnah.

A believer, who fulfills his necessity religious practices, perpetuates his spiritual progress with nafil (voluntary) prayers. When it is said voluntary, it is understood prayers, which are not religiously necessary or vacib (duty secondarily incumbent on a Muslim).

The Sunnah of namaz (stated prayers) while considered voluntary prayers, there are many other voluntary prayers such as (early) Morning Prayers, Tahiyye-i mescit (benefaction prayers), (late) Nighttime Prayers.

Adat-i Hasana (consuetude of benefactory acts) are humane acts of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) such as eating, drinking etc All of them are good examples to humans. If a believer tries to do his everyday actions just as the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) did, he would find a prosperity source and have chance for tranquility in his worldly affairs.

One who makes it his practice to follow the Practices of the Prophet (pbuh) transforms all his acts into worship, and makes his whole life fruitful and yielding of reward. (Flashes, 11th Flash)

When the concern is our Prophets practices of conduct, these give us a magnificent picture, which embellished with Takwa (To protect ones self from all sins), muhabbat (ones spirit being fond of ), all the branches of morality, and the strongest possible human character.

Hearts having filled with love and fear of Allah is considered in this group.

I (pbuh), who love Allah at most amongst you, and I, who fear from Him at most. (Hadith)

The Prophet (pbuh) usually ate dinner before the night prayer (isha); he had a light dinner containing yoghurt and barley bread.

The Sunnah related to meals is to have two meals a day: in the morning and in the evening. When dinner is ready at the time of night prayer, the Prophet advises us to eat first and perform the night prayer after that. 

The time that the Prophet ate dinner is about the time that the doctors today advise us to eat.

When we calculate the time for the evening prayer in Makkah and Madinah, we see that it is about 19.30. It coincides with the time that modern medicine advises.

The Prophet advised us to eat dinner:

“Eat dinner even if you have only a handful of bad dates. Abandoning eating dinner is a reason for getting old.” (Tirmidhi, At'ima 46)

It is before the night prayer.

It is known based on the knowledge given by medicine that cells are renewed during sleep in adults. Therefore, a lot of energy is needed during sleep. If a person eats dinner, he gets that energy. 

What is meant by dinner here is the meal eaten in the evening, not late at night.

What is meant by dinner is the late hours of the day and early hours of the night. It is between the afternoon prayer and the evening prayer in summer and between the evening prayer and the night prayer in winter.

It has been medically determined that the meal eaten late at night is harmful to the body; we never advise it.

In conclusion, we can say that it is not sunnah to eat a meal before going to bed. What is sunnah is to eat something light before the night prayer. It is medically known to be useful in terms of health.

Unfortunately, the Muslims suffer the consequences of disregarding the Sunnah about manners of eating and drinking by catching various illnesses today.

Good manners about eating are as follows:

1. Do not eat before getting hungry; leave the dinner table before being full up.

2. Eat a little when you eat a meal; do not eat for about four to five hours after eating a meal.

3. Cure is in digestion.

4. The biggest harm to the stomach and the body is given when you eat again after a meal.

5. The best diet is eating based on the Sunnah.

6. A person who eats based on the Sunnah will not suffer from obesity.

Wearing a cap (one worn by Muslims especially in prayers) is a sunnah (the practice of Prophet Muhammad, pbuh). It is makrooh (religiously abominable) to perform prayers (salat) without wearing caps, deeming it troublesome to carry a cap or not considering it important. However, it is a sunnah to keep one's head covered during prayer (salat). Besides, some scholars have regarded it as good to pick the cap which falls during prostration to the ground and to put it back on the head, without performing much action (for instance, with one hand). It is not makrooh not to cover the head because of a valid excuse. In addition, there are those who say that there is no harm in not covering the head with the intention of humility and deep reverence for Allah. It is also sunnah to wrap a turban over the cap in prayers. The Prophet said: “The prayer which is performed with turban is 70 times more meritorious than the prayer performed without turban.” (Taj). According to some scholars, in place of turban, a cap may be used to cover the head.
The Prophet wore lined or unlined caps. Those made in Damascus would be white and without lining (Abu Shayh, p. 118). Ibn-i Umar informed that in campaigns the Prophet wore cap with projecting parts over ears (Ali al-Kârî, I, 204.).

Allah, the Exalted, ordered believers to follow and obey the Sunnah of His Prophet ((pbuh) in their manners, appearance, ethics, customs and all aspects of their lives in the following verses: "So take what the Messenger assigns to you, and deny yourselves that which he withholds from you" (al-Hashr, 59/7), "Ye have indeed in the Messenger of Allah a beautiful pattern (of conduct)" (al-Ahzab, 33/21). To follow the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah is the only way to understand Islam correctly and to practice Islam better.

The hair growing on the cheeks, chins and bottom part of the face.

God Almighty, who created man in the most beautiful form, informed people about their duty of worshipping through His prophets; He also determined their outward appearance and clothes.

Allah, the Exalted, created the hair, beard and other hairs on the bodies of people; He ordered people through His prophets to remove or shorten some of them and to grow others and warned people about it.

Allah, the Exalted, ordered believers to follow and obey the Sunnah of His Prophet ((pbuh) in their manners, appearance, ethics, customs and all aspects of their lives in the following verses: "So take what the Messenger assigns to you, and deny yourselves that which he withholds from you" (al-Hashr, 59/7), "Ye have indeed in the Messenger of Allah a beautiful pattern (of conduct)" (al-Ahzab, 33/21). To follow the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah is the only way to understand Islam correctly and to practice Islam better.

If we act upon what Allah orders in this verse: "He who obeys the Messenger, obeys Allah" (an-Nisa, 4/80) and consider that obeying the Messenger of Allah ((pbuh) is fard, above all, the importance of sticking to his Sunnah becomes apparent.

The Messenger of Allah ((pbuh) prevented his umma (community) to resemble polytheists in terms of clothes and outward appearance; he warned Muslims with the following hadith; "Whoever imitates a group is one of them" (Abu Dawud, Libas, 4). He especially advised believers to grow a beard and he stated the importance of beard in various hadiths.

In a hadith reported by Hazrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), he said "Ten acts are from fitra (creation): clipping the mustache, letting the beard grow, using the tooth-stick, snuffing water in the nose, cutting the nails, washing the finger joints, plucking the hair under the armpits, shaving the pubes and cleaning one's private parts with water " (Muslim, Taharah, 56; Abu Dawud Taharah, 29; Nasai, Zinah, I). In other hadiths, he said, "Shorten the mustache and lengthen the beard "; "Do not resemble polytheists; shorten the mustache and lengthen the beard"; " Clip the mustache and let the beard grow. Do not resemble fire-worshippers." (Bukhari, Libas, 64; Muslim, Taharah, 54) ,encouraging believers to let the beard grow.

As it is known, beard is something that needs to be present in men due to fitra and is the sunnah of the previous prophets. In many hadiths, it is ordered that the beard be left in its natural form and be lengthened. There is no permission to shorten it. Islamic scholars and believers have adopted that natural state and applied it for centuries.

As it is understood from those hadiths, the Messenger of Allah grew a beard as other prophets did and advised us to grow beards. There is no recording that Hazrat Prophet and his companions shaved their beards. However, Hazrat Prophet (pbuh) clipped his beard at the bottom and on the sides. (Tirmidhi, Adab, 17). Imam Malik says, "A Muslim should grow his beard in the form that the majority of Muslims grow; he should cut the extra part; it is mandoob (recommended). If that extra part is not cut, it causes an ugly appearance. There is no limit in shortening the beard. The best way is to shorten it so that it will look beautiful. "He said, based upon an application reported from Imam Baji Abdullah Ibn Umar and Abu Hurayra that the extra part out of a handful could be cut.”

It is stated in Durrul-Muhtar that it is sunnah to have a handful of beard. Similarly, according to the opinion of the majority, it is sunnah to cut the extra part out of a handful.

Scholars have different opinions about growing, shortening and shaving the beard. According to some scholars, it is fard to grow a beard and it is haram to shave it; according to some, it is sunnah to grow a beard and it is makrooh (abominable) to shave it; others say it is mustahab (preferred) to grow. As for their evidence, the first opinion that says it is fard to grow a beard and it is haram to shave it belong to the majority of the scholars. Their evidence is mainly as follows:

a) Hazrat Prophet ((pbuh) ordered us to grow beards in a hadith. Orders are obligatory unless it is stated that they are mandoob  or mubah (optional) . The order “Grow beards” necessitates it to be fard.

b) Likewise, Hazrat Prophet (pbuh) ordered us not to resemble polytheists or fire-worshippers. Saving the beard means resembling them. And it is haram.

c) Shaving the beard means changing what Allah created, which is mentioned in the 119th verse of Chapter an-Nisa. That act, which is carried out by obeying the devil, is forbidden.

d) Beard is a quality that discriminates men from women. Men who shave their beards resemble women. Our religion forbids men from resembling women.

However, some scholars who say that it is haram to shave the beard mean shaving the beard after deciding to grow a beard. Otherwise, it is not haram to shave the beard without deciding to grow a beard.

Those who have the opinion that to grow a beard is sunnah and to shave it is makrooh are people like Imam Nawawi, a Shafii scholar, Razi, Ghazzali, Sheikh Zakariyya al-Ansari, Ibn Hajar, Ramli, Hatib, Shirbini. Those who have that opinion say the following.

a) The order in the hadith does not make growing a beard fard because our Prophet (pbuh) also ordered to dye the hair so as not to resemble Jews and Christians but some companions did not dye their hair. That incidence shows that the orders like that do not show obligation.

b) It is haram to resemble polytheists in the issues relating to religion and belief. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) put on sabots like the priests did. If it were definitely haram to resemble them in issues like that, Hazrat Prophet would have never done it.

c) If the issue is dealt with only in terms of resembling polytheists even if in the customs and traditions, contrarily, it will be concluded that growing a beard is haram because many priests and non-Muslims grow beard today.

d) The ten items that are listed as the sunnahs of prophets are regarded as sunnah or mustahab by most of the scholars. Since beard is one of them, it should be evaluated like that. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) advised his umma the best customs.

Those who say it is mustahab and customary sunnah to grow a beard and optional to shave it say the following: Growing a beard, eating, drinking, sitting, wearing clothes are the natural customs of the Prophet that he does because he is a human being.  Therefore, growing a beard is not a sunnah related to worshipping but a sunnah that is done customarily. It is also called sunnah zawaid (customary sunnah). Some scholars of our time like Mahmud Shaltut and Muhammad Abu Zahra are of that opinion. Accordingly, it is virtuous to grow a beard but shaving the beard is permissible. If a person does not grow a beard or if he shaves his beard, no judgment against him is given. It will be appropriate to act in accordance with the environment one lives in.

As for the mustache, which is almost a part of the beard, there are some narrations from Hazrat Prophet about clipping the mustache so as to show the edge of the upper lip or cutting it all. According to the opinion that is the judgment is based on, it is sunnah to clip the mustache or to cut it all: The believer is free to do either way.

However, it is not regarded permissible to clip the sides of the mustache and leave a small amount in the middle. It is stated in the sharh (explanation) of Shir’a that Hazrat Umar lengthened both ends of his mustache and that there is no drawback to it.

(For the judgments, opinions and ijtihads about the beard and mustache, see Ibn Abidin, II, 113, V, 261; al-Mahhal, I,183-189; Shawkani, Naylul-Awtar, I, 137-138; al-Madhahibul-Arbaa, II, 44-46; Sharhu'n-Nawawi (Marginal notes of Irshadushshari), II, 261-265; Ianatu't-Talibin, II, 340; Fathu'r-Rabbani, XVII, 313-314; Mahmut Shaltut, al-Fatawa, 227-229; ?slâmda Helal ve Haram, Yusuf al-Qardawi, (Trns. Mustafa Varl?), 107-109; Muhammad Abu Zahra, ?slâm Hukuku Metedolojisi (Trns. Abdülkadir ?ener), 51-52; Zakariyya Kandahlavi, Wujubu i'fail-Iihya).

Ahmet ARPA

As the Prophet (pbuh) used his right hand for eating and drinking (Jami’ as-Saghir, 1/281), he also advised to take with the right hand, to hold with the right hand, to begin from the right while putting on shoes and clothes and performing wudu (ablution). (Jami’ as-Saghir, 1/286, 1/469)

So, it is Sunnah (the practice of the Prophet) to use the right hand for eating and drinking and to begin from the right to do all other acts.

It is useful to distinguish between “beginning from the right” and “using the right hand”. It is Sunnah to begin from the right in several acts; but it is permissible to use the left hand or the left foot when there is necessity. For example, we begin from the right while putting on shoes but left shoe is also got on just after that. We begin from the right while performing wudu but the left parts are washed immediately after the right sides and they are not ignored. 

Using the right hand “all the time” is Sunnah only in eating and drinking. In other acts (including writing), on condition of starting from the right, one of the more capable of the two hands can be used. Under those circumstances, it is Sunnah to cleanse oneself (after urinating and defecating) with the left hand and to begin from the right in all other acts and to use the right hand for eating and drinking. On the other hand, a person who does not act in that way is not a sinner.

The person to set off for a travel needs to take all material and spiritual measures. The measures can vary depending on the length of the journey, the situation of the place to be traveled to and the features of the traveler. 

It is mandub (recommended) to perform a prayer of two rak’ahs before setting off for journey or after returning from it.

According to what is reported from Abu Said and Abu Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with them), the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said,   

“If three people set off for a journey, let them choose one of the as the head!” (Abu Dawud, Jihad 80.)

It is necessary to try to form congregations so that the large Islamic congregation will be formed from small congregations. (Abdullah Parlıyan, Açıklamalı Tam Riyazu’s-Salihin Tercümesi: 286.)

What is meant by that order is to carry out affairs commonly in harmony, not to have different ideas and to fall into disagreement.

It is sunnah al-muakkadah to choose a head for a journey. There are also some scholars who say it is wajib.

What is meant by three is the fact that a congregation consists of at least three people. If there are more, a head is necessary in the first place. 

It is useful to say the prayers mentioned in verses and hadiths, to ask for forgiveness, to say salawat, to read the chapter al-Fatiha, and read ayat al-kursi seven times.

In the verse, “That has created pairs in all things, and has made for you ships and cattle on which ye ride, In order that ye may sit firm and square on their backs, and when so seated, ye may celebrate the (kind) favor of your Lord, and say "Glory to Him Who has subjected these to Our (use), for We could never have accomplished this (by ourselves). "And to Our Lord, surely, must We turn back!"” (az-Zukhruf, 43/12-13-14), Allah reminds His slaves some of the bounties He has given them; He especially mentions the land and sea vehicles that are used especially on journeys; then, He teaches the prayer to be said when one gets on such a vehicle in order to thank Him for those bounties: “Glory to Him Who has subjected these to Our (use), for We could never have accomplished this (by ourselves). And to Our Lord, surely, must We turn back!”

As it can be seen, those words are the expression of a full state and consciousness of slavery. Especially the last sentence makes a connection between the current journey and the great journey of no return and tells us that the actual journey is the journey of slavery and worshipping and that it should be continued at all times and everywhere. It also tells us that the life in the world itself is a travel and journey. 

“Glorification, blessing, confessing one’s weakness and the fact that the return is to Allah” mean trust and renewing belief for the traveler; it also means to be freed from all kinds of feelings of loneliness and fears. Thus, it means that the traveler becomes ready for a peaceful journey without stress and without tending to be a traffic monster.   

According to what is reported from Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), when the Messenger of Allah got on his animal and settled, he would utter Allahu akbar three times and say the following prayer: 

“Glory to Him Who has subjected these to Our (use), for We could never have accomplished this (by ourselves). And to Our Lord, surely, must We turn back!”

O Allah! We ask from you goodness, taqwa and good deeds that you will be pleased with in this journey.

O Allah! Make this journey easy for us and make the distant places near!

O Allah! You are the one who will help us in the journey and who will protect our families while we are away.

O Allah! I take refuge in you from the difficulties of the journey, facing depressing things, and seeing bad things about our families when we return.”

The narrator says Hazrat Prophet would say the same prayers when he returned from the journey and added the following sentence:

“We are those who have returned from a journey, repented and praised our Lord.” (Muslim, Hajj 425, see Abu Dawud, Jihad 72; Tirmidhi, Daawat 45-46)

We learn from this narration of Abdullah Ibn Umar how Hazrat Prophet acted when he set off for a journey. Our beloved Prophet, who is our role model in everything and our leader, would say Allahu akbar three times after getting on the animal and read verses 12-13 of the chapter az-Zukhruf (43). Then, he would mention his wishes regarding the journey, the return and those that were left behind by expressing the feelings of a person who was about to set off.

If we think about the issues that the Messenger of Allah mentioned, we will see that they are the common thoughts and concerns of everybody who sets off for a journey. We learn from the hadith how to say prayers with those thoughts and concerns and what to ask from Allah. The words to be uttered in each place are different. It is the necessity of knowledge and wisdom to utter appropriate words and to express wishes depending on the place and situation. Those prayers of our Prophet consist of the most appropriate words to be uttered by a slave at the beginning and end of a journey. Therefore, he is an indispensable example for us.

To sum up:

1 Hazrat Prophet would take refuge in Allah everywhere and at all times.

2 A Muslim should not forget that each journey has an aspect that reminds the last journey of man and should not neglect taking refuge in Allah.

3 Prayer (dua) is both the power, duty and worshipping of a slave.

Nails, which are the thin, hard layers covering the outer tips of the fingers and toes protecting the fingers and toes from external effects, get long in time. Cutting the parts that get long is one of the sunnahs that are the necessities of being humans. Hz. Prophet (pbuh) stated that one of the five kinds of cleanliness of human nature is cutting the nails.

«There are five things that are the necessities of human nature: To be circumcised, to remove the pubic hair, to cut the nails, to remove the underarm hair and to shorten the mustache.» (Muslim, Taharah, 49)

When nails get long, dirty things and microbes enter between the flesh and the nails. Especially the fingers touch almost all parts of the body and the mouth while eating, infecting the body with microbes. Cutting the nails is very important in terms of preventive medicine. It is necessary for the water to touch under the nails (the parts of the nails that get long) while making wudu and ghusl. Since they are full of dirt, water will not reach those parts, causing wudu and ghusl to be incomplete. It is wrong and contrary to the sunnah to lengthen the nails with the purpose of beauty even if one keeps them clean.

To cut nails is forbidden only when one is in ihram during hajj or umrah; they can be cut any time except when one is in ihram. There are some wrong beliefs among people that it is not permissible to cut nails at certain times, for instance, at night. This belief originated from the times when there was no electricity since the pieces of cut nail could not be seen at night; it can be valid when it is dark and there is no electricity. However, today, when electricity is widely used, there is no drawback to cutting nails at night. The pieces of cut nails should not be left around; they should be removed properly.   

MANNERS OF CUTTING NAIL

Can fingernails and toenails be cut at the same time? Are there any days determined for cutting nails?

They can be cut at the same time. There is no definite day for cutting nails. They can be cut when it is necessary, when they are long. It is regarded mustahab to start cutting the fingernails first and the toenails after that, to start cutting the nail of the right index finger first followed by the fingers on its right, then starting the left hand from the little finger ending with the right thumb forming a circle when palms face each other, then starting from the little toe of the right foot ending with the little toe of the left. (Khattab as-Subki, al-Manhal, I/189) That is what Ghazali says.

There are different views regarding the issue.The most appropriate one is to cut the nails once a week. There is no drawback to cutting them every two weeks. It is makruh tahrimi to postpone cutting the nails to forty days.

It is mustahab to cut the nails on Friday (especially for men who go to mosque) if they do not get too long up to that day.The following is stated in Fatawayi Qadihan regarding the issue:

"If a man determines Friday for cutting his nails or having a haircut though he accepts that it is permissible to cut them on other days and waits for Friday for cutting his nails though they are very long, it becomes makruh. For, he who has long nails will have little sustenance. If they do not get very long until Friday and if he waits until Friday by obeying the advice in the hadith, it becomes mustahab. For, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) stated the following according to the narration of Hz. Aisha,

"If a person cuts his nails on Friday, Allah will protect him from troubles till next Friday and three days more." [Qadihan (Hindiyya, marginal notes) NI/411; Hindiyya V/358.  For similar hadiths, see al-Hindi, Kanzu'l-Ummal VI/656 659].

“And We made your sleep for rest.”1

Allah Almighty states in the verse above that sleep is a boon. Sleep is a boon because it is a means of resting, it helps the machine of the body that gets tired during the day rest and enables it to start the next day in a fit and lively way.

However, it is necessary to use this boon appropriately. For, if we sleep more than we need, it can deprive us of many boons of the world and the hereafter. Therefore, to arrange the time of sleep, which is a moment of heedlessness, and to make use of it as little as we need is something that we should not forget.

Describing sleep as the younger brother of death in a hadith, the Prophet (pbuh) indicates that sleep and death do not exist in Paradise because of this. 2

Before falling into sleep, which is the younger brother of death, it will be useful to make preparations so that we will spend that moment worshipping. We try to get ready for death through supplications, worshipping, dhikr and charity before death; similarly, we should make preparations before sleep. 

We will face a reality that we do not generally think about: we will close our eyes in this world and open in the hereafter. Besides, a believer needs to think the purpose of his creation and why he was sent to this this world all the time.

We learn from the Sunnah of the Prophet (pbuh) about what to do before sleeping and how to make preparations.

Before going to bed, the Prophet (pbuh) would make wudu, read some supplications, turn his body toward the qiblah, place his right palm under his right cheek and sleep in meditation and dhikr. He would get up early, at dawn and turn toward his Lord in peace and awe.

The sleep of the Prophet (pbuh) was not like ours. Even if his eyes slept, his heart would not sleep; he would not be in heedlessness.

The direction of the qiblah has a blessed meaning that is different from other directions. It is a direction that all Muslims turn toward five times a day for prayer. It is necessary for all believers to show respect to the qiblah, which he turn toward for worshipping.

Therefore, it is makruh and contrary to Islamic manners to extend one’s legs against the qiblah both when one is awake and asleep. It is necessary not to extend one’s legs against the qiblah while sleeping. However, if it is not possible to place the bed in any other direction and if the feet face the qiblah, it becomes permissible.

Footnotes:

1. An-Naba, 9.
2. Kashful-Khafa, 2: 329.

(Mehmed Paksu, Aileye Özel Fetvalar)

Turban and skullcap are acceptable. Everyone is free to wear turbans or skullcaps because Islam did not set it obligatory for Muslims to wear turbans or skullcaps. As long as things that are considered to be suggesting unbelief ( like priests’ caps) are not worn on the head, it is alright.

However, it is a sunnah to wear a turban while praying. The Apostle of Allah (pbuh) states: “ Two rakats of prayer with a turban on the head is more beneficial than seventy rakats of prayer without a turban.” For this reason, it is better not to avoid wearing a turban while praying. There is no information on the length of the turban. It is something about tradition. There is a conflict about whether a cap does the same work as a turban. According to Ibn Hajar, it is not the same.  According to what is written in the book titled “Bughyat ul- Mustarshidin, it does the same work.

“The difference between us and the polytheists is our turbans that we wrap around calyptras” ( Tirmidhi, Clothing, 42). According to Ibn Qayyim’s statement, the Prophet sometimes  wound the turban around the kalyptra and he sometimes wore a kalyptra without a turban around it and a turban without a kalyptra around it. (Ash-Shawkani, Nayl ul-Awtar, Bairut, nd II, 108)

According to this narration, the Prophet (pbuh) gave importance to wearing a turban. He sometimes wore a kalyptra which includes a cap, with or without a turban wrapped around it.

The Holy Quran declares that fasting was obligatory in the former religions as it is in Islam. The Noble Prophet (PBUH) advises clearly to eat little and says The most harmful container that man fills in is his abdomen. The food that will keep a person alive and standing is enough for him. However, if his appetite takes control of him and he wants to eat much, then he should eat to fill in one third of his stomach and leave one third for water and one third for breathing.

It is related that the Noble Messenger (PBUH) ate twice in a day, one in the morning and the other in the evening and that he left the table before he was full up. Abdullah Ibn-i Umar, one of the companions of the prophet (PBUH), says that the companions of the prophet did not eat even dates so much as to be full up. Hazrat Aisha said the first disaster after the death of the Noble Messenger (PBUH) was having full stomachs.

The scholars of Islam, by taking inspiration from the advice originating from Sunnah,, unanimously draw attention to the disadvantages of eating excessively. For instance Ibn-i Sina says: All the illnesses are because of what is eaten or drunk. Ghazali, an Islamic scholar, comments: The most grievous calamity is the lust of the stomach. Hazrat Adam and Eve left Paradise because of eating. Abdomen is the place where all the calamities and disasters grow. Scholars of Islam say: Almighty God summarized the science of medicine in half a verse. by indicating this verse in the Quran: "Eat and drink, but waste not by excess.

Islamic scholars such as Ghazali and Ibn-i Sina insist on two principles concerning nutrition:

1- Not to eat before feeling really hungry, in other words, before getting very hungry.

2- To leave the meal while one still has the appetite, that is, before being completely full up.

We should state that it is also necessary not to eat anything between two meals.

The conviction of the requirement of eating much in order to protect oneself from illnesses is wrong. This conviction is launched consciously by industrialists after the food industry emerged, in order to increase the commercial market of their products. Then, this thought is firmly established in minds by means of propaganda and advertisements. It is is an extremely harmful prejudice. It is indicated that the conditions of hearts and brains of the people, who went hungry for days and even months, did not deteriorate, which means the requirement of eating too much for being healthy is wrong, . Ibn-i Khaldun, one of the Islamic scholars, after stating that people ,who were used to eating a lot suffered more than the ones who were used to eating a little, when they underwent starvation, says: The cause what killed them was not the starvation they faced, but to the state of being full up which they were used to.

According to the statements, body, when it gets hungry, eats and cleans the accumulated harmful substances in it and by doing so, it eliminates the agents of illnesses. Therefore, Dr. Bertholet uses the phrase bloodless surgery for fasting. The halitosis of the fasting person that is observed on the first days of fasting is because of the purification and elimination of harmful substances that we mentioned. For that halitosis, which is the evidence of treatment, the Noble Prophet (PBUH) says, I swear to Allah, in whose hand of power is my existence, that the halitosis of a fasting person is more beautiful then musk before Him. Since the first purpose of religious obligations is pleasing Allah, man is induced by mentioning the spiritual aspects or the aspects concerning Allah. We all know worships provide worldly profits as well as individual and social virtues. The same thing is true for fasting too. The fact that the aspect of health is not emphasized in the Quran and Sunnah cannot be regarded as evidence for its nonexistence.. Every aspect has a share in the significance placed on encouraging fasting.

We learn that fasting has an important place compared to the other worships from this Divine Hadith:

Almighty God says: Each good deed gets a reward from tenfold to hundredfold. However, fasting is an exception because its reward is with Me and only I will give its reward.

Our Prophet recommended saying subhanallah (Allah is free from imperfection), alhamdulillah (praise to Allah) and Allahuakbar (Allah is the greatest) at various times and especially after prayers (salats). The Companions of the Prophet said and counted those phrases by using prayer beads, their fingers or small stones. Therefore, it can be said that the prayer beads of today are similar to them and it is a nice tradition.

What are the phrases of glorifying Allah (tasbihat) that we say after prayers (salats) based on? For instance, did people say salawat for our Prophet after prayers during the Era of Bliss (the period when our Prophet lived)?

Tasbihat after prayers

It is the sunnah of the Prophet to recite tasbihat after prayers whether we perform prayers alone or in congregation. Tasbihat can be recited in congregation or individually.

To mention the names and attributes of God Almighty, to say He is free from all kinds of imperfection and to thank Him are the essence of the prayer. The holy phrases ”Subhanallah” (Allah is free from imperfection), “Alhamdulillah” (praise to Allah) and “Allahuakbar” (Allah is the greatest), which are recited thirty-three times are like the cores of the prayer. The fact that those holy phrases are present in the prayer shows that they are so convenient for worship and so important for our spiritual life. (Badiuzzaman, Sözler (Words), p, 45)

Muawiya bin Hakam as-Salami (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, “Our prayer consists of saying subhanallah, Allahuakbar and reciting the Quran; no words connected to the worldly things are uttered in our prayers!” (Nasai, Kitab’us-Sahw, 20)

Some poor companions of Ansar went to the Messenger of Allah and said:

“O Messenger of Allah! Wealthy people reached high ranks. They pray and fast as we do! In addition, they perform hajj and umrah, free slaves and give alms with their money and goods, which we cannot do!”

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: “Shall I teach you something? Thanks to it, you will catch up with those who passed you and then you will pass them. Thus, nobody except those who do what you do can be more virtuous than you!”

It was a great glad tiding. The companions said: “Yes, O Messenger of Allah; please teach it to us!”

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: “Say ‘Subhanallah, Alhamdulillah and Allahuakbar’ thirty-three times after each prayer. Then say “La ilaha illallahu wahdahu la sharika lah. Lahu’l-Mulku wa lahu’l-Hamdu wa huwa ala kulli shay’in qadir” (There is no god but Allah. He has no partner; praise, bounty and dominion belong to Him. He is Omnipotent); your sins will be forgiven even if they are as many as the foams of the sea!”. (Muslim, Masajid, 142)

Badiuzzaman states that the phrases of tasbih, tazim, tahlil, dhikr and salawat, which are sunnah to recite after prayers, taking refuge in Allah and mentioning the names of Allah are the prayers of Hazrat Prophet (pbuh), that is, his sunnah. (Kastamonu Lâhikası, p.72-73)

It is sunnah to recite the prayer of adhan (wasilah) between the iqamah and fard prayer. It is sunnah for the person reciting adhan and the people listening to it to recite the prayer of adhan immediately; it is sunnah for the person reciting iqamah and the people listening to it to read the prayer of adhan before the fard prayer by opening and raising their hands.

It is sunnah to recite the prayer of “istiadha” (taking refuge in Allah), which is read to be saved from the torture in the grave, devil, soul, the world and Dajjal, the torture of Hell and other mischiefs and evils after the morning and evening prayers. In addition, it is sunnah to recite dhikr, salawat and prayers. It is sunnah to ask forgiveness and mercy from God Almighty not only for us but also for our teachers and masters who has rights on us, our parents, our student friends and all of the believers.  It is also sunnah to recite salawat and salams a million times for our Prophet, Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh), to send salam (greetings) and good wishes to his family and companions, to exceed the limited numbers while reciting them, to use the phrases “as many as the leaves of the trees, the waves of the seas and the drops of rain”, which denotes infinity, while reciting salawat, salams and barakah. It is also sunnah to ask to enter Paradise.

Some of the glad tidings by our Prophet (pbuh) about tasbih and dhikr are as follows:

*Abdullah bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) stated the following: “There is nobody in the world who will say, ‘La ilaha illallahu wallahu akbar. Wala hawla wala quwwata illa billah’ (There is no god but Allah. Allah is the greatest. There is no might and power but that of Allah) and whose sins will not be forgiven even if they are as many as the foams in the sea.” (Tirmidhi, Daawat, 58)

*Abu Musa al-Ash’ari (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: We were in a battle together with our Prophet (pbuh). When we returned and saw Madinah, Muslims raised their voices and started to say “Allahuakbar”. Thereupon, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: “Your Lord is not deaf! He is not one that is not ready here! He is among you. He is among the heads of your camels. O Abdullah bin Qays! Shall I teach you a treasure from the treasures of Paradise? It is ‘La hawla wala quwwata illa billah.” (Tirmidhi, Daawat, 58)

*İbn-i Masud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) stated the following: “When I was taken up to Miraj, I met Ibrahim (pbuh). He said to me, “O Muhammad!” “Give my greetings to your umma and tell them that the soil of Paradise is nice and its water is sweet! There are plains full of trees in Paradise. Their planted trees are ‘Subhanallahi walhamdulillahi wala ilaha illallahu wallahu akbar.” ( (Tirmidhi, Daawat, 59)

*Abu Zarr (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: “Whoever says, “La ilaha illallahu wahdahu la sharika lahu. Lahu’l-Mulku wa lahu’l-Hamdu yuhyi wa yumitu wa huwa ala kulli shay’in qadir” (There is no god but Allah. He has no partner; praise, bounty and dominion belong to Him. He gives life and He takes life. He is Omnipotent) without speaking any other words after the morning prayer, kneeling down is given tens of rewards; ten sins of him are cleared off, he is raised ten ranks; he becomes secure from all kinds of evils that day; he is protected from the devil; no sin can reach him and annul his good deeds!” (Tirmidhi, Daawat, 63)

*Ma’qil bin Yasar (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) stated the following: “Whoever says, ‘Audhu billahi minashshaytanirrajim’ and recites the last three verses of the Chapter al-Hashr when he gets up in the morning (after the prayer), Allah appoints seventy thousand angels to pray for him that day until the evening; if he dies that day, he dies as a martyr. Whoever recites it at night, he reaches the same rank.” (Taj, 4/44)

Let All-Merciful Lord not deprive believers from his abundance and prosperity. Amin.

For detailed information about the performance of tasbihat in accordance with the Madhhab of Shafii, see Shafii Catechism or al-Fiqh al-Islami, Volume 2 by Wahba Zuhayli.

Saying salawat for our Prophet

As it is known, it is a non-ignorable duty and debt of fidelity of every Muslim to say salawat whenever the name of Hazrat Prophet (pbuh) is mentioned. 

It is informed that for every Muslim who understands the wisdom of the existence thanks to him, it is fard to say salawat once in the life, wajib for the following mentions and sunnah for repetitions; it is said that skipping salawat causes deprivation from intercession (shafaah).

A person who feels gratitude for someone who does him a favor and a person who shows respect to a person for a long time just for the sake of a cup of coffee will definitely feel gratitude for the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), who was a means for saving his eternal life, and will say salawat with great respect when he hears his name and will attain his intercession with his loyalty.

Our Lord orders us to say salawat for the Prophet in the 56th verse of the Chapter al-Ahzab:

–Allah and His angels, send blessings on the Prophet: O ye that believe! send ye blessings on him and salute him, with all respect.!

As a necessity of the command of that verse it has been stated that it is fard to say salawat once in the life, wajib for the first hearing of following mentions and sunnah for repetitions in the same place. What is understood is that after each salawat and salam, both our Lord and the angels become pleased; in addition, the angels pray for those who say salawat. We see in hadith books that the angels pray for the person who says salawat, which causes the rank of our Prophet (pbuh) to rise in Paradise, as “May Allah make your rank rise, too” and other angels say ‘amin’ for that prayer. They react as “May Allah not make your rank rise” for those who do not say salawat and the other angels agree with that reaction by saying ‘amin’. Thus, those who say salawat when they hear the name of our Prophet (pbuh) receive good prayers from the angels and those who do not say salawat receive the curse of the angels. Furthermore, our Prophet (pbuh) is offended by the unfaithful people of his umma who do not say salawat for him although they hear his name and expresses his reproach as “May his nose be covered with dust.” 

There are numerous kinds of salawat. The most famous of them are the ones that we recite after tahiyyat during prayers: “Allahumma salli ala Muhammadin wa ala ali Muhammad” and “Sallallahu alayhi wasallam”. Their meanings can be summarized as follows:

–May the mercy of our Lord, the asking forgiveness of the angels and our salam (greetings) be upon Hazrat Muhammad and his family.

Since salawat like that are prayers special to our Prophet, our Lord will not reject a prayer special to him. 

If we start our special prayers with salawat that is not rejected and finish with salawat, we expect that our prayer between two accepted prayers will be accepted too.

When the name of the Prophet is seen while reading and writing it is the best to say:

–“Allahumma salli ala Muhammadin wa ala ali Muhammad” or “Sallallahu alayhi wasallam”, the initials (pbuh) written in the texts are used to remind salawat.  However, when the salawat signs like that increase in a text, the readers sometimes have difficulty and the signs that are added for respect sometimes may cause disrespect, contrary to what is intended. Instead of causing disrespect, it is better to decrease those signs and leave it to the understanding of the reader.

It cannot be said that salawat said for the Prophet will cause the forgiveness of sins because something like that is not in question. It causes a rise in the rank. Therefore, nobody can estimate and determine the rank of the Prophet because each second salawat like rivers flow from his umma every second and it is understood that the rise in rank will never stop and that it will go on till the doomsday. 

A historical example of respect:

Sultan Mahmud of Ghazna always addressed his servant Muhammad, whom he liked a lot, as Muhammad, but once he addressed him using his father’s name. The servant felt bad about it and asked the Sultan why he had addressed him using his father’s name but not using his nice name. The Sultan answered:

–I always had wudu and called that lofty name when I had wudu. Now I do not have wudu! I felt ashamed to pronounce that name without wudu!

Those who show laziness in saying salawat when his holy name is pronounced should read and draw lessons from that event.

Sahih (authenticated) Muslim summarizes the importance of Sunnah as, The Apostle of God (peace be upon him), whatever or whenever he conducted or said something on anything, he did it as a Prophet. Everything that he did is far from being Dalalat (state of perplexity) and ill. All his words and actions were kept within the limitations of Gods design. Therefore, everyone should follow and imitate every moment of his life. His life is a live Quran, and a sum of Divine Laws.

There are so many verses and Hadiths in Quran and in hadith books, which precisely states that adhering to Sunnah is the fundamental basis of religion. Some of these are:

O you who believe! Obey God and obey the Messenger, and those from among you who are invested with authority; and if you are to dispute among yourselves about anything, refer it to God and the Messenger, if indeed you believe in God and the Last Day. This is the best (for you) and fairest in the end. (An-Nisa Surah, 4:59)

Commentary scholars of Quran interpret the command, refer it to God and the Messenger as consult to Quran and Sunnah.

Bediuzzaman Said Nursi interprets the verse, Say (to them, O Messenger): "If you indeed love God, then follow me, so that God will love you and forgive you your sins." God is All-Forgiving, All-Compassionate (Al-Imran Surah, 3:31) as, If you believe in God (May His Glory be exalted), you will surely love Him. Since you love God, you will act in the manner He loves. To do that, you must resemble the one God loves. And he may be resembled by following him. Whenever you follow him, God will love you too. Anyway you have to love God so that He shall love you.

These phrases form only a brief and concise meaning of the verse. It means that the most exalted goal for man is to receive Almighty God's love. The verse shows that the way of achieving this elevated aim is by following Gods Beloved and his Practices. If at this station Three Points are proved, the above truth will become completely clear. (11.Flash, 10. Point)

Al Maududi expresses below statements about the Sunnah Saniya:
Leaving Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad even on a small scale, could lead you to be loved less by God and His messenger. First condition of love and affection is absolute submission. One who loves Messenger of God; Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) should submit him/herself to him and should obey his commands.

In this connection, I would like to mention some of the parts which is about adhering to the Sunnah from Risale-i Nur Collection.

The sources of the Noble Prophet's Illustrious Practices are three: his words, his acts, and his conduct. And there are three categories of each of these three: obligatory, voluntary, and laudable.

It is imperative to follow those that are obligatory and compulsory, and there are penalties and punishment for giving them up. Everyone is charged with following them. As for the voluntary sort, as laudable, the believers are again charged with following them, but there is no penalty or punishment for giving them up. However, there is great merit in acting in accordance with them and following them. And to change them is innovation, misguidance, and a great error. To follow and imitate the Prophet's customary actions is extremely laudable and in accordance with wisdom, and is beneficial for both personal life and social life and for human kind. For in all his habitual actions are numerous things beneficial for life, and furthermore, through following them, such conduct and actions become like worship.

Yes, since as both friend and foe agree, the person of Muhammad (PBUH) manifested the highest degrees of moral virtues; and since as all are agreed, he is the most famous and excellent individual in the human race; and since as indicated by his thousands of miracles, and testified to by the World of Islam that he founded and its achievements, and affirmed by the truths of the Qur'an of which he was the herald and interpreter, he was the most excellent Perfect Man and most excellent guide; and since as the fruit of following him, millions of the people of perfection have advanced through the degrees of attainment and reached the happiness of both worlds; for sure his Practices and actions are the finest examples to be followed, and the safest guides, and the soundest laws to be taken as principles. Happy is the one whose share of following the Practices of the Prophet (PBUH) is great. While those who are lazy and do not follow them suffer vast loss, and those who consider them to be unimportant commit a great crime, while if they criticize them, which infers denying them, it is serious misguidance. (11. Flash, 11. Point First Matter)

O Friend! When I was making my way with apprehension and full of anxiety, I witnessed that Prophet Muhammads Sunnah was serving as stars and lamps. Each one of Sunnah or sharia law shines as sun bright over the oppressive rebellion ways against Gods design. If a man, even, least bit discards and departs from that straight path (of Gods) of sunnah; he becomes a puppet of Satan, a stage that fears and misdeeds exhibited, and a mount loaded the burden of mountains. (Mesnevi-i Nuriye Katre 66)

The Practices of the Prophet (PBUH) are courtesy. There is no matter among them beneath which a light, and courtesy, is not to be found. The Noble Prophet (Upon whom be blessings and peace) said:

Those who obey God and His messenger will be in the company of prophets, devotees, martyrs, and the ones that God bestowed His benefaction and gifts. How beautiful friends are those!

One whoever obeys His messenger, he/she obeys God.

Eddebenî Rabbî bi-ahseni Tedibî, the interpretation of it is, "My Sustainer taught me good conduct, and how well he taught me." Yes, one who studies the Prophet's biography and knows his Practices will certainly understand that Almighty God gathered in His Beloved all the varieties of courtesy and good conduct. One who gives up the Practices abandons courtesy. He verifies the rule, "The ill-mannered person is deprived of Divine favor," and is discourteous in a way that causes him loss. (11. Flash, 7. Point)

There is a beautiful straightness for the ones among you who wish for the hereafter and recall the name of God often by submitting oneself to God.

The importance of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and his Sunnah were embroidered like a golden string in the verses by God.

The Hadiths that demonstrates the concrete connection between Quran and Hadiths:

It is narrated on the authority of Irbad ibn Sariyah by Abu Dawud:

AbdurRahman ibn Amr as-Sulami and Hujr ibn Hujr said: We came to Irbad ibn Sariyah who was among those about whom the following verse was revealed: "Nor (is there blame) on those who come to you to be provided with mounts, and when you said: "I can find no mounts for you."

We greeted him and said; we have come to see you to give healing and obtain benefit from you.

Al-Irbad said: One day the Apostle of Allah (peace be upon him) led us in prayer, then faced us and gave us a lengthy exhortation at which the eyes shed tears and the hearts were afraid.

A man said: Apostle of Allah! It seems as if it were a farewell exhortation, so what injunction do you give us?

He then said; I enjoin you to fear Allah, and to hear and obey even if it be an Abyssinian slave, for those of you who live after me will see great disagreement. You must then follow my Sunnah and that of the rightly guided caliphs. Hold to it and stick fast to it. Avoid novelties, for every novelty is an innovation, and every innovation is an error.

We see some unqualified people who only accept the divine rules the Noble Quran brings and reject Sunnah, Ijma (consensus) and Qiyas (a type of judgment reached by making analogy) which are the other main sources of the religion. Their purpose is only to spoil peoples belief and to make them go astray. While they accept the Quran as the only school of law, underestimate the Prophets sunnah and Islams other evidences; they accept some hadiths which suit their purposes and reject the ones which do not. They cannot deceive conscious Muslims, they are not appreciated by them, either. They have no right for that.

As it is known, as Muslims are obliged to obey the divine rules revealed in the Quran; they are also obliged to accept the religious rules declared through hadiths.

Those people do not heed at all the valuable books written about tafsir (commentaries of the Quran), hadith, fiqh (Islamic laws) and books in other fields which have been appreciated by all scholars and intellectuals.

A person who misguides people by taking refuge in the shadow of the Almighty Quran should at least know that a Muslim, no matter how ignorant he is, knows and believes definitely that the exalted Sunnah is a secondary evidence and support of Islam and he has absolutely no doubts and hesitations about whether the Quran is Allahs word or not.

Then, not taking Sunnah into account and not esteeming it by saying: The foundation of the religion of Islam is merely the Quran; we apply only the rules in it; we call halal (permissible) what it deems halal and we call haram (prohibited) what it deems haram means not perceiving the Prophets value and his mission. He is the one who notifies and comments on the Quran at first.

The Prophet (pbuh) declares in one of his hadiths the following:

I was granted the Quran and as much as it (the sunnah) together with it.
The following was declared in another hadith: If my hadith reaches someone while he is leaning against his seat and if he says We have Allahs book with us, we deem the halals in it as halal and harams in it as haram, he must know that what Allahs Messenger deems as haram is like what Allah deems as haram.

Some of the scholars state the following: Every decree the Sunnah introduces has a far or close base in the Quran. The Sunnah eventually leads to the Quran. It explains what the Quran tells in brief and it discloses the issues which can not be comprehended.

Stating that ones who have the idea to content themselves only with the Quran are the unlucky persons who stray from the Sunnah, Shatibi says: Many of the people of innovation (bidah) strayed themselves and also caused some others to go astray by leaving hadiths and interpreting Allahs Book wrongly.

Allah has undertaken to guard the Qurans meanings as well as its words, that is those two essentials, by the verse: Verily We: It is We Who have sent down the Dhikr (the Quran) and surely, We will guard it (from corruption). Islamic scholars declare that the guarding here covers the Sunnah as well as the Quran. That verse undertakes the Prophets Sunnah and hadiths which have the essence of being the commentaries and explanations of the Quran; that is, the verse We sent down the Quran to you so that you declare the revealed rulings to people undertakes them. Because the declaration stated in the verse is one of the meanings of the Quran. That declaration can only be through the Prophets Sunnah and hadiths.

So take what the Messenger assigns to you, and deny yourselves that which he withholds from you. And fear Allah; for Allah is strict in Punishment.

Elmalili Hamdi Yazir assigns the following meaning to that verse:

Whatever the Messenger gives you, accept it; and from whatever he forbids you, keep away from it; do not do what he forbids you and fear Allah and avoid going against Allahs and Messengers commands, being unjust towards each other and betraying the state...

According to that, the Quran cannot be considered without the Sunnah and the Sunnah cannot be considered without the Quran. Disregarding one of them is an illness and heresy rising from not comprehending the religion of Islam. If it is possible to say, if the Quran is a sun, then the exalted Sunnah is its light. One cannot be sacrificed for the other.

As Almighty Allah has guarded the Quran by the reciters of Quran, he has also guarded the Sunnah and hadiths by the scholars of Islam.

According to a narration of Hz. Hafsa, one of the wives of the Prophet (pbuh), the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) used his right hand to eat, drink, make wudu and wear his clothes, give and take something; he would use his left hand to do other things. (Musnad, 6/287; Abu Dawud, Taharah, 18)

Hz. Aisha, one of the wives of the Prophet (pbuh) said,

"The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) used his right hand to clean himself, eat and drink. He used his left hand to clean his private parts and to do other disturbing things." (Musnad, 6/156; Abu Dawud, Taharah, 18)

Suraqa b. Malik b. Ju'shum came and said, "The Messenger of Allah taught us this and that." Somebody who was there made fun of him and asked, "Does he also teach you how to go to toilet?" Thereupon, Suraka b. Malik said, "Yes, I swear by Allah who sent him as the true prophet that he ordered us to lean to the left side on the toilet and to hold the right foot straight." (Tabarani, al-Mu'jamul-Kabir, VII, 136; Majmauz-Zawaid, I, 206)

When the narrations are taken into consideration, it is understood that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) used his right hand to do certain deeds and his left hand to do other deeds. (see Musnad, 6/287; Abu Dawud, Libas, 44)

According to the narrations above and similar ones,

It is mustahab to use the right hand (foot, etc.) to wear clothes, hats and khuffs, to enter the mosque, to use miswak, to apply kohl, to trim nails, to shorten the mustache, to comb hair, to shave under the arms, to cut hair, to salute at the end of the prayer, to wash the organs in wudu, to exit the toilet, to eat, to drink, to shake hands, to greet hajar al-aswad and to do similar deeds; it is mustahab to use the left hand (foot, etc.) to enter the toilet, to exit the mosque, to blow one’s nose, to clean one’s private parts, to take off clothes, hats and khuffs.

It is determined as mustahab to use the left foot to enter the toilet and the right foot to exit the toilet.

It will be useful to differentiate between starting with the right and using the right hand. It is sunnah to start with the right in many deeds but, while continuing a deed, it is permissible to use the left hand or foot when it is necessary. For instance, one starts to wear his shoes beginning with the right shoe but he wears his left shoe after that. One starts to make wudu with the right side but he washes the left side after that. The left side is not ignored.

It is sunnah to use the right hand all the time only in eating and drinking. It is permissible to use the hand that is more skilled in other deeds including writing after starting with the right. Thus, it is sunnah to clean one’s private parts with the left hand and to start with right side in all other deeds and to use the right hand while eating and drinking. However, a person who does not do so is not regarded to have committed a sin. 

"Allah likes it when one starts everything with the right including putting on and taking off shoes." (Bukhari, Wudu', 31)

To start wudu with the right side:

Narrator: Ibn Abbas

"Ali entered upon me after he passed water. He wanted water for wudu. We brought to him a vessel containing water. He said to me,   

"O Ibn Abbas! Shall I show you how the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) made wudu?" I said,

"Yes, please!"

Thereupon, he inclined the vessel toward his hands and washed his hands. He then put his right hand in the vessel and poured water over the other hand and washed his both palms. He then rinsed his mouth and snuffed up water. He then put both of his hands together in the water and took out a handful of water and threw it upon the face. He then inserted both of his thumbs in the front part of the ears. He did like that twice and thrice. He then took a handful of water and poured it over his forehead and left it running down his face. He then washed his forearms up to the elbow three times. He then wiped his head and the back of his ears. He then put both of his hands together in the water and took a handful of it and threw it on his right foot, which was in a shoe. Then, he did the same thing with his other (left) foot. (Abdullah al-Hawlani) says, "I asked Ibn Abbas:  

"Did he wash his feet while they were in the shoes?" He replied:

"Yes, while they were in the shoes." I asked again:

"In the shoes?"

"Yes, in the shoes." I asked again:

"In the shoes?" He replied:

"Yes, in the shoes." (The following is stated in another narration of Nasai:)

"...Then, he rinsed his mouth and snuffed up with a handful of water three times." [Abu Dawud, Taharah 50, (117); Nasai, Taharah 76, (1, 68)]

Eating with the right hand:

Narrator: Umar Ibn Abi Salama.

I was a child educated by the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). Once, I was eating by putting my hand all around the plate. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) warned me as follows:

"Boy! Mention Allah's name, eat with your right hand and eat from the part of the plate in front of you."

After that, I always ate like that. [Bukhari, At'ima 2, 3; Muslim, Ashriba 108, (2022); Muwatta, Sifatun-Nabiyy 32, (2, 934); Abu Dawud, At'ima 20, (3777); Tirmidhi, At'ima 47, (1858)]

If he hasn’t any physical illnesses then it is obligatory for him to fast in Ramadan. Giving ransom (fidyah) does not save him from the responsibility of fasting.

The evil-minded treacherous networks try to narrow the dimension of Islamic act and practice, and keep it off the field of application and try to bind it only with ideological and sensorial ties and attempt to keep the masses away from experienced and practiced values of Islam by saying Islam is a matter of conscience.

1-Some groups of bigoted Orientalists who cannot endure the increasing spread of Islam against the other divine religions...

2-The fame seekers who, by attempting to abase the religious people, the independent judges of law of religion and the Islamic scholars, want to exhibit their conceit, and are eager to appear on media with a sense of glory.

3-Those whose level of knowledge are as insufficient as to comprehend that Sunna is the source of the religion.

4-Those loyal fools who with the thought of exalting the Quran pay no heed to Sunna.

Harijites are the ones who opposed Sunna and hadiths for the first time. Harijites were bigoted in religious matters and incomplete in reasoning. Again, they caused disunities among Muslims and dealt a blow to them. In recent centuries, both those who say we recognize nothing but the Quran and those in the same attitude as Harijites could reveal nothing new. Today those who do not want to recognize the authority of Sunna are either who have no idea about the Quran and hadith, or who have heydays of pleasure and entertainment as to make them satisfied only with the worldly life.

“The Prophet recited the following prayer when he went to bed in order to sleep: ‘Allahumma bi’smika amutu ve ahya’ (O my Lord, I sleep and wake up with your name); and when he woke up, he prayed as follows: ‘Alhamdulillah alladhi ahyana ba’da amatana ve ilayh an- nushur’ (All praise be to Allah who wakens us after we have slept and to whom we will return.) (Shamal Shareef/281)

Getting up for the tahajjud prayer (voluntary salat (prayer) that is done any time at night between Salat al-Isha and Salat al-Fajr) after sleeping for some time is sunnah (act and deeds of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)). It is a practice of the virtuous persons. That salat will be in the form of light in the grave. When someone wakes up, he should not put his hands inside a bowl or plate before washing his hands three times. (Ramuz, V. 1/30-2)

He lay down on his right side while lying down. One should not lie facedown while lying down. The Prophet (pbuh) has forbidden that kind of lying. The Prophet woke a person up who was lying down like that and told him “That way of lying is a kind of lying which Allah does not like.” (Abu Dawud, Adab: 95)

The Prophet (PBUH) himself took the first precautions by saying: "Whoever intentionally lies about me will find his abode in hellfire,"(1), and thus, He caused sahaba (his companions) to behave more carefully regarding it. Therefore, sahaba gave close attention to the issue of reporting Hadiths. For example, Hadrath Ali (May Allah be pleased with him) said: “When I report something to you from the Prophet (PBUH), I try to be so careful that, it is easier for me to be broken into pieces by falling onto the ground from the sky than telling lies concerning Him (PBUH).”(2)
Next to the preservation of the Qur'an and of its verses, Sahaba concentrated all their efforts on the accurate preservation of knowledge about the words, deeds and conducts of Allah's Messenger (PBUH), and especially those related to miracles of the Prophets and the injunctions of the Sacred Law. They never neglected even the most insignificant act or statement of his, as is confirmed by the books of tradition. During the Era of Bliss (3), many sahaba put the words and deeds of the Prophet (PBUH) into writing. In particular people called Seven Abdullahs(4) -notably among them Abdullah b. Abbas and Abdullah b. Amr b. As (May Allah be pleased with them) who were appointed spiritually regarding hadiths wrote down and recorded the hadiths about fundamentals of belief, the injunctions of Islam and the miracles of the Prophet (PBUH).
Companions acted too meticulously about reporting hadiths; sometimes they avoided narrating some Hadiths that they knew very well and they did not want to narrate them. What is more, Hazrat Anas Bin Malik (May Allah be pleased with him), who served the Prophet (PBUH) about ten years once said: “If I did not have the anxiety and fear of making mistakes, I would report more things from the Noble Messenger (PBUH).” (6) Similarly, when people wanted Abdullah Ibn Abbas (May Allah be pleased with him) to narrate a Hadith, he hesitated, became worried, and finally after he told a Hadith he never neglected saying, (7): “Look! I am transmitting something from my memory but you must know that Allah’s Messenger (PBUH) uttered something approximately in the same meaning or in close meaning or similar to what I told you.” (6)
A similar incidence; Zubayr Ibn Avvam who is one of the ten Companions who were given the glad tidings of Paradise had narrated so few Hadiths that his son asked him: “Father, why don’t you narrate Hadiths?” He replied: “I am scared to death to say even a word different from what Allah’s Messenger (PBUH) said. It is because He (PBUH) said: ‘Whoever intentionally lies about me will find his abode in hellfire.’” (8)
After the period of Companions, thousands of scholars of the following generation educated by the Companions and who are known as Tâbiin preserved those Hadiths which they gathered from the Companions and recorded by writing or by memorizing in the same serious delicacy. Some examples of how delicate the Tâbiin were regarding Hadiths: Said Ibnu’l-Musayyib said: “He walked for days for a Hadith when required.”(9); Masruk Ibnu’l-Ajda travelled for “even one of the letters of a Hadith” (10); According to Ibn Qais, Abu’d-Derdâ, a lover of knowledge, traveled from Damascus to Makkah in order to learn a Hadith; and many other similar travels are some examples regarding th issue. (11)
Abdurrahman Ibn Abi Layla, who was reported to have had met five hundred Companions Abdurrahman was introduced as the “man who had seen five hundred Companions of the Prophet (PBUH)”, when he arrived in a town said, “I met and knew one hundred and twenty Companions; they all could sit in a mosque together; When they were asked something they knew, they would look at one another’s face; while talking, with the fear of confusing Allah’s Messenger’s words, they would wait for someone to answer; when no one replies, one of them grits his teeth and by taking refuge in Allah narrates something with a warning like Ibn Mas’ud’s words: “Look! I am transmitting something from my memory but you must know that Allah’s Messenger (PBUH) uttered something approximately in the same meaning or in close meaning or similar to what I told you.”” (12) Apart from Tabiin, especially the Four Imams and the scholars of Hadiths who were responsible for preserving hadiths preserved and reported the hadiths by means of writing. It is said that Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, one of the sect Imams, had memorized one million Hadiths from different sources, with different proofs and different scriptures, even though their contents were the same, he memorized sound, good and weak narration forms of those Hadiths; he wrote his famous Musnad book which contains forty thousand Hadiths by searching three hundred thousand Hadiths.
Spending his whole life for the blessed words of the Allah’s Messenger (PBUH), Yahya Ibn Maîn memorized fabricated (mawdu) Hadiths which did not belong to the Prophet (PBUH) although the meanings were true. Ahmed Ibn Hanbal asked why he did this, he replied: “I tell people asking me about Hadiths as ‘this one is fabricated, that one is fabricated and you can use others except those.” (13) From Imam Zukhri to Yahya b. Said al Qattan, from Bukharî and Muslim to Dâraqutnî and Hâkim, many Hadith scholars who memorized Hadiths emerged.
Two hundred years after Hijra (migration), primarily Bukhari and Muslim and the other authors of the six esteemed narration books called Kutub-u Sitta, shouldered the duty of recording and preserving the hadiths. Thousands of severe critics and researchers such as Ibn al-Jawzi identified and sorted out the fabricated hadiths that would be likely to be included in the Hadiths and the words that had been added into hadiths up to that time in order to cause suspicions about Hadiths.
Apart from those, although not included in the fashion of Hadith science, there are some incidences in which Hadiths were asked to Allah’s Messenger (PBUH) directly and their soundness was searched beyond time and place in a state between sleep and wakefulness called yaqaza. For instance the great Imam Jalaladdin as-Suyuti is narrated to have met the Prophet (PBUH) many times in the state of yaqaza. In addition, Imam Bukhari, performed ablutions and two rak’at prayers for each Hadith which he had acquired through his studies and after asking the blessed spirit of our Master (PBUH) and say: “Is it true O Allah’s Messenger?”, he added the Hadith in the Hadith book in accordance with a private signal he got.(14)
Therefore, one should not occupy his mind with the question “How can we be sure that those hadiths that reached us through a fourteen century length of time are sound?”
This article was prepared by referring to the Letters (Mektubat), one of the treatises of Badiuzzaman Said Nursî.
Footnotes:
(1) Bukhari, Ilm, 38; Muslim, Zuhd, 72; Abu Dawud, Ilm, 4; Tirmizi, Fitan, 70; Musnad, 1/70.
(2) Bukhari, İstitâba, 6; Abu Dawud, Sunan, 28.
(3) The period of the Prophet (PBUH) is called as the Era of Bliss. The reason why it is called like that is that the most civilized and excellent community was established out of a desert tribe after being honored with Islam;, they were honored with the blessing of belief that would make them attain the happiness in bothh worlds. For detailed information: (Turkish web page)
http://www.sorularlaislamiyet.com/subpage.php?s=article&aid=287
(4) Abdullah Ibn-i Abbas, Abdullah Ibn-i Umar, Abdullah Ibn-i Mas'ud, Abdullah Ibn-i Rawâha, Abdullah Ibn-i Salam, Abdullah bin Amr bin As, Abdullah bin Abi Awfâ (May Allah be pleased with them)
(5) Dârîmî, Muqaddima, 25.
(6) Ibni Majah, Muqaddima, 3.
(7) There are many examples demonstrating how the companions of the Prophet (PBUH) gave attention to the matter of reporting Hadiths.
(8) Bukhari, , 38.
(9) Zahabî, Tazkirata’l-Huffaz, 1/56; ar-Rihla, p.127-129.
(10) M.Ajjaj al-Hatîb, as-Sunnatu Qabla’t-Tadwin, p: 178.
(11) Ar-Rihla, p.78; Ibni Majah, Muqaddima, 17.
(12) Zahabî, Siyar-u A’lâmi’n-Nubalâ, 4/263.
(13) M.Ajjaj al-Hatîb, as-Sunnatu Qabla’t-Tadwin, p:229.
(14) Ibn-i Hajar, Tahzibu’t-Tahzib, 9/49.

What is essential is to drink water slowly. The amount of breaths or sips can be increased or decreased based on the amount of the water. It is among the manners of drinking water to drink it in three breaths and to say "Alhamdulillah" after drinking water. The Prophet (pbuh) stated the following:

"Drink water like a baby sucking milk from a breast; do not drink like filling water from a tank. If you do so, you will have lung diseases."

The Prophet always drank water and other beverages in three breaths (Bukhari, Ashriba, 26) and stated the following regarding the issue:

“Do not drink water in one breath like a camel. However, drink it in two or three breaths. Say 'Bismillah' and when you drink something, say 'Alhamdulillah'' after drinking water.” (Tirmidhi, Ashriba, 13)

The Prophet (pbuh) stated the benefits of drinking water in three breaths as follows:

"1. A person who drinks water in three breaths becomes satisfied; thus, his thirst is quenched.

2. It is healthier to drink water in three breaths." (Muslim, Taharah, 65; Ashriba, 121)

If water goes down to the stomach slowly, the body sends it to the place where it is needed. If a lot of water comes at the same time, the body loses its balance and cannot fulfill its duty fully. A person who feels cold feels colder when cold water comes to his stomach suddenly. The body of a person who feels hot shows a reaction to the water that comes to the stomach suddenly and cannot benefit from the coolness of the water fully. If a person drinks water slowly and in little amounts, such harms do not occur.

It is not appropriate to blow into the container of water or beverage. According to what is reported from Abu Said al-Khudri, the Prophet (pbuh) prohibited blowing into drinks. Somebody asked the Prophet (pbuh):

"What shall I do if I see some twigs, etc fall into a container of liquid?" The Prophet (pbuh) said,

"Remove them.” The man asked,

"When I drink water in one breath, I cannot quench my thirst." The Prophet (pbuh) said,

“Move the container away from your mouth when you drink. (Drink it in three breaths.) ” (Tirmidhi, Ashriba, 15)

We have not been able to find a hadith narration about starting a meal with salt in sound hadith resources.

Imam Ghazzali states that it is nice to start a meal with salt but he mentions it as adab (good manners) not as sunnah. (Ihya, II/ Kitabu adabil-akl/al-babul-awwal)

According to what Ghazzali states, Hz. Ali said,

“Allah wards off seventy troubles / illnesses from a person who starts a meal with salt.” (ibid)

The statements translated as "It is sunnah to start and to finish a meal with salt. If one intend the salt in bread, this sunnah is fulfilled" mentioned in Abdulqadir Ghaylani’s work called Ghunya, are not hadith narrations. He called it mustahab –because it was a nice custom that existed for a long time.  Therefore, it is wrong to translate his statement as “It is sunnah to start and to finish a meal with salt.”

To sum up, we have not been able to find a sound hadith narration about starting a meal with salt. However, it is a nice custom adopted by Hz. Ali and many more salaf people.

Cupping (hijamah) means to get one’s blood drawn with the intention of protecting one’s health or for treatment.

It is known that cupping was a method of protecting health and treatment before and during the time of the Prophet (pbuh), that he had cupping and that he encouraged others to have cupping. Accepting cupping as one of the best treatment methods (1), the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) and his Companions are narrated to have had cupping in general for pains and headache (2) on their heads, shoulders, neck veins, hips and feet (3) and it is narrated that the Prophet said cupping strengthened the intellect and memory (4).

Cupping is advised on Monday, Tuesday or Thursday, and on the seventeenth, nineteenth and twenty-first days of the lunar months (5); in addition, there is some information about what parts and veins/vessels of the body are appropriate for cupping and some examples of cupping practice. (6) Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya states that the advice and information in the hadiths coincide with what the doctors of the period agreed and that according to the view of those doctors, blood pressure increased based on the movement of the moon and that the best time for cupping was the middle of the lunar month and the week that followed and that this period is more useful for cupping unless there is an emergency. (7) Scholars like Ibn Hajar and Ayni state that Bukhari did not include the hadiths mentioned above in his book because he found them weak and that there is no certain time for cupping. (8)

It is known that tides occur based on various positions of the moon in its orbit in the sea and even on land and in the atmosphere and that they reach the highest level in the phases of the new moon and full moon. Some researches done today show that the moon has similar effects on human body, that changes are observed in the hormone and liquid balance in the body in full moon and that the puerperal and menstrual bleeding in women are more severe then. Therefore, it is understood that if the hadiths that advise certain time periods are examined in terms of hadith technique and evaluated under the light of new scientific research, interesting results will be obtained.

It is known that the Prophet (pbuh) paid some money to Abu Tayba, who was a slave, for cupping. (9) When Anas b. Malik was asked whether cupping fee was halal, he answered it by reporting this incident. (10) It is not clearly stated in his narration whether the payment was the fee for cupping but Ibn Abbas said, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) paid the fee in this incident and added: "If it were haram, the Prophet would not have paid any money." (11) On the other hand, it is narrated that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) prohibited blood money (12) and that he said the income of the cupper was dirty (13). Some scholars interpreted the blood money in the first hadith as the money received directly by selling blood while others interpreted it as cupping fee. If it is taken into consideration that Abu Juhayfa, who narrated the hadith, bought a slave that practiced cupping and broke his instruments he used for cupping and when he was asked why he did so, he narrated that hadith, it can be thought that at least the view of the narrator is like that. (14)

Due to those different narrations, different ijtihads were made beginning from the time of the Companions. Some scholars attribute the prohibition of the Prophet (pbuh) to the profession of cupping being usually practiced by slaves and regarded as a low profession in terms of social status and they say it is not permissible for free people to charge money for cupping; some scholars say the reason for the prohibition is that it is a service and duty that needs to be done freely among Muslims. According to a view, it was forbidden to charge money previously and that the prohibition was removed afterwards; according to another view, the prohibition in the hadith does not show that it is haram but that it is makruh tanzihi.

It is stated in hadith resources that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said the fasting of both the person who performed cupping and the person who had cupping would be invalidated (15), that he had cupping when he was fasting (16) and that cupping would not invalidate fasting (17).

Anas b. Malik said they did not have cupping when they were fasting and attributed it to the fact that it would cause trouble to the person who was fasting. (18) According to Hanafis, who base their view on the first hadith, cupping invalidates fasting. However, the majority states that cupping does not invalidate fasting claiming that this hadith was abrogated. Nevertheless, even those scholars advise that cupping should be made after iftar since it could cause trouble to the person who is fasting.

When those two hadiths and the other narrations are evaluated together, the hadith "the fasting of both the person who performs cupping and the person who has cupping will be invalidated" should be understood as "the fasting of both the person who practices cupping and the person who has cupping face the danger of being invalidated." For, the person who performs cupping sucks blood and it is possible for blood to go down his throat and the person who has cupping can become too weak to continue fasting. As a matter of fact, Anas b. Malik stated that cupping was not regarded appropriate because it would weaken the person who was fasting. (19) Therefore, to give blood does not invalidate fasting.

It is known that the Prophet (pbuh) had cupping when he was in ihram (20); therefore, it is permissible for a person who is in ihram to have cupping. If some part of the body is shaved before cupping, according to some scholars, the general decrees about shaving are valid; however, according to others, a special permission is in question here and fidyah is not necessary, or this state is regarded as a matter of extenuation while determining the amount.

The views of the madhhabs related to bleeding are valid as to whether cupping invalidates wudu or not. According to Hanafi, Hanbali and Zaydi scholars, who hold the view that bleeding invalidates wudu, bloody cupping invalidates wudu; according to Shafii and Hanbali madhabs, cupping does not invalidate wudu. (21)

Footnotes:

1. Bukhari, Tibb, 13; Muslim, Musaqat, 62, 63.
2. Bukhari, Tibb, 15; Abu Dawud, Tibb, 3.
3. Bukhari, Tibb, 14, 15; Abu Dawud, Manasik, 35, Tibb, 4. 5; Tirmidhi, Tibb, 12; Ibn Majah, Tibb, 21.
4. Ibn Majah, Tibb, 22
5. Abu Dawud, Tibb, 5; Tirmidhi, Tibb, 12; Ibn Majah. Tibb, 22
6. Abu Dawud, Tibb, 5; Ibn Majah, Tibb, 21
7. Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya, at-Tibbbun-Nabawai (published by Adil al-Azhari-Mahmud Faraj al-Uqda), Cairo 1410/1990, p. 42, 45
8. Ibn Hajar, Fathul-Bari, XXI, 266-267; Ayni, Umdatul-Qari, XVII, 374-375
9. Bukhari, Tibb, 13
10. Muslim, Musaqat, 62
11. Bukhari, Ijarah, 18; Muslim, Musaqat, 66
12. Bukhari, Buyu, 25, 113
13. Abu Dawud, Buyu 1, 38; Tirmidhi, Buyu, 46
14. Ayni, Umdatul-Qari, IX, 287-288; Ibn Hajar, Fathul-Bari, IX, 165, 300-301
15. Bukhari, Savm, 32; Abu Dawud, Savm, 29; Tirmidhi, Savm, 60
16. Bukhari, Savm, 32, Tibb, 11; Abu Dawud, Savm, 30
17. Abu Dawud, Savm, 31; Tirmidhi. Savm, 24
18. Abu Dawud, Savm, 30
19. Bukhari, Savm, 32
20. Bukhari, Savm, 32, Tibb, 12. 14. 15; Abu Dawud, Menâsik, 35
21. see Diyanet İslam Ansiklopedisi, Hacamat item.

CUPPING (HIJAMAH)

Hijamah (cupping) means to get one’s blood drawn from between two shoulders, the back, the back part of the head or some other place of the body through a glass, cup, bottle or horn with the intention of treatment. It is among the advice of the Prophet (pbuh) about health and a sunnah that he himself practiced.

Cupping is a general method of treatment that is used in order to eliminate the disorders caused by extra blood in the body rather to treat a certain disease.

This method, which was used by an instrument called "cupping knife", was replaced by drawing blood through an injector. A cupping knife is an instrument resembling a comb that makes a series of scratches on the body. Knives that are attached to a spring with a trigger in a copper box with many slits on it come out of the slits when a button is pushed and scratches occur on the body. Blood is drawn from the scratches by using a glass, cup, etc. A kind of leech is also used for it. The leech is placed on the painful place of the body and it sucks the dirty blood.

No matter what instrument and method is used, what matters is to get blood drawn. Cupping that is made upon the examination and advice of a specialist is a useful treatment method that is permissible in Islam.

Actions are dependent upon intentions. Cupping that is made with the intention of following the Sunnah and for the health of our body, which is entrusted to us, is regarded as worshipping. For, we can worship and fulfill our duties only with a healthy body.

There is definitely a meaning and wisdom behind the things that the Prophet (pbuh) did and advised us to do. His life is an example for us: "Ye have indeed in the Messenger of Allah a beautiful pattern (of conduct) for any one whose hope is in Allah and the Final Day, and who engages much in the Praise of Allah." (al-Ahzab, 33/21)

Abdullah b. Abbas narrates that a group of angels that the Prophet (pbuh) passed by said to him, "Order cupping to your ummah!" (Ali Nasif, at-Taj, III, 203)

Hz. Prophet (pbuh) himself had cupping by Abu Tayba; he got blood drawn from his head, paid money for it and said, "The best way to get blood drawn is cupping. (Or, cupping is one of the best ways of treatment.)"(Bukhari, Tibb 13; Muslim, Musakat 62, 63; Abu Dawud, Nikah 26, Tibb 3)

Hz. Prophet (pbuh) had cupping when he was in ihram too. (Bukhari, Savm, 22; Muslim, Hajj 87, 88; Abu Dawud Manasik 35). Scholars unanimously agree that cupping is permissible in ihram unless one has his hair cut. Similarly, the Prophet (pbuh) had cupping when he was fasting too. That is, he got his blood drawn. (Bukhari, Tibb II; Abu Dawud, Siyam 29)

According to what is reported from Nafi, Ibn Umar said to him, “Blood has eaten me (by accumulating). Fetch me a cupper and find a young one. Do not chose an old one or a child.”

Nafi says, Ibn Umar said, I heard the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) say, "To have cupping when one is hungry is more useful. To have cupping increases the intellect and memory. It strengthens the ability of a hafiz to memorize. He who wants to have cupping should do so on Thursday by mentioning Allah's name." (Ibn Majah, Kitabut-Tibb, 22)

Ibn Hajar gives the following in Cupping part of the explanation of Bukhari as follows: Bukhari has a chapter called "What time to have cupping" in his Sahih and he reports that Abu Musa had cupping at night and that Ibn Abbas states in a hadith that the Prophet (pbuh) had cupping when he was fasting.

Ibn Hajar writes the following regarding the issue: There are a few hadiths about the appropriate times for cupping but none of them is in compliance with the condition Bukhari lays. It seems to me that Bukhari wanted to say that cupping could be done when it was necessary and that there was not a certain time to do it. For, he narrated that cupping was practiced at night and the hadith that the Prophet (pbuh) had cupping when he was fasting.

It is based on a medical fact that cupping, that is, getting blood drawn, is useful to human health. The benefit of cupping is observed especially in treatment of some dermatological diseases.

Halid ÜNAL

GETTING BLOOD DRAWN

Blood is an important substance for life; it flows in veins, reaching the smallest cells of the body, carries food to them. On average, a person has blood at a rate of about one twelfth to one fifteenth of his body weight. 

In today’s science of medicine, blood is drawn from a person for three purposes: For examination and analysis, for treatment; for transfusion.

1. For examination: A little or a big amount of blood can be drawn based on the situation. A little amount of blood can be taken from fingertips or earlobes and from heels of babies. A few drops of blood taken by pricking the fingertip is enough to count leukocytes and erythrocytes and to examine their forms and properties. In some diseases, it is necessary to take more blood in order to search whether some substances like sugar, urea and cholesterine exist in the blood. This amount is taken from the vein in the elbow cavity.

2. For treatment: If blood pressure goes up suddenly, if some poisonous substances accumulate in the blood, etc., as much blood as necessary is taken from the vein in the elbow cavity with injectors or by cutting the vein in order to heal the patient.

3. For blood transfusion: Blood is drawn from a healthy person from a vein with a thick injector in order to give it to an ill or wounded person.

Drawing blood was applied in the form of cupping in the past; cupping is sometimes used today too. In order to treat some illnesses, it is necessary to accumulate blood somewhere on the skin or by scratching the skin to draw some blood. This application is called "cupping". Bottles, cups, horns, etc. were used for cupping. On the other hand, blood is sucked by attaching a leech on the body.

In diseases like afflux of blood in the lungs, bronchitis, nephritis and pericarditis, the method of "dry cupping" is applied on the skin on these organs. The air in the glass, bottle or cup is emptied with fire; therefore, blood afflux is seen in the skin there; and this part first becomes red and then dark purple. This operation takes two or three minutes. In this method of cupping, it is possible to save the inner organs from blood afflux by drawing the blood to the skin from the organs inside.

The second method used in cupping is "bloody cupping". The places that turn red and dark purple after dry cupping are crushed with a cupping knife or a sterilized knife. Blood starts to flow out from those places. They are wiped with cotton and cupping glasses are placed again. The cups suck the places that are crushed and blood fills in the cups slowly.

The method of bloody cupping is generally applied related to diseases like blood afflux to lungs, pneumonia, severe infections in the respiratory tract, pericarditis and nephritis. On the other hand, it is known that cupping is useful for fat people and people having a lot of blood though they do not have any apparent diseases.

In today’s developing medicine, very effective new drugs and methods of drawing blood are used.

Getting blood drawn (hijamah) is something that the Prophet gave importance and encouraged his ummah. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) himself got his blood drawn several times. It is narrated that he had cupping on the seventeenth, nineteenth and twenty-first of lunar months. (see Tirmidhi, Tibb, 12; Abu Dawud, Tibb, 5)

According to what Anas b. Malik narrates, the places where the Prophet (pbuh) got blood drawn were the two veins at the back sides of his neck and the part between two shoulders. (Ibn Majah, Tibb, 21). Ibn Abbas reported the following from the Messenger of Allah (pbuh): "On the night of Miraj (Ascension), all of the groups that I encountered said to me, "O Muhammad! Continue to get blood drawn and order your ummah to do it." (Tirmidhi, Tibb, 12; Ibn Majah, Tibb, 20; Ahmad b. Hanbal, Musnad, I, 354).

The Messenger of Allah states the following about when to have cupping and its medical benefits: "It is more appropriate to have cupping when one is hungry. There is cure and barakah in it. On the other hand, having cupping strengthens the intellect and memory." (Ibn Majah, Tibb, 22).

It is possible and permissible to get blood drawn in Ramadan while fasting. However, it is makruh if it weakens the body and makes fasting difficult. It is narrated that the Prophet had cupping when he was fasting but it is also narrated that he prohibited others from having cupping while fasting. (see Bukhari, Tibb, II, Sawm, 32; Abu Dawud, Sawm, 28, 29, 30; Tirmidhi, Sawm, 59, 61; Ibn Majah, Siyam, 18; Ahmad b. Hanbal, V, 363, 364, I, 248). Accordingly, it is more appropriate to have cupping at night in Ramadan unless there is a necessity.

Hamdi DÖNDÜREN

Watermelon is among the fruits that the Prophet (pbuh) loved and ate.

It is makruh to go to the mosque after eating raw onions and garlic. For, people may be disturbed due to their bad smell. The Prophet (pbuh) did not generally eat onions and garlic because he was always with people and led prayers. However, we have no information showing that he never ate onions or garlic.

There is some information that it is useful to health to pour cold water on the legs and feet. As a matter of fact, it is good for headache to pour cold water on the feet and even the legs after having a bath with hot water. The hadith regarding the issue is as follows:  

“It eliminates headache to wash the feet with cold water while going out of the bathroom.” (Abu Nuaym; Mukhtarul-Ahadith, p. 101)

When one has a bath with hot water and when he stays in the bathroom for a long time, the blood may accumulate in the feet and legs, and the blood going to the brain may decrease. In that case, pouring cold water on the feet will enable more blood to go to the brain. This will ease a person and eliminate the headache if it has occurred.   

We think medical research will show the benefits of this advice of the Prophet (pbuh).

YAWNING

To yawn means to give and take a long breath when the mouth opens involuntarily and spontaneously due to sleepiness, tiredness or boredom. It is similar to a state of absent mindedness and heedlessness. It is not something that fits a Muslim. Therefore, the Prophet (pbuh) states the following regarding the issue:

"Allah likes it when a person sneezes but not when he yawns. If a person sneezes and says "Alhamdulillah", a Muslim who hears it should say "yarhamukallah". Yawning is of evil. Therefore, someone who feels like yawning should prevent it as much as he can. For, when one of you yawns, Satan laughs at him." (Bukhari, Adab, 165, 166; Muslim, Zuhd, 54; Tirmidhi, Adab, 1, 4; Nasai, Janaiz, 52).

What is meant by Satan’s laughing is the state of heedlessness and tiredness of the yawning person, which is liked by Satan. Besides, any bad thing that happens to a believer pleases Satan and makes him laugh. A believer should move, wash his hands and face, make wudu and relax if he is tired when he feels like yawning so as not to please Satan. If he cannot prevent yawning, he should cover his mouth with his hand or something else.

(see Şamil İ.A.)

It is sunnah to wash the hands before eating. As a matter of fact, the following is stated in a hadith: 

"To wash the hands before a meal eliminates poverty; to wash the hands after a meal eliminates sins." (Tabarani, Ghazali, Ihya)

"The abundance of a meal stems from washing the hands both before and after the meal." (Tirmidhi, Shamail, 79)

If a person who has just woken up wants to put his hands into a bowl or receptacle, he needs to wash his hands before doing so. The Prophet (pbuh) stated the following regarding the issue:

"When one of you wakes up and wantsto put his hands into a bowl or receptacle, he should wash his hands twice or thrice. For, he cannot knowwhat he touched with them during the night." (Bukhari, Wudu 26; Muslim, Taharah 87-88; Tirmidhi, Taharah 19; Nasai, Taharah 115)

According to those hadiths, it is sunnah to wash the hands before touching bread and food but it is more important to wash them when we wake up. It is not haram to touch one's private parts but this sunnah is very important in terms of health. For, the private parts are the places where microbes are abundant. When a person acts in accordance with this sunnah, he gets rewards and becomes healthier.

It is sunnah for a Muslim who sneezes to say "alhamdulillah" (praise be to Allah) and for the people who are present there to say to him, "yarhamukallah / May Allah show mercy on you!" and the person who sneezes to answer as "yahdina wa yahdikumullah / May Allah guide us and you!"

When the vapor that would cause some permanent disorders if it remained where it was comes out through sneezing, it becomes a boon and benefit for the person who sneezes. When the organs remain healthy after the quake that takes place in the body, it is necessary for a person to praise Allah, that is to say "alhamdulillah". (Zadul-Maad, II/983)

According to what is narrated from Abu Hurayra, the Prophet (pbuh) said,

"When one of you sneezes, let him say, “alhamdulillahi ala kulli hal (praise be to Allah for every state)". Let his brother or friend say, “yarhamukallah (May Allah show mercy on you!)”. Let the person who sneezes say, yahdikumullahu wa yuslihu balakum (May Allah guide you and improve your affairs / improve your heart!)"  (Bukhari, Adab, 126; Abu Dawud, Adab, 91; Tirmidhi, Adab, 3; Ibn Majah, Adab, 20)

In a narration by Tirmidhi, instead of the phrase “‘yahdikumullahu wa yuslihu balakum” the phrase “yaghfirullahu lana wa lakum (May Allah forgive us and you)” exists. (see Tirmidhi, Adab,3)

According to a narration, when Abdullah b. Umar sneezed and when somebody said to him, “yarhamukallah”, he would answer him as follows: “Yarhamunallahu wa iyyakum wa yaghfiru lana wa lakum (May Allah show mercy on us and you, and may Allah forgive us and you!” (see Muwatta, Istidhan, 2; Ibn Hajar, Fathul-Bari, X/609)

Due to those benefits of sneezing for human health, the Prophet (pbuh) states the following in the narration of Ibn Umar reported by Khatib:

"If a person who sneezes or belches says, 'alhamdulillahi ala kulli hal minalhal (praise be to Allah for every state)', seventy diseases, the slightest of which is leprosy, are kept away from him."

In another narration in Adab al-Mufrad, the following is reported from Hz. Ali:

"If a person says ' alhamdulillahi Rabbil-alamina ala kulli hal in ma kana' when he sneezes, he will never suffer from earache and stomachache." (Kutub as-Sittah, IX/426)

Besides, when man sneezes, his heart stops beating for a few seconds; the hearts rests at that time. After that, it starts to beat again. This is like man’s dying and returning to life again. For, the heart that stops during sneezing might not beat again. Thus, he says, "alhamdulillah" to God Almighty and thanks Him for making the heart beat again.

According to medical experts, when we sneeze, our eyes and air passages close for a third and we throw 85.000.000 bacteria into the air with a speed of 300-350 kph.

A special technique was used in very fast cameras in researches done in order to understand how sneezing takes place and pictures that were demanded were obtained only when the image was frozen at 1/100.000 of a second. The liquid layer seen around the particles in the picture flies as vapor and particles fly in the air. Those particles are not harmless water particles or lifeless matter. When a layer on which a nutrient medium that would help bacteria to reproduce was placed in front of a person who sneezed and when the bacteria were counted, it was observed that one particle produced 19.000 bacteria colony. Only one sneeze can send 85.000.000 bacteria around. 

It is sunnah for a person who sneezes to cover his mouth with his hand, a handkerchief or his garment so as not to cast microbes around and spread diseases like influenza. A narration regarding the issue is as follows: 

"When the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) sneezed, he would cover his mouth with his hand or garment, hides his voice or sneeze silently."  (see Abu Dawud, Adab 90; Tirmidhi, Adab 6)

Sneezing, which is something that has to be done according to physiologists, takes place with a surprising mechanism without man’s conscious help. For, when you need sneezing, you sneeze; you cannot prevent it. If this mechanism were not present in us, we would not be able to get rid of many harmful substances and dust that disturb us. Therefore, we thank our Lord and say "alhamdulillah" after sneezing because we get rid of millions of microbes and harmful substances. 

It is permissible to express one’s good wishes orally to a person who sneezes but it is more appropriate to use the expressions that are in compliance with the Sunnah.

While drinking water, it is better to turn toward the qiblah, sit down, say basmala and hold the glass with the right hand. One should act moderately while drinking water like other things; he should not drink too much; he should avoid drinking very cold and very hot water. 

The Prophet (pbuh) sometimes drank water while standing, showing that it was not a sin to drink water like that. Thus, he showed the permissibility of drinking water while standing.

When all of the narrations regarding the issue are taken into consideration, it can be said that it is permissible to drink water while standing but it is better to drink while sitting.

Ibn Abbas states the following:

"I gave the Prophet (pbuh) zamzam water. He drank it while standing." (Bukhari, Hajj 76, Ashriba 76; Muslim, Ashriba 117-119)

Hz. Ali drank water while standing. Then, he said,

"I saw the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) drink water like you have seen me drinking water." (Bukhari, Ashriba 16)

Ibn Umar states the following:

"When the Messenger of Allah was alive, we would eat while drinking and drink water while standing." (Tirmidhi, Ashriba 12, see also Ibn Majah, At`ima 25)

Abdullah Ibn Amr states the following:

"I saw the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) drink water while sitting too." (Tirmidhi, Ashriba 12. see also Nasai, Sahw 100)

According to a narration of Anas, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) prohibited a person from drinking water while standing. The narrator, Qatada, says, "We asked Anas, 'What about eating while standing?' Anas said, "Eating while standing is worse." (Muslim, Ashriba 113. see also Tirmidhi, Ashriba 11)

The statement "the Messenger of Allah prohibited from drinking water while standing" is expressed as follows in another narration of Muslim: “forbade from drinking water while standing.” (Muslim, Ashriba 112, 114)

According to what was narrated from Abu Hurayra, the Messenger of Allah stated the following:

“None of you should drink water while standing. If you do, you should vomit.” (Muslim, Ashriba 116)

When the hadiths for and against drinking water while standing are taken into consideration, it is understood that the narrations about the Prophet (pbuh) drinking water while standing are more than the ones prohibiting drinking water while standing.

It is understood that Imam Bukhari concluded that it was permissible to drink water while standing as Kamil Miras states (Tajrid Translation, XII/53).  

It means the Prophet (pbuh) sometimes drank water while standing, showing that it was not forbidden; maybe he did not want it to become a habit because it was not healthy. He spoke against drinking water while standing in order to state that it is more appropriate to drink water while sitting, to encourage people to do so and to show more clearly that he prefers it.

The threat of the Prophet (pbuh) “If you drink water while standing, you should vomit” is not an order. Some scholars hold the view that the sentence “If you drink water while standing, you should vomit” was uttered by Abu Hurayra, not the Messenger of Allah. 

In conclusion, we can state the following: When it is necessary to drink something outside and when there is no seat to sit, it is not necessary to look for a place to sit; however, it should not be forgotten that drinking water while sitting is healthier.

1. The Prophet and some Companions that saw him drank water while standing. Therefore, it is not a sin to drink water while standing.

2. That the Prophet (pbuh) prohibited drinking water while standing shows that he finds it more appropriate to drink water while sitting.

3. That the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said a person who drank water while standing should vomit does not mean that he wanted it to be done definitely. For, the Prophet sometimes used this style to educate Muslims.

Intention is important in worshipping. A person who acts in accordance with sunnah without being aware of it gets thawab for his deed but he does not get as much thawab as a person who acts with the intention of sunnah.

However, a person who always acts in accordance with sunnah does not have to think that what he is doing is sunnah all the time; he gets the reward of sunnah when he does it.

A person who cares about his/her health and wants to have a long life should definitely carry out the following advice of the Prophet (PBUH).

“A few morsels are enough for a person to live. A person who wants to eat more (in order to become stronger and to work harder) should fill one third of his stomach with food, one third with water and should leave the remaining one third empty in order to breathe easily.” (1)

Researches show that for deep and easy breathing, the stomach should not be full. Not being able to breathe fully means not being able to live fully.

Besides, the blood that comes to the lungs to be cleaned spreads to the body without being cleaned completely. Thus the health of a person deteriorates. What cleans the blood is the oxygen taken into the lungs through breathing. This is possible by breathing deeply. A part of the stomach should be left empty for breathing deeply.

A person breathes about 16 times in a minute. He/she takes in half a litre of air with each deep and full breath.

So a person takes 16x60 minutes x 24 hours = 23.240 breaths; 23.240 x 1/2 = 11.620 litres of air in a day.

What cleans our blood is the oxygen contained in the 11.620 litres of air. If we fill our stomach with food, there will be no space for the lungs to inflate in the abdomen; so we will breathe half. Therefore, the oxygen taken into our lungs through air decreases to half. It will not suffice to clean the blood and our health deteriorates.

The food that we buy with the money we work hard to earn and that we work hard to cook gives us harm instead of benefit. The Prophet (PBUH) expressed how bad and harmful it was to eat until we filled up the stomach by saying the following sentence:

"Man never filled a container worse than his stomach." (2)

That is, the worst thing a man fills is eating by filling up his stomach.

References:

1. Ibn Majah, At'ima, 50
2. Tirmidhi, Zuhd, 47

"Sha’air" means customs, marks of Islam and rules about Muslims. For instance, to mention Allah, to praise Allah, to call adhan and to wear Islamic garments are sha’air. They are called "Sha’air al-Islamiyya (Marks of Islam)". They are issues and signs that are related to Muslims and that involve the community of Islam.

"The most important among the practices are those that symbolize Islam and are connected with its ‘marks.’ The marks of Islam are worship, concern the community, and quite simply are general rights of a sort. Just as the whole community benefits from one person doing them, so too if he gives them up, the whole community is answerable." (Badiuzzaman Said Nursi, Lem'alar)

"Just as there are two sort of rights, “personal rights” and “general rights”, which are held to be “Allah’s rights” of a sort; so too among the matters of the Shari‘a, some concern individual persons and others, with regard to generality, concern the public. These latter are called “the marks of Islam”. These marks concern everyone and everyone participates in them. To interfere in them without the consent of the public is an infringement of the public’s rights. The most minor of those marks (one which has the status of Sunna) is equal in importance to the greatest matter. They concern the whole world of Islam directly. Those who are trying to break the luminous chain to which all the great figures of Islam since the Era of the Prophet till now have been bound, and to destroy it and corrupt it, and those who assist them, should dwell on what a ghastly error they are making. If they possess the smallest grain of intelligence, they should tremble!”

First of all, we should state that the sha’air that are marks of Islam are various. Some of them are fard like prayers, some of them are wajib like sacrificing an animal and some of them are sunnah like calling adhan and greeting. 

Sha’air are a fact that has been kept by Muslims for centuries. Therefore, all Muslims, from the Prophet (pbuh) to the Muslims of today, have rights on them. To harm them means to violate the rights of all Muslims. It is fard al-kifayah to keep sha’air alive.

Sha’air is a duty of worshipping belonging to the community in the form of the right of the public. When somebody does it, the whole community benefits from it; when nobody does it, the whole community is held responsible. Due to this importance, it is more virtuous to do sha’air openly rather than secretly, like fard worshipping. Hypocrisy is not included in sha’air; they are declared to everybody. For, to show sha’air gives spiritual power to believers and demoralizes deniers.

Declaring sha’air means conveying the message of Islam spiritually, and to announce and show to people the reality of belief and the Quran. All Muslims, from the Era of Bliss to today, have rights on them. The crime of those who try to alienate Muslims from sha’air is big accordingly. It is seen that Muslims are sometimes mistaken about those who attack sha’air. Badiuzzaman Said Nursi determines this sate as “a strange characteristic of this age”. Due to the extraordinary gullibility of Muslims, when they see only one good deed of “the horrible criminals who destroy the rights of thousands of people”, they forget about their bad deeds and state that they support these people. This causes the deviant and criminal people who are very few to dominate the right majority with the help of the gullible supporters. In fact, a person can forgive only the bad deeds committed against him. He cannot waive the rights of others, especially the rights of the community. Otherwise, he is regarded to have joined the cruelty.

One of these terrible cruelties is the demand to recite the translation of the Quran and the adhan. They are the greatest and holiest marks of Islam. Many words and phrases like Subhanallah, alhamdulillah, words of salam, bismillahirrahmanirrahim, words that express wonder and appreciation like mashallah, barakallah, words like taqwa and tawakkul are regarded asmarks of Islam (sha’air al-Islamiyya).

Minarets, gravestones, madrasahs, the epitaphs on fountains are marks of Islam in this sense. They remind us Allah, the Quran and Islam. Muslim names, some idioms and proverbs that have become part of our language can also be included in them.

Lying face down is contrary to good manners.

It is necessary to put out the fire before going to bed. Today, it is necessary to check whether, the oven, stove, boiler, central heating, etc is off or not. If central heating boiler, etc is not safe, it is better to turn them off before going to bed.

Hz. Salim reported the following from the Prophet (pbuh):

"When you go to bed at home, cover and put out the fire." (Ramuz, II/467-4)

In particular, those who use wood and coal burning stoves should be very careful.

One should make wudu before going to bed.According to what is reported from Bara bin Azib, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said,

"When you go to bed, make wudu as you do for prayer (salah) and lie down turning to your right side. Then, prays as follows:

'O Allah! I have submitted myself to You. I have committed my affairs to You. I have relied on You since I fear and love You. I take refuge only in You. My salvation depends on you. I believe in the Book You revealed and in the Prophet You sent.'

"If you do so and die during the night, you will die as a Muslim. Let this supplication be your last words before sleeping." (Muslim, Dhikr: 56)

There are several prayers to be read before going to bed. One should read the one(s) that he can read easily. For instance, the Prophet (pbuh) prayed as follows: "O Allah! Protect me from your punishment on the day You resurrect your slaves!" (Günlük Hayat, II/158)

The Prophet (pbuh) also recommended reading the chapter of al-Fatiha and another chapter (Ramaz, I/26-1) and saying,"La Ilaha Illallah, Wahdahu La Sharika Lah, Lahu'l mulku wa Lahu'l Hamdu wa huwa Ala Kulli Shay'in Qadir (There is none worth of worship but Allah alone, Who has no partner, His is the dominion and to Him belongs all praise, and He is able to do all things)" and"La hawla wala quwwata illa Billah (There is no might and no power except by Allah's leave)" and saying "Subhanallah" 33 times"Alhamdulillah" 33 times "Allahu Akbar" 34 times (totally 100)

Hz. Huzayfa reports the following about how the Prophet (pbuh) prayed before going to bed and what he said after waking up:

"When the Prophet went to bed, he would read the following du'a (prayer):

'Allahumma bi'smika amutu wa ahya' (O Allah! I die with your name and revive with your name).

When he woke up, he would read the following du'a:

'Alhamdulillahi'lladhi ahyana ba'da amatana wa ilayhi'n-nushur' (Praise be to Allah, who revives us after killing us and to whom we will return)" (Shamail-i Sharif, p.281)

It is sunnah to get up for tahajjud after sleeping for a while. This is the custom of righteous people. This prayer will be your light in the grave. One should not put his hands in any plate, glass or jug without washing his hands three times after waking up. (Ramuz, I/30-2)

One should not lie face down. The Prophet prohibited lying like this. The Prophet awakened a person who was sleeping like that in the mosque and said, "Lying down like this is a kind of lying that Allah does not like." (Abu Dawud, Adab: 95)

- What should one do when he has a dream?

Dream is a part of sleep. Almost everybody has dreams. What is necessary to do when one has a dream? The Prophet (pbuh) stated the following regarding the issue:

"When one of you has a dream that he likes, he should not tell it to anybody except the ones he loves. If he sees a dream that he does not like, he should spit three times to his left side and take refuge in Allah from the outcast Satan and his evil. He should not tell anybody about this dream. In that case, the dream cannot harm him." (Günlük Hayat, II/245)

- What are the basic rules regarding manners of sleep?

Allah Almighty granted us sleep to enable our bodies to rest. Sleep is a great bounty. If you ask a person who suffers from insomnia (sleeplessness), you will understand how valuable sleep is. 

- It is necessary to use the night well, which is the most appropriate time for sleep. One should go to bed early and get up early as much as he can.  

- He should make wudu before going to bed and pray Allah; he should praise and pray Allah when he wakes up.

- One should turn to his right side when he lies down and put his right hand under his right cheek. (Even if he turns and changes his position afterwards, this sunnah is regarded to have fulfilled.)

- He should not lie face down.

- If he has a bad dream, he should spitthree times to his left side and take refuge in Allah from Satan. He should not tell anybody about this dream. 

- He should try to get up for tahajjud prayer and make this his habit.

- He should go to bed early so as not to miss the morning prayer.

- He should not sleep again after the morning prayer if it is possible and he should start work.

Sleep is of three sorts:

THE FIRST is `Ghaylula'. This is from pre-dawn to forty-five minutes or so after the sun has risen, the time when prayer is lawful but reprehensible. Sleep at this time is contrary to the Practices of the Prophet (PBUH), since according to Hadiths, it leads to a decrease in one's livelihood and to be its being unfruitful. The time most appropriate for preparing to labor for one's sustenance is when it is cool. When this time has passed, a lethargy descends. It has been established through numerous experiences that just as this is detrimental to that day's labor and indirectly to one's livelihood, so also is it the cause of unfruitfulness.

THE SECOND is `Faylula'. This is from the afternoon prayer till sunset. This sleep leads to a diminution of life, that is, it makes life that day shorter and makes it pass in a state of semi-sleep due to drowsiness, thus causing a physical deficiency to life. So too in an immaterial aspect, since most of the results of that day, material and immaterial, become apparent after the afternoon prayer, to pass that time in sleep as though prevents those results being seen and makes the day as though not lived.

THE THIRD is `Qaylula', which is in accordance with the Practices of the Prophet (PBUH). It is from mid-morning to just past noon. This sleep is part of the Practices since it allows a person to rise at night to pray. So also in the Arabian Peninsula to rest from work at noon when it is intensely hot is the custom of the people and of the area, so has further strengthened this Practice of the Prophet (PBUH). This sleep increases both life, and sustenance. For half an hour's Qaylula sleep is the equivalent of two hours' sleep at night. That means it adds one and a half hours' to a person's life every day. It saves one and a half hours from the hand of sleep, the brother of death, and makes it live, adding it to the time of working for one's livelihood.(Lem'alar, Yirmi Sekizinci Lem'a, Dördüncü Nükte, (Flashes, Twenty-eighth Flash, Fourth Point) p.269)

That is, it is not a good thing to sleep from the time the sun rises to about forty-five minutes after the sun rises. What is essential is to go to bed early and to get up early. One should not sleep after performing the morning prayer; he should read the Quran, hadith, tafsir, catechism and then start to work. 

The Prophet stated the following:

"There is abundance and success in the early hours of the morning."

The wisdom behind the unfruitfulness and failure that has recently increased gradually should be sought under the light of the hadith above. Unfortunately, television faces man as "the enemy of going to bed early". It is necessary to overcome this fierce enemy, to go to bed as early as possible, to get up for tahajjud prayer, to get up for the morning prayer in a vigorous way before sunrise and to start work after that without sleeping again. Our grandfathers and grandmothers, whom we saw as vigorous and hardworking people, did like that. When this nice habit disappeared, health, abundance and peace disappeared too. 

It is necessary not to sleep between the afternoon (asr) and the evening (maghrib). Everybody experienced the harm of sleeping in that period. A person who sleeps and gets up during that period becomes dopy; he cannot come round easily.

To sleep for a while after the noon prayer (qaylula) is very useful.

EVIDENCES FROM THE QURAN ABOUT TABARRUK

FIRST EVIDENCE (Tabarruk of Sons of Israel with the Ark, the chapter of al-Baqara, verse 248)

SECOND EVIDENCE (Tabarruk of Hz. Yaqub with the shirt, the chapter of Yusuf, verse 93)

THIRD EVIDENCE (Sacred Valley, the chapter of Taha, verse 12)

FOURTH EVIDENCE (Safa and Marwa are among Allah's signs, the chapter of al-Baqara, verse 158)

FIFTH EVIDENCE (Holy Majid al-Aqsa, the chapter of al-Isra verse 1)

SIXTH EVIDENCE (Blessed and sacred places)

HADITHS ABOUT TABARRUK AND THE PRACTICES OF THE COMPANIONS

FIRST EVIDENCE (Tabarruk with the blessed hair of the Prophet (pbuh))

SECOND EVIDENCE (Tabarruk with the blessed hair of the Prophet (pbuh) after his death)

THIRD EVIDENCE (the Prophet (pbuh) giving his hair to people)

FOURTH EVIDENCE (People racing in order to get the hair of the Prophet (pbuh))

FIFTH EVIDENCE (The Prophet (pbuh) wanting the remainder of his wudu water to be kept)

SIXTH EVIDENCE (Tabarruk with the sweat of the Prophet (pbuh))

SEVENTH EVIDENCE (Tabarruk by touching the blessed skin of the Prophet (pbuh))

EIGHTH EVIDENCE (Tabarruk with the place where the Prophet (pbuh) performed prayers)

NINTH EVIDENCE (Tabarruk with the place where the Prophet (pbuh)'s blessed mouth touched)

TENTH EVIDENCE (Tabarruk by kissing the hand that touched the Prophet (pbuh))

ELEVENTH EVIDENCE (Tabarruk with the gown of the Prophet (pbuh))

TWELFTH EVIDENCE (Tabarruk with the place that the hand of the Prophet (pbuh) touched)

THIRTEENTH EVIDENCE (Tabarruk with the glass of the Prophet (pbuh) and the place where he performed prayers)

FOURTEENTH EVIDENCE (Tabarruk with the pulpit of the Prophet (pbuh))

FIFTEENTH EVIDENCE (Tabarruk with the blessed grave of the Prophet (pbuh))

SIXTEENTH EVIDENCE (Tabarruk with the traces of righteous people and previous prophets)

SEVENTEENTH EVIDENCE (Tabarruk with Masjid al-Ashshar)

Tabarruk means to want barakah (abundance). It means to attain barakah through something. We can explain it in a more detailed way as follows: To show respect to the things belonging to a person or to the place where he lived due to the love felt toward him is expressed with the word Tabarruk.

When we deal with the issue of tabarruk, we will concentrate on the blessed beard of the Prophet. For, in our country, the thing that is visited the most with the intention of tabarruk is the blessed beard of the Prophet. Unfortunately, those who visit the blessed beard of the Prophet are accused of polytheism (shirk) by some people. This Wahhabi mentality, which regards tabarruk as polytheism, rejects the respect shown to holy things and label those who show respect to them as polytheists (mushriks).

Inshaallah, we will definitely prove how wrong the Wahhabi mentality is.

EVINDENCES FROM THE QURAN ABOUT TABARRUK

FIRST EVIDENCE

Tabarruk of Sons of Israel with the Ark, the chapter of al-Baqara, verse 248

The first Quranic evidence that we will mention to show that tabarruk is permissible is the ark that is mentioned in verse 248 of the chapter of al-Baqara. First, let us summarize the incident narrated on page 39:

Sons of Israel went to their prophet and asked to send them a king. They promised that they would fight in the way of Allah with this prophet. Allah sent them a person called Talut as their king. However, Talut was poor; therefore, Sons of Israel did not want to accept him as the king. They said they deserved to be the king more than Talut.   

Thereupon, their prophet said to them:

  إِنَّ آيَةَ مُلْكِهِ A Sign of his authority is that أَن يَأْتِيَكُمُ التَّابُوتُ there shall come to you the Ark of the covenant فِيهِ سَكِينَةٌ مِن رَبِّكُمْ with (an assurance) therein of security from your Lord.

What is in that ark? Security (sakina) from your Lord.

Sakina: means material and spiritual abundance. That ark had such sakina. Sons of Israel attained Allah's mercy and barakah (abundance) with that ark.

According to what is stated in tafsirs of Fakhrurrazi, Abussuud, Hazin, Qurtubi and Alusi, when Sons of Israel went astray and disobeyed Allah Almighty, He inflicted the tribe of Amaliqa upon them. This tribe took the ark from them. Afterwards, Allah Almighty sent the ark to Sons of Israel through His angels as a sign of the kingdom of Talut. The phraseتَحْمِلُهُ الْمَلآئِكَةُ  carried by angelsmentioned in the verse shows that the ark was brought to them by angels who carried it.  

We refer the details of the story to tafsir books. What we need to know here is as follows:

There is an ark with which Sons of Israel makes tabarruk. As the Quran puts it, فِيهِ سَكِينَةٌ مِن رَبِّكُمْthere is security in it from your Lord. They attain sakina, that is, blessings and abundance, due to this ark. Afterwards, this ark is removed from them due to their sins; later, it is returned to Sons of Israel by being carried by angels as a sign of the kingdom of Talut. Let us analyze this ark, which is a means of barakah, in detail: 

An ark, that is a piece of wood, can bring about material and spiritual barakah and blessings with divine permission. Those who show respect to it can benefit from its barakah and blessings. And Allah wants Sons of Israel to show respect to it.  When people cease to respect it, Allah removes it from them.

It is necessary to understand the following point: Barakah and blessings do not belong to the ark. They were placed in it by Allah. Every barakah, boon and grant come from the treasure of Allah. There is nobody except Him that can own grant. However, Allah does things based on reasons/causes in this world of wisdom. He places fruit on the branch of the tree. He sends milk through the udders of cows. He sends down water through clouds. He presents us with vegetables through the ground. Every boon comes to us through a reason. 

Real belief is not denying the reason but seeing Allah’s hand of mercy on it. The one who denies the reason is deprived of mercy. 

In the verse that we interpreted, the ark that is mentioned is only a means. The sakinah in the ark does not belong to it. The owner of it is only Allah. However, Allah made that ark a reason and a means for His barakah and blessings.   

Then, what is necessary to do here is not burning the ark on behalf of oneness but showing respect to that ark on behalf of Allah and knowing that the sakinah in it comes from Allah. This is both oneness and reasoning. Now, we will ask those who deny tabarruk some questions:

We ask those who deny tabarruk the following questions:

- Allah can place blessing and abundance in an ark, a piece of wood and make it a means of His mercy. Those who show respect to it attain Allah’s mercy. You read about it in the Quran. Does a piece of blessed hair from the beard of the Prophet not have as much value as a piece of wood in the eye of Allah?

- Those who show respect to an ark on behalf of Allah attain sakina; why should those who show respect to the blessing beard of the Prophet on behalf of Allah not have sakina?

- Showing respect to the ark is not regarded as polytheism (shirk); why should respect to the blessing beard of the Prophet (pbuh) be regarded as polytheism?

I think that you would have called those who showed respect to the ark polytheists if you had lived at that time and you would have burned the ark as soon as you had the opportunity. Your mind is not so good. Therefore, you call those who visit the blessed beard of the Prophet (pbuh) polytheists.

I am asking you: Why should Our Lord, who placed blessing and abundance in an ark, not place blessing and abundance in the hair taken from his beard and make it a means of His mercy?

We regard the blessed beard when we visit it as the ark in the verse. The beard is not the real owner of theblessing and abundance. Every blessing and abundance come from the treasure of Allah. However, Allah sends blessing to His slaves sometimes through a beard, sometimes through a tree, sheep and cloud in this material world and sometimes through a different reason.

Oneness does not mean to deny reasons/causes. Oneness means to see the creator of the causes/reasons, that is, Allah. This is the real oneness. You are so distant from the real oneness that you deny reasons on behalf of oneness and ignore reasoning.  

O those who regard visiting the blessed beard of the prophet as polytheism!Answer my questions now:

1. Would Allah have placed sakina in that ark if it were haram to show respect to things with the intention of tabarruk?

2. Would He have ordered them to show respect to the ark?

3. Would He have removed the ark from them as a punishment for their disrespect?

4. Would he have returned the ark to them after they had lost it as a sign of the kingdom of Talut?

It is possible to show respect even to an ark on condition that barakah is known to have come from Allah. In that case, it is possible to show respect to the blessed beard of the Prophet, which is much more valuable than the ark in the eye of Allah, on condition that barakah is known to have come from Allah. Since showing respect to the ark is not regarded as polytheism, showing respect to the blessed beard of the Prophet (pbuh)  will never be regarded as polytheism.

SECOND EVIDENCE

Tabarruk of Hz. Yaqub with the shirt, the chapter of Yusuf, verse 93

The second Quranic verse that we will show for the permissibility of tabarruk is the incident narrated in verse 93 of the chapter of Yusuf. The summary of the incident is as follows:

Hz. Yaqub lost his eyesight due to the sorrow caused by being away from his son, Hz. Yusuf. Hz. Yusuf, who became the prime minister in Egypt, found his brothers and father years later and learned from them that his father became blind. Hz. Yusuf, said to his brothers:

 اِذْهَبُوا بِقَمِيصِي هَـذَا  Go with this my shirt فَأَلْقُوهُ عَلَى وَجْهِ أَبِي  and cast it over the face of my father: يَأْتِ بَصِيرًا   he will come to see (clearly). 

Hz. Yusuf's brothers took the shirt and returned to their father. The Quran expresses this scene as follows:

  فَلَمَّا أَن جَاء الْبَشِيرُ  Then when the bearer of the good news came, أَلْقَاهُ عَلَى وَجْهِهِ  He cast (the shirt) over his face, فَارْتَدَّ بَصِيرًا and he forthwith regained clear sight.

As you can see clearly in the verse, Hz. Yaqub wiped Hz. Yusuf's shirt on his face and was healed.

Let us analyze the verses in a more detailed way and make those who deny tabarruk see some points clearly.

When Hz. Yusuf found out that his father was blind, he sent his shirt to him and asked him to wipe it on his face. In other words, Hz. Yusuf asked his father to use his shirt as a means of healing. This is the meaning of sending his shirt. Hz. Yaqub accepted it and wiped his face with the shirt with the intention of being healed.

Now, we ask those who deny tabarruk the following question:

- Is there a physical relationship between a shirt and healing of eyes? There is definitely no physical relationship. That is, a shirt does not have the property to enable eyes to see. Then, why did Hz. Yusuf send this shirt? Why did he not just open his hands and pray for his father? Why did he use the shirt as a means and send it with the intention of tabarruk? Why did he want his father to use the shirt as a means?

If tabarruk is shirk, does Hz. Yusuf – God forbid – invite his father to shirk? What about Hz. Yaqub? He wipes his face with the shirt. That is, he uses the shirt as a means of healing. If it were not permissible to use things for tabarruk, Hz. Yaqub would probably have said, "I will not apply to anything for tabarruk in order to be healed. It is shirk. I will only pray." He should have said something like that. However, he did not speak like that; he used the shirt as a means of tabarruk. It means tabarruk is permissible.

Besides, tabarruk means to use an object as a means by expecting the result from Allah Almighty. It is like the following example: A person goes to see a doctor; his going to see a doctor is an actual prayer. He takes the medicine given by the doctor with the intention of healing; taking the medicine is also an actual prayer. That is, when he takes the medicine, he thinks as follows:

"O Lord! Healing comes only from You. You are the only Healer. I go to see the doctor and take the medicine because You order us to act in accordance with reasons/causes. I obeyed Your order by going to see the doctor and taking this medicine. I know that the doctor and the medicine cannot heal me. Healing comes from Your treasure."

A person who goes to see the doctor and takes the medicine believes and should believe like that; similarly, Hz. Yaqub believed like that and applied tabarruk by thinking as follows:

"O Lord! You are the one who closed my eyes and You are the one who will open them. Even if all of the doctors of the world came together, they could not open my eyes without Your permission. I use Hz. Yusuf's shirt as a means of healing and ask you to heal my eyes."

This is the intention of Hz. Yaqub. For, a person who applies tabarruk does not expect barakah from the object. He regards that object as a means for Allah's mercy. This is what the people who deny tabarruk does not understand. After these explanations, let us ask those who deny tabarruk some questions:

We ask those who deny tabarruk the following question: A shirt, a piece of fabric, becomes honorable by touching the body of Hz. Yusuf and becomes a means of barakah like making a blind person see again.

- Are the hairs from the blessed body of the Prophet (pbuh) not as valuable the shirt of Hz. Yusuf?

- Why should our Lord, who made a piece of fabric a means of healing for the sake of Hz. Yusuf's sincerity, not make the blessed beard of the Prophet a means of mercy and barakah for the sake of his prophethood?

- Why do you call visiting the blessed beard of the Prophet shirk by regarding the explanations above unreasonable?

We also want to ask the following question:

- If it is shirk to show respect to objects with the intention of tabarruk, why did Hz. Yusuf send his shirt to his father and asked his father to wipe his face with the shirt? Did Hz. Yusuf commit a deed – God forbid – that was shirk?

- Why did Hz. Yaqub wipe his face with the shirt? Why did Hz. Yaqub use the shirt as a means of healing?

- If taking refuge in things with the intention of tabarruk were shirk, would Hz. Yaqub have wiped his face with the shirt? Or, do you know belief and oneness better than Hz. Yusuf and Hz. Yaqub?

What is the difference between Hz. Yaqub's wiping his face with the shirt and our kissing the blessed beard of the Prophet? There is no difference between them. If using a shirt as a means of tabarruk is permissible, using the blessed beard of the Prophet should also be permissible. It is permissible to use the shirt as a means of tabarruk because Hz. Yusuf and Hz. Yaqub did so. It is not possible for two prophets to commit a deed that is shirk. Since using a shirt as a means of tabarruk is permissible, it should be permissible to visit the blessed beard of the Prophet too.

If you say it is not permissibleto visit the blessed beard of the Prophet, you have to say, "It is not permissible to wipe the face with the shirt." When you say so, you will have to attribute shirk to Hz. Yusuf and Hz. Yaqub. This will be a dilemma for you. What will you do? You will either accept that visitingthe blessed beard of the Prophet is permissible or you will have to accuse two prophets of Allah of shirk. You have no other choice. 

THIRD EVIDENCE

Sacred Valley, the chapter of Taha, verse 12

The third Quranic evidence that we will show for the permissibility of tabarruk isverse 12 of the chapter of Taha. In this verse, our Lord addresses Hz. Musa as follows:

  فَاخْلَعْ نَعْلَيْكَ  Put off thy shoes: thou art in the sacred valley Tuwa.

Those who deny tabarruk say, Things cannot be sacred; to show respect to things is shirk. That is what they say. What does the Quran say about Tuwa? It says Tuwa is a sacred valley.

What is demanded from Hz. Musa in that valley? He is demanded to take off his shoes, that is, to step on the valley barefoot and to show respect to it. That is what the Quran says though you say that things cannot be sacred and it is shirk to show respect to things.  

Dear brothers! Believe that those who deny tabarruk have no connection with the Quran at all. Be sure that if the verse “Put off thy shoes: thou art in the sacred valley Tuwa” were a hadith instead of a verse, they would denied it at once and said, "This hadith is fabricated." The verse clearly states that Tuwa is a sacred valley and that it was not permissible to step on it with shoes.

The verse says so but this Wahhabi mentality does not view verses. If they did, we would not see the terrible state of Arafat when we went there. Let us connect this issue with visiting the blessed beard of the Prophet.

We ask those who deny tabarruk the following question:

You read in a verse that a piece of land can be sacred. Allah forbids stepping on it with shoes; you read in the verse that respect is demanded for it. Can you say, “Tuwa is a valley; that one is also a valley in my village. There is no difference between them.” You can never say so.

Yes both of them are valleys; both of them consist of soil. However, Allah calls one of them sacred and forbids stepping on it with shoes; He has not given this honor to the other one. Then, you have to show respect to it; let alone dirtying it, you must not step on it with your shoes.  

- Since a piece of land can be sacred with divine permission and it is discriminated from other pieces of land thanks to it, why should the blessed beard of the Prophet not be sacred and why should it not be discriminated from other beards?

- Is the blessed beard of the Prophet (pbuh) not as valuable as a piece of land in the eye of Allah?

- Is it unreasonable for our Lord, who describes Tuwa as sacred, to render the beard of the Prophet (pbuh) sacred and to demand respect for it? Why do you have difficulty in understanding it?

May Allah give you reason and common sense! May he protect the ummah of Muhammad from your evil!  

FOURTH EVIDENCE

Safa and Marwa are among Allah's signs, the chapter of al-Baqara, verse 158

The fourth Quranic evidence that we will show for the permissibility of tabarruk is verse 158 of the chapter of al-Baqara. Lord states the following in a verse: 

  إِنَّ الصَّفَا وَالْمَرْوَةَ   Behold! Safa and Marwa are among the symbols of Allah  مِنْ شَعَائِرِ اللَّهِ  are among the symbols of Allah.

What are Safa and Marwa? They are Allah's signs/symbols (sha’air). 

Safa and Marwa are two small hills with a height of a few meters. During hajj, sa’y is performed between them.  Most of you already know these two hills. Allah Almighty says "are among the symbols of Allah" for these two hills. What is the importance of signs/symbols? Let verse 32 of the chapter of Hajj answer this question:

  وَمَنْ يُعَظِّمْ شَعَائِرَ اللَّهِ  Whoever holds in honor the symbols of Allah, فَإِنَّهَا مِنْ تَقْوَى الْقُلُوبِ such (honor) should come truly from piety of heart. 

From what does respect to signs/symbols originate? From piety of heart.

What are Safa and Marwa? They are Allah's sha’air. Then, to show respect to Safa and Marwa originate from piety (taqwa) of heart. If a person does not show respect to them, his heart has no taqwa. The verses have this meaning. 

Those who deny tabarruk say, “Things cannot be sacred; it is shirk to show respect to things/objects.”

Now, we are asking them:

- Since it is shirk to show respect to things, go and dirty Safa and Marwa hills and show disrespect to them. Can you do it? You cannot do it. You might do it but will it be in accordance with the Quran?

Is it possible for you to say, “They are hills; the one in our village is also a hill; they are the same”? You cannot say so because Allah describes Safa and Marwa hills as Islam's signs/symbols.

You cannot treat Safa and Marwa in the same way as you treat the hills in your village. It originates from piety of heart.

You say showing respect to things is shirk but Allah orders us to show respect to Safa and Marwa. If showing respect to things were shirk, would Allah have ordered it?

The Quran describes those who show respect to Safa and Marwa as people whose hearts are of taqwa but you call them mushriks (polytheists). If you are a bit sane, you will understand how far away from the Quran you are. Let us connect this issue with visiting the blessed beard of the Prophet.

We ask those who deny tabarruk the following question:

A hill can be a sign/symbol of Islam. The Quran states that that to show respect to it originates from piety of heart and disrespect from lack of piety of heart. You also see and read it.

- How can you say, "showing respect to things is shirk and visiting the blessed beard of the Prophet is shirk" after these explanations?

- Is it possible for our Lord, who renders a hill a sign and demands respect for it, not to demand respect for the beard of the Prophet (pbuh)? Is the blessed beard of the Prophet (pbuh) not as valuable as a small hill in the eye of Allah?

- In fact, Allah created this realm for the sake of the Prophet. Does the beard or other things of a person for whose sake the realms were created not deserve to be respected more than a hill?

How can a person who has some taqwa in his heart show disrespect to the blessed beard of the Prophet? I ask just people that question.

FIFTH EVIDENCE

Holy Majid al-Aqsa, the chapter of al-Isra verse

The fifth Quranic evidence that we will show for the permissibility of tabarruk is verse 1 of the chapter of al-Isra. The following is stated about Masjid al-Aqsa in that verse:

 الْمَسْجِدِ الأَقْصَى الَّذِي  the farthest Mosque, بَارَكْنَا حَوْلَهُ the farthest Mosque, whose precincts We did bless.

How did Allah Almighty describe Masjid al-Aqsa (the farthest mosque)? The farthest Mosque, whose precincts We did bless.

Those who deny tabarruk say, "Things cannot be mubarak." I ask them: - O those who say, "Things cannot be mubarak."Do you not read the Quran? See what Allah says: “the farthest Mosque, whose precincts We did bless.” Allah says, "I bless the things that I wish." You say, "You cannot bless; things cannot be blessed." Are you aware what kind of a statement you utter and what kind of a crime you commit?

Know it very well that Allah places barakah in a place and thing, making that thing blessed just as He places a benefit and use in a food and medication, giving it barakah. We learned five of those blessed things and places. We will find out more.    

Denying the barakah of some things and places means denying some verses of the Quran. For, the Quran clearly states that barakah has been placed in some things and places. One of the places apart from Masjid al-Aqsa in which barakah is placed is the Kaaba. Let us hear what the Quran states about the Kaaba:

The following is stated in verse 96 of the chapter of Aal-i Imran:

 إِنَّ أَوَّلَ بَيْتٍ  The first House (of worship) وُضِعَ لِلنَّاسِ  appointed for menلَلَّذِي was that بِبَكَّةَ  at Bakka:  مُبَارَكًا  Full of blessing وَهُدًى لِلْعَالَمِينَ and of guidance for all kinds of beings.

Let us have a look at the meaning of the full sentence:

“The first House (of worship) appointed for men was that at Bakka: Full of blessing and of guidance for all kinds of beings.”

How did our Lord describe the Kaaba? He described it as blessed just as He described Masjid al-Aqsa.  

Then, let us ask again those who deny tabarruk:

Allah describes the Kaaba as blessed though you do not accept that things can be blessed. After this statement, can you say, “The Kaaba is a piece of stone and my house is also a piece of stone; both of them are the same; I will treat both of them in the same way; I will not show respect to them?” You cannot say so. You might say so but will it be in accordance with the Quran?

Is it possible for you to say, “They are hills; the one in our village is also a hill; they are the same”? Let us connect this issue with visiting the blessed beard of the Prophet.

We askthose who deny tabarruk the following question:

- Masjid al-Aqsa and the Kaaba are blessed places, that is, places in which barakah has been replaced, as the Quran expresses it. Since Allah places barakah in something made of stone, why should He not place barakah in the blessed beard of the Prophet (pbuh)? Why should he not give barakah to those who show respect to it and kiss it?

- Is the blessed beard of the Prophet (pbuh) not as valuable as a stone in the eye of Allah?

That stone becomes the Kaaba and Masjid al-Aqsa when barakah is placed in it and is discriminated from other stones. When that beard grows on the blessed face of the prophet (pbuh), it is discriminated from other beards and receives barakah. Even if its name is the same, the difference between them is as big as the distance between the earth and the sky.

SIXTH EVIDENCE

Blessed and sacred places

We proved the issue by using five verses of the Quran. There are many more verses that we can show. Dealing with each verse under a separate heading will lengthen the issue unnecessarily; therefore, we will use several verses as evidence in this chapter and prove again that things can be blessed and sacred.

We hope that the issue has been understood since we have analyzed the issue in detail and meditated on verses deeply. Therefore, we are not going to analyze the verses we will use as evidence in this chapter in detail. The essence of the issue is as follows:

Those who deny tabarruk say, "Things cannot be blessed and sacred. Showing respect to things is shirk." To answer their statement, we show the things that the Quran describes as sacred and blessed and say, "You say things cannot be sacred but the Quran states that these things are sacred." Thus, we refute their words by the verses of the Quran.

Now, let us have a look at the beings that the Quran describes as sacred:

The following is stated in verse 137 of the chapter of al-Araf:

 “And We made a people, considered weak (and of no account), inheritors of lands in both east and west, - lands whereon We sent down Our blessings.”

According to Hasan al-Basri and Imam Qatada, the place mentioned as“lands whereon We sent down Our blessings is Damascus”. This verse clearly states that Damascus was rendered blessed.

It means some places can be superior to others. It is not shirk, unbelief or a sin to be in those places with the intention of tabarruk. It enables man to benefit from Allah's barakah.

The following is stated in verse 71 of the chapter of al-Anbiya:

“But We delivered him and (his nephew) Lut (and directed them) to the land which We have blessed for the nations.”

According to Ibn Abbas, the place mentioned as "the land which We have blessed" is Makkah.

It means a place can be superior to other places when Allah renders it blessed and sacred. In that case, the duty of man is probably to show more respect to those places, which Allah rendered blessed and sacred, and to visit those places in order to benefit from their blessing.

The following is stated in verse 81 of the chapter of al-Anbiya:

“(It was Our power that made) the violent (unruly) wind flow (tamely) for Solomon, to his order, to the land which We had blessed.”

According to Imam Suddi, the place mentioned as "the land which We had blessed", in the verse is Damascus and the land around it. This verse clearly proves that some places can be blessed and sacred.   

The following is stated in verse 8 of the chapter of an-Naml:

“But when he came to the (fire), a voice was heard: "Blessed are those in the fire and those around: and glory to Allah, the Lord of the worlds.’”

In verse 30 of the chapter of al-Qasas, the phrase  اَلْبُقْعَةِ الْمُبَارَكَةِ a blessed spot is used for the same place. The valley mentioned in the verse is Mount Tur and the land around it. Ibn Abbas states that the rendering blessed here means rendering sacred. This expression can also be understood as follows:

The place the fire exists is a blessed region; and barakah has been given to the places around this land. For, prophets were sent from those places. Their dead bodies are in that region. Allah Almighty blessed that region, especially the place where He spoke to Hz. Musa (Moses).

The following is stated in verse 18 of the chapter of Saba:

“Between them and the Cities on which We had poured our blessings, We had placed Cities in prominent positions.”

According to what Ibn Abbas states, the phrase "the Cities on which We had poured our blessings" are the villages of Palestine. As you can see, this verse clearly states that some towns have been rendered blessed.

The following is stated in verse 21 of the chapter of al-Maida:

“O my people! Enter the holy land which Allah hath assigned unto you.

According to some tafsir scholars, the holy land mentioned in the verse consists of Ariha, Palestine and some part of Jordan.

Those who deny tabarruk say "Things cannot be sacred." However, it is clearly stated by the phrase الْاَرْضَ الْمُقَدَّسَةَ that the earth is sacred. Will those who deny tabarruk close their eyes and overlook these verses?

Allah Almighty blessed not only things and places but also some nights; He reminded us to benefit from the barakah of those nights. For instance, He stated the following  in verse 3 of the chapter of ad-Dukhan:

 إِنَّا أَنزَلْنَاهُ فِي لَيْلَةٍ مُبَارَكَةٍ  We sent it down during a Blessed Night.

Thus, we are informed that the night of Barat is blessed. After seeing this verse, can you say that all nights are the same and that they are not superior to one another? You cannot say so. If you do, you will oppose this Quranic verse.

There are more verses that we can show but it will mean to state what is already known, which is unnecessary. Therefore, we will not lengthen it anymore and connect the issue with visiting the blessed beard of the Prophet:

We ask those who deny tabarruk the following question: A night can be blessed. A piece of land and a valley can be sacred. We read them in the Quran.

- Why should the beard of the Prophet (pbuh) not be blessed? What do you not understand about it? Can there be anything more natural than it?

Besides, we will mention the respect the Companions showed to the Prophet (pbuh)’s beard and things.

- Will you still call visiting the blessed beard of the Prophet shirk?

What else can we say to you if you say so? We will only say, ‘Guidance and success come from Allah. May Allah grant you guidance and open the lock in your heart! This is our final word to you.

HADITHS ABOUT TABARRUK AND THE PRACTICES OF THE COMPANIONS

Up to now, we have proved tabarruk through verses. Now, we will prove tabarruk through hadiths.

Let us see the narrators and resources of these hadiths; after that, we will analyze them as a whole.

FIRST EVIDENCE

Tabarruk with the blessed hair of the Prophet (pbuh)

According to the narration of Jafar Ibn Abdillah from his father, When Khalid Ibn Walid lost his cap on the Day of Yarmuk, he said, "Look for it." People looked for it but could not find it. He said, "Look for it again." When they found it, they saw that it was an old cap; Khalid Ibn Walid said,

"When the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) had a haircut after umrah, people raced to get his hair. I was faster than the others and got the hair of his forehead and placed it in this cap. I was always helped (by the barakah of this blessed hair) in any battle that I joined after that.”(Tabarani, Mu'jamul-Kabir, No:3804, 4/104; Hakim, Mustadrak, No: 52299, 3/338; Ibn Hajar, al-Matalibul-Aliya, No: 4044, 4/90; Abu Yala, Musnad, No: 7183, 13/139)

According to the statement of Imam Ayni, When Khalid Ibn Walid wanted the people to look for his cap for a long time, the Companions objected; thereupon, Khalid Ibn Walid Halid said,

 "I did not act like that because of the value of this cap; I did not want it to be obtained by the mushriks. For, there were some hairs of the Messenger of Allah in it." (Ayni, Umdatul Qari, 3/37)

SECOND EVIDENCE

Tabarruk with the blessed hair of the Prophet (pbuh) after his death

Uthman Ibn Abdillah Ibn Mawhab narrates:

“My people sent me with water in a silver glass to Umm Salama, the wife of the Messenger of Allah. There was some hair of the Prophet in it. When a person suffered from evil eye or some other disease, he would send a vessel to Umm Salama. When I went to her, I saw some red hairs of the Messenger of Allah in a small container.”(Bukhari, Libas: 64, No: 5557, 5/2210)

Imam Ayni explains this incident as follows:

Umm Salama had some red hair in a small container resembling a small bell for camels. (The color of the Prophet’s hair was not red but they might the hair cut when his hair was dyed in henna.) When people got ill, they would use them for tabarruk; that is, they would ask cure with its barakah and put that hair in a container with water; they would drink this water in order to be cured. The family of Uthman, the narrator of the hadith, took some of that hair, put it in a silver water container and drank it with the intention of cure. Then, they sent Uthman to Umm Salama with this water container. Umm Salama took the container and put it in juljul, an object like a camel’s bell. Uthman, the narrator saw the red hair in it. (Ayni, Umdatul-Qari, 22/49; Qastalani, Ishadus-Sari, 8/465)

THIRD EVIDENCE

The Prophet (pbuh) wanting the remainder of his wudu water to be kept the Prophet (pbuh)

According to what is reported from Anas Ibn Malik, when the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) arrived in Mina and threw stones at Satan, he returned to his place in Mina. After slaughtering his animal, he said to the barber, "Take", he showed his right side and after that his left side. Then, he started to distribute his hair to the people. (Muslim, Hajj: 56, No:1305, 2/947; Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, Musnad, No:12093, 4/223; Bayhaqi, Sunan al-Kubra, No:9400, 5/168)

The following was reported from Anas Ibn Malik:

When the Messenger of Allah threw stones at Satan, slaughtered his animal and started to have a haircut. He bent the right side of his head toward the barber. The barber cut the hair on the right side of his head. Then, he called Abu Talha from Ansar and gave this hair to him. Then, he bent the left side of his head toward the barber and said, "Cut." When the barber cut the hair on the left side, the Prophet gave this hair to Abu Talha and said to him, "Share it among people." (Muslim, Hajj: 56, No: 1305/326, 2/948; Tirmidhi, Hajj: 73 No:912, 3/255; Abu Dawud, Manasik: 78, No:1981, 1/606; Humaydi, Musnad, No: 1220, 2/512)

According to what is reported from Hafs Ibn Ghiyas, the barber started from the right side and gave one or two hairs to everybody. (Muslim, Hajj:56, No:1305/324, 2/947)

FOURTH EVIDENCE

People racing in order to get the hair of the Prophet (pbuh)

Hz. Anas (ra) said,

“When the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) had his hair cut in Mina, he took the hair from the right side of his head. When the haircut was over, he gave those hairs to me and said, "O Anas! Take them to Umm Sulaym (your mother)!" When people saw this privilege of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) for my mother, they started to race in order to get one of the remaining hairs of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh).”

Muhammad Ibn Sirin, who reported this hadith from Anas narrates: When I told this hadith to Abidatul-Salmani, he said, “It is better and more valuable for me to have one of those hairs with me than to have all yellow and white things on the earth and under the earth (to have all precious things and mines). (Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, Musnad, No:13686, 4/509; Bayhaqi, Sunan al-Kubra, Salat:523, No:4223, 2/599)

The following was reported from Ibn Sirin: Once, I said to Abida, "We have some hair ofthe Messenger of Allah; we obtained it from Anas."Thereupon, Abida said, “Having only one hair of the Messenger of Allah with me is definitely better for me from the world and everything in the world.”(Bukhari, Wudu':32, No:168, 1/75)

Abida, who is mentioned in the hadith, is one of the notables of Tabiun; he became a Muslim two years before the death of the Prophet but he could not see the Prophet.

FIFTH EVIDENCE

The Prophet (pbuh) wanting the remainder of his wudu water to be kept

Talq Ibn Ali narrates:

We went to the Messenger of Allah in a group and paid allegiance to him. We performed a prayer with him. Then, we told him that we had a church that belonged to us in our country. We asked him to give usthe remainder of his wudu water. Thereupon, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) asked some water, made wudu, rinsed his mouth and poured the wudu water into a container and said to us,  

 "Set off now. When you arrive in your country, demolish your church; sprinkle this water there and transform that place into a mosque."

Thereupon, we said, "Our country is far away and it is hot. This water might get dry." Thereupon, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said,

“Add more water on it. For, my wudu water increases the cleanliness of water.”

After that, we set off and arrived in our city. We demolished the church and sprinkled that blessed water there. Wetransformed that place into a mosque and called adhan. The priest was a person from the tribe of Tayy. As soon as he heard adhan, he said, "This is a true call." Then, he headed toward one of our valleys. We could not see him after that. (Nasai, Masajid:11, No: 700, 2/369; Hatib at-Tabrizi, Mishqatul-Masabih, Salat: 7, No:716, 1/228; Ibn Hibban, No: 1120, 2/224; Tabarani, Mujamul-Kabir, No: 8241, 8/332; Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, Musnad, No: 16293, 5/494; Ibn Sa'd, Tabaqat, 5/552; Abu Nuaym al-Isfahani, No:47, 1/90; Ibn Abi Shayba, Musannaf, Salat:304, No:10, 1/528)

Doubtlessly, there is a strong secret settled in the Companions here:

Although there was a lot of water in Madinah and their country had a lot of water, they wanted the wudu water of the Prophet (pbuh). This was because of the barakah of that water. Otherwise, why should they put up with the trouble of carrying a small amount of water from a city to another in that hot weather?

Besides, when they said, "This water might get dry", the Messenger of Allah said,"Add more water on it." It shows that he shows consent when they do it and that the barakah given to water will remain constant.

According to the statement of Ibn Hajar, this hadith bears evidence that it is permissible to practice tabarruk with what the Messenger of Allah left and to carry them to cities. Besides, it indicates that what touches the body of the Messenger of Allah will not change forever, that this thing will remain in the perfect form that it attains when it touches the valuable organs of the Messenger of Allah and that anything that touches it will attain barakah. 

SIXTH EVIDENCE

Tabarruk with the sweat of the Prophet (pbuh)

According to what is narrated from Hz. Anas, his mother Umm Sulaym used to lie on a leather rug and sleep on it during the day. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) slept on that rug close to her. When the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) slept, he would sweat a lot. Umm Sulaym collected his sweat and hairs in a jar, and mix them with nice scent. When Anas bin Malik was about to die, he wanted that mixture to be added on the scent to be put on him when he died. They did so. (Bukhari, Isti'dhan: 41, No:5925, 5/2316; Muslim, Fadail: 22, No: 2332, 4/1816; Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, Musnad, No: 27187, 10/319)

Umm Sulaym, the mother of Anas, who narrated this hadith, was a foster aunt of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh); since she was a close relative, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) would enter her house and sleep next to her. This hadith shows that it is permissible to make tabarruk with the things that remained from the Messenger of Allah (pbuh).

In another narration, it is stated that Umm Sulaym made tabarruk with the sweat of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) and that the Messenger of Allah saw and approved it. As a matter of fact, Anas bin Malik stated the following:

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) would enter the house of Umm Sulaym and sleep in her bed when she was absent. Once, he came and slept in her bed. When Umm Sulaym was told, "The Prophet slept on your bed in your house", Umm Sulaym went home at once. The Messenger of Allah was in sweat and his sweat accumulated on the piece of leather on the bed. Umm Sulaym opened her bag and started to squeeze the leather to collect the sweat in the jar in her bag. Meanwhile, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) woke up and asked, "O Umm Sulaym! What are you doing?" She said, "O Messenger of Allah! We hope tabarruk from it for our children." Thereupon, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, "What you do is right." (Muslim, Fadail: 22, No: 2331/84, 4/1815)

According to another narration, Umm Sulaym answered that question as follows: "This is your sweat. We add it to our perfume. It is the best scent." (Muslim, Fadail: 22, No: 2331/84, 4/1815)

According to what is understood from those sound narrations, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) saw what Umm Sulaym did and approved it. There is no contradiction between the two narrations stating that Umm Sulaym collected his sweat for its scent in one narration and for barakah in the second one. For, these statements show that Umm Sulaym did it for both. (Ibn Hajar, Fathul Bari, 11/74)

SEVENTH EVIDENCE

Tabarruk by touching the blessed skin of the Prophet (pbuh)

Usad Ibn Hudayr, who was one of the notables of Ansar, was talking to a group of people and making them laugh. The Prophet (pbuh) hit his side with a piece of stick.  Thereupon, he said, “I want retaliation.” The Prophet (pbuh) said, "All right." Thereupon, Usayd said, "You are wearing a shirt; I did not have a shirt on me when you hit me." When the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) rolled up his shirt, Usayd started to hug the Messenger of Allah and kiss his side. He said, "O Messenger of Allah! What I wanted to do was this." (Abu Dawud, Adab: 160, No: 5224, 2/778; Hakim, Mustadrak, No: 5262, 3/327; Bayhaqi, Sunan al-Kubra, Jirah: 25, No: 16021, 8/87; Tabarani, Mu'jamul-Kabir, No: 556, 1/205)

In another hadith, according to what Habban Ibni Wasi Ibn Habban narrated from the old people of his nation, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) was straightening the ranks of his Companions on the Day of Badr with an arrow he was holding in his hand. Meanwhile, he hit Sawwad Ibn Ghaziya, who was an ally of Sons of Adiyy Ibn Najjar, with the arrow in the stomach and said, "O Sawwad! Stand straight." Thereupon, Sawwad said, "O Messenger of Allah! You hurt me. Allah definitely sent you with truth and justice. Allow me to retaliate.  Thereupon, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) opened his abdomen and said, "Retaliate." Sawwad hugged the Messenger of Allah and kissed his abdomen. Thereupon, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, "O Sawwad! Why did you do that?" He said, "O Messenger of Allah! What you saw happened. I wanted my skin to touch your skin in my last meeting with you." When the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) heard this, he prayed for Sawwad. (Ibn Hisham, as-Siratun-Nabawiyya, 2/202; Ibn Kathir, al-Bidaya wan-Nihaya, 3/307)

In another hadith, according to what is narrated from Hz. Anas bin Malik, somebody called Zahir who lived in the desert brought some presents (plants, herbs, perfume, etc.) to the Messenger of Allah whenever he visited him. When he wanted to set off, the Prophet (pbuh) would give him some things that were available in the city. The Messenger of Allah loved him a lot and said, "Doubtlessly, Zahir meets our needs in the desert and we meet his needs in the city." His face was ugly. Once, he was selling the things he bought when the Messenger of Allah hugged him from behind. He shouted, "Leave me! Who is that?" When he turned round, he recognized the Messenger of Allah and wanted his back to touch the chest of the Messenger of Allah some more (with the hope of barakah). Thereupon, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, "Who will buy this slave?" Zahir said, "O Messenger of Allah! You always regard me as cheap." The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, "However, you are not cheap in the eye of Allah." (Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, Musnad, No: 12648, 4/323; Tirmidhi, Shamail, No: 231; Abu Ya'la, Musnad, No: 3456, 6/174; Bayhaqi, Sunan al-Kubra, Shahadah: 82, No: 21172, 10/419)

What would those who regard the people who visit the blessed beard, cardigan and grave of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) as polytheists have said if they had seen what the lofty Companions mentioned in those hadiths had done? Are these people about whom the phrase "guiding stars" is used on the true path or some poor people who call them polytheists on the true path? All sane and just people must make up their mind regarding this issue.

EIGHTH EVIDENCE

Tabarruk with the place where the Prophet (pbuh) performed prayers

Sharaf ar-Rawha is a place two destinations away from Madinah. The Prophet (pbuh) states the following about the virtue of that place in a hadith narrated by Abu Hurayra:

"This is one of the valleys of Paradise. Seventy prophets performed prayers before me here. Musa, Son of Imran, stopped here with seventy thousand people on the way to hajj or umrah." (Ayni, Umdatul-Qari, 4/269; Ibn Shabba, Tarikhul-Madinatil-Munawwara, 1/80; Wafaul-Wafa, 2/167-168)

In another narration, it is stated that Abdullah Ibn Umar, the great fiqh scholar of the Companions, did not perform the noon prayer on the way but performed it when he arrived there and that when he arrived there before the time for the morning prayer started, he waited there and performed the morning prayer there.

Musa Ibn Uqba narrates:

I saw Abdullah Ibn Umar’s son, Salim, look for some places and perform prayers there. He said his father, Abdullah Ibn Umar, habitually performed prayers there and saw the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) perform prayers there. (Bukhari, Masajid: 55, No: 469, 1/183)

It can only be explained by tabarruk that Abdullah Ibn Umar, one of the four great fiqh scholars of the Companions, and his son, Salim, looked for the places where the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) performed prayers and gave great importance to performing prayers in those places.

Mahmud Ibnir-Rabi' al-Ansari narrates:

Itban Ibn Malik, who was one of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) and who was one of the Ansar who took part in the Battle of Badr, went to the Messenger of Allah once and said,  

"O Messenger of Allah! My eyes got weak. I lead prayers to my tribe. When it rains, floods occur in the valley between me and them. I cannot go to the mosque to lead prayers there. O Messenger of Allah! I would like you to come to my house, perform a prayer there and make my house a place of prayer."

Thereupon, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, "I will do it inshaallah." The next day, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) and Hz. Abu Bakr came to my house after noon time. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) asked for permission to enter my house. I gave him the permission. He did not sit when he entered. He asked me, "In which part of your house do you want me to pray?" I showed him some part of my house. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) uttered takbir to start prayer. We stood behind him in a rank. After performing two rak’ahs, he saluted. (Bukhari, Masajid: 14, No:415, 1/164; Muslim, Iman: 10, No:33, 1/61; Ibn Majah, Masajid: 8, No: 754, 1/249; Nasai, Iqamah: 46, No: 843, 2/440; Abu Davud at Tayalisi, No: 1241)

Imamı Ayni, Imam Nawawi and Imam Qastalani deduced the following decrees from the hadith above:  

1. Tabarruk with the traces of righteous people is permissible. 

2. It is nice to perform prayers in the places where they performed prayers.

3. It is permissible to ask from them to make something have barakah.

NINTH EVIDENCE

Tabarruk with the place where the Prophet (pbuh)'s blessed mouth touched

Abdurrahman Ibn Abi Amra narrates from his grandmother (who is called Kabshatul-Ansariyya):

“Once the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) entered her house and drank water from the water-skin hanging on the wall by standing. Kabsha cut off the part of the water-skin where the blessed mouth of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) touched by expecting barakah from it.”(Ibn Majah, Ashriba:21, No: 3423, 2/1132, Tirmidhi, Ashriba: 18, No:1892, 4/306, Humaydi, Musnad, No: 354, 1/172, Tabarani, Mujam al-Kabir, No: 8, 25/15)

The following is reported from Anas Ibn Malik: “Umm Sulaym kept the part of the water-skin from which the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) drank water in her house for barakah.” (Ahmed Ibn Hanbal, Musnad, No: 12189, 4/238)

All of those hadiths are definite by sound chains of narrators and are recorded in the soundest resources. The question that needs to be asked here is this:

What was the purpose of the Companions when they kept the things belonging to the Messenger of Allah (pbuh)? Was it a reminiscence? Did they keep them to display in a museum? If so, why did they turn to Allah with them when they were hit by a misfortune or illness? 

The Companions had only one purpose for keeping them: it was tabarruk with those things. 

TENTH EVIDENCE

Tabarruk by kissing the hand that touched the Prophet (pbuh)

Yahya Ibn Harith az-Zimari stated the following:

Once, I met Wasila Ibn Asqa and asked him, “You paid allegiance to the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) with this hand of yours. Is that right?" When he said, “Yes”, I said, “Let me kiss your hand.” He extended his hand and I kissed his hand. (Tabarani, Mu’jamul-Kabir, No: 226, 22/94; Haysami, Majmauz-Zawaid, No: 12798, 8/84)

Abdurrahman Ibn Razin narrates:

When we stopped by at a place called Rabaz, we were told: “Salama Ibn Akwa is here.” We went to him and greeted him. He showed us his hands and said, “I paid allegiance to the Prophet of Allah with these hands.” He extended his hands which were big like the hands of a camel. We kissed his hands. (Bukhari, Adab al-Mufrad, Chapter: 445, No: 1002, p. 264)

Ibn Jud’an narrates:

Once, Thabit asked Anas, “Did you touch the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) with your hands?" He said, “Yes.” Then, Thabit kissed his hands. (Bukhari, Adab al-Mufrad, Chapter: 445, No: 1003, Sh.264)

ELEVENTH EVIDENCE

Tabarruk with the gown of the Prophet (pbuh)

Hz. Asma, Hz. Abubakr’s daughter, showed her gown (worn by Persian rulers), which had a hem of brocade, and sleeves bordered with brocade, and said,  

“Here is the gown of Allah's Messenger (pbuh). This gown was kept by Hz. Aisha until she died; and when she died, I got possession of it. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) used to wear it. We wash it for the sick people (we make them drink its water). Cure is sought with it.” (Muslim, Libas and Ziynah: 2, No: 2069, 3/1641)

According to the statement Imam Nawawi, this hadith indicates that it is mustahab to make tabarruk with the traces of righteous people. (Sahih al-Muslim, Sharhun-Nawawi, 14/44)

TWELFTH EVIDENCE

Tabarruk with the place that the hand of the Prophet (pbuh) touched

According to what is reported from Safiyya Bint Majza’a, Abu Mahzura had a forelock on his forehead; when he let it, it would touch the ground. Once, he was asked, “Are you not going to cut your hair?” He said, “I am not going to cut it because the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) touched this hair with his hand.” He did not cut it until he died. (Tabarani, Mu’jamul-Kabir, No: 6746, 7/176, 177, Abu Dawud, Salah: 28, No: 501, 1/191, Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, Musnad, No: 15376, 5/242)

THIRTEENTH EVIDENCE

Tabarruk with the glass of the Prophet (pbuh) and the place where he performed prayers

Abu Burda narrates:

Once, I went to Madinah. Abdullah Ibn Salam met me and said, “Let us go to my house; I will make you drink from the glass from which the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) drank; you can also perform a prayer in the place where the Messenger of Allah prayed.” When I went with him, he made me eat sawik (soup made from barley and wheat) and dates. I also performeda prayer where the Messenger of Allah prayed. (Bukhari, al I'tisam bil-Kitabi was-Sunna: 16, No: 6910, 6/2673)

Let us ask a question here:

- Why did Abdullah Ibn Salam invite Abu Burda to his house? To make him drink from the container from which the Messenger of Allah drank andperform a prayer in the place where the Messenger of Allah prayed.

If tabarruk were not permissible, would Abdullah Ibn Salam have made this invitation? If tabarruk were not permissible, would Abu Burda have accepted this invitation? He would not have accepted it and he would have said, "Tabarruk is not permissible and it is shirk. I will not come with you." However, he did not say so and accepted the invitation. This invitation and Abu Burda’s accepting it show that tabarruk is permissible.

FOURTEENTH EVIDENCE

Tabarruk with the pulpit of the Prophet (pbuh)

According to the statement of Ibrahim Ibn Abdirrahman Ibn Abdilqari, it was seen that Abdullah Ibn Umar put his hand on the place where the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) sat on the pulpit and then wiped his face with his hand.

According to what is reported from Ibn Qusayd and Utbi, when there were very few people left in Masjid an-Nabawi, the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) would touch Rummana (the war club resembling a pomegranate that the Messenger of Allah held with his right hand), which was on the right side of the grave of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), make tabarruk, turn toward the qiblah and beg Allah. (Qadi Iyad, ash-Shifa bi Ta'rifi Huquqil-Mustafa, 2/86, Ibn Sa'd, Tabaqat, 1/254)

Ibn Taymiyya, who is the greatest imam of the sect of Wahhabis, who oppose tabarruk regarding it as shirk, reported something true regarding the issue and said, “Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal allowed touching the pulpit of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) and that the greatest fiqh scholars of Madinah like Ibn Umar Said Ibn Musayyab and Yahya Ibn Said did it.” (Ibn Taymiyya, Iqtidaus-Siratil-Mustaqim, p. 367)

It is understood from all of those hadiths that it is liked and approved to make tabarruk with the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) himself, his traces or anything belonging to him.

FIFTEENTH EVIDENCE

Tabarruk with the blessed grave of the Prophet (pbuh)

Amr Ibn Maymun al Awdi Narrates:

I saw Hz. Umar (who was in his deathbed after being wounded in the shrine). He addressed his son as follows:

“O Abdullah Ibn Umar! Go to the mother of believers, Hz. Aisha. Tell her, ‘Umar Ibnil-Hattab greets you.’ Then, ask permission from her so that I will be buried with my two friends (the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) and Hz. Abu Bakr).”

When Ibn Umar conveyed his father’s message to Hz. Aisha, she said,

“I wanted that place for myself but today I will definitely prefer Umar to myself.”

When Ibn Umar returned, Hz. Umar asked him, “What is the news with you?” He said, “O leader of the believers! Aisha gave you the permission.” Hz. Umar said,

“Nothing was more important to me than that place."(Bukhari, Janaiz: 94, No: 1328, 1/469)

According to the statement of Ibn Hajar, this narration shows the mercy to be sent down on righteous people and the virtue of the people who want to be neighbors with good people in grave by expecting their prayer.  

Muhammad Ibn Ahmad adh-Dhahabi stated the following:

It is reported that Ibn Umar regards touching the grave of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) makruh but Ibn Umar regards it makruh because he thinks it is disrespect. When Ahmad Ibn Hanbal was asked about “touching the grave of the Prophet and kissing it”, he did not consider it to be wrong.

If we are asked, “why the Companions did not act like that”, we will answer as follows: “For, the Companions saw the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) alive; they kissed his hands, raced in order to get his wudu water and shared his clean hair on the day of Hajj al-Akbar. We tend toward his grave with respect since we cannot see him alive. Do you not see what Thabit al-Bannan did? He would kiss Anas Ibn Malik’s hand and wipe his face saying, "This hand touched the hand of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). They originate from a Muslim’s extreme love toward the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) because a believer is ordered to love Allah and His Messenger more than his life, wealth, son, daughter, people, even Paradise and houris.  

Hafiz Dhahabi reports that Ahmad Ibn Hanbal's son, Abdullah stated the following:

“I saw my father taking a hair of the Messenger of Allah to his mouth and kissing it. I saw that he put that hair on his eye, dip it in water and expect cure by drinking that water. I also saw him take the bowl of the Messenger of Allah, wash it in a big water container and drink that water. I also saw him drinking zamzam water with the intention of cure and spread it on his hands and face.”(Dhahabi, Siyaru A'laminnubala, 11/212)

SIXTEENTH EVIDENCE

Tabarruk with the traces of righteous people and previous prophets

According to what is reported from Abullah Ibn Umar, when people stopped on the way with the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) in Hijr, the land of the tribe of Thamud, they drew water from wells and kneaded dough with it. When the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) saw it, he asked them to pour the water and to give the dough to their camels. He also ordered them to draw water from the well from which the she-camel (which came out of rock as a miracle of Hz. Salih) drank water. (Muslim, Zuhd: 1, No: 2981, 4/2286)

According to the statement of Imam Nawawi, this hadith encourages people to avoid taking water from the wells of oppressors and to take water from the wells of righteous people. (Nawawi, Sharhu Muslim, 18/112)

SEVENTEENTH EVIDENCE

Tabarruk with Masjid al-Ashshar

Ibrahim Ibn Salih Ibn Dirham narrates: I heard the following from my father:

On the way to hajj, one of us (Hz. Abu Hurayra) asked us, “Is there a town called Ubulla near here?” When we said, “Yes”, he said, “Who promises to perform a prayer of two or four rak’ahs for me in in Masjid al-Ashshar and promises to say,    ‘This prayer is for Abu Hurayra’? For, I heard my friend Abul-Qasim (pbuh) say,

‘Allah will definitely resurrect so martyrs fromMasjid al-Ashshar that only martyrs of Badr will be able to resurrect with them.’” (Abu Dawud, Malahim: 10, No:4308, 2/516, Bukhari, Tarih al-Kabir, No: 942, 1/293)

According to the statement of the  great scholar Sheikh Khalil Ahmad as-Saharanfuri, this hadith indicates that the thawabs of bodily worshipping can be given to others as presents and that the places where saints and people close to Allah exist can be visited for tabarruk.  (Ahmad as-Saharanfuri, Bazlul-Majhud, 17/225)

All of those hadiths and practices of the Companions prove that tabarruk is permissible. We address those who close their eyes to those hadiths as follows: The notables of the Companions like Anas bin Malik, Abdullah Ibn Umar and Hz. Aisha narrated those hadiths. And those narrations are written in the soundest resources like Bukhari, Muslim and Ibn Majah. Hafizes of hadiths analyzed those hadiths in detailed and unanimously agreed that they were sound.

If a person still denies tabarruk after these explanations, he is like a person who closes his eyes to the sun in the middle of the day. He cannot eliminate the light; he only makes it the night for himself.

1. Shaking hands (musafaha) itself is sunnah. It is also stated that it is sunnah to shake hands using both hands.

2. We have not found any clear statements about the shape of the hands. However, it is stated in some explanations of hadiths that it is necessary for the palms to touch each other. Accordingly, it is understood that shaking hands can be in either of the forms that you mention.  

3. It is also sunnah to hug each other by bringing necks together, which is called muanaqa.

According to Abu Hanifa and Imam Muhammad, it is makruh for men to kiss the faces of each other when they meet but according to Imam Abu Yusuf, it is not makruh. According to those explanations, it is permissible to make the cheeks and the heads touch each other. Since muanaqa means to make the necks touch each other, faces will naturally touch.

Some scholars state the following about kissing the face: If a person kisses the face of a religious scholar and a muttaqi person, it is permissible because it is related to maintaining the honor of the religion.

As for women, it is makruh for them to kiss the cheeks of each other when they meet and leave. (al- Fatawa al-Hindiyya, 5:369)

4. The Prophet (pbuh) wanted us to start all good deeds with the right side. It is clear that it is better to start with the right side for this sunnah.

5. As for three times, we have not been able to find any information about it. There is no explanation in the narrations stating that it is repeated.

We will add the following short explanation:

It is sunnah for men to shake hands with men and for women to shake hands with women. According to the following narration by Tabarani and Bayhaqi, the Prophet (pbuh) said,

"If a believer meets another believer, greets him and shakes hands with him, his sins will fall like the leaves falling from the trees in autumn."

The following is stated in anther narration:

"If two Muslims meet and shake hands, their sins will definitely be forgiven before they leave." (Abu Dawud and Tirmidhi reported it from al-Bara. Nasbur-Raya, IV, 260.)

It is sunnah to hold both hands while shaking hands. Nawawi states the following in al-Adhkar:

"Know it well that musafaha is mustahab in all encounters. Shaking hands after the morning prayer and the afternoon prayer, which people transformed into a habit, does not exist in the shari’ah in that form. However, it is permissible because musafaha itself is sunnah."

The reason why the morning prayer and the afternoon prayer are mentioned here is that it was a habit in the age when he lived. The decree on musafaha after prayers is the same for all prayers. According to the view preferred by Hanafis, musafaha is absolutely permissible even if it is made after prayers. Some Hanafi scholars regard it makruh. (Wahba Zuhayli, İslam Fıkhı Ansiklopedisi, Volume IV, Risale Yayınları, p: 373)

(Mehmed PAKSU, Sünnet ve Aile)

It is definite that to accept or to reject stories like that immediately will lead us to some wrong things. They might be true or fabricated. For, some wrong ideas and thoughts that we call "superstitions" have entered Islam throughout years. Some of them can be contrary to the basics of Islam. Islamic scholars call some of them "Israiliyyat" That is, some of them are ideas put forward by Jews in order to demolish the foundations of Islam.

The incident called "tafsir of honey" does not exist in the basic resources of Islam. Therefore, it is necessary not to share it with other people in order to prevent it and similar ones from spreading.

When you encounter things like that, it is necessary to ignore them, not to do them and to prevent them from spreading if it is not a religious issue and if it can cause the community to give it a lot of importance.

We see some unqualified people who only accept the divine rules the Noble Quran brings and reject the Sunnah, Ijma (consensus) and Qiyas (a type of judgment reached by making analogy) which are the other main sources of the religion. Their purpose is only to spoil peoples' belief and to make them go astray. While they accept the Quran as the only school of law, underestimate the Prophet's sunnah and Islam's other evidences, they accept some hadiths which suit their purposes and reject the ones which do not. They cannot deceive conscious Muslims; they are not appreciated by them, either. They have no right for that.

As it is known, as Muslims are obliged to obey the divine rules revealed in the Quran; they are also obliged to accept the religious rules declared through hadiths.

Those people do not heed at all the valuable books written about tafsir (commentaries of the Quran), hadith, fiqh (Islamic laws) and books in other fields which have been appreciated by all scholars and intellectuals.

Yes, a person who misguides people by taking refuge in the shadow of the Almighty Quran should at least know that a Muslim, no matter how ignorant he is, knows and believes definitely that the exalted Sunnah is a secondary evidence and the mainstay of Islam and he has absolutely no doubts and hesitations about whether the Quran is Allah's word or not.

Then, not taking Sunnah into account and not esteeming it by saying: “The foundation of the religion of Islam is merely the Quran; we apply only the rules in it; we call halal (permissible) what it deems halal and we call haram (prohibited) what it deems haram” means not perceiving the Prophet's value and his mission. He is the one who notifies and comments on the Quran at first.

The Prophet (pbuh) states in one of his hadiths the following:

“I was granted the Quran and as much as it (the sunnah) together with it. If my hadith reaches someone while he is leaning against his seat and if he says We have Allah's book with us, we deem the halals in it as halal and harams in it as haram, he must know that what Allah's Messenger deems as haram is like what Allah deems as haram.” (Abu Dawud, Sunnah, 6, Imara 33; Tirmidhi, Ilm 10)

Some of the scholars state the following: Every decree the Sunnah introduces has a far or close base in the Quran. The Sunnah eventually leads to the Quran. It explains what the Quran tells in brief and it discloses the issues which cannot be comprehended.

Stating that ones who have the idea to content themselves only with the Quran are the unlucky persons who stray from the Sunnah, Shatibi says: “Many of the people of innovation (bidah) strayed themselves and also caused some others to go astray by leaving hadiths and interpreting Allah's Book wrongly.”

Allah has undertaken to guard the Quran's meanings as well as its words, that is, those two essentials, by the verse:

“Verily We: It is We Who have sent down the Dhikr (the Quran) and surely, We will guard it (from corruption).” (al-Hijr,15/9)

Islamic scholars declare that the guarding here covers the Sunnah as well as the Quran. That verse undertakes the Prophets Sunnah and hadiths which have the essence of being the commentaries and explanations of the Quran; that is, the verse;

“We have sent down unto thee (also) the Message; that thou mayest explain clearly to men what is sent for them.” (an-Nahl 16/44)

Because the “declaration” stated in the verse is one of the meanings of the Quran. That declaration can only be through the Prophet's Sunnah and hadiths.

“So take what the Messenger assigns to you, and deny yourselves that which he withholds from you. And fear Allah; for Allah is strict in Punishment.” (al-Hashr, 59/7)

Elmalili Hamdi Yazir assigns the following meaning to that verse:

“Whatever the Messenger gives you, accept it; and from whatever he forbids you, keep away from it; do not do what he forbids you and fear Allah and avoid going against Allah's and His Messenger's commands, being unjust towards each other and betraying the state...”

According to that, the Quran cannot be considered without the Sunnah and the Sunnah cannot be considered without the Quran. Disregarding one of them is an illness and heresy rising from not comprehending the religion of Islam. If it is possible to say, if the Quran is a sun, then the exalted Sunnah is its light. One cannot be sacrificed for the other.

As Almighty Allah has guarded the Quran by the hafizes of the Quran (those who memorize th whole Quran), he has also guarded the Sunnah and hadiths by the scholars of Islam.

It is not said "it is sunnah to abandon"; it is said, "it is sunnah to perform them from time to time". That is, a person cannot expect thawab of sunnah because he abandons them.

Ghayr-muakkadah sunnahs are the deeds that the Prophet (pbuh) sometimes did and sometimes abandoned. One gains thawabs when he fulfills those sunnahs but when he abandons them, he is not punished, condemned or scolded. (Sayyid Sharif al-Jurjani, at-Ta'rifat, Beirut 1403/1983, p. 122; Ibn Nujaym, al-Bahrur-Raiq, Cairo 1311, I, 17-18)

The first sunnahs of the night (isha) and afternoon (asr) prayers are sunnah ghayr-muakkadah. Zawaid sunnahs that are related to the dressing, sitting, combing hair, wearing shoes, etc. of the Prophet (pbuh) are included in this category. (Ibn Abidin, Raddu-Muhtar, Cairo 1272-1324, I, 321)

(Şamil İ.A., item Sünnet-i Müekkede)

The Sunnah is what the Prophet did, said, and all of his acts and attitudes. Then, we can say that what he did during his lifetime is the Sunnah.

The word Sunnah used in fiqh books means “there is reward if we do it but there is no sin if we do not do it.” For instance, eating with the right hand, cleaning the teeth, not eating while standing, etc.

However, when we consider the word Sunnah in its broad sense, it includes everything that our Prophet did. In that case, the demands and prohibitions of Allah are also included in the Sunnah. For instance, did our Prophet perform prayers? Yes. Then, it is sunnah to perform prayers.

Accordingly, it is necessary to divide sunnah into parts.

Fard: Everything that Allah definitely wants us to do or to avoid. It is our Prophet who carries out the commands and prohibitions of Allah in the best way and who serves as an example. If we act in accordance with the Prophet, we will have followed the Prophet such as performing prayers, fasting, avoiding fornication and not eating anything haram (forbidden).

Wajib: The wajibs of our religions: for instance, it is wajib to perform the prayer of witr as three rak’ahs.

Nafilah (supererogatory): They are the things that are other than fard and wajib that we carry out while performing prayers. For instance, to read some verses from the Quran while performing prayers is fard but to read subhanaka prayer is nafilah.

Adab (appropriate behavior): We name the following as adab. If we do as the Prophet did while doing our daily tasks like eating, sleeping, entering the mosque or toilet, etc, we will have done them in accordance with their procedures. A person who does not act accordingly is not regarded to have committed sins.

It means we can divide the sunnah as fard, wajib, nafilah and adab. This is the order of the superiority of the parts of sunnah.

We can think of it like a human body. Man has necessary organs to live: for instance, the brain, heart, head, etc. The principles that we must believe in are like the heart and brain of our spirit.

Our body has sense organs like eyes, ears, hands, feet, etc. Fards are like them. They are the eyes, ears, hands and feet of our spirit. A person who does not perform fards is like a person without hands, feet, eyes and ears.

We also have some beauties and adornments like fingers, eyebrows and hair in our bodies. We can live without them. However, if we have them, we will be perfect. Similarly, the nafilah and adab parts of the sunnah are the adornments and beauties of our spirit. If we perform them, we will receive many rewards; if we do not perform them, we will not receive any sins.

To sum up, the fard and wajib parts are the sunnahs that are obligatory to be performed. We will receive many rewards if we perform the nafilah and adab parts.

As for harams, we must protect our spirits from killing and poisoning harams as we protect our bodies from killing factors like aids, poison and fire.

The Bindingness of the Sunnah and Hadith

We will deal with that issue in accordance with the Qur’an, glorious hadiths, views of scholars and silently approved (taqrir) revelation.

a. The Quran: There are some verses showing that Hazrat Prophet receives revelation other than the Quran (1), too.

Some of them are as follows:

1- It is understood from the following verses that our Prophet was given wisdom along with the Book: ‘Messenger from among themselves, rehearsing unto them the Signs of Allah, sanctifying them, and instructing them in Scripture and Wisdom’, (2) ‘sent down to him the Book and wisdom’, (3).

Those two words have both similarity and difference. Accordingly, since what is meant by the Book is the Quran, wisdom has to be something else. The probability that it is the Sunnah is the strongest probability.(4) It is the point of difference. The point of similarity is that both of them originate from revelation.(5)

2- The promise stated in the following verse was given to Muslims but it is not stated what it was in the verse: “Behold! Allah promised you one of the two (enemy) parties, that it should be yours: ye wished that the one unarmed should be yours” (6). It proves that it is informed through another kind of revelation.

3- The following verse proves definitely that there exists revelation apart from the Quran:

“When the Prophet disclosed a matter in confidence to one of his consorts, and she then divulged it (to another) and Allah made it known to him, he confirmed part thereof and repudiated a part. Then when he told her thereof, she said "Who told thee this?" He said "He told me who knows and is well-acquainted (with all things)."(7)

Although there is no explanation about the disclosure of the secret in the Quran, the Prophet knows about it. It becomes clear that there exists revelation which is not included in the Quran since he cannot know it on his own and since it is stated that Allah informed him.

b. Hadiths:

1- According to the narration of Miqdad b. Ma’dikarib, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said the following:

“...I was given the Book and the like of it”(8)

2- Qudsi Hadiths: (9) The following phrases that are present in those kinds of hadiths: “the Messenger of Allah stated the following in the hadith that he reported from his Lord”, “Allah stated the following in the hadith that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) narrated” and the fact that those hadiths started with the words “O my slaves” proves that Hazrat Prophet received revelation other than the Quran.

3- The famous event that is known as the Jibril (Gabriel) hadith: (10). Jibril came in the form of a man, asked some questions and received answers; Hazrat Prophet told his companions that it was Jibril and that he had come to teach them the religion.

4- The expressions of Hazrat Prophet (pbuh) like ‘certainly my Lord revealed to me, (11) I was ordered, I was forbidden, (12) and the fact that he said Jibril taught him some things (13) prove that revelation other than the Quran exists, too.(14)

The fact that Hazrat Prophet said “actually I did not know about them but Allah informed me about them” when he answered the questions of a Jewish person”(15) supports that issue.

3. Views of the Scholars:

The Companions of the Prophet knew that our Prophet (pbuh) received revelation other than the Quran from his practices, explanations and words. They expressed it many times. Scholars also expressed their views about the origin of the Sunnah based on hadiths and the expressions of the companions; most of them expressed that the source of the Sunnah was based on revelation.

Hazrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said that there was revelation about Hazrat Khadija and that she was given a manor in Paradise.

The expression that is present in narrations: Jibril brought down the Sunnah as he brought down the Quran shows that there exists revelation other than the Quran. (16) In addition, the fact that the Prophet received the information like treating the neighbors well, making wudu (ablution), performing prayers, calling out the talbiya, performing prayers in the sacred Aqiq Valley, the times of the prayers, the gate of Paradise through which the umma of Muhammad will enter, the name of Hazrat Hamza (may Allah be pleased with him) being written on a tablet by the beings of the sky (17) shows that there exists revelation other than the Quran.

Tawus says that he himself has a written text that was sent by revelation about diyah (blood money, ransom) and that decrees about zakat and diyah came by revelation. (18)

By saying, “when a hadith from the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) reaches you, never make judgments contrary to it; because the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) was a conveyor from Allah, the Exalted” (19), Awzai stated that the sunnah was based on revelation.

As we have mentioned before, a person who made important explanations about the issue was Imam Shafi. (20) According to the person whom he bases his knowledge on and whose knowledge he relies on and the understanding that he himself also accepts, the Sunnah is either revelation, or the statement of the revelation or something that Allah handed him. It is based on his prophethood that is peculiar to him and the wisdom that Allah inspires him based on it. No matter which one of the above alternatives is accepted, Allah ordered people to obey the Messenger of Allah and to act in accordance with the Sunnah. The explanation of the Quran by the Sunnah takes place either by the prophethood coming from Allah, or by inspiration or by the “command” that was given to him.

Ibn Hazm, who agrees on the same views, defines the sunnah as non-recited (ghayr matluw) revelation and says that it is necessary to obey the sunnah, which is the second revelation, as it is necessary to obey the Quran. They are the same in that they are binding and they come from Allah.(21)

Ghazali states that the sunnah is based on revelation and that it is non-recited revelation.(22)

If the whole sunnah is regarded as revelation, it becomes spontaneously clear that Hazrat Prophet (pbuh) cannot change the Sunnah as he cannot change the Quran.(23)

There arises an important issue along with the understanding that the whole sunnah is based on revelation just like the Quran. If Hazrat Prophet (pbuh) waited for the revelation of sunnah like the verses of the Quran for every situation and event, how are his ijtihads and consultations to be dealt with? There were definitely some times when he waited for revelation but to think and accept that he acted like that in every phase of his life will cause problems.

Due to those situations, some scholars had the view that not all of the sunnah but some of it was based on revelation and some of it was based on situations like ijtihad and consultation.

For instance, Ibn Qutayba says the following, dividing the source of the sunnah into three:

a) the sunnah that Jibril brought from Allah. (24)
b) the sunnah that Allah left to His Messenger (pbuh), that He wanted him to explain his view. (25)
c) the sunnah that the Messenger of Allah practiced for adab; the sunnah that one receives rewards when one performs but does not receive any punishment when one abandons. (26)

Sarakhsi of Hanafis, who adopts the same view, says that the judgments that Hazrat Prophet made based on his opinion and ijtihad are like revelation:

Revelation consists of two parts:

1- Apparent revelation. It is divided into three.

a) The revelation that comes through the tongue of the angel that is perceived by the ear and that is certainly known to be coming from Allah. That part is the revelation of the Quran.

b) The revelation that is explained to the Prophet by the angel through signs, without any words. (27)

c) Inspiration. It is the divine manifestation in the heart of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) without any doubt. A light arises in his heart and the judgment about the issue becomes clear.

2- Esoteric revelation: Calling it as “ma yushbihu’l-wahy” (resembling revelation), Sarakhsi says that there are judgments that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) reached through his opinion and ijtihad. The fact that he is not left free to make mistakes and that he is always under the control of revelation makes that kind of judgments like revelation. The ijtihads of other people from his umma are not like the ijtihad of Hazrat Prophet (pbuh) since there exists the probability of making mistakes and it is impossible to correct them through revelation. (28)

That explanation of Sarakhsi means all of the acts of Hazrat Prophet (pbuh) are based on and are corrected by revelation. The act or word of Hazrat Prophet (pbuh) is either true or wrong. If it remains as it is, it becomes apparent that it is true because Allah will not let a wrong act or word continue.

Shatibi says the following:

Hadith is either pure revelation coming from Allah or an ijtihad by Hazrat Prophet (pbuh). However, in that case, his ijtihad is either based on a sound revelation in the Book or sunnah or has been checked by it. Even if the view that Hazrat Prophet can make a mistake in his ijtihad is accepted, he will never be left on a mistake; he will be corrected at once. In the end, he will find the truth. Therefore, there is no probability of mistakes in anything that comes from him. (29)

Acting upon those views, it can be said that those who say all of the sunnah is revelation do not exaggerate because all of the sunnah is checked by revelation; it is either left as it is or corrected. That is, since we cannot accept the existence of an application that is not checked by revelation, we can say as a conclusion that all of the sunnah is based on revelation. However, when we say that all of the sunnah is based on revelation, we mean the sunnah that was determined during the age of the Messenger of Allah and that reached us as sound.

d. Silently approved (taqrir) revelation

What we defined as taqrir sunnah when we explained the sunnah is the silent approval by Hazrat Prophet (pbuh) of some actions or words that he saw or heard. (30) That is, when the companions did or said something based on their Jahiliyya applications or their own opinions, Hazrat Prophet sometimes corrected them, sometimes changed them and sometimes did not say anything. The companions regarded his silence as approval because it would not be appropriate for a prophet to leave a mistake as it was. Therefore, his silence meant that action or word was not wrong.

The companions were under the control of Hazrat Prophet (pbuh); similarly, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) was always under the control of revelation as a necessity of the attribute of ismah (innocence) (31). Therefore, it should be known that his mistake would not be left without correction (32) and that the warning would be made at once, without any delay (33). Hazrat Prophet (pbuh) differs from everybody else and from those who are authorized to make ijtihad. It is known that he was warned because of some of his actions even before he became a prophet. (34)

Once, when he wanted to take off his izar (outer garment) in order to throw stones but he was prevented. In another occasion, he wanted to take off his izar to help his uncle Abu Talib to repair the Zamzam Well but he fainted. He said someone with white clothes told him to cover himself when he came to.(35)

His body was protected to save him from exposing the parts that are not suitable to show to others; he was also protected from some unpleasant applications of that period. According to his own statement, he wanted to watch some games and entertainment in the places where marriage ceremonies were held but he fell asleep and could not watch or hear them; after that, he did not commit any bad things till he was appointed as a prophet.(36)

Can it be thought that a person who was under protection even when he was not a prophet and when he was not appointed as an example for his umma and humanity yet would not be protected in a period when he became an example in all aspects for his umma and humanity and that his errors and mistakes would not be corrected? (37)

As a matter of fact, we see some examples of it in the Quran.

Hazrat Prophet (pbuh) were worried about the protection of the revelation and Allah, the Exalted, eliminated his worry by saying there is no need to worry about it.(38)

He was warned about the issues like the guidance of men, people’s obeying the command of Allah, that his duty was only to convey the message of Allah that guidance depended on Allah’s will and that the result depended on the will of Allah (39); he was warned about Abu Talib, whom he asked for forgiveness; and he was forbidden to pray for his uncle. (40)

On the other hand, he was stopped from cursing his enemies after the Battle of Uhud (41) from his wish of mutilation after what was made to Hazrat Hamza (may Allah be pleased with him) (42).

Furthermore, he was warned about releasing the prisoners of war in return for ransom after the Battle of Badr (43); he was prevented from the application he wanted in order to win the hearts of hypocrites (munafiqs) (44) ; he was also warned when he made himself haram what Allah had made halal due to the wishes of the prisoners of war .(45)

Those verses above and similar verses are clear indications that Hazrat Prophet (pbuh) was corrected when what he did was not in compliance with the divine consent. Allah, the Exalted, first leaves him free and wants him to make ijtihad or consultation with his companions. Then, if it was in compatible with Allah’s consent, it was left as it was; if it was not, he was corrected. As a matter of fact, the fact that he first said the children of the polytheists were like their fathers and then he said that they would go to Paradise, that he first said the lizards were cursed Jews and then gave up that idea due to the warning by revelation, that first he said the view about torture in grave was a Jewish mischief and then accepted the existence of torture in grave due to the warning by revelation and he took refuge in Allah from it in his prayers, (46) shows that he was warned and corrected outside the revelation of the Quran too.

As it is seen, it is impossible for the Messenger of Allah to continue a wrong deed, act or word that he saw or was informed about because that kind of silent approval is followed by the umma; it is also impossible for the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) to continue the wrong acts or words in the presence of Allah; whatever he did during his lifetime is an example and something to be followed for us.

Then, Allah, who is All- Knowing, All-Aware, All-hearing, All-Seeing and Wise, either corrected all kinds of words, deeds and acts of the Prophet or approved them and left them as they were. Whether we call those things that Allah did not change and left as they were as esoteric revelation as Hanafi scholars called them (47) or as silently approved revelation, we can say that the sunnah of Hazrat Prophet (pbuh) is based on revelation.

Acting upon that fact, we think that we should accept that the continuation of some of the customs and traditions of the community the Prophet lived in were checked by Allah and since they were silently approved, it is not correct to regard them as only customs and traditions. Besides, we had stated that they were based on Hazrat Ibrahim (pbuh) or other prophets.

Then, even if the attitudes and acts of the Prophet had existed in the same form in the period of Jahiliyya, they would have been corrected by revelation if they were wrong. It can be said that those that were not corrected were approved.

Footnotes:

1- Although it is said that what is meant by the verse: “Nor does he say (aught) of (his own) Desire. It is no less than inspiration sent down to him” is the Quran, there are some scholars who say it includes the sunnah too. For instance, Elmalılı (a Turkish tafsir scholar) interprets that verse as “It, that is, the Quran or his speech, is nothing but revelation. It cannot be expressed in any other way. It can only be sent as revelation.” Thus, he indicates that the sunnah is revelation too. (Yazır, Hak Dini VII, 457); Cf Qurtubi, Tafsir, XVII,84-85; Aydınlı, Abdullah, Sünnetin Kaynağı Hakkında, Din Öğretimi dergisi, Issue37, Ank, 1992, p.48; Kırbaşoğlu, Sünnet, 236 et al.
2- al-Baqara, 48; Aal-e-Imran, 164.
3- an-Nisa, 113; al-Jumua, 2.
4- For those who say what is meant by wisdom is sunnah, see Hasan al-Basri, Qatada, Yahya b. Kathir, (Suyuti, Miftahu’l-Janna, s.23); Imam ash-Shafii, ar Risala, 32,78,93.
5- The fact that the Quran and sunnah are revelation brings about the question what the difference between them is. We understand from that verse that there is no difference between them in terms of nature. However, one of them is wahy matluw (recited revelation), the other is wahy ghayr matluw (non-recited revelation). Suyuti explains the issue as follows: The word of Allah has two parts. Allah says to Jibril, “Say to the Prophet Allah commands you to do this and that. Jibril understands the divine wish and conveys it to the Prophet. It can be resembled to a king sending a reliable person as a delegate to his subjects and the conveyance of the message by the delegate through his own words. The other is: Allah says to Jibril, “Go to the Prophet and read this book to him.” Jibril reads the book to the Prophet exactly, word for word. The revelation of the Quran can be resembled to the second from and the sunnah to the first form. Therefore, it is said that it is permissible to report the sunnah with the meaning. Suyuti, al-Itqan, I,45; see Subhi as-Salih, Hadis İlimleri, p.261-262; Karaman, Hadis Usulü, p.9-10.
6- al-Anfal, 7.
7- at-Tahrim, 3.
8- It is important for our issue that it is stated at the beginning of the hadith that there will emerge some people who will say we will accept what is in the Quran but we will reject what is not in it and that the sunnah is given. See Abu Dawud, Sunnah, 6.
9- Those hadiths that are called qudsi (sacred) or divine are stated by being attributed to Allah. There are some views that both the words and meanings of them belong to Allah or the meaning belongs to Allah and the words belong to the Prophet like the other hadiths. See Al-Hadith, wa’l-Muhaddithun, p.18; Qawaidu’t-Tahdith, p.64 et al.
10- See, Bukhari, Eeman, 37; Muslim, Eeman, 1; Abu Dawud, Sunnah, 16; Tirmidhi, Eeman,4.
11- Muslim, Jannah, 63-64; See, Aydınlı, Sünnetin Kaynağı, p.50-51; Toksarı, Sünnet, p.98-99; Abu Dawud, Adab, 48.
12- Muslim, Eeman, 32-36; See, al-Munawi, Fayzu’l-Qadir, VI, 289-290.
13- For examples, see, Muslim, Janaiz, 1; Tirmidhi, Eeman, 18; Jihad, 32.
14- Although some researchers claim that since the hadiths in which the word revelation is mentioned are narrated in terms of meaning, they cannot be accepted as evidence that hadiths in general are revelaed (Erul, Bünyamin, İslamiyat, C.1, s.1, p.55 et al), in another article, the same person says that it is not possible to say that Allah is not in contact with Hazrat Prophet except the Quran. He also says the Messenger of Allah was appointed with the duty of tabligh (conveying the message), teaching and explaining. However, he also says that it will be better to call it wisdom. (Erul, Bünyamin, İslamiyat, V.III, p.1., p.184.
15- Muslim, Hayd, 34.
16- Bukhari, Nikah, 108.
17- See respectively, Suyuti, Miftah, 29; Musnad, II, 85,160; Bukhari, Adab, 28; Muslim, 1,140; Abu Dawud, Manasik, 24,27; Tirmidhi, Hajj, 14; Abu Dawud, Salat, 2; Bukhari, Badu’l-Khalq, 6; Abu Dawud, Sunnah, 9; Musnad, I, 191; Ibn Hisham, Sira, III, 101-102.
18- Suyuti, Miftah, 29.
19- Abdulghani Abdulkhaliq, Hujja, 337; It is said that there is ijma (consensus) that sunnah is based on revelation. See, ibid, p.338; It is reported that Hasan b. Atiyya said sunnah is based on revelation like the Quran. Darimi, Muqaddima, 49.
20- Imam Shafii, who says wahy matluw is the Quran and wahy ghayr matluw is the sunnah, states that the sunnah is the ‘wisdom’ mentioned in the Quran. (ar-Risala, 3-4,10; al-Umm, V, 127,128.)
21- Ibn Hazim, al-Ihkam, 93; cf. Kırbaşoğlu, Sünnet, p.260-261.
22- Ghazali, Mustasfa, I, 83; that Khattabi has the same opinion, see Khattabi, Maalimu’s-Sunan, V, 10.
23- Çakan, İ.Lütfi, Hadislerde Görülen İhtilaflar ve Çözüm Yolları, Ist, 1982, p.96.
24- The hadith that states a woman and her maternal or paternal aunt cannot be married to the same man at the same time is like that. Bukhari, Nikah, 27; Muslim, Nikah, 37-38.
25- He gives the following incident as example: wearing silk clothes is haram for men but Hazrat Prophet lets Abdurrahman b. Awf wear silk clothes due to his illness. See, Bukhari, Jihad, 91; Libas, 29; Muslim, Libas, 24-26.
26- Ibn Qutayba, Abu Muh. Abdullah, Ta’wilu Mukhtalifi’l-Hadith, Beirut, 1972, p.196 et al.
27- Phrases like the holy spirit blew into my heart are revelation of that kind. Ibn Majah, Tijarah, 2; Bayhaqi, Sunan, VII, 76; Suyuti, Miftah, 30.
28- Sarakhsi, Shamsuddin, Usulu’s-Sarakhsi, Beirut, 1973, II, 90-96.
29- Shatibi, Muwafaqat, IV, 19; For similar views, see, Abdulghani, Hujja, p.334 et al.
30- See, Aydınlı, Istılah, 148; Also See, Bukhari, I’tisam, 24.
31-Ismah, one of the attributes of the prophets, means being away from unbelief, not knowing Allah, telling lies, making mistakes, erring, neglecting, not knowing the details of the Shariah. It also means impossibility of continuing to make a mistake. See, Ghazali, Mustasfa, II, 212-214; Sabuni, Maturidiyye Akâidi, trans Bekir Topaloğlu, Ank. 1979, s.212-212; Yazır, Hak Dini, IX, 6357; Abdulghani, Hujja, 108 et al.
32- Sarakhsi, Usul, II, 68.
33- Sabuni, Maturidiyya, 121; Abdulghani, Hujja, p.222; For the view of Ibn Taymiyya that prophets will not be let continue to make a mistake, see Abduljalil Eesa, Ijtihadu’r-Rasul, Egypt, nd. p.33.
34- That Allah protected him (pbuh) from the impurities of Jahiliyya, see Ibn Sa’d, Tabaqat, I, 121; Abu Nuaym, Dalail, I, 129; Bayhaqi, Dalail, I, 313.
35- Abu Nuaym, Dalail, I, 147; See also, Bukhari, I, 96; Muslim, I, 268; Bayhaqi, Dalail, I, 313-314.
36- See. Tabari, Tarikh, II, 196; Abu Nuaym, Dalail, I, 143; Bayhaqi, Dalail, I, 315; Once, they took him (pbuh) to an entertainment by force, but he disappeared; Then, he said; a white-skinned, tall man said to me; ‘O Muhammad! Never touch that idol. Go back!’”. Cf Musnad, II, 68-69; Köksal, İslam Tarihi, II,117-121.
37- For more information, see Sarakhsi, Usul, II, 91; Ghazali, Mustasfa, II,214; Sabuni, Maturidiyya, p.121; Abdülghani, Hujja, 221-222; Abduljalil Eesa, İjtihad, p.31-33; Çakan, İhtilaflar, p.96,113; Erdoğan, Sünnet, 192 et al.
38- Qiyamah, 16-17.
39- See respectively al-Ghashiya, 21-22; Hud, 12; al-Kahf, 23; al,-Qasas, 56; Yunus, 99; ash-Shuara, 3.
40- at-Tawba, 113.
41- Tirmidhi, Tafsir, sura 3/12; Aal-e-Imran, 128; Abduljalil Eesa, Ijtihad, p.95.
42- The organs of Hazrat Hamza like his ear and nose had been cut off and his liver had been removed. Ibn Hisham, Sira, III, 101-103. For the verse, see an-Nahl, 126-127.
43- al-Anfal, 67-68. See Abdülghani, Hujja, 185.
44- at-Tawba, 88, 84; See Ibn Kathir, Tafsir, II, 378; Abduljalil Eesa, p.105.
45- at-Tahrim, 1-2.
46- See Abduljalil Eesa, Ijtihad, s.59-66.
47- See, Sarakhsi, II, 90-91; Tahanawi, Muh. Ali b. Ali, Kashshafu Istilahati’l-Funun, Ist, 1984, II, 1523.

The word sunnah has gained a special meaning among its meanings since the first years of Islam (1); it still has the meanings way, road, course of events, the way to be followed and accepted as a model, but it is specifically used for the sirah (way, lifestyle) of the Prophet (pbuh). However, since the way and lifestyle of the Prophet (pbuh) is related to the religion Allah appointed him to convey to people, the meanings of the word like bad way and the way that is not accepted are not used in its terminological meaning. For, when the Sunnah of the Prophet (pbuh) is in question, there cannot be a bad way and aspect in this sunnah. On the contrary, this way deserves to be praised and taken as a model.

Thus, the word sunnah has gained a technical meaning and when the word sunnah is mentioned in general in the religion, the following meaning is understood: 

“The things that the Prophet (pbuh) ordered, prohibited or encouraged verbally, actually or by giving consent through keeping silent about which the Quran does not explain.” (2)

On the other hand, sunnah is also defined as follows when the social aspect of the Prophet (pbuh) is taken into consideration:

“It means the life and way the Prophet (pbuh) chose and lived in order to act in accordance with Allah’s orders. In a sense, sunnah is “the prophetic commentary” of the Quran, the last divine book, displayed in the universal scale by the Prophet as the last prophet, mercy for all realms, good example, owner of high ethics, ardently anxious over believers and who is grieved when they are troubled (3). (4)

Sunnah in this sense is what the Prophet (pbuh) put into practice from what he understood from the Quran, the last divine book. (5)

The Companions, primarily the rightly-guided caliphs, used the term sunnah. We can say that Hz. Abu Bakr ascribed the meanings of modelling in the political administration and evidence in legal sense to the word sunnah.  

In his speech he made when he was chosen the Caliph (6), Hz. Abu Bakr used the phrase the Sunnah of the Prophet (pbuh); he said it was very difficult to be like him because he was under the control of the revelation, that he had an angel with him all the time and hence he was protected from making mistakes. In that sense, we can say that he also called the duty of the Prophet (pbuh) as the President sunnah. We see here that Hz. Abu Bakr had the understanding that the Prophet (pbuh) did not make any mistakes in his practices since he was under the control of revelation. It can be said that he attributed such vast meanings to sunnah.

It can be said that the four great caliphs and the other Companions used the term sunnah, that it settled among the Companions and that everybody understood it as the practices and words of the Prophet (pbuh).

Sunnah According to Fiqh Scholars

“Everything that comes from the Prophet without being fard and wajib and what is necessary to follow in the religion without being fard and wajib.” (7)

On the other hand, not all fiqh scholars accept the phrase without being fard and wajib. Some fiqh scholars include all of the decrees from the deeds, words and consent of the Messenger of Allah and the deeds of the slaves that are related to fard, wajib, haram and mubah ones. (8)

Sunnah According to Hadith Scholars:

“Sunnah includes the Prophet’s words, deeds, consent, attributes related to his nature and high ethics, his whole life, before and after prophethood and what is narrated from him.” (9)

In terms of the attributes mentioned in this definition, we can say that hadiths scholars want to call every hadith attributed to the Prophet (pbuh) sunnah (10). In that sense, sunnah and hadith are synonymous.

This understanding of hadith scholars can be accepted or not. However, it is understood what a great boon this understanding is for the ummah when we see that all of the news related to the Prophet has been preserved. Otherwise, many hadiths might not have been kept with the understanding and thought that they do not include decrees, they are not binding, etc.

Besides, some details that are related to the Prophet (pbuh) according to hadith scholars, but in which some scholars could not see any decrees can express some fiqh decrees. (11)

As Ibrahim Canan states (12), it is necessary to know the following in order to understand the richness given to the ummah of Muhammad (pbuh) by this understanding of hadith scholars and the importance of the mercy they became a means of: Although no decrees are deduced from a sunnah at a certain time, some decrees can be deduced at other times. Some scholars might not deduce a decree form a hadith but others can. 

Sunnah According to Some Political Groups

Sunnah in Mutazila

Nazzam (d. 231 H), a Mutazila scholar, rejects mutawatir hadith because he does not regard ijma (consensus) as evidence (13). According to him, only the word of the infallible imam can be evidence for religious decrees. Consequently, he closes all ways and says that it is not possible to learn something through news in general. (14)

However, Baghdadi states that Mutazila acts upon hadiths reported by 20 people among which there are Companions from ashara al-mubashhara (15).

Some Mutazila scholars like Jahiz(16) (d. 255 H), Abu Huzayl al-Allaf (d. 235 H) (17), Amr b. Ubayd (18) and Sumama Ibnul-Ashras(19) made fun of hadiths and rejected them.

What makes Mutazila scholars go to extremes in accepting sunnah is as follows: According to them, due to the wars between the Companions, some of them became fasiqs (sinners). Therefore, they do not accept the hadiths they narrated. Wasil b. Ata, who is the founder of Mutazila thoughts, says they do not accept hadiths from either groups because it is not known which group is fasiq but if both narrators of a hadith belong to the same group, we act based on it (20).

Criticizing Nazzam, one of the leading Mutazila scholars, for not accepting Sunnah as evidence because of his views on the Companions, Bakan (21) shows that Nazzam contradicts with the Quran with his own method, that he denies jinn acting upon his mind and that he disagrees with the majority of the scholars.

Although Nazzam and Abu Abdullah al-Balhi states that mutawatir news expresses ilm at-tuma’nina, the other Mutazila scholars regard it as definite ilm (22).

Kharijites and Sunnah

Kharijites hold the view that those who commit major sins are unbelievers; therefore, according to them, the Companions in the Battle of Siffin belonging to both parties committed major sins and their narrations are not acceptable since both Hz. Ali and Hz. Muawiya accepted the Incident of Arbitration (23).

Despite explaining this bad attitude of Kharijites about the Companions, Sibai (24) opposes this view stating that there is nobody left from Kharijites except the branch of Ibadiyya, that it is understood that they act in accordance with hadiths when their books are studied and that it is seen that they narrated hadiths from the Companions like Hz. Ali, Hz. Uthman, Hz. Aisha, Abu Hurayra, Anas b. Malik (May Allah be pleased with them). Besides Azami states that there are narrations showing that Kharijites preferred khabar wahid when khabar wahid was different from qiyas (analogy) (25).

Some Kharijites opposed Hz. Aisha, said the Quran was enough for them, wanted to abandon sunnah and claimed that sunnah could be sound only when it was in compliance with the Quran (26).

Shiites and Sunnah

Some Shiite writers stated that Shiites act in accordance with the hadiths reported from the Prophet (pbuh), that the imams did not act in accordance with their own views and they show some evidence related to these views (27).

However, when some of their books and views are studied, it is understood that Shiites did not accept hadiths from anybody except some Companions, that they believed that their imams could decree like the Prophet (pbuh) and that those decrees would be like the decrees of Allah.

According to Shiites, the twelve imams are infallible like the Prophet (pbuh) and there is no difference between the words, deeds and consent of the Prophet and those of the twelve imams. For, the ‘spirit’ that came from the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) was transferred to them (28).

It is narrated that Imam Jafar as-Sadiq stated the following, which is in compliance with that understanding: “My word is my father’s word; my father’s word is my grandfather’s word; my grandfather’s word is Husayn’s word; Husayn’s word is Hasan’s word. Hasan’s word is Hz. Ali’s word. His word is the word of the Messenger of Allah; and the word of the Messenger of Allah is Allah’s word." (29) Consequently, the word of the imams who have a position similar to that of the prophets and who are appointed by Allah like them (30) is Allah’s word. For, Shiites think that the imams know everything that angels and prophets know and that they can get what they want to know directly from Allah (31).

Shiites, who say that all knowledge is based on Hz. Ali, describes this book, which includes so much knowledge and includes everything as follows: we have al-Jamia. Its length is seventy fathoms according to the fathom of the Prophet (pbuh). The Prophet (pbuh) dictated it from his mouth. Hz. Ali wrote it with his hand. It has everything about halal and haram. Everything that people need is in it. Al-Jamia did not leave any area for others to say anything. Everything that will happen up to Doomsday and even the names of the people of Paradise and Hell are written in it (32).

Shiites do not act in accordance with Kutub as-Sittah, which Ahl as-Sunnah regards as the most acceptable hadith books; their reason for it is this: Those books generally include the narrations of the Companions whom they regard as apostates, unbelievers, fasiqs and munafiqs (33). Although Jafar as-Sadiq, one of the infallible imams, states that the Companions tell the truth about the Prophet (pbuh) (34), it is difficult to understand why Shiites regard a certain number of the Companions reliable (35), criticize the others by using unpleasant words and abandon the hadiths reported by them.

Sunnah According to Orientalists (36)

It is a fact that some people and groups that opposed sunnah emerged in all periods of history. Some of them rejected the Sunnah wholly while others denied some of it. Some of them denied sunnah directly while others claimed that khabar wahids could not be evidence related to the issues of creed and left the hadiths related to creed out of the religion.

Along with those who oppose sunnah directly among the deniers of sunnah, there are some scholars who oppose hadiths indirectly by criticizing the Companions who narrated a lot of hadiths like Abu Hurayra, Anas b. Malik and Abdullah b. Abbas, and Tabiun like Ibn Shihab az-Zuhri who were busy with writing hadiths the most. Some of those who opposed sunnah expressed their views without hesitating while others claimed that their aim was to defend the sunnah. The people in the second group generally divided hadiths into certain groups or dealt with them one by one, criticized them in terms the chain of narrators and text and rejected them by claiming that they were contrary to the Book, sound sunnah, common sense, the general principles of Islam and similar issues. (37)

The objections mentioned in this explanation, which is like a summary in terms of hadith history, were the Muslims’ own problems in the history of Islam. However, after the 16^th century, a very interesting development took place in terms of hadith history. For the first time, some people who did not believe in the religion of Islam and who did not accept Hz. Muhammad (pbuh) as a prophet started to be interested in this ilm. We will mention the views of some of those foreign researchers on hadith history and the Sunnah in order to have an idea about their approach.

It is stated that the first orientalist to study the ilm of hadith was Dr. Sprenger (d. 1893), who was a British citizen of Austrian origin. He said a great part of the hadiths was fabricated and wrote articles on the value of the Sunnah. Sir William Muir, who studied in India, George Weil, a German orientalist, and Dozy, a Dutch orientalist, acted a bit more optimistically and said that half of the hadiths in Bukhari could be sound. (38)

The orientalist who did the most hadith research was Ignaz Goldziher, who was a Jew of Hungarian origin. (39) This orientalist, who did not rely on hadiths even as much as Dozy did, said that it was impossible to find anything that could be attributed to the Prophet (pbuh) directly. According to him, hadiths were not documents of the first century of Islam but the products of the efforts made in the following years that occurred in the Islamic community in the period when Islamic development took place. (40) That is, he claimed that every scholar and school fabricated that their views and practices were hadiths. 

The views of J. Schacht, who had important claims related to the Sunnah, can be summarized as follows: Iraqis transformed the political and kalam meaning of the term “the Sunnah of the Prophet” into a legal concept and regarded it the same as the idealized practices of a local congregation and the doctrine of the scholars of that congregation (41); the first person to use sunnah as the model behavior of the Prophet (pbuh) is Shafii; sunnah represented the traditional customs of the community (42).

D.S. Margoliouth, one of the English orientalists, claims the following:

1. The Prophet (pbuh) did not leave any decrees or religious decisions. That is, he did not leave any hadiths and sunnah except the Quran.

2. The sunnah practiced by the first Islamic congregation after Muhammad (pbuh) is not his sunnah but the Arabs’ pre-Islamic traditions and customs that underwent change.

3. The generations after the second century H developed the concept of the sunnah of the Prophet (pbuh) with the intention of making those traditions and customs binding and invented the mechanism of hadith in order to realize this concept. (43)

Due to similar reasons, the French orientalist P. H. Lammens and western researchers like Hurgronje (44) do not accept the concept prophetic sunnah.

The people who first evaluated the narrations attributed to the Prophet (pbuh) like that were the orientalists. According to this understanding, the traditions and customs of Jahiliyya or the things that were fabricated in order to make the practices and fatwas of Islamic scholars valuable after the second century H are called Sunnah. (45) We think some Muslim researchers who were influenced by those understandings dared to call the practices and deeds of the Prophet (pbuh) the traditions of the community.

Sayyid Ahmed Khan (46), who was a friend of Spenger, rejected everything belonging to the Prophet (pbuh) and claimed to be a prophet; he said, ‘The Quran is enough for us’.   

Tawfiq Sidqi says everything consists of what is in Allah’s book. He also says that the practices of the Prophet (pbuh) is a period of preparation belonging to a certain time (47); he rejects the whole sunnah like Ahmad Khan.

How did the ummah answer the doubts of Ahl al-Bid’ah about hadiths?

First, Mutazila cast doubts on hadiths. From this point of view, we can say that those who reject hadiths today and say, "Hadiths were compiled and written only in the third century H; therefore, everything could not be preserved in their original form" do not put forward an original view. Due to this thought, they can only be called  Neo-Mutazila.

In fact, when Mutazila were on the scene with these views and had their biggest effect, hadiths were being determined with scientific methods and recorded in the books in a way unprecedented in history and in an unobjectionable manner by magnificent imams. Much earlier, Umar b. Abdulaziz appointed Ibn Shihab az-Zuhri to determine hadiths and started the period of official recording of hadiths. In addition, Nafi, who was the slave of Abdullah Ibn Umar, Imam Malik's teacher and Lays Ibn Sa'd's sheikh, determined hadiths with Lays Ibn Sa'd. Before them, Wahb Ibn Munabbih, who was one of the students of Abu Hurayra, also collected hadiths.  Muhammad Hamidullah published the hadiths that Wahb determined and published and wrote a comparative critique about them.  

Mustafa al-A'zami determined through his research that the Companions and tabiun wrote hadiths in a very early period. According to his determinations, the number of the Companions that dictated hadiths was about fifty in the first century H.

Hadiths were written and determined by magnificent scholars who represented Islam with their lifestyles and were transferred to genius imams of hadith like Bukhari and Muslim; those superior people analyzed those hadiths in terms of text and chain of narrators and removed some of them; they concentrated on sound (sahih) hadiths.

For instance, Imam Bukhari tried to collect all of the sound hadiths he could and named his work consisting of those hadith "al-Jamius-Sahih". The masters of this field who came later wrote different hadith books that included sound hadiths, that had the necessary conditions imposed by this imam but that he could not access when he was alive. The most important one of them is the great Shafii scholar Daraqutni; the Sunan he wrote is famous. Another famous book like that one is Mustadrak, written by Hakim an-Nishaburi.

To sum up, we can say that hadiths were written even when the Prophet (pbuh) was alive. They were allowed to be written officially afterwards and even encouraged. Many talented people started to write them. The Prophet once said to some people "Do not write anything from me except the Quran." However, this was valid for a certain period. As a matter of fact, it is written in a hadith included in the Kitab al-Ilm of Bukhari that when Abu Shah wanted the Farewell Sermon to be written for him, the Prophet said to his Companions, "Write it for Abu Shah." Thus, he ended a period. It is also written in Bukhari, Muslim and Abu Dawud that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said to Abdullah Ibn Amr Ibn As, "Write! Nothing but the truth comes out of this mouth."

As the people who deal with hadiths know, the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) preserved the hadiths of the Messenger of Allah with a religious effort and the disaster of not preserving the prophetic inheritance that happened related to the previous ummahs did not happen.  

In addition, many books were written as answers to the doubts cast about sunnah by orientalists and some people among Muslims. These movements against sunnah originating from orientalism first emerged in Egypt; therefore, the scholars of Egypt answered their claims. One of the first books written regarding the issue is Mustafa Sibai's book called "as-Sunnatu wa Makanatuhu fit-Tashriil-Islami". After that the books "Hujjiyyatus-Sunnah", "as-Sunnah Qablat-Tadwin" and similar books followed. Even special books like "Rawiyatul-Islam Abu Hurayra" were written though it was criticized because it narrated many hadiths from Abu Hurayra. Although the objections to hadiths and sunnah were answered repeatedly in terms of hadith history in the past, those old claims were put forward again and again as if they were new with the purpose of confusing the minds of the Muslims.

Some confused people who think the objections in the western resources today write those old stories as if they were new and confused the minds of pure people again. In fact, some of those objections were answered in the period of Ibn Qutayba and the remaining ones were rejected in the periods when they emerged; they are absurd claims that are not based on a serious logic.

Volumes of books were written related to all disputable issues about sound and weak hadiths, compromising contradictions and removal of fabricated narrations even in the first period and all of the problems about hadiths were settled. For instance, the great scholar Imam Tahawi allocated his books called "Mushkilul-Athar" and "Sharhu Maanil-Athar" to this issue. These thick books, which take a lot of time to read, are only two of the books written on the issue of hadith. A person’s life will not be enough to read all of the books written on hadiths by great imams like Tahawi.

When many geniuses of hadiths like Yahya b. Saidul-Qattan and Bukhari repeated the hadiths that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) presented to humanity with message and guidance, they would touch their upper lips with their lower lips and say, "By Allah, this is nothing but divine." Let alone those magnificent people, when even the scholars that came later heard something that was narrated as a hadith but that was not really a hadith would say "This does not resemble the word of the Prophet." Then, they were able to prove it through different methods.

The words of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) are certain; they were placed in a certain position by experts of hadith after the Quran; they were placed in such a place that only the Quran can be superior to them. The place of the Quran in the hearts is preserved; literary people and orators competed in order to find a place under it.

When all of those explanations are taken into consideration, we see the following state:

Those people who make claims about hadiths speak without basing their views on resources. They do not know almost any of the basic resources. They never know what criteria are used in those resources, how they were distilled and presented to humanity and how meticulously they are tested in terms of text and chain of narrators.

Footnotes:

1.    Koçyiğit, Talat, Hadis Istılahları, Ankara 1985, p. 400.
2.    Lisanul-Arab, XIII,225; Ibnul-Athir, an-Nihaya, II,409.
3.    See al-Ahzab, (33),40; al-Anbiya, (21),107; al-Ahzab, (33),21; al-Qalam, (68),3; at-Tawba, (9),128 respectively.
4.    Çakan, İsmail Lütfi, Hz.Peygamber ve Aile Hayatı, İlmi Neşriyat, Ist. nd, p. 117.
5.    Bayraktar, İbrahim, Hz. Peygamber ve Evrensel Hayatı, Şelale Yay., 1995, p. 13; İslamoğlu, Beşir, Sünnet Bilinci, Denge Yay., Ist. 1997, p. 13.
6.    see Abdurrazzaq, XI, 3666, h. No: 20701.
7.    al-Laknawi, Tuhfetul-Ahyar bi Ihyayi Sunnati Sayyidil-Abrar, Beirut, 1992, p. 68-86; as-Sibai, ibid, p. 43; Abdulghani, Abdulkhaliq, p. 51-68.
8.    Canan, Hadis Usulü, p. 418.
9.    Sibai, as-Sunnah, s. 47; Ajjaj, as-Sunnah, s. 15; Abu Zahw, al-Hadith, p. 9-10; Ashqar, Af’alur-Rasul, I,18; Canan, Hadis Usulü, p. 418.
10.    cf Abu Zahw, al-Hadith, p. 10; Qardawi, Sünneti Anlamada, p. 24.
11.    Related to the hadith, “Ya aba Umayr, ma faalan-nughayr”, see Ibn Hajar Sharh; Canan, Hadis Usulü, p. 419-420.
12.    Canan, Hadis Usulü,  p. 419.
13.    Baghdadi, Abu Mansur Abdulqahir, al-Farq Baynal-Firaq, translated by E.R. Fığlalı, Ankara 1981, p. 87; Ibn Qutayba, Ta’wilu Mukhtaliful-Hadith, translated by M. H. Kırbaşoğlu, p. 30.
14.    Koçkuzu, Rivayet İlimlerinde, p. 201.
15.    Baghdadi, al-Farq, p. 77.
16.    Ibn Qutayba, Ta’wil, p. 72.
17.    Baghdadi, al-Farq, p. 77.
18.    Koçkuzu, Rivayet İlimlerinde, p. 199.
19.    Ibn Qutayba, Ta’wil, p. 60, cf Koçyiğit, Talat, Kelamcılarla Hadisçiler, p. 245; Related to whether Mutazila accept khabar wahid as evidence, see  Koçkuzu, Rivayet İlimlerinde, p. 198-209; Bakan, Tevhit, Mu’tezile’nin Hadis Görüşleri Unpublished Master’s Thesis Erzurum, 1987, p. 55-63.
20.    Baghdadi, al-Farq, p. 119-120; Shahristani, al-Milal, I,49.
21.    Amr b. Ubayd rejected all hadiths; he did not accept hadiths even if both rawis were from the same group. See Bakan, Tevhit, Mu’tezile, p. 22,34-35.
22.    Ibn Hazm, al-Ihkam, II,18; Mutazila accepts all khabars that are mutawatir as khabar wahid. They divide khabar wahid into two: A) Those that have the conditions of acceptance and are related to deeds. It is permissible to act in accordance with them. B) Khabars whose content is ilm. They are not accepted in principle. However, if they are in accordance with the mind, they can be accepted. See Bakan, Mutezile, 55-57.
23.   Shahristani, Abul-Fath Muh. b. Abdulkarim, al-Milal wan-Nihal, Egypt, 1961, I, 114-115; According to Kharijites, Hz. Ali became an unbeliever after the incident of tahkim. Hz. Muawiya also became an unbeliever because he grabbed the caliphate. See Koçyiğit, Hadiscilerle Kelamcılar, p. 37-38.
24.    Sibai, as-Sunnah, p. 149.
25.    A’zami, Muhammad Mustafa, Dirasatun fil-Hadithin-Nabawi wa Tarikhu Tadwinihi, Beirut 1985, p. 23. It will be appropriate to combine these two understandings as Kharijites accepting the hadiths before tahkim and rejecting those after that. However, A’zami does not agree with this view. See A’zami, Dirasat, p. 23.
26.    Nawawi, Riyadus-Salihin, I,24; It is said that khabars related to presenting the hadiths to the Quran were fabricated by Kharijites. Ibn Abdilbarr, Abu Umar, Yusuf an-Namari, Jamiu Baynil-Ilm wa Fadlihi, Beirut, tp., II, 191; However, Ajjaj does not agree with it, as-Sunnah, p. 205-206.
27.    See Kulayni, Usulul-Kafi, Tehran, 1375, I, 58; Askari, Ayetullah Sayyid Murtaza, Şia’ya Göre Sünnetin Dindeki Yeri, (Sünnetin Dindeki Yeri) Ensar Neşr. 1997, Ist. p. 263-264.
28.    Kulayni, I, 273-274.
29.    Kulayni, I,53.
30.    Husayn, M.Ali, Kashifil-Ghita, p. 58.
31.    Kulayni, I, 255-258.
32.   See Kulayni, el-Kafi, I, 239,241; al-Wafi, II, 135; Askari, Şia’ya Göre Sünnet, 267-268; Kandemir, Yaşar, D.İ.A. Hadis item; According to Ahl as-Sunnah resources, when Hz. Ali was asked if he had anything given to him by the Prophet (pbuh) except the Quran, he said he had nothing but a small page including some hadiths related to some decrees and those who claimed the opposite were liars. (See Muslim, Itq, 20; Nasai, Qasama, 9,13.)
33.    Even the groups of Shiites known as moderate like Imamiyya do not hesitate to say clearly that the Companions committed a major sin by not choosing Hz. Ali as the Caliph and hence they were unbelievers, fasiqs and oppressors. All of the Companions except Miqdat, Abu Dharr and Salman became apostates. (al-Kulayni, al-Kafi, VIII, 245) Related to their likening the Companions to the Jews who did not obey Hz. Harun, see ash-Shirazi, Sadruddin Sayyid Ali Khan, ad-Darajatur-Rafia fi Tabaqatish-Shia, Qom, 1397 / 1977, p. 34. For similar accusations and claims, see al-Kulayni, al-Kafi, I,181,413,424; VIII, 161,245-6, 296; ash-Shirazi, ad-Darajat, 11,33,34; For the studies regarding the issue, see Bakan, Tevhid, Ashab’ın Adaleti, Erzurum, 1997, Unpublished Doctoral Thesis; Çolak, Ahmet, Şia Hadis Alma Usulünde İlk Raviler, Erzurum 1993, Unpublished Master’s Thesis.
34.    Kulayni, I, 65.
35.    There are narrations stating that the Companions from whom Shiites accepted hadiths were Ahl al-Bayt, three people or seven people (Kashiful-Ghita, Aslush-Shia, 79-80; Çolak, Şia, 95). Ibn Kathir says 17 Companions (Ikhtisaru Ulumil-Hadith, p. 182) but some Shiite writers say between 71 and 300 Companions. (Kashiful-Ghita, Aslush-Shia, p. 24) However, Bakan, who counted the Companions whose narrations are included im Tankihul-Maqal, determined the number as 166. (Bakan, Ashab, p. 125)
36.    It is a name given to those who deal with Islam and Islamic civilization but it started to be used in Europe in the 18^th century. It was included in the French dictionary in 1838. Their aims can be summarized as to struggle against Islam, to keep Christians away from Islam by showing them so-called mistakes of Islam and to transforms Muslims into Christians (see Zaqzuq, M. Hamdi, Oryantalizm veya Medeniyet Hesaplaşmasının Arka Planı, translated by Abdülaziz Hatip, Izmir, 1993, p. 10, 64 ff.) to make Muslims have bad thoughts about Islamic principles and valuable people and to distort nass. See. Tahir, Sünnetin Etrafındaki Şüpheler, p. 45.
37.    Toksarı, Delil Olma Yönünden Sünnet, 244-5.
38.     Sprenger, who was appointed as the head of the Faculty of Islamic Sciences in India, helped the publication of some classical books. See Hatiboğlu, M. Said, Batıdaki Hadis Çalışmaları Üzerine, Uluslar arası Birinci İslam Sempozyumu, İzmir 1995; Görmez, Metodoloji Sorunu, p. 85.
39.    His most detailed work is Muhammedanische Studien. Goldziher did not only become famous in Europe but he was also popular in the Islamic world. He was given the duty of making the plan of Cairo University. His tafsir and hadith books will be studied in the Chair planned to be established in Istanbul University. see Hatipoğlu, Batıdaki Hadis Çalışmaları, p. 85.
40.    Zaqzuq, Oryantalizm, p. 97; as-Sibai, as-Sunnah, 190-191; for the view that understanding Hegel’s philosophy of history will help Goldziher’s understanding, see Görmez, Metodoloji Sorunu, p. 87-88; Fadlurrahman, Methodology, p. 16.
41.    J. Schacht, İslam Hukukuna Giriş, p. 43-4; For detailed answers to Schacht’s claims, see A’zami, İslam Fıkhı ve Sünneti; Özafşar, Oryantalist, p. 81-104.
42.    Ünal, İ. H. Fazlurrahman’ın Sünnet anlayışı ve “Yaşayan Sünnet” Kavramı Üzerine, İslami Araştırmalar,  October 1990, Fazlurrahman Special Issue, p. 287, footnote 11
43.   See Fadlurrahman, Islam, p. 63.
44.   See Fadlurrahman, Methodology, 17-18; for evaluation, see Ünal, Fazlurrahman’ın Sünnet Anlayışı, p. 285-6.
45.    There were some individuals and groups that vilified Sunnah. However, they were not accepted by people since they were from heretic groups or individuals; and they almost disappeared in the second and third centuries H. We did not see anybody who said, ‘What is attributed to the Prophet is tradition and the customs of Jahiliyya of the community.’ Each one criticized Sunnah due to different understandings and thoughts; see Tahir, Muhammed Hekim, Sünnetin Etrafındaki Şüpheler, translated by. Hüseyin Aslan, Pınar Yay., Ist. tp. p. 29-38.
46.    For those who think like him, see Tahir, ibid, p. 84; Some of those people who call themselves ahl al-Quran said those who acted in accordance with sunnah were unbelievers acting upon verse 44 of the chapter of al-Maida. See Azimabadi, Awnul-Ma’bud, III, 357; Maktabatus-Salafiyya, Madinah, 1968.
47.    Görmez, Metodoloji Sorunu, p. 91.

It is stated in the Quran that sleep is a means of resting in the following verses:

“And He it is Who makes the Night as a Robe for you, and Sleep as Repose, and makes the Day (as it were) a Resurrection.” (al-Furqan, 25/47)

“And We made your sleep for rest.” (an-Naba, 78/9) 

It is sunnah and it gains man thawabs to be awake at the times when it is makruh to sleep and to be busy with good things. A person who sleeps at those times is deprived of this thawab and blessing but he is not regarded to have committed a sin.

There are three kinds of sleep other than the night sleep: faylula, ghaylula and qaylula. (see Mushkilul-Athar, Tahawi, 2/13)

Ghaylula is the sleep between fajr and full sunrise (until the time when time of karaha ends). It is contrary to sunnah to sleep at that time.  As a matter of fact, the following is stated in a hadith Bayhaqi reports:

“It prevents sustenance to sleep after the morning prayer.” (Bayhaqi, al-Adab, 1/276; Sharani, Lawaqihul-Anwar, p. 295)

The meaning of it can be as follows: Working hours start early every day. For, man is more robust at that time. It is easier to find a job, to do shopping and find what you seek at early hours. 

There is certain sustenance for every day and that sustenance is predestined. However, one of the conditions of that sustenance is the effort and work of the person. If one does not start to work early, one of the conditions of sustenance is not fulfilled; therefore, the sustenance, which is based on that condition, might not be abundant enough.

“That man can have nothing but what he strives for.” (an-Najm, 53/39)

The verse above indicates the importance of working and making efforts.

As it is known, starting work early in many lines of work causes abundance and blessing in sustenance. The most active time for man to be motivated to work is the time after the morning prayer (dawn). This period of time should not be spent sleeping. For, to sleep at that time means to start work late, which will deactivate several main elements that will increase profit, causing loss of work, labor, time, profit and performance. That is the reason for lack of blessing.

However, if one’s job and workload make it necessary for a person to sleep at the time of karahah, he can sleep then. For instance, a person who works at night can sleep after performing the morning prayer without waiting for the time of karaha to end; it will not be contrary to sunnah. For, he worked for that day at night and performed the morning prayer; there is no religious reason for him to wait for the time of karaha to end. The term "time of karaha" is mentioned only as an expression of time here. It does not mean a time period when it is definitely forbidden to sleep.

The same thing is valid for faylula sleep. The time period after the afternoon prayer to the time when the sun sets is the most efficient time period for many lines of work. To sleep at that time shortens sustenance and life. For, to sleep in this period of time, when a person evaluates the efficiency of the day, makes calculations, makes plans for the next day and finds motivation will generally deprive man of those results. (see Nursi, Lem'alar, p. 269)

The following is narrated from the Prophet (pbuh):

“If a person sleeps after the afternoon prayer and becomes absent-minded, he should blame himself.” (Kashful-Khafa, Ajluni, II, 284; Musnadu Abi Ya’la, VIII, 316)

However, this narration does not exist in the famous hadith books. It is stated in some books of good manners and preaching that it is not a nice thing to sleep after the afternoon prayer. (see Muhammad b. Abu Bakr, Shir’atul-Islam, 502)

The negative view about sleep here has no connection with being at the time of karaha. It is regarded as a drawback in terms of the period of time. However, there are also exceptions to it: For instance, if a person works hard during the day and is to start work again at night, it is religiously permissible for him to sleep for a while at that time if he can.

As it is seen, the sleeps of ghaylula and faylula are usually regarded as undesirable in terms of the period of time, not due to karaha.

It is advised in the Sunnah to sleep for about half an hour after mid-morning and before afternoon when the son is the hottest; it is called qaylula sleep. This advice cannot be prevented by the time of karaha just before noon. That is, qaylula sleep, which is sunnah, is not abandoned because of the time of karaha. For, only prayer is prohibited at the times of karaha. Its reason is explained in the hadith. The reason for the prohibition is the fact that some unbelievers prostrate the sun at those times.  (Muslim, Salatul-Musafirin, p. 294)

In that case, the reason why sleeping is regarded makruh from dawn to the end of karaha time after sunrise and before sunset in the evening, which are times of karaha, is not because they are karaha times. The reason for it is the fact that human nature acts more efficiently at those times and it is necessary to use this potential positively instead of sleeping. In that case, qaylula sleep, which is noon sleep, can take place at the time of karaha just before noon.  

The recommended time for qaylula sleep is the time period between mid-morning and afternoon. This time period can change based on workload and from person to person. It is not appropriate to give a certain period and limit people.  

The wisdom behind the unfruitfulness and failure that has recently increased gradually can be the spending of working times sleeping by the Muslims.  Unfortunately, conditions of life, some habits and tradition confront man as "the enemy of going to bed early" today. It is necessary to overcome this fierce enemy, to go to bed as early as possible, to get up for tahajjud prayer, to get up for the morning prayer in a vigorous way before sunrise and to start work after that without sleeping again. Our grandfathers and grandmothers, whom we saw as vigorous and hardworking people, did like that.

When this nice habit disappeared, health, abundance and peace disappeared too.

We should try to practice the same customs and try to blossom like spring flowers in order to attain material and spiritual peace. The other flowers will open and spring will come inshallah.

- As it is known Masjid al-Aqsa is the first qiblah of Muslims and the third one of the haram mosques. Almighty Allah mentions Masjid al-Aqsa in the Quran with its name and states that the precincts of this mosque have been blessed.

The following is stated in verse 1 of the chapter of al-Isra regarding the issue:

"Glory to (Allah) Who did take His servant for a Journey by night from the Sacred Mosque to the farthest Mosque, whose precincts We did bless,- in order that We might show him some of Our Signs: for He is the One Who heareth and seeth (all things)."

- Quds had been a place of prophets and the qiblah of ummahs for a long time. It might have been made the first stop to show that Hz. Muhammad (pbuh) is the real inheritor of all prophets.

- One of the most important issues in the incident of Miraj is daily prayers being rendered fard. It is appropriate for the position of Quds that the Prophet stopped by Quds, which was the qiblah place of prophets for centuries, and after that he received the gift of prayer in Miraj.

- The incident of Miraj took place seventeen months before the Migration. That Hz. Muhammad (pbuh) stopped by Quds at that time might have been an indication that it would be conquered by his ummah in the 17^th year of the Migration.  

- The travel from Masjid al-Haram to Masjid al-Aqsa in the journey of Miraj is important in that it shows the connection of a slave with mosques. That the Prophet (pbuh) led a prayer in front of the prophets that gathered in Quds shows that he is the imam of all prophets in terms of his personality and personal perfection. 

- Quds has represented revelation, divine declaration and the institution of prophethood since the day it was established. Therefore, it has been a city of Islam since the day it was established. Many prophets spent some parts of their lives in this city. Hz. Muhammad (pbuh), the last prophet, was taken to Quds first before he was raised to heavens. If Allah had wished, He would have raised him to heavens from Makkah. However, the reason why Hz. Jibril, who accompanied the Prophet (pbuh) in the incidents of Isra (Night Journey) and Miraj (Ascension), took him to Quds first and raised him to heavens after that was due to the significance and importance of this city. Allah wanted Hz. Muhammad (pbuh), his last prophet, to visit Quds and to witness the divine signs in this city of prophets.

We can think of some other wisdoms similar to the ones above regarding the issue.

- Islam is a religion of good manners and discipline. The use of the right hand and the left hand should be evaluated within this discipline. It is possible to explain the issue as follows:

The concept right is a symbol of nice things and the concept left is a symbol of bad things. For instance,

- The word right is used for Allah’s power:

“No just estimate have they made of Allah, such as is due to Him: On the Day of Judgment the whole of the earth will be but His handful, and the heavens will be rolled up in His right hand: Glory to Him! High is He above the Partners they attribute to Him!” (az-Zumar, 39/67)

- The books of deeds of bad people are given to their left hands and good people to their right hands. 

“Then he that will be given his Record in his right hand will say: "Ah here! Read ye my Record! I did really understand that my Account would (One Day) reach me!" And he will be in a life of Bliss, In a Garden on high.”(al-Haaqqa, 69/19-22)

“And he that will be given his Record in his left hand, will say: "Ah! Would that my Record had not been given to me! And that I had never realized how my account (stood)! "Ah! Would that (Death) had made an end of me!'” (al-Haaqqa, 69/25-27)

- All of the elements of the universe – all of which are beautiful and wonderful divine works of art – move from right to left. Everything, from atoms to stars and from suns to systems, is based on this distinguished law. 

- The one that records the good deeds of man among the angels of “kiraman katibin (honorable scribes)” is on the right shoulder of man and is in a position of giving orders; and the one that records the bad deeds of man is on the left shoulder of man is in a position of receiving orders.   

- When one enters a mosque, which is a nice place where man worships, he enters with the right foot; when one enters the toilet, he enters with the left foot. 

- When a person circumambulates the Kaaba, he moves from right to left.

- Similarly, when a person uses his right hand when he eats and his left hand when he cleans his private parts after emptying the bowels and urinating, he acts based on this principle.

- It is understood that the Quranic and prophetic principles in Islam are in compliance with the ontological principles that are valid in the universe. This is another indication of the religion of Islam being the religion of fitrah (creation/nature). 

“So set thou thy face steadily and truly to the Faith: (establish) Allah´s handiwork according to the pattern on which He has made mankind: no change (let there be) in the work (wrought) by Allah: that is the standard Religion: but most among mankind understand not.” (ar-Rum, 30/30)

We have not found any information like the one in the question.

However, the following narration exists regarding the issue:

Sa’d b. Ubada’s mother died. He went to the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) and said, “O Messenger of Allah! My mother died. Can I give sadaqah on behalf of her?” the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, “Yes.”

Sa’d asked, “What sadaqah (charity) is good and valuable? The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, “To meet the water need of people and animals.” (see Nasai, Wasaya, 9; Ibn Majah, Adab, 8)

Thereupon, Sa’d had a public water tap built in Madinah and it served people for a long time. (see Ibn Hanbal, Musnad, 5/284; 6/7)

"If any Muslim clothes a Muslim when he is needy, Allah will clothe him with some green garments of Paradise. If any Muslim feeds a Muslim when he is hungry, Allah will feed him with some of the fruits of Paradise. If any Muslim gives a Muslim drink when he is thirsty, Allah will give him some of the pure Paradise drink with nice scent." (Abu Dawud, Zakah, 32; Tirmidhi, Qiyamah, 18)

"When a man gives water to his wife, he gains thawab." (Suyuti, Jamiul-Ahadith, Hadith No:1457)

In a narration in which the deeds that make a believer keep gaining thawabs after he dies, “bringing water by building a canal” is also mentioned. (Ibn Majah, Muqaddima 20)

Allah describes water as "His mercy" (al-A'raf, 7/57; al-Furqan, 25/48; an-Naml, 27/63; ar-Rum, 30/46) and "mentions His providing sweet water for people among His bounties to them". (al-Mursalat, 77/27)

According to a verse, having fertile land in which streams flow thanks to abundant rain are among important blessings for people. (al-Anam, 6/6)

In many verses in the Quran, “rivers flowing” are mentioned among the beauties of Paradise. For example, the following is stated in a verse:

“But give glad tidings to those who believe and work righteousness, that their portion is Gardens, beneath which rivers flow.” (al-Baqara, 2/25)

In some of his supplications, the Prophet (pbuh) attracted attention to the cleaning property of water and asked from Allah "to be fully clean after his sins are washed away by water, snow and ice". (Bukhari, Daawat 39, 44, 46)

With that metaphorical expression, he expressed "his wish to be purified of mistakes like a snow-white garment cleaned by water after being washed".

Water and its derivatives like snow and ice are the symbols of purity and cleanliness in different cultures.

In Turkish, when somebody, especially a young person gives water to an elderly, he says, “Be valuable like water”, which is a supplication expressing the value of water and showing how water is valued in the Turkish culture.  

In addition, the Ottoman State left a rich heritage related to water. There are still buildings related to water that function actively in Turkey remaining from the Ottoman State like aqueducts, cisterns, reservoirs, water towers, which enable water to be carried, stored and distributed, and public taps, water dispensers and fountains, which provide water for people. They are very important works that makes the Turkish-Islamic civilization a “water civilization”.

The emphasis by the Quran and the Sunnah that water is the basis of life lays some duties and responsibilities on Muslims. The most important ones are to preserve the current water resources in the best way, to prevent all kinds of deeds that can pollute those resources and that can harm the cleanliness and quality of water.

On the other hand, we must not waste water and act irresponsibly. We must try to use water and other natural resources rationally and efficiently.

We must preserve the “water civilization” formed and given to us by our religion and culture as a heritage, improve it and transfer it to the generations to come.

The Prophet (pbuh) did not like sitting down and chatting unnecessarily after the night prayer (isha) and warned his Companions about it.

Hanafis regard delaying the night prayer up to the one third of the night mustahab, up to half of the night mubah and performing it after the half of the night makruh. Some Hanafi scholars regard it makruh tahrimi while others regard it makruh tanzihi. However, it is necessary to say that it is mustahab in winter. In summer, nights are short; therefore, it is mustahab to perform it early.

“The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) would delay the night prayer to the time called atama (when one-third of the night ends); he regarded sleeping before the night prayer and chatting after the night prayer makruh.” (Bukhari, Mawaqit 13-20; Muslim, Masajid 218-225; Nasai, Mawaqit 20)

Abdullah Ibn Mas'ud (radiyallahu anh) narrates:

“The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) condemned us when we chatted after the night prayer; that is, he prohibited us from doing so.” (Ibn Majah, Salah 12)

As it is seen, the Prophet (pbuh) did not like sleeping late after the night prayer, due to unnecessary and useless talks because a person might miss the morning prayer (fajr) and it will be difficult for him to get up for tahajjud prayer if he does so.

A person begins a day by worshipping (morning prayer); similarly, likewise, he should finish the day like that.

By marrying women with different characteristics and traits, the Prophet (pbuh) set an example in terms of guiding all humanity in similar events that will take place until the Day of Judgment. In addition, since each wife had different aspects, guidance was presented to all humanity in different ways.

Half of human life is private; half of the people are women. Women with different characteristics were definitely necessary for this private life to be led in accordance with the sunnah and for half of humanity to live in accordance with the sunnah.

That is the most important wisdom behind the Prophet’s marrying many women.

Our Lord started to convey the religion of Islam with Adam, the first human and the first prophet, and based on His wisdom, He either sent books with prophets or ordered prophets to convey the message with the previous books.

When humanity evolved at a certain point, He sent Muhammad (pbuh) and gave him the Quran as a book whose shari’ah and decrees will not change until the Day of Judgment.

A book without a teacher or a teacher without a book is unthinkable; similarly, a prophet without a book or a book without a prophet is also unthinkable.

The fact that all of the prophets are human and have human characteristics is very important in terms of being an example for humanity because in accordance with the secret of testing,

- For example, a prophet who is an angel will eliminate free will and force people to believe; so, there would be no difference between Abu Jahl and Abu Bakr.

- In addition, prophets who could be angels would not be “role models” for people.

The Quran was revealed gradually in 23 years and every verse of it was revealed based on an individual or social event. Thus, the Prophet (pbuh) was able to explain the meaning of the verse very clearly, and the Companions, who saw the event, understood it in the best way.

The verses that were sent down in this way in 23 years were explained by the Prophet (pbuh); the issue was understood very well by the Companions who experienced the event, and then it was transferred to the next generations through memorization and writing. Thus, the Sunnah of the Prophet (pbuh) formed.

In dozens of its verses, the Quran orders us to follow Allah, that is, the Quran, and the Prophet, that is, the Sunnah, and to take the Prophet as a role model.

Therefore, the Quran gives examples from the life of our Prophet from time to time and points out that we should learn what he did, what he said, and his biography.

On the other hand, the wives of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) also played a very important role in this issue.

We learn almost all of the issues that interest women from the wives of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), that is, from the mothers of the ummah.

In the face of the events that occurred, the wives of the Companions applied to the wives of the Prophet (pbuh) and they asked them about the issues that they were afraid to ask the Prophet (pbuh) directly, probably about private issues; thus, they resolved the issues.

The mothers of the ummah mainly conveyed the ummah the issues related to women but they also played an important role in conveying the explanations of many issues of Islam and belief to us.

- One of the most important reasons why prayer and some other deeds of worship are not given in detail in the Quran is to show that the duty of the Prophet (pbuh) is not only to convey the message but also to explain it.  

 “…We have sent down unto thee (also) the Message; that thou mayest explain clearly to men what is sent for them, and that they may give thought.” (an-Nahl, 16/44) This duty of explaining is indicated in the verse above.

- Thus, that the details of some issues, especially the deeds of worship, are not given in the Quran is an important lesson for some ignorant people who want to exclude the Prophet (pbuh).

Let those who regard the Prophet (pbuh) only as the mailman of the revelation hear and understand it.

The second issue:

- First of all, we should state that the life of the Prophet (pbuh) mentioned in the Quran does not include so many details – unlike what is thought.    

The information given in the Quran about the life of the Prophet is very little compared to information about the lives of the other prophets mentioned in the Torah, the Gospel and the Quran.

- Secondly, some of the reasons for the information given about the private life of the Prophet (pbuh) can be explained as follows:

a) First of all, some sections from the private life of the Prophet (pbuh) aim to educate the Bedouins who had just come from the Era of Jahiliyya. For instance, verses 1-4 of the chapter of al-Hujurat and verse 53 of al-Ahzab can be considered among them.

b) The most important issue that is criticized the most by the opposers of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), who was accepted as being at the peak of all nice traits like chastity, honesty, virtue and reliability, is his marriage.   

It does not comply with the consciousness of belief to say that the Prophet (pbuh), who cannot be thought of doing anything without the permission of Allah, married without His permission.  

However, the hypocrites (munafiqs), who did not believe really but pretended to believe, tried to influence some new Muslims with the rumors they spread.

Therefore, those issues are mentioned in the Quran and their reasons are explained. (see al-Ahzab, 50-52)

Hz. Muhammad (pbuh), the prophet of Islam, is a model for Muslims. Allah states the following in the Quran regarding the issue:

“Ye have indeed in the Messenger of Allah a beautiful pattern (of conduct) for any one whose hope is in Allah and the Final Day, and who engages much in the Praise of Allah.” 1

The Prophet (pbuh) tried not to waste in his family. For, wasting means spending unnecessarily and acting extravagantly; therefore, it has been forbidden by Allah. It is necessary to benefit from the boons given by Allah as much as one needs. According to the Prophet (pbuh), it is extravagance to overstep the limits and to act immoderately related to anything. Allah prohibits extravagance by saying, “…Eat and drink: But waste not by excess...”

The Prophet (pbuh) led a very plain life. He was engaged in trade when he was young and after marrying Hz. Khadija, and became rich. However, he never gave up his plain lifestyle. His clothes were plain and away from show off. He avoided wasting related to household goods. He did not buy anything that was unnecessary; he used only what was necessary. He also avoided wasting related to foods. His family never threw away bread that remained. They never wasted food and did not have many types of food at the table. The wedding of the Prophet’s daughter, Hz. Fatima, was very plain; they avoided luxury and extravagance.

Once, the Prophet (pbuh) saw a Companion wasting water while making wudu. He asked, “What is this extravagance?” Thereupon, the Companion asked, “Can there be extravagance in wudu?” The Prophet (pbuh) said, (asm): “Yes. Even if you make wudu near a river, it will regarded as israf (waste) if you spend too much water.”

The Prophet (pbuh) prohibited wasting with the following statement: “Eat, drink and wear clothes without conceit and extravagance and give sadaqah.” 2 This incident, which we find remarkable, gives us an idea that is enough to show how meticulous Islam is regarding the issue wasting:

Once, the Prophet visited Sa’d. He was making wudu. When the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) saw that he used too much water, he asked, “What is this extravagance?”  Sa’d asked, “Can there be extravagance in wudu?” The Prophet (pbuh) said, (asm): “Yes. Even if you make wudu near a river, it will regarded as israf (waste) if you spend too much water.” 3

It is both a natural and religious duty to take enough food in order to survive and work. When man fulfills his duties, he has to take enough food. Our religion does not approve of decreasing the intake of food and hence losing one’s power; it prohibits eating and drinking more than necessary.  (al-A’raf, 7/31)

Man should not fill his stomach to the brim but he should not go hungry in a way that will make him weak. The Prophet (pbuh) said,

“Man has not filled a container worse than his stomach. A few morsels that will enable him to stand upright are enough for him. When he eats, he should allocate one-third of his stomach to food, one-third to drinks and one-third to breathing.” 4

Thus, he attracts attention to the harm that eating too much will inflict.

Extravagance in Dressing

The clothes a person wears is related to his financial state. The Prophet indicates that Allah likes it when the signs of the boons He has given to a rich person is seen on him unless he feels conceited and shows off. The Prophet (pbuh) warned a rich person who entered into his presence with shabby clothes as follows: “Allah likes to see the traces of His boons on His slave.”5

When a person who is well off wears clean and nice clothes, it means he appreciates the boons he has. However, one should not waste and show off while trying to wear nice clothes. He should not throw away the clothes that can be worn thinking that they are out of fashion.

Waste of Time

One of the most valuable concepts for man is time. For, everything comes into being, exists, develops and disappears in time. Knowledge, wealth and many other values that have an important place in man’s life are gained in the course of time. Those who make use of time as it is necessary will attain peace both in the world and the hereafter.

It is very significant that the importance of time is emphasized in the Quran through a chapter: “By (the Token of) Time (through the ages), Verily Man is in loss...” (al-Asr, 103/1-2) This verse indicates the importance of time. The Prophet (pbuh) attracts attention to the importance of time and health by saying, “There are two blessings of whose value many people are unaware: They are health and free time.” 6

What can be more saddening than consuming the boon of life given by Allah wastefully and irresponsibly?

“No slave will be able to leave his place on the Day of Judgment before he is questioned about where he spent his life, what he did with his knowledge, how he earned his wealth and how he spent it, where he used his body and whether he acted in accordance with what he knew or not.” 7

With the hadith above, the Prophet (pbuh) pointed out the main issues that man would be called to account.

Footnotes:

1. al-Ahzab, 21.
2. Tirmidhi, Birr 41, .IV, .343.
3. Ibn Majah, Taharah, 48.
4. Tirmidhi, Zuhd, 47. .V, .590. With some different words, Ibn Majah, At'ima 50, II, 1111;  Ahmad, IV, 132.
5. Tirmidhi, Adab, 54, .V, .124.
6. Bukhari, Riqaq, 1, .VII, 170; Tirmidhi, Zuhd, 1, .V,.551.
7. Tirmidhi, Qiyamah, 1, .IV, .612.

It is not haram to eat with the left hand. However, a person who does so does not act in accordance with the manners of eating of the Prophet (pbuh) and is deprived of thawabs. Therefore, it is necessary to get used to eating with the right hand.

All states of the Prophet (pbuh) are wonderful. We sometimes see so much wisdom and mercy behind his states that seem contrary to mind when we search. The questions you ask can be evaluated based on the same criteria.

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) sees somebody eating with his left hand. He says,

"Eat with your right hand." The man says,

"I cannot eat with my right hand." The Messenger of Allah damns him by saying,

"You will not be able to raise it.” After that, the man could not raise his left hand. (Muslim, Ashriba: 107, no. 2021; Ibn Hibban, Sahih, 8:152; Qadi Iyad, ash-Shifa, 1:328-329; Ali al-Qari, Sharhush-Shifa, 1:666.)

A punishment for lying is in question here. For, the Prophet (pbuh) ordered that person by saying, “Eat with your right hand”. That person said, “I cannot eat with my right hand” though he could. There are several wise and compassionate outcomes of the Prophet’s statement, “You will not be able to raise it” against this disrespectful and dishonest attitude:

1. Telling a lie is not a good thing and it causes man to be punished.  

2. That the person is punished in this world instead of the hereafter is actually a prayer for him, not damnation.

“Allah is clean and loves cleaning.” (Muslim, Iman:147) When the Prophet (pbuh) advises believers to try to be clean in all aspects, he also points out that it is also a mirror for Allah’s name “al-Jamil (the Most Beautiful)”.

A believer keeps pace with the universe and acts in accordance with the law of creation as long as he pays attention to cleanliness both spiritually and ethically. The law of cleanliness is valid and functions all the time. It is quite natural for man to act in accordance with this law, which is valid and functions all the time. A law of complete cleanliness is dominant in the universe from flies to elephants and from flowers to stars. Everything is naturally clean unless humans intervene.

Man, whose heart, spirit, feelings and faculties are cleaned with the light of belief and are purified from sins and doubts, will naturally keep his body clean, having both inner and outer cleanliness. Thus, he will act in accordance with his belief and reflect Allah Almighty’s names al-Quddus (the Absolutely Pure), al-Jamil (the Most Beautiful) and an-Nazif (the Cleanest) in his life.

Is it possible for a person who pays attention to spiritual cleanliness to ignore the cleanliness of his body and clothes? The Prophet (pbuh) and the fortunate people who followed him paid great attention to cleanliness. Therefore, they are clean and pure. They were clean in all aspects.

The Prophet (pbuh) usually put on white clothes and paid attention to his appearance including his hair and beard. He gave great importance to having a bath, which is a large part of bodily cleanliness. His blessed body always smelled nice but he always put on perfume; he had a bath at least once a week; he always advised people to take a bath.   

When we look at the hadiths of the Prophet (pbuh) about having a bath, we see the following:

Abu Hurayra narrates. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said,  

“It is Allah's right on every Muslim that he should take a bath (at least) once in seven days.” (Bukhari, al-Jumua, 12)

The version of the hadith reported by Jabir bin Abdullah is as follows:

“It is necessary for a Muslim to have a bath once a week. That day is Friday.” (Nasai, al-Jumua, 8; Kanzul-Ummal, h. no: 21277, 21236)

According to a narration from Samura, the Prophet (pbuh) said,

“A person who makes wudu on Friday does a good deed but it is more virtuous and rewarding to make ghusl.” (Abu Dawud, Taharah 130, (354); Tirmidhi, Salah 357, (497); Nasai, Jumua 9)

Those hadiths advise us to clean our body at least once a week and to prefer Friday for it. Acting upon those hadiths, some scholars regard making ghusl on Friday wajib and others regard it sunnah muakkadah but it is a mandub deed of worship. This ghusl is not related to the ghusl that is fard. When it becomes necessary for a person to make ghusl, it is fard for him to make ghusl without delaying it very much. There is no certain time or day for it.

There are many wisdoms behind making ghusl on Friday and it gains man a lot of thawabs. However, those hadiths do not indicate that it is makruh to make ghusl on the other days of the week. In fact, if it is possible, it is better to have a bath every day, if not possible once in two or three days. If that is not possible, one should make wudu at least once a week. It contains important benefits for the health and ease of the body.

There are different views about wearing rings. According to Hanafi madhhab, silver ring is mubah (permissible) for both men and women. It is haram to wear rings made of bronze, iron, etc. (1) According to Shafii madhhab, it is sunnah to wear a silver ring because the Prophet (pbuh) wore a silver ring. The following is reported from Anas: The Prophet (pbuh) wanted to send letters to the Persian, Byzantine and Abyssinian kings. They said to the Prophet (pbuh), "They do not accept letters without seals." Thereupon, the Prophet (pbuh) had a silver ring made. The following words were engraved on it: "Allah's Messenger Muhammad". (2)

The following is stated in a narration from Abdullah ibn Umar: "The Messenger of Allah had a silver ring and wore it." (Abu Dawud, Khatam 4; Tirmidhi, Libas 43) Besides, the Companions also had silver rings.

The Rightly-Guided Caliphs also had silver rings. The inscription on Hz. Abu Bakr’s ring was "Ni'mal Qadiru Allahu" (Allah is such a nice powerful one): the inscription on Hz. Umar’s ring was "Kafa bil mawti waizan" (Death is enough as a preacher): inscription on Hz. Uthman was "La ta'tabirunna aw latandamunna" (You will either take lessons or regret): the inscription on Hz. Ali was "Al-Mulku lillah" (Everything belongs to Allah).

It is not sunnah to wear a bronze and lead ring. (Mughnil-Muhtaj, I/309)

Footnotes:

1 al-Durr al-Muhtar Vol. 5, p. 229
2 Muslim

(Halil Günenç, Günümüz Meselelerine Fetvalar, 1/130-131)

SILVER

It is permissible by consensus for men to wear silver rings. Abdullah Ibn Umar said, ‘The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) had a silver ring made.’  He wore it. Then, it was transferred to Abu Bakr, then to Umar and them to Uthman. It fell into the Well of Aris during the caliphate of Uthman. Muhammadurrasulullah was written on it (Muslim, Libas, 54).

Ibn Umar also said, ‘The Prophet had a golden ring made. Then, he left it. After that, he had a silver ring made and had “Muhammadurrasulullah” engraved on it. He said, ‘No one should engrave anything like the engraving of this signet ring of mine.’ When he wore it, he would keep its stone towards the inside of his palm. That was ring that fell down from the hands of Mu'ayqib into the well of Aris. (Muslim, Libas, 55).

The Prophet used his silver ring also as a seal. Anas b. Malik narrates: The Prophet (pbuh) wanted to send letters to the Persian, Byzantine and Abyssinian kings to call them to believe. They said to the Prophet (pbuh), "They do not accept letters without seals." Thereupon, the Prophet (pbuh) had a silver ring made. He had "Muhammadurrasulullah" engraved on it. (Muslim, Libas, 58)

Scholars say the stone of the ring of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) was from onyx or eye bead. (Both of them are extracted in Abyssinia and Yemen). He sometimes wore a ring with a black stone. Besides, the Prophet sometimes wore the ring on the little finger of his right hand and sometimes left hand. When he wore it, he would keep its stone towards the inside of his palm. Anas b. Malik narrates: The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) wore a silver ring on his right hand. There was a stone from Abyssinia on it. He would keep its stone towards the inside of his palm (Muslim, Libas, 62). In another narration, he pointed to the little finger of his left hand and said, “The ring of the Prophet (pbuh) was on this finger." (Muslim, Libas, 63)

There are views stating that it is makruh to wear rings on some fingers but they can be worn on any fingers of either hands. However, it is Sunnah to wear it on the little finger. (Ibn Abidin, Raddul-Muhtar, Ist. 1233, V, 316; Kamil Miras, Tajrid Translation, XII, 108).

Khattabi says wearing a silver ring is a principle belonging to men and hence it is makruh for women; however, Nawawi does not accept it says, "What Khattabi says is weak and wrong; it is not true; what is true is that it is not makruh for women to wear silver rings." (Davudoğlu, Sahih-i Müslim Tercüme ve Şerhi, IX, 457)

The explanation in fiqh books regarding the issue is generally as follows: It is permissible for women and men to wear silver rings. It is sunnah for qadis, sultans and other people that need it. (In the past, rings were used as seals.) It is more virtuous for those who do not need it not to wear it. It is sunnah for the ring to weigh one mithqal or less and it is sunnah for men to keep the stone toward the inside of the palm. Women do not do like that because rings are adornment for them, but not for men. It is permissible to have onyx, ruby and other precious gems as the stone of the ring and to have one’s name or Allah's name inscribed on it. However, if Allah's name is inscribed on the ring, it is necessary to remove it or to wear it on the right hand while going to the toilet. (see Abdullah b. Mahmud, al-Ikhtiyar, IV,159; see Davudoğlu, ibid, IX, 457, quoted from Ayni)

The Rightly-Guided Caliphs also had silver rings. They had the following inscriptions on them: Hz. Abu Bakr: Allah is such a nice powerful one: Hz. Umar: Death is enough as a preacher. Hz. Uthman: You will either show patience in the face of misfortunes or regret. Hz. Ali: Everything belongs to Allah.

Imam Abu Hanifa: Speak good or keep silent. Imam Abu Yusuf: He who acts based on his feelings will regret. Imam Muhammad: He who shows patience attains victory. (see Kâmil Miras, Tecrîd-i Sarîh Tercemesi ve Şerhi, IV,288).

Abdulkerim ÜNALAN

It is sunnah to sit by bending the knees or by sitting on the left leg while the right leg is upright and bent from the knee while eating. (see Ibn Hajar, Fathul-Bari, Sharhu Sahihi Bukhari, 9/446)

According to the classification in terms of the structural feature of the sunnah, the sunnah consists of three types: the statements (qawl) of the Prophet (pbuh), his deeds (fi’l) and his approval/consent (taqrir). It is accepted that sunnah taqriri, which means the attitude of the Messenger of Allah interpreted as approval though he saw and heard something, shows that the deed in question is not forbidden at least and that the commands and prohibitions in the verbal sunnah are binding in principle like the ones in the Quran.

The sunnah prayers that are performed before and after Friday prayers and five daily prayers are called “sunan ratiba / sunan rawatib” (sunnahs performed regularly). 

Makhul b. Abu Muslim, who is a fiqh scholar of Tabiun divided sunnah into two as sunnah that is regarded as guidance (huda: following the true path) to perform and as aberration to abandon, and sunnah that is regarded as good (hasan) to perform and that is not objectionable to abandon. According to Hanafi methodologists who adopt this classification and call the former “sunnatul-huda”, the latter “sunnatuz-zawaid”, deeds such as eid prayers, adhan, iqamah and prayer in congregation are examples of the first type. The sunnahs that are related to deeds of worship but that are not at the level of the sunnahs of the first type and the human deeds of the Prophet (pbuh) that do not have religious significance are examples of the second type.

According to another classification by Hanafis, the deeds that the Prophet (pbuh) constantly did and rarely abandoned just to show that they are not binding are called sunnah muakkadah like rinsing the mouth and nose while making wudu, and performing two rak’ahs before the fard of the morning prayer (fajr). He who performs those sunnahs deserve thawabs; he who abandons them does not deserve punishment but deserves to be blamed or rebuked.    

The deeds that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) sometimes did and sometimes abandoned are called sunnah ghayr muakkadah, nafilah or mustahab. Prayers of four rak’ahs performed before the afternoon prayer (asr) and night prayer (isha), fasting performed on Monday and Thursday are examples of that type. He who performs those sunnahs deserves thawabs but he who does not perform them does not deserve to be blamed or rebuked. [Zekiyyüddin Şa‘bân, İslâm Hukuk İlminin Esasları (transl. İbrahim Kâfi Dönmez), Ankara 2003, pp. 245-246]. 

According to another classification, sunnah is divided into two as ayni and kifai just like in wajib (fard). When a person or a group of people performs the deeds that are defined as sunnatul-ayn, the responsibility of the other part of the society to perform those deeds will not be lifted. Suunahs are generally ayni. If a deed that is sunnatul-kifaya is performed by a person or a group, the other people are not demanded to perform them. For instance, some people’s calling adhan and iqamah in a town is an example of that type of sunnah. (Badraddin az-Zarkashi, al-Bahrul-Muhit (published by Abdulqadir Abdullah al-Ani), Kuwait 1413/1992, I, 291-292)

(Diyanet İslam Ansiklopedisi, Sünnet Item.)

Natural Sticks or Chewing Sticks

Chewing sticks obtained from various trees in various parts of the world are used for cleaning the mouth with their local names. It is said that Babylonians used the chewing sticks for the first time. It was later used by Greeks, Romans, Jews, Egyptians and Muslims.

The main source of chewing sticks in the Middle East countries is Arak tree (Salvadora Persica). In West Africa, chewing sticks are obtained from lemon (citrus aurantafolia) and orange (citrus sinensis) trees; in America, they are obtained from the roots of senna (cassia sieberianba). The tree called laburnum (cassia sieberianba) is also used in some regions (Sierra Leone).

The chewing sticks obtained from Arak tree and known as miswak are used. Arak or Salvadora persica is also called tooth brush tree. Misvak is called the natural tooth-brush in English. The top parts of the sticks of 12 to 15 cm are peeled and these parts are put into water. After being left in the water for a few hours, they are removed and they are chewed until they are transformed into fibers. When they become like brush bristles, they are ready to use. Due to this process, they are mistakenly called chewing sticks. Actually, this term is wrong because miswak is used like a brush; it is not chewed.  

In terms of the religion of Islam, miswak is a sunnah of wudu according to Hanafi madhhab and a sunnah of prayer according to Shafii madhhab. It gains man thawabs when it is used. According to the religion of Islam, miswak has many physiological benefits besides dental health.

Dental Benefits of Miswak:

It strengthens the gums, removes the plaques effectively, whitens the teeth, prevents decaying, cleans and whitens the teeth, removes bad smell and eliminates toothache.

Physiological Benefits

It improves the sense of taste, strengthens the mind and intelligence, helps digestion, strengthens the sight, is beneficial to the whole body; it brightens the faces of those who use it constantly.

The benefit of miswak scientifically is explained in three ways:

The mechanical effect of fibrils is explained by the effect of the chemical substances secreted from miswak and the combination of these two.

Miswak is used like holding a pencil or a brush. It is applied longer than a brush (five to ten minutes). As it is used with up and down movements, the facial parts of the teeth are cleaned better.

It is reported in the chemical analysis of miswak that it includes substances that are useful to oral health like trimethylamine, salvadorine, chloride, fluoride, silica, sulfur, vitamin C, saponins, tannins, flavonoids and sterols.

The results of some studies

Gazi et al reported that plaque accumulation decreased effectively when miswak was used five times a day. Darout et al reported that there were some antimicrobial anionic compounds such as chloride, sulfate, thiocyanate and nitrate in miswak (aqueous extracts).

Elvin-Lewis attributes the antimicrobial effect of miswak its containing saliva peroxidase.

It was reported that streptococcus mutans decreased in saliva samples of those who used miswak more than those who used brushes. It was also reported that miswak decreased the saliva pH due to the chlorite it contains.

These sticks (miswak rods) clean the plaque forming on the teeth mechanically and by entering into chemical reactions with the substances forming the plaque. It is understood that these sticks contain fluoride, silicon, alkaloids, volatile vegetable oils, resins, chewing gum, tannins and anthraquinones that whiten and protect the teeth, and that they improve swelling and bleeding by stimulating gums, along with cleaning the teeth.

The World Health Organization adopted and recommended miswak as an alternative to toothbrush for oral hygiene practices in 1987.

Reference:

1. Wu CD, Darout IA, Skaug N: Chewing sticks: timeless natural toothbrushes for oral cleansing. J Periodont Res 2001; 36: 275-284.
2. Almas K.. The Effect of Salvadora Persica Extract (Miswak) and Chlorhexidine Gluconate on Human Dentin: A SEM Study. J Contemp Dent Pract 2002 August;(3)3: 027-035.
3. Almas K, Al-Zeid Z. The Immediate Antimicrobial Effect of a Toothbrush and Miswak on Cariogenic Bacteria: A Clinical Study J Contemp Dent Pract 2004 February;(5)1:105-114.
4. Darout IA, Albandar JM, Skaug N, Ali RW. Salivary microbiota levels in relation to periodontal status, experience of caries and miswak use in Sudanese adults. J Clin Periodontol 2002; 29: 411–420
5. Darout IA, Albandar JM, Skaug N. Periodontal status of adult Sudanese habitual users of miswak chewing sticks or toothbrushes. Acta Odontol Scand 2000;58:25-30.
6. Tubaishat RS, Darby ML, Bauman DB, Box CE. Use of miswak versus toothbrushes: oral health beliefs and behaviours among a sample of Jordanian adults Int J Dent Hygiene 3, 2005; 126–136
7. Al.lafi T, Abahneh H. The effect of the extract of the Misvak (chewing sticks) used in Jordan and the Middle East on oral bacteria. International Dental Journal 1995; 45: 218-222.
8. Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended and encouraged the use of these sticks as an effective tool for oral hygiene.

"The high qualities, mercy, love and compassion of the Prophet (pbuh) embraced all children, including the children of non-Muslims. He took care of children with his vast modesty at every opportunity, joked around with them, greeted them and asked them about their health when he saw them. He tolerated their mistakes and visited them when they became ill. Similarly, the children of non-Muslims also received their share from the Prophet's compassion. The Prophet prohibited killing children in wars and separating the children from their mothers in captivity; he also visited the children of non-Muslims when they got ill.

We can learn from the hadiths that include the issues the Prophet were interested in related to the children in his family and what a Muslim family should do when they have a baby. The Prophet's care for the children of his relatives started with their birth. He would call adhan into the ears of the newborn children and give them names. He would change their names if they had been given bad names. When Hasan, his grandchild, was born, he called adhan into his ears. He told a Companion about naming his son Ibrahim, who was born the night before, as follows the next day:

"I had a child last night. I gave him the name of my ancestor, Ibrahim." (As it is known, Hz. Muhammed is a descendant of Hz. Ibrahim.)"

"The Prophet entertained his grandsons by carrying them on his back or holding them in his arms. When the Prophet led prayers in the mosque, his grandsons were sometimes on his shoulders or on his back. Once, the Prophet was distributing zakah and holding Hasan in his arms. When he finished distributing zakah, he placed him on his shoulders."

"The Prophet (pbuh) took care of the material and spiritual education of his grandsons and guided them to ensure their happiness in the world and the hereafter. It is seen the Prophet laid emphasis on prayer and asceticism when he educated his grandsons. When he left home to go to the mosque for the morning prayer (fajr), he would stop by Hz. Fatima’s house and awaken them for the morning prayer."

THE VALUE ISLAM GIVES TO CHILDREN

The Prophet Muhammed (pbuh), who was sent as a prophet to a community in which little girls were buried alive (1), ordered people to treat girls and boys equally and to love them. Man was created in "ahsan taqwim" (the best of molds) according to Islam (2) and is regarded as the most honorable creature (3).  It is natural that a child, who is a little human being, will have those qualities. As a matter of fact, it is possible to see statements that mention the value of children in both the Quran and hadiths.

Islam states that children are allurements of the life of this world as the Quran puts it (4) while the Prophet states that a righteous child is a source of good deeds for a person after his death (5). It shows the place and value of children in Islam that the Quran mentions children and decrees related to children in many verses and that Hz. Umar allocated 100 dirhams a month to children until they reached the age of puberty (6).

1. The Value of Children in the Verses of the Quran

The Quran states that mothers and fathers nurture a love and compassion that are inherent in their nature to their children. This is understood from the fact that the phrase "qurratu ayn (apple of the eye)" is used instead of the word child in some verses (7) and from the verses in which the crying and agonies of Hz. Yaqub (Jacob) causing him to be blind due to his compassion and longing toward his son Yusuf (Joseph) (8).

The verses that mention the state of the mother of Hz. Musa (Moses), who had to be put in the River Nile when he was a baby (9), are impressive expressions showing the deep love and compassion of a mother toward her child.

The existence of children in the life of the hereafter and Paradise, where all kinds of beauties come together, is mentioned. The Quran mentions children of Paradise who are likened to "scattered pearls" in three different chapters. 10

It is mentioned in the Quran that children are shown to be cute to people (11) but believers are warned to be careful and they are ordered not to be diverted from the remembrance of Allah by their wealth and children (12).  It is stated in a verse that riches and children are a trial and that the highest reward is in the presence of Allah. (13)

The number of the verses that mention children directly in the Quran is 297. However, the number of the verses that are related to children in various aspects is 342. (14) On the other hand, the word "Rabb", which is derived from the word tarbiya (education), is the word that is mentioned the most in the Quran after the word Allah (15); it is mentioned 965 times (16).

When the Quran is viewed related to our topic, it will be seen that the way a father addresses his son in the relationship between a father and a son is always in the form of "bunayya (my dear little son)" (17), which is an expression of compassion and mercy.

"Behold, Luqman said to his son by way of instruction: "O my son! Join not in worship (others) with Allah: for false worship is indeed the highest wrong-doing… O my son!" (said Luqman), "If there be (but) the weight of a mustard-seed and it were (hidden) in a rock, or (anywhere) in the heavens or on earth, Allah will bring it forth: for Allah understands the finest mysteries, (and) is well-acquainted (with them). "O my son! Establish regular prayer, enjoin what is just, and forbid what is wrong: and bear with patient constancy whatever betide thee; for this is firmness (of purpose) in (the conduct of) affairs." (Luqman, 31/ 13, 16, 17)

It is remarkable that this way of address, which is not seen in the other holy books (the Torah, the Gospel), is included in many verses of the Quran. In fact, we think that informing people about those expressions full of love and compassion in the relationship between the son and the father through the verses of the Quran is enough to show the importance Islam gives to children.

2. The Value of Children in the Sunnah of the Prophet 

Hz. Muhammad (pbuh), “who was sent as a mercy for all creatures” (18), abolished the discrimination between boys and girls first and ordered people to treat children equally. (19) He also prohibited people from damning children (20). He said,

"He who does not show compassion to children is not one of us." (21)

Thus, he persuaded people to show love and compassion to children through spiritual sanctions and became successful. The role of the love and care the Prophet showed to children in his own life is great in this achievement. It will be appropriate to give examples from his compassion and mercy toward children here.

Hz. Anas, who describes the Prophet (pbuh) as "the most compassionate person toward his children and family" states the following:

"I have never seen anyone more kind to one's family than the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). His son Ibrahim had a foster mother in the suburb of Madinah. Her husband was an ironsmith. He used to go there and we accompanied him to see the child. When he entered the house, which was filled with smoke, he would hold his son Ibrahim in his arms, smell and kiss him. He would return after a while." (22)

The following is narrated in a hadith related to the moment of death of Ibrahim, who died when he still suckled: The Prophet cuddled and kissed his son, who was about to die, and started to shed tears. When Abdurrahman b. Awf, who saw this, said, "O Messenger of Allah! Are you weeping too?", he said,

"This weeping is due to mercy. The eyes are shedding tears and the heart is grieved, but we will not say except what pleases our Lord. O Ibrahim! Indeed, we are grieved by your separation."

(23) In a similar incident, when the Prophet saw a child who was about to die, he could not help weeping. When those who saw him asked, "O Messenger of Allah! What is this?", he said,

"This is mercy Allah placed in the hearts of His slaves. Allah shows mercy only to His slaves who are merciful." (24)

When a Bedouin saw the Prophet (pbuh) kiss children found it odd, he said, "You kiss children! We never kiss them." Thereupon, the Prophet said,

"I cannot put mercy in your heart after Allah has taken it away from it." (25)

Thus, he stated that mercy will not exist in a heart that is deprived of love of children.

We can see many more examples related to the compassion and mercy of the Prophet (pbuh) toward children in hadith books; we can see various aspects of his love toward children. The Prophet sometimes cuddled and kissed his grandsons Hz. Hasan and Hz. Husayn and prayed for them (26); he showed this love and compassion to other children too. Usama b. Zayd, who spent most of his childhood with the grandsons of the Prophet and who became the commander of the Islamic army afterwards, narrates the following: The Prophet (pbuh) placed me on one of his knees and Hasan on his other knee; he hugged us and said,

"O Lord! Show mercy to them because I show mercy to them." (27)

Yusuf b. Abdullah said, "The Prophet made me sit on his lap, caressed my head and named me Yusuf." (28) The following hadith is more interesting. Hz. Anas narrates:

"A young Jew became ill. The Prophet (pbuh) went to visit him. He sat down by his head and said to him, 'Accept Islam! Thereupon, he looked at his father who was beside him; his father said, 'Obey Abul-Qasım’. The boy accepted Islam. The Prophet said, 'Praise be to Allah Who has saved him through me from Hell.' (29)

The Prophet (pbuh), who ordered people to treat to children and to improve their education (30), practiced in his own life what he ordered others. "He gave the first fresh fruit of the year to the youngest child in his presence" (31). He joked around with children and asked them how they were when he met them. He carried sometimes his own grandsons (32) and sometimes other children (33) on his shoulder; it is remarkable that he sometimes made jokes with them. The Companion called Mahmud b. Rabi' narrates that the Prophet took some water from a bucket and threw it on his face when he was five years old and that his face never got old though years passed. (34) Hz. Anas states the following: "The Messenger of Allah used to joke around with us; he would ask my little brother, ’O Abu Umayr! What happened to your little bird?'" (35)

The following incident is also a very good example showing the tolerance of the Prophet toward children: The Prophet (pbuh) accepted that "a child’s naughtiness when he is young is a sign showing that he will be very clever when he grows up." (36) He ordered people not to intervene in the children who misbehave at once. (37) Once, a Companion in Madinah caught Rafi’ b. Amr, who was a young boy, throwing stones at his date-palm trees and took him to the Prophet. The Prophet asked him, "'O my son! Why are you throwing stones at the date-palm trees?" Rafi' said, "I was hungry. I threw stones to eat dates." The Prophet said, "Do not throw stones at the date-palm trees again. Eat from what falls to the ground." Then, he patted Rafi’ on the head and said, "O Allah! Give him enough to eat." (38)

On the other hand, it is reported in narrations that the Prophet entered the mosque carrying Umama, his granddaughter, on his back, that he performed the prayer like that, that he put her on the floor when he bowed down and picked her up again when he stood up (39), that Hasan and Husayn climbed on him when he was in prostration, that he lengthened the prostration so that they would not fall (40), that he held them with his hand when he stood up so that they would not fall (41), that he descended from the pulpit when he was delivering a sermon and hugged Hasan, his grandson, (42) and that took him on the pulpit. The Prophet, who appreciated a mother’s compassion toward her child, said,  

"I sometimes start a prayer with the intention of performing it long but when I hear a baby crying, I shorten the prayer so that the baby will not disturb her mother." (43)

Khushu (awe) is ordered by the verses (44) and the Prophet made several warnings so that the people would perform prayers in khushu and they would not be busy with doing anything else in prayer. (45) However, the narrations mentioning the Prophet’s being busy with children in prayer express the limitlessness of tolerance and understanding related to children. Besides, that he accepted the allegiance of the children who had not reached the age of puberty yet like Hasan, Husayn, Abdullah b. Abbas, Abdullah b. Jafar and Abdullah b. Zubayr (46) is another example showing the importance he gives to children.

Footnotes:

1- "When news is brought to one of them, of (the birth of) a female (child), his face darkens, and he is filled with inward grief! With shame does he hide himself from his people, because of the bad news he has had! Shall he retain it on (sufferance and) contempt, or bury it in the dust? Ah! What an evil (choice) they decide on?" (an-Nahl, 16/58, 59)

2- " We have indeed created man in the best of molds." (at-Tin, 95/4.)

3- " We have honored the sons of Adam; provided them with transport on land and sea; given them for sustenance things good and pure; and conferred on them special favors, above a great part of our creation." (al-Isra, 17/70.)

4- al-Kahf, 18/46.

5- Musnad, V, 269.

6- San'ani, Musannaf, V.311.

7- al-Furqan, 25/4; al-Qasas, 28/9

8- Yusuf, 12/84-86.

9- Taha, 20/40; al-Qasas, 28/10-11.

10- al-Insan, 76/19; al-Waqia, 56/17; at-Tur, 52/24.

11- Aal-i Imran,3/14.

12- al-Munafiqun, 63/9.

13- at-Taghabun, 64/15.  The word "fitnah" in this verse means testing and trial according to Ibn Kathir. A slave is tested through them and it becomes known whether he obeys or disobeys Allah. see Ibn Kathir, Tafsiru Quranil-Azim, Cairo, IV, 376.

14- For detailed information, see Canan, Allahın Çocuklara Bahşettiği Haklar, p. 17-20.

15- M. Fuad Abdulbaqi, Mu'jamul-Mufahras. Ist. nd, "Rabb " item.

16- Nevzat Ayasbeyoğlu, İslâmiyetin Eğitime Getirdiği Değerler, Ist. 1968, p.16.

17- In all of those verses, the word "bunayya" is used; it means "my dear little son". The verses showing the types of addressing between the father and the son used in the Quran are as follows: " So the Ark floated with them on the waves (towering) like mountains, and Noah called out to his son, who had separated himself (from the rest): "O my son! Embark with us, and be not with the unbelievers!" (Hud, 11/42). His father (Hz. Ya'qub) said to his son (Hz. Yusuf): "My (dear) little son! Relate not thy vision to thy brothers, lest they concoct a plot against thee: for Satan is to man an avowed enemy." (Yusuf, 12/5)

18- "(O Muhammad!) We sent thee not, but as a Mercy for all creatures." Al-Anbiya, 21/107.

19- Muslim, Hibat, 13.

20- Muslim, Birr, 87.

21- Al-Hakim, Mustadrak alas-Sahihayn, Beirut, nd. I, 62.

22- Bukhari, Adab, 18; Muslim, Fadail, 63; al-Hakim, Mustadrak alas-Sahihayn, IW, 40.

23- Bukhari, Janaiz, 44.

24- Zabidi, Tajrid Sarih, IW, 376.

25- Bukhari, Adab, 18; Muslim, Fadail, 65.

26- Tirmidhi, Manaqib, 31.

27- Bukhari, Adab, 22.

28- Al-Juam, Fadlullahis-Samad fi Tawdihil-Adabil-Mufrad, Cairo, 13 88,1,461.

29- Abu Dawud, Janaiz, 5. Bukhari, Janaiz, 79.

30- Ibn Majah, Adab, 3.

31- Muwatta', Madinah, 2; Haythami, Majmauz-Zawaid, Beirut, 1967, W, 39.

32- Tirmidhi, Manaqib, 50.

33- Al-Hakim, Mustadrak alas-Sahihayn, m, 555-56.

34- Bukhari, Ilm, 18, Daawat, 31.

35- Bukhari, Adab, 81; Ibn Majah, Adab, 24.

36- Munawi, IW,310.

37- The pedagogues of today regard being very well-behaved and quiet as a disorder for children. see Jacquin, p. 38.

38- Ibn Majah, Tijarat, 67.

39- Bukhari, Salah, 106; Muwatta, Safar, 81.

40- Haythami, ibid, 182.

41- Muslim, Masajid, 42.

42- Bukhari, Fitan, 20; Tirmidhi, Manaqib, 31.

43- Bukhari, Adhan, 65.

44- al-Mu'minun, 23/l-2.

45- Bukhari, Adhan, 88; Ibn Majah, Iqamah, 68.

46- Haythami, VI, 40., IX, 285.

(Prof. Dr. M. Emin Ay, Çocuklarımıza Allahı Nasıl Anlatalım)

Answer 1:

The following information exists in some fiqh books: “After using the miswak, one should wash it. Otherwise, Satan will use the miswak.” However, we could not find any explanation showing that this is a hadith narration in the places where this information is included. (see Ibn Abidin, Durrul-Muhtar, Taharah Section)

In addition, in the hadith sources that we checked, we could not find a hadith narration meaning, “After using the miswak, one should wash it. Otherwise, Satan will use the miswak.”

It is good in terms of health to wash a miswak or a toothbrush after using it. However, there is no harm in washing it later or washing it when it will be used again.

What matters is that the miswak and toothbrushes used in dental and oral health should be clean, be kept clean and protected from things that will harm our health. It is necessary to take care to do what is necessary for it.

Thus, attention is paid to oral hygiene, which is important both in terms of health and in terms of worship and reward.

Answer 2:

Although it is known that miswak has been used since ancient times in the regions where it grows, its use has gained prevalence and continuity as a religious duty with the advent of Islam, and Muslim medical and botanical scholars have included information on the characteristics of miswak tree in their works.

According to Hanafi, Shafii, Maliki and Hanbali madhhabs, it is sunnah (mustahab, mandub) to clean the teeth with a miswak.

Although it is written in some sources that it is fard to use miswak according to, Dawud az-Zahiri and Ishaq b. Rahuya and that using miswak is wajib (fard) and Ishaq b. Rahuya said a prayer performed without a miswak would not be valid, and on the other hand, Dawud az-Zahiri did not consider that not using miswak would prevent the validity of the prayer (Mawardi, I, 83; Ibn Qudama, I, 133; Abu Shama al-Maqdisi, p. 50; Badruddin al-Ayni, V, 262), it is understood that this report is not true. (Nawawi, I, 271; Shawkani, I, 124)

As a matter of fact, Ibn Hazm, one of the Zahiri scholars, states that miswak is mustahab. (al-Muhalla, II, 218, 219)

It is understood from the hadith narrated by many Companions stating, “If I did not want to cause difficulties for my (ummah) believers, I would order them to use miswak in every prayer” (Bukhari, Jumua, 8; Muslim, Taharah, 42; Abu Dawud, Taharah, 25) that the Messenger of Allah did not give a definite order; therefore, using miswak is not regarded as wajib, but sunnah.

However, due to the constant practice and insistent advice of our Prophet (pbuh), our scholars agree unanimously that miswak is considered a sunnah muakkadah, though not wajib. As a matter of fact, it is stated in another narration that when some of the Companions entered into the presence of the Messenger of Allah without using the miswak, he said to them:

“You come to me with yellowed teeth. Use miswak. If I did not want to cause difficulties for my ummah, I would render to use miswak in every prayer fard just as I rendered it fard for them to make wudu in every prayer.”  (Musnad, I, 214; III, 442; Hakim, I, 146)

Some other hadiths that emphasize the importance of miswak:

The Prophet (pbuh) said,
- “I received so many orders about miswak that I thought a verse would be revealed in the Quran about it.” (Musnad, I, 237, 307)
- In the hadith, in which he states that ten things are of fitrah (human nature), he mentions using miswak among the issues that are generally related to cleanliness. (Muslim, Taharah, 56; Abu Dawud, Taharah, 29)
- He states that the sense of modesty, wearing perfume, marriage and using miswak are regarded among the sunnahs of the previous prophets (Musnad, V, 421; Tirmidhi, “Nikah”, 1);
- When Aisha (ra) was asked what the first thing the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) did when he came home, she said that he cleaned his teeth with a miswak. Muslim, Taharah, 43-44; Abu Dawud, Taharah, 27)

The miswak is specifically requested to be used in certain situations:

The Prophet (pbuh) said,

- A prayer performed using the miswak is more virtuous than seventy prayers without the miswak. (Musnad, VI, 272; Hakim, I, 146) Therefore, it is sunnah muakkadah to use miswak before every prayer.
- “If I did not want to cause difficulties for my ummah, I would order them to use miswak in every prayer.” (Musnad, II, 460, 517) Therefore, it is sunnah muakkadah to use miswak in every wudu.
- The Prophet used a miswak every time he woke up at night. (Bukhari, Wudu, 73; Muslim, Taharah, 46-48) Based on this narration, it is sunnah muakkadah to use miswak when one wakes up.
- “Your mouths are the way of the Quran; clean them with miswak” (Ibn Majah, Taharah, 7) Therefore, it is sunnah muakkadah to use miswak while reading the Quran.
- Miswak cleans the mouth and pleases Allah; Jibril recommended miswak every time he came. (Musnad, VI, 47, 62, 124, 238; Ibn Majah, Taharah, 7) Therefore, it is sunnah muakkadah to use miswak after eating food that makes the mouth smell and during hunger.

Based on the expressions in the hadiths, the four madhhabs agree that it is sunnah to use the miswak while making wudu, but Hanafis, Malikis and, according to one view, Shafiis consider it a sunnah of wudu, while Hanbalis and, according to the stronger view, Shafiis consider it a separate sunnah other than wudu. Accordingly, miswak is used after bismillah according to the first view and before bismillah according to the other.

Some scholars also state that use of miswak is sunnah in every fard, wajib or supererogatory (nafilah) prayer, but some scholars say that if it is used in the fard prayer, it is not necessary to use it in the sunnah prayers while others say that if it is used in wudu, it is not necessary to use miswak in prayer; and some others say that miswak can be used if there is a long time period between the wudu and the prayer.

According to the majority of fiqh scholars, based on the practice of the Prophet and the absolute expression of the related hadiths, the decree on using the miswak is the same for the fasting person. On the other hand, according to a narration, Ahmad b. Hanbal, Shafii and some other scholars say that it is makruh for a fasting person to use a miswak after the noon prayer or after the afternoon prayer and according to Imam Malik it is makruh for a fasting person to use a wet miswak.

Acting upon the hadith that the first thing the Messenger of Allah did when he came home was to clean his teeth with a miswak, Qadi Iyad states that the Messenger of Allah used miswak frequently, that he did not regard it enough to use it only once during the day and night, and that it was understood from his practices that it was necessary to use the miswak at home, not in places where people came together. Abu Shama includes this interpretation to support his opinion that it is not pleasant for some people to bring miswak to the mosque and use it every time they pray. (as-Siwaq, p. 72)

In works related to education and good manners, attention is drawn to the following:

- On the one hand, it is important to use miswak within the framework of taking care of cleanliness (Abdulhayy al-Kattani, II, 402-403)
- On the other hand, it is not appropriate for a person to clean his teeth with a toothpick in public (Ghazzali, p. 311)

Fiqh scholars
- consider it more virtuous to use the miswak made from the Arak tree, but they state that it is permissible to use tooth cleaning tools made from other things such as herbs
- and that fingers can be used for this purpose as it is mentioned in some hadiths.   (see Ibn Qudama, I, 138; Badruddin al-Ayni, V, 263; Diyanet İslam Ansiklopedisi, Misvak item)

- The Qur'an is sufficient because the Qur'an also commands us to follow the sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

That is, the hadiths that convey the Sunnah to us are also under the protection of the Qur'an; they interpret it.

- We do not know any verse in the Qur'an that says, “the Qur'an is sufficient.”

If there is a verse that seems suitable for this question, it is the 51st verse of al- Ankabut:

“Is it not sufficient for them that We have sent down to you the Book that is being recited to them?“ (al- Ankabut, 29/51)

The emphasis in the verse above does not mean that the Qur'an does not need hadiths/sunnahs.

On the contrary, it is a sign of its universal and miraculous aspect that continues until the end of time. In fact, the reason for the revelation of this verse is that the unbelievers always wanted miracles without thinking.

Those who look carefully at the translations of the verses below will see this fact.

“And whatever the Messenger has given you - take; and what he has forbidden you - refrain from.” (al-Hashr, 59/7)

“Whoever obeys the Messenger obeys Allah.” (an-Nisa, 4/80)

“Say: ‘Obey Allah and the Messenger.’ Then, should they turn back, Allah does not love the disbelievers.” (Aal-i Imran, 3/ 32)

“Say (O Prophet): 'If you really love Allah, then follow me, and Allah shall love you and forgive you your sins' …” (Aal-i Imran, 3/ 31)

“Believers, obey God and His Messenger: do not turn away when you are listening to him!” (al-Anfal, 8/20)

“Those who obey Allah and the Messenger are with those whom Allah has blessed, namely, the prophets, the Siddiqīn, the Shuhadā’ and the righteous. And excellent are they as companions.” (an-Nisa, 4/69)

“It is not open for a believing man or a believing woman, once Allah and His messenger have decided a thing, that they should have a choice about their matter; and whoever disobeys Allah and His messenger, he indeed gets off the track, falling into an open error.” (al-Ahzab, 33/36)

“So, never by your Lord! Never shall they become believers, unless they make you the judge in the disputes that arise between them, then find no discomfort in their hearts against what you have decided, and surrender to it in total submission.” (an-Nisa, 4/65)

"O you who believe, obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you. Then, if you quarrel about something, revert it back to Allah and the Messenger, if you believe in Allah and the Last Day. That is good, and the best at the end." (an-Nisa, 4/59).

According to Islamic scholars, what is meant by the order mentioned in the verse 4/59 of an-Nisa, "If you quarrel about something, revert it back to Allah and the Messenger" is to solve the issues according to the Qur’an and the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) but after his death it means to solve them according to his sunnah.  (see Abdulghani Abdulkhaliq, Hujjiyatus-Sunna, 298)

Imam Shafii states the following in the interpretation of this verse (an-Nisa, 4/59):

"The reason why the word 'obey' in the verse is repeated both for Allah and for the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is to point out the necessity of obeying the Prophet’s orders and prohibitions outside the Qur'an."

"As can be seen in the expression 'and those in authority among you', the word 'obey' is not used separately for those in authority; on the contrary, it is expressed in a sentence (by reference) by making them obey Allah and His Messenger, to show that obedience to them is not absolute, but is conditional on following Allah's Book and the Sunnah of His Messenger. (see Imam-Shafi'i, ar-Risala 79-80)

The Prophet (pbuh) said to Hz. Ali,

“O Ali! Put on nice scents and clothes on Friday.” (Daylami, 5/415, no, 8342; Ithafus-Saada, 2/414; Kanzul-Ummal, 17256, 17383)

We have not been able to find information about the soundness of the hadith above.

Some scholars interpret the word “clothes” in the hadith as “new clothes”. The word “new” is not included in the narration. However, it is understood that certain, special clothes are meant by it because the word “clothes” is used with the word al (the). That is, a word showing that it is definite is used before it. 

As a matter of fact, some hadiths include advice about wearing nice and clean clothes on Friday and having special clothes for Friday:

When the Prophet (pbuh) was delivering a sermon of Friday, he saw some people wearing tiger skins. Thereupon, he said,

"There is nothing wrong with any one of you, if he can afford it, buying two garments for Friday, other than his daily work clothes." (Ibn Majah, Iqamah, 83)

Abu Dharr narrates: The Prophet (pbuh) said,

"Whoever takes a bath on Friday, purifies himself as much as he can, cleans himself, wears his best clothes, puts on nice scent Allah has given him, goes to mosque for Friday prayer, does not speak and does not separate two persons sitting together in the mosque, Allah will forgive his sins between that Friday and the previous Friday." (Bukhari, Jumua, 3, 6)

We are advised in the narration above and similar ones to wear clean and nice clothes and, if possible, the best clothes on Friday. Besides, it will be better if one wears his new clothes on Friday for the first time in terms of having the nice deeds all together. It does not mean it is necessary to wear new clothes every Friday to go to mosque.

However, if a garment has just been washed and worn for the first time after being washed for Friday prayer, it can be regarded as new. From this point of view, it will be nice to go to Friday prayer wearing newly washed clothes every week.

Accordingly,

"It is mustahab to go to Friday prayer early by making ghusl, wearing nice scent, brushing the teeth with miswak and wearing nice clothes.” (see Elmalılı Hamdi Yazır, Hak Dini, the interpretation of verse 9 of the chapter of al-Jumua, 62/9)

It should not be forgotten that it is not right not to go to Friday prayer due to excuses like "my clothes are not new, it is not appropriate to go to mosque with working clothes, my clothes are dirty”. What is mentioned above is for those who have time and can afford to do so. It is haram to skip Friday prayer without a legitimate excuse.

It is haram for the people who have to perform Friday prayer to work at the time of Friday prayer and the money they earn at that time is not halal.

According to a narration from Abdullah b. Mas’ud, the Prophet (pbuh) said:

“Verily, Fatima kept her chastity. Allah forbade her offspring / progeny from entering the Fire.” (Hakim, h.no: 4726)

Hakim says that this hadith is sahih (sound) while Dhahabi says that it is weak. (see Mustadrak-Talkhis, ibid)

We follow Dhahabi (Talkhis) related to this hadith.

First of all, let us state that a believer is our brother in faith even if he commits the greatest sin. We have no right to disrespect them; Sayyids deserve more respect.

Secondly: The key to Paradise in Islam is taqwa after belief. That is, obeying the commands and prohibitions of Allah and His Messenger (pbuh). The place of a person who fell into unbelief and died without belief is eternal Hell even if he is a sayyid.

To sum up, as Badiuzzaman Said Nursi puts it, “In respect of the office of messengership it was the Prophet’s (UWBP) practices that were sought from his family. So no one who abandoned his practices could truly be a member of his family, nor could such a person not be a true friend to them. ….” (see Lemalar, pp. 21-22)

The clothes of the Prophet (pbuh) consisted of the following items: 

He wore a turban wrapped around a conical hat called qalansuwa on his blessed head.

The garments he put on were rida (upper garment), izar (lower garment) and qamis (shirt). The garments he put on usually consisted of two pieces: the upper garment was called rida and the lower garment was called izar. He also preferred to wear qamis, which was a long shirt whose front part was closed. When it was necessary, he put on something like a cardigan called jubbah (gown), aba (coarse woolen garment) and burdah (cardigan) on them.

The types of shoes that he put on were nalayn (sandals) and khuffayn (shoes).

According to the information given in the resources, all of the garments that the Prophet (pbuh) wore were the ones mentioned above. We should state that there is no reliable document stating that he did not put on socks.

There is no narration stating that he put on "sirwal" or "sarawil" (long underpants), which is derived from the Persian word "shalwar". However, the following is stated in a narration in Bukhari:

"Let him who cannot find an izar wear a shalwar (sarawil)." (see al-Jamius-Sahih VII, 38)

It is certain that during the time of the Prophet, there was no underwear like the ones used today. The underpants called sirwal were rarely used. What matters related to clothing is covering the awrah parts. 

 (see Prof. Dr. Ali Yardım, Peygamberimiz'in Şemaili, Damla Yayınevi, İstanbul-1998, p. 120-121)

It was one of the customs of the Prophet (pbuh) to read the chapters of supplication like al-Ikhlas, al-Falaq and an-Nas before going to bed. There are many hadiths about it in hadith books. For instance, Hz. Aisha narrates what the Prophet (pbuh) didi before going to bed as follows:

“When the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) went to bed every night, he would combine his palms, blows into them and read ‘Qul huwallahu ahad, Qul audhu bi-Rabbil-falaq, Qul audhu bi-Rabbin-nas’. Then, he would wipe his hands over his head, face and the parts of his body his hands could reach. He would do it three times.”1

Bara bin Azib narrates the following hadith from the Prophet (pbuh):

“When you want to go to bed to sleep, make wudu as you would for the prayer; then, lie on your right side and pray as follows:

‘O Allah! I have submitted myself to You. I have committed my affairs to You. I have relied on You since I fear and love You. I take refuge only in You. My salvation depends on you. I believe in the Book You revealed and in the Messenger You sent.’

If you die that night, you will die as a Muslim and a believer. Let them be your last words.”2

As it is seen in both hadiths, the supplications above are said after going to bed. The Prophet (pbuh) read the chapters of supplication while sitting and wiped his body; it is understood that he said the supplication in the second hadith after going to bed. Thus, it is possible to say and read them before or after lying down.

The following statement exists in al-Fatawal-Hindiyya regarding the issue:

“It is permissible to read the Quran while lying on one’s side. However, one should not stretch his legs fully but bend them while reading the Quran. It is permissible to read a chapter or verse from the Quran after lying down in bed. However, one should not cover his head with the quilt because the quilt is like a garment in that case. It is not permissible to read if one covers his head with the quilt.”3

footnotes:

1 Tirmdhi, Du’a: 21.
2 Muslim, Dhikr: 56.
3 al-Fatawal-Hindiyya, V/316.

(see Mehmed PAKSU, Aileye Özel Fetvalar)

It is sunnah; it is not a sin not to do it.

It is understood from the hadith narrated by many Companions stating, “If I did not want to cause difficulties for my (ummah) believers, I would order them to use miswak in every prayer” (Bukhari, Jumua, 8; Muslim, Taharah, 42; Abu Dawud, Taharah, 25) that the Messenger of Allah did not give a definite order; therefore, using miswak is not regarded as wajib, but sunnah.

It is unanimously agreed that the Sunnah is the second original evidence after the Quran. Therefore, all scholars agree unanimously on the obligation of acting in accordance with the sound Sunnah / hadith that is attributed to the Prophet (pbuh).

They base their view on the verses that order us to obey the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), that state that to love him is to love Allah Almighty and that threaten severely those who oppose him.

The Sunnah explains the concise and ambiguous words of the Quran. For instance the order "be steadfast in prayer; practice regular charity" does not include what prayer and zakah (charity) consist of, their conditions, amount and how to perform them. Those concise terms are explained by the Sunnah.

The following is stated in the Quran: "…And eat and drink, until the white thread of dawn appear to you distinct from its black thread..." (al-Baqara, 2/187) The Prophet (pbuh) stated that what was meant by the white thread in the verse was the dawn in the morning and the black thread was the night.

There are various narrations about the sitting style of the Prophet (pbuh) while eating. Abu Juhayfa reports the following from the Messenger of Allah:

"I do not eat my meals while leaning." (Bukhari, At'ima 13; Tirmidhi, At'ima 28; Ibn Majah, At'ima 6; Darimi, At'ima 31).

Shuayb b. Muhammad b. Abdullah b. Amr reports the following from his father: We have never seen the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) eat while leaning. (Bukhari, Ahkam 43; Ibn Majah, Muqaddima 21; Ahmad b. Hanbal, II, 125, 127).

Ibnul-Qayyim al-Jawzi gives the meaning of the word "ittika" (leaning/reclining) as follows in his book called Zadul-Maad:

1) Sitting cross-legged,
2) Sitting by leaning against something,
3) Sitting by leaning to the right or left; he states that they are all prohibited since the third one is harmful to the stomach and the first two are the sitting styles of oppressors.  

Khattabi states the following: "When the word ittika is used, people understand it as eating by leaning on one side; on the contrary, it means sitting firmly on the mattress and remaining like that. In that case, the meaning of the hadith should be as follows: I do not sit by settling myself firmly on the ground/mattress when I eat. People who eat a lot do like that. I eat a few morsels, which is enough as nutrient; therefore, I sit in a way that will enable me to stand up easily after eating."

Ibnul-Athir states the following in an-Nihaya: "If a person interprets ittika as leaning on one side, he will have interpreted it appropriately in terms of medical science. According to the claim of medical science, in that case, the thing that is eaten cannot move easily in the alimentary canal and will not make the person feel comfortable; it will give pain."

Ibn Abidin, one of the Hanafi scholars, holds the view that it is permissible to sit by leaning on or against something while eating. The same thing is stated in Fatawa al-Hindiyya too. As a matter of fact, the following is reported from Mus'ab b. Sulaym: I heard Anas say, “The Prophet (pbuh) sent me somewhere. When I returned, I saw him leaning back and eating dates. (Muslim, Ashriba 148; Ahmad b. Hanbal, III, I80). However, the religious permissibility of leaning on or against something while eating depends on not having a feeling of conceit. (Aliyyul-Qari, Aynul-Ilm wa Zaynu-Hilm, I, 275)

The mustahab style of sitting is as follows: Sitting on one’s knees and on the top part of his feet or keeping the right foot upright and sitting on the left foot by placing it straight on the ground.

The first food to be given to a baby (Tahnik):

It is sunnah to chew something sweet and put it in the mouth or spread on the lips of a newborn baby. It is mandub for a righteous person to do it. It can be done through sweet things like raisins and sugar but it is mustahab and more virtuous to do it with dates.

Hz. Aisha narrates:

“Newborn babies were taken to the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). He would pray for blessing and squeeze the juice of the date he softened in his mouth into the mouth of the baby.” (Bukhari, Daawat 3; Ibn Majah, Taharah 77, 523)

As it is seen, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) was careful about the first food given to a newborn baby and wanted it to be something different from breast milk. As a matter of fact, various narrations show that he did it not only for his grandsons but also for all children of Muslims as a principle.

Our Prophet (pbuh) said:

“There are three classes of people whom Allah will not pay any attention to, nor will He look at their faces, nor will He purify them, nor will He protect them on the Day of Judgment. There is a painful torment for them. They are those who drag their clothes on the ground in arrogance, those who do favors to people but lay obligation on them and those who try to value what they sell with false oaths.” (Muslim, Iman, 171; Abu Dawud, Libas, 25; Nasai, Buyu, 5; Ibn Hanbal, V, 148, 158)

The Prophet (pbuh) also cited dragging one’s clothes in arrogance as a reason for divine wrath:

“Allah will not look with mercy on the one who drags his lower garments on the ground with arrogance.” (Muslim, Libas, 42)

The hadiths above explain how arrogance, which is a moral flaw, is considered bad in the sight of Allah. Another form of arrogance, conceit in the face of the truth, is considered equal to unbelief and it is cursed. The Prophet (pbuh) said:

“The arrogant will be gathered like little ants in human form on the Day of Judgment. They will be surrounded on all sides by humiliation...” (Tirmidhi, Qiyamah, 47; Ahmad b Hanbal, II, 179).

What is understood from the hadiths is that wearing long garments and dragging one’s lower garments on the ground are signs of arrogance. What is prohibited in the hadiths is essentially arrogance. The garment that the hadith refers to is the robe worn at that time. Nowadays, long pants legs are not a sign of arrogance; on the contrary, they can be perceived as shabby clothing.

In conclusion, if the pants legs are so long that they are dragged on the ground with the intention of arrogance, it is considered under the decree of the hadith. However, there is nothing wrong with wearing what is normally worn by the general public without the intention of arrogance.

According to a narration, the Prophet (pbuh) states the following regarding the issue:

“Any meaningful word or deed that does not begin with the Bismillah (remembrance of Allah) is unblessed and fruitless.” (Ibn Hanbal, Musnad, 2/360)

It is haram to say Bismillah at the beginning of haram-sinful deeds. In all other deeds, it is either sunnah or wajib to say Bismillah because “Saying Bismillah means referring to/addressing Allah”.

The word “Bismillahirrahmanirrahim” has manifestations on the universe, earth and man. Badiuzzaman Said Nursi explains it as follows: I saw one manifestation of “Bismillahirrahmanirrahim (In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate)” as follows:

On the face of the universe, the face of the earth, and the face of man are three stamps of dominicality one within the other and each showing samples of the others.

The First is the great stamp of Godhead, which is manifested through the mutual assistance, co-operation, and embracing and corresponding to one another of beings in the totality of the universe. This looks to “In the Name of God”.

The Second is the great stamp of divine mercifulness, which is manifested through the mutual resemblance and proportion, order, harmony, favor and compassion in the disposal, raising, and administration of plants and animals on the face of the earth. This looks to “In the Name of God, the Merciful”.

Then is the exalted stamp of divine compassionateness, which is manifested through the subtleties of divine beneficence, fine points of divine clemency, and rays of divine compassion on the face of man’s comprehensive nature. This looks to “the Compassionate” in “In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.”

That is to say, “In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate” is the sacred title of three stamps of divine oneness, which form a luminous line on the page of the world, and a strong cord, and shining filament. That is, by being revealed from above, the tip of “In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate” rests on man, the fruit of the universe and miniature copy of the world; it binds the lower world to the divine throne; it is a way for man to ascend to the human throne. (Lemalar, pp. 96-97)

This determination of Badiuzzaman Said Nursi is confirmed by the famous “Golden Ratio”:

The mathematical ratio of the Golden Ratio: 1.618

The abjad value of “Bismillahirrahmanirrahim”: (Bismillah) represents one because Allah is one, and the letter Alif at the beginning points to Him as one. The abjad value of the names ar-rahman, ar-rahim is 618.

So, just like the mathematical ratio of the golden ratio is 1.618, the abjad value Bismillah is 1.618 according to the calculation we have given.

Praise be to Allah, who shows us the verses of the Quran and the universe, as many times as the number of signs of the universe and the book of the Quran. Amin.

It is enough to say only "alaykum salam" while answering a greeting. To say "wa alaykum salam" is more virtuous. The following is stated in verse 86 of the chapter of an-Nisa:

“When a (courteous) greeting is offered you, meet it with a greeting still more courteous, or (at least) of equal courtesy. Allah takes careful account of all things.”

The interpretation of the verse is as follows in brief: Salam is a prayer of believers to one another and it is a sign of Islam. When a person greets by saying, “Assalamu alaykum” or “Salamun alaykum”, he is answered by saying “Wa alaykumussalam” in the same way or in a better way by adding “wa rahmatullah”. When a person greets by saying, “Assalamu alaykum wa rahmatullah”, he is answered in the same way or by adding “wa barakatuh”.

A person who is calling adhan and reading the Quran is not greeted. Such a person does not have to answer the greeting. However, a person who is listening to adhan can be greeted silently or with a gesture based on the situation; the greeting can be answered. However, if it is not necessary, it is better to wait for adhan to end and greet after that.

It is written in hadiths that when the Prophet (pbuh) returned from an expedition, war or a long journey, he would perform a two-rak'ah prayer in the mosque and then go to his house.

There is another hadith regarding the issue:

“When you leave your house, perform a two-rak'ah prayer so that it will protect you from bad things. When you arrive home, perform a two-rak'ah prayer so that it will protect you from bad things.” (1)

Imam Gazali included this narration in his book (2), but Iraqi, who explained the hadiths of Ihya stated that this hadith was not sound; Ibn Adiy said it was munkar and Bukhari said this hadith was not original. (3) Even if the narration is weak, it is religiously permissible to act upon such a hadith.

However, it may be more appropriate to interpret this narration not for entering and leaving the house anytime but for leaving the house to go to a distant place and to remain away from the house for a long time.

As a matter of fact, it is known that the Prophet (pbuh) stated the following:

"Nobody will leave anything more virtuous than a two-rak'ah prayer to his family he performs at home when he leaves home for an expedition."

This hadith was narrated by Tabarani. Evaluating the other narrations regarding the issue, the scholars said it was sunnah to perform a two-rak'ah prayer for a person who leaves home for a journey and when he returns from the journey. (4)

The Prophet (pbuh) said,

“Do not transform your houses into graveyards. Perform prayers there too.” (5)

They are sunnah prayers like awwabin, duha, tahajjud and wudu prayers. It is even possible to perform the sunnah prayers of the five daily prayers at home from time to time and perform the fard prayers in the mosque. That is, there are many sunnah prayers to be performed at home. Prayers can be performed anytime except karahah times; it is religiously permissible.

Those who perform fard, wajib and nafilah prayers in time will attain the glad tidings mentioned in hadiths inshallah.

Footnotes:

1. Bayhaqi, Shuabul-Iman, No: 3078; Haythami, Majmauz-Zawaid; 283
2. Ihya, I/212
3. see Takhriju Ahadithil-Ihya, ibid
4. Ibn Abidin – Raddul-Muhtar Alad Durril-Mukhtar - Ist: 1983 3/48-49.
5. Bukhari, Salah, 52; Abu Dawud, Salah. 12; Tirmidhi, Jumua, 64; Ibn Majah, Masajid, 9.

If a person reads the Quran aloud and if we hear it, it is fard to listen to it and to keep silent. It is not permissible to be busy with anything else at that time. However, it is not fard to listen to the Quran recited on television, computer, radio, etc. For, it is not direct human voice. It is a reflection from a device in which human voice is recorded. However, one gets thawabs when he listens to the Quran like that too. (see Elmalılı Hamdi Yazır, al-Araf, interpretation of verse 204)

Accordingly, it is understood that one gains more thawabs when he listens to the Quran directly from a person.

It is fard al-kifaya to listen to the Quran when it is read aloud. Therefore, if some of the congregation listens to it, it will be enough. If there is only one person near the person who is reading the Quran, he has to listen to him; otherwise, he will be a sinner. However, if that person has started to perform a prayer, he has to continue performing the prayer; he will not be held responsible for not listening to the Quran in that case.

The degree of the thawab changes based on the intention of the person who reads or listens to the Quran, sincerity, avoiding sins, paying attention to worship, and obeying the orders of the Quran. From this point of view, we think it will be useful to pay attention to those points instead of saying this or that has more thawabs. Besides, it is not always possible to listen to the Quran from a person. Therefore, it is necessary to benefit from devices like computers and MP3 players and to make use of them.

It is sunnah for a person who wants to read or listen to the Quran to make wudu and to sit by turning toward the qiblah. Ishaq bin Ibrahim states the following: I heard Abu Abdullah read the chapter of al-Kahf on the way to the mosque. Hz. Aisha states the following:

"I would read the Quran lying down on my sofa." (Mughni, I/803)

Since it is permissible to read the Quran while lying down, it is definitely permissible to listen to the Quran from MP3 players, computers and televisions.

- Is it fard, wajib or sunnah to listen to the Quran according to Hanafi, Shafii and other madhhabs?

- The summary of the origin of the hadith mentioned as “If I knew it would not be difficult for you, I would render tahajjud prayer fard” in the question is as follows:  

Hz. Aisha narrates: One night, the Prophet (pbuh) got up and went to the mosque. He performed tahajjud prayer there. Some people saw him and went to the mosque to pray like him. The next day, more people heard about it and there were more people in the mosque the next night. The number of the people who came to the mosque to pray increased more on the third night. There were so many people on the fourth night that the mosque was not big enough for them. However, the Messenger of Allah did not come that night.

He came to the mosque in the morning, led the morning prayer and addressed the congregation as follows:

"Your coming to the mosque last night was not unknown by me. However, I feared that tahajjud prayer would be fard for you and you would not be able to perform it every night.” (Muslim, Salah, 178)

As it is seen, the Prophet’s (pbuh) rendering something fard is not in question in the hadith. The statement in the internet, whose source is given as Muslim, is completely wrong. We have not found any statement like that in Muslim. It was necessary to correct it first. 

- The main issue in the question is whether the Prophet (pbuh) had the authority to make some decrees, which are not clearly seen in the Quran.

There are different views regarding the issue but according to Ahl as-Sunnah scholars, the Prophet had that authority and it was given to him by Allah. In the Quran, Allah orders us to obey the Prophet (pbuh) regarding the issue.

“…So, take what the Messenger assigns to you, and deny yourselves that which he withholds from you. And fear Allah. for Allah is strict in Punishment.” (al-Hashr, 59/7)

There are lessons for us in the verse above and similar ones.

- Acting upon those verses, the greats scholars of the ummah of Islam like Imam Shafii point out that it is obligatory to act in accordance with the hadiths reported through a sound chain.

- It is a fact unanimously agreed by Ahl as-Sunnah scholars that there are two sources of the Islamic decrees and that the first one of them is the Quran and the second one is the Sunnah (the decrees made by the Prophet). There are also two secondary sources called qiyas (analogy) and ijtihad accepted as religious evidence besides them.

“Know it very well that whatever the Messenger of Allah made unlawful is the same as what Allah made unlawful.” (Tirmidhi, Ilm, 10)

The statement of the hadith above is very clear.

"O ye who believe! Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger, and those charged with authority among you. If ye differ in anything among yourselves, refer it to Allah and His Messenger, if ye do believe in Allah and the Last Day: That is best, and most suitable for final determination." (an-Nisa, 4/59)

According to the Islamic scholars, what is meant by the command "if ye differ in anything among yourselves, refer it to Allah and His Messenger" in the verse is to refer to the Quran and the Prophet (pbuh) when he is alive, and to the Sunnah of the Prophet (pbuh) after his death. (Abdulghani Abdulkhaliq, Hujjiyatus-Sunnah, 298)

Imam Shafii states the following in the interpretation of the verse above: That the word "obey" is mentioned in the verse for Allah and is repeated for the Prophet (pbuh) aims to point out that it is necessary to obey his orders and prohibitions outside the Quran too. As it is seen in the phrase "and those charged with authority among you", the word "obey" is not repeated for them; on the contrary, it is added to the obedience to Allah and His Messenger, which aims to show that the obedience to them is not absolute but that it depends on their compliance with the book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger. (Imam Shafii, ar-Risala, 79-80)

- The “prohibition of two sisters in wedlock at one and the same time” (an-Nisa, 4/23) exists in the Quran. The Prophet (pbuh) made and additional decree stating that "a woman cannot be married to the same man at the same time with her paternal aunt and maternal aunt".

According to what Qurtubi states, that decree, which imposed by the Prophet (pbuh), was accepted by the consensus of the ummah. (see Qurtubi, the interpretation of the verse in question)

Indeed, the decree above was accepted by the scholars of the four madhhabs and was formulated as a rule as follows in fiqh resources: “It is not permissible for two women, who are not permissible for a man to marry, to be married to a man at the same time.” (see W. Zuhayli, al-Fiqhul-Islami, 7/142)

- Badiuzzaman Said Nursi explains in summary the issue of the ijtihad of the Prophet (pbuh) as follows:  

“The Second is implicit revelation. The essence and gist of this is also based on revelation or inspiration, but its explanation and description were left to the Messenger (UWBP). When he explained and described such revelation, sometimes he again relied on revelation, or on inspiration, or sometimes he spoke in terms of his own insight. When he resorted to his own interpretation, he either relied on the perceptive power given him on account of his prophetic mission, or he spoke as a human being and conformably to usage, custom and the level of common comprehension.” (Mektubat, p. 93)

One should look at fiqh books regarding the issue in order to understand what the orders and prohibitions of the Prophet express as fard, wajib, sunnah, mubah, makruh and haram.

Sunnah is all of the things and deeds that Prophet (pbuh) did and said. Then, we can call whatever he did throughout his life sunnah.

The word Sunnah mentioned in fiqh books generally means “if you do it, you get rewards; if you do not do it, it is not a sin. For instance, like eating the food with the right hand, cleaning the teeth and not to eat while standing.

However, when we consider the word sunnah in a broad sense, it includes everything that the Prophet (pbuh) did. In that case, sunnah includes Allah’s orders and prohibitions. For instance, did the Prophet (pbuh) perform prayers? Yes, he did. Then, performing prayers is a sunnah.

Then, it is necessary to divide sunnah into parts:

The fard ones: They are everything that Allah definitely wants us to do or to abandon. The one who practices Allah’s orders, avoids His prohibitions in the best way and sets a model is the Prophet (pbuh). When we follow what he did, we will obey him in the best way, like performing prayers, performing fasting, not committing fornication, not eating haram, etc. 

The wajib ones: They are the wajib ones of our religion. For instance, it is wajib to perform witr prayer as three rak’ahs.

The nafilah ones: They are the things that we do apart from fard and wajib while worshipping. For instance, it is fard to read some chapters of the Quran but it is nafilah to read "Subhanaka" supplication.

The Adab ones: They are called adab. If we follow the Prophet (pbuh) when we do our daily deeds like eating, sleeping, going into and coming out of the mosque and toilet, we are regarded to have done them in accordance with their adab.  

That is, we can divide sunnah into fard, wajib, nafilah and adab. The highest and most virtuous sunnah is based on this order. 

We can think of it like a human body. There are essential organs for a person to live like, the brain, heart and head. The principles that we need to believe are like the brain and heart of our spirit.  

There are sense organs like the eyes, ears, hands and feet in our body. Fards are like that. They are like the eyes, ears, hands and feet of our spirit. A person who does not perform fards are like a person without hands, feet, eyes and ears.

We also have some beauties and ornaments like fingers, eyebrows and hair. We can live without them but we become perfect with them. Similarly, the nafilah and adab parts of sunnah are the ornaments and beauties of our spirit. If we do them, we will receive a lot of rewards; if we do not do them, we are not regarded to have committed any sins.

To sum up, fard and wajib parts are the sunnahs that have to be done. We receive a lot of thawabs if we do nafilah and adab parts.

As for harams, we protect our body from mortal things like microbes, viruses, poisons and fire; similarly, we need to protect our spirit from mortal and poisonous harams. 

For more information, please click on the link given below;

Will you please give information about the bindingness of the Sunnah acting in accordance with it and understanding whether it is based on revelation or not?

It is necessary to explain briefly the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) wearing perfume, his advice regarding the issue and his natural scent. 

Tirmidhi recorded six documents regarding the issue. Documents explaining and complementing the issue exist in some other basic resources.

The word that we can translate as "wearing perfume" is "ta'attur" (l). The root of the word "'itr" means scent, perfume. Everything that has a scent is included in it. As a matter of fact, the place where they are sold is called itriyat shop (perfumery).

The Messenger of Allah was naturally clean. He smelt nice even when he did not wear perfume. However, he did not reveal the gifts of God granted to him by God Almighty and he acted like an ordinary person would act. Wearing perfume was a deed that would serve as an example to people.

Hz. Aisha was among the wives of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) who took care of his clothes and way of dressing the most. She always made the Messenger of Allah wear "the most aromatic perfume that she could find". As a matter of fact, she says she helped the Prophet wear his ihram by spreading a scent called dharira on him (2).

The Prophet (pbuh) always had a small box of scent called "sukka" with him; he used that scent when it was necessary (3). When he went on a journey, he always had a perfume bottle among his possessions (4).

All of those documents show that perfume and nice scents had a special place in the Prophet’s lifestyle.

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) had spiritual guests whose arrival was not known beforehand and who could come anytime and anywhere. Hz. Jibril, the angel of revelation, was the most frequent visitor. It is stated that angels like scents and nice clothes. 

On the other hand, the Prophet (pbuh) had numerous visitors, from diplomats of foreign countries to tribal chiefs, from people in charge of state affairs to ignorant nomads, whom he met and talked every day. He always dressed in a proper way and wore clean clothes.

Acting upon probably this dressing way of the Prophet (pbuh), most of the Islamic scholars say, "What befits man is to eat as he wishes but to dress in a way that will please people." (5)

One of the attitudes of the Prophet (pbuh) about scents was that he never rejected the scents that were offered to him (6). Along with liking scents, the state of the person who offered the scent played an important role in his attitude. The reason behind this attitude is expressed in hadiths:

"For, scent is an offer without cost." (7)

On another occasion, he said,

"Three things are not rejected: Pillow, scent and milk." (8)

It has the same wisdom behind.

It was a rule of good manners that did not change and should not be ignored for the Prophet (pbuh) not to despise a gift that is given and a treat that is offered and to appreciate even a simple treat. The things mentioned above are symbols. It does not mean that scent is not rejected and that others can be rejected. The treats that have no alternatives should definitely not be rejected; the person who treats should not be put into a difficult position. 

The saying, "mastic resin, a shepherd’s gift (a small gift)" in Turkish shows the same fineness. The shepherd brings mastic resin as a gift and this gift is not despised. It is appreciated and everybody is entertained based on his state.

There is a hadith of the Prophet (pbuh) that includes the phrase "nice smell (scent)". This hadith, which expresses three different points in integrity, is actually known by those who are familiar with Islamic culture. He said:

"Women and nice smells were made lovable to me from the world; prayer was made the apple of my eye" (9).

In Islamic resources, there is a lot of information about the natural smell of the Prophet (pbuh). Qadi Iyad put all of this information together in one place (10). This aspect of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) does not interest Shamail directly but we found it appropriate to include some documents here acting upon the thought that it would help the issue to be put together:

When the Prophet (pbuh) went out, the beauty of his smell peculiar to him would immediately be noticed by the people around. Anas b. Malik expresses this issue as follows:

"When the Messenger of Allah walked through one of the streets of Madinah, his nice smell would be felt and people would say that the Prophet passed through that street. We understood the arrival of the Prophet (pbuh) from the beauty of his scent" (11).

Hz Prophet (pbuh) was naturally clean; what came out of his body did not smell bad, unlike other people. The expression of Süleyman Çelebi "If he sweated, his sweat would turn into roses" in Mevlid was stated by many of his Companions. As a matter of fact, the names of the female Companions who collected his sweat in glass bottles when they could reached us (12).

On the other hand, the scent coming from the children whose heads and faces the Messenger of Allah patted was noticed by the people around; it is also stated that the lucky people like that kept this scent throughout their lives. It is remarkable that some Companions who maintained their fitness and youth despite their old age stated that they are indebted to the Messenger of Allah for it (13).

Narrations regarding the issue:

1) Anas b. Malik narrates: "The Prophet had a box of perfume called sukka. He used it when it as necessary."(14)

2) Sumama b. Abdullah (l5) narrates: Anas b. Malik never rejected a scent offered to him and said, "The Messenger of Allah never rejected a scent offered to him."

3) Abdullah b. Umar narrates: The Prophet said, " Three things are not rejected: Pillow, scent and milk."

4) Abu Hurayra narrates: Hz Prophet said, "The perfume that men wear needs to be the type whose scent is smelt and whose color is not seen; the perfume that women wear needs to be the type whose scent is not smelt and whose color is seen."

5) The last hadith was also narrated through a different chain and way but from Abu Hurayra again.  

6) Abu Uthman an-Nahdi (16) narrates: the Messenger of Allah said, "If basil is given to one of you, he should accept it because it came from Paradise." (17)

To wear perfume and to give perfume to others is sunnah but we could not find a detailed explanation about how it is done.

References:

(1) see an-Nihaya fi Gharibil-Hadith, III/256, 257; Qamus, II, 546.
(2) see Bukhari, VII, 60, 61.
(3) Ibn Sa'd, I, 399; Abu Dawud, IV, 107, no: 4162.
(4) Bahja, II, 256.
(5) Ajluni, Kashful-Khafa, II, 171.
(6) see Bukhari, III, 133; VII, 61; Abu Dawud, IV, 110, no: 4172; Nasai, VIII, 189; Ibn Sa'd, I, 399.
(7) Ahmad b. Hanbal, Musnad, II, 320; Abu Dawud and Nasai, ibid.
(8) see Tabarani, Makarimul Akhlaq, h. no 152.
(9) Nasai, VII, 61, 62; Ibn Sa'd, I, 398; al-Hakim, al-Mustadrak, II, 160. The common form of this hadith text is as follows: Three things were made lovable to me from your world." However, the phrase “three things” is not mentioned in the sources of the first period. In the first sources, the phrase "from your world" is in the form of "from the world". In the narration of Hakim and the second narration of Nasai, the word "the world" does not exist. Ajluni put together the various technical information about this hadith. see Kashful-Khafa, I, 405-408, no: 1089.
(10) see ash-Şifa, p. 48-51.
(11) Ibn Sa'd, Tabaqat, I, 398-399; Majma'uz-Zawaid, VIII, 282; al-Matalibul-'Aliya, IV, 25.
(12) see ash-Shifa, ibid.
(13) There are many examples narrating this state in tabaqat books. For instance, for this characteristic of Utba b. Farqad, who was one of the successful commanders that conquered the are from Northern Iraq to Azerbaijan on behalf of Islam during the period of Hz. Umar, (18/639), see Tabarani, al-Mujamus-Saghir, I, 38-39; Usdul-Ghaba, III, 365-366; al-Isaba, II, 455; Majma'uz-Zawaid, VIII, 282.
(14) Along with Tirmidhi, this hadith was also narrated by Ibn Sa'd and Abu Dawud with chains whose first three sanads are the same.
(15) Sumama b. Abdullah is Anas b. Malik's grandson; he was the Qadi of Basra for a while. His exact date of death is not known but it is known that he was relieved of this duty in 110/728. see Tahzib, II, 28-29.
(16) Abu Uthman an-Nahdi, whose real name was Abdurrahman, lived around Kufa and Basra and is one of  Muhadramun. He became a Muslim when the Prophet (pbuh) was alive but could not see him. He died between the years of 95 H and 100 H at the age of 130.
(17) In the narration of Abu Hurayra recorded by Muslim, the phrase Abu Hurayra "it is a nice scent and an offer without cost" exists instead of the phrase “came from Paradise”. (see Muslim, IV, 1766, nu: 2253.)

If a person does a deed of worshipping that he does not generally perform just to show it to others, not for Allah’s sake and for an interest is called hypocrisy (show off). A person who worships for Allah’s sake does not commit hypocrisy. For, he does not do it for a worldly interest.

Besides, thoughts like that coming to your mind are delusions of Satan. It is not appropriate to abandon worshipping by taking them into consideration.

All kinds of nafilah deeds of worshipping can be performed in the mosque. Hypocrisy is not necessarily in question in them. However, we are advised to perform them secretly in case hypocrisy occurs.

In our age, sunnahs have started to be forgotten; therefore, it is better to perform them openly than secretly. For, those deeds of worshipping have started to be forgotten. There is no drawback to performing those sunnahs, which have started to be forgotten, openly in order to spread them among Muslims. If you ask, "What is Awwabin prayer?", very few people know about it. Let alone performing it, there are a lot of Muslims who have never heard of it.

Everybody knows in his conscience whether hypocrisy is involved in his worshipping. If hypocrisy is involved, it is better for him to perform it secretly. However, it is necessary not to be very scrupulous about it. For, Satan suggests man that his worshipping includes hypocrisy by causing delusions in order to drive him away from worshipping. It is necessary not to be deceived by the delusions of Satan.

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) usually sat on his knees. (Muslim, Iman, 1, 5; Bukhari, Iman 37) However, he also sat in different ways. One of them is sitting cross-legged. Jabir bin Samura said after the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) performed the morning (fajr) prayer, he sat cross-legged until the sun came well up. (Abu Dawud, Adab, 26)

To sit cross-legged was one of the sitting styles that the Prophet (pbuh) liked and did a lot. For, this kind of sitting makes man comfortable, prevents his awrah places from being opened and is in accordance with good manners. The Messenger of Allah sat like that not only in the mosque but also in other places. We see that the Companions also followed this style and preferred sitting cross-legged.

Another sitting style is the one called “qurfusa” or “ihtiba”. Ibn Umar said,

“I saw the Messenger of Allah in the courtyard of the Kaaba sitting by holding his knees with his hands.” He sat by on his bottom made his thighs touch his abdomen and held his knees. (Bukhari, Isti'dhan, 34)

Qayla bint Mahrama said,

“I saw the Messenger of Allah sitting on his bottom with his knees touching his abdomen holding his knees with his hands. When I saw him in such a humble condition in awe, I trembled with fear.” (Abu Dawud, Adab, 22)

This style is the one that the Prophet (pbuh) often sat and according to Qadi Iyad, he preferred it to sitting cross-legged. The reason why this style of sitting is preferred is the fact that it ensures tasattur (hijab) fully and prevents awrah places from being opened. The Companions generally sat like that. The reason why this style is common in our community is probably that it is sunnah. 

However, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) prohibited sitting like this while listening to the sermon of Friday. (Abu Dawud, Salah, 228) For, this sitting causes a person to sleep and prevents him from listening to the sermon, which is a religious duty. What is worse, it can cause the wudu of a person to break.

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) also sat by squatting. He generally sat in this style, which is called “ihtifaz” or “iq‘a”, when he ate something. Anas bin Malik said,

“I saw the Messenger of Allah eating dates by squatting.” (Muslim, Ashriba, 148-149)

Another sitting style of the Messenger of Allah that was observed was sitting on the wall of a pool or well and hanging his legs. In an incident narrated by Abu Musa al-Ash’ari, the Messenger of Allah sat on the wall of the well of Aris with his legs hanging in the well (Bukhari, Ashabu'n-Nabiy, 5)

The sitting styles that the Prophet (pbuh) did not approve

There were some sitting styles that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) did not like. For instance, the Prophet did not like sitting by moving one hand behind and placing it on the ground with the palm touching the ground, and making the body sit accordingly. He also did not approve sitting by moving two hands behind and placing them on the ground with the palm touching the ground. For , this style is described as the sitting style of those who acted conceitedly and who overlooked people. Shari bin Suwayd narrates:

“Once, I was sitting by moving my left hand behind and placing it on the ground with the palm touching the ground. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) came upon me and said,
‘Are you sitting like those upon whom Allah's wrath was inflicted’” (Abu Dawud, Adab, 24)

What matters here is that Muslims, who have a big bounty like Islam, should not resemble non-Muslims, who deserve the anger of Allah, even in sitting style. If a sitting, walking and lying style and a similar deed is a sign of non-Muslims; that is, if non-Muslims come to the mind when they are done, it is the duty of Muslims to avoid them.

The Messenger of Allah prohibited sitting in inappropriate places no matter how one sits. One of them is sitting on the street and next to the road. He said to his Companions,  

– Avoid sitting on the roads. They said,
– There is no way out; we talk about our issues there. The Messenger of Allah said,
– If you must sit there, observe the rights of the way.
– They said, ‘O Messenger of Allah! What are the rights of the way?’ He said,
– Not looking at haram things, refraining from harming passers-by, returning greetings, enjoining the good and forbidding the evil. (Bukhari, Mazalim, 22; Muslim, Libas, 114)

In some other narrations, the Prophet (pbuh) mentioned some other rights like “telling the way to those who ask directions and to help those who ask for help”.

It is an ugly deed to sit on the places unnecessarily by chatting where people pass by, to watch people and to prevent them from passing comfortably. However, when people have to sit there, they should be careful about the issues the Prophet mentioned. The Muslims who know the inconvenience of sitting on the street have made it a custom to sit in the courtyards of mosques.

Acting upon your question, we can say that the inclusion of those issues in the Quran aims to test and distinguish between those with strong belief and those with weak belief.

“Do men think that they will be left alone on saying, “We believe”, and that they will not be tested? We did test those before them, and Allah will certainly know those who are true from those who are false.” (al-Ankabut, 29/2-3)

That fact is underlined in the verses above. Therefore, we have to be careful so as not to be caught by the traps of Satan. We cannot dismiss everything that we do not understand by calling it a superstition. It is not possible for us to know everything.

Religion has two basic elements. The first one is belief. Belief necessitates believing, trusting in Allah and His Messenger, and searching for the information necessary to know them closely. The second element is Islam. As for Islam, it necessitates submission to Allah and His Messenger.

A person who believes in the Quran has to believe in Allah and His Messenger too. Belief in them means believing that they will not resort to deceit, lies and immoral things.

“Is it that there is a disease in their hearts? or do they doubt, or are they in fear, that Allah and His Messenger will deal unjustly with them? Nay, it is they themselves who do wrong!” (an-Nur, 24/50)

It is pointed out in the verse above that Allah and His Messenger are free from all kinds of mistakes.

Besides, the marriage of the Prophet (pbuh) is not mentioned very much in the Quran except for a few places, contrary to the exaggeration regarding the issue. In some verses, the Prophet’s holy family is shown as a living example of chastity. Their positions different from others are indicated. It is pointed out in the chapter of al-Ahzab that the polygamy of the Prophet (pbuh) took place by Allah’s wise permission and implied command - not by his own will, It is decreed in the verse coming immediately after it that he will not marry again; thus, it is - indirectly - emphasized that all her marriages took place according to divine orders.

His marriage to Zaynab, which is the issue that is talked about most, is a miracle in itself in our opinion. It is known that Arabs attached great importance to nobility and that they did not value slaves at all. It is really a miracle that the Prophet (pbuh) married his paternal aunt’s daughter Zaynab off to Zayd, who was his freed slave, though she did not want to marry him but accepted to marry because she could not reject the Prophet’s request, that the Prophet married her after Zayd divorced her, and that he did it in a region where “the adopted child was considered as one’s own child”. As it is indicated in the Quran, the Prophet always rejected Zayd’s request for divorce and advised him to be patient as he never wanted to take part in such a scene. Besides, his concern regarding the issue is also indicated in the Quran.

Just consider all of them together; is it possible for a chaste and decent person like Muhammad (pbuh), who is the most intelligent, honorable, respectable and wisest person and who had a lot of friends and enemies, to take part in a scene that would sadden his friends and make his enemies happy? However, we see that he took part in that scene. It means those things took place outside of his will and as a result of divine commands. It proves – for those who can think - that he is a true prophet.