Question:
Salaam brothers and sisters,
Ramadan Kareem to you all. I am going through a tough time with one of my friends. He stated some things which make sense when it comes to Salat. It is of course every Muslim’s duty to pray to Allah (SWT) alone, so then why do we state the Prophet’s name in our Salat? Should our prayer not only be for Allah? (he is part of a new group called “submitters” who only follow the Quran and the points he is saying make a lot of sense) Please advise InshAllah.
Answer:
wa `alaykum salam, and Ramadan Karim to you.
The prayer is for Allah Almighty alone, however it was bestowed as an honourable gift for the Ummah of the Prophet Muhammad (s) who taught us the prayer – the steps and recitations. We do not simply state the Prophet’s (s) name in the prayer, we recite Salawat upon him in the Tashahhud (At-tahiyyatu lillah…etc). This part is a requirement in the prayer. If we don’t recite it, the prayer is incomplete, hence not accepted.
Allah Almighty commanded us in the Qur’an to follow, obey and love the Prophet (s). If not for Prophet Muhammad (s), the Qur’an would not have been revealed, neither would there be Islam, nor Sunnah, nor Shari`ah. Everything is coming from Allah Almighty and bestowed upon His most beloved of creation (s).
قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ ٱللَّهَ فَٱتَّبِعُونِى يُحْبِبْكُمُ ٱللَّهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ غَفُورٌۭ رَّحِيمٌۭ
{Say (O Muhammad): “If ye do love Allah, follow me: Allah will love you and forgive you your sins: For Allah is Oft- Forgiving, Most Merciful.”} Surat Aal-`Imran 3:31
مَّن يُطِعِ ٱلرَّسُولَ فَقَدْ أَطَاعَ ٱللَّهَ ۖ وَمَن تَوَلَّىٰ فَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَٰكَ عَلَيْهِمْ حَفِيظًۭا
{He who obeys the Messenger, obeys Allah. But if any turn away, We have not sent you (O Prophet) to watch over their (evil deeds).} Surat an-Nisa’ 4:80
وَأَنزَلْنَآ إِلَيْكَ ٱلذِّكْرَ لِتُبَيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ مَا نُزِّلَ إِلَيْهِمْ وَلَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ
{And We have sent down unto you (O Prophet) the Remembrance (Qur’an); that you may explain clearly to men what is sent for them, and that they may give thought.} Surat an-Nahl 16:44
وَمَآ ءَاتَىٰكُمُ ٱلرَّسُولُ فَخُذُوهُ وَمَا نَهَىٰكُمْ عَنْهُ فَٱنتَهُوا۟ ۚ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ ۖ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ شَدِيدُ ٱلْعِقَابِ
{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.} Surat al-Hashr 59:7
Sayyidina `Ali (a.s.) narrated that the Prophet (s) said, “Do not tell a LIE AGAINST me for whoever tells a LIE AGAINST me then he will surely enter the Hell-fire.” (Bukhari no. 106)
That group is nothing save for liars. Their points are absolutely baseless and are rejected.
Al-Miqdam ibn Ma’dikarib narrated that the Prophet (saw) said: “Beware! I have been given the Qur’an and something like it, yet the time is coming when a man replete on his couch will say: Keep to the Qur’an; what you find in it to be permissible treat as permissible, and what you find in it to be prohibited treat as prohibited”. (Part of a longer Hadith compiled by Abu Dawud in his Sunan.)
The Prophet (s) has already foretold of such a people. It is our duty to reject their assertions and keep away from them. No one is Muslim and believer unless he also declares his belief, obedience and love to Prophet Muhammad (s).
Abu Hurayra narrated that Allah’s Apostle said, “By Him in Whose Hands my life is, none of you will have faith till he loves me more than his father and his children.” (Bukhari no. 14)
Anas reported that the Prophet (s) said, “None of you will have faith till he loves me more than his father, his children and all mankind.” (Bukhari no. 15)
You are with the saved group in Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jama`ah, under the banner of Mawlana Shaykh Nazim `Adil al-Haqqani, and for that always be grateful to Allah Almighty. May He keep us forever within this honoured and blessed fold.
Abdul Shakur
