Sunnah 160: Qunoot an-Nawazil
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
When great calamity struck, such as the betrayal and massacre of the Prophet’s (pbuh) companions, the Prophet (pbuh) would perform the Qunoot, making du’a to Allah because of the calamity. This is called Qunoot an-nawazil. After that massacre, the Prophet (pbuh) did qunoot an-nawazil for one month [Muslim].
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Qunoot, according to the definition of the fuqaha’, “is the name of a du’a (supplication) offered during prayer at a specific point while standing.”
Qunoot an-nawazil is specific to when a calamity strikes. Some scholars state that the qunoot can be done in any of the obligatory prayers, others say they are restricted to maghrib and fajr, while the hanafis hold that it can only be prayed during the fajr prayer. It is established the the most common time the Prophet (pbuh) prayed it was during fajr, but there are reports that he did qunoot at other times too.
How to perform qunoot
Qunoot an-nawazil is similar to the qunoot of witr. It is performed after standing up from rukoo’ and saying “sami’a Allahu liman hamidah”. After that, a person makes du’a for Allah to remove the calamity, to help those who are oppressed and to defeat the oppressors. The du’a should be specific to the situation. For example, the Prophet (pbuh) prayed specifically against those who had massacred the 70 Companions (Abu Dawud). He also prayed for the salvation of the weak and oppressed in Makkah, saying: “O Allah, O Allah, save al-Waleed ibn al-Waleed, Salamah ibn Hishaam, ‘Ayyaash ibn Abi Rabee’ah and the weak and oppressed believers.” [Muslim]
The Ummah is in dire need of our prayers. Try to get together with friends and family at fajr at least and ask the Imam to perform the qunoot for the oppressed, particularly in Syria.
Sunnah 159: Toilet Etiquette
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
The Prophet (pbuh) said: “Allah detests it when two people relieve themselves uncovered and have a conversation.” [Abu Dawud]
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Today’s sunnah is taken from Suhaibwebb.com by Imam Mustafa Umar:
It has become a common practice in many parts of the world for men to stand and urinate. The presence of urinals in almost every male bathroom has not only taught, but also encouraged people to stand up while relieving themselves. What does Islam say about this behavior?
First of all, we must remember that our ability to digest food and drink is a great blessing from Allah. We would not be able to survive without a digestive system. However, with every blessing comes a responsibility. Since human waste is classified as impure, Islam teaches us a few rules about how to relieve ourselves with dignity.
So what’s the problem?
There are many Islamic guidelines about how to use the restroom. We will only focus on those that pertain to standing and urinating. This common practice has led to the following unethical practices:
1. Shamelessness. One bad habit that has resulted from using of public urinals is the loss of personal modesty in the restroom. It is very common to see two men using the bathroom while having a conversation at the same time. Had they peeked over just a little they would have be able to see one another’s private parts. This is abhorrent. The Prophet ﷺ (Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said,
“Allah detests it when two people relieve themselves uncovered and have a conversation.”1
The Prophet ﷺ would take so much care to seclude himself that Al-Mughīrah ibn Shu’bah said, “I was travelling with the Prophet. When he needed to relieve himself, he went far away from me.”2
2. Increase in impurity. How many urinals have you ever seen that provide wuḍū’ facilities, water fixtures or even toilet paper? Probably none. This results in people leaving the restroom without an appropriate level of cleanliness or washing their hands. The Prophet ﷺ said,
“When you go to the restroom, take three stones with you to clean yourself. That will suffice.” 3
Salman al-Fārisī, the Companion from Persia, was told, “Your Prophet has taught you everything, even how to use the bathroom.” He responded, “That is right. He ﷺ told us not to…use our right hand when cleaning and to not use less than three stones to clean ourselves after we finish.”4
‘Ā’ishah (ra), the Prophet’s ﷺ wife, said to a group of women, “Tell your husbands to clean themselves with water because I am embarrassed to tell them. This is what the Prophet ﷺ used to do regularly.”5 Cleaning yourself, with either a solid substance or with water, is so important in Islam that once when the Prophet ﷺ passed by a man’s grave he told Ibn ‘Abbās (ra) that the deceased man is being tortured, but not for a major sin: “He didn’t used to clean himself after urinating.”6
3. Disrespect for others. One of the common habits we find in people who regularly use urinals is that they also stand up while using a lavatory. This can result in an unsanitary seat covered with urine and germs. Very few people care to clean the seat, let alone the toilet area after leaving, so, the next person entering has to deal with that disgusting mess. In this regard, the Prophet ﷺ said,
“Beware of the cursed ones.” Some people asked, “Who are the cursed ones?” He replied, “People who relieve themselves in public pathways or in shaded areas.”7
Public pathways and shaded areas are two areas where people would be offended from excrement and filth because they use them so often. The same curse would apply to those who leave filth behind for the next person. The curse, in this context, has two meanings: people are cursed by the one who has to deal with the dirt they left behind and they are cursed by Allah for their careless and disgusting habits.
Are there any exceptions?
The Prophet ﷺ always sat down to relieve himself. This is proven by ‘Ā’ishah (ra), who was constantly in his presence. She said, “Don’t believe anyone that tells you the Prophet ﷺ used to stand while urinating. He always used to sit down.”8 The only person who ever contradicted her statement was Hudhayfah when he said, “The Prophet ﷺ [while traveling] approached a garbage dump and stood while urinating. Then, he called me to bring some water for him, so I did, and he performed wuḍū’.”9 This is clearly an exception to the rule because the Prophet ﷺ was in a very dirty place. Hudhayfa’s description of the place being a garbage dump reveals to us the context and makes it clear that ‘Ā’isha’s (ra) challenge was referring to people who claimed the Prophet ﷺ did it often as a habit. Her challenge still stands today. When someone tries to misquote the statement of Hudhayfah in order to prove that the Prophet ﷺ used to stand and urinate just as people do today, we should correct it.
What should a Muslim do?
Muslims should try to combat this immorality in their own community by encouraging good standards of hygiene. We live in societies which claim to be clean and advanced, yet their toilets – the most basic of sanitary developments – are among the filthiest in the world. Visit any gas station, high school, theme park, etc. and experience what happens to the restrooms when there is no full time janitor to clean up afterwards.
People of the world still have much to learn from Islam’s frank information on cleanliness. Purity has an environmental impact and is strongly connected to worship; without a clean body, a Muslim cannot pray. It is such an important principle in Islam that the Prophet ﷺ said,
“Cleanliness is half of faith.” 10
The messenger of Allah ﷺ has taught us certain rules to observe which benefit both society and ourselves. It is up to us to be aware of this guidance, learn it and apply it.
Sunnah 158: Cooperate with others to do good
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Allah says in the Qur’an:
“And cooperate in righteousness and piety, but do not cooperate in sin and aggression.” (Qur’an, 5:2)
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Some people take a very Muslim-centric view when deciding to do what is good. Certainly, being an active part of the Muslim ummah is vital. However, this does not prevent us from joining the struggles of others if it is in the path of righteousness.
To make this sunnah more specific, look around you and think what projects for good are you a part of? Have you been demonstrating for Egypt with your brothers and sisters in humanity? Do you volunteer at a homeless shelter? Doing these things is cooperating with others in righteousness.
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
The Prophet (pbuh) said: Whoever says, “Astaghfirullah al-lathi laa ilaha illa huwa, al-Hayyul Qayyum wa atubu ilayh” – ‘I ask forgiveness from Allah the One whom there is no deity worthy of worship except He, the Ever-Living and Sustainer and I repent to Him’ three times, Allah would forgive his sins even if they were as much as the foam of the sea. [Abu Dawud]
Sunnah 156: Plant a tree!
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
The Prophet (pbuh) said “If a Muslim plants a tree, or sows a field and men and beasts and birds eat from it, all of it is charity from him”. [Muslim]
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The following charities plant trees, the cost is low and the rewards are great inshAllah!
1- Plant trees in African communities: £10
2- Save the rainforest: to save one acre £50, but you can donate less than than too.
3- Plant an olive tree in Palestine (scroll down to the last one): £10 (not for US- apparently Interpal is banned)
(Special thanks to brother Z. Ouissef for the charity links)
Sunnah 155: Pray for someone
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
The Prophet (pbuh) said: “Whoever supplicates for his brother (in Islam) in his absence, an angel is appointed to his side who says “Ameen and may you also be blessed with the same.” [Muslim]
2010 in review
Salaam alaikm!
JazakumAllah khair for all your visits to this blog. Alhamdillah, it started as a small idea of reviving forgotten sunnahs of the beloved Prophet (pbuh), and most of you seem to have benefited inshAllah! Make du’a that Allah gives us further success and allows us to implement the habits of our prophet (pbuh).
The following are the stats for 2010:
The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads Fresher than ever.
Crunchy numbers
A helper monkey made this abstract painting, inspired by your stats.
A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 9,600 times in 2010. That’s about 23 full 747s.
In 2010, there were 165 new posts, not bad for the first year! There were 7 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 2mb.
The busiest day of the year was July 27th with 119 views. The most popular post that day was Sunnah 94: Du’a when breaking fast.
Where did they come from?
The top referring sites in 2010 were facebook.com, twitter.com, asqfish.wordpress.com, alphainventions.com, and formspring.me.
Some visitors came searching, mostly for sunnah a day, a sunnah a day, sunnah of the day, surat al mulk, and surahs before sleeping.
Attractions in 2010
These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.
Sunnah 94: Du’a when breaking fast July 2010
Sunnah 101: The greatest du’a of forgiveness August 2010
Sunnah 7: What to do when angry April 2010
Eid Sunnahs September 2010
Sunnah 34: Do not blow on food May 2010
Sunnah 154: Memorize the first 10 verses of Surat al-Kahf
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
The Prophet (pbuh) said: “Whoever memorizes the first ten verses from Suratul Kahf, he will be protected from the trial of the Dajjal (Anti-Christ)”. [Ahmad]
Sunnah 153: Recite Surat al-Ikhlas 10 times
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
The Prophet (pbuh) said: “Whoever reads Surah Ikhlas ten times, Allah will build a palace for him in Paradise”
‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) exclaimed, “If that’s the case, then we will increase in our palaces!” The Prophet ﷺ (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) responded, “Allah is better and greater (in reward).” [Ahmad]
Sunnah 152: Prostrate much
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
The Prophet (pbuh) said: “Whenever a servant prostrates to Allah, Allah writes a reward for him, wipes out one of his sins and elevates his rank by one degree; so prostrate as much as you can”. [ibn Majah]
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Scholars have said that increasing in sujood means via prayers- so increasing in your prayers by praying the voluntary ones, and prolong your sujood as that is the closest that you are to Allah.
