Indexed OCR Text

عن أبى سعيد أن النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: ما من مسلم يدعو بدعوة ليس فيها إثم
ولا قطيعة رحم إلا أعطاه الله بها إحدى ثلاث إما أن تعجل له دعوته وإما أن يدخرها له
فى الآخرة وإما أن يصرف عنه من السوء مثلها. قالوا إذا نكثر. قال: الله أكثر .!
قال الشيخ شعيب الأرنؤوط: إسناده جيد.
قال الهيثمي في المجمع (148110): رواه أحمد وأبو يعلى بنحوه والبزار والطبراني في الأوسط
ورجال أحمد وأبي يعلى وأحد إسنادي البزار رجاله رجال الصحيح غير علي بن علي الرفاعي
وهو ثقة.
To sum up, du'a's are certainly accepted but there are different forms
of their acceptance. It is the duty of a servant to continue begging
from Allāh ta'ālā and to be convinced that Allah ta'ala will decide what
is best for him.
Allāh ta ālā knows best.
A weekly assembly of durūd and du'a'
Question
We intend setting aside one night in the week after 'isha wherein we
will conduct a durūd sharif programme. It will be as follows:
1. The imam will first relate a few virtues of durud to the
audience.
2. He will then read the durud in a loud voice.
3. He will conclude with a collective du'a'.
Is it permissible to have such an assembly? Is it correct to refer to it as
a bid'ah? Some people in our locality say that it is a bid'ah. Are they
correct?
Answer
The following is contained in Kifayatul Muftī:
Question: How is it to assemble in a place every Thursday night, read
125 000 times durūd, and make du'a' for the wellness of Muslims?
Should we join this assembly and participate in the durūd?
1 أخرجه الإمام أحمد في مسنده، رقم 11149.
601

Answer: There is no basis for adhering to such a gathering. There are
many rewards for reading durūd individually.
Question: How is it for a few people to assembly and read durūd or
engage in dhikr in a loud voice?
Answer: To assemble in this manner and read durud is not established.
People should therefore not adhere to this form. No matter how much
durūd a person reads on his own, he will be rewarded for it. It is also
permissible to read it in a loud voice provided it does not disturb a
person in salah or a sick person.
It is not permissible to consider it essential to read durūd daily after
the 'isha salah. Those who have the time and are happy to read it with
sincerity may read it. There must be no force or compulsion on those
who do not wish to read it.1
We learn from the above-quoted fatawa that it is a bid'ah and not
permissible to attend such assemblies where people are forced and
compelled. Yes, if there is no strict adherence and people join if they
want and do not if they do not want without any accusation or
criticism against them, then there is no harm in it. It is better not to
set aside any particular time. The timings must be changed
occasionally. Instead of just one person reading, it is better for each
person to read individually in a low tone, and it can be concluded with
a collective du'a'.
At this point, the reality of bid'ah should also be understood so that it
becomes easy to abstain from bid'ah acts.
A bid'ah is something which was not done during the first three eras of
Islam, the basis for it cannot be found, and it is done or abstained from
while considering it an act of Din. Thus, doing it or abstaining from it
while considering it to be an act of Din is a bid'ah.2
Ma'rakah-e-Sunnat Wa Bid'at states:
There is one additional point to this. An act is classified as a bid'ah if,
despite it not being stipulated essential by the Shari'ah nor applicable
to a specific time, a person believes it to be essential in the Shari'ah
1 Kifāyatul Muftī, vol. 2, p. 100.
2 Ibid. vol. 1, p. 166.
602

- التزام ما لم يلزم :and sets aside a specific time for it. This is defined as
adhering strictly to something which is not obligatory.1
We learn from the above that a bid'ah includes the following: to do
something which was not done in the first three eras of Islam while
considering it to be part of Din and worthy of reward, and to attach
conditions and specifications to it which were not prescribed by the
Shari ah. This is what is found in the present salat wa salam of the
Barelwīs. Its details are as follows:
1. Specifying a time for durūd sharif.
2.
Specifying a place.
3.
Specifying a collective form.
4.
Specifying one person as the head [who will read the durūd].
5.
Specifying that it must be done while standing.
6. Specifying that it must be done in a loud voice.
7. Adhering strictly to all the above.
8.
Believing that Rasūlullah sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam attends
such an assembly.
Each one of the above is a bid'ah on its own because the pure Shari'ah
does not contain any of these restrictions and specifications for the
reading of durud. This prevailing practice is the result of the
fabrication of the mind. To consider such fabrications to be part of Din
and have hopes for reward are bid'ah acts. There is no evidence for
this practice from the lives of the Sahabah radiyallahu 'anhum, the
Tābi'ūn, Taba' Tābi'un and the pious and righteous elders of the past.
Yes, if a durūd assembly does not contain any practice which is against
the Shari'ah and is devoid of the above-listed restrictions,
specifications and adherences, and people are not forced to join, then
there will be room for permissibility.
In short, if specifying after 'isha as the time for the ease of people -
and not because there are more rewards after 'isha or that it is a part
of Din - then the collective recitation is to encourage people and to
provide ease, like how a day is appointed for a lecture without
thinking that it elicits more rewards if it is held on that day. Rather, it
is done for convenience, then it is not a bid'ah. Similarly, the forms of
1 Ma'rakah-e-Sunnat Wa Bid'at, p. 158.
603

dhikr of the Sufis are also not bid'ah because abundant dhikr is
prescribed as a form of treatment to habituate a person into dhikr. The
specific form is neither the objective nor considered to be a part of
Dīn.
Allāh ta'ālā knows best.
Collective du'a' at the conclusion of an assembly
Question
People are generally in the habit of making a collective du'a' at the end
of an assembly irrespective of whether it is at the end of a talk, after
performing a marriage or after a Tablighi programme. Is there any
evidence for this in the Shari'ah?
Answer
Seeking forgiveness and making du'a' at the end of an assembly are
proven from the Hadith. A narration of Tirmidhi Sharif states that when
Rasūlullah sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam used to get up from an assembly,
he used to make this du'a':
اللُّهُمَّ اقْسِمْ لَنَا مِنْ خَشْيَتِكَ مَا تَحُوْلُ بِهِ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَ مَعَاصِيْكَ، وَمِنْ طَاعَتِكَ مَا تُبَلِّغُنَا بِهِ
جَنَّتَكَ، وَمِنَ الْيَقِيْنِ مَا تُهَوِّنُ بِهِ عَلَيْنَا مَصَائِبَ الدُّنْيَا، وَمَتِّعْنَا بِأَسْمَاعِنَا وَأَبْصَارِنَا وَقُوَّتِنَا
مَاَ اَحْيَيْتَنَا، وَاجْعَلْهُ الْوَارِثَ مِنَّ، وَاجْعَلْ تَأْرَنَا عَلى مَنْ ظَلَمَنَا، وَانْصُرْنَا عَلَى مَنْ عَادَانَا، وَلَا
تَجْعَلْ مُصِيْبَتَنَا فِيْ دِيْنِنَا، وَلَا تَجْعَلِ الدُّنْيَانِ اكْبَرَ هَمِّنَا، وَلَا مَبْلَغَ عِلْمِنَا، وَلَا غَايَةَ رَغْبَتِنَا، وَلَا
تُسَلِّطْ عَلَيْنَا مَنْ لَّا يَرْحَمْنَا.
O Allah! Give us such a portion of Your fear whereby it would come as a barrier
between us and committing acts of disobedience against You. Give us such a
portion of Your obedience whereby You could convey us into Your Paradise.
Give us such a portion of conviction with which You could make insignificant
for us the calamities of this world. Let us enjoy the benefits of our ears, eyes
and strength as long as You keep us alive, and continue their goodness after
our death. Take revenge from those who oppress us and help us against those
who are our enemies. Do not let our religion be cumbersome to us. Do not make
the world our main object, the extent of our knowledge, nor the limit of our
desire. Do not give authority over us to him who would not show mercy to us.
When Hadrat Anas radiyallahu 'anhu used to complete the Qur'an, he
used to assemble his family people and make du'a'. Rasūlullah
sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam permitted women to attend good assemblies
and the collective supplications of Muslims. He delivered a condolence
604

speech and made du'a' at the end.1 The Mustadrak of Hakim also makes
mention of a collective du'a'. A short list of proofs is provided below.
Tirmidhī Sharīf:
عن ابن عمر رضي الله عنه قال قلما كان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقوم من المجلس
حتى يدعو بهؤلاء الكلمات لأصحابه: اللهم اقسم لنا من خشيتك ... الخ. (ترمذی شريف:
١٨٨/٢).
وقال الإمام الترمذى: بذا حديث حسن غريب. قلت: وفيه عبيد الله بن زحر الافريقى.
قال ابن حجر: صدوق يخطئ، وضعف أحمد وقال النسائى: لا بأس به.
Al-Adhkār:
عن قتادة التابعى الجليل الامام صاحب أنس رضي الله عنه قال: كان أنس بن مالك رضي
الله عنه اذا ختم القرآن جمع أهله ودعا. (الأذكار للنووى، ٩٧).
Sahīh al-Bukhārī:
باب شهود الحائض العيدين ودعوة المسلمين: عن أيوب عن حفصة رضي الله عنها قالت
كنا نمنع عواتقنا أن يخرجن فى العيدين ... ولتشهد الخير ودعوة المسلمين الحديث. (بخارى
شريف ٤٦/١).
Allāmah Shabbir Ahmad 'Uthmanī rahimahullah writes under this
Hadith:
Rasūlullah sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam instructed that women should
attend good assemblies and collective du'a's of Muslims, e.g. lectures,
salātul istisqā', kusūf, khusūf, or on occasions of collective du'a'. In
short, a woman can join every occasion of virtue.2
Tafsir Ibn Kathīr:
وقوله "واستغفروا الله ان الله غفور رحيم" كثيرا ما يأمر الله بذكره بعد قضاء العبادات و
لهذا ثبت فى صحيح مسلم أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم كان إذا فرغ من الصلاة
یستغفر الله ثلاثا. (تفسير ابن كثير: ٢٦٠/١).
1 Bukhārī Sharīf, vol. 1, p. 14.
2 فضل الباري شرح صحيح البخاري: 2\492.
605

Very often Allah ta'ālā orders us to engage in His remembrance after the
completion of different acts of worship. Thus, it is established in Sahih Muslim
that when Rasūlullah sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam used to complete his salah,
he used to seek forgiveness from Allāh ta'ala three times.
Salah is a most important act of worship. Seeking forgiveness and
making du'a' after it are established practices. Observe the following:
Sahīh Muslim:
کان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم اذا فرغ من الصلاة قال لا اله الا الله وحده لا شریک
له له الملك وهو على كل شىء قدير اللهم لا مانع لما أعطيت ... الخ. (صحيح مسلم: ٢١٨/١).
When Rasūlullāh sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam completed his salāh, he would
read the following:
لَا إِلََّ إِلَّ الله وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيْكَ لَهُ لَهُ الْمُلْكِهِ وَهَوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيْرُ اللّهُمَّلَا مَانِعَ لِمَا
اَعْطَيْتَ ...
Sahīh Ibn Hibbān:
كان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم اذا فرغ من الصلاة قال: اللهم اغفر لى ما قدّمت وما
أخّرت ... الخ. (صحيح ابن حبان: ٢٠٢٥/٣٧٢/٥). قال الشيخ شعيب: اسناده صحيح على شرط
مسلم. (رقم: ٢٠٢٥).
When Rasūlullah sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam completed his salah, he would
read the following:
اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِيْ مَا قَدَّمْتُ وَمَا آَخَّرْتُ
Mustadrak Hākim:
عن حبيب بن مسلمة الفهرى وكان مجاب الدعوة أن أمر على جيش فدرب الدروب فلما
أتی العدو قال سمعت رسول الله صلى الله علیه وسلم يقول: لا يجتمع ملأ فيدعو بعضهم و
يؤمن البعض الا أجابهم الله. الخ. (المستدرك للحاكم: ٣٤٧/٣، والمعجم الكبير، رقم:
٣٥٣٦).
قال الهيشمى: رواه الطبرانى ورجاله رجال الصحيح غير ابن لهيعة وبو حسن الحديث.
قلت: روى عنه أبو عبد الرحمن المقرى، وبو عبد الله بن يزيد المصرى من العبادلة الثلاثة
606

المشهورة فحديث ابن لهيعة حسن أو صحيح إذا روى عنه العبادلة الثلاثة، لكن ابن
پیرة لم یدرک حبيباً ،فالاسناد منقطع.
Habīb ibn Maslamah al-Fahrī said ... I heard Rasūlullāh sallallahu 'alayhi wa
sallam saying: When a group of people assemble and some make du'a' while
the others say "Āmīn", Allah ta'ala most certainly responds to their
supplication ...
To sum up, collective du'a' at the end of an assembly is established and
it is most likely to be accepted. However, where du'a' is not specifically
established, it must not be done while considering it to be Sunnah.
Allāh ta ālā knows best.
Using pits as counters
Question
Is it established from Ahadith to use pits or beads as counters for
dhikr? Some people make objections to using them. What is the
answer to them?
Answer
There are many narrations which prove the permissibility of using pits
or beads as counters. The following is quoted in Mustadrak Hakim:
حدثنا علي بن حمشاذ العدل، ثنا هشام بن علي السدوسي، ثنا شاذ بن فياض، ثنا هاشم بن
سعيد، عن كنانة، عن صفية رضي الله عنها قالت: دخل علي رسول الله صلى الله عليه
وسلم وبين يدي أربعة آلاف نواة أسبح بهن، فقال: يا بنت حيي ما هذا؟ قلت : أسبح بهن،
قال: قد سبحت منذ قمت على رأسك أكثر من هذا. قلت: علمني يا رسول الله. قال: قولي
سبحان الله عدد ما خلق من شيء. هذا حديث صحيح الإسناد ولم يخرجاه. قال الذهبي
صحيح. وله شاهد من حديث المصريين بإسناد أصح من هذا .!
... Safīyyah radiyallāhu 'anhā narrates: Rasūlullāh sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam
came to me while I had 4 000 date pits in front of me which I was using as
counters to glorify Allah. He asked: "O Bint Huyay! What is this?" I replied: "I
am using them as counters to glorify Allah." He said: "From the time I left you
[and returned], I glorified Allah more times than this." I said: "Teach me those
words, O Rasūlullah!" He said: "You must say: Glory to Allah equal to whatever
He created."
1 المستدرك على الصحيحين: 1\547.
607

حدثناه إسماعيل بن أحمد الجرجاني، ثنا محمد بن الحسن بن قتيبة العسقلاني، ثنا حرملة
بن يحيى، أنبأ ابن وهب، أخبرني عمرو بن الحارث، أن سعيد بن أبي هلال، حدثه عن عائشة
بنت سعد بن أبي وقاص رضي الله عنه، عن أبيها، أنه دخل مع النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم
على امرأة وبين يديها نوى، أو حصى فقال أخبرك بما هو أيسر عليك من هذا وأفضل؟ قولي:
سبحان الله عدد ما خلق في السماء، سبحان الله عدد ما خلق في الأرض تسبح، فقال:
سبحان الله عدد ما بين ذلك، وسبحان الله عدد ما هو خالق، والله أكبر مثل ذلك، والحمد
1
لله مثل ذلك، ولا إله إلا الله مثل ذلك، ولا قوة إلا بالله مثل ذلك. قال الذهبي صحيح.
... 'A'ishah bint Sa'd ibn Abī Waqqās narrates that her father Sa'd ibn Abī
Waqqās radiyallahu 'anhu related to her that he went with Rasūlullah
sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam to one of his wives and saw date pits or pebbles in
front of her. He said to her: "Should I teach you something which is easier for
you and superior to this? You must say: Sub-hanallah equal to what He
created in the heavens. Sub-hanallah equal to what He created on earth." He
then said: "Sub-hanallah equal to the creations which are between them
[between the heavens and earth]. Sub-hanallah equal to what He is still going
to create. Allahu Akbar equal to that number. Al-Hamdulillah equal to that
number. Lā Ilāha Illallah equal to that number. Lā Qūwwata Illā Billāh equal
to that number.
Musannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah:
حدثنا ابن علية عن الجريرى عن أبى نضرة عن رجل من الطفاوة قال: نزلت على ابى بريرة
رضي الله عنه ومعه کیس فیه حصی او نوی فیقول: سبحان الله، سبحان الله، حتی اذا نفد
ما فى الكيس القاه الى جارية سوداء فجمعته ثم دفعته اليه. (مصنف ابن ابى شيبه:
٧٧٤٣/٢١٧/٥).
قال الشيخ محمد عوامه: الطفاوى، مجهول. (تعليق الشيخ محمد عوامن على المصنف ٩٥/٥ /
٧٣٣١).
... A man from at-Tafāwah said: I went to Abū Hurayrah radiyallāhu 'anhu who
had a bag of pebbles or date pits. He was saying: Sub-hanallah, Sub-hānallāh.
When he finished all that was in the bag, he gave it to a black slave-woman
who gathered them and gave the bag back to him.
1 المستدرك على الصحيحين: 1\548.
608

Nayl al-Autār:
أخرج أحمد عن يونس بن عبيد عن أمه قالت: رأيت أبا صفية رجلاً من أصحاب رسول
الله صلى الله عليه وسلم وكان خازناً قالت: فكان يسبح بالحصى. (نيل الأوطار: ٣٢٧/٢، باب
جواز عقد التسبيح باليد وعده بالنوى، ادارة القرآن).
... Yūnus ibn 'Ubayd narrates from his mother who said: I saw Abū Safiyyah, a
Companion of Rasūlullah sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam and a treasurer,
glorifying Allah with pebbles [as counters].
عن نعيم بن محیریز بن ابى بريرة عن جده ابى بريرة رضي الله عنه انه كان له خيط فيه الفا
عقدة فلا ينام حتى يسبح به وعن جابر عن امرأة حدثته عن فاطمة بنت الحسين بن على
بن ابى طالب أنها كانت تسبح بخيط. (نيل الأوطار: ٣٢٧/٢، باب جواز عقد التسبيح باليد
وعده بالنوى، ادارة القرآن).
... Abū Hurayrah radiyallahu 'anhu had a length of rope with 1 000 knots. He
would not go to sleep until he glorified Allah with it. Jābir narrates from a
woman with regard to Fatimah bint al-Husayn ibn 'Alī ibn Abi Talib that she
would use a length of rope to glorify Allah.
Mirqāt:
هذا اصل صحيح لتجويز السبحة لتقيريره صلى الله عليه وسلم تلك المرأة فانه فى معناپا
اذ لا فرق بين المنظومة والمنثورة فيما يعد به ولا يعتد بقول من عدبا بدعة وقد قال
المشايخ أنها سوط الشيطان. (مرقاة المفاتيح: ١١٤/٥).
This is a correct basis for the permissibility of using a tasbih (rosary) because
Rasūlullah sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam approved it for that woman. A tasbīh
serves the same purpose [as loose beads or pits] because there is no difference
between those that are arranged in the form of a rosary and those that are
loose because both are used as counters. No consideration is given to the one
who considers it a bid'ah. The elders say that it [tasbih] is a whip against
Satan.
Musannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah:
عن مولاة لسعد: أن سعد رضي الله عنه کان یسبح بالحصی والنوى. (مصنف ابن ابى شيبه:
٢١٧/٥/ ٧٧٤١).
A freed slave-woman of Sa'd radiyallahu 'anhu said: Sa'd used to glorify Allāh
ta'ala with pebbles and date pits.
609

Shaykh Albānī claimed that it was not permissible to use a tasbīh.
Written discussions took place between himself and Shaykh 'Abdullah
al-Hararī al-Habashi on this issue. Shaykh al-Hararī's two booklets on
this subject are published, viz. at-Ta'aqqub al-Hathith and Nusrah at-
Ta'aqqub al-Hathīth 'Ala Man Ta'ana Fima Sahha Min al-Hadith.
١. منها: ان فى اتخاذ السبحة شبهة الرياء والسمعة فيجب اجتنابها وترک الاخذ بها.
جوابه: ان اتخاذپا اذا كان مفضیاً الی الریاء فلا ریب فى الامتناع عنہا وکذلک کل تطوع او
مباح اذا افضى الى الرياء واجب الامتناع.
ولا كلام فيه انما الكلام اذا خلا عن هذه الشبهة لا سيما اذا اقترن به التشبه بالاجلة.
واما فى هذا الزمان فالتسبيح علامة التاخر والتخلف عند عامة الناس فاى تفاخر يوجد
فیه.
٢. منها: انه لو كان فيه حسن ما لاتخذبا النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم وہدی اصحابه اليها واذ
لیس فلیس.
وجوابه: انه ليس كل ما لم يفعله النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم بنفسه فهو ليس بحسن، فان ما
رغب اليه، او قرر عليه، او على نظير له اوجد بين يديه ايضاً حسن. (اذ لم يؤسس
الجامعات ولا رتب منهج الدراسات ولا نظم نظام الاجازات والتخصصات). (مأخوذ من
نزبة الفكر ص ٢٦) والتقرير أيضاً حديث وقد ثبت تقريره للسبحة كما مر.
٣. ان بعض الفقهاء قد حكم على ان مطلق العد بدعة.
وجوابه: انه ليس ببدعة لان لم اصلا ويوتسبيح بعض الصحابة بالحصى (مع تقرير رسول
الله صلى الله عليه وسلم). (الفتاوى المهمة لفضيلة الشيخ محمد صالح العثيمين ص ٨٩٤).
٤. قال الشيخ الالبانى (كان يسبح بالحصى) موضوع. (الضعيفة ٤٧/٣).
وجوابه: ان الامام احمد ذکره بسند آخر.
اخرج احمد فى الزيد: نا عفان نا عبد الواحد بن زياد عن يونس بن عبيد عن امر قالت
رأيت ابا صفية رجل من اصحاب رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم وكان جارنا قالت فكان
يسبح بالحصى. (نزية الفكر فى سبحة الذكر ص ١١).
610

٥. قال الالبانى: مرابن مسعود بامرأة معها تسبيح تسبح به فقطعه والقاه ثم مر برجل يسبح
بحصا فضربه برجله ثم قال لقد سبقتم ركبتم بدعة ظلماً ولقد غلبتم اصحاب محمد صلى
الله عليه وسلم علما. وسنده الى الصلت صحيح وبوثقة من اتباع التابعين. (الضعيفة:
١١٢/١).
Al-Bida' of Ibn Waddāh:
نا اسد عن جرير بن حازم، عن الصلت بن بهرام قال: مر ابن مسعود بامرأة معها تسبيح
تسبح به، فقطعه والقام، ثم مر برجل يسبح بحصا، فضربه برجله ثم قال لقد سبقتم، ركبتم
بدعة ظلما، ولقد غلبتم اصحاب محمد صل علما.
وجوابه: ان الحديث منقطع لان الصلت ما لقى ابن مسعود. وكان يذكر بالارجاء. (الجامع فى
الجرح والتعديل ٤٠٠/١، ولسان الميزان ٣٢٦/٤. تهذيب التهذيب: ٣٩٧/٤).
The narrator [as-Salt] is reliable but his meeting Ibn Mas'ūd radiyallahu
'anhu is not established. Furthermore, he is accused of belonging to the
Murji'īyyah sect.
كان عبد الله يكره العد ويقول ايمن على الله حسناته؟
عن عقبة قال سالت ابن عمر عن الرجل يذكر الله ويقعد؟ فقال يحاسبون الله؟. (مصنف
ابن ابى شيبة ٢٢٠/٥).
This prohibition applies when a person counts [the number of his
tasbīhs] for show and ostentation. Alternatively, it could be 'Abdullah
ibn Mas'ūd's personal opinion.
قال الشیخ الالبانی: ان الناس قد تفننوا فى الابتداع بهذه البدعة ... وبعضهم یعد بها وہو
يحدثك او يستمع لحديثك. (الضعيفة: ١١٧/١).
وجوابه: ان الغفلة ليست بمخصوصة بالسبحة فقط بل تعرض كل عمل.
In most cases, a tasbih is a means to help a person to remember. This is
why it is referred to as a mudhakkirah (the reminder).
To sum up, a tasbih is established from many narrations. Ibn
Taymīyyah's objection is based on the people of his time who made it
their salient feature. Apart from this objection, he himself says:
611

وأما عده بالنوى والحصى ونحو ذلك فحسن وكان من الصحابة رضي الله عنهم من يفعل
ذلك. وقد رأى النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم أم المؤمنين تسبح بالحصى وأقرها على ذلك. وروي
أن أبا هريرة كان يسبح به. وأما التسبيح بما يجعل في نظام من الخرز ونحوه فمن الناس من
كرهه ومنهم من لم يكرهه وإذا أحسنت فيه النية فهو حسن.
As for counting with date-pits, pebbles and similar things, it is a good practice.
There were Sahābah radiyallahu 'anhum who did this. Rasūlullah sallallahu
'alayhi wa sallam saw a Mother of the Believers counting tasbihs with pebbles
and he affirmed her action. Furthermore, it is related that Abū Hurayrah
radiyallahu 'anhu used to count tasbīhs with a counter. As for a tasbih which
is stringed in a rosary and so on, there are some who disapprove of it while
others do not. If it is done with a good intention then it is a good practice.
قال السيوطي: ولم ينقل عن أحد من السلف ولا من الخلف المنع من جواز عد الذكر
بالسبحة.1
Imām Suyūtī said: No one from the past and latter scholars is reported to have
prohibited the counting of dhikr with a tasbīh.
Allāh ta ālā knows best.
1 المنحة في السبحة، ص 7، ونيل الأوطار: 32812.
612

Chapter Three: Da'wah and Tabligh
Multiplied rewards in the path of Allah
Question
It is said that the salah which is performed by those who go out in
Tablīghī Jamā at is equal to the reward for 490 million salahs. Is there
any proof for this? If there is, then does it mean that the reward for
the salah of the one who goes out in Tablighi Jama'at is more than the
reward for the salah which is performed in al-Masjid al-Haram where
the reward is 100 000?
Answer
What the people of the Tablighi Jama'at say is not specifically for them
only; it is general. Whoever goes out in Allah's cause whether for jihad,
for the sake of seeking knowledge, hajj, 'umrah, etc. or for any other
Dīnī reason will be eligible for this reward. Furthermore, this virtue
has not been taken from one narration. The Tablighi brothers take it
from the combination of two narrations.
The first narration:
عن جماعة من الصحابة مرفوعاً: من أرسل بنفقة في سبيل الله ... ومن غزى بنفسه في سبيل
الله وأنفق في وجه ذلك فله بكل دربم سبع مائة ألف دريم، ثم تلا هذه الآية والله
يضاعف لمن يشاء. (رواه ابن ماجه باب فضل النفقة فى سبيل الله، ص ١٩٨).
قلت: إسناده ضعيف، في الخليل بن عبد الله وہو مجهول.
وقال بشار عواد: إسناده ضعيف لأجل الخليل بن عبدالله ... الخ. (سنن ابن ماجه بتعليق
بشار عواد: ٥٦/٤).
وبالجملة فالحديث ضعيف لكن يعمل به في فضائل الأعمال.
Whoever makes a contribution in the cause of Allah ... whoever goes out in
Allah's cause himself and spends in its cause shall receive the equivalent of
700 000 dirhams for every one dirham which he spends." He then recited this
verse: "Allah multiplies for whomever He wills."
We learn from this that spending one dirham in Allah's cause is equal
to spending 700 000 dirhams.
613

Note: One worthy point of objection is that the Hadith uses the word
sie which is used specifically for attacking the enemy in the
battlefield. Thus, it seems inappropriate to apply it in other meanings
such as Tabligh, seeking knowledge and so on. This objection has been
presented by Maulānā Muftī Rashīd Ahmad Ludhyānwī rahimahullāh.
He says:
Even if both narrations are considered to be acceptable, because one of
them clearly states: "whoever goes out in Allah's cause himself", there
is no way that a general meaning of "Allah's cause" can be taken and to
apply this virtue to other departments of Din. Rather, this virtue is
solely for those mujahidin who are waging battle against the
unbelievers.1
Observe some of the statements of the linguists:
Al-Qāmūs al-Muhīt states:
غزاه وغزوا أراده وطلبه وقصده والعدو: سار إلى قتالهم وانتهابهم، غزوا وغزوانا وغزاوة. 2
وفي المحيط الأعظم (3816): الغزو: السير إلى قتال العدو وانتهابه.
However, it is learnt from the following Hadith of Bukharī Sharif that
the word ghazwah is sometimes used in situations where there is no
fighting:
من جهز غازيا في سبيل الله فقد غزى، ومن خلف غازيا في سبيل الله فقد غزى.
(598\1)
The one who provides the means for a fighter in Allah's cause has gone out in
battle himself. The one who sees to the family of the one who has gone out to
fight in Allah's cause has gone out in battle himself.
The second narration:
عن سهل بن معاذ عن أبيه قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: إن الصلاة والصيام
والذكر يضاعف على النفقة في سبيل الله بسبع مائة ضعف.
Rasūlullāh sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam said: Salāh, fasting and dhikr are
multiplied 700 times over spending in Allah's cause.
1 Ahsan al-Fatāwā, vol. 9, p. 183.
2 القاموس المحيط: 169811، وكذا في المعجم الوسيط، ص 652.
614

رواه أبو داؤد: (٣٣٨/١، باب فى تضعيف الذكر فى سبيل الله عز وجل، ط: سعيد)، والحاكم
(رقم: ٢٤١٥)، وقال: صحيح الإسناد، ووافقه الذبي، وأخرجه البيهقي فى الكبرى (١٧٢/٩).
قلت: إسناده ضعيف، فيه زبان بن فائد المصرى، قال أحمد: أحاديث مناكير. وقال ابن
معين: شيخ ضعيف. وقال ابن حبان: منكر الحديث جداً يتفرد عن سهل بن معاذ بنسخة
كأنها موضوعة لا يحتج به. وقال الساجي: عنده مناكير. (تهذيب التهذيب: ٢٠٦٧/٢٧٤/٣).
(٢) وسهل بن معاذ بن أنس الجهنى، قال ابن معين: ضعيف. قلت (ابن حجر): لا يعتبر
حديثه ما كان من رواية زبان بن فائد عنه وذكره فى الضعفاء فقال: منكر الحديث جداً.
(تهذيب التهذيب: ٢٧٦٠/٢٣٤/٤، وتحرير التقريب، ج ٢).
وقال المناوي: وہو حديث ضعيف لضعف زبان بن فائد. (التيسير بشرح الجامع الصغير
للمناوى: ٢٤٩٨/٥٩٢/١).
وبالجملة فالحديث ضعيف لكن يعمل به فى فضائل الاعمال.
If the 700 000 [of the first narration] is multiplied by 700 [ of the second
narration], it will total 490 million. This is how the number 490 million
is obtained.
Further, no comparison is intended between this 490 million and the
reward of 100 000 for performing salah in al-Masjid al-Haram. For
example, if we say: "Such and such person is the best of all", it does not
mean that he is better than even the Sahabah radiyallahu 'anhum. This
is because no comparison is intended between the two. In the same
way, the reward which is mentioned is not meant to be compared with
the reward of 100 000 for salah in al-Masjid al-Haram.
Even if a comparison is made, then according to one narration, the
reward for salah in al-Masjid al-Haram is more than 100 000. Mulla 'Alī
Qārī rahimahullah writes in his commentary of Mishkāt:
قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: صلاة الرجل في بيته بصلاة أى تحسب بصلاة واحدة
وصلاته في مسجد القبائل بخمس وعشرين صلاة أى بالإضافة إلى صلاة في بيته لا مطلقاً
وصلاته فى المسجد الذي يجمع فيه بخمس مائة صلاة أى بالنسبة إلى مسجد الحي وصلاته
فى المسجد الأقصى بخمسين ألف صلاة أى بالنسبة إلى ما قبل وصلاته في مسجدي
بخمسين ألف صلاة أى بالإضافة إلى ما يليه وصلاته فى المسجد الحرام بمائة ألف أى
615

بالنسبة إلى مسجد المدينة على ما يدل عليه سياق الكلام فيحتاج إلى ضرب الأعداد في
بعض فإنه ينتج مضاعفة كثيرة. (المرقاة: ٢٢٨/٢).
Rasūlullāh sallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam said: A person's salāh in his house is
one salāh, i.e. calculated as one salāh. His salāh in his residential masjid is
equal to 25 salāhs, i.e. in comparison to his salah at home, and not unilaterally.
His salah in the jāmi' masjid is equal to 500 salāhs, i.e. in comparison to the
previous one. His salāh in al-Masjid al-Aqsā is equal to 50 000, i.e. in
comparison to the previous one. His salah in my masjid is equal to 50 000, i.e. in
comparison to the previous one. His salah in al-Masjid al-Haram is equal to
100 000, i.e. in comparison to al-Masjid an-Nabawī. We will therefore need to
multiply one into the other which would then result in a very large number.
The multiplication of the above and its total will be as follows:
Salah at home: one.
Salāh in residential masjid: 25
Salāh in jāmi' masjid: 25x500=12 500.
Salāh in al-Masjid al-Aqsā: 12 500x50 000=625 000 000.
Salah in al-Masjid an-Nabawī: 625 000 000x50 000=31 250 000 000 000.
Salāh
in
al-Masjid
al-Harām:
31 250 000 000 000x100 000=31 250 000 000 000 000 000.
Now just look at the reward for performing salah in al-Masjid al-
Haram! Our intellects cannot even estimate it. May Allah ta'ala confer
this reward to us. Āmīn.
Allāh ta ālā knows best.
An answer to an objection made against Tablīghīs
Question
Some people make the objection that Allah's order:
كنتم خير امة اخرجت للناس.
You are the best of nations who have been appointed for mankind ...
encompasses everyone - Muslims and non-Muslims. Why, then, do the
Tablighīs confine themselves going to Muslims only? Why do they not
go to non-Muslims?
616

Answer
First of all, Tablighīs did not restrict this great work of Tabligh to
Muslims only. Rather, through the blessings of this work and their
moving about, Allah ta'ala conferred the supreme treasure of īman to
countless non-Muslims. Assuming we were to accept that they do not
go to non-Muslims, even then their going to Muslims and not to non-
Muslims does not violate the verse under discussion. There are many
Ahādīth which affirm this work. For example, Rasūlullah sallallahu
'alayhi wa sallam sent Hadrat Mu'adh ibn Jabal radiyallahu 'anhu to
Yemen. A group of Sahabah went to Kūfah for da wah among Muslims.
During his caliphate, Hadrat 'Umar radiyallahu 'anhu sent Hadrat
Abdullah ibn Mas'ūd radiyallahu 'anhu with a group of Sahabah to
Kūfah. Ma'qil ibn Yasar, 'Abdullah ibn Mughaffal and 'Imran ibn
Husayn went to Basra. 'Ubadah ibn Samit and Abū ad-Darda' went
towards Syria for the da wah of Muslims.
Furthermore, the benefits of da wah among Muslims are noticed faster
as opposed to its benefits among non-Muslims. Reference is made to
this fact in the following verse:
عبس وتولى ان جاءه الأعمى ...
He frowned and turned away because there came to him the blind man ... 1
In other words, showing due consideration to Ibn Umm Maktum
radiyallahu 'anhu is more beneficial than turning his [Rasūlullah's]
attention to the proud and haughty Quraysh leaders.
If someone still makes this objection, then they [Tablighis] have not
stopped anyone. Each person can go in his own capacity to non-
Muslims and invite them to Islam. The way is open, there are no
obstacles in the path. It is therefore wrong to criticize them [Tablighīs]
in this regard.2
Allāh ta ālā knows best.
1 Sūrah 'Abasa, 80: 1-2.
2 Refer to the following for details: Fatāwā Mahmudīyyah, vol. 1, p. 452; Fatāwā
Rahīmīyyah, vol. 6, p. 381; Jamā at Tablīgh Par I'tirādāt Ke Jawābāt, p. 12; Dīnī
Da wat Aur Tabligh Ke Usul Wa Ahkām; Muntakhab Ahādīth.
617

Is a person committing a major crime for not participating in Tabligh?
Question
The Tablighīs claim that the ummah has committed a major crime by
abandoning the work of da wah. If it is fard-e-kifayah, is this major
crime not atoned for? Furthermore, is this work mustahab, fard-e-
kifāyah, fard-e-'ayn or wajib?
Answer
What the Tablighis mean by this is that there are some places where
the work of da wah has not been made by going from house to house
whereas there were people in those places who were qualified to do
the da wah. Thus, places where da wah was needed and no one did it
then it was a major crime. This work is fard-e-kifayah.
Allāh ta'ālā says:
ادع إلى سبيل ربك بالحكمة والموعظة الحسنة
Invite to the way of your Sustainer with wisdom and kind admonition.1
قل هذه سبيلي ادعو الى الله على بصيرة انا ومن اتبعني
Say: This is my way. I invite towards Allah with insight, I and whoever is with
me.2
يبني أقم الصلاة وامر بالمعروف وانه عن المنكر واصبر على ما اصابك.
O son! Establish salah, enjoin good, prohibit evil, and bear with patience
whatever befalls you.3
Sahīh Bukhārī:
وقال عليه الصلاة والسلام: ألا هل بلغت؟ قلنا: نعم! اللُّهُمَّ اشهد فليبلّغ الشاهد الغائب،
فانه ربّ مبلّغ يبلّغ من هو أوعى منه. (بخارى رقم ٧٠٧٨).
Rasūlullāh sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam asked: "Listen! Have I conveyed the
message?" We replied: "Yes." He said: "O Allah! You be witness to this. The one
who is present here must convey the message to the one who is not here
because the one to whom the message is conveyed may well remember it better
than the one who conveyed it to him."
1 Sūrah an-Nahl, 16: 125.
2 Sūrah Yusuf, 12: 108.
3 Sūrah Luqman, 31: 17.
618

Tirmidhī Sharīf:
عن أبى بكر الصديق رضي الله عنه قال: يا ايها الناس انكم تقرؤون هذه الأية "يا ايها
الذين امنوا عليكم انفسكم لا يضرّكم من ضلّ اذا هتديتم". وانى سمعت رسول الله
صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول: ان الناس إذا رأوا الظالم فلم يأخذوا على يديه أوشك أن يعمهم
الله بعقاب منه. (رواه الترمذى باب فى نزول العذاب رقم: ٢١٦٨).
Abū Bakr radiyallāhu 'anhu said: O people! You read this verse: "O believers! It
is incumbent on you to worry about your own lives. Those who are gone astray
can do you no harm as long as you are on the path."1 I heard Rasūlullah
sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam saying: "If people see a person committing wrong
and they do not stop him from it, Allah ta'ala may soon encompass all of them
with a punishment."
At-Tafsir al-Munīr:
ان الدعوة الى الاسلام ونشرها فى أفاق العالم والأمر بالمعروف والنهى عن المنكر من
فروض الاسلام الكفائية. ( التفسير المنير: ٣٥/٤، آل عمران، دار الفكر).
Inviting to Islam and propagating it to the various parts of the world,
enjoining good and forbidding evil are from among the fard-e-kifayah acts of
Islam.
Bayān al-Qur'ān:
If a person has the power to enjoin good and forbid evil - in other
words, based on the circumstantial situation, he is inclined to think
that if he enjoins and forbids, no considerable harm will befall him,
then it is wajib on him to enjoin and forbid on matters which are
wajib. If a person does not have the power as explained, it is not wajib
on him to enjoin and forbid on matters which are not wajib. However,
he will be rewarded if he takes the courage to do it ... The obligation on
the person who has the power is wajib-e-kifayah, i.e. if such a number
of people do it which fulfils the necessity, then the responsibility falls
off the shoulders of others who have the power to enjoin and forbid.2
Imām Abū Bakr Jassās rahimahullāh explains this issue in Ahkām al-
Qur'an. The gist of it is as follows:
1 Sūrah al-Mā'idah, 5: 105.
2 Bayān al-Qur'ān, vol. 1, p. 104.
619

ولتكن منكم أمة يدعون إلى الخير ويأمرون بالمعروف وينهون عن المنكر. قال أبو
بكر: قد حوت هذه الآية معنيين. أحدهما: وجوب الأمر بالمعروف والنهي عن المنكر.
والآخر: أنه فرض على الكفاية ليس بفرض على كل أحد في نفسه إذا قام به غيره. لقوله
تعالى: ولتكن منكم أمة. وحقيقته تقتضي البعض دون البعض، فدل على أنه فرض
الكفاية إذا قام به بعضهم سقط عن الباقين. ومن الناس من يقول هو فرض على كل أحد في
نفسه .. والذي يدل على صحة هذا القول أنه إذا قام به بعضهم سقط عن الباقين، كالجهاد
وغسل الموتى وتكفينهم والصلاة عليهم ودفنهم، ولولا أنه فرض على الكفاية لما سقط عن
الآخرين بقيام بعضهم به.١
Sharh Riyad as-Salihīn:
والأمر بالمعروف والنهي عن المنكر فرض كفاية، إذا قام به من يكفي حصل المقصود، وإذا
لم يقم به من يكفي وجب على جميع المسلمين، كما قال الله تعالى: ولتكن منكم أمة
يدعون الى الخير ... الخ.2
Fatāwā Mahmūdīyyah:
Question: Is Tablīgh in our times wajib?
Answer: Tabligh is fard in every era, and fard in our times as well.
However, it is fard-e-kifayah. The level of its importance will depend
on the extent of its necessity, and the extent of responsibility will
depend on the extent of a person's qualification. Enjoining good and
prohibiting evil are explicitly ordered in the Qur'an. The greatest good
is īman and the worst evil is kufr. Each believer is accountable
according to his capability to convey the Din of Allah ta'ala in line with
the guidance of Rasūlullah sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam.3
Fatāwā Haqqānīyyah:
It is fard-e-kifayah to invite Allah's creation towards His orders and
stop it from committing His prohibitions. If some people fulfil this
responsibility, it will fall off from the rest. It is incorrect to claim that
1 أحكام القرآن: 2912.
2 شرح رياض الصالحين للشيخ محمد بن صالح العثيمين: 4831.
3 Fatāwā Mahmūdīyyah, vol. 17, p. 246.
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