Duties of a Muslim : Kalimah Shadah
The Shahadah is the Islamic confession of faith: La ilaha illallah Muhammadur Rasulallah: "There is no god but Allah , Mohammed is the Messenger of Allah".
These are the words that a person says to enter the fold of Islam. It is a covenant that the person makes with Allah : that he/she will continue to obey Allah, and walk in the footsteps of our Holy Prophet Mohammed (s.a.w).
From the time of making Shahadah, the person is treated and respected like a Muslim by all Muslims. The bond of faith is much stronger than the bond of blood. When a person becomes a Muslim they enter the community of Muslims, regardless of their race or background. A feeling of love and harmony abides between people who sincerely seek to practice Islam according to the Quran and Sunnah. Such people are in a race to do good and be those with whom Allah is pleased.
If anyone desires a religion other than Islam (submission to Allah), never will it be accepted of him; and in the Hereafter He will be in the ranks of those who have lost (All spiritual good). [ 3:85 ]
We repeat it every time we pray. When we say there is no god worthy of worship except Allah, it means that we disdain obedience and servitude to anyone or anything except Allah. It means that we fear no one and nothing except Allah : that our greatest feeling of love and gratitude are kept for Allah, because we know that He is the real Provider of all we have. It means that we do not seek the pleasure or acceptance of anyone or anything except Allah. This means that the Muslim becomes strong and independent.
The ridicule, scorn, sneers and insults of people bear no importance. The Muslim remains calm and secure in times of panic because they know that there is no help except from Allah. In times of grief and distress, the Muslim remains steadfast and courageous, knowing that calamity can only occur with the permission of Allah and that He, in His Mercy has promised not to bear a sincere soul, with more than it can bear.
When we say that Mohammed. is the Prophet of Allah, we acknowledge his right to be respected, obeyed and revered. We follow in his footsteps, knowing that he was the best of creation and hope to achieve Paradise and be close to him and the other prophets, Inshaa Allah. Truly the Shahadah is not a empty phrase, it is coupled with sincerity of intention and determination to struggle, strive and sacrifice along the straight path.
Duties of a Muslim : Salaat ( 5 Times a Day )
ISRAA (NIGHT JOURNEY): Means betaking the Prophet from Makkah to al-Quds during the night by al-Buraq and then returning him back in the same night. Ibnul Qayyim said, "Allah's saying 'took His Servant for a journey by night’ and not 'sent His Servant' implies that Allah accompanied the Prophet (s.a.w). For the letter 'baa' in the Arabic means besides. And this is why the Prophet (s.a.w), when setting out for a journey would say, "O Allah, You are the Companion during (my) travel."
MI' RAJ (ASCENSION): Refers to what happened to the Prophet when he ascended from al-Masjid al-Aqsa up to beyond the Seventh Heaven, where Salaat was prescribed, and then returning back in the same fashion in the same night.
In the few years that preceded the incident of Israa and Mi'raj, the Prophet, (s.a.w) and the believers with him had gone through and suffered from many stressful and sad events. In the midst of all these sorrows, Allah took His prophet through the Israa and Mi’raj to provide him with inspiration and support by showing him what no other human has ever been blessed with. In the heavens, he witnessed the great Signs of Allah, and the indication of Divine Providence toward him and the dawah, such that he became certain of the success of the dawah and of his victory over his enemies. The miracle of the Israa and Mi’raaj proved to the prophet that if the earth would straiten to him at certain times, then heavens’ gates are open for him at all times, and if some terrestrials would harm him, then the people of heaven would support and stand with him.
‘Praise and Glory are due to Allah, Who took His servant for a journey by night from al-Masjid al-Haram to al-Masjid al-Aqsa which We have blessed, to show him from Our signs. Verily, He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer.’ (17:1)
'The wisdom of prescribing the Salaat during the Mi`raaj is that the Prophet (s.a.w) was hallowed internally and externally. He was washed with Zamzam water, and was showered with Iman and wisdom. Since Salaat is preceded by ablution, it was thus appropriate that Salaat was prescribed in that state, i.e. after the Prophet was purified.
No other act of ibaadah is dearer to Allah than salaat. Allah Ta'ala has made 5 times salaat compulsory on His servants. It is mentioned in a Hadith that the one who performs his wudu properly and offers his salaat with full concentration; then on the day of resurrection Allah Ta'ala will forgive all his minor sins and grant him paradise. Rasulullah (s.a.w) is reported to have said: "Salaat is a pillar of Deen - the one who has offered his salaat in a proper manner has upheld Deen and the one who has demolished this pillar has in fact destroyed the Deen."
Rasulullah (s.a.w) said, ‘Whoever performs 12 Rakaats of Salaat in one day excluding the Fardh Salaat, he will be granted a house in Jannah.’ (Sahih Muslim Hadith .1691)
These 12 Rakaats are: 2 Rakaats before Fajr, 4 Rakaats before Zuhr, 2 Rakaats after Zuhr, 2 Rakaats after Maghrib and 2 Rakaats after Esha. (Sunan Tirmidhi Hadith 415).
1. Fajr (morning) Salaat – 2 Rakaats Fardhu. In the last part of the night, at the approach of dawn, some whiteness can be noticed on the length of the horizon towards the east, i.e. from the direction in which the sun rises. After a little while, whiteness can be noticed on the breadth of the horizon. This whiteness begins to spread very rapidly. After a little while, it becomes completely bright. From the time that this broad whiteness becomes visible, the time of fajr salaat commences and remains until the rising of the sun. The moment a small portion of the sun appears, the time of fajr salaat ends.
2. Zuhr (mid-day) Salaat – 4 Rakaats Fardhu. The method of deduction is that as the sun rises, the shadow of everything begins to decrease. Once this decreasing stops, exactly at this time is mid-day or noon. Thereafter, once the shadow begins to increase, it should be understood that noon has declined and from this time, the time of zuhr salaat has commenced. Excluding the extent to which the shadow was at exactly mid-day, till the shadow of everything remains twice its size, the time of zuhr will remain. For example, the shadow of a stick which is 1 arm in length, was equal to 4 fingers at mid-day. So as long as its shadow does not spread to 2 arm-lengths and 4 fingers, zuhr time will remain. Once it reaches 2 arm-lengths and 4 fingers, asr time will commence.
3. Asr (afternoon) Salaat – 4 Rakaats Fardhu. Once the shadow reaches 2 arm-lengths and 4 fingers, asr time will commence. Asr time will remain until sunset. However, it is makruh to offer asr salaat when the colour of the sun changes and the sun's rays change to yellow.
4. Maghrib (evening) Salaat – 3 Rakaats Fardhu. Once the sun sets, maghrib time commences. Maghrib time remains as long as the redness on the western horizon remains. However, maghrib salaat should not be delayed to the extent that many stars begin to appear in the sky.
5. Esha (night) Salaat – 4 Rakaats Fardhu. Once the redness on the western horizon disappears, esha time commences and remains until dawn. However, after mid-night, esha salaat becomes makruh and the reward is reduced.
Duties of a Muslim : Zakat [ 2.5% ]
Prayer and Zakat are given precedence over other types of Islamic worship because prayer, which is offered purely for Allah's sake, has an important role in restraining people from committing sinful and evil deeds, while Zakat has a greatly beneficial effect on both individual and society.
Allah says: "Take a portion of their wealth as charity, so that you may cleanse and purify them thereby; and pray for them; for your prayers are a source of comfort for them. Allah hears all and knows all." (Quran 9:103). This means that charity and Zakat, in particular, work in such a way as to purify believing hearts and generate growth and increase, as well as blessings for the Muslim community.
Zakat and other charity purifies the believer's hearts of various negative feelings, such as guilt, envy, grudge, hostility, hatred, worry, isolation, powerlessness, as well as the feeling of being a social outcast or abandoned.
Believers are brought up as Allah-fearing, nurturing a lively conscience and a compassionate attitude. A Believer will not be satisfied until he shares with those, who are deprived, something of the blessings he enjoys. Does this mean that he should give everything he has in charity so as to join the poor and share with them their deprivation? This is definitely a non-starter, as it is in direct conflict with human nature. Moreover, it remains at variance with Divine wisdom, which has dictated that people differ in the type and amount of the grace they receive from Allah.
It is merely 2.5 percent of one's entire wealth and property that is not essential for his own and his family's living. He may enjoy the other portion of 97.5 percent provided that he spends it in legitimate ways. When he has paid out that portion of Zakat, he may enjoy the rest without a twinge of conscience. Should he give more to charity, as he is encouraged to do, he feels greater satisfaction. This is the case with a believer, whenever he or she decides voluntarily to do something good for Allah's sake and in the hope of earning reward only from Him.
This means that Zakat is the minimum and voluntary charity is wide open. However, the Prophet (s.a.w) did not allow his companions to give charitable bequests amounting to more than one third of the total of their property, in order not to jeopardize the rights of their legal heirs.
This last point applies to the property one leaves behind on one's death. During one's lifetime, one is required to take care of one's dependants, paying their living expenses and other essential requirements. Dependants and close relatives have a stronger claim to be looked after. Whatever a believer pays for his family’s needs is credited to him by Allah in the same category as Sadaqat or charitable donations so that Allah may reward him for it as such. Beyond this, the best type of charity is defined by the Prophet (s.a.w) as the one that keeps the donor within good means. It must not take away all his money, leaving him in poverty.
As the age of 40 represents the climax of a person's maturity, it also represents, according to psychological studies, the stage of giving in a person's life. From that point onward, a person devotes more of his ability and energy to being a giver. He gives more and more, starting with his children and including all humanity.
Giving is a demonstration of love and mature love is the love of giving to others, not taking from them. If we watch children carefully, we note that theirs is a love based on taking from others. A child loves his parents because he needs them and takes from them.
Sadaqat is an act that reflects feelings of love and compassion on the part of the giver, who is considered to be 'rich' in the sense that he has more than he needs. Thus, it has a dual effect of purification: It purges the beneficiaries of any feelings of grudge and class hatred toward rich people, and purges the rich givers of feelings of greed and miserliness.
Allah says: 'Those that are saved from their own covetousness are indeed the one who will attain to a happy state.' [ 59:9 ]
A believer, who is ready with his charitable donations, experiences a genuine sense of happiness and satisfaction as he pays his Zakat and Sadaqat. In paying them he fulfils part of the role Allah has assigned to man as His vicegerent on Earth. A believer activates within himself some of Allah's own attributes, as Allah is the one who gives and feeds.
Islam prefers that people should steer a middle way when giving money for charity, without being stingy or careless. Even when a person is approaching death, the portion of his own estate he may leave for charity, for relatives who are not his heirs, and for good causes is set at a maximum of one-third.
To leave your heirs well-off is better than leaving them in poverty, asking people for help. You will certainly be rewarded for any amount you give away for Allah's sake, even the bite you put in your wife's mouth. The best charity is that which leaves the donor self-sufficient.
'Give to the near of kin their due and also to the needy and the wayfarer. Do not squander your substance wastefully, for the wasteful squanderers are Satan's brothers, and Satan has always been ungrateful to His Lord. But if you must turn aside from them in pursuit of an act of kindness you hope to receive from your Lord, then at least speak to them kindly. Do not be miserly, allowing your hand to remain shackled to your neck, nor stretch it out fully to maximum limit, lest you find yourself being blamed or reduced to destitution. Your Lord gives in abundance, or in scant measure, to whom He wills. He is indeed fully aware of all His servants, and sees them all.' (Quran 17:26:30)
A believer, however, helps the poor and donates for charity, but leaves himself enough to look after his family and cater for any emergency. 'Successful are the believers who humble themselves in their prayer, and turn away from all that is frivolous, and who pay out their Zakat.' (Quran 23:1-4)
A believer, who limits himself to spending a portion of his money, retaining the larger part for himself is neither guilty, nor failing to meet his duty. When he remains in funds, this means that he will be able to give to charity repeatedly. Giving away a little amount on a regular basis is better than giving a large donation once only.
We should remember Allah's statement, 'They ask you (O Muhammad) what they should spend in charity; say, 'Whatever you can spare?' (Quran 2:219). Al-Qurtubi, a famous commentator on the Quran, says that this means what a person can easily dispense with, without having to struggle within himself for giving it away. Thus, Allah tells us to spend in charity what we can spare without leaving ourselves in a position of need.
Duties of a Muslim : Ramadan Saum (9th Month of Islamic Calender)
Fasting during Ramadan, the Muslims holy month, was ordained during the second year of Hijrah.
The objective behind fasting is to restrain the soul from (its) desires and to prevent it from those things, which are beloved to it. And its purpose is to control the soul's strength, so that it can be prepared to attain what is found in it (the fast) from success and joy for the soul. Through the fast, one curbs his hunger and thirst and is reminded of the condition of the hungry stomachs of needy people.
Through fasting, one narrows the passages the Devil has inside the servant (of Allah) by narrowing the passages of food and drink. Also, it prevents the forces of the limbs from getting too accustomed to things that are harmful to it in this world and the hereafter. And each of the soul's body limbs and energies can cease their rebelliousness (to Allah) and be harnessed by its bridle.
So therefore, the fast is the bridle of those who fear and obey Allah and the shield of those wage war (against desires). And it is a garden for the righteous and devoted servants of Allah. And it is for the Lord of the worlds, over all other actions (done to please Allah). This is since the person who fasts, in fact does nothing. He only abandons his desire and his food for the sake of the One whom he worships.