In The Name Of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
The Writer encourages readers to read and understand the contents of this topic thoughtfully and attentively. As the subject says, a Muslim must remain steadfast in establishing his or her five (5) daily obligatory prayers as these obligatory prayers are the main pillars of Islam (submission to the Creator - Allah, the one and only true God)
Ayats on "Obligatory prayers or salat " can be found in the Qur'an surah al Baqarah (chapter 2), ayat 238 and 239. The ayats are very explicit, direct, and firm.
Al-Baqarah 238
What is for middle prayer? Below is a hadith sahih explaining the middle prayer is the Asr prayer. It is when people are at a peak in, say, a meeting, game, etc.
Hadith Jami' at-Tirmidhi 212
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Another hadith also said that the middle salat is Dhur'. But 'Asr is much more logical as the salat is the middle (3rd of the 5 obligatory prayers)
Al-Baqarah 239
Even if you are in a time of war, Allah reminds the Muslims to pray. So, it is not an issue if you pray in your car (if you are in a traffic jam and make sure who have wudhu') or on the side of a footpath (out of public footway) or somewhere, but when the prayer time comes, or if there is no 'masjid' anywhere, pray on a clean area. But if you are in a very unfriendly neighborhood, you may think of other ways. The Writer cannot suggest any, as he has never encountered such a situation.
Before we proceed further, the Writer wishes to qualify himself that this topic's contents are not his personal opinion but derived from an open discussion during a "taddabur" session on the two ayats mentioned above.
Relevant Ayats in the Al-Qur'an and authentic (Sahih) hadith from Bukhari & Muslims will support this writing.
In the ritual prayers, each Muslim is in direct contact with Allah. There is no need for a priest as an intermediary. While there is a prayer leader in the mosque, i.e., the imam, he is not a priest; he is simply a person who knows a great deal about Islam and, as the person, leads the "Jamaah" (congregation) prayer.
Al-Baqarah (2:238)
Al-Ikhlas (112:1-4)
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Al-Baqarah 239
Before we proceed further, the Writer wishes to qualify himself that this topic's contents are not his personal opinion but derived from an open discussion during a "taddabur" session on the two ayats mentioned above.
Firstly, the Writer would like to apologize in advance to those who may not be too happy or not agreeable with this writing as some comments may touch on some "Fiqh" issues of the four (4) recognized School of Thoughts ("Mahzab") namely Hanafi, Shafi, Hambali, and Maliki. The Writer is not trying to be disrespectful, but this is an Islamic knowledge (ilmu') session. Thus, the Writer expects readers to be open-minded and accept specific comments as part of an intellectual discussion on the Qur'an's 'tafsir' (interpretation).
Relevant Ayats in the Al-Qur'an and authentic (Sahih) hadith from Bukhari & Muslims will support this writing.
Secondly, the Writer hopes that all of us would agree and that whatever differences in terms of our understanding (majority or stand-alone) on the practices or sunnah of Prophet Muhammad S.A.W (Peace Be Upon Him) are 'khilaf" (acceptable differences among the four mahzab). Whatever differences noted hereafter are correct in the eyes of Allah, the Most Knowing. So, we must all agree that there are no such things as "...my Mahzab is better than others". Those who indulge in the latter understand, i.e., my mahzab is better than another, is criticizing the acceptable sunnah of Prophet Muhammad SAW (Peace Be Upon Him)
The Writer encourages readers to read and understand the contents of this topic seriously. As the subject says, as a Muslim, one must be steadfast in establishing five (5) daily obligatory prayers. The Writer would like to reiterate that our five (5) prayers are the main pillars of all Muslims.
Muslims must be aware that they don't pray for Allah's benefit. They pray for their own benefits in the hereafter. Muslims pray because Allah has told them they are to do so, and they believe they will obtain great benefits for doing so. A Muslim prays as if standing in the presence of Allah.
In the ritual prayers, each Muslim is in direct contact with Allah. There is no need for a priest as an intermediary. While there is a prayer leader in the mosque, i.e., the imam, he is not a priest; he is simply a person who knows a great deal about Islam and, as the person, leads the "Jamaah" (congregation) prayer.
As the ayat says, establishing your obligatory daily prayers (salat) is 'wajib' (a must for a mentally fit and able person), as Allah commands. Let's re-examine this ayat 2:238
Al-Baqarah (2:238)
Al-Ankabut (29:45)
Looking deeper, ayat 2:238 stresses the relationship between humanity and its Creator, Allah, and Surah 29:45 explains that prayer prevents wrongful behavior. It also reminds us that the remembrance of Allah is the greatest benefit of prayer. Thus, through prayer, not only do we develop a close relationship with Allah, but we also gain protection from negative behaviors and attitudes.
When people ask who is Allah? The most effective ayat to describe who Allah is? are these two ( 2 ) surahs, namely (a) Al-Ikhlas (Sincerity) (112:1-4) and (b) Tha-Ha (20:14)
Al-Ikhlas (112:1-4)
None meets the above criteria except Allah. The Supreme Creator of the Earth, Heaven, and the whole universe.
Allah's straightforward claim in the Al-Qur'an is that he is the ONLY God for all humanity, including all his other creations such as Angels, Jinn, clouds, wind, mountains, animals, insects, fishes, etc., all are to worship him. You can never find an explicit reminder other than this ayat compared to other religious scriptures:
For non-Muslim readers, the name Allah, when translated into English, means "God," just like in Hebrew (the language of the Jews), he is called Yahweh or Elohim (also to some Christians), which sounds like Ar-Rohim (one of the 99 names or attributes of Allah), which means "Most Compassionate."
Thaa Ha (20:14)
In both Ayats (112: 1-4) and (20:14), Allah reminded humanity to worship only him, establish prayer, and obey him. Allah further warned we must NEVER take other deities other than him alone. One will commit shirk (syirik) if one does so. As Muslims, we SHOULD KNOW THAT Shirk is the only sin that Allah will never forgive unless one genuinely repents and will not repeat it. We will talk about Shrik in a later session on this topic.
Let's put aside those who practice pagan beliefs. Now, let's look at what the Christians did. They made Jesus (Prophet Isa, son of Mary) a son of God, and eventually God himself, including the Holy Ghost (under the concept of the Trinity), as the biggest shirk against Allah. Despite that, many verses in the Bible say, the Lord is one...! All other prophets of the Christianity (and Islam, which include Prophet Muhammad S.A.W) professed "God in One."
The Catholic Christian, in particular, continues to shirk against Allah. Now let's see what these selected verses of the Bible say:-
Sources: John 20:17 (New Testament, the Gospel of John), Luke 4:8 (New Testament, Gospel of Luke), and Mark 12:29 (New Testament, Gospel of Mark)
Sources:
- 1 Timothy 2:5 (New Testament and written by Apostle Paul to Timothy, his fellow worker in the ministry.
- James 2:19 (New Testament and written by James, said to be the brother of Jesus)
- Deuteronomy 4:35 (Old Testament when Moses spoke to the Israelites, reminding them of God's power and sovereignty.)
- Deuteronomy 6:4 (Old Testament when Moses told the Israelites to love and serve God)
- Deuteronomy 32:39 (Old Testament, God speaks)
Again, despite so many verses in the Bible that say God is one. They continued to say, Yes, God is one, but.... it is three in one. For simple understanding, it means 1+1+1 = 1, not 3?
Let's see what Wikipedia said about the Trinity and its origin https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinity
Who is Allah? Allah is the same meaning in English as the word "God" or Yahweh in Hebrew or Elohim, also in Hebrew. The latter word is almost the same as Ar-Rohim, Allah attributes (one of the 99 names of Allah, which means "Compassionate." The Arabic word" Allah" is unique because it has no gender. Unlike English, where God is traditionally a male, Arabic has gender distinctions in the noun for God. Therefore, the term "Allah" refers to the one transcendent God believed by Muslims to be the same God worshipped by Jews and Christians (God the Father).
A very interesting verse in the Bible (New Testament) is Mathew 5:17. It reads, " Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them."
The above verse is part of a large passage, often called the "Sermon on the Mount," in which Jesus preaches to his disciples and a crowd of people about the nature of God's kingdom. In this particular verse, Jesus addresses a common misconception that he came to replace or eliminate the Old Testament's Jewish Law and prophetic traditions. Instead, he clarifies that he comes to fulfill or complete these traditions as part of God's plan. Christians often interpret this verse as a statement of the continuity between the Old Testament and the New Testament, which later builds upon the teaching of the former. Some Christians see this verse as evidence that Jesus never intended to create a new religion separate from Judaism but rather to reform and renew the Jewish faith.
Allah says
Al-Maaida (5:72)
Mostly denied the Muslim claims; because they wanted the easy way out, i.e., Jesus had died for their sins, and they would go to heaven as long as they remained a Christian in their belief. No verse in the Bible says about the concept of the Trinity, but it was told to them by the church, which got it from the Romans, who decided to adopt their version of Christianity. Please read this vital link about the three-in-one God that originated from the Romans.
Al-Maaida (5:73)
Don't hate the Christians; Allah described them as people of the book or used to be....said some. So, let's regularly pray for them that they will repent and revert to Islam. During the Prophet's time, after the smooth took over of Makkah from the pagans, so many people entered Islam.
Most of us observed after 9/11 incidence and the oppression/wars against the Muslim countries by the West (including Iraq - a false war of weapons of mass destruction ), so many people who did not know Islam started reading and researching about Islam and a significant number of them reverted to Islam. The more the West planned against the Muslims, the more and more non-Muslims reverted to Islam. In fact, Islam is the fastest-growing religion in the world now. It's all because they plan, and Allah also plans. and Allah is the best planner. Read this ayat
Al-Imraan (3:54)
Unfortunately, at the same time, some Muslims will behave like non-Muslims (shirk) because they are chasing worldly things such as wealth, enjoyment, and power. This behavior already happening today. Goggle youtube and see some documentaries about it. Some ex-Muslims proudly said they have rejected Islam, but Allah is most knowing. Let the hypocrites go, as Allah replaces them with more intelligent people seeking the truth. Examples of known non-Muslims (you can google on youtube) that has reverted to Islam are ex-Christian pastors or priests like Christian Youth Minister Joshua Evans, Yusuf Estes, a former Catholic priest, and a scientist like Mauric e Bucaille, who wrote a book titled The Bible, Quran, and Science.
For those who seek the truth, Allah will guide them, but for those who do not want to seek the truth but read the Quran to find faults in the Quran, Allah will not open their hearts. In fact, Allah challenges non-Muslims to find one mistake, but to date, they are still looking for one.
Allah says in the Quran:
An-Nisa' (4:82)
An-Nisa' (4:166)
An-Nisa' (4:167)
Surah Al-Kahfi (18:57)
Note: See one of the miracles of the Al Quran (6:125). Allah says he tightens the breast of a disbeliever and constricts as though he is climbing into the sky? See the impact of the pilot that tried to fly high into the sky? The impact is described in the Quran. How could Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) know this impact on humans? Many accusations were made against Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him). They accused him of writing the Quran (although he was illiterate), or some say the Quran was written by his companions a few hundred years after Prophet Muhammad's death.
Islam is the religion brought by all the previous Prophets, namely Adam, Idris (Enoch), Nuh (Noah), Hud (Heber), Saleh (Methuselah), Lut (Lot), Ibrahim (Abraham), Ismail (Ishmael), Ishaq (Isaac), Yaqub (Jacob), Yusuf (Joseph), Shu'aib (Jethro), Ayyub (Job), Dhulkifl (Ezekiel), Musa (Moses), Harun (Aaron), Dawud (David), Sulayman (Solomon), Ilyas (Elias), Alyssa (Elisha), Yunus (Jonah), Zakariya (Zachariah), Yahya (John the Baptist), Isa (Jesus) and the last and final messenger, Prophet Muhammad S.A.W (Peace Be Upon Him) who is the descendant of Ishmael, eldest son of Abraham. How could someone in the desert, where most of the people surrounding him (including his uncles and cousins) believed in paganism and, in fact, he did not know how to read or write, would ever know all about the Prophets of the Jews and Christians?
Many verses in the Bible describe of the coming of the Comforter fits the description of Prophet Muhammad S.A.W., the last and final messenger:-
Let's look at John 16:13 ....for he will not speak from himself (Muhammad got his revelation from Allah through Gabriel), but whatever he will hear, he will speak, and he will show things to come. In Ayat 112:1 below, the verse starts with the word, "Say, .... Go through the whole Qur'an; you will find that there are many verses that start with the word, Say., to prove that John 16:13 was fulfilled by Allah, with the arrival of the last Prophet Muhammad S.A.W. (Peace Be Upon Him), who the Bible also described as the Comforter.
So, who is Allah in Islam? Our description of Allah is as follows:
Al-Ikhlas (112: 1-4)
Surah As-Shaf (61:6)
The word "Ahmad" or "Methmad" is revealed in the Old Testament, but they change the meaning in English to "Altogether Loverly". View this youtube link by Ahmed Deedat. Of course, a video also says that Methmad is a Jew Methmad. This video is made to deny Muhammad. Islam is NOT a new religion; it comes from the same God (Allah). So it's not surprising there are so many similarities between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. At the same time, Al-Qur'an is the final revelation to all mankind that was revealed 1,444 years ago and is still relevant today and forever.
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Don't wait until the hadith says,"...when the moon rises from the West and falls to the East, the door for repentance is closed" forever. (Let's listen to what some scientist says about it. Will it happen? Only God knows !. If it happens, then it will be too late. What makes things worse? You already passed on before that..!
Allah further reminded;
Why was this ayat revealed? It was revealed mainly to the Pagan (when Prophet Muhammad started preaching). The Pagan believed in "Allah" (owner of the Kaabah - as told to us in the Qur'an). Still, they pray to the idols because (a) they can see them and (b) they profit from people who came to the Kaabah for the pilgrimage (according to the old ways) as they were still some traces of the original religion (Islam) brought to Makkah by Abraham and Ishmael.
Talking about pilgrimage, there was a story about a Christian Leader who wanted to attack Makkah (Mecca) because he was jealous that so many people made their pilgrimage to Makkah. Due to the passing of time, the pilgrimage of the believer of the Abrahamic faith was still there, but the practices had become corrupted.
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Most Muslims know this story, but maybe not to these details. Nevertheless, he was an army general, then the viceroy of southern Arabia for the Kingdom of Aksum, and later declared himself an independent King of Himyar (ruled much of present-day Arabia and Yemen from at least 531–547 CE to 555–570 CE)
With a military expedition, Abraha rode his elephant in an invasion of Hejaz in 570, known as the Year of the Elephant. According to the story, Abraha built a cathedral in Sanaa (Yemen) as a pilgrimage center. Realizing that the Kaabah was already in use for such a purpose, Abraha set out to destroy the Kaabah so all pilgrims could direct themselves to his new cathedral and maximize his profits. Abraha added one elephant to the expeditionary forces. Muhammad's paternal grandfather, Abd al-Muttalib, put the favor in God's hands, realizing that he could not take on the strengths of Abraha. As Abraha's forces approached the city, the story goes:
The next day, as they prepared for battle, they discovered that their elephant refused to approach Makkah. Even worse, birds came from nowhere, some say from the sea, each of which brought three small stones, which they dropped on the soldiers of Abraha. Everyone hit by these stones perished. Abraha himself was hit repeatedly and slowly dismembered. By the time he reached Sanua, he had nothing but a miserable stump of a body. His heart burst from his chest, and he died. So the year of the War of the Elephant was a year of death. But it was also a year of life, for Muhammad was born that same year.
There is no mention of Abraha's expedition outside of later Islamic tradition. Historical-critical scholars see the story as a later Islamic tradition designed to explain the "Men of the Elephant" in the Qur'an 105:1-5.
However, recent findings of Himyaritic inscriptions describe a hitherto unknown expedition of Abraha, which subsequently led Gajda et al. to identify this expedition as the failed conquest of Makkah. Because many (at that time) knew about the Elephant's story, all the desert robbers were scared to attack the business caravans belonging to the people of Makkah.
Al-Baqarah (2:186)
The above verse, i.e., about supplicant (dua), also has some "khilaf" among the Muslims,
a) Doa in your prayers
While praying, this would be the right time to ask Allah (both for the hereafter and worldly needs). In fact, when you pray four (4) rakaat, you have eight (8) sujud, so you can actually ask Allah eight (8) times in your wish list. Just plan what you want to ask!. Some Ulama' have even mentioned dua' that can perform during a particular prayer position, where you can ask Allah, especially during each or the final prostration (during the 8th prostration or sujud)
That is why in some Mahzabs, after Jema'ah prayer, everybody is silently making their own dua', or some just stand and move out from the masjid as they have already fulfilled their dua while praying.
b) Follow dua by Imam
The Imam who led the prayer can do dua after prayer.
Comments were made that those who pray Jema'ah should wait until the Imam has finished his dua with the congregations. Being pious, the Imam would continue to do the dua with the Jemaah.
When an imam does dua after the Jema'ah prayer, the Imam will recite the dua, and those who follow will confirm by saying 'Aminn' (Allah, please fulfill our dua). Together, when they say "Aminn," Allah will bless all in the Jema'ah.
Why the differences?
Those who follow (a), they argue that
Those who follow (a), they argue that
(i) We should ask Allah while we are praying, and importantly,
(ii) when we prostrate (sujud, i.e., the lowest position),
(iii) We are arrogant against Allah when we outsource the dua to the Imam (whose role as an imam finished after giving "salam") instead of directly by him to Allah. It's akin to one who meets a King in his castle, and when the King asks what you want, you say nothing, but once you are outside the castle, you ask a third party (in this case, the Imam) to ask for you. What makes it worse is that you need to understand what the 3rd party asks since the 3rd party speaks a different language to the King!
Those who follow (b), they argue that.
(i) The imam leads the Jemaah; thus, he would be the best person to recite the dua. It does not mean that those who follow the dua by the imam; do not make dua while praying;
(ii) the dua usually recited by the imam is already used by imams and pious people for generations, so for us who cannot recite that dua, the imam would be the right person who asks on our behalf. As a Jemaah, we will say "Aaminn" for Allah to fulfill our dua together.
The Writer would like to refrain from suggesting which method of dua is the right way. Most importantly, it should come from your heart (this has nothing to do with Mazhab). If you want to follow your mahzab, ensure you do the right thing, learn and understand your mahzab.
In addition, when you ask Allah (either directly or with your Imam), you MUST understand what you ask (be in your language or Arabic); and you feel Allah will answer your prayer, if not now, sooner or later. Never give up hope. Do a lot of sadaqah! (give charity to Orphans, the poor, etc.) preferably before or after each prayer in the charity box available at each musolla (surau) or masjid.
Coming back to our main subject. Let's look at this ayat. What Jesus (Prophet Isa) said:
Al-Ma'idah (5:117)
Aal-Imraan (3:112)
Surah 3:112 shows the relationship between Allah and humanity. The ayat says we put ourselves under Allah's humiliation unless we hold the rope from Allah (obey his covenant). When the Jews and Christians denied Prophet Muhammad S.A.W. (Peace Be Upon Him) and disbelieved in the verses of Allah; and killed several prophets that came before Prophet Muhammad S.A.W. (Peace be Upon Him), such as Zakariyah (Zakaria), Issac (Ishaq) and John the Baptist (Yahya) and attempting to kill Jesus (as per their belief but not what is written in the Qur'an) on the cross (Messiah's issue), they disobeyed Allah.
The Jews are waiting for the Messiah to bring greatness back to Israel. Who is this Messiah? Both Muslims and Christians believed in the coming of the Dajjal or anti-Christ. The Jews (particularly the Zionists - secular Jews, some say they are European Jews with some Jew DNA on the maternal side); mistook Dajjal (they are waiting for him) as the true Messiah instead of Jesus. Al-Masih or Messiah is a title in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The early two religions refer to a promised deliverer or savior. The term comes from the Hebrew word "Mashiach," which means the "Anointed One". In Judaism, the Messiah is expected to be a human leader who will bring peace, justice, redemption, and glory to the Jews. At the same time, in the latter two religions, it means Jesus (Isa), but Christianity believes Jesus is the Son of God (or some, God himself) who died on the cross who died for the sins of all Christians. In contrast, the Muslims believed he would come back from heaven to bring justice to the world and rule the earth for specific years (some believed for 40 years), whereas, at that time, there would only be one religion, Islam.
One crucial thing the readers must know is that Jews do not believe Jesus is a Prophet, while Christians believe Jesus is the Son of God/or God himself. Jews and Christians do not believe in Prophet Muhammad SAM (Peace Be Upon Him), while Muslims believe Jesus is one of the important Prophets of Islam.
Allah revealed in the al-Quran. Please notice this ayat, and please watch this video by Fr. Tom Michel, Senior Research Fellow at Georgetown University's Woodstock Theological Center.
Al-Ma'idah (5:82)
Looking at the above Ayat, we can ask one question, which Christians? The Christians that still maintain their priests and monks are the orthodox Christians; the largest are the Russians. And who are those who associate others with Allah? I think the Hindus. It's happening now as prophesized by Allah. You can see how they are discriminating against and murdering Muslims in India. How could Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) know this if the Qur'an was written by him?
Allah says
Al-Ma'idah (5:86)
Returning to the meaning of Al-Masih, the opposite anointed is a deceiver, a false messiah (al-Masih). Perhaps, this is why Muslims and Christians say Isa or Jesus is the Al-Masih, while the opposite meaning of Al-Masih is "Dajjal Al-Masih," which Jews mistook as the final messenger.
Most will be wondering, while Dajjal is also called al Masih? The problem with the Jews, they knew Prophet Muhammad S.A.W. (Peace Be Upon Him) was the last messenger then (during Prophet Muhammad SAW time) and that they were waiting for him, and that was the reason why many Jews before Prophet Muhamad S.A.W. (Peace Upon Him) "hijrah" or moved to Madinah (as described in their scriptures the place of the successive prophet), i.e., the place where the last Prophet will rise to give back glory to the Jews since the Jews claimed to be the chosen people! Yes! Allah clarified this in this ayat.
Al-Baqarah (2:122)
Al-Baqarah (2:57)
But, in the end, they continue to disobey the basic tenets of their own religious book. They are supposed to spread the religion of the oneness of God (only Allah) but end up being an exclusive religion for the Jews (distorted by their forefathers, and these words cannot be originated from God!) and became arrogant because they are the chosen people of God, and others (gentiles) are equal to animals.
Coming back to the earlier discussion on Jews' hijrah to Medinah (or Yathrib), they rejected him when the Prophet they had been waiting for turned up to be an Arab. Nevertheless, the first Jew to become Muslim by Prophet Muhammad S.A.W. (Peace Upon Him) was a Jew religious person by the name of Abdullah bin Salam, and this was recorded in al Quran (46:10). Abdullah Salam, a very pious Jew, hide (he has reverted to Islam) when Prophet Muhammad asked a group of Jews," Who is Abdullah bin Salam?" They said," He is a very pious person, son of a very pious person... but when Prophet Muhammad S.A.W. (Peace Be Upon Him) said that Abdullah bin Salam has reverted to Islam, the Jews said, "..he is not a pious person, son of a non-pious person..." and rejected the Prophet. The incidence was recorded in the Qur'an under this verse.
Surah Al Ahqaf (46:10)
So, the Al-Masih they have been waiting for until today is "Dajjal al-Masih" instead. So, perhaps, the earlier ayat 18:57 may apply to the Jews, i.e., Allah closed their heart to Islam since they refused to seek the truth. However, please take note that not all Jews support the formation of Israel, as some are against it because they said when the Jews failed to follow Moses's advice to enter Jerusalem, they were banned by Allah from going back to Israel. If they do, that will be the sign of the beginning of the downfall of the Jews.
Some stories the Writer read via the internet and youtube about the possible downfall of the Jews may not necessarily be true because, during the time of Prophet Yusya' (Joshua or Yehoshua), he managed to conquer Canaan (part of modern-day Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria) but was later driven-out, divided or destroyed (many versions about this). Readers, please do your own research!.
But, these verses in Surah Al-Isra' mentioned the corruption done by the people of Israel twice??
Al-Isra' (17:2)
Al-Isra'(17:4)
Al-Isra' (17:5)
Because Jews created the first corruption by fighting against Prophet Muhammad S.A.W (Peace Be Upon Him) and did not accept Islam despite so many verses in the Qur'an revealed about God's special treatment to the Jews despite the many times they create atrocities with their own prophets (killed three (3) on them) and do not accept Prophet Muhammad S.A.W (Peace Be Upon Him) as the final Prophets, Allah first's promise was fulfilled when Allah says,.. we sent against you servants of Ours?? The army that destroyed Jerusalem cannot be considered servants of Ours. Servant of Ours basically talks about pious people who follow God's law, and we can rightly say they are the companions of the Prophet Muhammad S.A.W. (Peace Be Upon Him)
Let's look at Ayat 17:5 and back to history; the second Caliph, Omar Al-Khattab, won over the Byzantine Empire and, upon request of a Christian who holds the key to the holy temple of Jerusalem, implying Allah sent his servant (pious people who are companions of Prophet Muhammad). Christians, Jews, and people of other religions are allowed to remain in Jerusalem under the Pact of Umar.
The Mosque of al-Aqsa was built at the time of Caliph Omar (it started as a small masjid but was rebuilt a few times due to the earthquake up to what it is now). Some said it was built on the original masjid (or temple) foundation of Prophet Sulaiman (Solomon), and this may be the reason why the Zionists wanted to build the temple of Solomon over it, causing yet another atrocity with the Palestinians, which can be said a trend towards fulfilling the second promised as mentioned by Allah in Ayat 17:7.
Before that, let us look at Ayat 17:6 first -
Al-Isra' (17:6)
Over time, upon the demise of the three (3) good generations of sahaba or companions (1st companions of the prophet, then the companions of the 1st companions or 2nd companions, and then, the 3rd companions, who are the companions of the 2nd companions) and as mentioned in the Hadith of Prophet Muhammad S.A.W. (Peace Be Upon Him), Muslims fought among each other. Like the Jews, the later Muslims (after many generations up to the downfall of the last Caliph of Turkey) adopted the living style of the non-Muslims (until today). At the same time, the Jews suffered from the prosecution of the non-Jews (lastly by Hitler during the Second World War), Allah fulfilled his promise to the Jews in Ayat 17:6, as at the time when the Muslims were at their weakest vis-a-vis, at the time of the companions that Allah refers as Servant of Ours.
Ayat 17:6 says, "We reinforced you with wealth and sons and made you numerous in manpower," was fulfilled after the Second World War. The wealthiest people in the world now are the Jews. Despite many died during the Second World War (about 9.5 million in 1933 to 3.5 million in 1950), their population has grown to about 15-16 million now and confirmed the Jews now get support from many countries, including the most powerful country like the US, Britain, France, including the United Nations, etc. So, the word "..made you more numerous in manpower implies much support of the big powers because; money talks (The Zionists control both the Federal Reserve and the World Bank).
The new interpretation by some Muslim scholars, the second destruction (which was mentioned in the Al-Quran), has yet to occur due to this ayat (17:6). Still, it is mentioned in Ayat 17:7, but before we talk about ayat 17:7, let's look at ayat 17:104 first.
Al-Isra' (17:104)
Let's look at the interpretation ..Dwell in the land, and when the promise of the Hereafter comes, we will bring you forth in (one) gathering.!! Take note, there is another interpretation of the word "Hereafter" for this verse. It is not about judgment day but Allah's second promise (refer to Ayat 17:4).
Don't you see it is happening now too? All the Jews from all over the world are coming to Jerusalem to join the Zionists? Land grab and properties are ongoing now, and Palestinians are ousted from their home after kindly hosting the Jews.
Allah says in this ayat.
Al-Imran (3:54)
Now let's look at this ayat?
Al-Isra' (17:7)
The "If you do good.." underlined in red is a warning. Since the Al-Quran was revealed 1442 years ago (till now, in the year 2021), the second destruction has yet to happen, and this is a promise from Allah of what will happen if they continue to do the second corruption (..if they do evil and continue to do corruption).
The interpretation is "..sadden your faces and enter the temple of Jerusalem, as they entered it the first time (enter by who? In ayat 17:5, ...by the servants of Ours), which means it going to be by the pious of the new generation of Muslims. That ayat also provides a condition, .....if the Muslims really follow the path of their companions. When will it be? Only Allah knows.! Looking at the current situation or trend, the writer can only say it will take quite some time unless something triggers it where the Muslims strictly follow the Islamic (sunnah of the Prophet) ways. Not sure whether this saying is part of hadith! ...when the Fajr (early morning) prayer in all masjids around the world is full, it is going to be the sign of this ayat fulfilled, and that might be the reason why (it has been a trend for a couple of years in Jerusalem), on the 27th Ramadhan (or necessarily on the 27th day) when the Al-Aqsa mosque is full, the Zionist army will make trouble, this like recently that triggered the fighting. I think the leader of the Zionists believed in the prophecy of Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him), so they ensured it did not happen. It does not necessarily prophesize to occur in Palestine; it can happen anywhere in the world.
The Writer hopes the Zionists do find or offer an acceptable solution to end all this feud so peace can prevail (the writer prefers a peaceful solution as "..saving one life is like saving the lives of a nation (5:32) as the Qur'an says) reminding the Jews or Allah's following promise may be fulfilled. But perhaps, it can be avoided as Allah said, if you do good, you do good for yourselves...
Al-Ma'idah (5:32)
Now let's also examine these two (2) ayats!
Shad (38:34-35)
Surah al-Baqarah (2:138-140)
We leave the judgment to Allah for the ignorant people, but Allah says in these verses as a reminder for people of the books.
Hud (11:102 -108)
Hud (11:116-117)
Readers, it should be noted that the Qur'an was not revealed by Allah for a specific incidence or purpose, BUT it was revealed for general purposes, and that is the reason why the verses on historical facts (what happened in the past), the punishment (e.g., the destroyed nations), constant reminders, and numerous warnings (including prophecies) mentioned by Allah in the Qur'an, remains relevant before (in the past), now (you can see history is repeating), and in the future (look at the warning in surah Hud ayat 17:7) and judgment day.
BEWARE!Netflix did a movie on this - the coming of the last Jew messenger, the Al-Masih! To the Muslims, do be careful of this propagation. Let's pray that Jewish and Christian friends return to the right path. There is a sahih hadith of Prophet Muhammad S.A.W (Pease Be Upon Him) that encourage Muslims will be in their interest to know the truth. The first word revealed to Prophet Muhammads S.A.W is "READ," so don't just see and listen but spend time to read and understand the al Qur'an as an alternative source, even if it is on a to-know basis.
To Muslims do read the whole Surah Al Kahfi (surah 18) after Maghrib on Thursday night and finish reading the complete Surah before Maghrib on Friday night, as a continuous reminder to Muslims to disassociate themselves from the worldly plan by the followers of Dajjal who are preparing for his coming..! To avoid going too deep into these issues, as some may say it is a conspiracy theory, readers can listen to some talks (youtube) by Imran Hossein on eschatology (end of the world).
The Writer would also like to encourage readers to buy this book - The End of the World, Signs of the Hour Major and Minor by Dr. Muhammad ibn' Abd al-Rahmaan al-'Areefi (a member of the Supreme Council of Islamic Media, Prof. of 'Aqeedah and Contemporary Religious and Madhhabs King Sa'ood University, Riyadh) published by Darussalam (1st Edition, July 2010)
Al-Baqarah (2:83)
Allah reminded the Jews and Christians not to worship others except Allah and to do good and establish prayer (new sunnah from Prophet Mohamed).
My topics actually end here. But the Writer would like the readers to see more ayats about prayer below:
Al-Baqarah (2:228)
Hadith from A'isha:-
Al-Muminoon (23:1 & 2)
Al-Ma'aarij (70:19-23)
Al-Ma'aarij (70: 34 & 35)
Al-Ankaboot (29:45)
Al-Baqarah (2:117)
Al-Muminoon (23:2)
Al-Baqarah (2:45)
Al-Baqarah (2:46)
Al-Maa'un (107: 1 - 2)
You MUST PRAY. THERE IS NO QADAR (REPLACEMENT PRAYERS)
Al-Baqarah (2:239)
Maryam (19:59)
Maryam (19:60)
An-Nisaa (4:102)
An-Nisaa (4:103)
Maryam (19:59)
Wallahualam
ONLY ALLAH, THE MOST KNOWING
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