A Muslim Convert Once Before

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The night of the first Friday of the month of Rajab or its first night are both known as the “Night of Wishes,” Laylat ar-Ragha’ib , during which is performed swalah ar-ragha’ib .   Its observance was disapproved by Imam Abu Zakariya Yahya ibn Sharaf an-Nawawi ( r.a. ) in his Majmu’ Sharh al-Muhadzdzab and Fatawa as based on bathil evidence, and this is also the position of Imam ‘Izz ad-Din ‘Abd al-‘Aziz ibn ‘Abd as-Salam ash-Shafi’i ( r.a. ).   However, the hafizh , Imam Abu ‘Amr ‘Utsman ibn ‘Abd ar-Raḥman ibn Swalah al-Kurdi ( r.a. ) disagreed with Imam al-‘Izz ad-Din ( r.a. ), and considered the performance of swalah ar-ragha’ib praiseworthy, while Mulla Nur ad-Din Abu al-Hasan ‘Ali ibn Sulthan Muhammad al-Hirawi al-Qari ( r.a. ) said in his Asrar al-Marfu’ah regarding this, “The hadits , swalat an-nahar ‘ajma' , even if bathil , nevertheless, its meaning is true.   The same holds about the hadits of the prayers they hav...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The Wahhabis try to prevent the people from treating the night of  Isra’ and Mi’raj  on the 27 th of Rajab and the night of mid-Sha’ban, Laylat al-Bara ’ ah as special.  They claim that honouring these nights are innovations that must not be allowed.  Yet practically all Muslims hold these two nights in high reverence and consider it good, not blameworthy, to celebrate or commemorate them through gathering, feeding the people, reciting Qur'an and sirah , reading ahadits and performing supererogatory prayers.   Wahhabis literature also abounds with condemnations of those who fast in Rajab.  Since the pious fast the three blessed months of Rajab, Sha’ban, and Ramadhan in a row as far back as we can remember, and like to offer extra worship and invocation on the nights of 27 th Rajab and 15 th Sha’ban, we need to confirm that these are recommended in the fiqh of the Ahl as-Sunnah wa al-Jama’ah , not blameworthy, a...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The ritual prayer for one’s adversaries in litigation, swalah al-khuswama’ , consists of four raka’at , with only one taslimah .   It is taken from al-Ghunya ath-Thalibi fii Thariq al-Haqq by Shaykh Muhyi ad-Din Abu Muhammad ibn Abu Swalih ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani ( q.s. ).   It is performed as follows:   1 st rak'ah : Surah al-Fatihah x1, Surah al-Ikhlasw x 11 2 nd rak'ah : Surah al-Fatihah x 1, Surah al-Ikhlasw x 10, Surah al-Kafirun x 3 3 rd rak'ah : Surah al-Fatihah x 1, Surah al-Ikhlasw x 10, Surah al-Takatsur x 1 4 th rak'ah : Surah al-Fatihah x 1, Surah al-Ikhlasw x 15, Ayat al-Kursi x 1.   The seeker must then donate the spiritual reward, earned by his performance of this swalah , to al-khuswama’ , his adversaries in litigation, so that Allah ( s.w.t. ) may Satisfy their claim on the Day of Resurrection, Yawm al-Qiyamah , if Allah ( s.w.t. ) so Wills.   This swalah may be performed on seven specifi...