The Nature of Fasting

Formal prayer (salat) is the second pillar of Islam, and the most important of a Muslim’s acts of worship. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said: “The first of one’s actions for which a slave of Allah will be held accountable on the Day of Judgment will be one’s prayers. If they are correct and accounted for, then he (or she) will have succeeded (gained paradise); and if they are lacking, then he (or she) will have failed (lost paradise). If there is something defective in his (or her) obligatory prayers, the Lord will say: ‘See if my slave has any supererogatory prayers with which that which was defective in his (or her) obligatory prayers may be completed. Then the rest of his (or her) deeds will be judged in like manner.” (At-Tirmidhi and others) Shaykh Mashhur Hasan Salman has compiled a list of the most common errors that we make when we pray, discussing and explaining each one. This book is a valuable aid to Muslims hoping to perfect their prayers, so that their prayers may be free of defects and acceptable to Allah. This new and revised edition of the English translation of his work presents the text in a fluent, highly readable style.

In our busy lives, Friday comes around once a week. It often comes and goes without our being really aware of it. For many Muslim men, it may be punctuated by the congregational prayer that they make special efforts to attend. For many Muslim women, it may go by just like any other day. This ought not to be the case. In this unique book, Dr. Gowher Yusuf gives us reason to stop and think about how special Friday (al-Jumu‘ah) really is, and what we should be doing to achieve the many bounteous blessings it holds for those who observe it. Drawing constantly from the Qur`an and the Sunnah and the great works of the scholars of Islam, Dr. Gowher Yusuf explores this topic in depth and presents it to the reader in simple language for them to understand and ponder over. This book travels through the various issues pertaining to the Friday prayer and its Khutbah, or sermon. These issues are explained within the Islamic framework, thus abolishing any myths and misunderstandings and clarifying the topic for the reader. Dr. Yusuf writes: The day of the week known as al-Jumu‘ah, or simply Jumu‘ah, is Friday, and it is special. Compared to the other days of the week, Friday has been accorded the largest amount of merit, so much so that the father of all humankind, Prophet Âdam (peace be upon him), was created on this day and a particular prayer was ordered for this day. It was from the guidance given to Prophet Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) to magnify this day, honour it, and designate it for acts of worship. …On a Friday, we all will be gathered and will stand congregated in front of Allah, the Exalted, on the Day of Resurrection, also called the Day of Accountability or the Day of Judgement.

This book offers a detailed presentation of the theory of Muslim law (usul al-figh). Often regarded as the most sophisticated of the traditional Islamic disciplines, Muslim jurisprudence is concerned with the way in which the rituals and laws of religion are derived from the Qur’an and the Sunna – the precedent of the Prophet. Revelation, which is given to man to restore unity and help him achieve a just and devout order in society as well as in the soul, must be interpreted so as to render it practicable in every culture, while not betraying its spirit and immutable provisions. To achieve this, additional sources of legal authority are recognized, including consensus (ijma), analogical deduction (qiyas), public interest (maslaha) and local customary precedent (urf). In employing these, the jurist guards the five principles which it is the purpose of Islamic law to uphold, namely, the right to life, sound mind, property, lineage and religion.

This book deals with the epidemic of smoking, which enslaves many of today’s Muslims, and which is aggravated by that most victims belittle its dangers and deny its prohibition.

This book includes a discussions of intoxicants, establishing the prohibition of various practices associated with them, as well as penalties (in both lives) for those who partake in them.

This book also includes a discussion of narcotics, with an overview of marijuana and qaat (or khat). Based on their established effects and harms, we conclude that narcotics are strongly prohibited, except in very limited medical settings.

This book, we hope, will provide many Muslims with guidance toward a healthier, cleaner and worthies Islamic personality. My Allah grant us guidance and facilitation.