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Chapter Three

Chapter Three


ON URGING TO PERFORMING THE FIVE PRAYERS AND THE QUALITY OF THE PRAYER FOR THE DEAD

23. Through his chain of authorities, he said: [Allah's Messenger, may Allah bless him and his family, said:] "Satan is still afraid of Adam's son as long as he keeps his prayers. However, if he neglects them, he (Satan) dares against him and throws him into great sins."
Allah, the Most High, honored and dignified man through praying and standing before Him during the five prayers. However, the stoned Satan plays with man and does his best to deprive him of this excellence and honorable rank.
24. Through his chain of authorities, he said: [Allah's Messenger, may Allah bless him and his family, said:] "He who performs a religious duty (farïda), Allah responds to his supplication ."

Surely, he who performs a religious duty, whether prayer or fasting or hajj or others, Allah rewards him and accepts his supplication.

25. Through his chain of authorities, he, peace be on him, said: [Allah's Messenger, may Allah bless him and his family, said:] "My community is still in good as long as they love each other, return things deposited (with them), refrain from the unlawful, entertain the guest, perform the prayer, and pay zakat (alms). However, if they do not do that, they will be afflicted by drought."

The Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, has summoned his community to keep these noble qualities, and he promised that they would be in good as long as they performed them, but if they neglected them, Allah would afflict them with a dreadful tribulation.

26. Through his chain of authorities, he, peace be on him, said: [Allah's Messenger, may Allah bless him and his family, said:] "If man is not able to perform prayer in standing position, he can pray in sitting position. If he cannot pray in sitting position, he can pray laying down on his back and his feet facing the qibla, and he makes a sign."
The prayer is the most important of religious duties, and the responsible is not exempted from it in all circumstances. If he is able, he prays in standing position; if he is unable, he prays in sitting position; and so on.

27. Through his chain of authorities, he, peace be on him, said: [Allah's Messenger, may Allah bless him and his family, said:] "Keep the five prayers, for Allah, the Great and Almighty, will summon the servant on the Day of Resurrection; prayer will be the first thing about which He will ask him. If he brings it perfect; otherwise, he will be pushed into the Fire."

Prayer will be the first thing about which the responsible will be asked during his mustering and his raising from the dead. If he performs prayer perfectly, he will be safe from the chastisement of Allah; if he performs it imperfectly or neglects one of its pre-conditions, he will be thrown into the Fire.

28. Through his chain of authorities, he, peace be on him, said: [Allah's Messenger, may Allah bless him and his family, said:] "Do not lose your prayers, for he who loses his prayer will be mustered along with Qa`ru`n and Fir'oun and Ha`ma`n; and it is incumbent upon Allah to make him enter the Fire along with the hypocrites; and woe unto him who does not keep his prayers and does not perform the Sunna of his Prophet."

Islam takes great care of prayer and distinguishes it from the rest of acts of worship. So he who performs it is a Muslim; and he who denies it dies the death of those pagans before Islam and will be mustered along with the oppressive and the unbelievers.

29. Through his chain of authorities, he said: ['Ali, the blessings of Allah be on him, said:] "Allah's Messenger, may Allah bless him and his family, led us in the traveler's shortened prayer and recited in the first (rak'a) al-hamd and qul ya ayuha al-kafirun, and in the other (rak'a) he recited al-hamd and qul huwa Allahu ahad. Then he said: 'I recited to you the one-third and one-fourth of the Qur'an.'"

A four-rak'a prayer is shortened during travel, and surely the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, recited qul ya ayuha al-kafirun in the first rak'a after al-fatiha, and in the second rak'a he recited surat al-Tawhïd after al-fatiha; and he, may Allah bless him and his family, made clear the reward of that when he said that he recited the one-third of the Qur'an in the first rak'a and the one-fourth of the Qur'a`n in the second rak'a.

30. Through his chain of authorities, he said: "Mohammed b. 'Ali, peace be on him, was asked about the prayer, and he claimed that his father would shorten the prayer during travel."

As for shortening prayer during travel, it is among the necessities of the creed of the members of the House (ahl al-Bayt), peace be on them; the Book and the Sunna are two proofs of that.

31. Through his chain of authorities, he said: "I saw the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, exclaim 'Allah is Great!' over his uncle Hamza, peace be on him, five times, and after him he exclaimed 'Allah is Great!' over the martyrs, so seventy times of exclaiming 'Allah is Great!' was the share of Hamza."

As for the prayer for the dead, it is one of the general obligations. In other words, it is not obligatory on all Muslims to perform it; rather it obligatory on some of them. As for its performance, it is as follows: Five takbïrs should be made; al-Shahadatayn (the two testimonies:

I bear witness that there is no god but Allah and that Mohammed is Allah's Messenger) should be recited after the first takbïr, calling down blessing upon the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, should be after the second takbï~r; a supplication for the believers, male and female, should be recited after the third takbïr; a supplication for the deceased should be recited after the fourth takbïr; the fifth takbïr should be recited, and then departure.1 In this connection many traditions have been reported from the members of the House (ahl al-Bayt), peace be on them. As for the Sunnis, they believe that the takbï~rs are four, and the worshipper departs after the fourth (itakbïr).

32. Through his chain of authorities, he, peace be on him, said: [Allah's Messenger, may Allah bless him and his family, said:] "O 'Ali, when you pray over a deceased person, say:
O Allah, verily this is Your slave and son of Your bondmaid has passed away according to Your decree, and he is not a mentioned thing. He has visited You and You are the best One whom is visited.

O Allah, dictate to him Your argument, join him to Your Prophet, brighten his grave for him, be generous toward him during his entering, make him firm through the firm statement, for he is in need of You and You are in no need of him. He bore witness that there was no god but You, so forgive him. O Allah, do not deprive us of the reward through him and do not try us after him.

"O 'Ali, when you pray over a woman, say: O Allah, You created her, and You gave life to her, and You made her die, and You are more knowledgeable of her secret and openness. We have come to You as intercessors for her, so forgive her. O Allah, do not deprive us of the reward through her.

"O 'Ali, when you pray over a child, say: O Allah, make him an ancestor and provisions for his parents, make him an intercessor (for them), make him for them as light and guidance, and make his parents follow (him to) the Garden. Verily, You are powerful over all things!"
As for the performance of the prayer for the dead, we have already mentioned it. As for this supplication, it should be recited after the fourth takbïr. As for the prayer over the child, it is as follows: If he/she dies at the age of six years, then the prayer for the dead should be performed over him. If he/she has not reached this age, then prayer over them is recommended.

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