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In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

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The life of the salaf was defined by the harmony between their words and their deeds.

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Consider the worship of the salaf.

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They were urged toward worship and khushu‘ (humility and focus in prayer).

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Their own statements reflect this.

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‘Abdullah Ibn Mas‘ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said:

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"As long as you are in prayer, you are knocking at the door of the King."

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"And whoever knocks at the door of the King, it will be opened for him."

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‘Ammar Ibn Yasir (may Allah be pleased with him) once performed two rak‘ahs.

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It was said to him:

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"O Abu al-Yaqzan,

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I see you have made them very brief."

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He replied:

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"Did I omit any of their essential requirements?"

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They said, "No."

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"But you made them brief."

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He said:

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"I was hastening to complete them."

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‘Amir Ibn ‘Abd Qays (may Allah have mercy on him) once heard

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people discussing worldly affairs while in prayer.

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He said:

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"Do you truly find yourselves doing that?"

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They said, "Yes."

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He said:

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"By Allah, for spearheads to pierce my body

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is more beloved to me than for such thoughts to enter my prayer."

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Mujahid (may Allah have mercy on him) said regarding the words of Allah the Almighty:

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“Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. And those with him are hard against the disbelievers and merciful among themselves. Thou (O Muhammad) seest them bowing and falling prostrate (in worship), seeking bounty from Allah and (His) acceptance. The mark of them is on their foreheads from the traces of prostration. Such is their likeness in the Torah and their likeness in the Gospel - like as sown corn that sendeth forth its shoot and strengtheneth it and riseth firm upon its stalk, delighting the sowers - that He may enrage the disbelievers with (the sight of) them. Allah hath promised, unto such of them as believe and do good works, forgiveness and immense reward.” (48:29)

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"It is not the physical mark on the face,

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but rather it is the khushu‘."

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It was said to Abu Muslim al-Khawlani (may Allah have mercy on him) when he grew old and frail:

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"If only you would reduce some of what you do."

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He replied:

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"Tell me, if you sent a horse into the race, would you not say to its rider:

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'Go easy on it and be gentle,'

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until you see the finish line, at which point you would spare nothing of its strength?"

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They said, "Yes."

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He said:

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"I have already seen the finish line,

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and every hour has its finish line,

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and the finish line for every hour is death,

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so one is either racing or being outpaced."

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Regarding prayer, its importance, and its virtue,

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and their state during it:

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‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said:

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"If you see a man neglecting prayer,

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then by Allah, he is even more neglectful of other rights of Allah."

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Al-Miswar Ibn Makhrama and Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) visited him.

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When morning came, they were alarmed.

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They said:

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"Prayer, prayer!"

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He said, "Yes,

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and there is no share in Islam for one who abandons prayer."

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He went out while his wound was gushing blood.

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A man married the wife of ‘Abdullah Ibn Rawaha (may Allah be pleased with him).

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He said to her:

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"Do you know why I married you?

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So that you might tell me about the habits of ‘Abdullah Ibn Rawaha in his home."

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She said:

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"Whenever he wanted to leave his house, he would pray two rak‘ahs,

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and whenever he entered his house, he would pray two rak‘ahs;

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he never neglected that."

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‘Abdullah Ibn Mas‘ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said:

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"Whoever is pleased to meet Allah tomorrow as a Muslim,

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let him safeguard these prayers where they are called out,

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for Allah has prescribed for your Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) the paths of guidance,

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and these prayers are among the paths of guidance.

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If you were to pray in your homes as this one who stays behind prays in his home,

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you would have abandoned the Sunnah of your Prophet.

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And if you abandoned the Sunnah of your Prophet, you would go astray.

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There is no man who performs wudu’ and does it well,

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then heads to one of these mosques,

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but that Allah records for him a good deed for every step he takes,

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raises him a degree by it,

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and removes a sin from him by it.

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I have seen us, and no one would stay behind except a hypocrite known for his hypocrisy.

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A man would be brought, supported by two others, until he was stood in the row."

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He (may Allah be pleased with him) also said: "The one who prays is knocking at His door,

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and whoever persists in knocking at the door of the King, it is likely to be opened for him."

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‘Amr Ibn Dinar said:

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"I saw ‘Abdullah Ibn al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with him) praying in the Hijr,

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keeping his gaze lowered.

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A stone fell in front of him and tore a piece of his garment,

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yet he did not turn."

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Muhammad Ibn al-Munkadir said:

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"If you saw ‘Abdullah Ibn al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with him) praying under the shade of a tree,

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he would look like a branch of its branches,

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and a projectile might come from it here,

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yet he would not pay it any mind."

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Ibrahim al-Nakha‘i and Waki‘ Ibn al-Jarrah (may Allah have mercy on them) said:

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"If you see a man taking the first takbir lightly,

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then wash your hands of him."

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Abu al-‘Aliyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

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"We would go to a man to learn from him,

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and we would watch him when he prayed.

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If he performed it well, we would sit with him

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and say, 'He is even better with other matters.'

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But if he performed it poorly, we would get up and leave him,

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saying, 'He is even worse with other matters.'"

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It was said to ‘Amir Ibn ‘Abd Qays (may Allah have mercy on him):

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"Do you talk to yourself during prayer?"

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He said, "I talk to myself about standing before Allah and the return to Him."

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Al-Hasan (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

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"O son of Adam,

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what is left of your religion if your prayer is insignificant to you?"

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Sa‘id Ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz (may Allah have mercy on him)

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would weep if he missed the congregational prayer.

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Bakr Ibn ‘Abdullah al-Muzani (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

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"Who is like you, O son of Adam?

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You are left alone between the prayer niche and the water;

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whenever you wish, you enter into the presence of Allah the Almighty,

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with no translator between you and Him."

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Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Sulami (may Allah have mercy on him)

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used to command them to carry him to the mosque in the mud and rain while he was ill.

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They entered upon him while he was passing away in the mosque, meaning he was struggling.

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They said to him:

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"If only you would move to your bed, for it would be more comfortable."

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He said:

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"So-and-so told me that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:

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'One of you remains in a state of prayer as long as he is in his place of prayer, awaiting the prayer.'"

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Waki‘ said:

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"Al-A‘mash (may Allah have mercy on him) for nearly seventy years never missed the first takbir."

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I frequented his company for nearly two years,

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and I never saw him having to make up a rak‘ah.

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Sa‘id Ibn al-Musayyib (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

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"I have not missed a congregational prayer for forty years."

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He also said (may Allah have mercy on him):

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"For thirty years, the mu’adhdhin has not given the call to prayer without me already being in the mosque."

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He also said (may Allah have mercy on him):

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"Whoever safeguards the five prayers in congregation

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has filled the land and the sea with worship."

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Some of the salaf, when they prayed,

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seemed as if they were addressing a person due to their focus in prayer.

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Imam Malik Ibn Anas (may Allah have mercy on him) would lengthen his bowing and prostration in his daily devotions,

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and when he stood in prayer, he was like a dry piece of wood; nothing of him would move.

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Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

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"Your portion of Islam and the status of Islam in your heart

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is equal to your portion of prayer and its status in your heart."

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He warned against meeting Allah the Almighty while Islam has no status in your heart,

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for the status of Islam in your heart is equal to the status of prayer in your heart.

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Al-Bazzar (may Allah have mercy on him) said regarding Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him):

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"As for his worship (may Allah be pleased with him),

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it is rare to hear of its like,

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because he had dedicated the majority of his time and life to it,

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to the point that he did not allow himself any distraction that would keep him from Allah the Almighty,

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neither family nor wealth.

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In his night, he was isolated from all people,

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alone with his Lord, the Almighty,

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constant in his recitation of the Great Qur’an,

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repeating various types of night and day devotions.

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When the night passed and he was with people,

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he would begin with the Fajr prayer,

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performing its Sunnah before coming to them.

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When he entered into prayer,

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hearts would almost tremble at the awe of his opening takbir.

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When he entered the prayer,

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his limbs would tremble until he swayed right and left.

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When he recited, he would elongate his recitation,

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just as it is authentically reported of the recitation of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).

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His bowing, prostration, and standing from them

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were among the most perfect of what has been reported for obligatory prayer.

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When he finished the prayer,

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he would praise Allah the Almighty,

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he and those present, with what has been reported.

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Then he would supplicate to Allah the Almighty for himself, for them, and for the Muslims.

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His most frequent supplication was:

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'O Allah, grant us victory and do not grant victory over us;

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plot for us and do not plot against us;

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guide us and make guidance easy for us.

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O Allah, make us grateful to You,

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remembering You,

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turning to You in repentance,

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humble before You,

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desiring You,

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fearing You,

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obedient to You.

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Our Lord, accept our repentance, wash away our sins,

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establish our arguments, and guide our hearts,

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and remove the malice from our chests.'

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He would begin and end this with blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).

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Then he would begin his dhikr.

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His habit was known:

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he would not speak unnecessarily after the Fajr prayer.

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He would remain in dhikr, audible to himself,

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and perhaps those beside him could hear his dhikr,

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while during that time he would frequently turn his gaze toward the sky.

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This was his practice until the sun rose

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and the time during which prayer is prohibited ended.

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I would hear what he recited and what he remembered.

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I saw him reciting al-Fatihah and repeating it,

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and he would spend that entire time,

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I mean from Fajr until the sun rose,

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repeating its recitation.

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Shaykh ‘Abdullah Ibn Jar Allah,

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Al Jar Allah (may Allah have mercy on him),

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would arrive early for prayer

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and sit for a long time in the mosque.

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He (may Allah have mercy on him) would fast,

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despite the illnesses he suffered,

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He would persist in fasting.

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To the extent that he would become quite exhausted from it.

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Yet, he remained patient, seeking reward from Allah.

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As for the night prayer,

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it was among the qualities that characterized the Shaykh, may Allah have mercy on him.

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Regardless of the illness he suffered.

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His son, Muhammad, says:

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"My father was accustomed to rising early every night,

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so that he could perform the Witr prayer in the final third of the night."

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A life of peace,

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between word and deed.