WEBVTT 00:00:00.850 --> 00:00:03.850 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 00:00:03.850 --> 00:00:09.300 The life of the salaf was defined by the harmony between their words and their deeds. 00:00:09.300 --> 00:00:13.410 Consider the worship of the salaf. 00:00:13.410 --> 00:00:17.559 They were urged toward worship and khushu‘ (humility and focus in prayer). 00:00:17.559 --> 00:00:19.559 Their own statements reflect this. 00:00:19.559 --> 00:00:24.300 ‘Abdullah Ibn Mas‘ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: 00:00:24.300 --> 00:00:28.300 "As long as you are in prayer, you are knocking at the door of the King." 00:00:28.300 --> 00:00:32.299 "And whoever knocks at the door of the King, it will be opened for him." 00:00:32.299 --> 00:00:36.969 ‘Ammar Ibn Yasir (may Allah be pleased with him) once performed two rak‘ahs. 00:00:36.969 --> 00:00:38.969 It was said to him: 00:00:38.969 --> 00:00:40.969 "O Abu al-Yaqzan, 00:00:40.969 --> 00:00:43.969 I see you have made them very brief." 00:00:43.969 --> 00:00:44.969 He replied: 00:00:44.969 --> 00:00:47.969 "Did I omit any of their essential requirements?" 00:00:47.969 --> 00:00:49.969 They said, "No." 00:00:49.969 --> 00:00:51.969 "But you made them brief." 00:00:51.969 --> 00:00:52.969 He said: 00:00:52.969 --> 00:00:55.969 "I was hastening to complete them." 00:00:55.969 --> 00:01:00.609 ‘Amir Ibn ‘Abd Qays (may Allah have mercy on him) once heard 00:01:00.609 --> 00:01:04.609 people discussing worldly affairs while in prayer. 00:01:04.609 --> 00:01:05.609 He said: 00:01:05.609 --> 00:01:06.609 "Do you truly find yourselves doing that?" 00:01:06.609 --> 00:01:08.609 They said, "Yes." 00:01:08.609 --> 00:01:09.609 He said: 00:01:09.609 --> 00:01:13.609 "By Allah, for spearheads to pierce my body 00:01:13.609 --> 00:01:18.609 is more beloved to me than for such thoughts to enter my prayer." 00:01:18.930 --> 00:01:23.930 Mujahid (may Allah have mercy on him) said regarding the words of Allah the Almighty: 00:01:23.930 --> 00:01:27.930 “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) 00:01:27.930 --> 00:01:30.959 "It is not the physical mark on the face, 00:01:30.959 --> 00:01:32.959 but rather it is the khushu‘." 00:01:32.959 --> 00:01:39.659 It was said to Abu Muslim al-Khawlani (may Allah have mercy on him) when he grew old and frail: 00:01:39.659 --> 00:01:42.659 "If only you would reduce some of what you do." 00:01:42.659 --> 00:01:43.659 He replied: 00:01:43.659 --> 00:01:49.659 "Tell me, if you sent a horse into the race, would you not say to its rider: 00:01:49.659 --> 00:01:52.659 'Go easy on it and be gentle,' 00:01:52.659 --> 00:01:57.659 until you see the finish line, at which point you would spare nothing of its strength?" 00:01:57.659 --> 00:01:59.659 They said, "Yes." 00:01:59.659 --> 00:02:00.659 He said: 00:02:00.659 --> 00:02:03.659 "I have already seen the finish line, 00:02:03.659 --> 00:02:06.659 and every hour has its finish line, 00:02:06.659 --> 00:02:09.659 and the finish line for every hour is death, 00:02:09.659 --> 00:02:11.659 so one is either racing or being outpaced." 00:02:11.659 --> 00:02:18.159 Regarding prayer, its importance, and its virtue, 00:02:18.159 --> 00:02:21.020 and their state during it: 00:02:21.020 --> 00:02:23.020 ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: 00:02:23.020 --> 00:02:27.020 "If you see a man neglecting prayer, 00:02:27.020 --> 00:02:32.500 then by Allah, he is even more neglectful of other rights of Allah." 00:02:32.500 --> 00:02:38.500 Al-Miswar Ibn Makhrama and Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) visited him. 00:02:38.500 --> 00:02:41.500 When morning came, they were alarmed. 00:02:41.500 --> 00:02:42.500 They said: 00:02:42.500 --> 00:02:44.500 "Prayer, prayer!" 00:02:44.500 --> 00:02:46.500 He said, "Yes, 00:02:46.500 --> 00:02:49.500 and there is no share in Islam for one who abandons prayer." 00:02:49.500 --> 00:02:53.979 He went out while his wound was gushing blood. 00:02:53.979 --> 00:02:58.979 A man married the wife of ‘Abdullah Ibn Rawaha (may Allah be pleased with him). 00:02:58.979 --> 00:02:59.979 He said to her: 00:02:59.979 --> 00:03:02.979 "Do you know why I married you? 00:03:02.979 --> 00:03:08.080 So that you might tell me about the habits of ‘Abdullah Ibn Rawaha in his home." 00:03:08.080 --> 00:03:09.080 She said: 00:03:09.080 --> 00:03:14.080 "Whenever he wanted to leave his house, he would pray two rak‘ahs, 00:03:14.080 --> 00:03:18.080 and whenever he entered his house, he would pray two rak‘ahs; 00:03:18.080 --> 00:03:20.080 he never neglected that." 00:03:20.080 --> 00:03:24.750 ‘Abdullah Ibn Mas‘ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: 00:03:24.750 --> 00:03:28.750 "Whoever is pleased to meet Allah tomorrow as a Muslim, 00:03:28.750 --> 00:03:33.750 let him safeguard these prayers where they are called out, 00:03:33.750 --> 00:03:39.750 for Allah has prescribed for your Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) the paths of guidance, 00:03:39.750 --> 00:03:42.750 and these prayers are among the paths of guidance. 00:03:42.750 --> 00:03:48.780 If you were to pray in your homes as this one who stays behind prays in his home, 00:03:48.780 --> 00:03:51.780 you would have abandoned the Sunnah of your Prophet. 00:03:51.780 --> 00:03:55.780 And if you abandoned the Sunnah of your Prophet, you would go astray. 00:03:55.780 --> 00:03:59.879 There is no man who performs wudu’ and does it well, 00:03:59.879 --> 00:04:03.879 then heads to one of these mosques, 00:04:03.879 --> 00:04:08.879 but that Allah records for him a good deed for every step he takes, 00:04:08.879 --> 00:04:10.879 raises him a degree by it, 00:04:10.879 --> 00:04:13.879 and removes a sin from him by it. 00:04:13.879 --> 00:04:20.879 I have seen us, and no one would stay behind except a hypocrite known for his hypocrisy. 00:04:20.879 --> 00:04:27.939 A man would be brought, supported by two others, until he was stood in the row." 00:04:27.939 --> 00:04:33.300 He (may Allah be pleased with him) also said: "The one who prays is knocking at His door, 00:04:33.300 --> 00:04:38.300 and whoever persists in knocking at the door of the King, it is likely to be opened for him." 00:04:38.300 --> 00:04:40.810 ‘Amr Ibn Dinar said: 00:04:41.810 --> 00:04:46.810 "I saw ‘Abdullah Ibn al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with him) praying in the Hijr, 00:04:46.810 --> 00:04:48.810 keeping his gaze lowered. 00:04:48.810 --> 00:04:52.810 A stone fell in front of him and tore a piece of his garment, 00:04:52.810 --> 00:04:55.350 yet he did not turn." 00:04:55.350 --> 00:04:58.350 Muhammad Ibn al-Munkadir said: 00:04:58.350 --> 00:05:04.350 "If you saw ‘Abdullah Ibn al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with him) praying under the shade of a tree, 00:05:04.350 --> 00:05:07.350 he would look like a branch of its branches, 00:05:07.350 --> 00:05:10.350 and a projectile might come from it here, 00:05:10.350 --> 00:05:12.829 yet he would not pay it any mind." 00:05:12.829 --> 00:05:18.829 Ibrahim al-Nakha‘i and Waki‘ Ibn al-Jarrah (may Allah have mercy on them) said: 00:05:18.829 --> 00:05:22.829 "If you see a man taking the first takbir lightly, 00:05:22.829 --> 00:05:25.279 then wash your hands of him." 00:05:25.279 --> 00:05:29.279 Abu al-‘Aliyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 00:05:29.279 --> 00:05:32.279 "We would go to a man to learn from him, 00:05:32.279 --> 00:05:34.279 and we would watch him when he prayed. 00:05:34.279 --> 00:05:37.279 If he performed it well, we would sit with him 00:05:37.279 --> 00:05:40.279 and say, 'He is even better with other matters.' 00:05:40.279 --> 00:05:42.279 But if he performed it poorly, we would get up and leave him, 00:05:42.279 --> 00:05:45.279 saying, 'He is even worse with other matters.'" 00:05:45.279 --> 00:05:49.629 It was said to ‘Amir Ibn ‘Abd Qays (may Allah have mercy on him): 00:05:49.629 --> 00:05:52.629 "Do you talk to yourself during prayer?" 00:05:52.629 --> 00:05:58.629 He said, "I talk to myself about standing before Allah and the return to Him." 00:05:58.629 --> 00:06:02.019 Al-Hasan (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 00:06:02.019 --> 00:06:04.019 "O son of Adam, 00:06:04.019 --> 00:06:09.019 what is left of your religion if your prayer is insignificant to you?" 00:06:09.019 --> 00:06:12.689 Sa‘id Ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz (may Allah have mercy on him) 00:06:12.689 --> 00:06:16.689 would weep if he missed the congregational prayer. 00:06:16.689 --> 00:06:21.329 Bakr Ibn ‘Abdullah al-Muzani (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 00:06:21.329 --> 00:06:23.329 "Who is like you, O son of Adam? 00:06:23.329 --> 00:06:27.360 You are left alone between the prayer niche and the water; 00:06:27.360 --> 00:06:31.360 whenever you wish, you enter into the presence of Allah the Almighty, 00:06:31.360 --> 00:06:34.360 with no translator between you and Him." 00:06:34.360 --> 00:06:38.709 Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Sulami (may Allah have mercy on him) 00:06:38.709 --> 00:06:45.709 used to command them to carry him to the mosque in the mud and rain while he was ill. 00:06:45.709 --> 00:06:51.000 They entered upon him while he was passing away in the mosque, meaning he was struggling. 00:06:51.000 --> 00:06:53.000 They said to him: 00:06:53.000 --> 00:06:57.000 "If only you would move to your bed, for it would be more comfortable." 00:06:57.000 --> 00:06:58.000 He said: 00:06:58.000 --> 00:07:03.000 "So-and-so told me that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: 00:07:03.000 --> 00:07:10.000 'One of you remains in a state of prayer as long as he is in his place of prayer, awaiting the prayer.'" 00:07:10.000 --> 00:07:12.610 Waki‘ said: 00:07:12.610 --> 00:07:19.610 "Al-A‘mash (may Allah have mercy on him) for nearly seventy years never missed the first takbir." 00:07:19.610 --> 00:07:22.610 I frequented his company for nearly two years, 00:07:22.610 --> 00:07:25.610 and I never saw him having to make up a rak‘ah. 00:07:25.610 --> 00:07:30.149 Sa‘id Ibn al-Musayyib (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 00:07:30.149 --> 00:07:35.149 "I have not missed a congregational prayer for forty years." 00:07:35.149 --> 00:07:38.220 He also said (may Allah have mercy on him): 00:07:38.220 --> 00:07:44.339 "For thirty years, the mu’adhdhin has not given the call to prayer without me already being in the mosque." 00:07:44.339 --> 00:07:47.339 He also said (may Allah have mercy on him): 00:07:47.339 --> 00:07:50.339 "Whoever safeguards the five prayers in congregation 00:07:50.339 --> 00:07:54.949 has filled the land and the sea with worship." 00:07:54.949 --> 00:07:57.949 Some of the salaf, when they prayed, 00:07:57.949 --> 00:08:03.240 seemed as if they were addressing a person due to their focus in prayer. 00:08:03.240 --> 00:08:10.300 Imam Malik Ibn Anas (may Allah have mercy on him) would lengthen his bowing and prostration in his daily devotions, 00:08:10.300 --> 00:08:17.720 and when he stood in prayer, he was like a dry piece of wood; nothing of him would move. 00:08:17.720 --> 00:08:21.720 Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 00:08:21.720 --> 00:08:25.720 "Your portion of Islam and the status of Islam in your heart 00:08:25.720 --> 00:08:29.720 is equal to your portion of prayer and its status in your heart." 00:08:29.720 --> 00:08:35.720 He warned against meeting Allah the Almighty while Islam has no status in your heart, 00:08:35.720 --> 00:08:41.200 for the status of Islam in your heart is equal to the status of prayer in your heart. 00:08:41.200 --> 00:08:47.330 Al-Bazzar (may Allah have mercy on him) said regarding Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him): 00:08:47.330 --> 00:08:50.330 "As for his worship (may Allah be pleased with him), 00:08:50.330 --> 00:08:53.330 it is rare to hear of its like, 00:08:53.330 --> 00:08:57.330 because he had dedicated the majority of his time and life to it, 00:08:57.330 --> 00:09:04.330 to the point that he did not allow himself any distraction that would keep him from Allah the Almighty, 00:09:04.330 --> 00:09:07.330 neither family nor wealth. 00:09:07.330 --> 00:09:11.419 In his night, he was isolated from all people, 00:09:11.419 --> 00:09:15.419 alone with his Lord, the Almighty, 00:09:15.419 --> 00:09:19.419 constant in his recitation of the Great Qur’an, 00:09:19.419 --> 00:09:24.419 repeating various types of night and day devotions. 00:09:24.419 --> 00:09:28.519 When the night passed and he was with people, 00:09:28.519 --> 00:09:30.519 he would begin with the Fajr prayer, 00:09:30.519 --> 00:09:34.519 performing its Sunnah before coming to them. 00:09:34.519 --> 00:09:36.519 When he entered into prayer, 00:09:36.519 --> 00:09:42.519 hearts would almost tremble at the awe of his opening takbir. 00:09:42.519 --> 00:09:44.620 When he entered the prayer, 00:09:45.620 --> 00:09:50.620 his limbs would tremble until he swayed right and left. 00:09:50.620 --> 00:09:54.620 When he recited, he would elongate his recitation, 00:09:54.620 --> 00:09:59.620 just as it is authentically reported of the recitation of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). 00:09:59.620 --> 00:10:04.620 His bowing, prostration, and standing from them 00:10:04.620 --> 00:10:07.840 were among the most perfect of what has been reported for obligatory prayer. 00:10:07.840 --> 00:10:09.840 When he finished the prayer, 00:10:09.840 --> 00:10:11.840 he would praise Allah the Almighty, 00:10:11.840 --> 00:10:14.840 he and those present, with what has been reported. 00:10:14.840 --> 00:10:19.970 Then he would supplicate to Allah the Almighty for himself, for them, and for the Muslims. 00:10:19.970 --> 00:10:21.970 His most frequent supplication was: 00:10:21.970 --> 00:10:25.970 'O Allah, grant us victory and do not grant victory over us; 00:10:25.970 --> 00:10:28.970 plot for us and do not plot against us; 00:10:28.970 --> 00:10:32.000 guide us and make guidance easy for us. 00:10:32.000 --> 00:10:35.000 O Allah, make us grateful to You, 00:10:35.000 --> 00:10:37.000 remembering You, 00:10:37.000 --> 00:10:39.000 turning to You in repentance, 00:10:39.000 --> 00:10:41.000 humble before You, 00:10:41.000 --> 00:10:43.000 desiring You, 00:10:43.000 --> 00:10:45.000 fearing You, 00:10:45.000 --> 00:10:47.000 obedient to You. 00:10:47.000 --> 00:10:51.000 Our Lord, accept our repentance, wash away our sins, 00:10:51.000 --> 00:10:54.000 establish our arguments, and guide our hearts, 00:10:54.000 --> 00:10:57.000 and remove the malice from our chests.' 00:10:57.000 --> 00:11:03.000 He would begin and end this with blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). 00:11:03.000 --> 00:11:05.000 Then he would begin his dhikr. 00:11:05.000 --> 00:11:08.000 His habit was known: 00:11:08.000 --> 00:11:12.000 he would not speak unnecessarily after the Fajr prayer. 00:11:12.000 --> 00:11:15.190 He would remain in dhikr, audible to himself, 00:11:15.190 --> 00:11:19.190 and perhaps those beside him could hear his dhikr, 00:11:19.190 --> 00:11:25.190 while during that time he would frequently turn his gaze toward the sky. 00:11:25.190 --> 00:11:29.190 This was his practice until the sun rose 00:11:29.190 --> 00:11:32.320 and the time during which prayer is prohibited ended. 00:11:32.320 --> 00:11:35.320 I would hear what he recited and what he remembered. 00:11:35.320 --> 00:11:38.320 I saw him reciting al-Fatihah and repeating it, 00:11:38.320 --> 00:11:41.320 and he would spend that entire time, 00:11:41.320 --> 00:11:44.320 I mean from Fajr until the sun rose, 00:11:44.320 --> 00:11:47.899 repeating its recitation. 00:11:47.899 --> 00:11:50.899 Shaykh ‘Abdullah Ibn Jar Allah, 00:11:50.899 --> 00:11:52.899 Al Jar Allah (may Allah have mercy on him), 00:11:52.899 --> 00:11:54.899 would arrive early for prayer 00:11:54.899 --> 00:11:57.899 and sit for a long time in the mosque. 00:11:57.899 --> 00:11:59.899 He (may Allah have mercy on him) would fast, 00:11:59.899 --> 00:12:02.899 despite the illnesses he suffered, 00:12:02.899 --> 00:12:04.899 He would persist in fasting. 00:12:04.899 --> 00:12:07.899 To the extent that he would become quite exhausted from it. 00:12:07.899 --> 00:12:12.019 Yet, he remained patient, seeking reward from Allah. 00:12:12.019 --> 00:12:14.019 As for the night prayer, 00:12:14.019 --> 00:12:18.019 it was among the qualities that characterized the Shaykh, may Allah have mercy on him. 00:12:18.019 --> 00:12:21.059 Regardless of the illness he suffered. 00:12:21.059 --> 00:12:23.059 His son, Muhammad, says: 00:12:23.059 --> 00:12:27.059 "My father was accustomed to rising early every night, 00:12:27.059 --> 00:12:30.059 so that he could perform the Witr prayer in the final third of the night." 00:12:30.059 --> 00:12:32.820 A life of peace, 00:12:32.820 --> 00:12:36.179 between word and deed.