46 - Acts of worship

1. The bedouin came from Najd, which is a plateau extending from Hijaz in the west to Yamamah in the east; today, it includes Riyadh, Qasim and Aflaj. He entered the mosque when the Prophet was sitting with his companions. He had dishevelled hair, was careless about his appearance, spoke aloud at a distance, giving his voice an echo that made it difficult to understand what he was saying. When he drew close to the Prophet, those seated with the Prophet understood him. Essentially, he was asking about Islam and its legislation.

2. The Prophet (peace be upon him) told him about prayer, which is the second pillar of Islam, coming immediately after the declaration of belief in God’s oneness and Prophet Muhammad as His Messenger. The Prophet told him that there are five obligatory prayers stretching over each day and night. These are Fajr, Ẓuhr, ‘Aṣr, Maghrib and ‘Ishā. The bedouin asked whether he had any further duty of prayer once he had offered these five, with all their essentials, in the way and form they should be done. The Prophet told him that no other prayers were obligatory, but that he may voluntarily add to them, if he so wished.

Voluntary worship is offered in excess of what is obligatory, to draw closer to God and in the hope of enhancing one’s status on the Day of Judgement. This is recommended, earning reward for the one who offers it, but no punishment is incurred for failure to do so. 

3.The Prophet (peace be upon him) then mentions fasting, the fourth pillar of Islam. It means abstention from eating, drinking and other prohibitions from the break of dawn until sunset, with the right intention, dedicating one’s action for God’s sake. The Prophet tells his questioner that his duty is to fast during the month of Ramadan. The bedouin asked the Prophet whether he had any obligatory fasting other than this month? The Prophet told him that this is the only obligatory fasting, but he may voluntarily decide to fast on other recommended days.

4. The Prophet then tells him about the third pillar of Islam, namely zakat, which follows the declaration of God’s oneness and prayer. He tells him that zakat is a duty and he explains to him its details.

Zakat is a financial act of worship constituting the payment of a portion of certain types of property to defined groups of people. It is called zakat, which is a word derived from a source meaning ‘purity’, because it purifies man’s soul from the burden of sin.

The man asks the Prophet whether he owed any financial duty other than this obligatory zakat. The Prophet told him that this is the only duty, but he may give further charity if he so wished. 

5. The man left and said as he was walking away: ‘By God, I shall not do more than this and will not omit any of it’. He meant that he would fulfil them as perfectly as he could, without addition or omission.

The man did not mean that he would do only these duties, but not other duties which the Prophet did not include in his answer, such as lowering one’s gaze, maintaining one’s chastity, stating the truth, etc. To say such a thing is wrong and unacceptable. The Prophet would not have agreed to it. The man simply asked the Prophet about the duties and obligations which would ensure his admittance into Heaven. Therefore, he did not tell him about prohibitions and the need to steer away from them.

6. The Prophet (peace be upon him) then says that if the man did as he promised and was true to his word, he would be successful and have much that is good.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) did not mention the declaration of belief in God’s oneness and the Prophet’s message, because he knew that the man was aware of it, or because he was asking about practical Islamic duties. The Prophet does not mention hajj, either because it was not yet legislated, or because it was not applicable to the man as a duty, or the Prophet might have mentioned it but the narrator left it out.

Implementation

1.The Prophet (peace be upon him) tolerated the rough manners of the bedouin even as he spoke too loudly. This suggests that educators, teachers and advocates of Islam should always be patient, tolerating the difficulties associated with their tasks. They may even be faced with strong disapproval and even harm. They should follow the example of the Prophet, enduring all this patiently.

2. An advocate of Islam, a scholar, an educator and a leader should realize that people differ mentally and psychologically. Therefore, he cannot treat them all in the same way. We note that the Prophet did not criticize the bedouin for raising his voice.

3. The man was keen to learn from the Prophet what was of benefit to him, speaking without hesitation. Every time the Prophet outlined an obligation, the man asked: ‘Any more duty?’ Everyone should seek to learn what is necessary, unhindered by either bashfulness or arrogance.

4. The hadith shows that a person who limits himself to doing what is obligatory and does the essential Islamic duties in the way acceptable to God will be safe on the Day of Judgement, even though he does not add any voluntary worship. God has made clear that His servants do not draw closer to Him by doing anything better than what He has made obligatory on them. However, neglecting recommended prayers means missing out on much reward. While a person will be safe by doing what is obligatory, adding what is recommended confirms success, enhances one’s position and raises one’s status.

5. Recommended prayers are many, but the most important are the confirmed sunnah prayers that are associated with the obligatory prayers. These are two rak‘ahs before Fajr Prayer, four rak‘ahs before Ẓuhr and two after it, two rak‘ahs after Maghrib and two after ꜤIshā.

Other recommended prayers include the midmorning prayer, i.e. Ḍuḥā ,night worship, the Witr Prayer, etc. Referring to all these, and other voluntary prayers as well

6. Voluntary fasting is one the most rewarding actions a person does. God grants rich reward for it. Fasting on the Day of Arafat wipes away the sins of the outgoing year and the incoming one; and fasting on the Day of ‘Āshūrāʼ wipes away the sins of the outgoing year.[3]

7. The Prophet (peace be upon him) also mentions zakat because it provides evidence of a person’s faith. Only a believer pays out his zakat feeling pleased with his deed. The fact is that human beings love money and like to keep it for themselves. When a person sets aside his zakat duty, as the portion owed to God, Mighty and Exalted, this is a proof of faith and one’s belief in God’s promise and warnings. Therefore, a believer should test himself and the strength of his faith by paying zakat and voluntary charity, knowing that what God has in store for him is better and longer lasting.

8. The bedouin said: ‘By God, I shall not do more than this and will not omit any of it’. He was assured that doing what is obligatory is sufficient to ensure admittance into Heaven. It is imperative that a Muslim should be firm and active in every good thing he does, hoping to receive its reward. He should not slacken after he has started. This applies to deeds done for the life to come and those for one’s present life. A student should attend to his studies and a soldier should carry on with his duties. Perfection of one’s work should be the motto of every worker, whether in a factory or a farm or a marketplace.

9. The Prophet’s comments on what the man said is clearly applicable to every Muslim. Whoever attends well to all obligatory duties and refrains from whatever is prohibited ensures safety from Hell and admittance into Heaven. However, Heaven has grades and levels, the highest of which is to be in the company of prophets, the ones who never deviate from the truth, martyrs and righteous believers. Needless to say, this grade is not attained by merely fulfilling the obligatory part. Everyone is given according to one’s deeds, and everyone should work to achieve one’s ambition in the life to come.

10. We note in the hadith that the Prophet (peace be upon him) appreciated the position of his questioner. Therefore, he did not tell him more than what was obligatory, because these are what is essential for a person to be a true Muslim. Scholars and advocates of Islam should intelligently assess the condition of a questioner and give him the most suitable and right answers.