The Importance of Praise and Worship
Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “If a person disobeys his mother and father and passes the night, two doors of Hell are opened for him. If he only disobeys one of them, one door is opened. This is the case even if his parents have wronged him.”
Abdullah ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with both of them) reports that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “The pleasure of Allah is in the pleasure of one’s parents, and the anger of Allah is in the anger of one’s parents.”
When someone said that he wanted to go on jihad in the way of Allah, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) asked him: “What will you do to your mother and father?”
“I will do good to them, show them kindness, and be careful and attentive to them.”
Seeing the needs of one’s parents, relieving their difficulties, pleading with them as one would plead with a child, not growing tired of their requests, serving them, and many voluntary prayers and fasts are equivalent to this. Making supplication for them after each prayer, not fulfilling their needs, enduring their hardships, not speaking loudly in their presence, not neglecting their obligatory duties such as pilgrimage, five daily prayers, expiation, and vows, not consuming alcohol, not killing people, not stealing or taking others’ property, and not opposing them are considered sunnah.
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “There is no obedience in disobedience to Allah.”
In Surah Luqman, verse fifteen: “If your parents try to make you associate partners with Allah by forcing you, do not obey them. Treat them kindly in this world for their sake.”
This verse and hadith show that obedience to things that are sinful in the sight of Allah is not permissible.
Abu Talib reports: “There is no obedience to one’s parents who prevent him from praying in congregation.”
However, it is permissible to neglect voluntary acts of worship for the sake of obeying one’s parents. Imam Ahmad said that the obedience to one’s parents is superior to voluntary acts of worship.
Visiting someone who visits one’s parents is good, and visiting someone who does not visit them is a rejection. Being angry with someone who scolds or yells at one’s parents is a good deed. If something comes to your mind that would upset your parents, you should think about how they raised and brought you up, how they stayed awake all night for you, their tenderness and compassion for you, and the hardships and difficulties they endured for your sake. In Surah Isra, verse twenty-three, Allah says: “Speak to them gently and kindly.”
If thinking about such situations does not make you feel compassion and kindness towards them, you should know that you are deprived of the mercy of Allah and have fallen into the wrath of the Truth, and you should act with mercy and kindness towards them. If you do not obey the command of Allah, you should repent and seek forgiveness when the anger and wrath subside.
You should not go on a journey that is not obligatory without the permission of your parents. You should not go on jihad or battle without their permission if it is not a personal obligation. You should not cause them sorrow, because others are forbidden from making them sad for your sake. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “May Allah curse whoever causes a rift between a mother and her son.”
If food or drink is obtained, the purest and best portion should be given to one’s mother and father, as they preferred you over themselves, they fasted while you ate, and they stayed awake all night so that you could sleep.
With the advice and guidance given so far, may Allah guide you and may you act accordingly.
Names and Nicknames That Are Sunnah and Mekruh
It is makruh for a person to give his son the name of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). It is permissible to say either the name or the nickname alone. It is also makruh to give only the name without the nickname.
Enes ibn Malik and Abu Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with them) report: “Give your children my name, and do not quarrel with me.”
Nicknames such as Abu Yahya and Abu Isa are makruh. Names such as Abide, Ifluh, Najah, Yesan, Nafi’, Ruban, Berreh, Huzn, and Asiye are also makruh. Because Omar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: “If you live, I forbid you from using the names Gulam, Abidin, Yesor, Berreh, Rubah, Najah, Zelah.”
Names such as Malik al-Mulk and Shahid, which are equal to the names of Allah, are also makruh. These are foreign names. It is makruh to call with names such as Ilah, Hak, and Muheymin, which are only suitable for Allah.
The Most High, in the Surah Ra’d, thirty-third verse: «Say to the people of Egypt, let them give My name to the idols they associate with Me, let them call upon Me by My name, and then let them consider whether these idols are worthy of My name.»
It is forbidden to flatter a Muslim brother or a slave with a nickname that one dislikes and finds ugly, i.e., to give a bad name other than their real name. The Noble Qur’an, in Surah Hujurat, eleventh verse: «Do not call one another by nicknames, nor call one another by bad nicknames.»
It is recommended for a Muslim to call his Muslim brother by the name he loves the most.
What Should the Angry Person Do?
It is a sunnah for a person who is angry (the angry one) to sit if he is standing, and to lie on one side if he is sitting. If he washes his face and hands with cold water, his anger will pass. Hazret-i Hasan (may Allah be pleased with him) relates: «Anger is a piece of fire. It burns in the heart of a person. If one of you becomes angry, let him sit if he is standing, and lie on one side if he is sitting.»
It is makruh for those who are engaged in secret conversation for someone to enter between them without permission and sit. Because our Prophet (peace be upon him) prohibited the ummah from this.
Sitting between the shadow and the sun, sitting with the left hand supporting, and lying down are makruh. When leaving a gathering, it is recommended to say: «Subhanaka, Allahu umme wa bihamdika, la ilaha illa anta, astaghfiruka wa atubu ilaik.» as expiation for the sins that occurred there.
It is makruh to walk with shoes in places where there are graves. When entering the cemetery, one should say: «Allahumme Rabbe hazel ecsâdil büliyyeti velizâminnahiretil-leti, hacaret meddün dünyâ ve hiye bike mü’minetün, edhil aleyhâ revhan minke ve selâmen minni.» and before that, greet with: «Esselâmü aleyküm yâ ehle ddrii kavmil mü’minin, innâ inséeltahü an karibün biküm lahikiin.»
One should not place his hand on the grave, nor should he touch the grave. This is the practice of the Jews. If one is compelled and has no choice, he should not sit in the grave. He should not lean on the grave, nor should he touch the grave. He should show the same respect to the one buried in the grave as he would to a living person, and stand in the same place where he would have stood if the person were alive. He should recite only the Surah Ikhlas and other parts of the Qur’an, and then say: «I have given this reward, this gift, to the one buried in this grave.» Then, he should ask Allah for whatever he desires. He should not break or chew the bones in the cemetery. If such a situation is unavoidable, he should seek forgiveness for the deceased.
It is a sunnah for each Muslim to be humble and modest, to respect the elderly, to be compassionate and kind to the young and children, to forgive their faults, and not to neglect their manners and upbringing.
Saying «Sallallahu alaykum» or «Sallallahu ala fulan ibn fulan» for anyone other than the prophets (peace be upon them) is permissible. Because Hazret-i Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said «Sallallahu alaykum» for Hazret-i Ömer (may Allah be pleased with him). The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and blessings of Allah) also said: «Allahumme salli ala aali abi eufa.» and thus performed this prayer for the family of Abu Eufa.
It is makruh to shake hands with zimmis (non-Muslim citizens). Because the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and blessings of Allah) prohibited this with the hadith: «Do not shake hands with the people of the covenant.»
For someone who has been afflicted with the disease of humma (malaria), it is reported from Imam Ahmed bin Hanbal that the following words are written and kept on him. Ahmed bin Hanbal (may Allah be pleased with him) says: «I was afflicted with humma. The following supplication was written for me: «Bismillâhirrahmânirrahim, billâhi, Muhammediin Resulillah, yâ nârü küni berden ve selâmen alâ İbrâhime ve erâdü bihi keyden fecealné hüm-ül ahserin, Allahümme rabbi Cibrile ve Mikâile ve İsrâfile eşfi sâhibe hazel kitâbi bihavlike ve kuvvetike ve ceberütike yâ erhamerrâhimin.»
When a woman’s childbirth becomes difficult, write the following statement in a clean glass or plate, then wash that glass or plate, and give the woman a little of the water from it to drink. The remaining water should be poured over the woman’s chest, they said.
It is permissible to carry and recite a prayer for venomous and biting animals such as ants, scorpions, lice, snakes, and mosquitoes. Because the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and blessings of Allah) allowed prayer for every venomous and stinging thing. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and blessings of Allah) said: «If a person says three times at night: «Sallallahu ala Nahin and his family, peace be upon them,» then that night, a scorpion will not bite him.»
Again He commanded: «When a person reaches evening, if he recites the verse of protection (Surah Al-Ikhlas) with sincerity, no harmful thing from the devil can harm him that night.»
It is permissible to read and blow, and it is disliked even slightly to stop.
Whoever touches the eye should wash his face, hands, arms, knees, around his feet, and the inside of his shirt into a vessel and pour the water over the patient. For Abu Emama bin Sehl bin Hanif (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that his father, Sehl bin Hanif, while washing, was seen by Amir bin Rebia (may Allah be pleased with him), who, swearing by Allah, said that he had never seen a body and form so beautiful. He said, «I have never seen you like this before. There is no body, flesh, or skin as beautiful as yours in young and beautiful women.» Immediately, Sehl bin Hanif became paralyzed and could not even lift his head.
When this situation was reported to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: «The mercy of Allah will save him.»