Praying behind a sinner
Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,
As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's
Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)
One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:
Assalamoalaikum
I have read
I know what are the beliefs of a sect in islam,
i.e, sunni(Barelvi) or shia!..
They take waseela for the
prays and prayers also. I mean they make an image in their mind of their
peer to make a wasila.
Of,course we dont know what is in the herats
of others but i have myself made a criteria, that the
person who follows bidaa`t very often i try not to say prayers behind him cause i have heard that ur prayer behind
a person is not maqbool against whom u r in doubt.
Pls correct me if i am wrong.
Thanks
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Answer:
In the
name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness.
Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray,
none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no
person, no grave, no prophet, no imam,
no dai,
nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that
Muhammad(saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.
Your
question: I know what are the beliefs of a sect in islam,
i.e, sunni(Barelvi) or shia!..
They
take waseela for the prays
and prayers also. I mean they make an image in their mind of their peer to make
a wasila.
Of,course we dont
know what is in the herats of others
Beloved
brother in Islam, it is the Being of Allah Subhanah
Alone Who Knows what are the intentions and deeds of each and every individual
in His creation. Regardless of what sect
of Islam one claims to follow; be it Sunni or Shia;
as long as one has declared the ‘shahaadah’ or
testimony of faith in Allah and His Last Messenger (saws), he will be deemed a muslim in the sight of the believers; and all the rights
that are due to a muslim will be accorded to
him. Only on the Day of Judgement will each one be judged by the All Knowing Lord
according to his intentions and his deeds.
It is the
person’s own choice to be recognized by one of the man-invented names that he
is a Shia, or a Sunni, or a Barelvi,
or a Ismaili, or a Bohra,
etc.; but it is the duty of the true believers to treat him as a muslim as long as he has declared the ‘shahaadah’
or testimony of faith in Allah and His Last Messenger (saws)! In these trying times for the Muslim Ummah, our energies should be invested to unite the muslims rather than alienate each
other.
Your
question: Of,course we dont
know what is in the herats of others but i have myself made a criteria, that the person who follows bidaa`t very often i try not to
say prayers behind him cause i have heard that ur prayer behind a person is not maqbool
against whom u r in doubt. Pls correct me if i am wrong.
Sunan of Abu-Dawood Hadith 2527 Narrated
by Abu Hurayrah
The Prophet (saws) said: ‘Striving in the path of Allah (jihad)
is incumbent on you along with every ruler, whether he is pious or impious; the
prayer is obligatory on you behind every believer, pious or impious, even if he
commits grave sins; the (funeral) prayer is incumbent upon every Muslim,
pious and impious, even if he commits major sins.’
It is not
the responsibility of the believers to investigate the conduct of every person
who leads the prayer, nor is it our responsibility to determine what image the
person leading the prayer has in his heart, etc. The criteria declared by
the Messenger of Allah (saws) is very clear: ‘the
prayer is obligatory on you behind every believer, pious or impious, even if he
commits grave sins’.
If one
has declared the ‘shahaadah’, regardless of what
man-made sect of Islam he wishes to be recognized by, the prayer of the believers
who pray behind him will be considered valid in the sight of Allah Subhanah, and they will get a full reward for it.
Whatever
written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance,
and whatever of error is of me. Allah
Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.
Your Brother in Islam,
Burhan
Wister