Project "Revive a Sunnah"
To join the e-mail list, please visit: http://groups.google.com/group/project-revive-a-sunnah OR e-mail: albosnawi@gmail.com
March 26th 2007 (7th of Safar 1428 AH)
Windsor, Ontario, Canada
In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate.
May peace and blessings be upon the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam), his family, and his companions.
What is Project "Revive a Sunnah"?
Let's face the reality of today. There are many, many Sunnahs of the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) which are not being practiced. This may be due to reasons such as negligence, laziness and/or ignorance. Project "Revive a Sunnah" is a project dedicated to bringing back the forgotten Sunnahs of the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam).
Why the Project "Revive a Sunnah"?
This question can be answered from two sources: Qur'an and Sunnah.
Firstly, Allah ('azza wa jall) says in the Qur'an:
1.
"…Help you one another in Al-Birr and At-Taqwa (virtue, righteousness and piety); but do not help one another in sin and transgression. And fear Allâh. Verily, Allâh is Severe in punishment." [5:2]
2.
"Say (O Muhammad (peace be upon him) to mankind): "If you (really) love Allâh then follow me (i.e. accept Islâmic Monotheism, follow the Qur'ân and the Sunnah), Allâh will love you and forgive you your sins. And Allâh is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful." [3:31]
Secondly, from the Hadith, it is reported that the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said:
"Whoever revives an aspect of my Sunnah that is forgotten after my death, he will have a reward equivalent to that of the people who follow him, without it detracting in the least from their reward." (Reported by al-Tirmidhi, 7/443; this is a hasan hadîth because of corroborating asânîd).
Hence, we start off by responding to Allah's ('azza wa jall) call. We do our utmost to follow the Sunnah of the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam). We obviously do this in order to earn the love of Allah ('azza wa jall). What a better way of doing so than helping each other to achieve this (solely for the sake of Allah ('azza wa jall)).
How does it work?
Initially, when this project was first launched, it was conducted solely via e-mail. Starting with Week 4, the project will be available on-line, so that a broader audience may participate. A blog entry will be posted each week. The entry will describe what the Sunnah is, provide evidence from the Sunnah, and shed light on how it can be implemented, insha Allah. The project will still continue through e-mail (simultaneously to the blog). If you are not receiving the weekly Project "Revive a Sunnah" e-mails and would like to, then please join the group by visiting: http://groups.google.com/group/project-revive-a-sunnah .
How can you participate?
You can be a part of this project in a number of different ways. Some of them include:
nominating a "forgotten sunnah" to be focussed on for one week
forwarding the Project "Revive a Sunnah" URL to your friends and familyencouraging others to participate spreading the word
Week 25: March 23rd-30th 2007
(4th-11th of Rabiul-Awwal 1428 AH)
The issue we’re going to address this week is “kind of” a sunnah, but in reality, it could be classified even higher than “just a sunnah” because of its importance. What I am referring to is the straightening of one’s back in the ruku’ (bowing) position during prayer. The reason why I say it could be classified higher than a “just a sunnah” is because we know that if our ruku’ is not done properly, our prayer might be in question. Nevertheless, we are going to focus on this important aspect of salah, insha Allah. Subhan Allah, you see some people making ruku’ and you ask yourself whether they’re performing ruku’ or just leaning their heads forward. I think a lot of you know what I am talking about. It’s unfortunate though, to see so many Muslims not performing ruku’ properly. What did the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) teach us about bowing?
From the Ahadith:
1.
Abu Humaid reported that when the Prophet, upon whom be peace, bowed, he would be straight, his head neither up nor down (with respect to his hips), and he would place his hands on his knees as if he was holding them."
[Related by an-Nasa'i]
2.
Said 'Ali (radhi Allahu anhu), "If you put a cup of water on the back of the Prophet, upon whom be peace, while he was bowing, its contents would not spill."
[This is related by Ahmad. Abu Dawud recorded it in his Kitab al-Muraseel.]
When I was a little younger, y’know what I used to do? I used to bow down beside a mirror and then look to see how straight my back was. With a little fine-tuning, I was able to improve the arch of my back, and make it straighter. Some of you have probably done similar things, and if you haven’t, give it a try, insha Allah. May Allah reward you for taking the initiative to perfect your actions in prayer. Ameen!
You are most welcome to direct any Feedback/Comments/Suggestions/Nominations to albosnawi@gmail.com
May Allah reward you all.
Praise be to Allah and may the blessings be upon the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam).
Wa Salaamu Alaykoum,
Kemal Smajlovic
