Lessons from Sooratul 'Asr - Part One

Encouraging What is Right: Lessons from Sooratul 'Asr

Lesson One: The Reason for Creation and the Meaning of Worship
Author: Shaikh 'Abdul Azeez Bin Baaz
Translator: Abu Khaliyl Jadd Sylvester

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The Reason for Creation

Allaah created both the jinns and humans to worship Him, He sent the
messengers and revealed the Books for this grand objective, He (T)
said (which means);

"I have not created jinns and humans except to worship Me" (Ath-
Thaariyaat 56)

So this is the reason that Allaah created all peoples, the jinn and
human among them, the male and female among them, the 'Arab and
non 'Arab among them, the rich and poor among them. All of them were
created to worship Allaah. They were not created out of jest or
without purpose. Allaah (T) said (which means);

"Do you think We only created in jest, and that you would not return
to Us?" (Al-Mu'minoon 115)

Here Allaah (T) rebukes all who think that. He (T) also said (which
means);

"Do people think that they will be left without purpose?" (Al-
Qiyaamah 36)

The meaning here is unrestricted, without command or prohibition.

Allaah (T) said (which means);

"We have not created the heavens, the Earth and what is between them
in futility." (Saad 27)

Rather Allaah (T) created the creatures to worship Him, He did not
create them in futility, in jest, or without purpose. He created
them for a tremendous reason; that they worship Him by obeying His
orders, and avoiding his prohibitions, and that they should perform
all of their worship sincerely for Him, abiding by regulations. This
is the worship that He created them for, as He (T) said (which
means);

"I have not created jinns and humans except to worship Me. Not
wanting any sustenance or food from them. Surely Allaah is the
Provider, the possesor of unwavering strength." (Ath-Thaariyaat 56-
57)

The Meaning of Worship

This worship consists of singling him out with tawheed, obeying Him
by performing what He holds obligatory and staying away from what He
forbade, it is the Islaam about which He (T) said (which means);

"Surely the religion with Allaah is Islaam." (Aal 'Imraan 3:19)

It is faith and guidance as He (T) said (which means);

"Guidance has come to them from thier Lord." (An-Najm 23)

And He (T) said (which means);

"O you who believe! Have faith in Allaah and His Messneger" (An-
Nisaa' 4:136)

This worship is faith, it is that which the Prophet (S) spoke of

when he said;

Faith is seventy some or sixty some branches. The most virtious of

it is saying Laa ilaaha illa Allaah, and the least of it is removing
something harmful from the way, and modesty is a branch of faith.

Therefore faith is to worship Allaah, it is Islaam, it is guidance,

it is righteousness and piety, it is obedience to Allaah and His
Messenger, it is tawheed of Allaah and sincerity for Him, it is
establishing His orders, and avoiding His prohibitions, and abiding
by His regulations. This is worship, and this is Islaam and faith,
and this is taqwaa, and this is righteousness and guidance. Allaah
(T) said (which means);

"Guidance has come to them from thier Lord." (An-Najm 23)

And;

"But righteousness is for the one with the most taqwaa" (Al-Baqarah
2:189)

And;

"Certainly righteous are those who will be favored." (Al-Infitaar 13)

This is the meaning of worship, that which Allaah ordered all

peoples with, and that which He created them for. He (T) said (which
means);

"O people! Worship your Lord, the one who created you as well as
those before you, then perhaps you will have acquired taqwaa." (Al-
Baqarah 2:21)

Here He (T) ordered them to fulfill this worship, to fulfill that

for which He sent to them the messnegers, upon the be peace. He (T)
said (which means);

"To every nation we have sent messengers [saying]; Worship Allaah

and shun the taghoot!" (An-Nahl 36)
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How Correct Worship is Achieved

Here the meaning of "Worship Allaah" is singling out Allaah and

obeying His orders, and the meaning of "And shun the taghoot" is
stay away from shirk and disobedience. From the first of the
messengers, Nooh (S), to the last of them Muhammad (S), Allaah sent
them all to call people to worship Allaah, to single out Allaah, and
make only Him the object of worship, and that they obey His orders,
and that they stay away from His prohibitions, and that they abide
by his regulations, that they hope in His reward, and fear His (T)
punishment. It was with this that Allaah dispatched the messengers
and it was this that they delievered. Ibn 'Abbaas (R) was reported
to have said;

"Our father Aadam (S) and his offspring were following Islaam for
ten generations, until shirk appeared among the people of Nooh. So
Allaah sent Nooh (S) to them, and he invited them to Allaah and
directed them to good."

Allaah narrated their story to us in many places, and that they were
commanded with tawheed of Allaah and obedience to Him;

"And we have sent Nooh to his people. He said, "O my people! Worship
Allaah, you have no other gods besides Him!." (Al-Mu'minoon 23)

When they arrogantly rejected him and remained in falsehood, Allaah

(T) punished them with the flood as He (T) said (which means);

"We have sent Nooh to his people. He remained among them for a
thousand years, save fifty. We punished them with the floods while
they were wrong doers. We saved him and the inhabitants of the boat,
and we made them a sign for all of the worlds." (Al-Ankaboot 14-15)

He remained among them for nine hundred and fifty years calling them
to Allaah (T). So when they arrogantly rejected him Allaah (T)
vanquished them with the floods, with the rains that showered down
from the heavens, and the waters of the Earth overflowing, until
even the very last of them drowned, except for those with Nooh on
the boat. Similarly Allaah punished others. Anyone who does not
answer the call of the messenger, then he is ruined in this life and
the Hereafter. The last and most worthy of the messnegers, the seal
of the prophets was Muhammad (S), as Allaah (T) said (which means);

"Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but he is Allaah's

Messenger and the seal of the prophets." (Al-Ahzaab 40)

The Prophet (S) said, There is no prophet after me. And; I was sent
for all peoples.

Allaah (T) said (which means);

"Say: "O people! Indeed I am Allaah's Messenger to you all." (Al-

A'raaf 158)

And;

"We have not sent you but as [a messenger] to all people, bringing
good news and warning."
(Saba' 28)

So it is obligatory for everyone, jinns and humans, that they follow

him and obey him, and that they adhere to his methodology (S), as
Allaah (T) says (which means);

"Say: If you indeed love Allaah then follow me, Allaah will love you
and forgive your sins..."
(Aal 'Imraan 3:31)

Here the meaning is, "O Muhammad, tell the people, the jinn and
human among them, 'If you indeed love Allaah'" That is if you love
Him truthfully, "'Then follow me, Allaah will love you.'" So whoever
loves Allaah, then let him follow Muhammad (S) by obeying his
orders, and avoiding what he prohibited. This is accomplished by
tawheed of Allaah and sincerity for Him, by fulfilling His rights,
by not disobeying Him. Among these elements is preserving the
prayer, giving the zakaah, fasting Ramadhaan, hajj to the sacred
House, being kind to the parents and keeping the ties of the womb,
commanding good and forbidding evil, staying away from all types of
disobedience, staying away from associating anyone with Allaah,
which is the worst of sins, staying away from all types of
disobedience including lewdness or fornication, theft, homosexual
acts, dealing with usury, drinking intoxicants, backbiting, slander,
disobedience to one's parents, cutting the ties of the womb, etc.
It is obligatory for everyone, the men and the women that they
worship Allaah, that they obey His orders, that avoid His
prohibitions, and that they abide by His regulations hoping in His
reward, fearing His (T) punishment. Allaah (T) said (which means);

"Say: "Obey Allaah and obey His Messenger. Then if you [people] turn
away, then he is only responsible for his duty, and you for yours.
If you obey him you will be guided, and it is not a duty of the
Messenger except to clearly convey."" (An-Noor 24:54)

And;

"Whoever obeys the Messenger, then he has obeyed Allaah" (An-Nisaa'

4:80)

"...Let those who oppose his command be warned, lest some fitnah
afflict them or they be afflicted by a painful punishemt." (An-Noor
24:63)

So it is obligatory for all jinns and humans, whether male or

female, that they worship Allaah and have taqwaa of Him, and that
they revere His orders and prohibitions. And this can only occur by
encouraging each other, giving sincere advice, and helping one
another to righteousness and taqwaa be they males, females, 'Arabs,
non-'Arabs, all peoples. Allaah (T) said (which means);

"Help one another in righteousness and taqwaa, do not help one

another in sin and transgression. Have taqwaa of Allaah, indeed
Allaah is severe in punishment." (Al-Maa'idah 5:2)

He (T) said (which means);

"By time, indeed mankind is lost, except for those who believe and
perform righteous deeds, and encourage each other with the truth,
and encourage each other with patience." (Al-'Asr)

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Oaths

In this soorah, Allaah made an oath by time [al-'asr]. The meaning

of 'asr is the time span of the day and the night. Allaah (T) has
stated such oaths in connection with His creatures as He willed,
just as He did about the mountain, the scaterring winds, the star
when it sets, the night when it conceals, the sun and its
illumination, the fig and the olive, and others. Allaah states such
oaths by these creatures because they are evidence of His
magnificence and that He is the Lord of the Worlds. That He (T) is
the one who deserves to be worshipped, so He can state such oaths as
He wills. As for the creatures, it is not allowed for them to swear
by other than Allaah, it is not allowed for them to swear by the
Prophet, nor by their reputation of trust, nor by their fathers, nor
any creature at all. This is because the Prophet (S) said;

Whoever is to take an oath, let him swear by Allaah or remain

silent.

And;

Whoever swears by something other than Allaah then he has committed

shirk.

And;

Do not swear by your fathers, nor your mothers, nor any rivals [to
Allaah]. And do not swear by Allaah unless you are among the
truthfull.

Those who Believe...

Allaah explained in this great soorah (al-'Asr) that all people are
lost, the male and the female among them, the jinn and the human
among them, all are lost, "Except those who believe and perform
righteous deeds, enjoin one another with the truth, and enjoin one
another with patience." These are the profiteers of happiness, those
who believe in Allaah and His Messenger, they believe that Allaah is
their Lord and the only one worthy of their worship, and that He is
above the Heavens, over His throne, over all of His (T) creation.
They believe in Allaah's exaltedness, and that He (T) is over His
throne, separate from His creation. Just as He (T) said;

"The merciful ascended the throne." (Taa Ha: 5)

He (T) said;

"Indeed your Lord is Allaah. The one who created the heavens and the
Earth in six says. Then He ascended the throne, drawing the night
over the day, each seeking the other in sucession, and the Sun, the
Moon, and the stars, all subjected to His command. Certainly His is
the creation and the command, blessed is Allaah the Lord of the
worlds." (Al-A'raaf 7:54)

This is our Lord (T) His is the creation and the command, and He is
above His throne, and His knowledge reaches every place, the hands
are raised up to Him (T) in supplication, He is the high, the
magnificent, as He (T) said;

"To Him ascend the good words and He raises the righteous deeds."
(Faatir 10)

And;

"The angels and the spirit ascend to Him, in a day whose length is
fifty thousand years." (Al-Ma'aaraj 4)

He (T) is above His throne "istawaa' 'alayhi" that is an istawaa'

befitting His majesty and greatness, He does not resemble His
creatures in any of His attributes. As He (T) said (which means);

"There is nothing like Him, and He is the hearer, the seer." (Ash-
Sooraa 11)
No one other than Him knows how His attributes are. So our Lord (T)
is the highly exalted above His creation, and He is the Merciful ,
the Beneficent, and He is the Mighty, the Wise, and He is Kind and
Merciful, and He is the one in control over everything, and He is
the only one deserving to be worshipped. So it is obligatory for us
all, the male and female, that we worship Him. But how? By obeying
His orders, and staying away from His prohibitions, and being
sincere in worshipping Him alone, so we call upon Him alone, we hope
from Him alone, we seek help from Him alone, we swear by Him alone,
we pray to Him alone, we prostrate to Him alone, we fast for Him
alone, we render all of our worship for Him alone. Allaah (T) said
(which means);

"And your Lord has decreed that you not worship any but Him." (Al-
Israa' 23)

And;

"It is you whom we worship, and it is you whom we seek help from."
(Al-Faatihah 1:5)

And;

"And they were not commanded except to worship Allaah, practicing

their religion sincerely for Him alone." (Al-Bayinah 5)

And;

"So worship Allaah, practicing religion sincerely for Him. Is it not

to Allaah that sincere religion is due?" (Az-Zumar 2-3)

The Prophet (S) said;

Allaah's right over His worshipers is that they do not associate

anything with Him.

And he (S) said;

"I was ordered to fight the people until the testify to Laa ilaaha
illa Allaah and that Muhammad is Allaah's Messenger, and they
perform the prayer, and give the zakaah. When they do that then
their blood and wealth is secure from me - except for a right of
Islaam - and their reckoning is left with Allaah."

So it is required from all to testify to Laa ilaaha illa Allaah and

that they know that there is none who deserves to be worshiped other
than Him (T) and that they believe that He (T) is above His throne,
and that to Him (T) belong the most beautiful names and the most
exalted attributes, and that there are no partners for Him nor
equals to Him nor rivals;

"There is nothing like Him, and He is the Hearer, the Seer." (Ash-
Shooraa 11)

It is also required for all to believe that He is the creator and

the provider, just as He is the only one worthy of worship, so He is
the creator and provider, there is none who creates other than Him,
nor any Lord besides Him, and His are the most beautiful names and
most exalted attributes. As He (T) said (which means);

"And to Allaah belong the most beautiful names, so call upon Him by
them." (Al-A'raaf 180)

So His are the most beautiful names to be called upon like al-
Hakeem, al-'Aleem, ar-Rahmaan, ar-Raheem, al-'Azeez, ar-Ra'oof, al-
Qaadir, having power over everything, and as-Samee' and al-Baseer
and all of the other examples of His most beautiful names mentioned
in His magnificent book and in the Sunnah of His trusted Prophet (S).

So it is necessary for everyone to give advice in this regard, and

to encourage this, as Allaah (T) said;

"By time, indeed mankind is lost, except for those who believe and
perform righteous deeds, and encourage each other with the truth,
and encourage each other with patience." (Al-'Asr)

So people are lost and left for ruin, except for those who believe
in Allaah, meaning, that they believe that Allaah is truly the one
worthy of worship, and that He is their Lord, their provider, and
that they believe and trust that. So they are the believers
believing that Allaah (T) is their creator, their provider, and that
He is over His throne, over all creation, and they are believing all
that He informed them about in His Book regarding the events of the
Hereafter, about Paradise and the Fire, about the bridge, the scale,
etc. And they trust in what Allaah informed about in His magnificent
Book the Qur'aan, and in what what His Messenger (S) informed of,
they trust in all of this. And they are believing in Allaah, and
trusting in what He (T) says, and they are believing in His
Messenger Muhammad (S) and in what he came with. So they are
believing in Allaah and His Messenger, and they are trusting all of
what Allaah and His Messenger informed about what was and what will
be, and they are believing that we will all see the Day of Judgement
and we will all see our resurrection, and that we will all be
compensated for our deeds, with good if they were good and with bad
if they were bad. Allaah (T) said;

"A day when Allaah resurrects them all, so they will be informed
about what they did, Allaah remembers though they forgot." (Al-
Mujaadilah 6)

And;

"The day when He gathers you all for a day of assembly, that is a
day of mutual loss." (At-Taghaabun 9)

That is the Day of Resurrection, so they will be gathered for the

day of Judgement and compensated for thier deeds. So it is required
that the worshiper believe in that and trust in it all, and that he
pass the time until that day, that is the Day of Judgment with
tawheed of Allaah and obeying Him, stayiing away from disobedience
to Him, and fulfilling His rights; it is for this reason that Allaah
(T) said (which means);

"Except those who believe..."

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Encouraging Each Other

Meaning those who believe in Allaah and His Messenger, those who
trust Allaah and His Messenger, then they do righteous deeds, that
is, they perform the five prayers, perserving them as Allaah has
ordered, performing them with tranquility of mind and attentive
submission, fulfilling the zakaah, fasting the month of Ramadhaan,
and performing hajj to the House, being kind to the parents, keeping
the ties of the womb, commanding good, forbidding evil, struggling
in Allaah's cause, and singling Him out alone with worship, not
associating any one with Him in that, not doing anything that He
prohibited from the acts of disobedience which He has forbidden. It
is required from every believer to be cautious of everything that
Allaah has made unlawful for him, similarly the believing woman must
beware of every kind of disobedience. So the worship of Allaah and
faith in Him means; sincerity for Allaah in deeds, obeying His
orders, avoiding His prohibitions according to the methodology which
the Prophet (S) came with. So the believer prays as Allaah ordered
him, he fasts as Allah ordered him, he gives zakaah as Allaah
ordered him, and he performs Hajj as Allaah ordered him, he makes
jihaad as Allaah ordered him, he commands good and forbids evil as
Allaah ordered Him and he calls to Allaah, he advises, encourages
his brothers to what is good. This is the believer in Allaah and the
Hereafter.

The He (T) said;

"And encourage each other with the truth..."

Meaning with the deed, they encourage each other to perform and
fulfill the obligations of Allaah, and they prohibit from what He
forbade, and they hope in His reward, and they fear His punishement
out of trust and sincerity. Then they encourage each other with
patience. So every one gives advice to his brother when he sees him
failing, he advises him explaining the good, and calling him back to
Allaah saying, "O borther have taqwaa of Allaah", "O brother, do
this", "O my brother, stay away from that", in this way he
encourages him to do good. When he sees him becoming lazy with the
prayer he advises him saying, "O my brother have taqwaa of Allaah,
the prayer is a pillar of the religion, and it is obligatory for you
to preserve it during fajr, thuhr, 'asr, maghrib and 'ishaa', in all
of its times it is obligatory that you hasten to it when the caller
calls the athaan. For the man it is better to perform it in
congregation, for the woman in her home, with sincerity, faith,
aubmisive attentiveness, tranquility of mind, and presence of
heart." And it is the same with giving zakaah as Allaah ordered, and
fasting as Allaah ordered, hajj as Allaah ordered, selling as Allaah
ordered, buying as Allaah ordered, and commanding good and
forbidding evil etc. In all of his circumstances he is being watched
by Allaah, while at home, while at work, during his prayer, while he
is fasting, when he is with his wives, in every place he must be
mindful of Allaah, have taqwaa of Him, obey His orders and take heed
to His prohibitions, hoping in His reward, and fearing His
punishment. This is the meaning of His (T) saying;

"Except for those who do righteous deeds and encourage each other
with the truth and encourage each other with patience."

Then with this, he will be encouraging his brothers and the people
of his household and giving advice to his wife and his children,
advising them to obey Allaah, encouraging them to do what good He
has provided for them, encouraging his comrades and acquaintances,
advising them and warning them from disobeying Allaah, and being
patient as well. He must encourage with patience, since no good will
result without it, because these are deeds that require patience,
faith requires patience, and good works require patience, so
encouraging with the truth and with patience also requires patience,
as does calling to Allaah and commanding good and forbidding evil.
Haven't you heard about the wasiyah of Luqmaan to his son? Allaah
(T) said (which means);

"And when Luqmaan said to his son while admonishing him, "O my son!
Do not associate partners with Allaah, indeed shirk is a tremendous
wrong." (Luqmaan 13)

Then Allaah mentioned encouraging the parents, and the child

encouraging his parents even if they are disbelievers, that you
treat them kindly and behave well as companions to them since
perhaps Allaah will guide them by such means. Then Luqmaan said to
his son;

"O my son! Establish the prayer, command good and forbid from evil
and have patience with what afflicts you, indeed that is among the
greatest of matters. And do not swell your cheek [out of arrogance]
with men, and do not walk insolently through the land." (Luqmaan 13)

Meaning beware of becoming arrogant proud and enamored with

yourself, you must be humble not proud, for the believer has taqwaa
of Allaah and is mindful of Allaah in all situations. So he fulfills
what Allaah has obligated and stays away from what He has
prohibited, and he advises his brothers, encouraging them to obey
Allaah, commanding them with good, and forbidding them from evil and
not doing it himself.

"By time, indeed mankind is lost, except for those who believe and
perform righteous deeds, and encourage each other with the truth,
and encourage each other with patience." (Al-'Asr)

These four characteristics are the characteristics of those who have

profited the salvation of happiness. The first is faith, the trust
in Allaah and His Messenger and in what Allaah and His Messenger
informed about regarding that which was and that which will be,
then, acting, by fulfilling the things that Allaah has made
obligatory, and staying away from what He has prohibited. It is not
enough to say and that's all. It must include the action of the
heart and the limbs. The heart's actions are fearing Allaah, hoping
in Him, loving Him, and feeling submissive to Him (T). This must
then include the actions of the limbs, fulfilling the obligations
instituted by Allaah, and staying away from His prohibitions, and
staying within the limits that He has regulated, advising one's
brothers, and encouraging his brothers wherever they may be, whether
they are at sea, or on land, whether in a car or on a ship, whether
in a private or social gathering, whenever they see an evil they
object to it, whenever they see an infringement they admonish and
remind, they encourage to do good, they give good advice, and they
warn against evil. This is how the believer is with his brothers,
this is how the believing woman is with her sisters in Allaah, as
well as with her husband, her children and her relatives, she gives
them advice as to what is best for them, so the man advises, and the
woman advises. Allaah (T) said (which means);

"Have taqwaa of Allaah as much as you are able." (At-Taaghabun 16)

And the Prophet (S) said,

The religion is advising, the religion is advising, the religion is
advising.

They said, "To what Messenger of Allaah?" He said,

To Allaah, His Book, His Messneger, and to the imaams of the Muslims
and the common among them.

Jareer Bin 'Abdullaah al-Bajli, the noble companion (R) said;

"I pledged to the Prophet (S) to establish the prayer, pay the
zakaah, and to advise every Muslim."

The Believer's Character

So the believer advises his brothers when he sees something wrong,

not neglecting to do so with his friends or others, Allaah (T) said;

"The believing men and the believing women are friends of each
other, commanding good and forbidding evil, establishing the prayer
and giving the zakaah, obeying Allaah and His Messenger. These it is
whom Allaah will have mercy on. Indeed, Allaah is Mighty, Wise." (At-
Tawbah 71)

These are the characteristics of the believer and these are their
manners as mentioned in this great aayah; the believing men and
women are friends of each other, the opposite of Allaah's enemies,
so the believers are friends loving each other in Allaah, and
advising each other under Him. The believer does not cheat his
brother, he does not deceive him, or lie about him, the believer is
the believer's brother, he does not cheat or deceive, they are
friends of each other. So the one who cheats his brother or lies
about him, or wrongs him has wronged the brotherhood of faith, he
has violated and transgressed it, and he has disobeyed his Lord by
it. So he must preserve this faith by performing the obligations and
avoiding the prohibitions while commanding good and forbidding evil,
fulfilling what Allaah has said;

"The believing men and the believing women are friends of each
other, commanding good and forbidding evil, establishing the prayer
and giving the zakaah, obeying Allaah and His Messenger. These it is
whom Allaah will have mercy on. Indeed, Allaah is Mighty, Wise." (At-
Tawbah 71)

In this way, the believers have mercy with one another, they advise
one another, they admonish one another, and they command good and
forbid evil, so that they guide the people in their homes, their
brothers, and their friends and others, to what is good, as Allaah
(T) said (which means);

"And who is better in speech than the one who calls to Allaah, does
righteous deeds, and says, "Indeed I am one of the Muslims.""
(Fussilat 41:33)

And;

"Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good admonition and
argue with them with that which is best." (An-Nahl 125)

And;
"Say: "This is my way, I invite to my Lord with clarity, I and
whoever follows me. Glorious is Allaah, and I am not one of the
mushrikeen."" (Yusuf 108)

So the knowledgeable people of clarity invite to Allaah and to

following the Messenger (S). They are the people of insight and the
people of knowledge, inviting to Allaah and guiding the people to
good with clarity and with knowledge, hoping in Allaah's reward,
fearing his punishment. So it is required that believing man and
every believing woman invite to Allah in accordance with the degree
of knowledge and their capability. It is not allowed for anyone to
say anything about Allaah without knowledge, rather he is to invite
to Allaah according to his knowledge and as much as he understands.
So when he sees a believing man or woman who is infringing on what
is due of the prayer, neglecting it or becoming lazy with it then he
advises him and commands him with the good and warns him from being
negligent with the prayer and becoming lazy with it. The same if he
sees someone disobeying his parents, or cutting off the ties of the
womb, of if he sees someone lying or cheating in his dealings, then
it is required from him to advise him saying, "Have taqwaa of
Allaah, the Muslim is the Muslim's brother, he does not wrong or
become harsh with him" Whenever he sees some disgraceful behavior
from him he advises and guides to what is good.

Advising and encouraging the truth includes students examinations,

encouraging truthfulness without cheating, as well as in business
dealings, buying and selling in a trustworthy manner without
cheating, even for the produce dealers, that they advice each other
to not cheat. Every Muslim must behave this way whatever his
occupation, advising his co-workers with the truth according to his
ability. So it is obligatory to do all of your deeds with trust as
Allaah has ordered it, and it is obligatory to advise that as Allaah
has ordered it. The same is the case of the husband with his wife,
it is obligatory for him to advise her and to teach her, that he be
good and gentle with her, having good relations with her and a
smiling face. It is not allowed for him to always be frowning and
scowling at his family members. Rather he must have good relations,
good speech, with his wife and his family, with his children and his
parents. So he is to command good and forbid evil through good
character and nice speech. The same is the case of the wife with her
husband, she must have good manners, advising him, being patient and
dealing in a good manner with him. The same is the case of the
father with his children; he must have taqwaa of Allaah regarding
them, and advise them. The same for the mother with her children,
having taqwaa of Allaah regarding them and advising them, commanding
good and forbidding evil. The same for one's friends, he must advise
them, loving what is good for them, commanding them with what is
good and forbidding them from what is evil. So when he sees them
becoming lazy with fajr prayer or otherwise, he gives him advice to
the contrary. Saying, "This is one of the obligations that Allaah
has prescribed, and prayer is one of the pillars of the religion,
avoiding it is disbelief."

For the Prophet (S) said;

Between a man and disbelief and shirk is leaving the prayer.

And;

The head of the matter is Islaam, and prayer is its pillar.

And;

The covenant that is between us and them is the prayer, whoever

leaves it then he has committed kufr.

So in this way the important position of the prayer is known. So it

is obligatory to warn against being careless with it. And the same
is the case with all matters, it is obligatory to advise and
encourage each other with the truth, helping each other towards
righteousness and taqwaa and to avoid what is harmful.

I ask Allaah to cause us and all of the Muslims to act according to

what He loves and is pleased with, that He keep us all firm on His
religion, and we seek refuge in Him from our bad deeds and the bad
deeds of all of the Muslims, from the darkness of wrong, and that He
grant us fiqh in the religion, granting us all a good ending....