Q: "To our honorable master, Muhammad (peace be upon him) we recite Surah Al-Fatihah." (Seven times)"To the honorable source of succor of this time, his helpers, and all the Awliya' (pious people) of Allah (may Allah be pleased with them all), we recite Surah Al-Fatihah." (Seven times)"O Allah! O One! O Only! O Wajid (One that gives existence to others)! O Generous! Send blessings and peace upon our master, Muhammad, and upon the family of our master Muhammad, in every glimpse of an eye and breath, in the number equal to his information, abundant grace, and assistance." (One hundred times)"O Allah! In as much as befits You, send peace and blessings upon our master, lord, intercessor, beloved, and delight of our eyes, Muhammad (peace be upon him) as much as befits him. O Allah! We ask You through his right to immerse us in the ocean of Al-Wahdah (a deviant Sufi concept of uniting with or joining with Allah), so we cannot see, hear, be, live, move, or be at peace, except through it, and bestow on us Your Perfect Forgiveness, O Allah! Your Perfect Bounty, O Allah! Your Perfect Knowledge, O Allah! Your Perfect Love, O Allah! Your Perfect Satisfaction, O Allah! Send peace and blessings upon him, his family, and Sahabah (Companions) as much as is surrounded by Your Knowledge and as is enumerated in Your Book by Your Mercy. O Most Merciful! Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds." (Part No. 3; Page No. 46)
"O intercessor of the creation! May peace and blessingsbe upon you, O Light of creation, guide of humankind,and its origin and spirit! Save me!I have always been unjust; educate me,as I have none, O Master, but you.If you wish, I would be ruined.O my master, O Messenger of Allah!O source of succor! The Peace of Allahbe upon you. Educate me, with the Permission of Allah.Look upon me, O master, with the lookto lead me to the Supreme Presence.O intercessor of the creation, the Beloved of Allah!May the Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon you!I have gone astray and have no expediency in my country;take my hand, O master, and the Ummah (nation of one creed)'s.O my master! O Messenger of Allah! (Seven times)O our Lord! O Allah! Send blessings and peaceupon Muhammad, the intercessor for all nations,and upon his family and make humankind hastento acknowledge the Oneness for the Lord of the worlds.O our Lord! Pardon us, make things easy for us, grant us victory and guide usbring us close, and reconcile us!"
"O Allah! Bless what You have created, this country, O Allah, and this diligence, O Allah!" (Seven times)"O Allah! Through the right of Your Greatest Name, through the honor of our master Muhammad (peace be upon him) and through the blessing of the source of succor of this time, his helpers, and all other Awliya', O Allah! O Allah! O Allah!" (may Allah be pleased with them all). (Three times)"Convey our call to the whole world and make it deeply effective." (Three times)"You are Omnipotent over all things and is Capable of answering." (Three times)"So flee to Allah (from His Torment to His Mercy - Islamic Monotheism)!" (Seven times)"And say: 'Truth (i.e. Islâmic Monotheism or this Qur’ân or Jihâd against polytheists) has come and Bâtil (falsehood, i.e. Satan or polytheism) has vanished. Surely Bâtil is ever bound to vanish.'" (Three times)Al-FatihahThose were
the Wahidiyyah prayers
that are used to enlighten and purify hearts and to gain better knowledge of Allah (may He Glorified and Exalted) and His Messenger (peace be upon him). (Part No. 3; Page No. 47) The manner of performing the Wahidiyyah prayers:First:Make a sincere intention to perform it for the Sake of Allah (Exalted be He) and none others. When performing them do so with the greatest care and effort as if you are actually in the Presence of Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) and His Messenger (peace be upon him), and observe both outward and inward etiquette, reverence, honoring, glorification, and pure deep love.Second:When performing these Wahidiyyah prayers for the first time, say them the number of times indicated above or more during a sitting every day and night, during your free time in the morning, evening, or other times, for 40 days. The period may be shortened to 7 days if the number of times mentioned is multiplied by ten; so 7 times becomes 70 times, a 100 times becomes 1,000 times, and 3 times becomes 30 times. If a session is missed, this should be made up for. After the 7 or 40 days are over, this should be observed on a regular daily basis in your spare time and it is better if it can be said more than the number of times mentioned above, as they are the minimum. The number you perform should be within your ability. Those who perform this in their spare time on a regular daily basis may decrease or increase the total number of times of some or all the supplications. Beginners and others are encouraged to perform them in congregation as this is better. Women who are menstruating or in their postpartum period should not recite Al-Fatihah or the other Qur'anic Ayahs (verses), while performing this; the intention will suffice.Third:If someone cannot perfect or recite all these prayers, (Part No. 3; Page No. 48) they should recite as much as they can, repeating them in order to reach the total number of times, and to achieve the approximate time of about 30 minutes or until the other people in the congregation finish, if they are being performed in congregation. Otherwise you may content yourself with repeating: "O my Master! O Messenger of Allah!" for the abovementioned period of time. Anyone who cannot perfect this or is not able to even recite a part of this, may use the time with the greatest care and effort to repeat the phrases or spend this time as if they are actually in the Presence of Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) and His Messenger (peace be upon him), observing both outward and inward etiquette, reverence, honoring, glorification, and pure deep love. Important note: Those who perform the Wahidiyyah prayer are strongly recommended to exert serious attention and their best efforts and energy to train their hearts to be, in all circumstances, times, and places, perpetually for Allah and by Allah, for His Messenger and by His Messenger, and for the source of succor and by the source of succor, giving each their due right and giving priority according to importance then benefit. This means that you should never be heedless of them. What is meant by the phrase "for Allah," is that you should intend that all outward and inward actions are in accordance with the Shari`ah (Islamic law), i.e. Pleasing to Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him), whether they are Wajib (obligatory), Sunnah (commendable), or Mubah (permissible), and that `Ibadah (worship) should be performed with the intention that it is performed for Allah (Exalted be He) and no other, not even for yourself. Allah (Exalted be He) said:
And I (Allâh) created not the jinn and mankind except that they should worship Me (Alone).
He also said,
And they were commanded not, but that they should worship Allâh, and worship none but Him Alone (abstaining from ascribing partners to Him)
(Part No. 3; Page No. 49) In the same regard, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said,
Actions are but by intentions.
The Shari`ah obligates performing deeds for the Sake of Allah (Exalted be He). What is meant by "by Allah" is that outward and inward actions should be witnessed as being done due to the Might and Power of Allah, i.e. According to: "There is neither might nor power except with Allah!" Allah (Exalted be He) said,
"While Allâh has created you and what you make!"
Allah also said,
And you cannot will unless (it be) that Allâh wills - the Lord of the ‘Alamîn (mankind, jinn and all that exists).
The truth witnesses that all deeds are by Allah, therefore, if anyone claims that they have the power to perform their own deeds, they will have committed Shirk (associating others with Allah in His Divinity or worship) associating themselves with Allah, the Self-Subsisting. The phrase "for the Messenger" means having an intention equal to the one mentioned related to "for Allah," which means that the Messenger (peace be upon him) is to be followed. In other words, the intention behind deeds should always be in accordance with the Shari`ah, sins should not be performed with the intention to perform `Ibadah for Allah (Exalted be He) and his Messenger (peace be upon him). Allah (Exalted be He) said,
We sent no Messenger, but to be obeyed by Allâh’s Leave.
The phrase "by the Messenger" means witnessing that actions are intended to please Allah (Exalted be He) and His Messenger (peace be upon him) and that apparent and hidden bounties of this world or the Afterlife come from the teachings and intercession of the Prophet (peace be upon him). Allah (Exalted be He) said,
...and you were on the brink of a pit of Fire, and He saved you from it.
And He is the origin of all that exists and all links between a Servant, their Lord, and the one sent as mercy for mankind. Allah (Exalted be He) said,
And We have sent you (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم): not but as mercy for the ‘Alamîn (mankind, jinn and all that exists).
(Part No. 3; Page No. 50) The phrase "for Allah and by Allah, for His Messenger and by His Messenger" is the prerequisite of the Shahadah (Testimony of Faith), i.e. "I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah." The phrase "giving each their due right" means fulfilling the rights that are between us and Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He), His Messenger (peace be upon him), and all other people and creatures, whether they are Wajib, Sunnah, or Mubah. "Giving priority according to importance then benefit" means that the priority of fulfilling rights that cannot be given on an equal basis is to be given to the one that is most important. However, if the rights are equally important, the one that is most beneficial is to be given the priority; with the most important benefit being according to Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) and His Messenger (peace be upon him) and for all people and creatures, regardless of whether it is a religious, worldly, or Afterlife benefit.
A:
What are called the Wahidiyyah prayers along with things that have been mentioned include lies, a great deal of Bid`ah (innovations in religion), Shirk, and exceeding proper limits in regard to the Messenger (peace be upon him). From among the lies is the claim in the last line that the Prophet (peace be upon him) is the origin of all that exists. Although the Prophet (peace be upon him) was the best of all creatures and the best of all prophets (peace be upon them), he was not the origin of all that exists nor was the creation created for him. He was born to two parents, like any other human being, except for `Isa ibn Mariam (Jesus the son of Mary) who had no father. Allah created all creatures to worship Him Alone. Allah (Exalted be He) said,
And I (Allâh) created not the jinn and mankind except that they should worship Me (Alone).
From among the Bid`ah is reciting Surah Al-Fatihah seven times for the Prophet (peace be upon him), (Part No. 3; Page No. 51) seven times for the "source of succor of this time," and seven times for the Awliya' of Allah, as this was not authentically reported from the Prophet (peace be upon him). He said,
Anyone who introduces something in this matter of ours (the religion) that is not from it, it will be rejected.
(Related by
Al-Bukhari and
Muslim)
There is also Shirk, as they recite it for the one they call the "source of succor of this time" and his helpers. Another act of Bid`ah is invoking Allah's Blessings upon the Prophet (peace be upon him) with every glimpse of the eye and breath and in a number equal to his information, abundant grace, and assistance and stipulating that it should be said 100 times. Another abominable Bid`ah is what is written above, which reads: "O Allah! We ask you through his right to immerse us in the depths of Wahdah so we cannot see, hear, find anything, feel, move, or live except through it." This is the saying of Wahdat-ul-Wujud. They perform Tawassul (supplicating to Allah in the name of the Prophet) to immerse them in the depths of it, so they disappear from being, and cannot see, hear, or feel, except this Wahdah. This is clear Kufr (disbelief) and deviance. Acts of Bid`ah that lead to Shirk are included in their calling upon the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) to notice and save them and asking him to look at them in such a manner as to lead them to Allah (Exalted be He) and to take their hand. Through these words and poetry that contain Shirk, they try to draw close to Allah to end their suffering and separation and relieve their difficulties and distresses. How impossible it would be to obtain (Part No. 3; Page No. 52) grapes from thistles or extract honey from a colocynth! It is abominable Bid`ah to encourage those who perform the Wahidiyyah prayers for the first time to say them for a specific number of times for 40 days, which can be shortened to 7 days if they multiply the number of times they perform it. And then, after the 7 or 40 days they should say it on a regular daily basis in the morning and the evening, and they have to make up for any times that they miss, and other matters that they stipulate, which were not permitted by Allah and they are thereby imitating the Shari`ah of Allah (Glorified be You, O our Lord!) This is great calumny and every sane, mature person can see how Satan has obscured matters to them, which has led them to commit Shirk. It is also clear that the evil of their deeds has been embellished for them, so they have adopted them as acts of `Ibadah to draw close to Allah and through this they gain strength after weakness, unity after being separated, and glory after being humiliated. Satan has totally overpowered them and encouraged them to invite others to perform the Shirk and falsehood that they perform, hoping to reach the truth through falsehood and guidance through a misguided path. How impossible! Glory be to You (O Allah)! This is awful fabrication!May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.