Reading Time

• Summary Transcript: ~3 minutes
• Full Transcript: ~75 minutes

Learning Objectives

• Understand the Foundations of Islam:
  • Be able to identify and explain the Five Pillars of Islam and their significance in the faith.
• Explain the Importance of Salah:
  • Understand the central role of Salah (prayer) in Islam and the consequences of abandoning it according to various scholarly opinions.
• Distinguish Between Fard Ayn and Fard Kifayah:
  • Recognize the difference between personal obligatory knowledge (fard ayn) and communal obligations (fard kifayah) and provide examples of each.
• Comprehend the Consequences of Neglecting Each Pillar:
  • Describe the consequences of neglecting fasting, zakah, and Hajj, based on Islamic teachings and the hadith of the Prophet ﷺ.
• Appreciate the Role of Sincerity in Worship:
  • Understand the importance of sincerity (ikhlas) in worship and its impact on the validity and spiritual value of actions.
• Understand Scholarly Debates on Abandoning Salah:
  • Summarize the different scholarly opinions on whether abandoning Salah constitutes disbelief (kufr) or a major sin, and why this debate exists.
• Apply the Analogy of Pillars and Building in Islamic Practice:
  • Explain how the Five Pillars of Islam serve as the foundational supports for one’s faith and the risk of collapse when any pillar is neglected.
• Recognize the Relationship Between Outward Actions and Inner Faith:
  • Understand how outward acts of worship, such as Salah and fasting, must be coupled with a sincere heart for them to have true spiritual benefit.

Class Summary

Understanding the Foundations of Islam: A Journey Through the Five Pillars

Islam is built upon five essential pillars that serve as the foundation of a Muslim’s faith. These pillars form the core practices that define our relationship with Allah, and neglecting them can weaken or even collapse one’s spiritual structure. In this post, we’ll explore the significance of these pillars and the consequences of abandoning them, while also considering the importance of sincerity in our worship.

The Five Pillars of Islam

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ described the five pillars of Islam as the foundation upon which the entire religion is built. These include:

• Shahadatain (The Declaration of Faith): The testimony that there is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is His Messenger.
• Salah (Prayer): The obligation to pray five times a day.
• Sawm (Fasting in Ramadan): The annual fast observed during the month of Ramadan.
• Zakah (Almsgiving): A mandatory charity that purifies wealth.
• Hajj (Pilgrimage to Mecca): The obligation to perform Hajj, if financially and physically able.

Each pillar is like a vital support for the building of Islam, and if one is missing, the structure risks collapse.

The Critical Importance of Salah

Salah, or the daily prayers, is regarded as the central pillar that holds the structure of Islam upright. Abandoning Salah has serious consequences, and many scholars have debated whether neglecting prayer constitutes disbelief (kufr) or a major sin. While some scholars, like Imam Ahmad, argued that abandoning Salah takes one out of Islam, the majority view—held by scholars like Imam Malik and Imam Ash-Shafi’i—is that it makes a person a major sinner, but not a disbeliever.

Fasting, Zakah, and Hajj: Obligations Not to Be Ignored

In addition to Salah, the other pillars—fasting, zakah, and Hajj—are equally essential. The Prophet ﷺ warned that deliberately skipping a fast in Ramadan without a valid excuse cannot be made up, even by fasting for the rest of one’s life. Zakah is similarly crucial, and withholding it will result in severe punishment in the afterlife. Lastly, the Prophet ﷺ emphasized the importance of Hajj, stating that those who can afford to perform it but fail to do so risk dying as non-Muslims.

Sincerity in Worship: More Than Just Outward Actions

While fulfilling the pillars is necessary, true worship goes beyond outward actions. Imam Ibn Qudama reminds us that the intentions behind our actions must be pure and sincere. Without sincerity, even the most meticulously performed acts of worship will lack true value. It’s essential that our hearts remain connected to Allah, as this spiritual connection is the ultimate purpose of worship.

Conclusion: Prioritizing the Foundations

The five pillars of Islam are the bedrock of our faith. While other acts of worship and religious knowledge are important, they should not overshadow the core practices that keep our spiritual structure intact. By prioritizing these foundational pillars and ensuring sincerity in our worship, we can safeguard our relationship with Allah and strengthen our faith.

May Allah guide us to establish these pillars in our lives with sincerity and devotion.

This post offers a concise understanding of the critical aspects of the Five Pillars of Islam and the consequences of neglecting them, while also reminding us of the importance of intention in our acts of worship.

Full Transcript

The True Meaning of Knowledge

The true meaning of knowledge — what is it exactly? Imam Ibn Qudama is going to be explaining that, insha’Allah, in this text. So, let’s see towards the end if we can figure out the answer.

Introduction to Communal Obligations

Bismillah. We are going to be reading, for those who have the English text, from page 22, towards the bottom where it says: “As for communal obligations…” For those who have the Arabic text, it says… so we’re going to read from there, insha’Allah. Bismillah.

Definition of Communal Obligations (Fard Kifayah)

Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Rahim. Wa salatu wa salamu ‘ala Rasulillah. The author says, may Allah have mercy on him, “As for communal obligations, or fard kifayah, they are everything without which the world cannot be sustained, such as medical science, which is necessary in maintaining our bodily health, and mathematics, which is necessary in disposing inheritance, world property, and other such things. If a country is void of people who know these things, the entire population is sinful. But if a single person learns them, the rest are no longer obliged to learn them.”

Explanation of Fard Ayn and Fard Kifayah

Okay, so what’s the meaning of what he said over here right now? In the last statement, he actually explains the meaning of fard kifayah. If you remember, when we talked about knowledge, Ibn Qudama, may Allah have mercy on him, divided knowledge into two categories: fard ayn, a personal obligatory, and fard kifayah, communal obligation. So, fard ayn, the personal obligation, is what? It’s what you personally need to fix your aqeedah (belief) in Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala, and your practice of your deen in terms of positive (doing) and also abstinence (at-tarq).

The Three Areas of Fard Ayn: I’tiqad, Fi’il, and Tarq

So, three things: i’tiqad, fi’il, and tarq. You need to fix your aqeedah, your belief system, your belief in Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala. Number two: your practice of the deen of Allah azza wa jal in two ways. That’s A) in doing what you’re obligated to do, and B) abstaining from what you’ve been prohibited from doing. So these are the three things considered now: what you need to fix your aqeedah, your belief system, and your practice towards Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala.

That is fard ayn, an obligation upon each and every one of us. But then he explains now fard kifayah, that communal obligation. He explains that in the last statement when he says: “Fihadihil uloom, law khalal baladu amman yaqoomu biha, haraja ahlul balad.” He says, “All these sciences right now, if a country has no one there to practice these uloom (sciences), it becomes hard and difficult for people to survive, to live.” It’s not like they can’t live at all, but it becomes difficult and hard for people to live a comfortable life or a reasonable life. So, therefore, these uloom become obligations as a community to fulfill.

Medicine as a Fard Kifayah Example

How do we fulfill that obligation then? If one individual takes that knowledge upon themselves and learns that on behalf of everybody else, then the obligation is being fulfilled, and the sin is removed from everybody else. Like what? He mentioned the example of medicine. I’m going to elaborate a little bit more on that. Medicine, for example. If no one cares about medicine, nobody puts an effort to learn to help people when they get sick, how to heal them and so on, everybody in that community becomes actually considered sinful because they haven’t done at least their duty to fulfill that obligation.

Communal Obligations in Other Professions (E.g., Washing the Dead)

An example also, he says, and I didn’t say it over here, salat al-janazah or ghusl al-janazah, washing the dead. Is everybody in the community obligated to learn how to wash the dead? No. Although it’s recommended for us to learn that, it’s not an obligation on everyone. But if a group of people — even the minimum is one individual — learns how to wash the dead, so if someone dies in that community, they have somebody who prepares the dead for them, then that obligation has been fulfilled and the sin is removed from the entire community. But if no one does it and everybody abandons that obligation, the entire community becomes actually sinful because of that. That’s the meaning of fard kifayah, and he explains that more.

Professions as Fard Kifayah: Medicine, Mathematics, Cupping

This being said, no one should find it strange that we categorize medicine and mathematics as communal obligations because basic professions like farming, weaving, and even cupping are all communal obligations as well. After all, if a country is void of a cupper, it is not far from being ruined. Indeed, He who sent us the disease also sent us the medicine and guided us to use it. So, it’s an interesting thing that Imam Ibn Qudama brings an example such as cupping, right? Al-hijama. How important is that?

The Significance of Hijama (Cupping) as an Obligation

How many of you have ever practiced cupping? Anyone has ever done cupping on themselves? Anybody? Oh, mashallah, that’s quite a good number here. If you haven’t, maybe because now in sports it became very popular, right? These days, in the Olympics, you see people, they do that just like, wow, they went to some Muslim hajjam, or something like that. So, al-hijama, at some point in the past, by the way, they looked down upon the person who does that. It wasn’t something to be popular. And those who used to do that, they were the barbers back then. You go to the barber shop, and they say, once you shave my head, could you take care of it as well too? So they do two things in the same visit. So they looked down upon this. However, he says that it’s also considered part of the furud al-kifayah. Why? Because the Prophet ﷺ counted cupping, or al-hijama, as one of the three major ways of finding healing and medicine.

Examples of Healing Practices in Islamic Tradition

He said ﷺ, he mentioned sharbat al-asad (drinking honey). He also used al-hijam, using the blade for hijama (cupping). And also, he said kayyatunar, using heat or fire. Although it’s makrooh in general, it’s still allowed for people to do it if they had to use the fire for treatment, a catheterization in this case, as we call it today. So eventually, he mentioned this as something that people, they looked so down upon, that kind of practice. Still though, it is considered an obligation upon the community to fulfill something like this because it brings healing to the people. That’s what it means.

Mathematics and Medicine as Communal Obligations

As for deep and detailed study of mathematics and medicine, that is additional knowledge because the people can manage without it. Subhanallah, Imam Ibn Qudama, may Allah have mercy on him, answered the question we all ask ourselves today. You go to college, and they teach you all these things about mathematics, right? Everything. And then, once you graduate, would you ever use that stuff? Never. It’s like, why would I have to waste my money even, not just my time, my money on studying some kind of books and science that I would never actually practice?

When Extra Knowledge Becomes a Fadlah (Excellence)

Obviously, we understand the importance of studying mathematics and so on, in regards to opening your way of thinking and critical thinking, and expanding your cognitive abilities. But here he says, look, you don’t have to study everything in mathematics. What is obligatory upon us is to have somebody who knows how to help us to calculate the obligation for us, which is what? Az-zakah, for example, someone to help you calculate your inheritance if needed, all these kinds of things. So, the basic mathematical equations that are needed for us to fulfill our ibadah, that becomes obligation upon the people. Now, expanding in medicine to all the specializations and so forth becomes actually a fadlah, which means something extra. For those who like to expand on that knowledge, that is up to them.

But the bare minimum is to have someone who is qualified to help people when they get sick.

Other Disciplines as Permissible Knowledge

Some disciplines are merely permissible, such as the knowledge of poetry that does not contain nonsense, and the knowledge of history. So, he says that some of the uloom, they’re not necessarily obligations. They’re not necessarily fard ayn or fard kifayah. They’re just mubah. What does that mean? It’s not like you have to study it, or if you don’t study it, you’re sinful. Not at all. Like what? Like poetry, for example. Can you survive without poetry, ya jama’a? Can you survive without poetry? Astaghfirullah — because I have no sense of literature, no sense of beauty and art. Of course, you can survive without poetry, right? You can.

The Permissibility of Studying Poetry and History

He says, so it’s okay to study uloom al-ash’ar and learning poetry as long as la-sukhfa fiha, which means nothing less than nonsense. Unfortunately, most of our lyrics of songs today are not just nonsense, but it’s even offensive, unfortunately. So he says that as long as there’s nothing wrong with it, it’s okay if you study it, if you read it, if you enjoy some time with al-ash’ar. Another example, he says, qawa tawarikh al-akhbar, studying history. Like, for example, is it permissible to study the First World War history, ya jama’a, or the past? Can you study the Second World War? Is it okay to go and study maybe the Crusaders’ history, right? It’s open. It’s okay. It’s not an obligation, and it’s not haram.

Learning History: Is It Important?

Although, of course, nowadays someone would say, look, reading history is extremely important because if you don’t understand history, you’re most likely going to repeat that in your lifetime. So be careful with that.

Blameworthy Knowledge (E.g., Sorcery, Talismans)

Some disciplines are blameworthy altogether, like knowledge of sorcery, talismans, and spells. So I think it’s very obvious, right? We talk about studying it in terms of trying to learn how to make these talismans, how to make these ta’weez, and how to make all that stuff. This is from the muharramaat. This is magic, this is sorcery, and it’s considered actually one of the major sins that the Prophet ﷺ counts. When he said qal kabaa’ir al-dhunoob, he counted seven, and in some hadith he says ten of them. And one of them, he said, was as-sihr, that people, they use magic in order to hurt other people, whether it’s voodoo or something else. As long as it hurts other people, it’s absolutely unacceptable.

Islamic Knowledge: Dividing into Four Categories

However, Islamic knowledge, with all its branches and sciences, is praiseworthy. It is divided into fundamentals, branches, and introductory and supplementary disciplines. So he divided the uloom ash-shariyah. Religious knowledge can be divided into four major categories: usool (fundamentals), furoo (branches), muqaddimat (introductions), and mutammimat (supplementary). You don’t need them for the essence of its material or its actual knowledge, but it’s something to complement and supplement something else that you study.

Fundamental Islamic Knowledge: Qur’an, Sunnah, Ijma’, and Statements of Companions

Let’s see what he says about these different branches. The fundamental disciplines are the Book of Allah, the Sunnah of His Messenger, the consensus of scholars, and the statements of the companions. So he says that the usool are the Kitab of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala, the Book of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala. You need to study the Book of Allah for itself. Why? Because sharaf al-ilm bisharaf al-ma’loom. Sharaf al-ilm bisharaf al-ma’loom means the status of knowledge depends on the status of the subject matter. And if you’re studying the words of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala, there is nothing higher in status than that because it’s related to the Divine subhanahu wa ta’ala immediately.

The Status of the Sunnah and the Consensus of the Ummah

Then you have the hadith of the Prophet ﷺ, reading the hadith of Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, and Riyad al-Saliheen. These are the words of the Prophet ﷺ. Again, the status of that comes from the status of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ himself, being the Messenger of God. And then ijma’ al-ummah, like the consensus of the Ummah altogether. Now that’s obviously the collective effort of the Ummah.

Statements of the Companions as a Source of Knowledge

Then among the Ummah, who is the most actually favorite or most revered and respected amongst us? The companions of the Prophet ﷺ. So, when we learn about their practice, as the Prophet ﷺ suggested for us when he said: “Qala ‘alaykum bi sunnati wa sunnatul khulafa ar-rashidin al-mahdiyyin min ba’di” (Follow my example and the example of those sahaba who came after me, the well-guided caliphs that came after me). So we learn from the sahaba, radiyallahu ta’ala anhum wa ardaahum, as well. So these are considered subject matters that are sought for the essence of the knowledge that they provide because of the Qur’an itself, the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ.

Branches of Knowledge: Deriving Meanings from Fundamentals

Then, what is al-furoo? Branches. The branches are the meanings derived from these sources, some of which are understood from the obvious wordings, and others which are understood through other means. For example, it is understood through analogy from the Prophet ﷺ’s words: “The judge must not judge when angry,” that the judge must also not judge when hungry. Did you guys understand this hadith? The Prophet ﷺ said in this hadith: Qala la yaqdi al-qadi wa huwa ghadban (A judge should not judge when he is angry).

Explaining the Hadith: Anger and Other Emotional States

So that’s what the Prophet ﷺ said. Is that the only situation where the judge cannot actually rule? Why not? Because when the Prophet ﷺ said, he shouldn’t be judging when he is angry, what exactly is he referring to ﷺ? What is he trying to teach us from this hadith ﷺ? Avoid what? Just anger? What’s the problem with anger? Anything that can impair his judgment, anything that can alter his judgment, that when he is in an excessive situation, that makes him actually busy trying to fulfill that need, so he would rush into making a wrong judgment.

Therefore, if someone is in an excessive state of emotion, like being angry, it’s definitely not going to make him make a sound judgment. Also, they say, not just being hungry, but also if he wants to go to the bathroom. You can’t make judgment when you want to go to the bathroom. Otherwise, you’re just going to sign on capital punishment and just move on, saying, “Let’s go away from here.” Similarly, when the judge is excessively happy, he also can’t judge because now he’s too excited and is going to make everybody free. “Bismillah, go for it.” You’re so excited right now, so they said you can’t rule during that time. You have to step down from that bench and let somebody else make that judgment.

Using Analogy in Islamic Jurisprudence

Eventually, the Prophet ﷺ is teaching us his example. Look, al-asl is what? What is the asl in this example here? The fundamental principle of knowledge. Where is it exactly? The words of the Prophet ﷺ, the hadith itself. The hadith itself is the asl. What is the branch that we learn from this? What is the branch that you learn from this? Using analogy. You are allowed to use analogy. You are allowed to use your human reasoning to derive a different ruling that is similar to the one that the asl, the fundamental text, is providing for you.

Introductory Disciplines: Tools of Knowledge (Grammar, Linguistics)

The introductory disciplines are the tool sciences like grammar and linguistics, for these are tools whereby the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger ﷺ are understood. So he’s talking about these tools. We need these tools in order for us to understand the fundamental principles and sciences. Like, if you want to understand the Qur’an, what do you need to learn? What do you need to learn? Arabic, right? You need to learn Arabic. What kind of Arabic are we talking about? Fusha, right?

The Importance of Learning Qur’anic Arabic

But when you say fusha, what kind of vocabulary are you going to learn from that Arabic? Do you need conversational Arabic to understand the Qur’an? You see, this is one of the problems I have with many of the curriculum that teaches Arabic in Islamic schools and Islamic institutions and so on. We come to teach non-Arabic speakers the Arabic language so they can understand the Qur’an, but we start with some sort of conversational Arabic that has nothing to do with the Qur’an.

Supplementary Knowledge: Tajweed and Hadith Narrators

The supplementary disciplines are like the knowledge of Qur’an recitations, pronunciation and articulation of Arabic letters, and the names, credibility, and conditions of hadith narrators. So he mentions here mutammimat — these are supplementary knowledge. You don’t really need them if you can perfect that knowledge itself. Like what? If you know how to recite the Qur’an perfectly — and I mean by perfectly with tajweed — do you have to learn the words al-mad and al-qalqala, and how many mads there are, and what type of mad you have here in that word or that word?

Disagreements on the Importance of Tajweed Knowledge

But some ulama of tajweed, they would actually disagree with Sheikh al-Uthaymeen, like Sheikh al-Qudama as well, and they would say, “No, no, no. It’s essential for you to study it.” I disagree with them. Because I also believe that tajweed is all about listening and pronouncing it correctly. And if you practice that, and if you fulfill that, there is no need for you to learn all the details of tajweed. But if you do so, alhamdulillah, it benefits you. It benefits you so you can recognize why you’re making this long or short and helps you also teach other people so they understand why you have to pronounce it in that fashion. That’s why it’s actually important.

Devotional Knowledge: The Conditions of the Heart

Devotional practice deals with the states of the heart, and that includes the states of fear, hope, contentment, truthfulness, and sincerity. This is the knowledge that raised the status of the renowned scholars, and through mastering it, made them famous like Sufyan, Abu Hanifa, Malik, Shafi’i, and Ahmed. Imam Ibn Qudama, now he’s going into a different chapter or a different section on the meaning of knowledge. He said, look, knowledge comes in different ways. There is personal obligation, there is community obligation, and there are different categories of uloom, the shariah.

The Importance of Knowledge that Affects the Heart

Some of them are fundamental, some of them are branches, some of them are this, some of them are that. So he kind of explained everything in general. And then he comes now to narrow it down to what’s more important to you. Because the most important thing to you is to learn that the most beneficial knowledge for you is what he called ilm al-mu’amalah.

Ilm al-mu’amalah. Mu’amalah means what? Mu’amalah in its essence, in its literal translation, is like transactional relationship. But here, it’s basically like dealing with somebody else, when there’s an exchange of interaction, interpersonal relationship. What kind of interpersonal relationship are we talking about over here? He says, qaal wa ahwaal al-quloob, the status or the conditions of the heart.

The Conditions of the Heart (Fear, Hope, Contentment)

So he’s basically talking about ilm al-mu’amalah with Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala. This is the essence of the knowledge. It’s your interaction with Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala, the condition of the heart, the status of the heart when it comes to learning and connecting to Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala. That’s the essence of the knowledge. And he gives some examples. He goes, such as what? Al-khawf, fear. Al-raja’, hope. Al-rida’, contentment. Truthfulness, ikhlas, sincerity. And all these things.

The Effect of Heart Knowledge on Actions

These things, if they don’t exist in the heart, they’re not going to come out in your actions. If you don’t believe inside your heart, if you don’t believe in truthfulness, your tongue will never tell the truth, or it actually wouldn’t mind lying. If you don’t believe in sincerity, showing off has become your practice because you need people to recognize what you’re doing.

The Need for Knowledge that Transforms the Heart

So again, he says, look, this is the essence of knowledge. It doesn’t matter what you learn. If the heart doesn’t reflect that, it’s going to go to waste, all that knowledge, because eventually, you’re going to start following your desires. So he says over here, like, ulama — a lot of great scholars — became popular because they displayed that in their life. They displayed that kind of ilm. So people respected them. People loved them because they showed that kind of character or this akhlaq in their character as well.

Superficial Knowledge vs. Heart-Based Knowledge

However, the reason some jurists and scholars have failed to reach the level of the aforementioned men is the fact that they have become occupied with knowledge at its superficial level without striving to grasp its true reality and act upon its in-depth meanings. And he’s talking about his time, which was about 700, 800 years ago, right? Imagine our time.

Superficial Scholars of the Author’s Time

He goes, look, today you find a lot of ulama and fuqaha and muftis and people with big titles and big names, right? And he says, but all what they talk about and their status among the people is because of what? Because they can answer you in certain things regarding fiqh matters. But in terms of the heart and the essence of spirituality, they’re missing that. And he gives some examples here.

Examples of Superficial Legal Discussions (Zihar, Li’an, etc.)

You will see a jurist talking about al-zihar wal-li’an wa al-sabq wa al-rami, and the rulings of competing and shooting, and branching out into detailed issues that take ages to discuss without actually needing any of them. But still, you will not see him talking about sincerity and warning against showing off, even though this is an individual obligation upon him.

Missing the Essence of Knowledge: Sincerity and Spirituality

Neglecting it will ruin him, while the other topics he discusses are communal obligations. If someone asked this scholar about his reasons for not addressing the need for sincerity and showing off, he would not be able to provide an answer. But were he to be asked why he is occupying himself with issues of li’an and shooting, he would say these topics are a communal obligation. This is of course correct, but what he fails to realize is that mathematics, too, is a communal obligation.

Pursuing Knowledge for Ostentation and Fame

So why is he not occupied with that? The truth is that his soul has glamorized the matter for him as its desire for ostentation and fame is fulfilled through debating, not mathematics.

Superficial Scholars: A Window into Their Culture

So what he says — he’s now giving us, by the way, that’s an interesting statement over here — he’s giving us a window into the culture of their time. The culture of their time in their own circles of knowledge. Because look, there are so many big names out there — ulama, muftis, scholars — but what exactly are they giving us? They’re giving us superficial aspects of the knowledge. They’re telling us things about zihar, about li’an, rami, and sabq.

Fiqh Terminology: Zihar and Li’an Explained

These are chapters from books of fiqh that not everybody is really concerned with. Like, how many people you’ve known in your life who did li’an or maybe did actually zihar? How many of you even know what zihar is? Anyone knows what zihar is? Have you heard the term zihar? Raise your hand if you’ve heard the term zihar. Okay, so we have three or four people who have heard the term zihar. What about li’an? Anyone heard the term li’an? Li’an. It has to do with that.

Explaining Zihar (Divorce by Comparison)

So you see, these terms are actually legal, juristic terms. They’re rules of fiqh. So al-zihar is when a man pronounces zihar upon his wife. Meaning, basically, he’s saying to her that she is haram to him, just like the back of his mother. It’s an Arabic expression. Meaning, you know, you’re absolutely haram to me. He’s talking to his wife. That you’re absolutely haram to me. And Allah revealed the beginning of Surah al-Mujadila because of that, because it’s considered a sin, though, when a person does that.

Expiation for Zihar

However, he’s obligated to expiate that sin with a specific penalty, such as, first of all, freeing a slave if they could. If not, then they’re responsible to fast two consecutive months. And then, if not, they will feed 60,000 people. That’s just by that pronouncement.

Explaining Li’an (Mutual Cursing for Accusations)

Al-li’an is in the case if a man accuses his spouse of adultery and he has no witnesses. So he comes before the judge and he swears by Allah that he saw what he saw. And Allah said that he invokes the curse of Allah upon himself if he was lying. And the lady would also defend herself by swearing by Allah a few times as well, and she invokes the wrath of Allah upon herself if he was telling the truth. So eventually, these are issues of fiqh that not everybody really needs them.

The Limited Scope of These Legal Terms

They’re needed by the ulama and the fuqaha and the judges when it comes to fadl khusumat, when it comes to arbitration and mediation and conflict resolution. But for the average person, this is not a personal obligation to learn these matters. Let alone learning about ar-rami wa-s-sabq. Like, for example, the fiqh rulings of games such as archery, for example, or racing, for instance. Do you need to know the details? Well, maybe in the current time, you do actually, because sports have become a big thing right now in our lives, not like before. So therefore, yeah, you might need to learn that stuff.

The Focus on External Aspects of the Religion

But the point he’s making is that a lot of ulama are just getting busy teaching us how to make wudu, how to make tahajjud, how to give your sadaqah and zakah, how to do this, how to do that. But few of them are teaching us the conditions of the heart. Few of them are teaching us the reason why we study these things. Like, when you study zihar, li’an, taharah, and salah, what is the essence of all of that? What should this knowledge do to you?

Bringing Knowledge Back to the Heart

It should bring you closer to Allah. It should humble you, right? It should make you realize that you’re doing this as obedience to Allah because sometimes we don’t even understand why we’re doing this for. Like, what’s the meaning of washing your face and your hands to the elbows? I know there’s physical cleanliness, but in that sequence, what is the meaning of all of that? There’s no really logical reasoning for that other than just to submit to the will of Allah who knows what is best for you.

The Deeper Meaning of Wudu and Other Acts of Worship

What we need to learn when we study wudu and taharah is that last statement I just mentioned: I’m doing this out of submission to Allah, out of obedience to Allah, out of love for His commandments, and also fear of His punishment. If we don’t teach people through fiqh and usool the fear of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala and the love for Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala, then we are just teaching them superficial knowledge, which is actually why we chose to choose this book to begin with. So that you study the thing that matters to the heart before you start learning about usool and fiqh and all that stuff.

Criticism of the Cultural Focus on Superficial Knowledge

That’s what he’s actually referring to, and you can tell from his tone — Imam al-Ghazali as well, the original book is coming from him — he’s so upset about the culture of his time. It’s become so toxic that everybody’s just talking about fiqh and usool, and they forgot the essence of it, which is to make people spiritual.

The Lack of Spirituality Among Religious Students

Nowadays, you might find people who are very, very religious. What does that mean? They’re so good in terms of the uloom of taharah, salah, siyam, and all that stuff. But in terms of spirituality, they probably lack that. Like, how many people that you know, students of knowledge, who don’t even do tahajjud? How many of them don’t even fast Mondays and Thursdays?

The Gap Between Knowledge and Action

I’m not going to ask you to raise your hands, but how many of you do that? You’re the ones who are studying this ilmright now. You’re trying to upgrade your spirituality, insha’Allah, to the highest level, bintillah azza wa jal. How many of us are actually practicing this in that fashion? That this knowledge is prompting me right now to fast Mondays and Thursdays, to make secret ibadah between me and Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala, to do hifz of the Qur’an, to do this, to wake up at night and do tahajjud. How many of us translate this knowledge into something that will be related to the heart?

That is what I mean by the essence of knowledge, not just the superficial one.

Distorted Definitions of Islamic Terms

Know that the meanings of some words have been replaced and distorted to mean things that the pious predecessors did not mean with them. For example, today scholars have given an exclusive meaning to the word fiqh, using it exclusively for the science of jurisprudence and its causative factors. Even though the first generation understood the word to refer to the knowledge of the afterlife, the details of the heart’s illnesses, the nullifiers of actions, the intense awareness of the world’s pettiness, the deep yearning of the bliss of the afterlife, and making the fear of Allah dominate the heart.

Original Meaning of Fiqh vs. Current Usage

You know, let’s stop over here, insha’Allah, because that’s a longer section over here in which he’s going to bring five different terminologies that are used in their time, popularly among the people in a specific definition, but it was altered. Like, for example, the word fiqh. Because fiqh, before our time, according to him, in his time, fiqh has become only exclusive for when you study taharah and siyam and zakah and hajj and talaq and zawaj and so on. That’s what fiqh is. Because before that time, fiqh meant what? The true understanding of your relationship with Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala. The true understanding of your spirituality, of your connection with Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala. That’s what the meaning of fiqh — ’amal al-akhirah.

Paradigm Shift: Returning to the Original Meaning of Fiqh

But he said, it has changed. And as a result, a lot of people right now, they want to be fuqaha’, but not the fuqaha’ that will really connect with Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala with their heart, rather only with their actions and practice. So they want to try to do what you could call today a paradigm shift. He wants to change the meaning of fiqh, the meaning of knowledge, the meaning of wisdom, from what has been altered to what was original.

Conclusion: The Essence of Knowledge According to Ibn Qudama

Now, going back to the question I asked at the beginning of the session. Do you now understand what he was talking about? So what was the question? The question was, what is the essence of knowledge according to Ibn Qudama, may Allah have mercy on him, in this book? Did you guys figure it out? Good. Through what? What kind of knowledge? The knowledge of the heart. The essence of knowledge is the one that affects your heart. The essence of knowledge is the one that helps you create what he called ’ilmul mu’amalah. The knowledge of interacting with Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala — by heart, spiritually, not just by actions. Because you will see a lot of people wash their hands, wash their faces, stand in salah, and their hearts are somewhere else. It has no connection whatsoever to the Divine subhanahu wa ta’ala.

True Knowledge Moves the Heart

So he tells you that the true meaning of knowledge is the one that truly moves your heart and has a connection with Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala. May Allah make us among those. Let’s move on to the next section, insha’Allah.

Personal Reflection: Studying in 2013

There’s actually an interesting thing over here. I have another date on my book over here. We stopped on this section over here. It was actually January 30, 2013. That’s when we were using this book to study the late-night khatiras in the old masjid, ten years ago.

Introduction to Hadith Number Three

Bismillah. You read English? Okay, so we’re going to be starting from here. You’re probably going to read the whole chapter. Okay, bismillah. So the second one is going to be, insha’Allah, we’re going to read from the book of Imam Ibn Rajab, may Allah have mercy on him, in which he studied and he teaches us the forty hadith of Imam Nawawi, may Allah have mercy on him. Today’s discussion will be hadith number three.

Hadith Number Three: Islam is Built on Five

Hadith number three. Anyone memorize the hadith? Anyone memorize the hadith? Would like to take a shot and recite the hadith for us? In Arabic, you want to do that? Okay. Anyone? It’s a short hadith. It’s very simple. You’ve been taught this in Sunday school forever.

Bismillah.

Islam is built on five: the testimony that there is no God but Allah, and that Muhammad is His Messenger, establishing the prayer, giving zakah, fasting in Ramadan, and performing hajj.

Different Versions of the Hadith

So, this hadith, as you can see, there are a lot of narrations for the hadith, not just one narration. Sometimes the hajj comes before fasting. Sometimes fasting comes before hajj. But if you notice this hadith, you’ll always find that the Prophet ﷺ, after speaking about salah, what is the next thing that comes after speaking about salah? Zakah. Unfortunately today, people, they don’t know much about zakah. They know more about Ramadan and fasting than they know about zakah. Although zakah is much more important than fasting. We’re going to come to see why.

Authenticity of the Hadith

They narrated this hadith in the two Sahih books in the version of Ikrimah ibn Khalid from Ibn Umar. Muslim narrated it in two other ways from Ibn Umar, and he has other versions from him. This hadith has been narrated from Jarir ibn Abdullah al-Bajali from the Prophet ﷺ, which Imam Ahmed narrated.

Importance of Authenticating Narrations

Why Imam Ibn Rajab, may Allah have mercy on him, is bringing these things over here is because, in the classical text, it’s extremely important that you authenticate what you’re reciting and what you’re delivering to the people. There’s one way of saying, look, the hadith is very authentic. It’s very popular. It comes from different narrations. It was reported by Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, Imam Ahmed. Not just one Sahabi narrated that. It was narrated by Abdullah Ibn Umar, Jarir Ibn Abdullah al-Bajali as well too, and others. Like he’s saying, look, the hadith is very popular. And he brings some examples over here.

Explanation of the Hadith: The Five Pillars as the Structure of Islam

Then, he explains it. What is meant by this hadith is that Islam is built on these five, which are just like the sides or corners and the supports of its building. So, what he’s saying over here is that, look, Islam was detailed or explained in details in the hadith before that, the hadith of Umar Ibn Khattab when Jibril came to the Prophet ﷺ and asked him what is Islam. Now, he’s detailing that. He said, look, the Prophet ﷺ said in this hadith, he specifically said that Islam was built on five things. And he said these are like pillars and corners, pillars and corners for any building. When he says pillars and corners, what does that exactly mean? It’s carrying the entire structure.

The Building Analogy: The Importance of Pillars in Islam

Like, if you look at this building over here, what are the pillars and the corners of this building? Alhamdulillah, we don’t see many pillars inside of the building. But there are some hidden somewhere. Where are they? It’s in the corners. The corners, the walls. Behind you, you have two over there. If it wasn’t by the grace of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala for these pillars and these corners, this whole thing would collapse. So, he says the exact same thing. Islam was built on these pillars and corners. If they’re gone, the whole building will collapse.

The Role of Pillars and the Need for Them in Islam

Let’s see what he means by that. Muhammad Ibn Nasr al-Marwazi narrated in the Kitab as-Salah (Book of Prayer) with the wording: “Islam is built on five supports.” What is meant is to strike the similitude of Islam as a building whose supports are these five, such that the building will not stand firm without them. The rest of the attributes of Islam are things by the addition of which the building is made complete, but if any of them are missing, the building will stand, although lacking, but will not fall into ruin because of that shortcoming, as opposed to if it lacks any of these five supports because Islam will disappear if all of them are missing without any doubt.

The Pillars as Essentials: If Missing, Islam Collapses

You can actually pause over here and put a mark because the paragraph that will start next is separate from this past one. So, what he means by this past statement that he was saying here is, look, Islam is built on these five pillars and arkan. Without them, the whole building will collapse. However, there are some other aspects of the deen that are mutammimat. They work like the windows, the sheetrock wall. For example, the adab, the etiquette, the akhlaq, and the manners, and the other things that we have in our deen that we need to practice. It’s not like Islam was built on five, and you only practice these five, and that’s it, we’re done. No, there are many other things that will definitely beautify the practice of your deen.

Supplementary Aspects of Islam: Beautifying the Structure

He says if those other things are gone, the building doesn’t collapse. Like, you will have a shell. It still doesn’t collapse, but it’s a shell. However, if one of the corners and one of these pillars is gone, it might risk the entire building collapsing. Sometimes, no. Taking one out doesn’t cause the building to collapse, but it becomes what? Insecure and unsafe. You won’t feel comfortable going into a building when you realize a corner is missing. You would think, “I don’t know, man, what if it starts shaking? What if something happens to it?” So that’s what he was referring to.

Clarifying the Role of Additional Practices in Islam

Yes, he said five pillars and five corners, but there are so many other things in the deen that will require you to enhance the quality of your deen and your Islam. Now, he’s speaking about the five pillars. He’s going to speak about the five pillars right now basically, and he will explain to us which one, if it’s missing, will cause the deen, all of it, to collapse.

Iman and Its Relation to the Five Pillars

From this, it is known that iman in Allah and His Messenger is included under Islam as we established in the previous hadith. As for the prayer, there are many hadith which show that whoever abandons it has gone out of Islam. This is number two right now. So, he’s now bringing Salah. So, we talked about Shahadatain. That’s one of the major pillars. Salah right now. He says, as for Salah, there are many hadith that say that if anyone abandons Salah, they will actually leave Islam, which means it’s also like Shahadatain. Once you take it out, it will collapse. However, we’re going to see later on, he’s going to bring a controversy over this principle, over this rule.

The Role of Salah (Prayer) as a Pillar of Islam

Let’s see what he says so far. In Sahih Muslim, there is from Jabir that the Prophet ﷺ said: “Between iman and kufr and shirk is the prayer.” The hadith in Arabic is: “Bayna al-rajuli wa bayna al-kufr wa al-shirk tarku al-salah,” which means the fine line that separates between a person and being a kafir or a mushrik is abandoning Salah.

The Critical Importance of Salah in Islam

Similar things are narrated in the hadith of Buraidah, Thawban, Anas, and others. Muhammad Ibn Nasr al-Marwazi narrated the hadith of Ubadah Ibn as-Samit, that the Prophet ﷺ said: “Do not abandon the prayer deliberately, for whoever abandons Islam deliberately has gone out of the deen.” Just to make clear, this hadith is considered weak in terms of its authenticity. However, the meaning has been established in other hadith as well that yes, if someone abandons Salah, it would tantamount to the level of abandoning Islam altogether.

The Central Role of Salah: Tent Pole of Islam

In the hadith of Mu’adh, there is that the Prophet ﷺ said: “The main part of the matter is Islam, and its tent pole is the prayer.” In Arabic, it’s actually: Raksu al-amri al-Islam, wa ‘amudu hu al-salah, which means the head of our matter is Islam itself, which means submission to the will of Allah. And the main pillars of it are Salah. So, the Prophet ﷺ is saying, if you take that pillar out, what’s going to happen to that building? It’s going to fall apart.

The Tent Analogy: Importance of the Central Pole (Salah)

And so, he regarded the prayer as the central tent pole of the great tent, without which the tent cannot stand or last. And if the central tent pole were to fall, the tent would fall, and it would not last without it. Do you guys go camping? You guys are going to go camping this coming weekend, right? Or the next weekend, probably. So when you go camping, if you try to build the tent, the tent has, of course, side poles on the side, right? But in order for it to stand up, what do you need? The central one that keeps it actually all the way up. If you take that out, it doesn’t matter how tight it is on the ground. It’s not going to be built. You can’t erect a building like that. So, he says, as if he’s saying you might have fasting and zakah and this and that, but if you don’t have Salah, you’re not building anything. That shows the importance of Salah.

Statements of the Companions on Abandoning Prayer

Omar said, “There is no portion in Islam for whoever abandons the prayer.” Saad and Ali said, “Whoever gives it up has become a kafir.” Abdullah said, “The companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ did not regard the abandonment of any of the actions as kufr except for the prayer.” Abu Ayub said, “Abandoning the prayer is kufr, and there is no disagreement about it.”

The Position of Imam Ibn Rajab on Salah

What do you guys understand so far from Imam Ibn Rajab? If you read this book yourself, alone, what would you understand? What is he trying to say over here? What exactly is he trying to emphasize over here? His opinion. Like when the alim starts with something like this, and he starts bringing all the proofs and evidences, and brings you this hadith and this hadith, and Omar says, and Ali says, what is he trying to tell you? That’s what I believe.

The Majority Position on Salah: Consensus of Scholars

And there’s something else that probably makes us think that that’s exactly what he’s trying to promote: that look, that’s what he’s saying. A whole body of the right-acting first generations and of the later generations took this position, and it is the position of Ibn al-Mubarak, Ahmad, and Ishaq. Ishaq said that it is the consensus of the people of knowledge. Muhammad Ibn Nasr al-Marwazi said it is the position of the majority of the people of hadith.

Abandoning Salah and Its Consequences According to Scholars

Now, do you know what he’s saying here? He’s saying, look, abandoning Salah is tantamount to being kafir. Why? He says because this was the opinion of the first generation, right? And we know from the people who came afterwards, great names such as Ibn Mubarak, Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, Ishaq Ibn Rahawayh, and others, and even he said Imam Ahmad, he goes: Ijma’ al-nass, that it’s actually consensus among the ulama of his time that the majority of the ulama among the salaf, they believe that if someone abandons Salah, they leave Islam altogether.

The Minority View on Salah: Major Sin but Not Disbelief

Now, he’s going to give you the other side of the story.

But another group of jurists and the majority of the people of knowledge said that whoever leaves off the prayer is a major sinner, but not a kafir. This is the well-known position of Malik and Ash-Shafi’i, and it was narrated from a group of the companions. It was also reported from some of the early generations of the salaf and the later generations, and it was regarded as the position of the majority of the people of fiqh and as the position of the majority of the people of ra’y.

Differing Opinions Among Jurists on Abandoning Salah

Now, he is bringing to you the other position, which means there are other ulama from the salaf who believe that abandoning Salah doesn’t necessarily mean you are no longer a Muslim. It just means that you’re a major sinner. So, therefore, you’re still a Muslim, but you’re doing a major sin, which means they didn’t regard it as disbelief, which will take a person outside of Islam.

The Majority of the Fuqaha on Abandoning Salah

Now, who’s left? The majority of the fuqaha. When he says fuqaha, in contrast to the ulama of hadith, fuqaha means what? The fuqaha of Imam Ash-Shafi’i, Abu Hanifa, the people of ra’y in that regard, and Malik. These are the major fuqaha of the time. He goes, look, the majority of the fuqaha believe that abandoning Salah is a major sin but doesn’t take a person outside of Islam.

The Complexity of the Issue: Kufr or Major Sin?

Now, for you as a reader, you’re probably going to have some confusion in mind because, for you, what matters here is which one is it? Is it kufr or not kufr? Should I worry about it? Should I not worry about it? So, to answer the question, you have to keep reading and see what he says in the following statement.

Fuqaha’s View: Punishment Without Takfir (Declaring Apostasy)

He goes, look, the fuqaha from the Hanafis, Malikis, and Shafi’is, they said, look, if someone abandons Salah, they become kafir. But to say that they’re no longer Muslim, the majority of the fuqaha actually disagree with that.

Scholarly Debate on the Status of One Who Abandons Salah

Now, for you as a student of knowledge, you’re going to say, so which one is it? Shall we call people who don’t pray kufar? Or shall we say, no, they’re just major sinners? You’ll have to go and read other books of fiqh as well to get more details on this subject.

Hudhayfah’s Hadith: The Importance of the Shahada

Silah Ibn Zufar said to Hudhayfah, “What will saying La ilaha illallah do for them when they do not know what prayer is, what fasting is, what Hajj is, and what charity is?” Hudhayfah turned away from him, so he repeated the question three times. Each time Hudhayfah turned away from him. Finally, Hudhayfah turned to him and said, “O Silah, it will save them from the fire.” This is very clear that even if people lose the knowledge of prayer and fasting, saying La ilaha illallah will still save them from the fire.

The Foundations of Islam Must Be Prioritized

Now, when he finishes explaining the pillars of Islam and what happens if people neglect them, he moves on to another very important discussion.

Imam Ibn Rajab, may Allah have mercy on him, continues by explaining the significance of these five pillars. He emphasizes that these are the foundations of Islam, and without them, the structure of a person’s faith collapses. Even though there are other acts of worship, the five pillars are essential and cannot be neglected without severe consequences.

Warning Against Neglecting the Five Pillars

He also warns against becoming too focused on secondary matters of the religion while neglecting these foundations. It’s important, he says, to prioritize these pillars and ensure they are solidly in place before worrying about other aspects of the faith.

Sincerity in Worship: The Core of Our Actions

Finally, he concludes with a reminder that while the pillars are the foundation of our faith, our actions and intentions must align with sincerity and devotion to Allah. Without the proper heart and intention, even the most outwardly perfect acts of worship will be devoid of true benefit.

May Allah guide us to keep our foundations strong, purify our hearts, and bless us with sincerity in our worship.

Q&A

1. What are the Five Pillars of Islam?

• Answer: The Five Pillars of Islam are:
  1. Shahadatain: The declaration of faith.
  2. Salah: The obligation to pray five times a day.
  3. Sawm: Fasting during Ramadan.
  4. Zakah: Mandatory charity to purify wealth.
  5. Hajj: Pilgrimage to Mecca, if one is able.

2. Why are the Five Pillars likened to the pillars of a building?

• Answer: The Five Pillars are compared to the pillars of a building because they provide the essential structure that supports and sustains the faith. Without these pillars, the building (Islam) would collapse, emphasizing their foundational importance.

3. What did Imam Ibn Qudama say about the importance of sincerity in worship?

• Answer: Imam Ibn Qudama stressed that sincere intentions are essential in acts of worship. Without sincerity, even perfectly performed outward acts, such as Salah or fasting, lack real value in the eyes of Allah.

4. What do scholars debate about the consequence of abandoning Salah?

• Answer: Scholars differ on whether abandoning Salah constitutes disbelief (kufr). Some, like Imam Ahmad, believe that it takes a person out of Islam, while others, like Imam Malik and Imam Ash-Shafi’i, consider it a major sin but not disbelief.

5. What is the significance of the hadith that says: “Between iman and kufr and shirk is the prayer”?

• Answer: This hadith emphasizes the centrality of Salah in Islam. It means that abandoning Salah is a major boundary between faith (iman) and disbelief (kufr), highlighting how crucial prayer is in maintaining one’s faith.

6. Why does Imam Ibn Qudama emphasize balancing foundational acts and secondary aspects of Islam?

• Answer: Imam Ibn Qudama warns against focusing too much on secondary matters, such as detailed fiqh rulings, while neglecting the core pillars of Islam. He stresses that the pillars are essential, and prioritizing them is crucial for maintaining a strong faith.