Project "Revive a Sunnah" Week 23

[Kemal Smajlovic]

Project "Revive a Sunnah"

Be sure to check out: http://project-revive-a-sunnah.blogspot.com/
To join the e-mail list, please visit: http://groups.google.com/group/project-revive-a-sunnah

March 9th, 2007 (19th of Safar 1428 AH)
Windsor, Ontario, Canada

In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate.
May peace and blessings be upon the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam), his family, and his companions.

 

Week 23: March 9th-16th 2007
(19th-26th of Safar 1428 AH)

 

One would think that the sunnah which we are going to feature this week is much more widely practiced, but in reality it is not.   This is unfortunate because it shows how much attention we give to our actions.   The Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) advised us in a number of ahadith to eat only with the right hand.   Every Muslim knows this, but when you see how many Muslims don't practice it, it is quite surprising.   Let us first see what the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said in the ahadith.

 

From the Ahadith:

 

1.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Abu'z-Zubayr from Jabir ibn Abdullah as-Salami that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, forbade a man to eat with his left hand or walk in one sandal or wrap a single garment around his drawn-up legs exposing his genitals.

[Imam Malik]

 

2.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Abu Bakr ibn Ubaydullah ibn Abdullah ibn Umar from Abdullah ibn Umar that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "When you eat, eat with your right hand and drink with your right hand. Shaytan eats with his left hand and drinks with his left hand."

[Imam Malik]

 

Now, stop for a moment and think back whether you have always made sure you ate only with your right hand.   You might have started eating with your right hand, but what did you when some food happened to drop on your left side?   After you picked it up with your left hand, were you too lazy to switch it to your right hand before putting it in your mouth?   And how about the time you ate with your right hand and then wanted to take a drink?   Did you drink with your left hand in order not to "dirty" the cup with your right hand?

 

I'm not trying to annoy you with these questions.  It's just that I see so many of our brothers get into "careless mode" when they eat.   It's kind of a turn-off when you see someone doing so – especially after knowing the above ahadith.  May Allah enable us to be mindful of our actions at all times, no matter how big or small our actions may be.  

 

 

What is Project "Revive a Sunnah"?

 

Let's face the reality of today. There are many, many Sunnahs of the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) which are not being practiced. This may be due to reasons such as negligence, laziness and/or ignorance. Project "Revive a Sunnah" is a project dedicated to bringing back the forgotten Sunnahs of the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam).

Why the Project "Revive a Sunnah"?

This question can be answered from two sources: Qur'an and Sunnah.
Firstly, Allah ('azza wa jall) says in the Qur'an:

1.
"…Help you one another in Al-Birr and At-Taqwa (virtue, righteousness and piety); but do not help one another in sin and transgression. And fear Allâh. Verily, Allâh is Severe in punishment." [5:2]

2.
"Say (O Muhammad (peace be upon him) to mankind): "If you (really) love Allâh then follow me ( i.e. accept Islâmic Monotheism, follow the Qur'ân and the Sunnah), Allâh will love you and forgive you your sins. And Allâh is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful." [3:31]

 

Secondly, from the Ahadith, it is reported that the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said:

"Whoever revives an aspect of my Sunnah that is forgotten after my death, he will have a reward equivalent to that of the people who follow him, without it detracting in the least from their reward." (Reported by al-Tirmidhi, 7/443; this is a hasan hadîth because of corroborating asânîd).

Hence, we start off by responding to Allah's ('azza wa jall) call. We do our utmost to follow the Sunnah of the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam). We obviously do this in order to earn the love of Allah ('azza wa jall). What a better way of doing so than helping each other to achieve this (solely for the sake of Allah ('azza wa jall)).

How does it work?

Initially, when this project was first launched, it was conducted solely via e-mail. Starting with Week 4, the project will be available on-line, so that a broader audience may participate. A blog entry will be posted each week. The entry will describe what the Sunnah is, provide evidence from the Sunnah, and shed light on how it can be implemented, insha Allah.  The project will still continue through e-mail (simultaneously to the blog).  If you are not receiving the weekly Project "Revive a Sunnah" e-mails and would like to, then please visit: http://groups.google.com/group/project-revive-a-sunnah

How can you participate?

You can be a part of this project in a number of different ways. Some of them include:

• nominating a "forgotten sunnah" to be focussed on for one week
• forwarding the Project "Revive a Sunnah" URL to your friends and family
• encouraging others to participate
• spreading the word

You are most welcome to direct any Feedback/Comments/Suggestions/Nominations to albo...@gmail.com

May Allah reward you all.
Praise be to Allah and may the blessings be upon the Prophet (sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam).

Wa Salaamu Alaykoum,

Kemal Smajlovic