The Role of Taqwa
What is the definition of taqwa?
A sincere belief that Allah is always watching
Name the five objectives of Islamic law.
Preserve religion, preserve lives, protect wealth, preserve intellect, preserve family/honor
What is al-hadath al-asghar? Provide the definition and examples.
These are minor impurities, including using the restroom, passing gas/urination, etc.
What is the definition of khushoo?
Khushoo' is a state of humility in prayer where the heart is engaged with Allaah, paying close attention to the meanings of the prayer
Describe, in brief, the story of the adhan.
When the Muslims got to Madinah, they didn't know how to call for prayer. They were going to use a bell like the Christians, but the Prophet didn't like the idea due to it resembling the Christians' method. Two Sahabis, 'Abdullah ibn Zayd and 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, both had dreams where they heard the adhan. 'Abdullah told the Prophet first and he told him to teach it to Bilal, as he had a beautiful voice.
True or false: the voluntary actions always take precedence over the obligatory actions.
False! The obligatory acts come before anything else.
Name the five major maxims of Islamic law.
Actions are judged by intentions, certainty is not removed by doubt, harm must be eliminated, hardship allows for ease, custom can be the basis of judgement
Name the 3 types of water and provide an example of each.
1. Tahoor - pure and purifying. Includes rainwater, oceans, rivers, lakes, etc.
2. Tahor - pure but not purifying. Includes things like green tea or juice.
3. Najis - impure that has been contaminated with an impurity. For example, water mixed with feces.
True or false: the intention for prayer must be verbalized aloud.
False - the place of the intention is the heart and it is not from the sunnah to say it aloud.
Name the conditions of salaah.
Praying at the appointed time, tahaarah, covering the 'awrah, facing the qiblah, and intention
Describe the connection between taqwa and your emotional & mental well-being.
The more taqwa a person has, the happier and more at peace they will feel. When we obey Allah and do the things He commanded us to do while staying away from the prohibitions, we are fulfilling the purpose of our creation.
Name the four madhahib and at least one fact about each of the imams of those madhahib.
1. The Hanafi madhab - Imam Abu Hanifah grew up in a time and area where deviant ideologies were widespread
2. The Maliki madhab - Imam Malik actually wanted to be a singer as a child!
3. The Shafi'i madhab - Imam ash-Shafi'i was known as the 'father' of usool al-fiqh
4. The Hanbali madhab - Imam Ahmad is known as the Imam of Ahlus Sunnah
Summarize the steps of ghusl.
1. Make the intention.
2. Remove any impurity and then wash the private parts.
3. Performing regular wudu'.
4. Pouring water over the head and the rest of the body, making sure the water reaches every part of your body, including the roots of your hair.
5. Washing the feet.
Why do we ask Allah to guide us TO and ON the straight path?
So that we have the ability to 1) identify the straight path and 2) actually follow it and stay firm upon it. It's not about having knowledge and not applying it.
Explain the difference between the arkaan, waajibaat, and sunan actions in salah.
The arkaan are the pillars - if they are removed intentionally or missed due to forgetfulness, the prayer is invalid, as it needs to be made up.
The waajibaat are the obligatory actions. If missed due to forgetfulness, they can be compensated for by doing sujood as-sahw.
The sunan are the recommended acts. You get extra reward by doing them, but your salah's validity is not affected by missing them, even if you left them out intentionally.
Name some benefits of having taqwa.
Having the support of Allah, protection from the Shaytan, protection from fear and grief, having the ability to distinguish between right and wrong, being admitted to Jannah
Describe, in brief, the stages of the compilation of the Qur'an.
During the Prophet's time, the Qur'an was memorized and written down on various materials, but it was not compiled into one book. During the khilafa of Abu Bakr, he ordered for it to be compiled into one book. During the khilafa of 'Uthman, he ordered for the standardization of the mushaf and the writing of multiple copies, which were sent to important cities in the Muslim world.
Provide a list of things that are not allowed during menstruation.
Fasting, praying, i'tikaaf, divorce, making tawaf, touching the mushaf, wudu', intimacy
When you go into ruku' or sujud, what happens to the sins that you have committed?
They fall off - when the servant stands for the salah, his sins are placed on his head and shoulders.
Scenario: Aliya comes home after going to the mall with her friends one evening. She checks the time and notices it's time for Maghrib. She's exhausted and her legs hurt. She makes wudu' and then prays sitting down because she's tired. Is her salaah valid or not?
No, it is not valid. Standing is a pillar of the prayer and a person can only sit down in cases of absolute necessity, such as a serious injury or inability to stand. Being tired after going out is not an excuse to sit down and pray.
What are some daily actions which show taqwa?
feeling remorse for committing sins, dressing Islamically correct (even if others stare at you because of it), practicing Islam openly, etc
1. Preserving religion - giving da'wah is an example
2. Preserving life - the reason why murder is haram
3. Protecting wealth - why riba and stealing are haram
4. Protecting intellect - why using drugs and alcohol is prohibited
5. Protecting family/honor - why zina is haram and the emphasis on marriage is so important
How are Islamic rulings different for istihaada compared to al-hayd (menstruation)?
Istihaada is irregular bleeding outside of your period. if you have istihaada, you should pray and fast as normal. However, you need to make wudu' before every prayer as soon as the prayer time comes in, regardless of whether you broke your wudu' before or not.
The Prophet said, "A slave becomes nearest to his Rabb when he is in ______."
Prostration (sujud)
Scenario: Fatimah went into sajdah in the first rak'ah. She made one sajdah and then got up straight for the second rak'ah (without making the second sajdah). During her fourth rak'ah, she remembered that she had only done one sajdah in the first rak'ah. What should she do?
She should count the first rak'ah as being invalid and she will add one more rak'ah to her prayer. Then, she does sujood as-sahw at the end.