FEMI ABBAS

 

Monologue

This article had been published in this column in the recent past. But many readers have called for its republication for further guidance about the payment of Zakah especially in this sacred month. The Zakah issue here is ‘that of obligatory Islamic head tax paid annually by Muslims who can meet the condition of its minimum taxable amount. It is therefore different from the end of Ramadan tax called Zakatul Fitr which will be paid by all Muslims, irrespective of age and gender, on equal basis in about two weeks time.

 

Preamble

Perhaps no institution in Islam has brought so much harmony to human societies as Zakah. Its divine decree and revelation to Prophet Muhammad (SAW) in the 5th year of Hijrah was a social revolution coming to mankind with an ecstasy of delight. That decree was the Fatwah that ushered Zakah into the world and made it the third pillar of Islam.

Hitherto, there was no organized,  obligatory system of redistribution of wealth for the purpose of alleviating poverty in any society.

 

Genesis of Zakah

Although the Prophet had introduced Sadaqah (voluntary charity) as a pecuniary bridge among the Muslim social strata while in Makkah, this was only according to the whims of the financially privileged Muslims. And, it had neither a specific time nor a specific measure with which Zakatul ‘Ayn is characterized.

While in Makkah, the Prophet was limited to only two pillars of Islam. These were ‘Iman’ (Faith) and Salat (observance of five daily prayers).

The three other fundamental pillars of Islam came to him through divine revelations in Madinah. Of the three, fasting in the month of Ramadan was the first to come in the third year of Hijrah.

It was followed by Zakah which came in the fifth year of Hijrah. These two pillars were finally anchored by Hajj in the 7th year of Hijrah. However, Zakah is our immediate concern here.

 

Essence of Zakah

Zakah is not about redistribution of wealth between the rich and the poor alone. It is much more about social interaction of individuals and groups in any Muslim society for the purpose of boosting tolerance, security, peace and harmony.

With the coming of Zakah as the third obligatory pillar of Islam, the mutual suspicion between the rich and the poor in Madinah was reduced to its barest minimum and the instrumentality of governance was formidably strengthened.

Zakah is the only pillar of Islam that affects other people’s lives through the giving hands of the rich and the receiving hands of the poor. Other pillars of Islam such as Iman (Faith), Salat (Worship), Sawm (fasting) and Hajj (Pilgrimage) are all personal to whoever observes them.

They cannot be shared with any other person. It is only Zakah that requires the giver and the recipient to interact heartedly to the benefit of the latter.

 

Controversy over Nisab

The main problem of Zakah,  particularly in Nigeria, today, is in the controversy over the interpretation of Nisab (i.e. the minimum taxable amount from which Zakah is supposed to be paid) as prescribed by Prophet Muhammad (SAW).

Some modern scholars have become so lazy and perhaps so intellectually retarded that they only rely on research carried out by certain primordial scholars some centuries ago, as their only sources information. Such modern scholars believe that the research carried out according to the situation of those primordial periods should suffice in projecting Islam to eternity.

They have forgotten that Islam is a dynamic and not a dogmatic religion. Thus in matters of Zakah, such scholars are so rigid on using gold as the measure for determining Nisab that they do not even care if Zakah is no longer paid and the five pillars of Islam are technically reduced to four.

They  have ignored the fact that the same Prophet Muhammad (SAW) who prescribed gold as a measure of Nisab for sellers and buyers of gold was the one who also prescribed silver (as a measure of Nisab for dealers in silver.

That same Prophet even went further to prescribe the specific amount of money that can be termed as Nisab in certain currencies available during his time. He said, as reported by Ali Bn Abi Talib, that if you have 200 Dirham or 20 Dinar you are liable to payment of Zakah.

This means that if you are in possession of a net income that amounts to 200 Dirham or 20 Dinar, payment of Zakah becomes incumbent upon you.

 

How the Jews determine   Nisab

Since payment of Zakah is not about money alone, subjecting the Nisab of Zakah to the market price of gold is like surrendering a whole pillar of Islam to the whim of the Jewish gold dealers who invariably determine the price of that commodity to the detriment of Zakah as a pillar of Islam.

It is generally known throughout the world that, perennially,  the principal traders in gold are the Jews. And they are the ones determining its price from time to time.

While some scholars insist on waiting for the current price of gold to be able to determine Nisab of Zakah only a few people know that as of today it requires just a minimum of about 200 UAE Dirham (according to the Prophet’s prescription) which is an equivalence of $54 or N21,235.50 as the net amount of money from which Zakah is to be paid in a year and not the N1.74 million currently being touted as Nisab.

And only two and a half per cent of this amount which is now N530.89 kobo (according to the current rate of exchange) is payable from it.

The figure here is based on 200 UAE Dirham in accordance with the Prophet’s prescription. By this, only Nigerian Muslims who have less than N21,235.50 kobo as minimum net income in a year will not pay Zakah. Yet Nigerian Muslims prefer to spend thousands of dollars on Hajj every year without ever paying Zakah.

 

Due Process

In Islam, everything is done by due process according to the rule of law. And Zakah cannot be of any exception. The due process of paying Zakah includes the following:

• Being a genuine Muslim
• Attainment of the age of maturity
• Intention to pay Zakah and not Sadaqah;
• Timeliness (the amount must have remained in custody directly or indirectly for one year);
• Payer of Zakah must not be indebted at the time of payment of Zakah;
• Correct amount (i.e. to be paid as Zakah according to the current Nisab);
• Ensuring that the paid Zakah reaches the intended recipients;

 

Explanation

The wealth on which Zakah must be paid are basically seven. These include: gold and silver (for people who are trading in those two commodities); cash income generated legitimately from various economic activities including intellectual wealth; agricultural products; livestock; property and mineral resources.

Every male or female Muslim adult who has a net income of at least N21,235.50 which is an equivalence of 200 UAE Dirham prescribed by Prophet Muhammad (SAW) as reported by Ali Bn Abi Talib, (the third Caliph) should pay Zakah.

The Prophet was quoted as saying that if you have a net income of 200 Dirham or 20 Dinar you are liable to the payment of Zakah. This fact can be found in the Zakah section of a popular traditional jurisprudence book (Fiqhus- Sunnah) entitled Bulughul Marami.

The fact that the Prophet mentioned Dirham which was then coined in silver before Dinar that was coined in gold confirms his preference for silver over gold as a measure of Nisab.

And based on the above quoted Hadith reported by Ali Bn Abi Talib, Umar Bn Khattab also laid emphasis on silver during his caliphate and that provided opportunity for most working Muslims to meet the requirements of the third pillar of Islam by paying Zakah conveniently.

Both Dirham and Dinar are still very much in use today in some Arab countries. For instance in countries like the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Syria and Morocco, the currency in use is Dirham while countries such as Jordan, Iraq, Libya and Kuwait still use Dinar as their currencies.

 

Nigerian Factor

Most of the prescriptions of Nisab by today’s Nigeria’s Islamic scholars are based on the current global market value of gold as determined by the Jewish gold traders. This is contradictory to the position of the second Caliph (Umar Bn Khattab) who officially adopted 200 silver-based Dirham prescribed by the Prophet to enable majority of the citizenry pay Zakah even as he did not prevent those who preferred gold as Nisab measure from using it.

 

Personal Comment

Insisting on gold as a universal measure of Nisab in today’s world is nothing but a dogmatic ambush for Zakah as well as a clandestine collaboration with some enemies of Islam to ditch the third pillar of that divine religion.

The Prophet had guarded against this by considering the implications of not paying Zakah before he prescribed Dirham and Dinar. Now, going by the current market price of gold, which has put Nisab at about N1.7 million, more than 98% of eligible Nigerian Muslims may not be able to pay Zakah as expected of them.

And this has been the case for many years thereby clipping the financial wings of Islam and rendering millions of potential Zakah payers redundant spiritually.

The implication of this is that most Nigerian Muslims will never be able to pay Zakah throughout their lifetime. Yet, some Nigerian scholars insist on Nisab based on gold price not minding the plight of those who will  technically be excluded from payment of Zakah as well as millions of poor people who will lose the benefit of Zakah recipience.

 

Using Dirham for Nisab?

This column (The Message) chose the UAE Dirham as a measure of Nisab for Nigerian Muslims because of their familiarity with that currency which the Prophet first mentioned in his instruction to Ali Bn Abi Talib as reported above.

Many Nigerian Muslims who are quqlified to pay Zakah  either do travel to Dubai for business transactions or pass through that city which is globally acknowledged as an international transit on their ways to some countries in Asia or Australia.

By that, they have become familiar with the UAE currency called Dirham which the Prophet recommended as a matter of priority. The argument that the Dirham of the Prophet’s time was different from today’s Dirham as being advanced by some so-called scholars is as pedestrian as saying that since the Prophet did not mention Naira as a measure of Nisab, Zakah should not be paid in Naira.

Can anybody prove that the available gold or silver during the Prophet’s time was different from that of today? After all, the price of gold is mostly announced in US Dollars. Does that make Dollar legitimate Prophetically as far as Zakah is concerned? Just as gold is gold, whether during the Prophet’s time or today, so does Dirham or Dinar remain the same today.

 

Payable

Amount

What is statutorily payable from N21,235.50 is N530.89 kobo (which amounts to 21/2% or 1/40) of that amount. This amount may change slightly from time to time depending on the rate of exchange in the international currency market.

Today, the Dirham used in the United Arab Emirates is globally recognised as denominated in silver just as the Dinar used in Jordan or Iraq or Kuwait is recognised as denominated in gold. It is therefore grossly erroneous to impose the price of gold as determined by the Jews on Nigerian Muslims as the only yardstick for measuring Nisab.

 

Zakah of Property

With regards to landed property, no Zakah is paid on a residential building that is not commercialized fully or partly. If however, a part of it is commercialized and made a source of income (i.e. a part of it is let out) Zakah should be paid on the amount realized from any income generated from the commercialized part.

If an open land is rented out commercially, Zakah should be paid on the amount realized from it provided the net amount there from reaches the prescribed Nisab of N21,235.50 per annum. But if the property is completely sold out the payable sum on it should be 21/2% or 1/40 of the amount realized from its sale.

Other properties on which Zakah should be paid include machinery leased out which generates income or a plot of land leased out on commercial basis or a well of water used for commercial purpose.

Whatever is realized from any of these should be assessed according to the prescribed measure and   21/2% or 1/40  of its net balance should be paid as Zakah after deducting all expenses incurred on its process as well as payment of any debt.

 

Agricultural Products

As for the agricultural products, the prescribed minimum quantity from which Zakah should be paid is 653 kilograms. Such products include cash crops, legumes, fruits as well as tuber. There is no payment of Zakah on anything less than that weight.

And the measure to be paid on agricultural products generally is 10% if the farm is not irrigated. But if irrigation is involved, only 5% is to be paid.

This is to enable the farmer to cater for the cost of irrigation. The Zakah on farm products is paid immediately after harvesting, ie: there is no waiting for one year as in the case of money or property. Payment of Zakah on agricultural products, especially crops, may be more than once in a year because it is a matter of pay as you harvest.

 

Livestock

In the case of livestock, the quantities from which Zakah should be paid vary from animal to animal. For instance, one cow is given as Zakah out of every 30 adult cows. One goat or one sheep is given as Zakah out of every 40. One year old goat or sheep is given as Zakah on every five camels.

The minimum taxable Nisab on gold is 20 Dinar as recommended by Prophet Muhammad (SAW). Out of this, half of one Dinar, which amounts to 1/40 of 20 Dinar is payable.

Anything in excess of 20 Dinar is calculated accordingly. Besides gold and silver, there is no Zakah on mines until they have been converted into cash or cash-able values. Zakat may also be paid on expected payment of debt if the debtor is reliable and trustworthy.

 

Beneficiaries of Zakah

The statutory beneficiaries of Zakah are contained in Chapter 9 verse 60 of the Qur’an as follows:

“Verily, Sadaqah (obligatory alms) are only for the poor and the needy and those who work on its collection and those whose hearts are to be reconciled (i.e. new converts) and to free those in bondage (debtors and prisoners) as well in the path of God (projects like building of Mosques, orphanages etc) and the wayfarers; a duty imposed by God; God is all-knowing, all seeing”.

 

Administration

The administration of Zakah to these people should be done by the State authorities in Islamic societies or a committee headed by Muftis of each locality with Islamic scholars as members.

It is better to disburse Zakah within the extended family or in the neighbourhood than to carry it outside one’s environment to the exclusion of neighbours.

In countries such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Pakistan, Indonesia,  Iran and the likes, the time for paying Zakah is mostly set to coincide with Ramadan period. This does not however mean that every Zakah time must fall in Ramadan.

 

Business of Zakah

Generally, the business of Zakah is as serious with Allah as it is in the lives of the poor masses that will benefit from it. Thus, it is not a topic to be fully treated in a single day column of this type. It may therefore be addressed from another angle in this column in the near future.

 

By Femi Abbas

Generally, neighbours are neighbours, Ramadan or no Ramadan. They are the people with whom one interacts on a daily basis in the same vicinity. Neighbours are co-inhabitants in the same residence, area, office, farm or market. Some of them are permanent. Others are temporary. This is not a matter of Ramadan alone. It is an Islamic general norm.

In Islam, neighbours are as important as the next of kin. And, Islam attaches so much respect to them that they are like family members. According to Bukhari and Muslim, Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) was reported to have sworn by Allah three times saying: “he does not believe in Allah whoever creates fear or restlessness in his neighbours”.

In another Hadith also reported by Bukhari and Muslim, the Prophet was quoted as saying that “Whoever believes in Allah and the last day should treat his neighbour nicely to and respect his guests”

In the month of Ramadan, a good Muslim is expected to wear a new toga of sobriety and repentance. He should double his good deeds to his neighbours by extending generosity to them and by cultivating a new atmosphere of friendliness and trust with them. He should genuinely give them as much impression of love and brotherhood as he does with his consanguine relatives.

It does not matter whether the neighbours are Muslims or non-Muslims. Neither does it matter whether they are tribesmen or non-natives. The Prophet did not discriminate in his Hadith when he was admonishing on relationship with neighbours. And that is the inalienable position of Islam on neighbourhood.

Whoever, had quarrelled with his neighbours, therefore, let him go and settle the quarrel. Besides abstaining from foods, drinks and sexual intercourse within specified periods, during the sacred month of Ramadan, a good Muslim must mind his relationship with people around him especially neighbours. Fasting in the month of Ramadan cannot be taken in half measure. Whoever wants to receive full rewards for his religious activities in Ramadan let him treat his neighbours well. And, when Ramadan is over, the good deeds must continue.

Ramadan Karim!

 Femi Abbas

 

At the beginning of this sacred month, 11 days ago, an analysis was done in this column classifying the 30 days of Ramadan into three segments.

The first segment was said to contain the first ten days during which the blessings of Allah come to the faithful Muslims freely and in abundance.

Except for meeting that segment with faith and good intention, there is no working for the blessings therein.

That segment ended yesterday paving way for the second segment that begins today. As from today, Monday, May 4, 2020, fasting Muslims, all over the world, will start working for the master key to their final destination (Al-Jannah) through forgiveness.

That is the essence of this second segment of the month of Ramadan. During this period, Muslims are expected to intensify worship (Ibadah) by spending their days and nights repenting on their misdeeds and iniquities while seeking Allah’s forgiveness through the chanting of Istighfar.

But such forgiveness is neither automatic nor free. Usually, there are conditions attached to it. One of such conditions is that one must admit his misdeeds and repent on them. The second is that he should voluntarily and genuinely seek forgiveness.

Read Also: Ramadan calls for sober reflection, says ALGON

 

And the third condition is for him to resolve never to return to such misdeeds again. To seek Allah’s forgiveness during that time, a Muslim should follow the guidance of Prophet Muhammad (SAW)  as he reportedly said that “if you want to speak with Allah, make your request on prostration. And if you want Allah to speak to you recite the Qur’an”.

No one who abides by the above conditions and follows the Prophet’s counsel will ever be disappointed. Allah is both promising and fulfilling.

He never reneges on His promise. In Qur’an 2:186 He promises thus: “…when my servants ask you (Prophet Muhammad) about me, tell them that I am very close to them.

I answer the prayers of all who seek my favour if they pray to me (without any intermediary). So, let them expect my favourable response and trust in me so that they may be rightly guided.”

The second ten days segment of Ramadan is not just to consolidate on the blessings of the first ten days. It is also to prepare the fasting Muslims for the last ten days when they are expected to be fully liberated from the evil manacles of satanic forces.

For genuinely dedicated Muslims, in this sacred month, the prayer for that liberation in any language and in a condition of purity is a sine qua non. Ramadan Karim!

By Femi Abbas

From the beginning of Ramadan, every year, Muslims congregate in various Mosques or Learning Centres where the exposition of the Qur’an (Tafsir) is rendered by learned Muslim scholars. This is in accordance with the Prophetic tradition which encourages better understanding of the Qur’an.

Linguistically, Tafsir means exposition. But technically, it means the comprehensive analysis of the Qur’an, spiritually, linguistically, logically and semantically.

In other words, Tafsir is the comprehensive exposition of the contents of the Qur’an, as usually done by learned Muslim scholars especially during the month of Ramadan throughout the Muslim world.

Because of the coded language of the Qur’anic revelation, it became necessary for the verses of that sacred Book to be decoded for the purpose of thorough understanding by the Muslim Ummah when the Prophet was alive.

And the example of this was laid by Prophet Muhammad (SAW) himself to the great delight of his companions.

From the explanation above, it therefore becomes clear that the revelations of the Qur’anic chapters and verses were the immediate causes of intellectual research in Islam.

For instance, Arabic, the original language of the Qur’an, had no grammar prior to the revelations of the divine message. The grammar of that language evolved only from the contents of the Qur’an.

Read Also: Abuse of Ramadan

 

With time, the challenge which the Qur’an threw to humanity in all spheres of life led to serious competition among scholars.

Thus, each time a revelation came, the Companions of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) were always eager to know why and how of every what. And this led to their very close association with the Prophet who paved the way for them towards that intellectual research.

Although the formal study of Tafsir as an independent intellectual discipline did not begin until many years after the demise of Prophet Muhammad (SAW), he (the Prophet) nevertheless, started its process.

He did not only educate his companions about the exoteric and esoteric meanings of the revealed verses of the Qur’an, he also explained their application to the daily life of man as well as the implications of same.

It was the prophet who decoded most of the coded areas of the Qur’an for proper understanding of the ordinary Muslims.

Through his utterances and actions which were later to be known as Hadith and Sunnah, the contents of the Qur’an became more and more understandable to the Muslims even as further researches continue today.

Thus, after the prophet’s demise, Hadith and Sunnah together became an independent subject of research paving man’s way to higher firmaments in civilization.

And this has helped, in no small measure, to expand the scope of Tafsir. It is from Qur’anic researches that, all new discoveries and new frontiers in knowledge became adapted to the study of Tafsir until Tafsir itself became an estuary through which every stream of knowledge was passed to mankind.

But what problems does Tafsir face in the contemporary time? Read the answer to this question in this column tomorrow in sha’Allah. Ramadan Karim!.

 

By Femi Abbas

When the sacred religion called Islam emerged through Prophet Muhammad (SAW) over 1,400 years ago, it was with certain fundamental norms that were meant to guide humanity towards all   virtuous acts in life. One of the most formidable pillars of that divine religion is fasting in the month of Ramadan. With it, all genuine Muslims are supposed to fortress themselves against any satanic recklessness that could turn them into wild beasts.

Qur’anic revelations

Now, we are in the sacred lunar month in which the revelation of the Qur’an began in 610 C.E. It was in this divine month that the last divine constitution with which to liberate mankind from the shackles of Satan was revealed. The real spiritual essence of Ramadan is to show mankind the right path to Paradise through a phenomenal transit called the world.

This allegorical month is a special school in which Prophet Muhammad (SAW) was both the pioneer student and the pioneer teacher at the same time. All other students who passed through this school or are still passing through it are heirs to those   forerunners in the name of shepherds.

Duties of Shepherds

The duty of the heirs to the above mentioned forerunners is to serve as shepherds for the wandering flocks of the universe. It is this duty that confirms man as Allah’s vicegerent on earth. Anyone who is in a position to serve as a shepherd but does otherwise has surely contravened the rules of his or her Creator.

Ironically, most of those we perceive as shepherds in our society are worse than the presumed ‘lost sheep’ they are supposed to guide aright. For those who know and appreciate it, the opportunity of rebirth provided by this sacred month has no duplicate. It is like a ‘once in a while’ train which every commuter should endeavour not to miss. Missing it is like missing a lifelong destiny of fortune. But will the recalcitrant ones among the so-called Alfas heed the warning?

A Season of jamboree

With the arrival of Ramadan in the world last year, just like in the previous years, a scene of jamboree took over most radio and television stations, especially in the Southwest of Nigeria. Many pseudo Alfas who had become redundant before Ramadan quickly dusted their gowns and turbans for the purpose of sharing in the annual largess which they believed that the sacred month had brought for them. Such pseudo Alfas who might have taken advantage of some ignorant ‘money bags’ in the society by asking them to sponsor Ramadan preaching on radio and television stations swarmed the airwaves like bees in a hive. With little or no knowledge at all, those pretenders posed like scholars and dished out rubbish by arrogating to themselves the knowledge which they evidently did not possess. Their displayed symbols of scholarship included big gowns, big turbans, untidy beards and irrelevant long rosaries.

Clerics or Charlatans

One of the characteristics of charlatans, who pose as clerics, is to spend the first 10 minutes or thereabout in singing the praises of their sponsors and in chanting some irrelevant slogans even as they relay some fabricated, primordial stories with neither genuine roots nor any relevant bearing with Islam. Their trade in stock is to seek fraudulent recognition for themselves by showing their faces on television stations or by airing their voices on radio stations just to be accorded the status of Alfas. Such are people who have no Islamic knowledge and do not see the need for seeking it. Rather than guiding the multitudes of uninformed Muslims aright, which is the primary duty of qualified, genuine Muslim clerics, they further mislead them. Of course, no one can give what he does not have.

To this category of so-called Alfas, all that matters is the money they want to make through their deceptive appearances as well as the cheap fame they want to gain as a boost to their fraudulent gimmicks.

That is why such people resort to public verbal attacks on one another with little consideration for decorum which Islam recommends affirmatively.

And, through such shameful deeds, the charlatans invariably create an   impression   that Ramadan is an annual festive booty celebrated with fanfare in a jamboree.

Faulty Recitation

The most embarrassing aspect of their action is not only the faulty recitation of the Qur’anic Verses but also the shameless misinterpretation which they give to those Verses. This, on its own, is not just an abuse of Ramadan but also a flagrant abuse of the Qur’an. That is how the charlatans turn the sacred month into a gross abuse of Islamic religion. What those charlatans do not understand is that the Qur’an, in its original form, is not just any book that any charlatan can dust up once in a year as a means of fetching money for selves but a Sacred Book on which account will be given.

Unnecessary Controversy

Meanwhile, there is a raging controversy among Muslim scholars over the first and last revelations in the Qur’an. Much as this controversy is unwarranted, it may be necessary to clear the coast here (without laying any claim to authority) if only for the purpose of authenticating history.

It is almost a consensus that the first revealed chapter in the Qur’an is Suratul ‘Alaq (Chapter of the Clot). But the very first Qur’anic words that reached Prophet Muhammad (SAW) in form of revelationthrough Angel Jibril was ‘BASMALAH’ (ie Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim) meaning: In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful, which precedes every chapter in the Qur’an except one Suratut-Tawbah.

As a Messenger of Allah to another Messenger of Allah, Angel Jubril couldn’t have commanded Prophet Muhammad (SAW) to read anything without doing so in the name of Allah who sent him with the message.

Thus, Suratul ‘Alaq, as preceded by ‘BASMALAH’, could only have been the first revealed chapter but not the first revelation. And that is logical.

As for the last revelation in the Qur’an majority of Nigerian Muslim scholars believe that it is chapter 5, verse 3 of the Qur’an which says: “Today, I have perfected your religion for you and completed my favour on you. And, I am pleased with Islam for you as religion”.

That verse of the Qur’an that was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (SAW) at ‘Arafah while performing his only but  farewell Hajj couldn’t have been the last revelation. It was revealed about 81 days before the demise of the Prophet (SAW). And there was another revelation, thereafter, which came about nine days before the Prophet fell terminally sick. This can be found in Qur’an 2: 281 which says: “And fear the day when you shall all return to Allah; the day when every soul shall be requited according to its desert and none shall be wronged”.

How not to recite Suratul Fatihah

The issue of Basmalah mentioned above is a reminder of the status of Suratul Fatihah and how not to recite it.

Suratul Fatihah is not just one of the 114 chapters of the Qur’an, it is also the very first chaper of of that Sacred Book. This Surah was named the opening chapter because of the indispensable role it plays not only in the observance of Salat but also in the faith of a Muslim.

Unlike all other chapters of the Sacred Book, Suratl Fatihah was revealed twice to Prophet Muhammad (SAW) within the 22 years that the whole Qur’an was revealed. Revealing the chapter twice (once in Makkah and once in Madinah) was a divine emphasis on the specialty of its importance in the practice of Islam. This is the Surah that Prophet Muhammad (SAW) codenamed ‘Mother of the Glorious Book’ (ie: the Qur’an) because of its strategic position in the Sacred Book which makes it the summary of the whole Qur’an. It is the only chaper in the Qur’an that sustains the authenticity of Salat and confirms its acceptability to the Almighty Allah.  Any Salat without recitation of Suratul Fatihah in full is null and void.

The Jurisprudential Role of Basmalah 

The word Basmalah is, connotatively, the acronym of ‘Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim’ which is the first of the seven verses of Suratul Fatihah.

Suratul Fatihah is the only chapter of the Qur’an that has ‘Bamalah’ (Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim) as one of its verses. This means that recitation of Basmalah as part of that chapter is as compulsory on Salat as the recitation of the whole Chapter itself. If the rule of Islamic jurisprudence (Fiqh) demands that the recitation should be aloud, as in the case of Salatus-Subh and Maghrib and Isha’i, the recitation of Basmalah must also be aloud. If, on the other hand, the recitation should be silent as in the case of  Salatud-Dhuhr and ‘Asr, the recitation of Basmalah too, must be silent. There should be no half way about it.

To all other chapters of the Qur’an, Basmalah is not classified as a verse. It is just a prefix that an observer of Salat may decide to read or not to read after Suratul Fatihah. That Suratul Fatihah  contains seven verses and the very first of those verses is Basmalah cannot be taken for granted. Only Allah knows why He revealed it as such and He alone has the final authority on the rules of its recitation. Suratul Fatihah itself is divinely classified into three segments.

The first Segment consists of the first three verses that emblazon and glorify Allah. The second segment consists of two verses by which an observer of Salat or reciter of the Surah, makes two fundamental promises to Allah. One of those two promises is to worship Him (Allah) alone (without associating anything with Him) and the other is to seek only His divine (Alla’s) help and not that of any other entity (Iyyaka na’budu wa iyyaka nasta’in).

The third segment of that chapter contains prayer with which to seek Allah’s divine guidance towards the right path as toed by the previous rightly guided people and not the path of those who, by going astray, have incurred the wrath of Allah.

The Message and the Messenger

Ramadan is a month of correction of errors and that of affirmation of right. On most occasions, when religion becomes an issue, the message is often weightier than the messenger.  Today, most Imams, scholars and individual Muslims do recite Suratul Fatihah, while on Salat, to the exclusion of Basmalah which is the very first verse of that obligatory chapter. This means that in their own wisdom, that Surah should contain six verses rather than the seven verses that Allah revealed to Prophet Muhammad (SAW).

Implication

The implication of this is that by refusing to recite Basmalah statutorily as part of Suratul Fatihah, the reciter has either beheaded that chapter against the rule of its revelation or he/she has edited the contents of Allah’s revelation to mankind. But, if we may ask a question here, who is that mortal being that is wiser than the immortal Supreme Entity that revealed Suratul Fatihah on purpose?

This is a weighty question that requires a straight forward answer without any rationalized argument as a justification for deviation from Allah’s own Sunnah. The Almighty Allah Who revealed Suratul Fatihah twice with seven verses, including Basmalah, had a reason for doing so. And, no mortal being can claim any wisdom as reason for reducing the seven verses of that chapter to six on the basis of mere rationalization. Islam is such a dynamic religion that cannot be reduced to the level of dogmatism by which some other religions are characterized. In other words, Islam cannot be turned into a religion in which the clerics are considered more important than the revealed words of God. If Allah had wanted the recitation of Basmalah on Salat to be a matter of choice, He would have separated it from Suraul Fatihat as He did with other chapters in the Qur’an. Therefore, whoever must recite Suratul Fatihat on Salat, must recite it completely without removing a verse from it. Thus, in order not to lead the followers astray, let presumed leaders of Islam do the right thing as prescribed by Islamic jurisprudence.  Ramadan Karim!

Clarification

The earlier verse was an accentuation of Hajj as the last pillar of Islam. And that was why it came on Arafah Day. The latter is a reminder of man’s final destination and the account of his worldly activities. These and many more are what readers of the Qur’an should know inside out. But the big question is this: who will teach them when the supposed teachers have sold out to money and ignorance? To Muslims who are conscious of their spiritual affinity and retain their conscience for the day they will meet their Creator and account for their deeds on earth ‘The Message’ says RAMADAN KARIM!