How
many times have you heard in reply to the question, “What is the benefit of, or
reason for fasting or praying?”, that prayer is a kind of exercise and
calms the nerves, and that fasting helps to remove toxins and organize one’s
eating, and many similar things, instead of the actual religious benefit of
praying and fasting? The answer will obviously be – “many times”.
This
brief note is a piece of advice to those who when asked about any acts of
worship in Islaam, they give its worldly aspects and scientific benefits first,
rather than the actual religious aspect for what it was ordained. Many of them
don’t even know the religious aspect and benefits of the acts of worship in
Islaam, but are only knowledgeable of its worldly/scientific benefits.
Shaykh
Muhammad ibn Saalih al-’Uthaymeen (rahimahullaah) said in an answer to
one of the question:
“I
would like to take this opportunity to point out that when some people speak
about the benefits of acts of worship they speak only of worldly benefits. For
example, they say that prayer is a kind of exercise and calms the nerves, and
the fasting helps to remove toxins and organize one’s eating. We should not
make worldly benefits the be-all and end-all, because that will lead to a
weakening of sincerity and failure to seek the Hereafter. Hence Allaah stated
the reason for fasting in His Book, namely that it brings about taqwa (piety,
fear of Allaah). The religious benefits are what really matter, and the worldly
benefits are secondary.
When
we speak to the common people we should tell them about the religious aspects,
and when we speak to those who are not convinced by anything but material
matters we should tell them about both the religious and worldly aspects. For
each there is a time and a place.”
Source: “al-‘Ilm”,
page number 77, by Sheikh Muhammad Ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaimeen (may Allaah have
mercy on him).
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