Islam is a religion that celebrates seeking knowledge as a virtue. Al-Imam Al-Ghazali in his book Minhaj Ul-‘Abideen, tells us that in order for us to perform our acts of worship and to be safe from error, we must first know God before worshipping Him. But Muslims of today are not mindful of this. We are too lackadaisical towards the practice of Islam, about the basic principles and guidelines of Islam, thus are neglectful and committing errors. Sadly our Imams assume, we know, but in reality, many do not know and do not strive to know. During different prayers (salaat) the five compulsory prayers or Nawafil of all kinds, we see Muslims standing in prayers, praying with their hands at their sides (sadl), or clasping the hands (qabd). Really, majorities want to fold hands (qabd) without understanding the appropriate manner, (putting the right hand over the left on the chest) thus, doing it far away from the recommended mode. Imagine the various postures in this picture, one wonder, where Muslims get these various postures from? Or who taught them these? Certainly, they just assumed folding is folding regardless of how it is done. This is where lack of knowledge about religion has put us. The generations of today’s Muslims are in the dark, thinking they are in the light. Many now follow a way other than that of the Prophet or ways in the books of fiqh of the four madhhabs. Logically, it is inconceivable to even think that with the availability of books, the internet and numerous Islamic schools, many are still far away in basic knowledge.
2023-10-02