Blessing Of Tarawih: The Virtue of Completing the Holy Qur’an

Finishing the Holy Quran with spiritual passion

Wherever the Holy Quran is recited once in the Tarāwīḥ Ṣalāh, it is preferable to finish it on the 27th night. There should be a feeling of sadness and grief at the time of finishing the Quran. The thoughts of carelessness and inattention during reciting or listening to the Quran, mistakes during recitation and lack of sincerity should sadden us and make us cry.

Unfortunately, the speech of worldly personalities is listened to attentively but the sacred words of the Creator of the universe عَزَّوَجَلَّ are listened to inattentively. The feeling that only a few moments of Ramadan are left, and 'I don't know if I'll be alive to attain its blessings next year or not' should deeply sadden us. We all should feel ashamed of our carelessness and mistakes committed in Ramadan. If possible, we should weep or at least wear a weeping look as it is good to imitate the pious. If only a single drop of tear shed sincerely in the love of the Holy Quran or in the grief of the departure of Ramadan pleases Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ, then all those present at the time of finishing the Quran are expected to be forgiven due to the blessing of only one that sincere tear.

Lāj rakh lay gunāhgāraun kī

Nām Raḥmān ḥay Tayrā Yā Rab!

'Ayb mayray na k͟hol Maḥs͟har mayn

Nām Sattār ḥay Tayrā Yā Rab!

Bay-sabab bakhsh day na pūc͟h 'amal

Nām G͟haffār ḥay Tayrā Yā Rab!

Have mercy on sinners

Your name is Raḥmān, Ya Rab

Do not expose my faults on Judgement Day

Your name is Sattār, Ya Rab

Forgive me without accountability of my deeds

Your name is G͟haffār, Ya Rab

Tarāwīḥ Jamā'at is a good innovation (Bid'at-e-Ḥasanah)

The Prophet of mankind, the Peace of our heart and mind, the most Generous and Kind صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم performed the Tarāwīḥ Ṣalāh himself and liked it very much. Therefore, he صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم has said: 'Whoever offers Ṣalāh in Ramadan due to faith for earning reward his next and previous sins (the minor ones) will be forgiven.'

However, he صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم didn't offer it consistently lest it (the Tarāwīḥ Ṣalāh) becomes Farḍ for the Ummah. During his reign, Amīr-ul-Mūminīn, Sayyidunā 'Umar Fārūq A'ẓam رَضِیَ اللہُ عَنْہُ saw people at a night of Ramadan offer the Tarāwīḥ individually in the Masjid. Some of them were offering alone while some others were offering with an Imām. Observing this situation, he رَضِیَ اللہُ عَنْہُ said, 'I consider it appropriate to gather them all behind one Imām.' Therefore, he رَضِیَ اللہُ عَنْہُ appointed Sayyidunā Ubay Ibn Ka'b رَضِیَ اللہُ عَنْہُ as their Imām. The following night, he saw people offer (together) with Jamā'at (congregation). Pleased, he commented 'يَعْمَ الْبِدْعَةُ هٰذِهٖ' ('This is a good innovation'). (Ṣaḥīḥ Bukhārī, pp. 658, vol. 1, Ḥadīš 2010)

Dear Islamic brothers! Did you realize how intensely the Beloved and Blessed Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم cares about us! He صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم did not offer Tarāwīḥ Ṣalāh consistently just for fear that it might become Farḍ for his Ummah. This narration removes some doubts and misconceptions as well. For example, Beloved Rasūl صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم could have launched the Tarāwīḥ Jamā'at himself, but he didn't do so giving his Ummah the opportunity to introduce good and useful innovations.

Sayyidunā 'Umar Fārūq A'ẓam رَضِیَ اللہُ عَنْہُ enforced such an act the Holy Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم did not do (i.e. offering Tarāwīḥ with Jamā'at). He صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم did not do this on the basis of his personal opinion. In fact, our Beloved Rasūl صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم had already permitted his Ummah in his visible life up to the Day of Judgement to introduce such new and useful innovations, as clearly stated in the following Ḥadīš.

The Beloved and Blessed Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم has said, 'The one enforcing a good innovation in Islam will get its reward as well as the reward of those acting upon it after him without any reduction in their reward. And the one enforcing an evil innovation in Islam will have its sin as well as the sin of those acting upon it after him, without any reduction in their sins.' (Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, pp. 1438, Ḥadīš 1017)

Twelve good innovations

The foregoing blessed Ḥadīš has made it as clear as a bright day that the permission of introducing new and good innovations in Islam up to the Day of Judgement has already been granted. اَلْحَمْدُلِلّٰہِ عَزَّوَجَلَّ Many such useful innovations were introduced. Some are as follows:

1. Amīr-ul-Mūminīn Sayyidunā 'Umar Fārūq A'ẓam رَضِیَ اللہُ عَنْہُ enforced the Tarāwīḥ Jamā'at, declaring it a good innovation. Therefore, it is obvious that if the blessed companions رَضِیَ اللہُ عَنْہُ introduced a new innovation after the apparent demise of Beloved Rasūl صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم it would be considered a Bid'at-e-Ḥasanah.
2. In past, there used to be no arch (Miḥrāb) in the Masājid for Imams. It was Sayyidunā 'Umar Bin 'Abdul 'Azīz رَحْمَةُ اللهِ عَلَيْہِ who first got an arch constructed in Masjid-e-Nabawī. This innovation (Bid'at-e-Ḥasanah) has now become so popular that Masājid throughout world are identified by the arch (Miḥrāb).
3. Likewise, domes and minarets on Masājid throughout the world are an innovation. Even the minarets of Masjid-ul-Ḥarām did not exist in the time of the Holy Prophet or his blessed companions صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم.
   
4. Īmān-e-Mufaṣṣal
5. Īmān-e-Mujmal
6. The six Kalimahs, their numbers, their sequence (the 1st Kalimah, 2nd Kalimah etc.), and their names.
7. Dividing the Holy Quran into 30 parts, diacritical marks, dividing it into sections (Rukū'), the punctuation marks, and even the dots (above and beneath the letters), publishing it with attractive covers etc.
8. Publishing Ḥadīš books, arguing the authenticity of narrations, dividing Aḥādīš into categories such as Ṣaḥīḥ, Ḥasan, Da'īf, Mauḍū' etc.
9. Fiqh, Uṣūl-ul-Fiqh and 'Ilm-ul-Kalām.
10. Paying Zakāh and Ṣadaqah-e-Fiṭr in the form of coins and printed notes.
11. Going on Ḥajj-pilgrimage by liners and aeroplanes instead of camels.
12. The four orders of Sharī'ah and Ṭarīqah; Ḥanafī, Shāfi'ī, Mālikī, Ḥanbalī, Qādirī, Naqshbandī, Suharwardī and Chishtī.