(It should be noted that the night of Saturday is Friday night as we know it in the west).
According to a traditional report transmitted on the authority of Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be well pleased with him), the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) once said:
If someone performs twelve [voluntary] cycles of ritual prayer [ithnatai 'asharata rak'a] on a Saturday night, at some point between the [obligatory prayers of] sunset [al-maghrib] and late evening [al-'isha'], Allah (Exalted is He) will build a palatial mansion for him in the Garden of Paradise. It will be as if he had made a charitable donation [tasaddaqa] to every believing man and woman [mu'min wa mu'mina]. He will be uncontaminated by the errors of Judaism [al-Yahudiyya], and it will be an obligation [haqq] incumbent upon Allah to grant him forgiveness.
* * * * *
A REMINDER CONCERNING THE IMPORTANCE OF (A) FULFILLING ONE'S OBLIGATORY RELIGIOUS DUTIES [FARA'ID] BEFORE ENGAGING IN THE PERFORMANCE OF SUPEREROGATORY DEVOTIONS [NAWAFIL], AND (B) PERFORMING SUPEREROGATORY DEVOTIONS [NAWAFIL] WITH THE INTENTION OF MAKING UP FOR PREVIOUS OMISSIONS IN THE PERFORMANCE OF OBLIGATORY RELIGIOUS DUTIES [FARA'ID].
We have already discussed this topic in the Discourse on Repentance [Majlis at-Tawba], as well as elsewhere in the course of this book, but the following points deserve to be reiterated here:
The worshipper's first priority must be the complete and proper performance of all obligatory religious duties [fara'id] and customary observances [sunan]. After these have been discharged, and only then, he may engage in supererogatory devotions [nawafil], whether these be connected with ritual prayer [salat], fasting [siyam], charitable donation [sadaqa], or any of the various forms of worshipful service ['ibadat].
(It should be noted that the night of Saturday is Friday night as we know it in the west).
According to a traditional report transmitted on the authority of Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be well pleased with him), the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) once said:
If someone performs twelve [voluntary] cycles of ritual prayer [ithnatai 'asharata rak'a] on a Saturday night, at some point between the [obligatory prayers of] sunset [al-maghrib] and late evening [al-'isha'], Allah (Exalted is He) will build a palatial mansion for him in the Garden of Paradise. It will be as if he had made a charitable donation [tasaddaqa] to every believing man and woman [mu'min wa mu'mina]. He will be uncontaminated by the errors of Judaism [al-Yahudiyya], and it will be an obligation [haqq] incumbent upon Allah to grant him forgiveness.
* * * * *
A REMINDER CONCERNING THE IMPORTANCE OF (A) FULFILLING ONE'S OBLIGATORY RELIGIOUS DUTIES [FARA'ID] BEFORE ENGAGING IN THE PERFORMANCE OF SUPEREROGATORY DEVOTIONS [NAWAFIL], AND (B) PERFORMING SUPEREROGATORY DEVOTIONS [NAWAFIL] WITH THE INTENTION OF MAKING UP FOR PREVIOUS OMISSIONS IN THE PERFORMANCE OF OBLIGATORY RELIGIOUS DUTIES [FARA'ID].
We have already discussed this topic in the Discourse on Repentance [Majlis at-Tawba], as well as elsewhere in the course of this book, but the following points deserve to be reiterated here:
The worshipper's first priority must be the complete and proper performance of all obligatory religious duties [fara'id] and customary observances [sunan]. After these have been discharged, and only then, he may engage in supererogatory devotions [nawafil], whether these be connected with ritual prayer [salat], fasting [siyam], charitable donation [sadaqa], or any of the various forms of worshipful service ['ibadat].
