QUESTION:

What do the scholars of the Dīn and muftīs of the Sacred Law state regarding the following issue: I have seen a few people missing out their Fard & Wājib actions and performing Mustahabb instead – what is the Islamic rule regarding such people?

Questioner: Nusrat from UK

ANSWER:

بسم اللہ الرحمن الرحیم
الجواب بعون الملک الوھاب اللھم ھدایۃ الحق والصواب

Busying oneself in Mustahabb actions by leaving that of the Fard & Wājib kind is foolish, silly, ignorance, not using one’s brain and entangling oneself in deception, and such voluntary deeds are not accepted until one still has Fard & Wājib actions left to perform.

Just as the great Shaykh, the helper of mankind & spirits, the great guide & helper, Muhī al-Dīn, abū Muhammad ‘Abd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī, may Allāh Almighty may be pleased with him, writes in his blessed book – the sacred Futūh al-Ghayb – that until one is not free from Fard actions, then it is foolish and ill-advise to busy oneself in Sunnah. So, until one’s Fard acts have not yet been completed, it is thereby ignorance and foolish to become occupied in Sunnah actions, just as he states,

فان اشتغل بالسنن والنوافل قبل الفرائض پس اگر مشغول گردد بسنتہا ونفلہا پیش از اتیانِ فرائض لم تقبل منہ واھین در پذیر فتہ نہ شود از وبلکہ خوار کردہ شود وگفتہ اند کہ اتیانِ نوافل باترک فرائض بداں ماند کہ یکے ہدیہ برد کسے کہ دام وے دارد  ودام ندہد ایں ہرگز قبول نیفتد ونیز گفتہ اند کہ ہرکہ نوافل نزد وے اہم از فرائض باشد وے مخدوع وممکورست و نیز گفتہ اند ہلاک مردم دو چیز ست اشتغال نافل باتضییع فرائض و عمل جوارح بے مواطات قلب

“So, if someone engages themselves in Sunnah & Nafl before [the responsibility of] Fard i.e. if one actually became preoccupied with Sunnah & Nafl before [fulfilling the duty of] Fard, then they will not be accepted[1], rather one will face disgrace & shame. The respected scholars mention that performing Nafl actions and leaving out Fard is like a debtor gifting his creditor but not fulfilling his debt, thereby this gift being rendered invalid. It has also been said that whoever believes that Nafl has more presence as compared to Fard is deluded. It has also been mentioned that two things destroy people; frittering away one’s Fard actions by engaging oneself in voluntary worship and acting upon something whilst not actually wanting to do so wholeheartedly in the first place.”

He also further goes on to state,

کذلک المصلی لا یقبل اﷲلہ نافلۃ حتی یؤدی الفریضۃ وہمچنیں مصلّی مذکور درنمی پذیر دخدائے تعالیٰ مراد رانمازِ نفل را تا آنکہ بجا آرد فرض را پس نہ فرض باشد اوراو نہ نفل و مثالِ دیگر مصلی نفل را بے ادائے فرائض مثل تاجر است کہ سود می خواہد بے سرمایہ چنانچہ می فرمایند ومثل المصلی کمثل التاجر وحال مصلّی مذکور حال سوداگر ست کہ لایحصل لہ ربحہ حاصل نمی شودمر اور اسود درسودا حتی یا خذا راس مالہ تا آنکہ بگیر د سرمایہ خودرافکذٰلک المصلی بالنوافل لایقبل لہ نافلۃ حتی یؤدی الفریضۃ ہمچنیں حال مشغول شوندہ بہ نوافل پذیر فتہ نمی شود مراور انفل کہ بمنزلہ سوداوست تا آنکہ ادا کند فرض را کہ بمشابہ سرمایہ است

“Such as a person who offers salāh – Allāh Almighty will not accept his voluntary acts of worship until he has fulfilled his Fard prayers. Therefore, until a person offering salāh does not perform his Fard, neither will his Nafl be fulfilled nor his Fard. A second example of the one who offers salāh by having prayed his Nafl but not Fard is like a businessman wanting to gain profit without any capital, thus he states the example of the one who offers salāh is that of a businessman i.e. the state of the aforementioned person offering salāh is like that of a trader; he will not gain any profit in [this manner of] business. In other words, the merchant will not make any profit until he attains some stock; how can he gain any profit if he is not purchasing any stock. This is the same matter for the one offering salāh who is praying Nafl; the Nafl of such person cannot be accepted without praying Fard, because Nafl is like the profit of a businessman and Fard is like his stock.”

[Futūh al-Ghayb, section 48, pg 273-275]

[1] i.e. they will be pending

واللہ تعالی اعلم ورسولہ اعلم صلی اللہ علیہ وآلہ وسلم
کتبہ ابو الحسن محمد قاسم ضیاء قادری

Answered by Mufti Qasim Zia al-Qadri
Translated by Haider Ali

Read the original Urdu answer here: [Q-ID0762] I have seen lots of people performing Nafl actions but missing out the Fard, is such worship accepted?

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