Question
What is the view of the Shariah with regarding monetary incentives to draw people in particular the youth towards the Masjid? A competition was recently held in one town whereby children/youth of up to a certain age were to register with an organisation and thereafter attend a particular salaah with jamaat in a few masaajid that were part of this competition. The attendance was to be done for a certain number of days after which successful candidates were to get awarded. To maintain "integrity", roll calls were also done for that particular salaah. I cannot come to terms with this initiative. I feel it to be in direct contradiction to the ways and methodologies set down by the Shariah. Further, there exists a serious concern as to whether those participating in this competition are performing salaah for the pleasure of Allah Ta'ala (which should be the object of our life) or to gain the insignificant material incentives being given by this organisation. Please advise what is the stance of the Shariah regarding this type of competition.
Answer
All these competitions and prizes doled out ostensibly to draw people to the Musjid are a mockery of the Deen and inspirations of Iblees. It is a method of riya, takabbur and pure nafsaaniyat. This mockery of Ibaadat is akin to kufr. There is absolutely no Ikhlaas in such 'ibaadat'. In some places in America to lure people, especially their youth drifting into atheism and barbarism, to the empty churches, they served hot dogs and coke as holy communion. These haraam 'ibaadat' competitions are worse than the hotdog-coke scheme of the Christian priests. It is not permissible to participate in these haraam competitions which make a joke and mockery of Salaat which the Qur'aan describes as the "Greatest Thikr". The exceptionally low and degraded level of spiritual degeneration in which Muslims are wallowing can be adequately understood from this mockery of Salaat organized by Munaafiq rascals. Whereas ibaadat is a sombre exercise of meditating on Allah Ta'ala, these rascals have transformed it into a merrymaking stunt for winning stupid, haraam prizes. Their hallucinated objective for the shaitaani completion is waswasah urinated into their brains by Iblees. The slightest contamination in niyyat corrupts the ibaadat which is rejected by Allah Ta'ala. Prizes for ibaadat? It is indeed shocking and unimaginable. But we are in the era which is in close proximity to Qiyaamah, hence the fitnah of the dunya is incremental by the day. The Hadith instructs us to constantly make dua for protection from the 'fitnah of the dunya and the athaab of the qabr'. Allah Ta'ala says in the Qur'aan Majeed: "The life of this world is but play and amusement while the abode of the Aakhirat is best for those who have Taqwa (who fear Allah Ta'ala). What! Have you no intelligence?" Today even ibaadat has been transformed into play and amusement based on Riya (show and ostentation). Those rubbishes who have devised this satanic scheme of 'ibaadat' competitions are in reality bereft of Imaan. In a dream a man saw a Buzrug. On asking of the Buzrug's condition in Barzakh, he replied: "A meticulous reckoning of my a'maal (deeds) was taken. I was rewarded for the death of my cat because I had grieved. But, was not rewarded when my donkey had died because I was annoyed and a curse slipped from my mouth. A silk thread in my topi of which I was not even aware was recorded as an evil deed in my account. The ibaadat which made me happy when people saw me engaging in it was not recorded among my good deeds." In other words, such ibaadat was nullified by the feeling of happiness which was tantamount to riya. On hearing this, a Wali commented: "He is most fortunate for not being punished for such ibaadat." Now form your own conclusion regarding these shaitaani schemes of 'ibaadat competitions'.
- Source
- themajlis.co.za
- Published in
- The Majlis Vol 26 No 06
- PDF page
- 8
Verbatim verified against the source PDF
Appears under THE CALAMITY OF USURPING INHERITANCE AND PROPERTY. This heading is the nearest headline at or before the page and is approximate. Do not cite it alone.