Priority in life

Wajib means something which is obligatory. Similarly, Farz also signifies an obligatory practice. However, technically, there is a difference between the two. A Farz practice is based on a categorical proof. Therefore, its degree of obligation also is stronger. However, the proof of a Wajib practice is not so categorical. There is a little reservation and deficiency in its degree of obligation. That is why it is lesser than Farz.

One of the advantages of knowing the degree of each practice is seen when the time is too short to allow one to do only one practice out of two. In such a situation, if we know the rank of these two practices, then we will be able to determine which practice should be given priority. We will not commit the mistake of neglecting a practice which is more important for the sake of a practice which is less important. Let's say that the sun is about to rise and we only have the time to perform either the two Sunnah of Fajr or the two Farz of Fajr. In this case, we will perform the two Farz. Similarly, if we find ourselves caught between doing an act which is Farz and another which is Waajib, then, since we know the rank of these two practices, we will do the Farz act before doing the Waajib one.

Due to lack of this knowledge, many of us are committing many blunders in life at several levels. Our brother or sister may be undergoing great financial difficulty. However, very rarely will very few of us be seen having the willpower and the courage to cancel his Nafl Umrah in order to extend this money to help his brother or sister who is in difficulty.

The exorbitant, excessive and unnecessary expenses in weddings can also be included in these blunders that we are committing without considering those brothers and sisters who do not have the basic necessities to lead their lives.

There is a small category of people who do not indulge in such extravagance. They have other reasons. Some people do not do it because they do not like to spend. Nevertheless, the excellent ones are those who refrain because it is not permissible in the Shari'ah. And the best are those who refrain for the sake of Deen and moreover, they save the money in order to spend it where it will be profitable. And this includes helping those who are in difficulty and problems. This third category is extremely rare. The Sahaabah-e-Kiraam (Radiyallaahu Anhum) were working as porters in the market just to be able to give Sadaqah. It is an exemplary way that the Sahaabah-e-Kiraam (Radiyallaahu Anhum) have demonstrated. An example which we do not find these days.

This can be seen in those whose hearts have been widely opened for Aakhirah. It is incomparably superior and better than the Dunya. Therefore, they have lived according to what they had understood and thus, they had utilised the Dunya in order to harvest the Aakhirah. This is a very advanced stage of Ilm (knowledge) and a very distinguished degree of knowledge, which does not allow the person to betray what he knows. He lives according to his knowledge and he accepts to sacrifice his Dunya in order to be a successful in Aakhirah.

It is this very same character that makes a person give preference to a little Halaal over a lot of Haraam. He is content with a job that is modest because it is Halaal and refrains from accepting a great job which is very prestigious, merely because it is Haraam.

In life there are a lot of things to do. There are certain things that a person finds important to do while, in reality, they are not important. The contrary also is true. That is, there are things that he does not find necessary, yet, they can be very important or even indispensable. The mistake in choosing what should be done makes people waste their lives in useless things to the detriment of their real well-being. There is only one way in order to refrain from doing this mistake. It is to follow the Shariah because the Shariah defines the importance of every movement, every activity and every practice. And it categorises the priority of everyone and it guides people to accomplish every practice in its order of priority. There is a branch in the Shariah which is called Fiqh. It is this branch that explains this field. For example, nowadays the Ulama say that one should not make too much effort to kiss the Hajr Aswad. People may think that they are being discouraged from kissing such a revered object while it is a Sunnah. However, the Ulama are aware of the fact that in the present era, due to the crowd, it is difficult to do it without giving Takleef. To give Takleef to a Muslim is Haraam and to kiss the Hajr Aswad is Sunnah. Is it wise to commit a Haraam just to practice a Sunnah? Of course not. We learn these logics through the Fuqaha.

Similarly, during the time of Qurbani, there are those who remain engaged and preoccupy in performing Qurbani and in distributing the meat to such an extent that they may even neglect the Zohr Salah. Undoubtedly, it is a very grave mistake which people tend not to take into consideration. It is better not to perform such a Qurbani that makes one neglect performing Salah in its time or that makes one neglect it completely.

Similarly, there are many who neglect performing their Salah on time during their Hajj trip. The Ulama say that Hajj itself does not become Farz if it necessitates neglecting Salah on time. Despite this, there are many people who do not take this into consideration because they attach more importance to Hajj than Salah. That is why, many Haajis are seen to be be-Namazi. It is the lack of knowledge that does not allow us to differentiate between what is important and what is more important. We should know that the most important thing is Salah. We are not allowed to sacrifice it for something that is less important. If a person finds himself in a situation where either he performs his ‘Isha Salah on time and misses his presence in 'Arafah which will consequently make him miss his Hajj or completes his Hajj but miss his ‘Isha, then according to some 'Ulama, he should not miss his ‘Isha even if it will make him miss his presence in 'Arafah. It is true that due to practical problems, a group of Ulama advises to perform the Salah by walking so as not to miss Wuquf in 'Arafah and after that, to repeat the ‘Isha Salah. According to this group of ‘Ulama, it is not easy for everyone to get the opportunity to go to Makkah again to repeat that Hajj. That is why they have chosen a way whereby the Hajj is not missed and yet that time does not pass without performing ‘Isha Salah.

To understand the priorities in our lives, we should necessarily follow the research of a category of ‘Ulama called the Fuqaha. Fuqaha is the plural of Faqeeh which signifies an 'Aalim who is an expert in the field of Fiqh. Many people have misunderstood Fiqh. They present it in opposition to the Qur'an and the Hadith. This is a major mistake that a person who truly has knowledge cannot commit. Fiqh is the essence and the extract of Qur'an and Hadith. A Faqeeh is a person who masters this field.

A Faqeeh defines the structure of an Ibaadah. He categorises the value and the importance of every portion of an Ibaadah. For example, let’s consider Salah which consists of several parts and different portions. A Faqeeh shows the status and the degree of importance of every portion. A Faqeeh derives these details from the Qur'an-e-Kareem and the Hadith by using certain principles and regulations. These are details that people usually do not know and these are not within their understanding. It is like ghee which is extracted from milk, which many do not know how to extract and yet, it is found in milk itself and it is extracted from milk itself. Therefore, it is very difficult, not to say impossible, to have an accurate idea of a practice and to understand its structure without following the research of a Faqeeh. Let’s take Hajj which consists of several parts and different rites. These parts do not have the same degree and level of importance. It is a Faqeeh who defines and states the level of every part. We learn the importance of Tawaaf-e-ziyaarat and the indispensability of Wuquf-e-'Arafah in relation to Hajj through the research of a Faqeeh. Otherwise, we tend to treat each aspect of Hajj equally or consider and attach importance to an aspect which is less important, more than another aspect which is more important.

We may be aware of many things in all its details but we do not have the willpower to practice them. For example, we all know the value of Tahajjud Salah but very few of us have the willpower to practice it. The willpower to practice what we know requires another level of training. This training is acquired through the Mashaaikh and the Sufia-e-Kiraam. They are the people who have freed themselves completely from the evil character and have instilled in them the Akhlaaq-e-Hameedah (noble characters). They have attained this high and noble stage through Mujaahadah. Mujaahadah is the combat and struggle of a person against his passions and desires which prevent him from getting close to Allah Ta’ala. This combat is a struggle which continues until the last breath of life. This combat appears very difficult in its preliminary stage but gradually it becomes easy and delicious. A person must follow this training under the supervision of someone who has already been formed. Those who are trained are the Mashaaikh. Therefore, we should follow the Fuqaha, the Mashaaikh and the Sufia to be able to practice Deen as we should. Otherwise, either we will not know what we should do or we will not have the willpower to practice what we know. Nevertheless, it is important to know what we should do and we should have the willpower to practice whatever we know.

[English version of "Priorité dans la vie" – Al Jamiat – Vol. 8 No. 6]