Winter
Omar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: 'Winter is the booty of the worshippers.'
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All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds. And prayers and peace of Allah be upon our prophet, Muhammad, and all his family and companions.
Nowadays, we hear much about winter; rather we feel it. So, we yearn for its nights and await its days. Also, we may be now among those who experience these nights at the time being. Therefore, we should have stops with this season in order that Allah the Exalted the Glorious may open the hearts for them.
The first stop: Contemplation and consideration
The best thing that people agreed upon is to contemplate on Allah’s signs and creatures and to make this contemplation a reason for getting the hearts and intentions connected with Him alone. How much Allah’s signs are in everything people could feel or could not feel! Lives may end without having the ability to know them all. However, let us contemplate on the great wisdom that lies in the hot and cold weather, and their being crucial to the plants and animals. Consider how each one of them gradually replaces the other. In fact, if they replaced each other suddenly, this would harm and exhaust the bodies and plants; this is like going out from a bathroom where the temperature is very high to some place where the temperature is very low. Unless there are care, wisdom, mercy and beneficence, this would not have occurred. So, could you contemplate and consider?!
The second stop: Allah’s signs in winter
1- The thunderbolts: Allah Almighty said: {And Ar-Ra'd (thunder) glorifies and praises Him, and so do the angels because of His Awe, He sends the thunderbolts, and therewith He strikes whom He wills, yet they (disbelievers) dispute about Allah. And He is Mighty in strength and Severe in punishment.} [Surat Ar-Rad 13:13].
{وَيُرسِلُ الصَّوَاعِقَ فَيُصِيبُ بِهَا مَن يَشَاءُ وَهُم يُجَادِلُونَ فِي اللهِ وَهُوَ شَدِيدُ المِحَالِ} الرعد: 13
Transliteration: Wayusabbihu alrraAAdu bihamdihi waalmalaikatu min kheefatihi wayursilu alssawaAAiqa fayuseebu biha man yashao wahum yujadiloona fee Allahi wahuwa shadeedu almihali
2- Thunder and lightning: It is narrated on the authority of Ibn ‘Abbas that he said: “Jews came to the Prophet (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) and said: “O Abu Al-Qasim, tell us about the thunder, what is it?” The Prophet replied: “It is one of the angles in charge of the clouds and has instruments made of fire to lead the clouds to where Allah wills.” They asked: “So, what about the sound that we hear?” The Prophet replied: “It is his shouting to the clouds to go to where it is ordered.” The Jews said: “You have told the truth.” [Authenticated by Al-Albani in Sahih At-Tirmidhi].
«أقبلت يهود إلى النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم، فقالوا: يا أبا القاسم أخبرنا عن الرعد، ما هو؟ قال: ملك من الملائكة موكل بالسحاب، معه مخاريق من نار يسوق بها السحاب حيث شاء الله. فقالوا: فما هذا الصوت الذي نسمع؟ قال: زجرة بالسحاب إذا زجره حتى ينتهي إلى حيث أمر. قالوا : صدقت...» صححه الألباني في صحيح الترمذي
3- Rain and cold: Allah Almighty said: {See you not that Allâh drives the clouds gently, then joins them together, then makes them into a heap of layers, and you see the rain comes forth from between them; and He sends down from the sky hail (like) mountains, (or there are in the heaven mountains of hail from where He sends down hail), and strikes therewith whom He wills, and averts it from whom He wills. The vivid flash of its (clouds) lightning nearly blinds the sight} [Surat An-Nur 24:43].
{أًلَمَ تَرَ أَنَ اللهَ يُزجِي سَحَاباً ثُمَّ يُؤَلِّفُ بَينَهُ ثُمَّ يَجعَلُهُ رُكَاماً فَتَرَى الوَدقَ يَخرُجُ مِن خِلالِهِ وَيُنَزِّلُ مِنَ السَّماءِ مِن جِبَالٍ فِيهَا مِن بَرَدٍ فَيُصِيبُ بِهِ مَنَ يَشَاءُ وَيَصرِفُهُ عَن مَّن يَشَاءُ يَكَادُ سَنَا بَرقِهِ يَذهَبُ بِالأَ بصَارِ} النور: 43
The third stop: Complaint
It is narrated on the authority of Abu Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “The Fire made a complaint before the Lord saying; "O Lord, some parts of mine have consumed the others." So it was allowed to take two exhalations, one exhalation in winter and the other exhalation in summer. That is why you find extreme cold (in winter) and extreme heat (in summer).” [Agreed upon]
«اشتكت النار إلى ربها، فقالت: رب أكل بعضي بعضا، فأذن لي بنفسين: نفس في الشتاء ونفس في الصيف، فأشد ما تجدون من الحر، وأشد ما تجدون من الزمهرير» متفق عليه
Dear brother, remember the bitter cold of hellfire when you feel the coldness in this worldly life; actually, connecting between the worldly scene and hereafter increases man’s faith.
An ascetic person says: “Whenever I see the fall of ice, I remember the records’ flying in the Day of Resurrection.”
The fourth stop: Monotheism in winter
Nowadays, some Muslims ascribe the fall of rain to the phases of the moon; in fact, this ascription is divided into three divisions:
1- Ascription of creation: Means that the phases of the moon are the creators of rain by itself; without the will from Allah. This is major polytheism that gets the Muslim out the folds of Islam.
2- Ascription of causality: Means considering that the phases of the moon causes the rain and believing that Allah is the Creator. This is minor polytheism, because whoever believes in a reason Allah did not specify, by His revelation or destination, he is polytheist minor polytheism.
3- Ascription of time: This is permissible; it is like saying ‘we had the rain that comes in X time’. That is why the scholars said: “It is forbidden to say ‘we had the rain of X time’ and it is permissible to say ‘we had the rain that comes in X time.’” However, the best thing is to say “We had rain by the grace and mercy of Allah”, as it is mentioned in the Hadeeth. [Agreed upon]
«مطرنا بفضل الله ورحمته» متفق عليه
The fifth stop: Winter and man’s lifetime
By living till this winter, a complete year has elapsed from our lifespan and it will be a witness for us or against us. The believer stands with himself, a truthful stand and says to himself: “Life is just three days; yesterday had gone away with its affairs and tomorrow is a hope you may not live till its coming. If you were among the people who will live tomorrow, you have to know that tomorrow comes with its provision. And between yesterday and tomorrow there is a day and night in them many persons perish, and you may be one of them. Therefore, it is sufficient to care just for your recent day.”
You had bore on your weak heart the solicitudes of the years, catastrophes, high and low costs of living, requirements of winter before its coming and requirements of summer before its coming; so, what did you leave in your weak heart to its hereafter?
Every day shortens your lifetime and you do not feel sorry for that!
The sixth stop: The one body
Someone swears by Allah the Great that he has two grandmothers (i.e. paternal grandmother and maternal grandmother) sleep under one quilt because of the bitterness of the cold.
Dear beloved brother,
We live this season along with people who turn their faces toward our Qiblah and perform prayer and pilgrimage like us; so they have rights upon us. This season, with its bitterness, is not here only; rather we have to feel that there are people who need mercy and help more than us. We have to remember those whom cold touched or, even worse, got in their bones. Actually, there are Muslims none of them ever dreams of having a piece of cloth as a surplus in your wardrobe!
Dear brother in Islam,
I ask you by the name of Allah to tell me; how many garments each one of us have? There are much good and uncountable grants, but where is our acting upon it? My complaint is before the Lord. Dear brother, do not belittle a small thing, because the mountains are just pebbles. Therefore, you should go ahead and give charity, even if it is little; your charity may be trivial in your eyes while it is great and significant in the eyes of the needy poor person.
The seventh stop: Among the rules of purification in winter
1- The pure water of rain: It eliminates the impurity and removes the filth; Allah Almighty said: {and We send down pure water from the sky} [Surat Al-Furqan 25:48].
{...وَأَنَزَلنَا مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً طَهُوراً} الفرقان:48
Transliteration: waanzalna mina alssamai maantahooran
2- Performing ablution well in the cold weather is expiation to the sins: Actually, perfecting ablution is required in every time.
3- Mud is much in the winter and the clothes may be splotched with it; so some people may be confused about its rule.
The answer: It is not obligatory to wash the mud that stains the clothes, because it is considered pure. Some of the Tab’een (i.e. the followers of the companions of the Prophet) used to walk in the mid of water and mud of rain then get in the Masjid and pray. However, in our recent time, it is necessary to care for the cleanness of the carpets of the Masjid.
4- Putting on the socks is common in winter. Because of Allah’s mercy toward His servants, He allowed wiping over the socks, if they are put on in case of purity and covered the part that should be washed. This is for a day and night (i.e. 24 hours) for the resident person and three days and nights (i.e. 72 hours) for the traveler. The period is counted from the first time of wiping over the socks, according to the most authentic saying, even if it was without having state of impurity. Wiping over the socks is done by putting your hand over its front tip then drawing it back till reaching your leg; it is not obligatory or recommended to wipe over the sole of the foot or the heels.
Whoever put on socks then put on another over it, before having a state of impurity, he is allowed to wipe over any of them (i.e. the one he likes).
If he put on a pair of socks, and then he was in a state of impurity, and then he put on another pair of socks over the first pair of socks, before performing ablution; he should wipe over the first one.
If he put on a pair of socks, and then he had a state of impurity, and then he wiped over the first socks before putting on the second socks; he could wipe over the second socks, according to the most authentic saying. The period of wiping, in this case, will be counted from the time of the first wipe.
If he put on two socks at the same time, and then he wiped over the upper one, then he removed it; he could wipe over the lower one till the end of the duration permitted for wiping.
5- Among the violations of purification in winter:
A. Some people do not perform ablution well, because of the cold; they may not completely wash the parts that should be washed completely. In fact, this is not permissible.
B. Some people do not completely roll up their sleeves for washing their arms; this may lead to letting part of the arm without washing, which will invalidate ablution.
C. Some people believe that heating water for ablution is detestable; although they have no evidence for such belief.
The eighth stop: Among the rules of prayer in winter
1- Combining the prayers of Dhuhr and Asr and the prayers of Maghreb and Isha in the time of one of them, if the reason of combining is found (i.e. having difficulty in winter because of rain, mud or cold severe winds). This is permission from Allah the Exalted the Glorious and He likes that His servants take benefits from His permissions. The details of the rules of combining the prayers are mentioned in the books of Fiqh (i.e. jurisprudence).
2- Among the violations of prayer in winter:
A. Veiling man’s mouth: It is proved that the Prophet (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) allowed covering man’s mouth. When the Muslim man enters the Masjid, he should unveil his mouth. However, he is allowed to cover his mouth during yawning in prayer; whether it is by hand or anything else.
B. Performing prayer in front of fire: Putting heating stoves in the Masjid or houses is common in winter and sometimes they are put in the way of the Qiblah which is declared detestable by the scholars, because it indicates resembling the Magus (fire worshippers); even if the person who performs prayer did not mean that. It is just an abolishment for anything that may lead to polytheism or resembling polytheists.
3- Performing prayer on the riding animal or in the car: It is permissible in case of fearing harm or fearing the end of the prayer’s time, if it was not one of the prayers that may be combined together in winter.
Ibn Qudama said in Al-Moghni: “If he feared being harmed in the prostration and feared that his hands and clothes may be polluted by mud and water, he could pray on his riding animal and use gestures for prostration.”
The ninth stop: Supplication in winter
1- At seeing wind: “O Allah, I ask from You its good and the good that it comes with, O Allah, I seek refuge with You from its evil and the evil that it comes with.” [Muslim]
((اللّهم إنّي أسألك خيرها وخير ما أرسلت به، وأعوذ بك من شرها وشر ما أرسلت به))
Transliteration: Allahuma Iny Asaluka Khayraha Wa Khayra Ma Ursilat Bih, Wa A’uthu Bika Min Shariha Wa Shari Ma Ursilat Bih.
2- At seeing clouds: “O Allah, I seek refuge with You from its evil.” [Authenticated by Al-Albani]
((اللّهم إنّي أعوذ بك من شرها))
Transliteration: Allahuma Iny A’uthu Bika Min Shariha
3- When seeing rain: “O Allah, make it a beneficial rain” [Al-Albani, authentic] or “Mercy” [Muslim]. It is desirable for the servant of Allah to supplicate Allah much at the fall of rain, because it is one of the times of having the supplications answered by Allah, according to the Hadeeth that is declared good by Al-Albani in the authentic chain (1469).
((اللهم صيبًا هنينا)) أو ((اللهم صيبًا نافعًا)) أو ((رحمة))
Transliteration: Allahuma Sayiban Hayian or Allahuma Sayiban Nafi’an or Rahma
4- If rain became intense and there is a fear of having harm because of it: “O Allah, let the rain be on our surrounding and not on us. O Allah, (Let it rain) on the plateaus, on the hills, in the valleys and over the places where trees grow.” [Agreed upon]
((اللهم حولينا ولا علينا، اللهم على الآكام والظراب، وبطون الأودية ومنابت الشجر))
Transliteration: Allahuma Hawalayna Wala ‘Alayna, Allahuma Al-Akam Wath-Tharrabi Wa Button Al-Awdya Wa Manabit Ash-Shajar
Tip: It is desirable for the believer, at the beginning of the rain, to uncover expose his body to the rain drops (because it has just come new from its Lord). This is the doing of the Prophet (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him and the reason that he declared.
The tenth stop: Fire in winter
In winter and any other time, the believer should beware of letting the heating stoves on during his sleep, lest there may be fire or suffocation. It is reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim that the Prophet (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “This fire is an enemy of yours. So when you go to sleep, extinguish it.” And in another narration: “Do not leave the fire lighting in your homes when you go to sleep.” Actually, safety could be gained by following the instructions of the Prophet (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him).
«إنّ هذه النّار إنّما هي عدو لكم فإذا نمتم فاطفئوها عنكم» وفي رواية: «لا تتركوا النّار في بيوتكم حين تنامون» متفق عليه
The eleventh stop: Forefathers’ joy because of the winter
Omar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “Winter is the booty of the worshippers.”
Ibn Mas’oud said: “Welcome winter; it is the time where the bless gets down, night becomes long for performing night prayer and day becomes short for observing fasting.”
Al-Hassan said: “How great the winter is for the believer! Its night is long for praying in it and its day is short for fasting in it.” That is why the diligent forefathers wept for having remissness in winter (if there was any) by not praying its nights or fasting its days.
And may Allah mercy Mu’addad who said: “Unless there are three things; thirst in the hot days, praying in the nights of winter and enjoying reciting the Book of Allah at night, I would have been just a drone in the house.”
This is about our forefathers. As for the people of our time, we have nothing to say except asking Allah to guide us and correct our affairs. There are negligence to the obligations and acts of duties, violation to what is made inviolable by the Lord of the earth and sky and spending the nights in doing what displeases Allah, darkens the heart and abolishes the light of faith.
So; dear brothers,
Do your best for gaining the satisfaction of the Most-Gracious Ar-Rahman in the long nights of winter, along with the other nights, and fast many of its days. The Prophet (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Fasting in the winter is the cold booty.” [Al-Albani declared it good for its multiple ways of narration]
«الصوم في الشتاء الغنيمة الباردة» حسنه الألباني لشواهده
By Allah, it really is a booty; so, where are the sincere Muslims who gird for it?
The twelfth stop: Weak Ahadeeth about the winter
There are weak and false Ahadeeth mentioned repeatedly by some lay people and journalists wear the cloak of the religious knowledge and state Fatwa make them astray and get others strayed with them. Actually, the meaning of some of these Ahadeeth is sound, but they could not be attributed to the Prophet (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him). Among these Ahadeeth are;
1- “Winter is the spring of the believer.”
2- “Cold is the root of all diseases.”
3- “Angels feel happy when winter ends because of the affliction and difficulty that the poor experience in it.”
4- “Beware of cold because it killed your brother, Abu Ad-Dardaa.”
5- “The hearts of the children of Adam become soft in the winter; this is because Allah created Adam from mud, and the mud becomes soft in the winter.”
At the end of these stops, which are twelve as the months of the year, I ask Allah the Exalted the Glorious to open our hearts for faith and use us in obeying Him.
Compiled by: Zahir IbnMuhammad Ash-Shuhry