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Tazkiyah

IXThe Sunnah

The only lit runway

There are many runways leading to different lands. There is only one which leads to the Prophet ﷺ.

It is the footsteps of the beloved which illuminate the path towards Allah — seeing his footsteps as the runway towards success.

A runway at night marked out by rows of green approach lights, an airliner seen from behind with its engines glowing
The Sunnah: the path of enlightenmentp.100

And in the allegory the Sunnah is also the windows. They are the reflection of the Prophet ﷺ: when the traveller looks out, he sees only him, his beauty, and the beauty of the Hereafter. And when others wish to see who is aboard the plane of closeness, what they see is his Sunnah — which is how they know who is on the path to success.

An airliner marked Tareeqah Muhammadiyah climbing into a blue sky, each window labelled: sleeping, eating, talking, dealing, conduct, character
The windows of the plane are the actions of the Sunnahp.99

Three a month

How the book asks you to take them on

Not all at once. The instruction is to practise and act upon three acts of Sunnah every month, and to build on them — beginning with three relating to one aspect of the Prophet’s ﷺ life, such as eating and drinking. The following month, three more from another aspect, such as sleeping. And so on.

Every Sunnah that one adopts contains a special light. The Sunnah is the manual to paradise. It is the key to all the worlds. It is the key to unlocking the closeness of Allah.

Alongside the acts themselves, the book provides a sheet for assessing how far one is acting upon the Sunnah across twelve aspects of life — asking, for each, whether three, five or seven of its practices have been taken up:

The greatest of all miracles is to remain steadfast on it.

Appendix B · 94 acts

The prophetic manners, behaviour and character

Numbered as the book numbers them, so that a seeker working from the printed sheet and a seeker working from this page are counting the same thing.

Sunnah of upon awakening2 acts · nos. 1–2
  1. As soon as one wakes, rub both palms on the face and eyes so that the sleep disappears.
  2. To make miswak on awakening.
Sunnah of eating27 acts · nos. 3–29
  1. To wash the hands and gargle the mouth before and after eating.
  2. To make the intention that: 'I am eating to gain strength for Allah's worship.'
  3. Let one third of the stomach be for food, one third for water, and let one third be left empty.
  4. Eat only when you are hungry.
  5. Stop eating when you could still eat — never eat to your fill.
  6. To eat with the right hand.
  7. Use the right hand when taking or giving someone food.
  8. To sit on the floor and eat in one of three ways: squatting with the buttocks away from the ground; sitting on one leg with the other knee raised; or sitting on both legs as in the tashahud position.
  9. Never lean against anything whilst eating.
  10. To remove the shoes before eating.
  11. When eating together, the most pious or the eldest should be made to begin.
  12. If one can easily eat with three fingers then it should be done, and the fourth not used unnecessarily.
  13. If two or more are eating together, each should eat the food closest to him. It is incorrect to eat what is in the middle, or in front of others.
  14. If a variety of dishes are served, it is permissible to take any one wishes and to leave what one does not feel like eating — without passing any remarks.
  15. Steaming food should not be eaten until it cools down.
  16. Do not blow on any foodstuff.
  17. To have vinegar and honey in the house is sunnah.
  18. While eating, if any crumbs or pieces of food fall, they should be picked up and eaten, and not left for Shaytan.
  19. Whilst eating, if a visitor arrives, he should also be requested to join the meal.
  20. When eating together, try to eat until the end — to be the last eater — so as to accompany the slow eaters; and if that is not possible, excuse yourself.
  21. If several people are eating dates or grapes together, none should take them in twos without the permission of his companions.
  22. If a servant has cooked the food, he should be requested to eat with us, or separately.
  23. The habit of gargling the mouth together with washing the hands after meals is a source of great blessing.
  24. After eating, one should lick the fingers and the plate, as it is possible that Allah the Sustainer has kept blessing and barakah on the particle left behind.
  25. The middle finger should be licked first, followed by the index, and lastly the thumb, when using only three fingers. If more are used, then after those three, the little finger and then the ring finger.
  26. The dastarkhan — the tablecloth — should be lifted in front of the diners: they should clear it, fold it and lift it before they themselves stand up.
  27. The dastarkhan should be spread on the floor, as our Prophet ﷺ never ate on a table.
Sunnah of drinking11 acts · nos. 30–40
  1. Water and all other halal liquids should be drunk with the right hand, as Shaytan uses the left hand for eating and drinking.
  2. To drink in three separate sips.
  3. To recite 'Bismillah' before, and 'Alhamdulillah' after, drinking.
  4. Not to blow into any hot drink to cool it.
  5. To sit and drink. It is disallowed to drink water whilst standing.
  6. However, to stand and drink Zamzam water, and the water left over after making wudu, is allowed.
  7. The person who serves others should himself eat last.
  8. Not to drink from a large container such as a jug or bottle, but rather from a tumbler or cup.
  9. One should not drink from the chipped end of a cup.
  10. It is disallowed to use gold and silver utensils.
  11. Drinking water after meals is not the Sunnah, especially if the water is very hot or very cold, as both are harmful.
Sunnah of the night26 acts · nos. 41–66
  1. To recite 'Bismillah' while closing the doors and fastening the locks.
  2. Containers with foodstuff — even water — should be covered with the recitation of 'Bismillah'. A stick could also be used to cover them, but 'Bismillah' should be read.
  3. To put out any burning fire.
  4. To switch off anything which may catch alight if left on.
  5. To discuss matters relating to Islam with the members of the household — telling stories, or simply talking about matters that please them, within the limits of the Shariah.
  6. When children reach the age of nine or ten years, the bedding of the females should be separated from that of the males.
  7. To have kohl available, and to apply it three times in the right eye and three times in the left — for oneself and for the children.
  8. To lay or spread the bed oneself.
  9. To dust the bed before sleeping.
  10. To make miswak, even though one has already done so for the Isha prayer.
  11. Before sleeping, to recite Surah Ikhlas, Falaq and Nas in that order, with the full 'Bismillah' before each; then to blow on the palms, and rub them three times over the entire body — beginning at the head and ending at the toes.
  12. To use pillows to rest the head on.
  13. Sleeping in any of the following ways with the intention of following the Sunnah shall merit reward: on bedding, or on a mat or carpet made of cloth; on the floor; or on a bed.
  14. It is disallowed to lie face downwards on the stomach.
  15. It is disallowed to lie flat on the back with one leg over the other, unless there is no fear of exposing the private parts.
  16. To sleep on the right side, facing towards the Qibla.
  17. To sleep with the right hand under the head, and with the knees bent.
  18. To recite any Surah from the Qur'an that one remembers — especially Surah Mulk and Surah Alif-Lam-Mim-Sajdah.
  19. Reciting Surah Waqiah before sleeping, which safeguards one from hunger and poverty.
  20. To sleep in a state of purity — with wudu, and ghusl if necessary.
  21. If someone has experienced a pleasant dream and wishes to relate it, he should relate it to a learned and compassionate person, so that it is interpreted correctly.
  22. After a nightmare, one should recite the ta'awwuz once and blow to the left side three times. One should also change the side on which one is sleeping, and should not mention such dreams to anyone.
  23. To have water and miswak ready in advance for wudu.
  24. To sleep with the intention of getting up for Tahajjud.
  25. To perform the Tahajjud prayer before Subh as-Sadiq, the early dawn.
  26. To perform at least two, and at most eight, rakaat of Tahajjud. This is the Sunnah — though there is no limit for optional prayers. One may also do other worship, or sleep, provided the Fajr prayer is not missed.
Sunnah of dressing15 acts · nos. 67–81
  1. The Prophet ﷺ liked wearing the kurta, the long shirt, the most. His sleeves reached to his wrists, and the neckline of his kurta was towards his chest.
  2. The kurta of the Prophet ﷺ used to be above his ankles, reaching to the mid-calf.
  3. Men should wear their lower garments above the ankles.
  4. The clothes of the Prophet ﷺ consisted of a sheet, an izar or loin-cloth, a kurta and an 'amamah or turban. He also had a cloth with which he would dry his face after wudu. He liked striped sheets. He used to wear a cap beneath the 'amamah, and sometimes only a cap. Sometimes the 'amamah had a tail, and other times it did not; the tail used to fall between the shoulders of his back.
  5. The Prophet ﷺ wore a black 'amamah on the day of the conquest of Makkah.
  6. It is disallowed for men to wear silk and gold, but it is allowed for women.
  7. The Prophet ﷺ preferred white clothing, but he also used a black blanket.
  8. When putting on shoes or clothing, to begin with the right and then the left.
  9. When removing shoes or clothing, to begin with the left and then the right.
  10. It is disallowed to walk wearing only one shoe.
  11. The Prophet ﷺ would not throw away clothing until it was worn and patched.
  12. The Prophet ﷺ wore strapped sandals and leather socks.
  13. Whenever he lifted his shoes, he did so with the fingers of his left hand.
  14. The Prophet ﷺ cursed the man who puts on a woman's clothing, and the woman who puts on a man's clothing.
  15. When wearing new clothes, the Prophet ﷺ used to praise Allah with any suitable praise, then perform two rakaat of optional prayer, and give the old clothes away to someone in need.
Sunnah of dealings and transactions13 acts · nos. 82–94
  1. Regarding which occupation is best to engage in, the Prophet ﷺ said: trade, and work which is done with one's own hands.
  2. One must always be honest in all one's business dealings — whoever is will be in the shade of the Throne of Allah on the Day of Judgement.
  3. One must not break one's promise.
  4. One must not condemn the goods that one seeks to purchase.
  5. One must not unduly praise or exaggerate one's goods when selling them.
  6. One must not avoid the payment of one's debt, or even prolong its payment.
  7. One must not pressurise the person who owes one money.
  8. One must assist others who seek to enter into business and trade.
  9. Be gentle at the time of buying, of selling, and of requesting payment — Allah's mercy descends upon such a one.
  10. In a hadith qudsi Allah says: 'I am a one third partner of a two man partnership, until one of them acts dishonestly to his partner — and in such an event, I then leave them.'
  11. Hadhrat Umar declared: only one who has knowledge of the Islamic business laws of trade shall trade in our business area.
  12. The Prophet ﷺ said: he who cheats when buying or selling is not of us; and one who swindles, embezzles or indulges in any fraudulent conduct shall be in the fire.
  13. The Prophet ﷺ said: whoever sells a defective article without disclosing its defects to the purchaser shall earn the permanent anger of Almighty Allah, and the angels continuously curse such a person.

The book’s own summary of the practice is short: you should try to follow and act upon three acts of Sunnah every month, and build on them. That is all. Ninety-four acts, three at a time, is a little over two and a half years — which is roughly the pace the rest of this book moves at too.