“But it’s not fard”
Assalamu Alaikum.
[Fard = obligation]
That’s the chirp of many Muslims when they are told about any mustahabb (recommended) act in Islam. They say “But it’s not fard”. [Translation: “I’m not required to do it.”]
[Fard = Pleasing to Allah; Mustahabb = Pleasing to Allah
Did I miss something?]
I wonder what those people will have to say about the following hadeeth:
ما من عبد يقول في صباح كل يوم ومساء كل ليلة بسم الله الذي لا يضر مع اسمه شيء في الأرض ولا في السماء وهو السميع العليم ثلاث مرات فيضره شيء
وكان أبان قد أصابه طرف فالج فجعل الرجل ينظر إليه فقال له أبان ما تنظر أما إن الحديث كما حدثتك ولكني لم أقله يومئذ ليمضي الله علي قدره
Abaan ibn Uthman said: “I heard Uthman ibn Affan saying: ‘The Messenger of Allah (salallahu alaihi wasallam) said: “There is no worshipper who says, in the morning of every day, and the evening of every night: ‘In the Name of Allah, Who with His Name, nothing in the earth or heaven can cause harm, and He is All-Hearing, All-Knowing’ three times, (except that) nothing shall harm him.” ’
“And Abaan had been stricken with a type of semi-paralysis, so a man began to look at him, so Abaan said to him: “What are you looking at? Indeed, the hadeeth is as I reported it to you, but I did not say it one day, so Allah brought about His decree upon me.” [Sunan At-Tirmidhi, Hadeeth No. 3388. Graded “haseen sahih” by Al-Albani in Sahih Sunan At-Tirmidhi, Hadeeth No. 3388.]
Reciting this dhikr (remembrance) twice a day is “not fard”, it’s “just mustahabb”. However, look at what happened to the son of Uthman (radiallahu anhu) when he forget to say it one day!
However, I have a sneaky suspicion that everyone reading this post might have been motivated to say this dhikr.
So here it is:
The time for it is after Fajr (until sunrise) and after Asr (until Maghrib).
Let’s strive never to miss this dhikr. That would be a calamity, wouldn’t it?
PS. If anybody wants the transliteration of the dhikr, let me know, insha-Allah.
