Question:

I am in some difficulties. my mother follows Christianity and i born as Muslim.

she doesn’t allow me to.perform salah. what should i do? And i get dreams.. sometime scary.. sometimes as if its gonna happen next n it does. help!

                                                                

Answer:

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

It gives us great pleasure to receive your question. We empathize with the difficulty of your predicament. The belief in Tauheed (Oneness of Allah) is central to Islam. It is not easy to hold onto the belief of Tauheed in a Christian environment. Your steadfastness brings to mind the story of Prophet Ibrahim (Peace be upon him) who displayed unwavering belief in the Oneness of Allah in spite of him being surrounded by kufr and shirk. Allah refers to the incident of Ibrahim (Peace be upon him) in the following verse:

وَاِذۡ قَالَ اِبۡرٰهِيۡمُ لِاَبِيۡهِ وَقَوۡمِه اِنَّنِىۡ بَرَآءٌ مِّمَّا تَعۡبُدُوۡنَۙٗ اِلَّا الَّذِىۡ فَطَرَنِىۡ فَاِنَّه سَيَهۡدِيۡنِ‏

“And (remember) when Ibrahim (Abraham) said to his father and his people: “Verily, I am innocent of what you worship, Except Him (i.e., Allah Alone) Who did create me; and verily He will guide me.” 43:26-7

 

The concept of Tauheed lies at the very core of Islam. The notion echoes throughout the teachings of all the previous Prophets (Peace be upon them) sent by Allah. Allah says:

وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا مِن قَبْلِكَ مِن رَّسُولٍ إِلَّا نُوحِي إِلَيْهِ أَنَّهُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنَا فَاعْبُدُونِ

“And We did not send any Messenger before you (O Muhammad P.B.U.H) but We revealed to him (saying): none has the right to be worshipped but I (Allah)], so worship Me (Alone and none else).” 21:25

 

The message of Tauheed has been distilled in the following small but comprehensive chapter of the Quran:

قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ ِِ اللَّهُ الصَّمَدُ ِِ لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ ِ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌِ

Say, “He is Allah, (the) One.   Allah-us-Samad (The Self-Sufficient Master, Whom all creatures need, He neither eats nor drinks).   He begets not, nor was He begotten; And there is none co-equal or comparable unto Him.” 112:1-4

Islam teaches us to obey our parents and to be kind to them. However, we are only required to obey them to the extent that they do not tell us to act contrary to Allah’s commandments. The institution of the five daily prayers holds a very important position in the practice of Islam. In fact, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) has said:

إِنَّمَا مَوْضِعُ الصَّلَاةِ مِنَ الدِّينِ كَمَوْضِعِ الرَّأْسِ مِنَ الْجَسَدِ

‘The position of Salah in Islam is as the position of the head in a body’ [i]

Explain to your mother with respect and love why it is important for a Muslim to observe the five times daily prayers. If she persists in trying to stop you, don’t be dismayed.

In extreme cases, Shariah has allowed one to practice Islam in secrecy. If your mother’s persistence becomes unbearable for you, you may pray secretly until such a time comes when you can live independently.

Don’t let bad dreams dishearten you. You have no need for concern. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) has said:

الرؤيا الصالحة من الله، والحلم من الشيطان

“A good dream that comes trues is from Allah, and a bad dream is from Satan”

 The next time you experience a nightmare adopt the following sunnah practices[ii]:

• Seek protection in Allah from Satan
• Mimic the action of lightly spitting thrice towards the left
• Change your posture by sleeping on your other side

We pray that Allah guide your mother to Islam and that he make all your affairs easy in this life and the hereafter.

And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best

Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai

 المعجم الصغير للطبراني 1/113) [i]

 حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ الشَّعِيرِيُّ الشِّيرَازِيُّ أَبُو عَلِيٍّ الْمُعَدِّلُ، حَدَّثَنَا الْحُسَيْنُ بْنُ الْحَكَمِ الْحِيرِيُّ الْكُوفِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا الْحَسَنُ بْنُ الْحُسَيْنِ الْأَنْصَارِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا مِنْدَلُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ، عَنْ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُمَرَ، عَنْ نَافِعٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «لَا إِيمَانَ لِمَنْ لَا أَمَانَةَ لَهُ , وَلَا صَلَاةَ لِمَنْ لَا طُهُورَ لَهُ , وَلَا دِينَ لِمَنْ لَا صَلَاةَ لَهُ , إِنَّمَا مَوْضِعُ الصَّلَاةِ مِنَ الدِّينِ كَمَوْضِعِ الرَّأْسِ مِنَ الْجَسَدِ» لَمْ يَرْوِهِ عَنْ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ إِلَّا مِنْدَلٌ , وَلَا عَنْهُ إِلَّا حَسَنٌ، تَفَرَّدَ بِهِ الْحُسَيْنُ بْنُ الْحَكَمِ

 صحيح البخاري 4/ 125) [ii]

3292 – حدثنا أبو المغيرة، حدثنا الأوزاعي، قال: حدثني يحيى، عن عبد الله بن أبي قتادة، عن أبيه، عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم ح وحدثني سليمان بن عبد الرحمن، حدثنا الوليد، حدثنا الأوزاعي، قال: حدثني يحيى بن أبي كثير، قال: حدثني عبد الله بن أبي قتادة، عن أبيه قال: قال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم: «الرؤيا الصالحة من الله، والحلم من الشيطان، فإذا حلم أحدكم [ص:126] حلما يخافه فليبصق عن يساره، وليتعوذ بالله من شرها، فإنها لا تضره»