Don’t delay 3 things

Main Topic

• Understanding the Hadith regarding Islam beginning as something strange and returning to being strange in the end times.
• Reflecting on how traditional Sunnah practices and core Islamic rulings are increasingly viewed as strange by modern society.

Key Lessons

• Rasulullah (Sallallahu alayhi wasallam) specifically advised Sayyiduna Ali (Radiyallahu anhu) not to delay three critical matters: performing Salah when its time enters, carrying out Janazah when present, and arranging Nikah when a compatible match is found.
• Society has inverted many priorities: missing Salah or delaying Nikah and Janazah has become normalized, whereas prompt adherence to Sunnah is often seen as unusual or inconvenient.
• Small Sunnah practices—such as eating on the floor, wearing Islamic attire, and maintaining punctual Salah—must not be trivialized or abandoned.
• Glad tidings ("Tooba") belong to the "Ghuraba" (strangers) who remain steadfast upon the Sunnah despite societal disapproval.

Quranic/Hadith References

• Surah An-Nur (24:21): Warning believers against following the footsteps of Shaytan.
• Hadith: "Islam began as something strange and it will return to being strange as it began..."
• Hadith (narrated by Hz. Ali Radiyallahu anhu): "O Ali, do not delay three things: Salah when its time enters, Janazah when present, and an unmarried woman's marriage when a compatible match is found."
• Hadith: "Tooba lil Ghuraba" (Glad tidings to the strangers).

Practical Advice

• Perform Salah strictly on time and avoid making prayers Qada due to work, business, or routine affairs.
• Expedite marriages and funeral rites according to the Sunnah rather than delaying them for custom or convenience.
• Revive Sunnah practices in the home without feeling self-conscious about being seen as strange by others.