Killing 3 birds with 1 stone

From Ibnu Umar radhiallahu 'anhuma that the Prophet (PBUH) said: "To pray in congregation (Solat jamaah) is 27 times more beneficial than to pray alone." (Dari Ibnu Umar radhiallahu 'anhuma bahawasanya Rasulullah s.a.w. bersabda: "Shalat jamaah adalah lebih utama dari shalat fadz - yakni sendirian -dengan kelebihan dua puluh tujuh darjat."(Muttafaq 'alaih))

Based on the above hadith, I always try to go to a mosque to perform the "solat jemaah." Where I work, it takes me about 7 minutes of walking to arrive at the nearest mosque and of course less than that if I am to drive there. So I have 2 choices, either to walk or drive there. Which one should I choose, then?

As you may have guessed correctly, I chose to walk there because of the following hadith:

From Abu Hurairah r.a. who heard the Prophet (PBUH) said: "Whoever cleanses himself ("berwuduk") at his home and then goes to one of Allah's houses (the mosques) to perform one of the five obligatory prayers ("solat fardhu"), therefore every step that he takes (on the way to the mosque) will remove one sin from him and the next step will raise his status ("darjat") to a higher level." (as "riwayat" by Muslim)

So it's nice to have our sins removed and status elevated higher ("dinaikkan darjat") everytime we walk to the mosque, don't you think? But what if we have a transport like a motorcycle or a car to take us there? Do we get the same benefits as walking? This question was subsequently answered when I attended one of the religious talks ("ceramah") by an Ustaz (religious teacher) who said that we get the same benefits as walking if we ride a motorbike or drive a car to the mosque. So, given the choice between walking and transportation, which one should we choose? To answer that question, let's look at the following hadith:

From Anas bin Malik r.a. who heard the Prophet (PBUH) said, "Make it more convenient and not more difficult, be calm and not be fearful."
Hadis Anas bin Malik r.a katanya:" Rasulullah s.a.w pernah bersabda: permudahkan dan jangan memayahkan, tenangkan dan jangan menakut-nakutkan. (Riwayat Muslim)

Thus, between walking and driving, which one is more convenient? It is of course more convenient to drive than to walk. So, I decided to drive instead of walking to the mosque to perform my "solat zohor" and "solat asar" there.

This went on for quite some time until a few days ago I came across another hadith which says that " A strong Muslim is much better and loved by Allah than a weak Muslim." (Seorang mukmin yang kuat adalah lebih baik dan dicintai oleh Allah berbanding mukmin yang lemah - Riwayat Muslim)

I deduce that to become a strong Muslim, one must be healthy,and to be healthy, one should exercise more often (apart from eating good food, has enough rest and peace of mind and heart).

I have always wanted to walk from day one, but because I was "convinced" by the above hadith that one should choose the more convenient way of doing things if there are more than one way of doing it, I decided to drive. Furthermore, I haven't come across a hadith which says that one can also get one's sins forgiven and one's status elevated if one is to go to the mosque by using a transportation as the ustaz had mentioned.

Thus, by walking to the mosque, one gets at least 3 benefits, namely,

1. One gets 27 times the benefit of praying alone.

2. One gets one sin forgiven for every step taken and one "darjat" elevated with the next step taken and so on until one reaches the mosque. The further the distance the more benefits one shall get. Thus, for a total of say, 500 steps, 250 sins are removed and one's "darjat" is raised 250 times.

3. One gets to become more healthy and therefore stronger with the exercise that one gets by walking to and from the mosque. A lot of chronic diseases, like high-blood pressure and diabetes, were due to lack of exercise.

Thus, without further delay, I started walking to and from the mosque starting from yesterday (1/11/11). I carry an umbrella with me just in case it rains or it gets unbearably hot. I have also told my friend that I have to stop going with him in his car to the mosque. He at first thought that there was something wrong with his car or the way he drove, but after hearing my explanation that my decision had nothing to do with them, he finally understood and felt better.

If you are unhealthy or overweight, why not you try "killing" 3 birds with one stone by walking to and from the mosque. instead? :)