By Kamil Uddin
عن أبي هريرةَ ، قال: قال محمدٌ ،أمَا يَخْشَى الذي يَرْفَعُ رَأْسَهُ قبل الإمامِ أن يحوِّل الله رأْسَهُ رأْسَ حِمَار. – الترمذي
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, “Does he who raises his head before the imam [in prayer] not fear that Allah will change his head into a head of a donkey?” (Tirmidhī)
Analysis
This statement of the Prophet refers to the act of lifting the head in sajdah and rukūʿ before the imam in ṣalāt. The Arabic letter alif at the beginning of the statement is an interrogative particle and the mīm a negative particle; together they combine to form an intensifier, or harf al-tanbīh, whose purpose is to alert the listener to carefully consider of the words of the speaker.
A Donkey Mistake: Preceding the Imam in the Movements of Salat
عن أبي هريرةَ ، قال: قال محمدٌ ،أمَا يَخْشَى الذي يَرْفَعُ رَأْسَهُ قبل الإمامِ أن يحوِّل الله رأْسَهُ رأْسَ حِمَار. – الترمذي
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, “Does he who raises his head before the imam [in prayer] not fear that Allah will change his head into a head of a donkey?” (Tirmidhī)
Analysis
This statement of the Prophet refers to the act of lifting the head in sajdah and rukūʿ before the imam in ṣalāt. The Arabic letter alif at the beginning of the statement is an interrogative particle and the mīm a negative particle; together they combine to form an intensifier, or harf al-tanbīh, whose purpose is to alert the listener to carefully consider of the words of the speaker.