Stairs to Bliss - by Imam Shurunbulali (rahmatullahi alaihi)
Explication
by Shaykh Husain: 
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Section Two: The Acts of Worship
Commentary
Islamic law divides actions into those occurring between man and his Creator,
e.g. prayer, and those occurring among men, e.g. business transactions.
The former are called rituals of worship ('ibadat) while the later are
called dealings (mu'amalat). Traditionally a major portion of books of
fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) was devoted to dealings. In fact, one of
the greatest books of Hanafi fiqh, the Hidayah, devotes three-fourths
of its text to mu'amalat.
While Allah (swt) may overlook deficiencies in our rituals of worship, His Supreme Justice requires that misdealings among his servants be considered, and not merely overlooked. Although this introductory text emphasizes acts of worship, interpersonal dealings should be rectified with a similar degree of fervor.
The
author divides this work into two parts. The first elucidates articles
of faith ('aqidah) and the second concerns the jurisprudence of the acts
of worship. This translation and commentary focuses on the jurisprudence
of acts of worship ('ibadat) as derived from the Quran and sunnah by the
scholars of the Hanafi school of legal theory.
The Book of Purification
Commentary
The shari'ah classifies substances as either pure or impure. For example,
cloth is pure and urine is impure. A pure substance may assume a state
of impurity if afflicted with something impure. For example, should drops
of urine fall on a piece of cloth, the cloth takes on a state of impurity.
To return to its original pure state, the object must undergo purification.
This chapter deals with understanding the means of attaining purification.
Although various tools of purification exist, including derivatives of
the earth and sunlight, water is the primary tool of purification.
Explication
by Shaykh Husain:
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