NÂFILA AND FARZ WORSHIPS

This letter of Hadrat Imâm Rabbânî’s ‘quddisa sirruh’ was written for Tâhir-i-Bedahshî (123th letter of the first volume of his Maktûbât). It states that an act of nâfila worship, be it a hajj, will be good for nothing if it causes an act of farz worship to be missed:

My wise brother. The valuable letter sent by Molla Tâhir, who is as cleanly as his name, has arrived here. My brother! It is stated in a hadîth-i-sherîf: “Allâhu ta’âlâ’s disliking a slave of His will be known from that slave’s sparing time for frivolities.” To perform an act of nâfila worship instead of performing an act that is farz means to work in vain. Therefore, we should study what we are spending our time with. We should know what we are busy with. Are we doing nâfila worship or farz worship? A number of prohibitions, harâms are being committed for performing a nâfila hajj. You should think well! A mere signal will do with a wise person. I send my salâm to you and to your friends. [It is understood from this letter as well that the sunnats of four of the five daily namâzes, with the exception of the sunnat of morning namâz, should be performed with the niyyat (intention) of (making) qadâ.]