Question
stringlengths 14
3.73k
| Full Answer
stringlengths 19
35.9k
|
|---|---|
What is your ruling in regard to the father, which has been neglecting to the family? He does not support the family for living and he receives money from welfare for his living. He saves almost all the money from welfare that he receives. My mother money is spending on a daily basis such as food. She makes very little money from baby-sitting.
Am I committed a major sin, if my father does not talk to me and mad at me about the money. Is it also committed sin if my mother and I talk behind my father?
My father is following the JAMAH TABLIGH; he likes to do Dawah and worshiping but has no responsibility in the family. Is it true during the prophet lifetime that Sahaba went out to Dawah and left the family behind for ALLAH to take care?
I'm very sorry if my question is being offensive to individual or JAMAH TABLIGH. | Praise be to Allah.No doubt the cause of this problem and others is ignorance of many of the rulings of Islam, and a lack of understanding of a man’s responsibilities towards those whom he is supporting, and the duties towards his family that Allaah has enjoined upon him.
One of the greatest rights enjoined by wives in children is that the head of the family should spend on them; indeed, this is one of the greatest acts of worship and devotion to Allaah that a person can do. Spending on them covers their food, drink, clothing and shelter, and everything that a wife and children need to ensure their good health and physical well being.
Allaah has told us that men are the ones who spend on women, and so they have the status of being qawwaamoon (maintainers and protectors) and of excelling over them, because they spend on them when they give them the mahr (dowry) and maintenance. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Men are the protectors and maintainers of women, because Allaah has made one of them to excel the other, and because they spend (to support them) from their means…”[al-Nisa’ 4:34]
The fact that this spending is obligatory is indicated by the Qur’an, the Sunnah and the consensus of the scholars and of all wise people.
The evidence of the Qur’aan includes the aayat (interpretation of the meanings):
“Let the rich man spend according to his means, and the man whose resources are restricted, let him spend according to what Allaah has given him. Allaah puts no burden on any person beyond what He has given him. Allaah will grant after hardship, ease.”[al-Talaaq 65:7]
“… but the father of the child shall bear the cost of the mother’s food and clothing on a reasonable basis. No person shall have a burden laid on him greater than he can bear…”[al-Baqarah 2:233]
“… and if they are pregnant, spend on them until they deliver…”
[al-Talaaq 65:6]
With regard to the evidence in the Sunnah, many ahaadeeth were narrated which show that it is obligatory for the husband to spend on his wife and children, and those who are under his guardianship. Jaabir ibn ‘Abd-Allaah (may Allaah be pleased with them both) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said in his sermon during his Farewell Pilgrimage:
“Fear Allaah with regard to women, for they are your prisoners. You have taken them as a trust from Allaah, and they are permissible for you through the word of Allaah, and they have the right to be given provision and clothing by you on a reasonable basis.” (Reported by Muslim, 8/183).
‘Umar ibn al-Ahwas (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that he heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say during his Farewell Pilgrimage:
“Verily, you have rights over your women, and your women have rights over you. As for your rights over your women, they are that they should not allow anyone to sit on your beds whom you dislike, or allow anyone into your houses whom you dislike. Verily, their rights over you are that you should treat them well with regard to their clothing and food.”
(Reported by al-Tirmidhi, 1163, and Ibn Maajah, 1851).
Mu’aawiyah ibn Haydah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said:
“I said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, what are the rights of the wife of any one of us over us?’ He said, ‘That you feed her when you feed yourself and clothe her when you clothe yourself, that you do not say to her, “May Allaah make your face ugly!”, and that you do not hit her.’”
(Reported by Abu Dawood, 2/244; Ibn Maajah, 1850; Ahmad, 4/446).
Imaam al-Baghawi said: “Al-Khattaabi said: this is a command to spend on women and clothe them, according to the capabilities of the husband. As the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) made this a right of women, it is necessary whether the husband is present or absent. If the husband is not able to do it, it become a debt which he owes, as with all other duties, whether or not the qaadi (judge) issues a decree to that effect.”
It was reported that Wahb said:
“A freed slave of ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr said to him, ‘I want to go and spend this month there in Jerusalem.’ He said, ‘Have you left enough for your family to live on during this month?’ He said, ‘No.’ He said, ‘Then go back to your family and leave them what they need, for I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) saying: “It is enough sin for a man not to give food to the one whom he is supposed to feed.”’”
(Reported by Ahmad, 2/160; Abu Dawood, 1692).
The original report in is Muslim, where the wording is, “It is enough sin for a man to withhold food from the one whom he is supposed to feed.”
Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah will ask everyone who has been given responsibility about whatever he was responsible for, until He asks a man about his family.” (Reported by Ibn Hibaan).
Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said:
“I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) saying, ‘By Allaah, if one of you were to get up in the morning and carry firewood on his back, and sell it and meet his own needs from the money and give some away in charity, this would be better for him than coming to a man and begging from him, and either being given something or not. The upper hand (the one which gives) is better than the lower hand (the one that takes), and start with those for whom you are responsible.” (Reported by Muslim, 3/96). According to a report narrated by Ahmad
(2/524), it was said: “For whom am I responsible, O Messenger of Allaah?” He said, “Your wife is one of those for whom you are responsible.”
According to a hadeeth narrated by Jaabir ibn Samurah (may Allaah be pleased with him), the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “If Allaah gives something good to any one of you, let him start with himself and his family.”
(Reported by Muslim, 1454).
With regard to the consensus of the scholars:
Imaam Ibn Qudaamah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in al-Mughni (7/564):
“The scholars are agreed that it is the duty of husbands to spend on their wives if they (the husbands) have reached the age of puberty, except in the case of a wife who is rebellious. This was mentioned by Ibn al-Mundhir and others.”
The above references to the texts of Islam indicate that it is obligatory for a man to spend on his family and to take care of their interests. Many hadeeth narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) demonstrate the virtue of this action and show that it is a righteous action in the sight of Allaah. Abu Mas’ood al-Ansaari (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “When the Muslim spends on his family with the hope of earning reward, this is an act of charity for him.”
(Reported by al-Bukhaari, 1/136).
Al-Haafiz ibn Hajar (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in al-Fath (9/498): “Spending on one's family is obligatory according to scholarly consensus. Islam called it sadaqah (charity) lest people think that they are doing it as a duty for which there is no reward, because they knew how much reward there is in giving charity, so that they will not give charity to others until they have given enough to their families. This was to encourage them to give priority to the charity that is obligatory before they give voluntary charity.”
Sa’d ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to him: “Whatever you spend on your family, you will be rewarded for it, even the mouthful which you lift up and place in your wife’s mouth.”
(Reported by al-Bukhaari, 3/164, and Muslim, 1628).
Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “A dinar that you spend in the way of Allaah, a dinar that you spend to free a slave, a dinar that you give to the poor, and a dinar that you spend on your family – the greatest of these is the one that you spend on your family. “ (reported by Muslim, 2/692).
Ka’b ibn ‘Ujarah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “A man passed by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and his Companions were impressed by the man's strength and energy. They said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, if only this was for the sake of Allaah!’ The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘If he goes out to work for the sake of his young children, he is striving for the sake of Allaah; if he goes out to work for the sake of his aged parents, he is striving for the sake of Allaah; if he goes out to work to keep himself from having to beg, he is striving for the sake of Allaah; but if he goes out to work for the purposes of showing off and boasting, then he is striving in the way of the Shaytaan.”
(Reported by al-Tabaraani, Saheeh al-Jaami’, 2/8).
The salaf, may Allaah have mercy on them, understood this duty properly. It was their guideline in their day-to-day life with their families. No one put it better than Imaam al-Rabaani ‘Abd-Allaah ibn al-Mubaarak (may Allaah have mercy on him), who said: “There is nothing better than earning one's own living, not even jihaad for the sake of Allaah.” (al-Siyar, 8/399)
It is not permissible for a Muslim to neglect his family even if he claims that he is travelling for the purpose of worship and righteous deeds, because neglecting one’s family and failing to spend on them is haraam. We have quoted above the advice given by ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr to the one who wanted to stay in Jerusalem: he had to make arrangements for his family’s provision first. So you have to advise your father of the things we have said in this reply, and explain the matter to him politely and kindly. If you can fill the gap left by your father’s negligence by spending some of your own money on your family as much as you can, you will get a great reward, in sha Allaah. We ask Allaah to put all our affairs right. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad. |
AssalmualaykumFor the past 23 years, i endured a lot of physical and mental abuse
from my beloved mother. In all this time,
i have tried very hard to swallow my pain and tolerate it , purely because she is my
mother, regardless. But, sadly, now, at the age of 23 I am finding it very difficult to
Tolerate it anymore. Her constant physical and verbal abuse has made me so ill, that i
have been hospitalised for stress and been recommended to seek professional help. But i
don't want to see a psychologist who would feed me with information and advice that is
hostile to the Islamic point of view.
I ma a very pious women,and know how highly regarded mothers are in Islam, and they have
to be respected regardless. But what about me? Why have i done to deserve all this? Just
recently, i have learnt, from my father, that she is mentally disturbed, and is a product
of her hostile upbringing. But that still doesn't help me?
As i write to you now, she sits outside in the lounge, and refuses to talk to me and works
very hard to make my four sisters and brothers not talk to me either. Sadly, they comply,
so not to make her upset. What really upsets me is that she curses me a lot and makes very
bad du'oas for me, like wish that i die soon from a horrible disease or go to hell.
My real concern is, how much of that would God listen to? What is God's opinion of
me? What's His opinion of her? And what do i do now? Please help and and let me know
what my rights and obligations are as a Muslim daughter. Can mothers do that just because
they are mothers and paradise lay under their feet? What about the children? Jazak allah khayra | Praise be to Allah.Allaah has commanded us to treat our parents well, and He has linked
this to the command to worship Him and the prohibition of associating anything in worship
with Him. The rights of the mother in this regard have been emphasized more than those of
the father.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): Worship none but
Allaah (Alone) and be dutiful and good to parents [al-Baqarah 2:83]. Ibn
Abbaas said: This means treating them with respect and kindness, and lowering
the wing of humility to them, not answering them harshly or glaring at them, not raising
one's voice to them, but being as humble towards them as a slave towards his master.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): And your Lord has decreed that you
worship none but Him, and that you be dutiful to your parents. If one of them or both of
them attain old age in your life, say not to them a word of disrespect, not shout at them,
but address them in terms of honour. And lower unto them the wing of submission and
humility through mercy, and say: My Lord! Bestow on them Your Mercy as they did
bring me up when I was small. [al-Isra 17:23-24]. Al-Baghawi (may
Allaah have mercy on him) said: This means not saying anything that may contain the
slightest hint of irritation. [The word uff in the aayah, translated
here as a word of disrepect] comes from the word aff, which
is similar to the word taff; both words refer to the dirt that collects
under fingernails, and [in Arabic] when one is annoyed and fed up with something, one says
uff! to it.
Abu Baddaah al-Tajeebi said: I said to Saeed ibn
al-Musayyab: I understood everything in the Quraan about respecting ones
parents, apart from the aayah (interpretation of the meaning) But address them in
terms of honour [al-Isra 17:23]. What are these terms of honour [al-qawl
al-kareem]? Ibn al-Musayyab said: It is the way in which a slave who has
done wrong approaches a harsh and strict master.
The obligation of treating ones parents with kindness and respect
is not confined only to Muslim parents; they should be honoured in this way even if they
are kaafirs. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): And We have enjoined on
man (to be dutiful and good) to his parents. His mother bore him in weakness and hardship
upon weakness and hardship, and his weaning is in two years give thanks to Me and
to your parents, - unto Me is the final destination. But if they (both) strive with you to
make you join in worship with Me others of which you have no knowledge, then obey them
not, but behave with them in the world kindly, and follow the path of him who turns to me
in repentance and in obedience. Then to Me will be your return, and I shall tell you what
you used to do. [Luqmaan 31:14-15].
If Allaah has told us to treat even these parents with respect and
kindness, in spite of the heinous sin which they are telling their child to commit, which
is the crime of associating something in worship with Allaah, then what do you think is
the case with Muslim parents, especially if they are righteous? By Allaah, their rights
are among the most important and most certain rights, and fulfilling these rights in a
proper manner is one of the most difficult and most important duties. The one who is
guided to do this is truly guided, and the one who is not helped to do this is truly
deprived. Innumerable ahaadeeth also confirm this. According to a hadeeth narrated by Abu
Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him): A man came to the Prophet
(peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said: O Messenger of Allaah, who among the
people is most deserving of my good companionship? He said, Your mother.
He asked, Then whom? He said, Your mother. He asked, Then
whom? He said, Your mother. He asked, Then whom? He said,
Then your father. (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 4/13, and Muslim,
2548).
Makhool said: Respecting ones parents is an
expiation for major sins.
You have to be patient with your mother and put up with the harsh
treatment on her part, which is upsetting you. By treating her with respect and dealing
with her kindly, you will earn her good pleasure and love. Try to avoid things that will
provoke her and make her angry, even if they are in your interests, without causing harm
to yourself. Your mother, for her part, has to treat you well and stop harming you with
her blows and insults.
With regard to what you mention about her praying against you, if these
duaas are said for no good reason, they will not be accepted. It is not
permissible for her to pray against you for no good reason, because of the general
applicability of the Prophets words: [The prayers] of any of you will be
answered, so long as he does not pray for sin or the breaking of family ties. This
hadeeth indicates that if a duaa includes sin, it will definitely not be
answered. There is no doubt that praying against ones child for no good reason is a
sin.
We ask Allaah to help you to treat her with respect and earn her
pleasure, and to help us all to do that which He loves and will please Him. May Allaah
bless our Prophet Muhammad. |
My wife and I are having bad arguments about money. She makes continual, costly demands of me and my financial situation does not allow for this because of my low wages. I told her and her family about my financial situation before we married. Now we have continuous arguments in which she accuses me of being stingy and I accuse her of being extravagant and demanding more of me than I can do. What should I do about this situation that has brought us to the brink of separation? | Praise be to Allah.One of the most important rights that a wife has is that her husband should spend on her, and his spending on her is one of the greatest good deeds that he can do that will bring him closer to Allaah. This spending covers food, drink, clothing and housing, and all the other things that a wife needs for her sustenance and good health.
With regard to what you mention of your wifes complaints that you are not spending enough on her, Allaah tells us that men are the ones who should spend on women, and they have been given the position of qawwaamah (protector and maintainer) and excellence because of the money they spend on them in the mahr and on their maintenance. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): Men are the protectors and maintainers of women, because Allaah has made one of them to excel the other, and because they spend (to support them) from their means [al-Nisa 4:34]. The Quraan, Sunnah and consensus of the scholars (ijmaa) all indicate that this spending is obligatory.
The Quraan tells us (interpretation of the meanings):
the father of the child shall bear the cost of the mothers food and clothing on a reasonable basis. No person shall have a burden laid on him greater than he can bear [al-Baqarah 2:233]
And if they are pregnant, then spend on them till they deliver [al-Talaaq 65:6]
With regard to the evidence of the Sunnah, many ahaadeeth have been narrated which indicate that it is obligatory for a husband to spend on his wife and children and those under his guardianship, as was proven in the hadeeth of Jaabir ibn Abd-Allaah (may Allaah be pleased with him), who reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said in his Farewell Sermon: Fear Allaah with regard to women, for they are your prisoners. You have taken them as a trust from Allaah, and they have become permissible to you by the word of Allaah, and they have the right to be fed and clothed reasonably by you.
(Reported by Muslim, 8/183).
Umar ibn al-Ahwas (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that he heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say during the Farewell Pilgrimage: Take good care of women, for they are your prisoners and you have no rights over them beyond that, except if they commit open illegal lewdness; if they do that, then you should shun them in their beds and strike them, but not in a way that causes pain. And if they return to obedience, seek not against them means (of annoyance). You have rights over your women and your women have rights over you. Your rights over your women are that they should not allow anyone to sit on your beds whom you dislike, or allow anyone to enter your houses who you dislike, and their rights over you are that you should clothe and feed them properly.
(Reported by al-Tirmidhi, 1163; Ibn Maajah, 1851. Al-Tirmidhi said this is a hasan saheeh hadeeth).
Muaawiyah ibn Haydah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: I said, O Messenger of Allaah, what is the right of the wife of any one of us over us? He said: That you should feed her as you feed yourself and clothe her as you clothe yourself, that you should not say to her May Allaah make your face ugly! and that you should not beat her.
(Reported by Abu Dawood, 2/244; Ibn Maajah, 1850; Ahmad, 4/446).
Imaam al-Baghawi said: Al-Khattaabi said: This means that it is obligatory to spend on her and clothe her, according to the means of the husband. Because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) made it a right of the wife, it is obligatory on the husband whether he is present or absent. If he is not able to do this at any particular time, it becomes a debt that he owes, as in the case of other duties, whether or not the qaadi (judge) imposes it on him for the time when he is absent.
Wahb said: A freed slave of Abd-Allaah ibn Amr said to him: I want to spend this month here in Bayt al-Maqdis (Jerusalem). He said, Have you left your family anything for their provisions during this month? He said, No. He said, Then go back to your family and leave them something for their provisions, for I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) saying, It is enough sin for a man to neglect those he is responsible to feed.
(Reported by Ahmad, 2/160; Abu Dawood, 1692)
The original hadeeth is reported by Muslim (245), with the wording: It is enough sin for a man to keep food away from those he is responsible to feed.
Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: Allaah will ask every responsible person (literally, shepherd) about those for whom he was responsible, whether he took care of them or not, and He will even ask a man about the members of his household.
(Reported by Ibn Hibbaan and classed as hasan in Saheeh al-Jaami, 1774).
Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: By Allaah, if one of you were to go out in the morning and gather firewood on his back, and sell it and make himself independent, and give some of it in charity, this is better for him than his coming to a man and asking for anything, whether he gives or refuses. The upper hand is better than the lower hand, and start with those who are under your care.
(Reported by Muslim, 3/96). According to a report narrated by Ahmad (2/524): It was said, Who are those who are under our care, O Messenger of Allaah? He said, Your wife is one of those who are under your care.
With regard to the consensus of the scholars (ijmaa):
Imaam Ibn Qudaamah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in al-Mughni (7/564): The scholars are agreed that it is obligatory on men to spend on their wives, except in the case of a wife who is rebellious. This was mentioned by Ibn al-Mundhir and others.
The texts referred to above indicate that it is obligatory for a man to spend on his household and to take care of them and their best interests. Numerous ahaadeeth reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) describe the virtue of this and state that it is a righteous deed in the sight of Allaah, for example the hadeeth of Abu Masood al-Ansaari (may Allaah be pleased with him), according to which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: If a Muslim spends on his wife, and hopes for reward from Allaah, it will be counted as sadaqah (charity) on his part.
(Reported by al-Bukhaari, 1/136).
Al-Haafiz ibn Hajar (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in al-Fath (9/498): Spending on ones wife is obligatory according to consensus (ijmaa), and Islam described it as charity lest people think that it is only a duty for which they will not be rewarded, for they already know the rewards for charity. Islam taught them that it will be counted as charity so that they will not give to others besides their wives until they (the wives) have enough, to encourage them to give obligatory charity before they give voluntary charity.
Sad ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to him: No matter what you spend on your family, you will be rewarded, even for the morsel of food you put in your wifes mouth.
(Reported by al-Bukhaari, 3/164, and Muslim, 1628).
Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: A dinar spent for the sake of Allaah, a dinar spent to free a slave, a dinar given in charity to a poor person, and a dinar spent on ones wife the greatest in reward of all these is the dinar spent on one's wife.
(Reported by Muslim, 2/692)
Kab ibn Ijrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: A man passed by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and his Companions were impressed with how strong and energetic he appeared. They said, O Messenger of Allaah, if only this was for the sake of Allaah! The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: If he is going out to earn a living for his young children, this is for the sake of Allaah; if he is going out to earn a living for his aged parents, this is for the sake of Allaah; if he is going out to earn a living so he can keep himself from begging from others, this is for the sake of Allaah; but if he is going out to boast and show off, then this is for the sake of Shaytaan.
(Reported by al-Tabaraani, Saheeh al-Jaami, 2/8)
The salaf (may Allaah have mercy on them) understood this duty properly, and said words to that effect. How marvellous are the words of the great imaam Abd-Allaah ibn al-Mubaarak (may Allaah have mercy on him): There is nothing equivalent in reward to earning money to spend on your family, not even jihaad for the sake of Allaah.
(Al-Siyar, 8/399).
At the same time, your wife should understand that the husbands obligation to spend should be within his means and according to his financial situation, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): Let the rich man spend according to his means, and the man whose resources are restricted, let him spend according to what Allaah has given him. Allaah puts no burden on any person beyond what He has given him. Allaah will grant after hardship, ease. [al-Talaaq 65:7]
She has no right to mistreat her husband by asking him for too much and expecting him to exhaust himself in spending on her; that is bad treatment indeed. Perhaps if you grant her some of her reasonable requests and remind her, gently and tactfully, of the requests that you have fulfilled, you may be able to lessen her anger somewhat and persuade her to stop asking for more. You could also discuss with her, quietly and without resorting to arguing, how important her requests really are and how necessary it is to keep a certain amount for things that are more important, like paying the rent and so on. This may also persuade her to stop asking.
Know that what you lack in financial resources can be compensated for with kind words and promises for when things get better. When Allaah mentioned taking care of ones relatives and upholding family ties, He also mentioned what a person can do who does not have money to give to his relatives. He says (interpretation of the meaning): And if you turn away from them (relatives, the poor etc. whom We have ordered you to give their rights, but you have no money at the time they ask for it) and you are awaiting a mercy from your Lord for which you hope, then speak unto them a kind, soft word (i.e., Allaah will give me and I shall give you). [al-Isra 18:28]
Ibn Katheer (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in his interpretation of this aayah: And if you turn away from them (relatives, the poor etc. whom We have ordered you to give their rights, but you have no money at the time they ask for it) and you are awaiting a mercy from your Lord for which you hope means: if your relatives ask you for something that We have commanded you to give them, and you do not have anything, and you turn away from them because you have nothing to spend on them, then speak unto them a kind, soft word which means, promise them, gently and kindly, that when the provision of Allaah comes, we will give it to you, in sha Allaah.
Know that a good attitude will make her forget the hardship you are going through. You have to be patient and treat her kindly, whilst repeating your advice. If life becomes too difficult and the situation between you deteriorates to such an extent that you reach a total impasse, if your efforts do not succeed and life becomes unbearable, then Allaah has permitted divorce in such cases, and this may indeed be better for both parties, as He says (interpretation of the meaning): But if they separate (by divorce), Allaah will provide abundance for everyone of them from His Bounty. And Allaah is Ever All-Sufficient for His creatures need, All-Wise. [al-Nisa 4:130] |
Some Moslems in a non Islamic country are asking if it is OK to participate in the elections there and vote for non Moslem groups or parties. They claim that it would serve the Moslem community there if a certain group won the elections? | Praise be to Allah.This is a matter concerning which rulings may differ according to different circumstances in different times and places. There is no absolute ruling that covers all situations, both real and hypothetical.
In some cases it is wrong to vote, such as when the matter will have no effect on the Muslims, or when the Muslims have no effect on the outcome of the vote. In this case voting or not voting is all the same. The same applies in cases where all the candidates are equally evil or where they all have the same attitude towards Muslims…
It may be the case that the interests of Islam require Muslims to vote so as to ward off the greater evil and to reduce harmful effects, such as where two candidates may be non-Muslims but one of them is less hostile towards Muslims than the other, and Muslims’ votes will have an impact on the outcome of the election. In such cases there is nothing wrong with Muslims casting their votes in favour of the less evil candidate.
In any case, this is the matter of ijtihaad based on the principle of weighing up the pros and cons, what is in the interests of Islam and what is detrimental. With regard to this matter, we have to refer to the people of knowledge who understand this principle. We should put the question to them, explaining in detail the circumstances and laws in the country where the Muslim community is living, the state of the candidates, the importance of the vote, the likely benefits, and so on.
No one should imagine that anyone who says that it is OK to vote is thereby expressing approval or support for kufr. It is done in the interests of the Muslims, not out of love for kufr and its people. The Muslims rejoiced when the Romans defeated the Persians, as did the Muslims in Abyssinia (Ethiopia) when the Negus defeated those who had challenged his authority. This is well known from history. Whoever wants to be on the safe side and abstain from voting is allowed to do so. This response applies only to elections for influential positions. And Allaah knows best. |
Salaams. Thank you again for the wonderful work you are doing to help the Muslim Ummah. May Allah (SWT) bestow His blessings on you.
My question is of differentiating between what is Zikhr & waht is Bidha. My daily drive to work take me approx. 2hrs and to make good use of this time I Listen to the Quran (Arabic with English Translation) on the way to work and on the way home, I try to say some duas I learnt from a books that were given to me. These book published in India/Pakistan suggest that I should recite a particular dua for 100 times and another dua for 500 times etc.... All the duas in these books have the number of times I should recite them. I have researched many authentic hadiths and cannot find this reciting by certain amount. As a result am I committing Bidha if I recite these duas by the amounts suggested in these books. If so, is there any authentic books you could recommend where I can learne and recite daily duas for Zikhr purposes.
Jazak Allah Khair. | Praise be to Allah.Some saheeh reports from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) describe duaas that can be recited one hundred times during the day and night, such as that reported by Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, Whoever says Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wahdahu laa shareeka lah, lahul-mulk wa lahul-hamd wa huwa ala kulli shayin Qadeer (There is no god but Allaah Alone, with no partner or associate; His is the Dominion and His is the Praise, and He is Able to do all things), one hundred times in a day, it will be equivalent (in reward) to freeing ten slaves, and a hundred hasanaat (good deeds) will be recorded for him, and one hundred sayiaat (bad deeds) will be erased from his record; it will be a protection for him from the Shaytaan all that day until evening comes, and nobody can do any better than that except one who does more than that.
(Reported by al-Bukhaari, 3050).
Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) also reported that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: Whoever says Subhaan Allaah wa bi hamdih (Glory and praise be to Allaah) one hundred times in a day, his sins will be wiped out even if they are like the foam of the sea.
(Reported by al-Bukhaari, 5936).
With regard to trustworthy and reliable books of duaas and dhikr, this is a topic which has been covered in many books, ancient and modern, whether the books deal with this topic on its own or it is included with other material. Some examples are:
Amal al-Yawm wa al-Laylah
by al-Nisaa'i, edited by Faarooq Hamaadah
al-Adhkaar
by Imaam al-Nawawi, edited by Abd al-Qaadir al-Arnaoot
al-Saheeh al-Musnad min Adhkaar al-Yawm wal-Laylah
, published by Daar Ibn Affaan, al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia
Saheeh al-Kalim al-Tayyib
by al-Albaani, al-Maktab al-Islami, Beirut, Lebanon
Husn al-Muslim
by al-Qahtaani, published by Musasat al-Juraysi, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
[Translaters Note: this book is available in English under the title: Fortification of the Muslim through Remembrance and Supplication from the Quraan and the Sunnah, by Saeed ibn Ali ibn Wahf al-Qahtaani]
And Allaah is the Source of strength |
Various samples of cheeses, juices, nuts, meats, perfumes, dairy products etc. come to our laboratory. In some cases the samples are more than is required for testing. For example, a carton of juice holds 30 boxes, and the tests require only 5 boxes. There are many similar examples. Is it permissible for the lab technicians to take them or give them to some deserving people? Knowing that leaving them until all the lab and customs procedures are completed would mean that they may go off and have to be thrown out, and, moreover, many of the traders never come and ask about the rest of their samples. | Praise be to Allah.Firstly:
those who are responsible for requesting samples for quality-control
testing must ask for the amount that is usually sufficient for testing,
and not ask for or accept more than what is needed.
Secondly:
in cases where only some of the amount given is sufficient, whatever is
left over must be handed back to its owner. His address should be written
down on the sample, and an appointment should be made to give back
whatever is left over from the tests. A name of a contact person and an
address should also be obtained, so that the goods may be returned.
Thirdly:
in the event that the owner of the goods or his representative does not
keep the appointment, and there is the fear that the samples may go off,
then they may be sold and the money raised should be given to Bayt
al-maal al-Muslimeen (the treasury of the Islamic state). If they
cannot be sold, they should be given away to the people who are usually
taken care of by the bayt al-maal. |
If one fnds a hole in their prayer garment, and realizes that he/she has
been praying in such a condition (the 'awra could be seen through the hole) for some time,
are all of his/her prayers in need of being repeated? If so, and the person does not know
for how long this occurred, how can they be sure they made up enough prayers? | Praise be to Allah.The scholars, may Allaah have mercy on them, agreed that covering the
awrah is a condition of the validity of ones prayer. The evidence for this is
the aayah (interpretation of the meaning): O Children of Adam! Take your
adornment (by wearing your clean clothes) while praying [al-Araaf 7:31]
The conditions for clothes to cover the awrah properly are as
follows:
They should not show the shape or contours of the body; if they do so,
this is no good because it does not cover properly.
They should be clean (taahir). If the clothes are unclean or impure
(naajis), then it is not correct to pray in them, because it is haraam to have any
impurity (najaasah) on ones body or clothes when praying. Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning): And your garments purify! [al-Muddaththir
74:4]. It was reported that a baby boy who was not yet eating solid food was brought
to the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and he sat the infant in his
lap. The child urinated in his lap, and he called for water and poured it over the urine.
The fact that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) hastened to wash
the childs urine from his clothes indicates that it is obligatory to clean
ones clothes of any impurity that may get on them.
They should be permissible, not haraam, whether they are haraam in and
of themselves, such as silk garments, or because of the way in which they are made, such
as garments that come below the ankles, or because of the way in which they were acquired,
such as garments seized by force or stolen.
With regard to the matter of the awrah becoming uncovered during
prayer, al-Shaafa'i, may Allaah have mercy on him, said: It is good enough for both
men and women to pray with their awrah covered. The mans awrah is what I
have already described (i.e., from the navel to theknee), and all of a woman is awrah, apart from her
face and hands. The top of her feet is also awrah. If during prayer any part of the
area between a mans navel and knees becomes uncovered, or any part of a womans
hair, whether it is a lot or a little, or any part of her body apart from her face and
hands and wrist and no more than that becomes uncovered, whether they
realize it or not, then both (man and woman) must repeat the prayer unless it was
uncovered by the wind, or it slipped and was immediately replaced without delay (no longer
than it takes to pick up the garment and place it back immediately.) (Al-Shaafa'i, Kitaab
al-Umm, Baab Kayfiyyat Libs al-Thiyaab fil-Salaah).
Ibn Qudaamah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in his book al-Mughni:
Section: if a little bit of the awrah becomes uncovered, this does not
invalidate the prayer. This is the opinion of Ahmad and Abu Haneefah. Al-Shaafa'i said:
It invalidates the prayer because it is a ruling that has to do with the
awrah, and it is the same whether it is a little or a lot, as is the case with
looking (at the awrah). We have what was reported by Abu Dawood, with his
isnaad from Ayyoob, from Amr ibn Salamah al-Jarmi, who said: My father went
with a group from his people to the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him), and he taught them how to pray. He said, The one who reads Quraan
best among you should lead you in prayer. I was the best at reading Quraan, so
they appointed me. I used to lead them in prayer wearing a small yellow burdah (cloak or
garment), and when I prostrated, my awrah became uncovered. One of the women said,
Cover the awrah of your reciter for us! so they bought me an Omani
shirt, and I never rejoiced over anything apart from Islam as much as I
rejoiced over that. Reported by Abu Dawood. Al-Nasaa'i also reported from
Aasim al-Ahwal, from Amr ibn Salamah, who said: I used to lead them in
prayer wearing a burdah made of two attached parts in which there was a gap. When I
prostrated in it, my backside showed. This was common and was not denounced, and we
have not heard that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or any of his
Companions denounced it, because if prayer is still valid despite a severe problem where
there is an excuse, then we should differentiate between whether the problem is severe or
not where there is no excuse; it is like the case of walking during the prayer. Avoiding
little matters may be too difficult, so a little is excused, as is the case with blood.
Once this is clear, the definition of a lot is that which is offensive to look at, and in
this case there is no differentiation between the private parts and other parts of the
awrah. A little is that which is not offensive, and the point of reference is that
which is customary, except that the two private parts are more offensive than anything
else, so that is considered to be an obstacle to prayer This is a matter in which
Islam did not define what is offensive, so the point of reference is what is customary, as
also applies in the case of excessive movement during the prayer
If these holes show what is customarily regarded to be too much of the
awrah, and it shows it for a while, or it is not possible to cover them because the
garment is too small, for example, then the prayer is not valid, because covering the
awrah is one of the conditions of prayer, and if one of the conditions is not met
without a valid excuse such as inability to meet it, then the prayer is not valid. You
have to repeat the prayers which you did wearing this garment. If you do not know how many
they were, you should take what you are certain of. For example, if you think that they
may have been four or three or five, but definitely not more than five, then what you can
be certain of in this case is five, and so on. And Allaah knows best. |
Our father bought the house we
currently live in before I was born. I am now 22yrs. Back then my family were being
evicted from the place they were living in at the time and my father was under pressure to
find my family a place to live. So, he bought a house using a bank mortgage. The mortgage
was interest based as the system is over here in England. About two years after I was
born, my father died and had not finished repaying the bank. The rest of the mortgage was
paid off by my older brother, who was in employment at the time.
Now my worry is if it is permissible for me
to remain living in the house bought by my father and also if any of us can inherit a
share of its money if it were to be sold?
I look forward to the reply. | Praise be to Allah.Seek forgiveness for your father, and your brother has
to repent to Allaah. It is OK if you want to live in that house, and to take your share of
the price when it is sold.
And Allaah knows best. |
There are some old people who, when they
go to the mosque and find that someone is sitting in the spot where they usually pray, get
angry. What is the ruling on this? | Praise be to Allah.This is not permissible. The one who got there first has more right to
the spot than they do. They should not get angry, and they have no rights in this regard. |
I, my younger sister and brother used to
live with our father after we moved to the US. He had already divorced 3 women including
my mother. We found out that all he cares about is money. He treated us well as long as we
gave him money. My younger brother left us because of his rude and greedy behaviour.
We found out that he drinks beer and alcohol and does Zinaah. He didn't even care about
us. He brought women even in our presence. We tried to stop him but he would abuse us
verbally and even beat us. He even accuses my mother of doing haram things and disowns his
own son from his fatherhood. He does this just because my brother refused to give
him his paycheck. He never persuaded us to perform Salat and fast during Ramadan, and
neither he did it himself. Instead he asked me to drink beer and I drank beer a couple of
times.
I'm married now Alahumdulillah. I and my husband do our Salat regularly and I fast to
compensate for the days I didn't fast during Ramadan. I always repent to Allah to forgive
me for the bad things I did intentionally and unintentionally. My husband has been helping
me with all this.
His behaviour with my younger sister got worst after I moved to another city after getting
married. He asked her to drink beer with him and his girl friend but she harshly refused.
She had to lock door to sleep. She didn' t trust him at all. So I asked her to live with
us as she didn t have any other place to go (My mother lives in another country).
I' ve questions in this regards.
1. My husband says that he will never let him visit us or us visit him until he gives all
his haram habits and truly repent to ALLAH. Is this right ?
2. What should we do to make him give up all his bad habits?
3. I know it's not right for my sister to live with us but what is the ruling in this
situation ? | Praise be to Allah.If the situation is as you describe, then what can we
say about the immense disaster of a father who does not pray or fast, who drinks
intoxicants and commits immoral acts, who neglects his family and calls them to do evil
deeds? Laa hawla wa laa quwwata illa Billaah; hasbunaa Allaah wa niam al-wakeel;
innaa Lillaahi wa innaa ilayhi raajioon (There is no strength and no power except
with Allaah; sufficient unto us is Allaah and He is the best Disposer of affairs; verily
we belong to Allaah and unto Him we will return). [These are duaas
recited by Muslims when faced with calamity Translator] Does he not
know that Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
Ward off from yourselves and your families a Fire
(Hell) whose fuel is men and stones, over which are appointed angels stern (and) severe,
who disobey not (from executing) the Commands they receive from Allaah, but do that which
they are commanded.[al-Tahreem 66:6]
Does he not know that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) said:
There is no person to whom Allaah has given responsibility and
dies neglecting that responsibility, but Allaah will deny him Paradise. (Reported
by Muslim, 203)
Every one of you is a shepherd and every one of
you is responsible for his flock (those under his care) a man is the shepherd over
the members of his household and he is responsible for them
Allaah will ask every shepherd about that for which
he was responsible. (Reported by al-Tirmidhi, 1627).
There is no person to whom Allaah has given
responsibility over others and he failed to take care of them by advising them sincerely,
but he will never smell the fragrance of Paradise. (Reported by al-Bukhaari,
6617).
We ask Allaah to bring this man back to the truth.
Know that even though your father has caused you so much suffering, it
is not permissible for you to sever your ties with him, in spite of all that you have
mentioned. You must keep in touch with him and treat him kindly. You and your siblings
should treat him kindly and express your fears for him and your love for him, because of
his rights as a father, and because severing ties with him and ignoring him in a hostile
manner will only make matters worse. Neither you nor your siblings should obey him in sin.
You mention in your message that your father used to treat you well when you gave him
money, so if giving him money will put an end to his bad treatment and make things go back
to normal, so that you will treat one another well and he will see love and sacrifice on
your part, then why not do that? This is provided that he does not use this money to buy
haraam things. Try to restrain your anger and forget his past shortcomings in his
behaviour towards you. Try to honour him and show love towards him. Visit him and look
after him. Maybe this will stir up true fatherly feelings in him, and maybe stop him from
doing haraam things. Dont even think of severing ties with him. Get in touch with
your brother and ask him to get back in touch with his father. Know that your being
patient with him is a kind of jihaad, which will be rewarded. The idea of not visiting him
until he repents is not right, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):But if they (both) strive with you to make you join in worship with Me others
that of which you have no knowledge, then obey them not, but behave with them in the world
kindly, and follow the path of him who turns to Me in repentance and in obedience. Then to
Me will be your return, and I shall tell you what you used to do. [Luqmaan 31:15]
Visit him, so long as it does not cause you unbearable harm or make you
do wrongful things. Know that one of the ways to make a sinner repent is having someone
who will call him to repent and remind him of Allaah. A child has to treat his parents
honourably even if they are mushrikeen. Al-Qurtubi said:
The aayah indicates that one should honour kaafir parents as much
as possible by spending on them if they are poor, by speaking kindly to them, and by
calling them to Islam.
With regard to your sister, she must be careful when she stays with her
immoral father. Locking herself in is a good safety measure and may well be essential at
times. If she does not feel safe in the home of this immoral father, she should go and
live somewhere else where she can be safe, such as in your house, if it is suitable. Maybe
Allaah will give her a righteous husband who will take care of her and protect her.
We ask Allaah to guide your father and to bring him out of darkness
into light. May He forgive you for your sin and help your sister and all of us to adhere
steadfastly to the truth. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad. |
I married a muslim man 6 years ago and converted to Islam
I was planning to go for Umra but I have heard that I cannot go because I still use my christian name which is XXXX . This name is on my passport and all other documents, although I have a muslim name also which is XXXX .
Please advise me wether or not I have to legally change my name before applying for Umra or Haj. | Praise be to Allah.From the point of view of sharee’ah, the validity of a person’s Hajj or ‘Umrah has nothing to do with their name. So long as there is no haraam meaning in your old name, it is permissible for you to keep it, although using an Arabic name that has an acceptable meaning is better. (See Question #1692). From the official point of view, when you go to the embassy to apply for the Hajj entry visa, it should be sufficient for you to take a certificate from the Islamic centre proving that you have embraced Islam; in sha Allaah there should be nothing to prevent you from coming to perform Hajj. You should hasten to do Hajj and ‘Umrah as soon as possible, accompanied by a Muslim mahram (husband, or close relative to whom marriage is permanently forbidden). And Allaah is the source of strength. |
My mother died approximately twenty years ago, by falling into a well that was not completely filled with water. She was a righteous woman. Is she among those who are counted as shuhadaa’ (martyrs)? | Praise be to Allah.Yes, those who drown are counted as martyrs, because of the report from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) according to which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The shuhadaa’ are five: the one who dies of plague, the one who dies of a stomach disease, the one who drowns, the one who is crushed by a falling wall, and the one who is killed for the sake of Allaah.” This was narrated by Maalik in al-Muwatta’, and by al-Bukhaari, Muslim and al-Tirmidhi.
And Allaah is the Source of strength. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad and his family and companions, and grant them peace. |
,
Question#The Islamic Future Magazine from Saudia Arabia in editorial
feature stated that one of the signs of the last days were; that the Quran
would disappear. I have not heard this. And how could it be true why we
have many many hafis of Qurans. | Praise be to Allah.There are a
number of ahaadeeth which indicate that the Qur’aan will be taken away
at the end of time. Among these ahaadeeth are the following:
From
‘Abd-Allaah ibn Mas’ood, who said: “Something will come and take the
Qur’aan one night and not one aayah will be left, either in the Mus-haf
or in the heart of any person, but it will be taken away.” (Narrated by
al-Daarimi with a saheeh isnaad, no. 3209)
Al-Daarimi
narrated with a different saheeh isnaad (no. 3207) that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn
Mas’ood said: “Recite the Qur’aan much before it is taken away.”
They said, “These Mus-hafs will be taken away! What about that which is
(memorized) in men’s hearts?” He said: “Something will come and take
it one night, and in the morning they will wake up without it. They will
forget the phrase ‘laa ilaaha
ill-Allaah’ and they will start to recite the sayings and
poetry of the Jaahiliyyah. That is when the Word will be fulfilled against
them.”
The
phrase ‘That is when the Word will be fulfilled against them’ is a
reference to the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):
“And when the Word (of torment) is fulfilled against them, We
shall bring out from the earth a beast for them, to speak to them because
mankind believed not with certainty in Our Ayaat (Verses of the Qur’aan
and Prophet Muhammad)” [al-Naml 27:82].
Ibn
Katheer said in his tafseer of this aayah:
This
beast will emerge at the end of time when mankind becomes so corrupt that
they neglect the commandments of Allaah and change the true religion.
Allaah will bring forth for them a beast from the earth – it was said
from Makkah, or from elsewhere – and it will speak to the people
concerning that. Ibn ‘Abbaas, al-Hasan and al-Qutaadah said – and it
was also narrated from ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib – (may Allaah be pleased
with them all): it will speak to them, i.e., it will address them.
‘Ataa’ al-Khurasaani said – and it was narrated from ‘Ali and this
was the view favourd by Ibn Jareer: it will speak to them and it will say
to them, ‘mankind believed not with
certainty in Our Ayaat’. There are some reservations about this interpretation, and Allaah
knows best.
According
to one report, Ibn ‘Abbaas said: the words tukallimuhum
(to speak to them) means, it will wound them;
according to another report he said: it will do both (i.e., speak to them
and wound them). [The
word Tukallim
may mean either speak or wound. – Translator].
This is a good point with no contradictions, and Allaah knows best.
(Tafseer
al-Qur’aan al-‘Azeem,
3/375-378)
Many
ahaadeeth and reports have been narrated about the beast, such as the
following:
It
was reported that Hudhayfah ibn Usayd al-Ghiffaari said: The Messenger of
Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) saw us from a room
whilst we were talking about the Hour. He said: “The Hour will not come
until you see ten signs: the rising of the sun from the west; the smoke;
the beast; the emergence of Ya’jooj and Ma’jooj; the appearance of
‘Eesaa ibn Maryam (peace be upon him); the Dajjaal (“antichrist”);
three landslides – one in the west, one in the east and one in the
Arabian Peninsula; and fire which will emerge from the direction of
‘Aden and will drive – or gather – the people, stopping with them
whenever they rest overnight or during the siesta hour.”
(Narrated by
Imaam Ahmed, no. 46 – his version is his; also by Muslim, no 2901; Abu
Dawood, no. 4311; al-Tirmidhi, no. 2183 - he said it is hasan saheeh;
al-Nasaa’i, no. 1138; Ibn Maajah, no. 4055).
It
was reported from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet
(peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) said:
“There
are three things which, when they appear, it will not benefit anyone to
believe if he did not believe before: the Dajjaal, the beast and the
rising of the sun from the west – or from the place where it sets.”
(Narrated by
al-Tirmidhi, no. 3072; he said it is a saheeh hasan hadeeth).
It
was reported from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allaah
(peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“Hasten
to do good deeds before six things come to pass: the rising of the sun
from the place where it sets; the smoke; the Dajjaal; the beast; or
personal calamities or general tribulations.”
(narrated
by Muslim, no. 2947; Ibn Maajah, no. 4056, and others).
There are many ahaadeeth which speak of the beast which will emerge at the
end of time, but it would take too long to quote them all here. And Allaah
is the Source of strength.
Further
evidence that the Qur’aan will be taken away at the end of time is to be
found in the report narrated by al-Tabaraani in al-Mu’jam
al-Kabeer, no. 8698, according to which Ibn Mas’ood (may Allaah be pleased with
him) said:
“This
Qur’aan will most certainly be taken away from amongst you.” He was
asked: “O Abu ‘Abd al-Rahmaan, how will it be taken away when it is so
deeply rooted in our hearts and is written in our mus-hafs?” He said:
“Something will come to it at night, then there will be nothing left of
it in people’s hearts or in the mus-haf, and the next morning the people
will be like animals.” Then he recited the aayah (interpretation of the
meaning): “And if We
willed, We could surely, take away that which We have revealed to you
(i.e. this Qur’aan). Then you would find no protector for you against Us
in that respect” [al-Israa’ 17:86].
Ibn Hajar said in Fath al-Baari
(13/16): its isnaad is saheeh but it is mawqoof. Al-Haythami said in Majma’
al-Zawaa’id, 7/329): its men are the men of saheeh, apart
from Shaddaad ibn Ma’qil, who is thiqah. And it was classed as saheeh by
al-Albaani.
This
hadeeth is to be regarded as marfoo’, because it deals with something
which is not subject to opinion orijtihaad.
Imaam Ibn
Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in Majmoo’
al-Fataawaa (3/198): “At the end of time, something will come
to it at night in the mus-hafs and in people’s hearts,then there will not be left one word of it in people’s hearts or
one letter of it in the Mus-haf.”
Allaah
revealed the Qur’aan as a guidance to mankind and He guaranteed to
protect it. It is the eternal miracle of the Prophet
(peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) and it will remain, and people of earlier
and later generations will learn from it and be guided by it, but at the
end of time, just before the Hour comes, Allaah will take the souls of the
believers, and there will be no one left on earth except the most evil of
people. There will be no prayer, no fasting, no Hajj and no charity
(zakaah). Then there will be no point in the Ka’bah being there or in
the Qur’aan remaining among mankind, so Allaah will decree that the
Ka’bah be destroyed at the hands of a kaafir from Ethiopia.Al-Bukhaari narrated in his Saheeh,
no. 1519 that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said:the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: “The Ka’bah will be destroyed by Dhu’l-Suwayqatayn from
Ethiopia.” And Allaah will take the Qur’aan away from the earth, and
not one aayah of it will be left in the mus-hafs or in people’s hearts.
Allaah will not permit His Book to remain on earth if it is not
benefitting anyone and no one is acting in accordance with it. So this
thing will come to pass.
This
frightening event makes the sincere Muslim hasten to pay attention to the
Book of Allaah, to learn it, memorize it, recite it and ponder its
meanings, before the Book is taken away.
This
is one of the tribulations that will happen at the end of time, concerning
which our Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“Hasten to do
good deeds before tribulations come like patches of dark night, when a man
will wake up as a believer and by evening he will be a kaafir, or in the
evening he will be a believer and by morning he will be a kaafir, selling
his religion for some worldly gains.” (narrated by Muslim, no. 169).
We ask
Allaah to make us adhere firmly to His religion and to protect us from
tribulations, both seen and unseen. |
Is it possible for a women to go to hajj or umrah in a group of people or in a group of women if there is no mahram willing to go with her?. | Praise be to Allah.
The scholars, past and present, differed concerning this
issue. Some of them said that it is permissible for a woman to travel for
Hajj without a mahram if the road is safe and she is with a trustworthy
group.
Some of them said that it is not permissible for her to
travel except with a mahram who can protect her, even if she is with a
trustworthy group. This is the view of Abu Haneefah and Ahmad. They quoted
the following as evidence:
1 – It was narrated that Ibn 'Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased
with him) said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: “No woman should travel except with a mahram, and no man should enter
upon a woman unless there is a mahram with her.” A man said: “O Messenger
of Allaah, I want to go out with such and such an army, and my wife wants to
go for Hajj.” He said: “Go for Hajj with her.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari
(1763) and Muslim (1341).
2 – It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased
with him) said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: “It is not permissible for a woman who believes in Allaah and the Last
Day to travel for the distance of one day and one night except with her
mahram.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari (1038) and Muslim (133). According to
al-Bukhaari (1139) and Muslim (827), from the hadeeth of Abu Sa’eed: “The
distance of two days.”
Ibn Hajar said:
In the hadeeth of Abu Sa’eed it is limited to “the distance
of two days” and in the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah it is limited to “the
distance of one day and one night.” There are also other reports. In the
hadeeth of Ibn ‘Umar it is limited to “three days” and there are other
reports too.
Al-Nawawi said: The apparent meaning of this definition is
not what is meant, rather everything that is regarded as travel is forbidden
to a woman unless she has a mahram with her. The definition of the limits
was in reference to specific incidents. Ibn al-Muneer said: The differences
in the definitions arose because there was different questioners in
different situations.
End quote.
Fath al-Baari (4/75).
Secondly:
Those who say that a mahram is not required quoted the
following as evidence:
1 – It was narrated that ‘Adiyy ibn Haatim (may Allaah be
pleased with him) said: Whilst I was with the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him), a man came to him and complained of
poverty. Then another came and complained about banditry. He said: “O ‘Adiyy
have you seen al-al-Heerah?” I said: “I have not seen it, but I have been
told about it.” He said: “If you live a long life, you will see a woman
travelling from al-Heerah until she circumambulates the Ka’bah, fearing no
one but Allaah.” … ‘Adiyy said: And I saw a woman travelling from al-Heerah
until she circumambulated the Ka’bah, fearing no one but Allaah.
Narrated by al-Bukhaari (3400).
This argument may be countered by noting that this was simply
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) foretelling
this incident. Speaking of an incident does not mean that it is permissible.
Rather it may be permissible or not, depending on the shar’i evidence. The
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) also foretold that
drinking alcohol, zina and a great deal of killing would become widespread
before the Hour begins, and these are things that are forbidden and are
major sins.
What is meant by the hadeeth is that security would become
widespread, so that women would feel emboldened and one of them would travel
without a mahram. It does not mean that it is permissible for a woman to
travel without a mahram.
Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Not everything
that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) foretold
as signs of the Hour is haraam or forbidden. If the shepherds compete in
erecting tall buildings, and wealth becomes widespread, and there is one man
to look after fifty women, these things are undoubtedly not haraam. Rather
these are signs, and a sign has nothing to do with whether it is halaal or
haraam. Rather a sign may be good or bad, permissible or haraam or
obligatory or anything else. And Allaah knows best. End quote.
It should be noted that the difference of scholarly opinion
regarding the necessity of having a mahram in order to perform Hajj applies
to the obligatory Hajj only. As for naafil (supererogatory) Hajj, the
scholars are all agreed that it is not permissible for a woman to travel
except with a mahram or husband, as it says in al-Mawsoo’ah al-Fiqhiyyah
(17/36).
The scholars of the Standing Committee said: A woman who does
not have a mahram is not obliged to perform Hajj, because having a mahram is
part of being able for it, and being able for it is one of the conditions of
Hajj being obligatory. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And Hajj (pilgrimage to Makkah) to the House (Ka‘bah) is
a duty that mankind owes to Allaah, those who can afford the expenses (for
one’s conveyance, provision and residence)”
[Aal ‘Imraan 3:97]
It is not permissible for her to travel for Hajj or anything
else unless she has her husband or mahram with her. This is the view of
al-Hasan, al-Nakha’i, Ahmad, Ishaaq, Ibn al-Mundhir and Ashaab al-Ra’y, and
this is the correct view, because of the verse quoted above as well as the
general meaning of the ahaadeeth which forbid a woman to travel without her
husband or mahram. Maalik, al-Shaafa’i and al-Awzaa’i disagreed with that
and they stipulated conditions for which they do not have any proof. Ibn
al-Mundhir said: They ignored the apparent meaning of the hadeeth, and each
of them stipulated conditions for which they did not have any proof. End
quote.
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah
(11/90, 91).
They also said:
The correct view is that it is not permissible for her to
travel for Hajj except with her husband or her mahram. It is not permissible
for her to travel with trustworthy women without a mahram, or with her
paternal aunt, maternal aunt or mother. Rather it is essential that she be
with her husband or a mahram.
If she cannot find someone to accompany her, then she is not
obliged to do Hajj so long as that is the case.
End quote from Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah (11/92).
And Allaah knows best. |
I am a Christian who is very interested in Islam and I am currently reading a translation of the Koran in my language. I know that women should not touch the Koran while having their menses but since translations are not regarded as the word of God and therefore not equal to the Arabic text, I'd like to know if not touching the Koran during menses also applies to translations.
Thank you very much for your help. | Praise be to Allah.You have hit the nail on the head: your guess is correct. A translation is not like the Mus-haf (Arabic text of the Quraan) and the same rules do not apply. A translation is like a tafseer (commentary), and so a menstruating woman is allowed to touch it. Your analysis of this matter demonstrates astute reasoning and excellent thinking skills, which makes us feel that you will soon embrace Islam; may Allaah guide you to all good.
Note: this question was published on 13 October 1998, then on 2 February 1999 we received the following message:
Assalamu Alaikum, I sent you questions 3100 and 3313 a while a go and I would just like to tell you that I embraced Islam recently, alhamdulillah! I just wanted to share this with you and thank you for responding to my questions. May Allah reward you. Sincerely, .....
We congratulate our sister for this great blessing. Praise be to Allah first and foremost, for all blessings and favours come from Him and all praise is due to Him. |
What is the ruling on publishing magazines that carry pictures of women, ideas that go against Islam and interviews with female performers and women who are adorned with the adornment tabarruj of the
modern jaahiliyyah ? | Praise be to Allah.The mutawaatir reports of the Sunnah show that
making pictures or images is absolutely haraam and those who make pictures are
cursed. Every maker of pictures will be in Hell, and every picture or image
that he made will be given a soul and he will be punished by it in Hell. The
makers of pictures will be the most severely punished of people. The picture-maker
will be told to breathe life into the images he made; they will be punished
and will be told, “Give life to that which you have created!” The
prohibition is multiplied if these pictures cause temptation, such as pictures
of naked women, or pictures of men with women. If that is haraam, then how about
the magazines that promote this and call people to temptation, immorality, promiscuity
and the means of doing wrong? Anyone who publishes such magazines, or sells
them, gives them as a gift or buys them, partakes in the sin. The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) cursed wine and the one who sells
it, the one who buys it, the one who makes it, the one for whom it is made,
the one who drinks it, the one who serves it, the one who carries it, the one
to whom it is carried, and the one who profits from it. The same applies to
these magazines, whose bad effect on people’s morals, chastity and religion
is sometimes worse than that of alcohol, especially when they contain deviant
ideas and news of female performers and women who adorn themselves in the manner
of jaahiliyyah. Publishing these magazines, writing articles for them, importing
them and publicizing them means that one is taking part in this corruption,
spreading immorality and calling for promiscuity, social disintegration and
deviation from correct morals and modesty. Our advice to anyone who wants to
attain salvation is to keep away from these magazines and have nothing to do
with them in the slightest, in the hope of saving oneself and keeping one’s
religion and honour safe. And Allaah knows best. |
I had an accident outside of work, and
when it became too difficult for me to pay the expenses for my treatment, I claimed that
the injury happened at work. On this basis, the company paid the expenses for my
treatment. Now I regret what I did, so what should I do? | Praise be to Allah.You have to tell your bosses what really happened, and offer to repay
what they spent on you because of the treatment, or to let them dock it from your wages.
If they let you off – and if they are in a position to do so – then you need do
nothing more. You are not free from blame unless they forgive you or let you off, or you
repay them. And ask your Lord for forgiveness for your lying and wrongdoing. |
What is the ruling on publishing magazines in which uncovered women appear in a tempting way and which deal with news of actors and actresses? What is the ruling on people who work for these magazines and help to distribute them, and on those who buy them? | Praise be to Allah.It is not permissible to publish magazines that contain pictures of women or that propagate zinaa (unlawful sexual activity), immorality, homosexuality, drinking alcohol or other forms of falsehood. It is not permissible to work as an editor, writer or distributor for such magazines, because this involves co-operating in sin, spreading mischief throughout the land, calling for the corruption of society and propagating promiscuity. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “… help one another in righteousness and piety, but do not help one another in sin and transgression. And fear Allah. Verily Allah is Severe in punishment.” [al-Maa’idah 5:2]. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever calls to right guidance will have a reward equal to that of the one who follows it, without it detracting in the least from his reward; and whoever calls to misguidance will bear sin equal to that of the one who follows it, without it detracting in the least from his sin.” (Reported by Muslim in his Saheeh, 4831).
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “There are two types of the people of Hell whom I have not seen: people with whips like the tails of cattle, with which they beat the people, and women who are clothed yet naked, walking with an enticing gait and with their heads looking like the humps of camels leaning to one side. They will not enter Paradise or even smell its fragrance, although its fragrance can be detected from such-and-such a distance.”
(Reported by Muslim in his Saheeh, 3971).
There are many aayaat and ahaadeeth on this topic. We ask Allah to help the Muslims to do what is good for them. |
Sometimes my colleagues at college or at
work ask me to make it look as if they are present even though they are absent, so that
when the attendance sheet comes around, I should write their names. Is this a human
service or is it deception and cheating? | Praise be to Allah.This is a kind of service, but it is satanic service which the Shaytaan
is instilling in the person who does this and makes it appear that someone is present when
this is not the case. There are three reasons for having reservations about this practice:
(1) It is lying; (2) it involves deceiving those who are in charge; (3)
it makes the absent person entitled to wages on the basis of attendance, which he then
takes and consumes unlawfully. One of these reservations alone is sufficient to make this
practice, which the questioner apparently sees as a human service or favour, be described
as haraam. Not all human favours are praiseworthy; only those that coincide with
sharee’ah are praiseworthy – those that go against sharee’ah are to be
condemned. Calling favours that go against sharee’ah “human services” is in
fact a misnomer, because anything that goes against sharee’ah is a bestial action.
This is why Allaah described the kuffaar and mushrikeen as being like cattle. He says
(interpretation of the meaning): “… while those who disbelieve enjoy
themselves and eat as cattle eat, and the Fire will be their abode.” [Muhammad 47:12]
and “…They are only like cattle; - nay, they are even farther astray from the
Path…” [al-Furqaan 25:44]. So everything that is contrary to sharee’ah
is a bestial action, not human. |
What is the minimum amount of mahr (Dowry) permitted by Shari’ah? I found in one book, the dowry of most of the wives and daughters of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was 480 Dirhams. What is the equivalent amount for the present time? | Praise be to Allah.Minimum amount of mahr in Islam
The minimum amount of mahr has been explained in the report in al-Sahih (no. 1425) narrated from Sahl ibn Sa’d al-Sa’idi, who said: “A woman came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, I have come to give myself (in marriage) to you.’ The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) looked at her and looked her up and down, then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) lowered his head and paused. When the woman saw that he had not made a decision about her, she sat down. A man from among the Sahabah said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, if you are not interested in her, then marry her to me.’ He said, ‘Do you have anything?’ He said, ‘No, by Allah, O Messenger of Allah.’ He said, ‘Go to your people and see if you can find anything.’ So the man went, then he came back and said, ‘No, by Allah, I could not find anything.’ The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, ‘Look and see (if you can find anything), even if it is only an iron ring which you can give.’ So he went, then came back, and said, ‘No, by Allah, O Messenger of Allah, not even an iron ring. But (I have) this izar (garment) of mine, she can have half of it.’ The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: ‘What can she do with your izar? If you are wearing it she will have nothing of it.’ The man sat down, then after a long time had passed, he got up (to leave). The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) saw him leaving and called him. When he came, he said, ‘What do you know of the Quran ?’ He said, ‘Soorah Such-and-Such and Soorah Such-and-Such.’ He said, ‘Do you know them by heart?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘Then go, you are married to her by what you know of the Quran.’”
This hadith shows that it is permissible for the mahr to be a little or a lot of whatever is considered to be wealth, if both partners agree, because an iron ring is extremely little. This is the madhhab of al-Shafi’i and is also the view of the majority of scholars among the earlier and later generations.
This was also the view of Rabi’ah, Abu’l-Zinad, Ibn Abi Dhib, Yahya ibn Sa’id, al-Layth ibn Sa’d, al-Thawri, al-Awza’i, Muslim ibn Khalid, Ibn Abi Layla, Dawud, the fuqaha of the scholars of hadith and Ibn Wahb among the companions of Malik. It was also the view of all the scholars of the Hijaz, Basrah, Kufa and Syria, and others, that whatever the couple agree upon is permissible (as a dowry), whether it is a lot or a little, such as a whip, a pair of shoes or an iron ring, etc.
Mahr of the Mothers of the Believers
With regard to the question about the mahr of the Mothers of the Believers:
Muslim narrated in his Sahih (no. 1426) that Abu Salamah ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman said: “I asked ‘Aishah, the wife of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), what the mahr given by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was. She said: ‘The mahr that he gave to his wives was twelve uqiyah and a nashsh.’ He said, Do you know what a nashsh is? He said, she said it is half of an uqiyah. That was five hundred dirhams. This was the mahr given by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) to his wives.”
Ibn Khaldun said:
“The consensus of the scholars from the beginning of Islam and the time of the Sahabah and the Taabi’in has been that the shar’i dirham is that of which ten coins weigh seven mithqals of gold. The uqiyah is forty dirhams of this type, and on this basis it is seven-tenths of a dinar… All of these amounts are agreed upon by scholarly consensus (ijma’).” (Al-Muqaddimah, p. 263)
Based on this, the weight of a dirham in grams is 2.975 grams.
So the mahr of the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was 500 x 2.975 = 1487.5 grams of silver.
The price of one gram of pure silver that has not been worked is approximately 1 riyal, so the mahr in riyals is approximately 1487.5 riyals. In dollars it is approximately $396.70 (this varies depending on the present price of silver).
For more, please see these answers: 10525 . 185602 , 102507 , 10089 and 20154 .
And Allah knows best. |
I have read question 2803 in which you
advised our sister to announce her marraige as it is sunnah and I have also read the other
questions with regards to parents rejecting their son's/daughter's choice of marraige
because of various reasons. What advice do you give to a person in the following
situation: She is divorced frmo her ex husband and has embraced Islam for she has
reliaed the truth and she was guided to the right path, Al Hamdulilah, her conversion is
kept secret from her family for obvious reasons and her two children whom she has custody
of are still Hindu because her ex husband would rather kill her than see his children
embrace Islam. He is strong enemy of Islam and has sworn our deen and ALLAH on a few
occassions. She is now in love with a religious and well mannered Muslim man who has asked
her to marry him. The problem is that his parents object to their marraige because the
mother feels that the lady in question is a convert and that converts don't make good
muslims. In fact her exact words were "Thery will never be one of us" If they do
decide to make Nikaah can they for these reasons keep their marraige a secret. The man who
has asked for her hand in marraige says that he will accept her children provided they
embrace Islam because two religions cannot be practiced in one house especially when the
other one is idol worshipp and I can't agree with him more. How do these two people who
love each other make a life of their own.
His parents are a problem on the one hand and the ex husband not wanting the children to
embrace Islam is another problem.
My friend does not want to give up custody of her children because her ex husband is
abusive. Please advise our sister as soon as possible as she is suffering from depression
and sleepless nights.
May ALLAH bless our Prophet Muhammad.
Jazak Allah | Praise be to Allah.First of all, we would like to congratulate our sister for embracing
Islam, which is the joy for which wealth and souls would be sacrificed, for all the
blessing of Islam makes all grief and distress fade into insignificance.
The sister says that she loves a Muslim man. We say: it is not
appropriate for a Muslim woman to fall into the trap of nonsensical emotions and forbidden
relationships into which others fall. The love which people hear about and read about is
one of the dazzling tricks of the Shaytaan, and it usually happens with regard to things
that Allaah has forbidden. If a man finds that he likes a girl, the only option he has is
to ask her guardian (walee) for permission to marry her.
The mans mothers comment that new Muslims cannot be good
Muslims is false. Were the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them) anything but new
Muslims, given that prior to their Islam they had been believers in Shirk? Does any
Muslim have any doubts about their commitment to religion and their character? Moreover,
we see that many new Muslims are many times better than many (born) Muslims! Just because
a Muslim is new does not mean that he will never be good, and just because a Muslim is
born in Islam does not mean that he is good. What counts is Taqwa (piety, awareness of
Allaah) and righteous deeds, as well as the length of time one has been in Islam and has
been worshipping Allaah.
There is no reason why knowledge of the man's marriage should not be
withheld from his parents, especially since this is in the interests of the sister and
there are so few people who can help her to overcome her difficulties. It is the woman who
needs a walee according to shareeah, not the man. However, we would prefer that he
wins his familys approval by convincing them, because this is in their best
interests, benefits which may be lost if they find out that their son concealed his
marriage from them.
The fact that the husband says he wants to call the children to Islam is
good. We ask Allaah to help him to achieve this. The fact that the Hindu father is evil is
sufficient reason for him not to make an open display of his calling the children to
Islam, if that could lead to this kaafir taking the children away by going to the kaafir
courts. You have to act with wisdom in this case.
The woman who is asking this question should not arrange her own
marriage even if she has been previously married, because shareeah does not permit
this. If she does not have a walee as required by shareeah, then her walee may be
the qaadi (judge) or whoever is in charge of the Muslim affairs in her country, such as
the head of the Islamic centre or his deputy.
They especially the sister have to seek the help of Allaah
in dealing with these problems which are giving her sleepless nights. Everyone should know
that whoever puts his trust in Allaah, Allaah will show him a way out. She has to make
duaa sincerely, and he has to try as hard as he can to advise his family and
change their views about new Muslims by showing them real examples of people who are the
opposite of what they think. With regard to the tragedy caused by the former husband, we
advise her again not to make an open display of her calling the children to Islam, lest
that should cause the father to do something that will have bad consequences. If they feel
suspicious about his intentions, there is no harm in calling the police to do whatever is
necessary with regard to him.
If getting married means that the sister will lose her right to custody
of her children, we advise her not to get married now, for fear that these two souls may
end up in Hell in the Hereafter unless she fears that she herself may commit some
immoral action, in which case she should marry the Muslim man whom she has told us about,
with witnesses and a walee as we have stated above. Publicizing the marriage is sunnah,
although it does not have to be announced officially and in writing. But this sister has
to live in a protective Muslim environment and those people will have to know about her
marriage lest she bring upon herself gossip about her honour. If it will be better for her
to leave the place where her ex-husband lives and move to another place where she can be
free, have custody of her children and be able to marry a believing Muslim man who will
protect her and her children, then she should do that.
She has to make duaa and turn to Allaah to relieve her
distress and grief. We pray that Allaah will give her the strength to do that which He
loves and which pleases Him.
And Allaah knows best. |
Is it permissible for a man
to sell something that he owns to one of his sons, knowing that some of
them are able to make the purchase whilst others do not have anything and
cannot make the purchase? | Praise be to Allah.It
is permissible for a man to sell some of his property to one of his sons,
if he (the son) is able to make the purchase, and he should deal with him
as he would deal with a stranger. He should not give him any preferential
treatment that would indicate that he favours him over his siblings. |
Her husband forced her to swear an oath telling the truth about a haraam action she did in the past. What should she do? | Praise be to Allah.We put this question to Shaykh ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Jibreen (may Allaah preserve him), who answered as follows:
If she is afraid of negative or harmful consequences, such as divorce or a bad reputation, she can swear that she did not do it, and seek forgiveness and do lots of good deeds.
She does not have to offer any expiation (kafaarah) because this oath has to do with something which is in the past, although it involves telling a lie. The kafaarah is sincere repentance. And Allaah knows best. |
Why has Islam continued to be so successful in the modern world? | Praise be to Allah.Islam continues to be successful in the developed world, and elsewhere, because its call is in accordance with the fitrah or natural inclinations of mankind, and it advocates the best of human values, such as tolerance, love, mercy, truthfulness and sincerity.
Islam educates people and lifts them up to righteous conduct, good manners and virtue. Its call is distinguished from others by its realism, balance and moderation. Islam pays due attention to both the soul and the body. It neither suppresses physical desires nor allows extravagance in this regard; it makes a distinction between the natural inclination to enjoy the pleasures of this world and forbidden desires that come under the heading of depravity and perversion.
People embrace Islam because they find security, comfort and peace in it, they see a cure for their problems in it, and through it they are able to get rid of their feelings of confusion, anxiety and loss.
Islam is the religion of the fitrah, the natural inclination or pattern on which Allaah has created mankind. For this reason, people of sound minds and upright inclinations embrace Islam, as Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘There is no child who is not born in a state of fitrah (i.e., Islam), then his parents make him into a Jew, a Christian or a Magian (Zoroastrian), just as animals produce whole animals (i.e., the animals are born perfect with no part of their bodies missing). Do you find any born with their ears cut off?’” Then Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “ ‘… Allaah’s handiwork according to the pattern on which He has made mankind: no change (let there be) in the work (wrought) by Allaah: that is the Standard Religion…’ [al-Room 30:30 – interpretation of the meaning – Yusuf Ali’s translation].”
(Reported by al-Bukhaari, 1359). What is meant is that Allaah has created mankind with the potential to learn the truth, accept Tawheed (pure monotheism) and submit to Allaah. Their natural inclination is to learn Islam and love it, but a bad education, a disbelieving environment, their own whims and desires and the devils among jinn and mankind turn them away from the truth. Mankind is basically inclined towards Tawheed (pure monotheism), as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) reported that his Lord (Allaah) said: “I created all my slaves as ‘hunafa’ (pure monetheists), but the devils turned them away from their religion.” (Reported by Muslim). For this reason the one who becomes a Muslim after having been a disbeliever is described as having “reverted” to Islam, as this is more correct than saying that he “converted.” When Islam enters a country where there is no nationalism or great legacy of jaahiliyah (ignorance), it spreads quickly because of its strength and the small number of obstacles. You may also see that Islam is suitable for all people, educated and uneducated, male and female, old and young; everyone finds in it what he wants and needs. Those who become Muslim in developed countries realize what their country’s civilization and laws, which have been fabricated from men’s whims and desires, have done to them, and they realize the extent of the misery in which people in developed countries are living. They see how prevalent psychological illnesses, nervous breakdowns, insanity and suicides are, despite the technological advances and great number of discoveries and inventions and modern systems of management. This is because all of that is concerned only with the physical and the outward, but it neglects the inward and fails to nourish and nurture the heart and soul. Allaah says of these people (interpretation of the meaning): “They know only the outside appearance of the life of the world, and they are heedless of the Hereafter.” [al-Room 30:7]
Islam will continue to succeed, with the permission of Allaah, so long as those who work for its sake are sincere and its followers adhere to it and believe in it, and apply its laws.
The fact that there are those who are not committed or who fall short will not prevent Islam from succeeding, with the permission of Allaah, and nothing can distort its beauty. Its light will not falter because some people abandon it or fail to adhere to it. What Islam has given humanity in the way of progress and civilization, and lifting them up from the darkness of oppression and enmity, is pride enough. |
Is it permissible for a woman to give her zakaah to her husband? | Praise be to Allah.It is permissible for a woman to give her zakaah to her husband, if he is qualified to receive zakaah, because she is not obliged to spend on him and because it was reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) gave permission to the wife of ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Mas’ood (may Allaah be pleased with them both) to give her zakaah to her husband ‘Abd-Allaah.
And Allaah knows best. |
I have a plural marriage,and a son (five years old), who is not the biological son of the husband.
Do the other wives have to be fully covered in hijab when this boy is present. | Praise be to Allah.The boy mentioned is young, and women do not need to cover their faces when he is present. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
And say to the believing women to lower their gaze (from looking at illegal things) and protect their private parts (from illegal sexual acts, etc.), and not to show off their adornment except only that which is apparent (like palms or hands or one eye or both eyes for necessity to see the way, our outer dress like veil, gloves, head-cover, apron, etc.), and to draw their veils all over juyoobihinna (i.e., their bodies, faces, necks and bosoms, etc.), and not to reveal their adornment except to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands fathers, their sons, their husbands sons, their brothers or their brothers sons, or their sisters sons, or their (Muslim) women (i.e., their sisters in Islam), or the (female) slaves whom their right hands possess, or old male servants who lack vigour, or small children who have no sense of the shame of sex. And let them not stamp their feet so as to reveal what they hide of their adornment. And all of beg Allaah to forgive you all, O believers, that you may be successful. [al-Noor 24:31]
This little boy is a small child who has no sense of the shame of sex, so it is permissible to uncover one's adornment in front of him. Ibn Katheer (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in his Tafseer: The words (interpretation of the meaning), or small children who have no sense of the shame of sex refer to children who because of their young age do not understand anything about women or the temptation they may present, such as their soft voices or the way they walk. Because the child is so young, he does not understand anything about that, so there is nothing wrong with letting him enter upon women. But if a boy is approaching puberty and beginning to understand these things and to distinguish between who is beautiful and who is not, then he should not be allowed to enter upon women.
And Allaah knows best. |
He works in a factory that makes tight and short clothes for women. Is it permissible for him to work there, or does he have a share in the burden of sin? | Praise be to Allah.We
put the following question to Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen:
He replied
(may Allaah preserve him):
It is haraam
for him, because he is cooperating in sin and transgression.
And
Allaah knows best. |
I am a seeker of knowledge; I love to learn and I strive hard in the pursuit of knowledge. I am studying with one of the scholars (i.e., a Sayyid), leaning fiqh, nahw (grammar) and tajweed. Some of the brothers told me that these people slander some of the Sahaabah, and in fact I have found that this is true in some cases, but I am still studying with them. I hope that you can tell me which is best – should I complete my studies, or look for other scholars?
I also wrote to the land of Persia, and they sent me some religious books and other material, but they are Imaamiyyah, i.e., they exaggerate too much about the Ahl al-Bayt (members of the Prophet’s household). Do you advice me to complete my studies with them?
I read the Qur’aan a great deal in Ramadaan, but I found that I make mistakes in my reading. I went to one of the scholars and asked him to teach me, but I discovered that he makes mistakes, and I do not know what to do. In my area there is no haafiz, and during Ramadaan I stay in my village. Is it permissible for me to buy tapes of Qur’aan? or should I look for a scholar who can teach me Qur’aan? | Praise be to Allah.You have to study with scholars who are known for their
knowledge and whose ‘aqeedah is sound, and keep away from these
innovators who go against the Ahl al-Sunnah. These include the Shee’ah
and Imaamiyyah. Do not study with them or sit with them or correspond with
them or read their books, lest they lead you astray from the path of
Allaah. Study Qur’aan with someone who reads it well and whose
‘aqeedah and religious commitment are sound. There is no reason why you
should not listen to tapes of Qur’aan in order to benefit from them. |
My question is regarding the suppression of
sexual desires. In this country, at this age, it is very difficult not to get aroused
several times a day. I hope you can understand. This causes stress while praying because a
drop or two may come out and during the whole prayer I am worried about it. Also, it
delays my performing the prayer. You said masturbation is not allowed. And you mentioned
fasting. Due to my circumstances fasting voluntary fasts regularly is not feasible as it
makes me too tired to study and concentrate. Also I am not able to marry now. This
situation might continue for years if Allah grants me that long a life. Can I therefore
castrate myself or take drugs that suppress sexual desires? I think the good that such a
measure would do will outweigh the harm and make me steadfast in my prayer and
concentration.But I wanted your advice before I take any steps . | Praise be to Allah.Fasting is not only a remedy, it is also a purification of
the soul and a means of earning reward and the pleasure of Allaah. It is also a striving
against one’s desires. With a little patience and the hope of earning reward, one can
get used to fasting. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Observing As-Sawm (the fasting) is prescribed for you as it was
prescribed for those before you, that you may become Al-Muttaqoon (the pious)”
[al-Baqarah 2:183]
In the Tafseer of this aayah it was said that according to one opinion,
the phrase “that you may become al-muttaqoon” means: that you may stay
away from sin, because fasting is more of a deterrent and is more effective in keeping one
from falling into sin. This is one of the meanings of the hadeeth, “Let him fast for
that will be a protection for him.” Many people think that this is because fasting
weakens the body and thus weakens desire. Even if that is the case, it is in addition to
the fact that fasting motivates a person to keep away from anything that he fears may
affect him adversely, either because of the blessing of the fast itself or because if the
one who is fasting has to refrain from food and drink that are permissible, it is even
more appropriate that he should keep away from things which are forbidden.
Fataawa al-Subki, part 1: al-Siyaam: Hifz al-Siyaam
‘an Fawt al-Tamaam
When young people who are unable to marry were commanded to fast, this is
a sign of the wisdom and insight of the Lawgiver. It is clear that fasting has an effect
in this regard and that it helps to control desire and reduce provocation.
With regard to your question about taking medication that can reduce
desire, there is no reason why you cannot take some herbal extracts etc. to control your
desires, so long as they are not harmful in any way. But this will not be of much help if
you do not do some acts of worship to fill your time and other activities to use up your
physical energy, such as Da’wah activities and helping those in need. Also reduce
your intake of rich foods, do some sports activities, keep yourself busy with useful
things, and make yourself a schedule that will use up your excess physical energy. Do not
forget that it is also very important to keep away from sources of provocation. Be
optimistic and do not think that you will remain in this situation for many years. May
Allaah make it easy for you to marry soon. May He protect us and you from evil and guide
us to the Straight Path. |
I have a wife who is very temperamental. She often gets angry with me, the children and many of our family members.
I have spoken to her on many occasions and she admits & then apologises thereafter. Is there something, from the Quraan or Hadith, that I may read for her to be relaxed/calm and as far as possible for this not to happen to her. Other than this, she is a wondeful wife & mother. | Praise be to Allah.You will find a detailed answer to this question in the book “Problems and Solutions”, which you can read on this website under the heading “"shaykh Wa Hulool",
’s books”, and in the answer to Question #658. The fact that your wife apologizes indicates that she recognizes and regrets her mistakes, which is the first step towards solving the problem. Remind her of her position in the household and that she is an example to the children, and warn her that her children may copy her bad behaviour and it may become part of their personalities, thus perpetuating the problem. Try to contain her by your patience. Your acknowledgement that she is a good wife and mother reminds me of the hadeeth of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): “No believing man should hate a believing woman; if he hates one of her characteristics, he will be pleased with another.” (Reported by Muslim, 2672). Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in his commentary on this hadeeth: “I.e., he should not hate her, because although he may find in her one characteristic which he dislikes, he will find something that pleases him. Although she may be ill-tempered, she may also be religious or beautiful or chaste or kind towards him or something like that.” We ask Allaah to guide your wife and make her character good. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad. |
Are there any suggestions you have to strengthen one's iman? | Praise be to Allah.
You will
find a detailed answer to this question in the book "Weakness
of Faith", under “Shaykh’s books” on this
website. And Allaah is the Source of help. |
As-salaamu-alaikum,Please assist me with my major problem. My parents have recently
divorced. My mother now lives on her own and does not want to live with any of her
children. Recently, she has mentioned that should she die, she would want to be cremated.
She keeps goind back to her former religion, Hinduism, then seems to come back into the
fold of Islam, then reverting back to Hinduism. I,being the eldest of all the children, do
not understand how to handle this situation. From all the brothers & sisters, I am the
only one who is still very close to her. Should the inevitable happen one day, how should
I handle this situation. | Praise be to Allah.It seems that your mother in is need of care and compassion, and at the
same time she seems to be feeling some nostalgia for the past, by wishing to go back to
her former corrupt religion. The former stems from her losing her position through the
divorce which has taken place, so you and your brothers and sisters must make up for what
she has lost to reduce the pain and bitterness of the humiliation she has suffered through
this divorce. Most of the responsibility will fall on your shoulders because you are the
closest of her children to her, as you say. You must enjoin your brothers and sisters to
fulfil their duties of caring for her and looking after her, by speaking kindly to her,
consoling her gently, serving her, taking care of her affairs, spending on her, visiting
her, keeping in touch and upholding the ties of kinship, until things settle down for her
and she feels better.
With regard to the second issue, her nostalgia for her former, corrupt
religion, you must deal with this problem by advising her and making the effort to explain
the seriousness of apostasy and returning to kufr. Tell her about the hadeeth of the
Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): “There are three things, if
a person has them, he has found the sweetness of faith: if Allaah and His Messenger are
more beloved to him than anyone or anything else; if he loves another and does not love
him for any reason other than for the sake of Allaah; and if he would hate to return to
kufr after Allaah has saved him from it as much as he would hate to be thrown into the
fire.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari and Muslim. This version was narrated by
Muslim in his Saheeh, no. 460).
Alarm her with the aayah (interpretation of the
meaning): “Verily, those who have turned their backs as disbelievers after the
guidance has been manifested to them, Shaytaan has beautified for them (their false
hopes), and (Allaah) prolonged their term (age).” [Muhammad 47:25]. Explain to
her the fate of the apostate as described in the Qur’aan (interpretation of the
meaning): “…And whosoever of you turns back from his religion and dies as a
disbeliever, then his deeds will be lost in this life and in the Hereafter, and they will
be the dwellers of the Fire. They will abide therein forever.” [al-Baqarah 2:217].
If you try your hardest, you will not be to blame if something that you
dislike happens after that. But whatever the case, you must not carry out any last wishes
or will to burn the body after death (cremation), because this is something that is viewed
as abhorrent in Islamic sharee’ah (see Question #675). We ask Allaah for guidance and
steadfastness in Islam, and for a good end, for your mother and for all the Muslims. May
Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad. |
I cannot recite and memorize
Qur’aan very well. What is the way to improve my recitation and
memorization? There is no one available to teach us and we are adults. | Praise be to Allah.The
best way to learn Tajweed (proper recitation of Qur’aan) is to read to a
shaykh who is qualified in Qur’aan recitation. If there is no such
person in your city, then according to sharee’ah it is required and
encouraged that you should travel in order to find such a person. If that
is not possible, then the Muslim should learn from his brothers and from
tapes of readers. If Allaah knows that a person's intention is sincere, He
will open the doors of goodness to him. |
As-salaamu-alaikum,I have been a great sinner before. I did not read my salaat often enough,
did not make zikr, read durood,etc.Recently, I experienced some misfortune in my life and I have only myself
to blame. This misfortune, has opened my eyes in many ways and I have started a complete
turn-around of my previous lifestyle. I need to know if there is anything I may read daily
to become closer to The Almighty and really focus on doing good to wipe out the evils/sins
of my previous lifestyle. Is there things I may read while I am working too? | Praise be to Allah.All praise be to Allaah for the great blessing
which He has bestowed upon you by guiding you to the way of truth after you
had been astray, and for your return to Him after you had been a sinner, neglecting
His laws. We ask Him, may He be glorified, to complete His favour upon you by
guiding you further and making you adhere steadfastly to His religion. As regards
what you should do about your past and how you can make up for what you have
missed, you will find detailed answers in the book “.."I
Want to Repent, But...",
With regard to du’aa’s to do with repentance that you
can recite every day and whilst at work, al-hamdulillah there are many such
du’aa’s, among the greatest of which are as follows:
“Rabbi’ghfir wa’rham wa anta khayru’l-raahimeen
(My Lord! Forgive and show mercy, for You are the Best of those who show mercy!)”
[al-Mu’minoon 23:118 – interpretation of the meaning].
“Rabbanaa ‘ghfar lanaa dhunoobanaa wa israafanaa
fi amrinaa (Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and transgressions (in keeping
our duties to You).” [Aal ‘Imraan 3:147 – interpretation of the
meaning].
Shaddaad ibn Aws (may Allaah be pleased with him)
reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) said: “The best prayer for seeking forgiveness is
to say: ‘Allaahumma anta rabbi la ilaaha illa anta, Khalaqtani wa ana
‘abduka wa ana ‘ala ‘ahdika wa wa’dika ma astata’t.
A’oodhu bika min sharri ma sana’tu, aboo’u laka bi ni’matika
‘alayya wa aboo’u laka bi dhanbi, faghfir li fa innahu laa yaghfiru’l-dhunoob
illaa anta (O Allaah, You are my Lord. None has the right to be worshipped
but You. You created me and I am Your slave, and I am faithful to my covenant
and my promise (to You) as much as I can. I seek refuge with You from all the
evil I have done. I acknowledge before You all the blessings You have bestowed
upon me, and I confess to You all my sins. So I entreat You to forgive my sins,
for nobody can forgive sins except You).” Whoever says this during the
day, having faith in it and dies before the evening comes, will be among the
people of Paradise, and whoever says it during the night, having faith in it,
and dies before the morning comes, will be among the people of Paradise.”
(Reported by al-Bukhaari, 5831).
Abu Moosa reported that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to recite the following du’aa’:
“Allaahumma’ghfir li khatee’ati wa jahli wa israafi fi amri
wa maa anta a’lam bihi minni. Allaahumma’ghfir li jiddi wa hazli wa
khata’i wa ‘amdi wa kullu dhaalika ‘indi. Allaahumma’ghfir
li maa qaddamtu wa maa ajjartu wa ma asrartu wa maa a’lamtu wa maa anta
a’lam bihi minni. Anta’l-muqaddim wa anta’l-mu’akhkhir wa
anta ‘ala kulli shay’in qadeer ( Allaah, forgive me for my sin.
My ignorance and my transgression (in keeping my duty to You), and whatever
You know about me better than I do. O Allaah, forgive me for sins committed
in earnest and in jest, by mistake and deliberately, and I have done all of
that. O Allaah, forgive me for what I have done in the past and what I will
do in the future, what I have done in secret and what I have done openly, and
whatever You know about me better than I do. You are the One Who raises and
lowers people’s status, and You are Able to do all things).” (Reported
by al-Bukhaari, 5919, and Muslim, 4896. This version reported by Muslim).
Ibn ‘Umar reported that the people counted for the Messenger
of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) when he recited one hundred times in one gathering: “Raabi’ghfir
li wa tubb ‘alayya innaka anta’l-tawwaab ul-ghafoor (My Lord,
forgive me and accept my repentance, for You are the Acceptor of Repentance,
the All-Forgiving).” (Reported by al-Tirmidhi, 3356. He said, This is a
ghareeb saheeh hasan hadeeth). May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad. |
Some people joining a person who is known to be praying fardh salat if they have the intention of making a jamaah. does it matter that the 'imam' had no intention to be in a congregation?. | Praise be to Allah.
It is permissible for a person who is praying alone to intend
to lead the prayer, and act as imaam for those who join him in the prayer.
The evidence for that is the hadeeth narrated by al-Bukhaari (667) and
Muslim (763) from Ibn ‘Abbaas who said: “I stayed one night with my maternal
aunt Maymoonah bint al-Haarith, and I said to her, ‘When the Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) gets up, wake me up
so that I can pray qiyaam al-layl.’ The Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) got up, and I got up and stood beside him
on his left. He took my hand and made me stand on his right, and whenever I
closed my eyes he tweaked my ear, then he prayed eleven rak’ahs, then he
slept until I could hear the sound of his breathing. When Fajr came he
prayed two short rak’ahs. (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 667; Muslim, 763).
The Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) started praying alone, then when Ibn ‘Abbaas joined him in prayer, he
led him in the prayer.
Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked this
question:
If I enter the mosque after the congregation (jamaa’ah) has
finished praying, and I say the iqaamah for the prayer and say “Allaahu
akbar” to start the prayer, then a man comes in after me and joins me in my
prayer, and I did not intend that, is his prayer valid or not?
He answered:
The correct view is that it is prescribed for you to form the
intention of leading the prayer when one or more persons join you in prayer,
because praying in congregation is something that is required and there is a
great deal of virtue in that. Some of the scholars are of the view that this
is valid in naafil prayers, but the correct view is that it is valid in both
naafil (supererogatory) and fard (obligatory) prayers, because the basic
principle is that the rulings on both are the same, except in cases where
there is specific evidence. It was proven that the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to pray on his own at night in the
house of Maymoonah, the maternal aunt of Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased
with them all). Ibn ‘Abbaas got up, did wudoo’ and stood to the left of the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) made him move to his right.
(Agreed upon) and led him in prayer.
Muslim narrated in his Saheeh that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was praying alone, and Jaabir
and Jabbaar came to him and stood to his right and his left. He made them
stand behind him and led them in prayer. These two hadeeth indicate what we
have mentioned. They also indicate that if there is only one other person,
he should stand to the right of the imam, and if there are two or more they
should stand behind him.
Majmoo’ Fataawa wa Maqaalaat Mutanawwi’ah li’l-Shaykh Ibn
Baaz, 12/151. |
Why were not the surahs of the Quran ordered according to the order of revelation? | Praise be to Allah.Order of verses in one Surah
The fact there is scholarly consensus, and many texts stating the order of verses in one Surah, that is very well known. The consensus was reported by many scholars, including Al-Zarkashi in al-Burhan and Abu Ja’far, who said: “The order of the verses in their Surahs came about because this is how it was instituted by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and there is no dispute among the Muslims with regard to this matter.”
The texts regarding this matter include the following:
The report narrated by Ahmad, Abu Dawud, al-Tirmidhi, al-Nasai, Ibn Hibban and al-Hakim from Ibn `Abbas, who said: “I said to ‘Uthman, ‘What made you put al-Anfal which is one of the Mathani, next to Bara-ah [al-Tawbah], which is one of the Mi’in? Why did you not put the line Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim in between them when you put it at the beginning of the rest of al-Sab’ al-Tiwal [the long seven Surahs]?” ‘Uthman said: “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to receive revelation of Surahs with many verses. When they were revealed, he would call his scribes and tell them, ‘Put these verses in the Surah where such-and-such is mentioned.’ Al-Anfal was one of the first Surahs to be revealed in Madinah, and Bara-ah (al-Tawbah) was one of the last parts of the Quran to be revealed. Its stories were similar to the stories mentioned in al-Anfal, so it was thought that it was part of it. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was taken [i.e., died] without explaining whether it was indeed part of it, so they were put next to one another, and the line Bismillahir Rahman ir’Rahim was not written between them, and it [al-Tawbah] was put among the Sab’ al-Tiwal [seven long Surahs].” (Al-Hakim said: its isnad is sahih, and al-Dhahabi agreed with him. Al-Mustadrak, 2/330)
Ahmad narrated in al-Musnad (4/218) with a hasan isnad from ‘Uthman ibn Abi’l-‘As that he said: “I was sitting with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) when he fixed his gaze on something, then lowered his gaze until he was almost looking at the ground, then he gazed at something. He said, ‘Jibril (peace be upon him) came to me and told me to put this verse in this place in this Surah: “Verily, Allâh enjoins Al-‘Adl (i.e. justice and worshipping none but Allâh Alone Islâmic Monotheism) and Al-Ihsân [i.e. to be patient in performing your duties to Allâh, totally for Allâh’s sake and in accordance with the Sunnah (legal ways) of the Prophet in a perfect manner], and giving (help) to kith and kin (i.e. all that Allâh has ordered you to give them, e.g., wealth, visiting, looking after them, or any other kind of help), and forbids Al-Fahshâ (i.e. all evil deeds, e.g. illegal sexual acts, disobedience of parents, polytheism, to tell lies, to give false witness, to kill a life without right), and Al-Munkar (i.e. all that is prohibited by Islâmic law: polytheism of every kind, disbelief and every kind of evil deeds), and Al-Baghy (i.e. all kinds of oppression). He admonishes you, that you may take heed.” [al-Nahl 16:90 – interpretation of the meaning].’”
Al-Bukhari narrated in al-Sahih (no. 4536) that Ibn Abi Malikah said: “Ibn al-Zubayr said: ‘I said to ‘Uthman, “This verse that is in al-Baqarah (interpretation of the meaning), ‘And those of you who die and leave wives behind them … And those of you who die and leave behind wives should bequeath for their wives a year’s maintenance and residence without turning them out’ [al-Baqarah 2:234-240] has been abrogated by the other, so why are you writing it down?” He said, “Leave it as it is, my nephew, I will not change anything from its place.”’”
Muslim narrated (no. 1617) that ‘Umar said: “I did not ask the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) about anything more than I asked him about al-Kalalah [those who die leaving neither ascendants nor descendents as heirs], until he poked me in the chest with his finger and said, “Is not ayat al-sayf at the end of Surat al-Nisa enough for you?”
There are also the hadiths about the verses at the end of Surat al-Baqarah.
Muslim narrated (no. 809) from Abu al-Darda that whoever memorizes the first ten verses of Surat al-Kahf will be protected from the Dajjal; according to another version, whoever recites the last ten verses will be protected.
The Prophet’s recitation of various Surahs in the presence of his Companions indicates that the order of their verses is something that was instituted and commanded by him, and that the Companions did not put the verses in a different order from that in which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to recite them. The reports to that effect reach the level of Mutawatir.
Al-Qadi Abu Bakr said in al-Intisar:
“The order of the verses is something that is obligatory and binding. Jibril used to say (to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)), ‘Put such and such an verse in such and such a place.’”
He also said:
“What we think is that all of the Quran which Allah revealed and commanded that it should be written down, and which was not abrogated after being revealed, is that which is contained between the covers of the Mus-haf of ‘Uthman, and that there is nothing lacking or added to it. Its order is the same as that commanded by Allah, may He be exalted, and instituted by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). Nobody has moved any verse backwards or forwards. The Ummah learned from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) the order of the verses of each Surah properly, just as they learned from him the correct pronunciation and recitation.”
Al-Baghawi said in Sharh al-Sunnah:
“The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to instruct his Companions and teach them what was revealed to him of the Quran in the order in which it appears in our Mus-hafs now, the order which Jibril taught him. When each verse was revealed, Jibril would tell him, this verse is to be written after such and such a verse in Surah such and such. Thus it is clear that the efforts of the Companions were limited solely to gathering the Quran in one place, not to arranging its order. The Quran is written on al-Lawh al-Mahfuz in this order, then Allah sent it down in its entirety to the first heaven, whence it was revealed in stages as it was needed, and the order in which it was revealed is not the order in which it is recited.”
Order of Surahs in the Quran
With regard to the order of Surahs, was this also instituted by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), or was this the ijtihad of the Companions? With regard to this question, there were differences among the scholars. The majority of scholars, including Malik and al-Qadi Abu Bakr, according to one of his two opinions, favoured the second opinion.
Ibn Faris said:
“There were two aspects to the compilation of the Quran. One was putting the Surahs in a certain order, such as putting al-Sab’ al-Tiwal (the seven long Surahs) first, and following them with the Mi’in, which is what the Companions did. The second aspect is the compilation of the verses within the Surahs. This was instituted by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), who recited them as he was told to by Jibreel, on the command of his Lord. On this basis, the Salaf differed as to the order in which the Surahs should appear. Some of them put them in order of revelation, which was the mus-haf of ‘Ali, which started with Iqra (al-‘Alaq), then al-Muddaththir, then Nun (al-Qalam), then al-Muzzammil, and so on. The Mus-haf of Ibn Mas’ud started with al-Baqarah, then al-Nisa, then Al ‘Imran, with other major differences. The Mus-haf of Ubayy was similar.”
Al-Karmani said in al-Burhan: the order of the Surahs as it is now is the same as that in al-Lawh al-Mahfuz which is with Allah. This is the order in which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to review the Surahs of the Quran he had received so far with Jibril each year. In the year in which he died, he reviewed it with him twice, and the last verses to be revealed were (interpretation of the meaning): ‘And be afraid of the Day when you shall be brought back to Allah…’ [al-Baqarah 2:281]. Jibril commanded the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) to put this between the verses dealing with riba and those dealing with loans.”
Al-Zarkashi said in al-Burhan: “The difference between the two views is one of wording. Those who support the second view say that it was taught to them so that they could learn the reasons of Revelation and the sequence of the words. Hence Malik said that they compiled the Quran according to what they had heard from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), as well as saying that the order of the Surahs was the product of their ijtihad. He said that the dispute boils down to one question which is: was this a verbal instruction of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), or were they merely referring to what he used to do, which would give them room for ijtihad.”
Al-Bayhaqi said in al-Madkhil: “At the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), the Surahs and verses of the Quran were in this order, except for al-Anfal and Bara-ah (al-Tawbah), as we see from the hadith of ‘Uthman referred to above.”
Ibn ‘Atiyah said: “The order of many of the Surahs was known during the lifetime of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), such as the seven long Surahs, those that begin with Ha’-Mim, and al-Mufassal. With regard to the others, it may be the case that it was left for the Ummah to determine their order after he died.”
Abu Ja’far said: “The reports support most of what Ibn ‘Atiyah said, and a little is left which is open to debate, such as the hadith, ‘Recite the two shining ones, al-Baqarah and Al ‘Imran.’” (Reported by Muslim, no. 804)
Al-Bukhari narrated (no. 4739) that ‘Abd-Allah ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “Bani Israil (al-Isra), al-Kahf, Maryam, Ta-Ha and al-Anbiya, these are among the earliest and most beautiful Surahs and they are my treasures,” (meaning, these are among the earliest I recited).
Abu Ja’far al-Nahhas al-Mukhtar said that the Surahs were compiled in this order from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) because of the hadith of Wathilah, “In place of the Tawrat I was given the seven long Surahs.” He said: “This hadith indicates that the order of the Quran was taken from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
Ibn Hajar said, “the fact that the Surahs, or most of them, are in a given order does not contradict the idea that this was instituted by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). What proves that this was instituted by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is the report narrated by Ahmad and Abu Dawud from Aws ibn Hudhayfah, who said: ‘We asked the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) in the morning, “How did you write down the Quran in chapters?” They said, “We wrote it down in chapters of six Surahs, five Surahs, seven Surahs, nine Surahs, eleven Surahs and thirteen Surahs, and the chapter of al-Mufassal, from Qaf until the end. This indicates that the order of the Surahs – as it appears in the Mus-haf now – existed at the time of the Messenger of Allah, or it is possible that what was known in order at that time was Hizb al-Mufassal specifically, which is not the case with the rest.”
(See al-Itqan fi ‘Ulum al-Quran by al-Suyuti, 1/62-65)
And Allah knows best. |
Salam,
I just recently had my Nikkah this past June. But the actual Rukhsati (giving away of the bride) will not take place until March because my husband is studying in a different state.
When he comes and visits my parents get very upset if I spend too much time with him. They say it is inappropriate. They are constantly watching what we do. They get upset if I go out with him and come home late. My question is, What does Islam have to say about parent's interfering in their child's marriage? I respect my parents but yet they do not seem to repect my privacy? Am I being unreasonable? Any information that you can give on this matter will be greatly appreciated. Thank you. | Praise be to Allah.If a man has completed the marriage contract (aqd nikaah) with a woman according to Islamic law, everything is permissible for him, he may look at her, be alone with her, enjoy physical contact with her, and so on, but his wife is not obliged to obey him and he is not obliged to spend on her until she submits herself to him, which according to the customs of most people nowadays happens after the waleemah or wedding party. Some mothers and fathers do not like their daughter to be alone with her husband between the aqd (nikaah) and waleemah because they are afraid of some problem arising that may cause the break up of the marriage, and their daughter may then no longer be a virgin, or she may become pregnant, and if the waleemah is delayed her pregnancy will be obvious to people, or other situations which may cause embarrassment to the parents. Parents may have concerns of which their children may not be aware, and which a daughter may not see as important because she is so excited and happy about her new husband. Although it is permissible for the couple to enjoy physical contact after the nikaah is completed even before the waleemah they should respect their parents wishes and pay attention to their concerns. The husband should also understand their concerns and should remain content with family visits until things settle down, i.e., after the waleemah. We ask Allaah to hasten for you the good things that you want. And Allaah is the Source of help. |
Assalamu-Alaikum,I am looking for a reference to performing Al Fatiha 100 times asking
Allah (swt) for a big blessing. Does anyone know of a Hadith mentioning this? Assalamu-Alaikum | Praise be to Allah.There is no saheeh evidence (daleel) to indicate that we should recite
al-Faatihah one hundred times when asking Allaah for anything, so it is not permissible to
do this. You must follow the Sunnah and call on Allaah by His names and attributes, as he
says (interpretation of the meaning): “And (all) the Most beautiful Names belong
to Allaah, so call on Him by them…” [al-A’raaf 7:180]. As regards
Soorat al-Faatihah, it is the greatest soorah of the Qur’aan, so recite it whenever
you wish, without specifying a certain number of times or a certain way of reciting it
that has no basis in Islam. May Allaah help us and you to do all good. |
I have a Question to ask concerning Jesus (peace be upon him). Did Jesus (peace be upon him) ascend twice to Allah? I have read in some books that it mentions Jesus (peace be upon him) ascending to the skies and then later being brought down to comfort his mother and telling the Jews of something and then leaving. Is this true? | Praise be to Allah.Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, tells us that Jesus (upon whom be peace) was raised up to heaven just one time, in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):
“But Allah raised him up (with his body and soul) unto Himself…” [Al-Nisa’ 4:158] and Allah does not tell us that Jesus was sent back to this earth. So those who claim that Jesus was sent back to this earth have to bring us evidence and proof. If they cannot do that – and they will never be able to do it – then their argument has no basis.
Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And (remember) when Allah said: ‘O Eesa (Jesus)! I will take you and raise you to Myself and clear you [of the forged statement that `Isa (Jesus) is Allah’s son] of those who disbelieve, and I will make those who follow you (monotheists, who worship none but Allah) superior to those who disbelieve [in the oneness of Allah, or disbelieve in some of His Messengers, or in His Holy Books] till the Day of Resurrection. Then you will return to Me and I will judge between you in the matters in which you used to dispute.”[Aal ‘Imraan 3:55]
Ibn Jareer, may Allah have mercy on him, explained that the word “mutawaffeeka”
[which usually refers to death and is translated here as “raise” – Translator] refers to his being taken up, but most of the scholars said that the meaning here is sleep, as Allah says elsewhere in the Quran (interpretation of the meaning):
“It is He, Who takes your souls [yatawaffaakum] by night (when you are asleep)…”[al-An’aam 6:60]
“It is Allah Who takes away [yatawaffaa] the souls at the time of their death, and those that die not during their sleep…”[Al-Zumar 39:42]
When he got up from sleeping, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) would say, “Al-hamdu Lillaah illadhi ahyaanaa ba’da maa amaatanaa wa ilayh il-nushoor (Praise be to Allah Who has brought us back to life after causing us to die, and unto Him is the resurrection).”
(Reported by al-Bukhaari, 6312; Muslim, 2711)
Allah’s statement that He raised Jesus up to heaven is also a refutation of the Jews’ claim to have killed him. Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Because of their breaking the covenant, and of their rejecting the aayat (signs) of Allah, and of their killing the Prophets unjustly, and of their saying, ‘Our hearts are wrapped (with coverings, i.e., we do not understand what the Messengers say)’ – nay, Allah has set a seal upon their hearts because of their disbelief, so they believe not but a little.
And because of their (Jews’) disbelief and uttering against Maryam (Mary) a grave false charge (that she had committed illegal sexual intercourse);
And because of their saying (in boast), ‘We killed Messiah `Isa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary), the Messenger of Allah’ – but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but the resemblance of `Isa (Jesus) was put over another man (and they killed that man), and those who differ therein are full of doubts. They have no (certain) knowledge, they follow nothing but conjecture. For surely; they killed him not [i.e., `Isa (Jesus) son of Maryam (Mary)].
But Allah raised him [`Isa (Jesus)] up (with his body and soul) unto Himself (and he is in the heavens). And Allah is Ever All-Powerful, All-Wise.
And there is none of the People of the Scripture (Jews and Christians), but must believe in him [`Isa (Jesus) son of Maryam (Mary), as only a Messenger of Allah and a human being], before his death. And on the Day of Resurrection, he [`Isa (Jesus)] will be a witness against them.”[al-Nisa’ 4:155-159]
Jesus (peace be upon him) has not died yet; Allah raised him up unto Himself because the Jews wanted to kill him, and he will descend again at the end of time and rule the earth according to Islam. He will live for as long as Allah wants him to, then he will die and the Muslims will pray [the janaazah or funeral prayer] for him. Ibn Katheer (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
The pronoun in the phrase before his death refers to Jesus (peace be upon him), i.e., there is none of the People of the Book but must believe in Jesus – that is when he comes back down to the earth before the Day of Resurrection, as we will explain below. At that time all of the People of the Book will believe in him because he will abolish the jizyah (tax paid by non-Muslims in an Islamic state) and will accept nothing but Islam…
The aayah (interpretation of the meaning)
“and [I will] clear you of those who disbelieve” [Aal ‘Imraan 3:55] means “by raising you up to heaven” and “I will make those who follow you superior to those who disbelieve until the Day of Resurrection” is what did indeed happen. When Allah took the Messiah (peace be upon him) up into heaven, his followers split into different groups. Some of them believed in what Allah had sent him with, that he was a slave and messenger of Allah, the son of His female slave. Some of them exaggerated about him and made him the son of God, and others said that he was God, or that he was the third of three (trinity). Allah described what they said in the Quran, and refuted all of them. They continued like that for nearly three hundred years, then one of the Greek kings called Constantine came along and entered the Christian religion. It was said that this was a plot to corrupt the religion, that he was a philosopher, or that he was ignorant. Whatever the case, he changed and distorted the religion of the Messiah, adding things and taking things away. It was at the time of Constantine that pork was permitted and they began to pray towards the East; they made images in their churches, shrines and monasteries, and added ten days to their fasting because of a sin that he had committed, as they claim. The religion of the Messiah became the religion of Constantine. He built more than twelve thousand churches, shrines and monasteries for them, and the city that bore his name [Constantinople – now Istanbul]. A sect of Christians followed him and they prevailed over the Jews with the help of Allah, because they were closer to the truth, even though all of them were disbelievers. When Allah sent Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), some of those who believed in him believed truly in Allah, His angels, His Books and His Messengers, so they were followers of every Prophet who had ever lived on earth.
And Allah knows best. |
We are offering a program to
sell fuel to people, the details of which are as follows: pay 200 riyaals
and get coupons for gas worth 210 riyaals plus a free car wash, knowing
that the amount of 200 riyaals is being paid in advance when you buy the
gas coupons. Is this offer halaal or haraam? | Praise be to Allah.If
the matter is as described, it is permissible to sell the coupons for gas
plus a car wash for the amount stated, because the sale is in fact for the
amount of gas described plus the car wash, and there is no deception,
ribaa or jahaalah (purchase of unknown product) involved. |
My question is very Important as it is very
disturbing.
my name is rasheed . A brother told me that it is "Kufr" to be named rasheed and
he backed his statement with the statement of an "aalim".
Please let me know if this is true and if so what the proof is. JazakaLlahu Khairun. | Praise be to Allah.There is nothing wrong with a person being called
Rasheed , just as there is nothing wrong with being called Saalih [righteous], Khaalid [eternal] or Maalik [owner].
They are merely names. If a person is called, for example, Lateef [kind] or Hakeem [wise], this is permissible although Allaah is
al-Lateef, al-Hakeem. The person who is called Lateef or Hakeem is not like the Creator,
may He be glorified, Who is called al-Lateef al-Hakeem. Both the Creator and His creation
may be wise or kind or gentle, or own things, in a manner that befits each of them.
However, there are names that are befitting only for Allaah, and it is not permissible for
a human being to be called by them, such as al-Raaziq (the Provider), al-Baari’ (the
Evolver). And Allaah is the source of strength. |
This question is not really to get a ruling on whether what I'm doing is
wrong. It's a question on how to get rid of my problem. I can't stop talking and going out
with girls. When a girl starts flirting with me it's like I can't tell her no. It is
like my brain stops functioning. I usually end up going out with the girl and may be kiss
but elhamdullilah I have never been further. I know what I do is wrong; and believe me I
feel guilty after every date, but I don't know what to do. Please help me. I'm weak when
it comes to women and I don't know what to do. I pray 5 times a day, and I fast, and I try
to be good but when it comes to women I can't control myself. Thank you for your help.
Salam | Praise be to Allah.The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) spoke the
truth when he said, I am not leaving behind any fitnah (trial, temptation) more
harmful to men than women. (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 4706).
He
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) also
said: This world is sweet and dazzling, and Allaah has you put in charge of it to
see how you will do and what you will do, so beware of this world and beware of women, for
the first fitnah (temptation, trial) that befell the Children of Israel was concerning
women. (Reported by Muslim, 4925).
You have to deal with two things, one now and one in the
future. As far as your past misbehaviour is concerned, you must repent sincerely to Allaah
right now, and do good deeds to expiate for your bad deeds, as was reported in the hadeeth
of Ibn Masood (may Allaah be pleased with him), who said that a man kissed a woman
[who was unlawful for him]; he came to the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) and told him about it, [saying, I met a woman in the garden, and I
embraced her, touched her and kissed her]. [Here I am, judge concerning me as you
wish.] [He started asking how he could expiate for this, and (the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)) did not say anything]. Then Allaah revealed
the words (interpretation of the meaning): And perform al-salaah at the two ends
of the day and in some hours of the night. Verily, the good deeds remove the evil
deeds [Hood 11:114]. The man asked, O Messenger of Allaah, is this
just for me? He said, It is for all of my ummah (reported by
al-Bukhaari, 495; additional material in brackets is from the reports of al-Tirmidhi,
Ahmad, Muslim and Ibn Maajah, in that order), so do a lot of acts of
worship and good deeds, so that Allaah may accept your repentance.
As far as the future is concerned, you are not permitted at all to go
to places where there is corruption and free mixing, where you are likely to meet women.
You say that you cannot control yourself, so why do you go to places where you spend time
chatting informally with women, and then say that you cannot resist? What you say is
completely unacceptable. If you avoid the places and things that lead to evil, and do not
expose yourself to it, you will protect yourself from falling into sin. Fear Allaah, for
Allaah is watching you to see how you will do and what you will do. Beware of going to
places that will lead you into haraam things. Remember that the more you indulge in haraam
activities, the more difficult it is to retreat, so nip it in the bud. Stick to righteous
company, and keep away from evil things and evil people. Do everything that will help you
to remain chaste, such as hastening to marry and lowering your gaze. I ask Allaah to
protect you from the temptation of women. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad. |
Is it permissible to give charity to
non-Muslims if they are in urgent need? Will the person who gives such charity be
rewarded? | Praise be to Allah.It is permissible to give charity to non-Muslims and this action will
be rewarded, if they are in need of it, but they should not be given the obligatory
charity, i.e. zakaat, unless they are those whose hearts are to be softened (i.e., they
are close to embracing Islam). It is a condition for giving charity to non-Muslims that
they should not be involvied in fighting the Muslims or driving them from their homes,
because charity in such cases would be seen as helping them to wage war against the
Muslims. (Fataawa Mutanawwi’ah by Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 521).
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Allaah does not
forbid you to deal justly and kindly with those who fought not against you on account of
religion and did not drive you out of your homes. Verily, Allaah loves those who deal with
equity. It is only as regards those who fought against you on account of religion, and
have driven you out of your homes, and helped to drive you out, that Allaah forbids you to
befriend them. And whosoever will befriend them, then such are the zaalimoon
(wrong-doers – those who disobey Allaah.)” [al-Mumtahimah 60:8-9].
Muslims should seek first and foremost to give their charity to their
Muslim brothers who are in need, and there are plenty of them. And Allaah knows best. |
Are the good deeds of a child who has not yet reached puberty – such as salaat (prayer), Hajj (pilgrimage), reciting Qur’aan – all added to his parents’ record or to his own? | Praise be to Allah.The reward for the deeds of a child who has not reached puberty – meaning his good deeds – go to the child himself, not to his parents or anyone else, but his parents will be rewarded for teaching and guiding and helping him to do good, because of the report in Saheeh Muslim from Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) who said, “A woman held up a boy and said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, will his Hajj be counted?’ He said, ‘Yes, and you will have a reward.’” (Reported by Muslim, 2378)
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) stated that the Hajj would be counted for the boy, and that his mother would be rewarded for taking him on Hajj.
Similarly, people other than the parents may also be rewarded for good deeds, such as teaching those under their care such as orphans, relatives, servants and other people, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever guides others to do good will have a reward similar to that of the one who does it …” (reported by Muslim in his Saheeh, 3509), and because this is a form of co-operating in righteousness and piety, which Allaah urges us to do. |
please tell me if it is halal to have a job
where the non-muslim customers often come in and ask me to copy and manipulate images for
them (i.e pictures of people and animals sometimes)? i am working this job assuming it to
be halal until you tell me otherwise (or anyone tells me with daleel). and if you tell me
to quit, would i be able to keep the job until i could find a replacement? | Praise be to Allah.In Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah
li’l-Buhooth al-‘Ilmiyyah wa’l-Iftaa, it says the following:
“Making images of animate beings is haraam and earnings from doing
this are haraam.”
When Allaah forbids a thing, He also forbids its price. Making images
of animate beings is forbidden, as it was reported in the saheeh evidence. Therefore
earnings from doing this are unclean and it is not permissible to consume them. An
exception is made in the case of images that are necessary, such as photos for ID
documents and photos used to track down criminals and so on. It is permissible to make
these images and receive payment for doing so. The one who is asking this question could
work only with pictures of things that are not animate, or he can try to look for another
job. Whoever gives up a thing for the sake of Allaah, Allaah will compensate him with
something better. |
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid, can you
please tell me when saying Takbir after the Imam says Takbir in Salat if it those
following the Imam should say it out loud or to ones self? | Praise be to Allah.The imaam should say the Takbeerat al-Ihraam (first Takbeer) and
the Takbeeraat for the movements of the prayer aloud, so that the people behind him can
hear him and follow him. If the mosque is big and the imaam’s voice cannot reach all
the people who are praying, or his voice is weak because of sickness etc. or because that
is his nature, some of the people praying behind him can convey the Takbeeraat [by
repeating them aloud], because of the saheeh hadeeth which says that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) led the people in prayer when he was sick, and
Abu Bakr (may Allaah be pleased with him) made the people hear the Takbeer. (Agreed upon).
With regard to the person who is praying behind the imaam, the
Sunnah is for him to say the Takbeer quietly so that only he himself can hear it. This
also applies to his recitation of Qur’aan, Takbeeraat, saying Tasbeeh in Rukoo’
etc., the Tashahhud, the Salaam and the du’aa’, whether these words are waajib
(obligatory) or naafil (supererogatory). It is not Mustahabb to make it louder than that
except where there is a need to help others who cannot hear the imaam, in which case he
should make it louder. |
If a woman misses several years of fasting the month of Ramdan due to pregnancy and breastfeeding is she obligated to make these up by fasting each day? Is there another option that she may take such as feeding the poor because it would be very difficult for her to make up so many days? Some women are pregnant or breastfeeding for many years in a row without an opportunity to make them up. Also, does she need to make these up before she can do voluntary fasting such as during the month of Shawwal? If this is the case, then it may be difficult for her to gain the rewards of fasting during this month since she would need to make up the missed days first ? Is the opportunity to make up days lost after a certain time period ? For example, if the woman had not made them up before the next Ramadan is the opportunity lost ? | Praise be to Allah.A Muslim woman who misses any fasts in Ramadan because of being pregnant or breastfeeding must make them up after she no longer has that excuse, just like the sick person of whom Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “… but if any of you is ill or on a journey, the same number (should be made up) from other days…” [al-Baqarah 2:184]
A woman may space out these days (i.e., she does not have to fast them all at once, consecutively), as this is easier for her. (See also "Seventy Questions About Fasting ").
It is better to make up missed days before the next Ramadan comes, but if the excuse is still present, she may delay making them up until she is able to do so. She should not resort to feeding poor people (instead of fasting) unless she is totally unable to fast.
And Allah knows best. |
I have read many signs concerning the
appearance of the Mahdi, Dajjal, Prophet Isa. Signs that the Holy Prophet (
) predicted.
These signs have amazed me because they have almost all come true, or are happening at
this moment. Signs such as time will pass quickly, drinking wine will increase,
fornication will increase, singing will be common.. and so many more.
My question is, is that do you think that the coming of any of the three people named
above is close and may it occur in our lifetime? Thankyou. | Praise be to Allah.The appearance of these three signs, the Mahdi, the
Dajjaal and the descent of ‘Isa (peace be upon him), will undoubtedly happen, as is
indicated in the saheeh reports. These three signs will appear within a short space of
time, as ‘Isa (peace be upon him) will pray behind the Mahdi, and will kill the
Dajjaal, as was reported in the saheeh ahaadeeth. As for when this will happen, Allaah
knows best about that. As to whether it will happen soon, the texts seem to indicate this,
but the question of whether it will be in our lifetime or after is part of the Unseen,
which no one knows except Allaah. The Muslim should seek refuge with Allaah from fitan
(tribulations) in general, and from the fitnah (tribulation) of the Dajjaal in particular;
he should pray to Allaah, openly and in secret, to help him remain steadfast in this world
and the next. |
I very doubtfull about the fact that many
muslims say that if a christian or a jew give you meat to eat, we must say basmala to make
it halal. But the islam teaches us that what is haraam is still haraam, even there is a
good intention (i.e. to say basmala) | Praise be to Allah.The scholars agree unanimously that it is permissible to
eat the meat of the People of the Book, Jews and Christians, if the name of Allaah is
mentioned at the time of slaughter, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Eat
not of that (meat) on which Allaah’s Name has not been pronounced (at the time of
slaughtering of the animal)…” [al-An’aam 6:121]. If the person
mentioned a name other than that of Allaah, such as the name of ‘Uzayr or of the
Messiah, then it is not permissible to eat of it, because of the general meaning of the
aayah (interpretation of the meaning): “He has forbidden you… that which is
slaughtered as a sacrifice for others than Allaah.” [al-Baqarah 2:173].
It is also a condition that the meat should be slaughtered in the
manner prescribed by sharee’ah. If it is known that the slaughter was not done in the
proper Islamic manner, e.g., by strangulation or electric shock and so on, then it is
haraam.
As for the claim that some make, that it is enough merely to mention
the name of Allaah when eating, this was reported regarding some Muslims who were new in
Islam. The Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them) asked the Prophet
(peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) about this, saying, “O Messenger of Allaah, some
people who are new in Islam brought us some meat, and we do not know whether they
mentioned the name of Allaah over it or not.” The Prophet
(peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: “Say the name of Allaah over it and eat it.” (Reported
by al-Bukhaari). The command should be understood as meaning that one
should be on the safe side, provided that one does not know beforehand that the meat is
not slaughtered properly. And Allaah knows best. |
Important question on SALAAT praying in congregation of 2 muslims and another muslim wants to join the
prayer should the 2nd muslim walk backwards to join the brother who arrived late or should
he carry on reading next to the imam? | Praise be to Allah.If a third person comes and joins two who are praying,
then the one who is praying behind the imaam should move back, because of the report
narrated by Muslim, in al-Saheeh (no. 3010), from Jaabir who said: “The
Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) stood up to pray, and I
came and stood on his left. He took my hand and turned me around until I was standing on
his right. Then Jabbaar ibn Sakhr came and stood on the left of the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). He took both our hands and pushed us back
until we were standing behind him.
The scholars mentioned that if there is space in front of the imaam and
no space behind the two people who are praying behind him, the imaam should move forward,
but if there is space behind them and no space in front of the imaam, then they should
move back. If there is space both in front of the imaam and behind the two people, the two
people should move back and the imaam should not move forward, because he is to be
followed and should not move, and because the imaam should pray with a barrier in front of
him such as a wall or pillar, etc.
Imaam al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in al-Majmoo’,
4/292:
“If there is an imaam and two people praying behind him, the imaam
should come forward and they should stand behind him, whether they are two men or two boys
or a man and a boy… Then if there is space in front of the imaam and not behind the
two people praying behind him, he should move forward or they should move back. As to
which is preferable, there are two opinions. The correct view is that stated by Shaykh Abu
Haamid and the majority, which is that they should move back because the imaam is to be
followed and should not move.
… this is if the second person joins the prayer during the qiyaam
(standing). But if he comes during the tashahhud or sujood, nobody should move forward or
move back until they stand up again. There is no dispute that this moving forward or back
should not occur until after the second person has said the takbeer for starting the
prayer, as they mentioned. And Allaah knows best.” |
Assalamu 'Alaikum,At the Iocal Masjid, which is the only masjid in the area, myself and
other brothers try to educate the members of the community by have lectures. Since we are
not extremely knowledgeable, we basicly read from the various works of the shaikhs.The leadership(Imaam and President) do not do anything to educate the
muslims here, and when we try to hold our little classes, they get angry.We basically read directly from the books with minimum comments. The
books are from those Shaikhs who adhere to the principles of Ahlus Sunnah Wal Juma'ah(Insh
Allaah). My question is, are we wrong in our methods and What is your advice on
dealing with the situation where the leadership opposes Authentic Education of the
community? Jazzakallaahu Khairun | Praise be to Allah.May Allaah reward you for the efforts you are making to fulfil the duty of
teaching your Muslim brothers. The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: Allaah and the angels, and even the ant in its nest and the whale in the
sea will pray for the one who teaches people good things. (Reported by
al-Tabaraani from Abu Umaamah; see Saheeh al-Jaami, 1838).
Your reading to the people from the books of the scholars is very good for you and for
them, so keep doing that. What we advise is that a person should not speak about things of
which he has no knowledge, either by commenting on the book or by answering questions. If
he does not know something, he should say, Allaah knows best. He should also
avoid speaking about topics he is unsure of, and should stick to things he is certain
about. You are filling an important gap in the Muslim community, and for every good deed
to which you call and guide others sincerely for the sake of Allaah you will
receive a reward for dawah and teaching others, as well as a reward equivalent to
that of those who act upon what they have learned from you, as the Prophet
(peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: Whoever calls others to right guidance will
have a reward like the rewards of those who follow it, without it detracting in the least
from their rewards. (Reported by Muslim, 4831). Remind your
imaam of his duties as much as you can. We ask Allaah to help us and you to obey Him and
to do that which pleases Him. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad. |
Because my father is puertorican and
my mother is white does that stop me from becoming a muslim? | Praise be to Allah.What you mention does not stop you from becoming a Muslim at all. Islam is
the religion for all of mankind, no matter what their colour, land, tribe or language. The
Prophet Muhammad
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is the Messenger to all
of mankind, of all origins and countries. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Say (O Muhammad): ‘O mankind! Verily, I am sent to you all
as the Messenger of Allaah – to Whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the
earth. None has the right to be worshipped but He; it is He Who gives life and causes
death. So believe in Allaah and His Messenger, the Prophet who can neither read nor write,
who believes in Allaah and His Words, and follow him so that you may be guided.”
[al-A’raaf 7:158].
There is no superiority of anyone over anyone else in Islam, except in
terms of taqwa (piety, consciousness of Allaah). Allaah says (interpretation of the
meaning):
“O mankind! We have created you from a male and a female, and made
you into nations and tribes, that you may know one another. Verily, the most honourable of
you with Allaah is that (believer) who has al-taqwa (i.e., is one of the muttaqoon –
the pious). Verily, Allaah is All-Knowing, All-Aware.” [al-Hujuraat 49:13]
In His wisdom, Allaah has made mankind into different peoples and tribes
so that they may know one another, not so that they may despise one another. He tells us
that the differences in colour and languages are a sign of His greatness and power in
creation. He says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And among His Signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth
and the difference of your languages and colours. Verily, in that are indeed signs for men
of sound knowledge.” [al-Room 30:22]
The Prophet of Islam, Muhammad
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) affirmed the prohibition of racial discrimination and of despising coloured people,
when he said in his famous speech: “O people, your Lord is One and your father [i.e.,
Adam] is one. There is no superiority of the Arab over the non-Arab, or of the non-Arab
over the Arab, or of the red over the black, or of the black over the red – except
with regard to taqwa.” (Reported by Imaam Ahmad, 22391)
When a man insulted his brother (in Islam) for having a
black mother, the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to him,
“You are a man who still has jaahiliyyah (ignorance) in him.” Abu Dharr (may
Allaah be pleased with him) said: “There was an argument between me and one of my
brothers whose mother was non-Arab. I insulted him about his mother, and he complained
about me to the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). I met the
Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and he said, “O Abu Dharr,
you are a man who still has jaahiliyyah (ignorance) in him.” (Reported by
al-Bukhaari and Muslim; this version narrated by Muslim, 3139).
Hasten to Islam, and you will prosper. You will find in
Islam that which will delight you in this world and the next. Peace be upon those who
follow true guidance. |
I would like to know raising the hands
during the prayers. What is the right act exactly? As we know in the deen there must be
unity, even in the daily prayer. So there are many ahadith speaking differently about
raising the hands: one of them speaks of raising the hands only after the first takbeer,
and another is speaking about raising the hands after all takbeer. What is right? We have
only one messenger (Muhammad s.a.w) so there must be one way of praying!! | Praise be to Allah.It is Sunnah to raise one’s hands in four places during the
prayer:
When pronouncing Takbeer al-Ihraam (the first Takbeer), when bowing
in Rukoo’, when rising from Rukoo’ and when standing up after the first
Tashahhud. Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) narrated that when the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) started his prayer, he would say
“Allaahu akbar” and raise his hands, when he bowed in rukoo’ he would raise
his hands, when he said “Sami’a Allaahu liman hamidah [Allaah hears those
who praise Him]” he would raise his hands, and when he stood up after two
Rak’ahs he would raise his hands. (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 2/222; Abu Dawood,
1/197).
The meaning of “when he stood up after two Rak’ahs he would
raise his hands” is, when he stood up after the first Tashahhud.
The hands may be raised to the level of the shoulders or the ears. See
Al-‘Ayni fi’l-‘Umdah, 5/7; Sharh Muslim by al-Nawawi, 4/95; Sifat
Salaat al-Nabi by al-Albaani, 87. |
I would like to know when hijama (cupping) began to be practiced according to the sunnah, and the manner in which it should be performed. Are there recommended times for one to have it done, or times that one should avoid cupping?
We are hoping to begin this practice for sisters, and wish to make sure that we would be performing it strictly according the sunnah of Rasool Allaah, sallalahu alaihi wa salaam. Jazakum Allaahu kullu khairan, | Praise be to Allah.What is hajama in Islam?
Hijaamah comes from the root al-hajm, which means “sucking”, and is used of the action of draining the breast when an infant is suckled. Al-hajjaam is the name given to the cupper, and hijaamah is the name given to this profession. Al-mihjam is the name given to the tool in which blood is collected, or to the knife used by the cupper.
Benefits of hijama in Islam
Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with them both) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Healing is to be found in three things: drinking honey, the knife of the cupper , and cauterization of fire.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 10/136)
According to a hadeeth narrated by Jaabir (may Allaah be pleased with him), the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “If there is any good in your medical treatments , it is in the knife of the cupper, drinking honey, or cauterization with fire, as appropriate to the cause of the illness, but I would not like to be cauterized.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 10/139)
According to a hadeeth narrated by Anas ibn Maalik, may Allaah be pleased with him, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “I did not pass by any group on the night when I was taken on the Night Journey (Isra’), but they said to me, ‘O Muhammad, tell your ummah to do cupping.’” (Reported by Ibn Maajah; it has corroborating evidence which strengthens it)
Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with them both) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was treated with cupping, and he paid the cupper his fee.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 10/124; Muslim 1202).
Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allaah was treated with cupping by Abu Tayyibah. He commanded that he should be given two measures of food, and he spoke with his tax-collectors, who reduced his taxes. He said, “The best treatment you can use is cupping.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 10/126; Muslim, 1577)
What is the best time for hijama?
With regard to the times when cupping is recommended:
Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with them both) narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The best times to be treated with cupping are the seventeenth, nineteenth or twenty-first [of the month].” (Reported by al-Tirmidhi, 2054; the isnaad is da’eef)
Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever wants to be treated by cupping, let him do it on the seventeenth, nineteenth or twenty-first, lest the blood flow too copiously and kill him.” (Reported by Ibn Maajah, 3489; there is some weakness in the report)
Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever is treated with cupping on the seventeenth, nineteenth or twenty first, will be healed from all diseases.” (Reported by Abu Dawood, 3861, and al-Bayhaqi, 9/340. The isnad is hasan)
Although the ahaadeeth quoted above are from different sources and may be weak to some extent, they give strength to one another.
Imaam Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
“These ahaadeeth coincide with what the doctors agree on, that cupping should be done in the second half of the month, and that the third quarter of the month is better than the beginning or the end. But if cupping is done out of necessity it is beneficial at any time, even at the beginning or end of the month. Al-Khallaal said: ‘Ismah ibn ‘Isaam told me: Hanbal told me: Abu ‘Abd-Allaah Ahmad ibn Hanbal would be treated with cupping whenever his blood increased, no matter what time it was… They disliked having cupping done on a full stomach, because that could lead to obstruction and grievous diseases, especially if the food was heavy and bad… Choosing the times mentioned above for cupping is an extra precaution, to be on the safe side and to protect one’s health, but when it comes to treating disease, whenever it is necessary it should be used.”
Al-Haafiz ibn Hajar (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
“According to the doctors, the most efficacious cupping is that which is done at the second or third hour, after having intercourse or taking a bath, etc., and neither on a full nor empty stomach. With regard to specific days for administering cupping, it was reported in a hadeeth narrated from Ibn ‘Umar by Ibn Maajah that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘Administer cupping, may Allaah bless you, on Thursdays, and administer cupping on Mondays and Tuesdays, but avoid cupping on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.’ It was reported with two da’eef isnads, and there is a third version, also da’eef, reported by al-Daaraqutni in al-Afraad. He also reported it with a jayyid isnaad from Ibn ‘Umar but it is mawqoof (the isnad stops at the Sahaabi). Al-Khallaal reported that Ahmad disliked cupping on the days mentioned, even though the hadeeth was not proven. It was said that a man was treated with cupping on a Wednesday and he developed leprosy because he ignored the hadeeth. Abu Dawood reported from Abu Bakrah that he disliked cupping on Tuesdays, and said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘Tuesday is the day of blood, and on that day there is an hour when blood does not stop.’ The doctors are agreed that cupping in the second half of the month, especially in the third quarter, is more beneficial than cupping at the beginning or end of the month. Al-Muwaffaq al-Baghdaadi said: The body fluids (humours) flow heavily at the beginning of the month and calm down at the end, so the best time to let the blood flow is in the middle of the month.”
It is clear from the above that the ahaadeeth which specify a particular time, when taken as a whole, indicate that there is a basis for this, especially since the words of the doctors are in agreement with it. If the seventeenth or nineteenth or twenty-first of a hijri month happens to be a Thursday, this is the best possible time for cupping, but this is not to say that it is not good to do it at other times. As a form of medical treatment, cupping should not be restricted to any particular time; it should be done as needed by the patient.
It is essential to make sure that you do it properly; cupping should be done by one who is experienced and he or she should use instruments that are properly cleaned and sterilized. The cupper must also ensure that no blood reaches the stomach of the patient.
We ask Allaah to help us and you to follow the Sunnah. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad.
References
Fath al-Baari by Ibn Hajar, 10/149.
Sharh al-Zarqaani ‘ala al-Muwatta’, 2/187.
Al-Mughni by Ibn Qudaamah, 1/184.
Zad al-Ma’aad by Ibn al-Qayyim, 4/60. |
A man stole something from a public facility in a kaafir country, then it was stolen from him. Does he have to repay its value? | Praise be to Allah.We
put this question to Shaykh ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Jibreen (may Allaah preserve
him), who answered as follows:
He
is not liable for anything; it is sufficient for him to repent. And Allaah
knows best. |
Could you tell me as to how should a
follower stand (right next ot slightly behind) with the Imaam, if they are only two
praying in Jama'a? | Praise be to Allah.He should stand in line with the imaam, not in front of him or behind
him, but perfectly in line with him, on his right. This is how Abd-Allaah ibn
Abbâs stood when he prayed with the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him). In his Saheeh, al-Bukhaari entitled a chapter Baab yaqoomu
an yameenihi al-Imaam bi hidhaaihi sawaa: idha kaanaa ithnayn (Chapter:
he should stand on the right of the imaam in line with him if they are two). In this
chapter he mentioned the hadeeth of Abdullah ibn Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased
with him) who said: I stayed overnight in the house of my maternal aunt Maymoonah,
and the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) prayed
Isha, then he came and prayed four rakahs, then he slept, then he got up
and I came and stood on his left, but he put me on his right and prayed five rakahs,
then two rakahs, then he fell asleep and I heard his snoring. Then he went out for
the prayer.
Ibn Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) also said: I
came to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) at the
end of the night and prayed behind him. He pulled me until I was in line with him, and
when the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) turned back
to his prayer, I went back to my original position behind him. The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) prayed, and when he had finished his
prayer he said to me, What is going on? I made you stand in line with me and you
moved back. I said, O Messenger of Allaah, is it right for anyone to pray
alongside you when you are the Messenger of Allaah whom Allaah has blessed? He liked
what I said and prayed that Allaah would increase me in knowledge and understanding.
The hadeeth was narrated by Imaam Ahmad, 1/330 and classed as saheeh by al-Albaani.
Its isnaad is in al-Silsilat al-Saheehah, 6060.
Then al-Albaani said: From this hadeeth we may understand that
the Sunnah is when one man is praying alone following the imaam, he should stand alongside
him on his right, not in front of him or behind him. This is the madhhab of the Hanbalis,
as stated in Manaar al-Sabeel, 1/128.
Abd al-Razzaaq narrated that Ibn Jurayj said: I said to
Ata: If a man prays with another man, where should he stand in relation
to him? He said, To his right. I said, Should he be precisely in
line with him so that neither is in front of the other? He said, Yes. I
said, Do you prefer that they should stand close together so that there is no gap
between them? He said, Yes.
In al-Muwatta it is narrated that Abd-Allaah ibn
Utbah ibn Masood said: I entered upon Umar ibn al-Khattaab at
midday and found him saying Tasbeeh (in the prayer). I stood behind him and he made
me come closer until I was standing in line with him on his right.
Al-Haafiz said in al-Fath (2/191): Some of them narrated
that there was scholarly consensus that one person praying alone with the imaam should
stand to the right of the imaam.
And Allaah knows best. |
I know that a person is not accounted for his sins before the age of puberty, what about his good deeds, does he get rewarded for them? | Praise be to Allah.Yes, children will be rewarded for doing good deeds, because of the hadeeth reported by Muslim in his Saheeh (no. 1335) from Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with them both), who said: “A woman lifted up a child and said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, will his Hajj (pilgrimage) be counted?’ He said, ‘Yes, and you will be rewarded.’” The author of Mawaahib al-Jaleel fi Sharh Mukhtasar Shaykh al-Khaleel said, regarding the matter of children being instructed to pray when they reach the age of seven: “Al-Qaraafi said in al-Yawaaqeet fi’l-Mawaaqeet: children will earn reward for good deeds that they do because of the hadeeth (prophetic narration) of the Khath’ami woman [who lifted up her child and asked the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) about his Hajj].”
Ibn Rushd said: “The bad deeds of young children are not recorded but their good deeds will be recorded, according to the sound opinion.”
Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr said in al-Tamheed, commenting on the first hadeeth quoted therein, which is the hadeeth of the Khath’ami woman: “… Abu’l-‘Aaliyah al-Riyaahi said: ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab said: the young child’s good deeds will be recorded but his bad deeds will not be recorded.”
The author of Mawaahib al-Jaleel said, concerning children entering ihraam (sacred state) for Hajj and ‘Umrah:
“The scholars do not differ concerning the fact that children will be rewarded for whatever acts of obedience (to Allaah) they do, and will be let off for any bad deeds that they do, and any bad deeds they do deliberately will be counted as mistakes. It says in Mukhtasar al-Waadihah: ‘Hajj is not an obligation for boys and girls until boys reach puberty and girls begin menstruating, but there is nothing wrong with taking them for Hajj. It is recommended (mustahabb), and the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did so.’”
Then he reported that Talhah ibn Musarrif said: “It was one of the customs of the Muslims to take their children for Hajj and expose them to the mercy of Allaah.”
Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr said in al-Tamheed that it is encouraged to take children for Hajj, and that the majority of scholars say this. He also said: “It is nothing strange that a child should earn reward and status in the Hereafter for his salaah (prayers), zakaah (paying poor-due), Hajj and other good deeds if he does them as they should be done, (because this is) grace and mercy from Allaah, just as Allaah shows mercy to the dead by rewarding them for acts of charity done on their behalf by the living. Do you not see that they (the scholars) are agreed that a child should be commanded to pray when he reaches the age of understanding and that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) led Anas and the orphan in prayer? Most of the salaf (pious predecessors) said that zakaah has to be paid on the property of orphans, and it is impossible that they would not be rewarded for that. Their guardians and the one who does this on their behalf will also certainly be rewarded, as will the one who takes them for Hajj, as a blessing and mercy from Allaah. It was reported that ‘Umar said: ‘Children’s good deeds will be recorded and their bad deeds will not be recorded.’ I do not know of anyone whose opinion is worth following who said anything to the contrary.”
According to al-Ikmaal, many of the scholars said: “Children will be rewarded for their acts of obedience (to Allaah), and their good deeds will be recorded, but not their bad deeds.”
It says in Awaa’il al-Muqaddimaat: “The correct opinion in my view is that they are both encouraged to do that and will both be rewarded for it (i.e., the child and his or her guardian). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to the woman [who asked about the child’s Hajj]: ‘… and you will be rewarded.’ And Allaah knows best.”
Ibn Jamaa’ah said: “According to the four (imams/leading scholars), children will be rewarded for their acts of obedience and their good deeds will be recorded, whether they are mature or not. This was reported from ‘Umar, may Allaah be pleased with him. Some scholars report that there was consensus (ijmaa’) in this matter. It is also indicated by what we have already said under the heading of Virtues (fadaa’il), that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘The jihaad (physival battle) of the very old and the very young is Hajj and ‘Umrah,’ as well as the hadeeth about the woman who lifted up a child.”
And Allaah knows best. |
Regarding men wearing western style shirt and pants: Is it permissible for the male to wear his shirt tucked inside of his pants or should he allow the tail of the shirt to hang loosely on the outside covering the private parts ? | Praise be to Allah.If the trousers contain nothing haraam and are loose and do not reveal the shape of the private parts, there is nothing wrong with tucking the shirt into the pants, but if they are tight around the area of the private parts, it is necessary to cover that with the shirt or with something else.
And Allaah knows best. |
Assalaamu 'alaykum wa rahmatu 'Llahi wa
barakatuhI prayed in congregation with the intention of making maghrib prayer;
however, the congregation was praying the ishaa prayer because the imaam combined the two
prayers. I didn't realise this until everyone stood for the forth rakat. How should I have
corrected my salat ? Jazzakallahu Khayrun | Praise be to Allah.If a person joins the imaam whilst he is praying
Ishaa, but he has missed Maghrib for some legitimate reason, such as
travelling, etc., then he should pray Maghrib even if the imaam is praying
Ishaa, because the prayers have to be kept in the proper order. This is what
the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did during the campaign of
al-Khandaq. Jaabir ibn Abd-Allaah said: Umar came on the day of al-Khandaq
cursing the kuffaar of Quraysh and saying, O Messenger of Allaah, I did not pray
Asr until the sun was almost setting. The Prophet
(peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said, By Allaah, I have not prayed it yet either. So he
went down to But-haan [the name of a valley], did wudoo and prayed Asr after
the sun had set, then he prayed Maghrib. (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 893)
Al-Haafiz ibn Hajar said in al-Fath: This
hadeeth teaches us how to make up missed prayers in order, and most scholars agree that
this [keeping prayers in order] is obligatory.
Al-Bukhaari included this hadeeth in a chapter entitled Baab
Qada al-Salawaat al-Oolaa fal-Oolaa (Chapter on making up prayers in
order).
In the case mentioned in the question, it is permissible for you to
pray Maghrib behind an imaam who is praying Ishaa, but when he gets up for the
fourth rakah, you should remain sitting and recite the Tashahhud, and it is better
to wait until he sits and says the Tasleem, so that you say the Tasleem with him. Then you
should go ahead and pray Ishaa. And Allaah knows best. |
Is it legal islamicly to acknowledge females as our leader? | Praise be to Allah.Positions of leadership and high public office means taking on the mission of establishing Islam by reviving religious knowledge and establishing its foundations, engaging in jihad for the sake of Allah – which includes preparing armies and distributing war booty – establishing the judicial system, carrying out judicial punishments (hudud), fighting oppression, enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil, acting as a deputy of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
There is no dispute among the scholars that one of the conditions of the imam or leader is that he should be male. Ibn Hazam reported in his book Maratib al-Ijma’ that there was scholarly consensus on this point. In the section he says: “Out of all groups of the people of the Qiblah [i.e., all Muslim sects], there is not one that allows the leadership of women.” Al-Qurtubi reported something similar, and al-‘Allamah al-Shanqiti said, “There is no difference of opinion among the scholars on this point.”
The evidence for this is the general meaning of the ayah (interpretation of the meaning): “Men are the protectors and maintainers of women, because Allah has made one of them to excel the other…” [al-Nisa 4:34]. It is also clearly indicated by the hadith of Abu Bakrah who said that when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) heard that the Persians had appointed the daughter of Chosroes as their queen, he said, “No people who appoint a woman as their leader will ever prosper.” (Reported by al-Bukhari, 13/53).
This is because positions of leadership and government require a person to join men’s gatherings, which is not allowed for women according to shari’ah because of the ayah (interpretation of the meaning): “And stay in your houses, and do not display yourselves like that of the times of ignorance…” [al-Ahzab 33:33]. These positions also require perfect wisdom, reason and alertness, and the testimony of a man has been made equal to that of two women, the reason for which Allah has explained in the ayah (interpretation of the meaning): “… so that if one of them (two women) errs, the other can remind her…” [al-Baqarah 2:282].
Imam al-Muwaffaq Ibn Qudamah said:
“For this reason the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and his successors (khulafa) and those who came after them never appointed a woman to be a judge or a governor of a province, as far as we know. If it were permissible, it should have happened.”
Imam al-Ghazali said:
“The position of leader (imam) could never be given to a woman even if she possessed all the qualities of perfection and self-reliance. How could a woman take the position of leader when she did not have the right to be a judge or a witness under most of the historical governments?”
Imam al-Baghawi said:
“The scholars agreed that women are not fit to be leaders or judges, because the leader needs to go out to organize jihad and take care of the Muslims’ affairs, and the judge needs to go out to judge between people, but women are ‘awrah and it is not right for them to go out. Because of their weakness, women are not able to do many things. Women are imperfect, and the positions of leaders and judge are among the most perfect of positions for which only the most perfect of men are qualified.”
Undoubtedly this is proven by reality. People know from experience that only men are fit for leadership, because women by nature are more emotional and more easily swayed by their feelings and compassion. These qualities have been created in women to enable them to carry out their most important duty, which is that of motherhood and nurturing children. Men, on the other hand, are not usually swayed by their emotions as women are. Their way is usually one of logic and deliberation, which form the essence of responsibility and leadership.
With regard to the question of whether a woman may be appointed as a judge, the majority of Maliki, Shafi’i and Hanbali scholars say that a woman cannot be appointed as a judge, because of the general meaning of the hadith of Abu Bakrah quoted above.
Al-Hafiz ibn Hajar said:
“Ibn al-Tin said: Those who say that a woman cannot be appointed as a judge use the hadith of Abu Bakrah as evidence, and this is the view of the majority.”
With regard to other administrative positions, there is no shar’i reason why women should not be appointed to run institutions where they will work with other women and not men, because in this case there are no shar’i reservations about their work.
There is no validity in what most modern writers say about how women have to go out and take part in parliaments and public councils, and that these are part of the rights granted to women by Islam. These writers have not examined the issue from the correct Islamic viewpoint. The truth is clear, but unfortunately they look at it with minds filled with the heretic trends of East and West. Therefore you see them weakened and defeated, dazzled by the false civilizations of those nations, then they come and misinterpret the texts and change the words from their right places until they agree with their whims. We ask Allaah to keep us safe and sound. |
I live in the west. I study during the day; this is why I searched for a job to do during the night out of need; as my father does not have the ability to pay for my study. I am the only muslim working in the kitchen of this elderly home. I have to cook pork and pour wine into cups. What is the ruling on my work, bearing in mind that I looked for work in other places but they refused to hire me because I wear hejab?. | Praise be to Allah.
Firstly:
Allaah has prescribed rulings in Islam that are based on
wisdom. The rulings are aimed at setting individuals and societies straight.
The one who goes against these rulings exposes himself to punishment in the
Hereafter and he may be punished in this world before that.
We are not going to discuss the greatness of Allaah’s wisdom
in His laws, rather we have to introduce our answer in this way because of
the sister’s question, asking for the ruling on her studies or her work. She
is living among the kuffaar, in their country, and they are causing trouble
for her because of her religious commitment. How much pressure is this
Muslim woman and many others like her living with? When will fathers and
mothers pay attention and wake up from their heedlessness, and leave those
lands which have caused many to lose their religion and identity? You will
find that there are many wise people who regret paying too much attention to
accumulating money at the expense of their religion and honour.
Secondly:
Staying in kaafir countries is haraam for the one who is
unable to practice his religion openly or who is afraid that he may be led
astray from his religion. See the answers to questions no.
27211,
14235 and
3225.
Thirdly:
Your studying in that country is undoubtedly in a mixed
environment, and there is no doubt that you are seeing sins and immorality
in those places, which pains the heart of the chaste Muslim. If studying in
a Muslim country is in a mixed environment it is not permissible, so how can
it be permissible in a kaafir country?
The scholars of the Standing Committee for Issuing Fatwas
said:
For a woman to study shar’i knowledge and other fields which
a woman needs to know or which will help her to know matters of her religion
is something that is prescribed, so long as it will not result in anything
that is not allowed in sharee’ah. But if it will result in something that is
forbidden in sharee’ah, such as mixing with non-mahram men or not observing
hijab, then it is not permissible, because these are haraam things, and
because that will lead to corruption. End quote.
Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz, Shaykh ‘Abd al-Razzaaq
‘Afeefi, Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez Aal al-Shaykh, Shaykh Saalih al-fawzan,
Shaykh Bakr Abu Zayd
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah
(12/170, 171).
They also said:
Mixing between men and women in schools and elsewhere is a
great evil and leads to great corruption in religious and worldly terms. It
is not permissible for a woman to study or work in a place where men and
women mix, and it is not permissible for her guardian to allow her to do so.
End quote.
Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz, Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez Aal
al-Shaykh, Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzaan, Shaykh Bakr Abu Zayd
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah
(12/156)
Fourthly:
Your working in the seniors’ home is also haraam, because it
involves mixing with men; and because it involves making food using pork,
which Allaah has stated is haraam, and it is also haraam according to the
Sunnah and scholarly consensus; and because it involves serving wine which
is also haraam according to the Qur’aan, Sunnah and scholarly consensus.
The scholars of the Standing Committee said:
It is not permissible for a woman to work with men who are
not her mahrams, because of the evils that result from her presence with
them. She has to seek provision through ways that do not involve anything
haraam. If a person fears Allaah, He will make things easy for him. The
Committee has issued a fatwa concerning that, the text of which is as
follows:
As for the mixing of women with men in factories and offices,
in non-Muslim countries, it is not permissible. But they have something that
is worse than that, which is disbelief in Allaah, so it is no surprise that
such evils occur among them. As for women mixing with men in Muslim
countries, at the time when they are Muslim, that is also haraam. The
authorities in the places where this mixing occurs must take steps to put
the women in one place and the men in another, because of the moral
corruption that results from mixing, as is obvious to anyone who has the
slightest insight. End quote.
Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz, Shaykh ‘Abd al-Razzaaq
‘Afeefi, Shaykh ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Ghadyaan, Shaykh ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Qa’ood
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah
(12/232, 233)
For more information on women’s work and the conditions of it
being permissible, please see the answer to question no.
22397.
In the answer to question no.
666 you will find important advice to
do with women working in mixed environments.
See also the answer to question no.
26788, which is similar to your
question.
And Allaah knows best. |
Assalam-u-alaikum,A close friend of mine is about to marry and is in difficulty because of a
statement he had made some time ago. A few years ago when he was single, he swore
that if he does a certain work which he hated, he gives three divorces on his first wife.
He told me that he believes he did that work later on. At that time he was not engaged,
nor did he know for sure who he was going to marry. Now its been a long time and he
intends to marry a women, but isn't sure if his statement is going to make his marriage
null or not. The brother realizes that he made a foolish statement and wants to know what
to do. Jazakumullaho khair.Wassalamu alaikum | Praise be to Allah.Imaam al-Bukhaari (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in his book al-Jaami
al-Saheeh:
Chapter: there is no divorce before marriage. Allaah says (interpretation
of the meaning): O you who believe! When you marry believing women, and then
divorce them before you have sexual intercourse with them, no iddah have you to
count in respect of them. So give them a present, and set them free, i.e., divorce in a
handsome manner. [al-Ahzaab 33:49]. Ibn Abbaas said: Allaah made
divorce after marriage.
Among the evidence that there is no divorce before marriage (nikaah) are
the following reports:
The hadeeth of Abd-Allaah ibn Amr (may Allaah be pleased with
him), who said: The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: There is no vow for the son of Adam with regard to that which he does not
possess; there is no setting free of (a slave) whom he does not possess; there is no
divorce of (a wife) whom he does not possess. (Reported by
al-Tirmidhi, who said: a saheeh hasan hadeeth).
The hadeeth of Abd-Allaah ibn Amr (may Allaah be pleased with
him), who reported that the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said: No divorce except of (the wife) whom you possess; no setting free
except of (the slave) whom you possess, and no selling except of (the goods) that you
possess. (Reported by Abu Dawood; it is a hasan hadeeth).
The hadeeth of Ibn Makhramah from the Prophet
(peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him), who said, No divorce before marriage, and no setting free
before taking possession. (Reported by Ibn Maajah; it is a hasan hadeeth).
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Abu Ubayd
reported that Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him) was asked about a man who said,
If I marry so-and-so, then she is divorced (straightaway). Ali said:
There is no divorce except after taking possession.
It was also reported that Ali said: There is no divorce except
after marriage even if he mentioned (the woman) by name.
This is the opinion of Aaishah, and also of al-Shaafai,
Ahmad and Ishaaq and their companions, and of Dawood and his companions, and of the
majority of hadeeth scholars.
Among the evidence to support this opinion is the fact that when a man
says, If I marry so-and-so then she is divorced, at the time when this
suspended divorce is uttered, the woman is still ajnabiyyah (literally, a
stranger, not his wife or mahram) to him, and the thing that comes later [i.e.,
marriage] takes precedence over whatever went before [i.e., the vow of divorce]. Nikaah
(marriage) cannot be divorce. Similarly, if he said to a woman to whom he is not married
yet, If you enter the house you will be divorced, then she entered the house
after she became his wife, then she is not divorced. There is no dispute (among the
scholars).
(Zaad al-Maaad, 5/217)
And Allaah knows best. |
I have a question regarding tawassul. I was telling someone that seeking tawassul at graves and asking the person who died to make du’a to Allah is wrong. He told me what is wrong with asking a pious person during his life to make Du’a and when he died I asked him to make du’a?
So I want you to clarify to me how to answer the brother. What kind of tawassul is allowed and which one is not allowed since a lot of people have been misguided in this area? | Praise be to Allah.What is tawassul?
Tawassul in Arabic means seeking to draw close. Allah says in the Quran (interpretation of the meaning): [they] desire means of access to their Lord [al-Isra 17:57], i.e., means of drawing close to Him.
Types of tawassul
There are two types of Tawassul ; correct Islamic tawassul and forbidden tawassul.
Correct Islamic tawassul
This means seeking to draw close to Allah through acts of worship which He loves and which please Him; these may be obligatory or encouraged, and may take the form of words, actions or beliefs. Some types are as follows:
1. Seeking to draw close to Allah by means of His names and attributes. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “And (all) the Most Beautiful Names belong to Allah, so call on Him by them, and leave the company of those who belie or deny (or utter impious speech against) His names. They will be requited for what they used to do.” [al-A'raf 7:180]
So when a person makes du’a to Allah, he begins by calling on Allah with the name that is most apt, such as al-Rahman (the Most Merciful) when seeking mercy and al-Ghafur (the All-Forgiving) when asking for forgiveness, and so on.
1. Seeking to draw close to Allah by means of faith and Tawhid. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Our Lord! We believe in what You have sent down, and we follow the Messenger, so write us down among those who bear witness (to the truth).” [Al ‘Imran 3:53]
1. Seeking to draw close to Allah through righteous deeds, whereby a person asks Allah by virtue of the best deeds that he has done, such as salah, fasting, reading Quran, avoiding haram things, and so on. An example of this is the sahih hadith narrated in the Sahihayn about the three people who entered a cave, and a rock fell and blocked their way out. They asked Allah by virtue of their best deeds (to save them).
A person may also ask Allah by virtue of his total dependency upon Him, as Allah mentions in the Quran (interpretation of the meaning): “[Ayyub said:] Verily, distress has seized me, and You are the Most Merciful of those who show mercy.” [al-Anbiya 21:83]; or by admitting his own wrongdoing and his need for Allah, as Yunus is described as saying (interpretation of the meaning): “None has the right to be worshipped except You (O Allah). Glorified (and exalted) are You. Truly I have been of the wrong-doers.” [al-Anbiya 21:87]
Ruling on tawassul
The rulings on Islamically correct tawassul vary according to its type. Some types are wajib, such as seeking to draw close to Allah through His names and attributes and through Tawhid (believing in His absolute Oneness), and some are mustahabb, such as seeking to draw close to Him by virtue of all kinds of righteous deeds.
Tawassul that is bidah and forbidden
This is the attempt to draw close to Allah by means of things that He does not like and that do not please Him, whether they be words, deeds or beliefs. One example of this is trying to draw close to Allah by calling on the dead or people who are absent, asking them for help, and so on. This is a form of major shirk, which goes against Tawhid and means that a person is no longer considered to be a Muslim.
Calling upon Allah, whether it is for a purpose such as asking Him to grant some benefit or to ward off some harm, or as an act of worship to express humility and submission before Him, can only be addressed directly to Allah.
If du’as or prayers are addressed to anything or anyone else, this is shirk. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “And your Lord said: Invoke Me (and ask Me for anything), I will respond to your invocation. Verily! Those who scorn My worship [i.e., do not invoke Me and do not believe in My Oneness], they will surely enter Hell in humiliation!” [Ghafir 40:60]
In this verse, Allah explains the punishment of those who arrogantly refuse to call on Allah, whether they call on someone other than Allah or they do not call on Him at all, out of pride and self-admiration, even if they do not call on anyone else.
Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Invoke your Lord with humility and in secret.” [al-A'raf 7:55]. Allah commands His slaves to call on Him and not anyone else.
Allah says of the people of Hell (interpretation of the meaning): “[They say:] By Allah, we were truly in a manifest error when we held you (false gods) as equals (in worship) with the Lord of the Worlds.” [al-Shu’ara 26:96-97]
Anything that results in equating something other than Allah with Allah in worship or acts of obedience is shirk, the crime of associating partners with Him. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “And who is more astray than one who calls (invokes) besides Allah, such as will not answer him until the Day of Resurrection, and who are (even) unaware of their calls (invocations) to them? And when mankind is gathered (one the Day of Resurrection), they (false deities) will become enemies for them and will deny their worshipping.” [al-Ahqaf 46:5-6]
Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): And whoever invokes (or worships) besides Allah, any other god, of whom he has no proof, then his reckoning is only with his Lord. Surely, al-kafirun (the disbelievers in Allah and in the Oneness of Allah) will not be successful. [al-Muminun 23:117].
Allah states that anyone who calls on anything other than him is taking that thing as a god, as He says (interpretation of the meaning): “And those, whom you invoke or call upon instead of Him, own not even a qitmir (the thin membrane over a date-stone). If you invoke (or call upon) them, they hear not your call, and if (in case) they were to hear, they could not grant it (your request) to you. And on the Day of Resurrection, they will disown your worshipping them. And none can inform you (O Muhammad), like Him Who is the All-Knower (of everything).” [Fatir 35:13-14].
In this verse, Allah explains that He is the only One Who deserves to be called upon, because He, and no one else, is the Sovereign Who is directing everything. Those things that are worshipped cannot hear du’as, let alone respond to the one who invokes them, and even if they were able to hear, they cannot respond, because they do not have the power to either benefit or harm.
The Arab pagans whom the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was sent to call were disbelievers because of this shirk. They would call upon Allah sincerely at times of difficulty, but they became disbelievers at times of ease and plenty, when they would call on others besides Him. Allah says (interpretation of the meanings):
“And when they embark on a ship, they invoke Allah, making their Faith pure for Him only, but when He brings them safely to land, behold, they give a share of their worship to others.” [al-Ankabut 29:65]
“And when harm touches you upon the sea, those that you call upon besides Him vanish from you except Him (Allah Alone). But when He brings you safely to land, you turn away (from Him).” [al-Isra 17:67]
“…till when you are in the ships and they sail with them with a favourable wind, and they are glad therein, then comes a stormy wind and the waves come to them from all sides, and they think that they are encircled therein, they invoke Allah, making their Faith pure for Him Alone.” [Yunus 10:33]
The shirk of some people nowadays goes even further than the shirk of people in the past, because they direct some acts of worship to something other than Allah, calling upon them and asking them for help even at times of distress; la hawla wa la quwwata illa Billah (there is no strength and no help except in Allah). We ask Allah to keep us safe and sound.
To sum up our response to what your friend mentioned: asking the dead for anything is shirk, and asking the living for anything that no one except Allah is able to do, is also shirk.
For more about tawassul related issues, please see these answers: 60041 , 97600 , 294861 , 104500 and 118099 .
And Allah knows best. |
Is it permissible for a female to display her hair infront of her fiance before the Niqah? | Praise be to Allah.If a man has seen enough of his fiancée, within the limits set by Islam, to enable him to decide whether to go ahead with the marriage or not, then it is not permissible for her to uncover any part of her body in front of him until after the nikaah. (See also question #2246 and #2572). And Allaah knows best. |
If the Muslims are prevented from giving the adhaan over loudspeakers, is this considered as being unable to manifest the symbols of Islam and are they therefore obliged to migrate (make hijrah) and not remain in that land? | Praise be to Allah.We
put this question to Shaykh ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Jibreen (may Allaah preserve
him), and he answered as follows:
This
is not regarded as coming under that heading, because the use of
loudspeakers is a new thing. They can still give the adhaan with their own
voices and establish the symbols of their religion. And Allaah knows best. |
I am a young Christian woman and I have
been reading about Islam for some months now. I have already read a translation of the
Koran and several books about Islam along with articles and other material I have found on
the internet and elsewhere. I do not pretend to know or understand everything, there are
many things that still confuse me, and I have a hard time accepting some applications and
interpretations of Islam that I have read about. However, I do believe in God and I do
believe that Muhammad was his prophet and that the Koran is the revealed word of God. The question is what should I do about it? As I said there are still so
many things that I do not know or understand and this is a major decision I am trying to
make and to tell the truth it feels like an enormous responsibility and it is quite
frightening. What worries me the most is that I don't know how well I could live by
Islam if I converted. I have already changed some things in my life, I have stopped
drinking, I avoid pork and I try to wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants (or skirts)
when I go out. But I also know that there are some things I would not be able to do
immediately if I converted, for varios reasons, (at least that is the way it looks to me
at this moment), such as wearing hijab. Also, I am currently studying abroad (in the US, but I am from Europe) but
I am going home to my family over Christmas. I don't think I would be able to tell my
family right away if I converted and thus I do not know if I could do things such as pray
all the five daily prayers, fast or avoid pork while at home over Christmas.Would it be wrong of me converting knowing that I will not be able to
fulfill all the obligations that follow (at least not immediately), and knowing that there
are still many issues that I do not understand or have a hard time accepting
wholeheartedly (due to lack of understanding and knowledge . Please guide me . | Praise be to Allah.What you have achieved in your quest for the truth is great indeed. All
that remains to be done is the most important step you will ever take in your life, which
is to pronounce the Shahaadatayn and enter Islam. We truly appreciate the great efforts
you have made by reading the entire Quraan in translation, and other books and
articles about Islam, and also by already giving up some haraam things such as drinking
wine and eating pork. The most important thing that you have achieved is your conviction
about Islam, the Prophet of Islam and the Book of Islam. From your question we can sum up
the obstacles that you face in two points:
some social embarrassment
some matters that you do not yet fully understand
With regard to the second point, it is not a condition for becoming
Muslim that a person should know the entire religion, because it is a vast ocean. You can
become Muslim and then learn the religion and develop full conviction about all the
rulings of Islam. At the beginning, it is sufficient to believe in the six pillars of
faith in general terms (belief in Allaah, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers, the Last
Day and predestination, both good and bad) and to understand and accept in general terms
the five pillars of Islam (testifying that there is no god but Allaah and that Muhammad is
the Messenger of Allaah, prayer, paying zakaah, fasting in Ramadaan, and performing Hajj
to the sacred House of Allaah, for the one who is able and has the means). Realize that
knowledge and conviction develop gradually, and that faith increases by doing acts of
worship and obedience to Allaah, which in turn leads to a deeper understanding and
acceptance of the rulings of Islam.
With regard to the first point, we are sure that if you enter Islam and
are sincere towards Allaah and do righteous deeds, then Allaah will give you the strength,
steadfastness, courage and certainty to face all difficulties and overcome them. The
experience of other women who have become Muslim before you gives you a good example of
what you could be able to do in the future as regards following the rules of Islam, such
as hijaab and other issues, despite being surrounded by an overwhelming atmosphere of
kufr. We also say that if any woman were to ask us whether she should become Muslim
despite not wearing full hijab or stay a kaafir, we would definitely tell her to become
Muslim, because the seriousness and danger of remaining a kaafir is far worse than being a
Muslim but committing a sin.
We understand totally the difficulties and social embarrassment that
you speak of, and we know that going against ones family and the society in which
one lives are very difficult matters, but Allaah makes every difficult thing easy.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meanings):
And Allaah is the Wali (Protector and Helper) of the
believers. [Aal Imraan 3:68]
And whosoever fears Allaah and keeps his duty to Him, He
will make a way for him to get out (from every difficulty). [al-Talaaq 65:2]
Allaah will grant after hardship, ease. [al-Talaaq
65:7]
As for those who strive hard in Us (Our Cause), We will surely
guide them to Our Paths (i.e., Allaahs Religion Islamic
Monotheism) [al-Ankaboot 29:69]
We also want to tell you that it is possible for a person, if he
becomes Muslim and fears unbearable persecution or hardship, to conceal his Islam and keep
it a secret, hiding his acts of worship from the people around him although it is
difficult to do so. But for the sake of following the truth and saving oneself from the
punishment of Hellfire, everything becomes easy and the believer can overcome all
difficulties.
Finally, we can only thank you for the efforts you have made and for
sending this question. We hope that the next step, which you should take immediately, is
abundantly clear to you from our answer. We will be very happy to help you with anything
you may need in the future, and we ask Allaah to guide you to the path of truth, to help
you and to make things easy for you. Allaah is the Guide to the Straight Path. |
I know that Allah (S) has permitted us
to marry Christians and the Jews. Now, can she practice her religious rites in the same
house and have pictures of the crucifiction of Jesus (A) and celebrate Thanksgiving,
Christmas and etc. Can her kids join her? If no, would not it hurt her feelings? Please,
answer me on this issue. | Praise be to Allah.It is not permissible for a Muslim to allow his wife
from among the People of the Book to celebrate her festivals in his home, for the man is
in charge of that woman and she does not have the right to openly celebrate her festivals
in his home, because of the resulting effects of corruption, forbidden things and display
of the symbols of kufr in his home. He should keep his children from taking part in those
innovated festivals, because the children belong to the father and he should keep them
away from these forbidden celebrations. At the same time he should direct them towards
what will benefit them, even if that affects his relationship with his wife. The aims of
sharee’ah and protecting one’s religion – which is one of the most
important aims of sharee’ah – take priority over everything else.
Imaam Ahmad ibn Hanbal was asked about a man who had a Christian wife
– could he let her go out to join in the Christian festivals or to go to the church?
He said, no.
In al-Mughni (1/21), Ibn Qudaamah says: “(Treatment of
women): If his wife is a dhimmiyyah [a Jew or Christian living under Islamic rule], he can
prevent her from going to the church, because that is not an act of obedience to
Allaah.”
If these scholars said that the husband should stop a Christian wife
from going to church, then what do you think is the case with regard to her celebrating
these innovated festivals in the house of her Muslim husband? Especially when we know the
harm that results from these festivals, which is far worse than her merely going to the
church. And Allaah knows best. |
Can one be a muslim and a communist at
the same time? | Praise be to Allah.It is not possible for a person to be a Muslim and a
Communist at the same time, because they are opposites that cannot co-exist in the same
individual without one of them prevailing and the other being eliminated. Whoever is a
Communist is not a Muslim. Communism involves different kinds of blatant kufr, such as
denying the existence of Allaah (may He be glorified and exalted), denying the existence
of the unseen worlds, making a mockery of the religion of Allaah and looking down on it,
and flouting its laws and morals. How can the Muslim whose religion is Islam follow an
ideology which states that religion is the opium of the people? Communists are among the
kuffaar in refutation of whom Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Were
they created by nothing, or were they themselves the creators? Or did they create the
heavens and the earth? Nay, but they have no firm Belief.” [al-Toor 52:35-36] How
can the Muslim follow a group whose belief is such? We ask Allaah for guidance. |
Is it OK to read books on Science fiction
where a mad scientist creates a human being or a hybrid between a human and an animal? | Praise be to Allah.If these stories include lies, such as Darwin’s
theory (evolution), and other things that are contrary to the facts stated by Islam and
the facts of natural science, then the Muslim should avoid them, and keep himself busy
with something that will be of use to him, such as learning good things or doing righteous
deeds or reading true stories and historical accounts and so on. Many of the movies and
novels that are known as “Science Fiction” include a lot of kufr, such as
putting life and death in the hands of some created being, giving creatures the ability to
create from nothing, saying that scientists in laboratories can create from nothing,
making inanimate things come alive, creating life from a fossil that has been dead for
many millenia, or travelling to the future then coming back to the present. All of this is
impossible, and no one knows the unseen except for Allaah. Some of these novels and movies
also include clear contradictions of historical facts that are mentioned in the
Qur’aan and Sunnah, such as man’s creation and his life on earth. When the
Muslim indulges in reading these books or watching these movies, it shakes his belief or
at the very least wastes his time and keeps him busy with something that is of no benefit
to him. Some people claim that this is just entertainment and a way of passing time, but
entertainment is not permitted if it is haraam, and the Muslim’s time is too precious
to be wasted on such trivial things. The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: “One of the signs of a person being properly committed to Islam is that he
leaves alone that which does not concern him.” (Reported by al-Tirmidhi, 2239,
and others. Also in Saheeh al-Jaami’, 5911). And Allaah knows
best. |
Can we take part in non-Muslim celebration only so that they might be attracted to our celebrations too? | Praise be to Allah.If these celebrations are the festivals of the kuffaar
and mushrikeen, it is not permissible to take part in those innovated festivals, because
doing so implies helping them to commit sin and transgression. Taking part in their
festivals also involves imitating the kuffaar, which is forbidden in Islam. The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever imitates a people is one
of them.” (Reported by Abu Dawood and Ahmad). ‘Umar (may
Allaah be pleased with him) used to say: “Avoid the enemies of Allaah during their
festivals.” (Reported by al-Bayhaqi).
If what is referred to is accepting an invitation to a
meal, for example, and there is nothing involved that is forbidden in Islam, such as
mixing of men and women, or foods forbidden by Allaah such as wine and pork, or dancing
and music and so on, and this participation does not imply that one loves these kuffaar,
then there is nothing wrong with accepting their invitation. He should try to convey the
message of Islam to them. The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
accepted the invitation of some of the Jews. And Allaah knows best. |
I tend to forget things that interfere with my daily activities. Can you advice me any practice according to Quran and Sunnah that might help me? | Praise be to Allah.It is human nature to be forgetful, as the Arab poet said:
He is only called man (insaan) because of his forgetfulness (nasiyaan), and it is only called the heart (al-qalb) because it changes so rapidly (yataqallib).
In the past they said that the first one to forget (awwal naasin) was the first man (awwal al-naas), meaning Adam, peace be upon him. Forgetfulness is something that varies from person to person according to each individuals nature; some may be more forgetful than others. Some of the things that may help to combat forgetfulness are the following:
Keeping away from sin, because the bad effects of sin result in a bad memory and the inability to retain knowledge. The darkness of sin cannot co-exist with the light of knowledge. The following words were attributed to al-Shaafa'i, may Allaah have mercy on him:
I complained to [my shaykh] Wakee about my bad memory, and he taught me that I should keep away from sin.
He said that knowledge of Allaah is light, and the light of Allaah is not given to the sinner.
Al-Khateeb reported in al-Jaami (2/387) that Yahya ibn Yahya said: A man asked Maalik ibn Anas, O Abu Abd-Allaah! Is there anything that will improve my memory? He said, If anything will improve it, it is giving up sin.
When a person commits a sin, it overwhelms him and this leads to anxiety and sorrow which keeps him busy thinking about what he has done. This dulls his senses and distracts him from many beneficial things, including seeking knowledge.
Frequently remembering Allaah, may He be glorified, by reciting dhikr, tasbeeh (saying Subhan Allaah), tahmeed (Al-hamdu Lillaah), tahleel (Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah) and takbeer (Allaahu akbar), etc. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): And remember your Lord when you forget [al-Kahf 18:24] Not eating too much, because eating too much makes one sleep too much and become lazy, and it dulls the senses, besides exposing one to the risk of physical diseases. Most of the diseases which we see result from food and drink. Some of the scholars have mentioned certain foods which increase the memory, such as drinking honey and eating raisins and chewing certain kinds of gum resin.
Imaam al-Zuhri said: You should eat honey because it is good for the memory.
He also said: Whoever wants to memorize hadeeth should eat raisins. (From al-Jaami by al-Khateeb, 2/394).
Ibraaheem ibn [sth. omitted] said, You should chew resin gum, because it gives energy to the heart and gets rid of forgetfulness. (From al-Jaami by al-Khateeb, 2/397).
As they mentioned, too much acidic food is one of the causes of laziness and weak memory.
Another thing that can help the memory and reduce forgetfulness is cupping (hijaamah) of the head, as is well known from experience. (For more information see Al-Tibb al-Nabawi by Ibn al-Qayyim). And Allaah knows best. |
The
Prophet
ordered that all images be destroyed.
Is it sufficient to erase just the eyes, or the face, or the head ? | Praise be to Allah.The
image is the face, which must be erased so that the image disappears,
because the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
forbade striking the “image”. (Narrated by al-Bukhaari).
The
meaning is that it is forbidden to strike the face, as was explained in
other ahaadeeth. The fact that “image” means the face means that the
facial features must be erased. And Allaah knows best. |
A co-operative business organization is
set up in such a way that it is obliged according to its constitution to give ten percent
of its net profits to charitable causes. Does it have to pay zakaat on its profits? | Praise be to Allah.This co-operative business organization is governed by the same rules
as other business organizations: it must pay zakaat on its wealth. What you have mentioned
about it being set up in such a way that it has to give ten percent of its net profits to
charitable causes does not mean that it is exempt from having to pay zakaat. The ten
percent referred to in the question is like voluntary charity (sadaqah), and
sadaqah does not replace zakaat, because zakaat is an obligatory act of worship which must
be carried out with the appropriate intention (niyyah). This amount of ten percent is not
being paid as zakaat; it is being given as a voluntary act of charity. So this
co-operative organization has to pay zakaat. And Allaah knows best. |
What was the hairstyle of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)? And what hairstyles are disallowed specifically? | Praise be to Allah.Hairstyle of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
The hairstyle of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is mentioned in a number of hadiths, such as the following:
His hair was neither curly nor straight.
Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) said, describing the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), he was of average height, neither very tall nor very short . He had a ruddy complexion, neither very white nor very dark, and his hair was neither curly nor straight. The revelation came to him when he was forty years old. (Narrated by al-Bukhari, 3354; Muslim, 2338)
His hair came down to his earlobes.
Al-Bara ibn ‘Azib (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was of average height and broad shouldered. He had hair that came down to his earlobes. I saw him wearing a red garment and I never saw anyone more handsome than him. (Narrated by al-Bukhari, 3358; Muslim, 2337)
His hair sometimes came down to his shoulders.
Qatadah said: I asked Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) about the hair of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). He said, “The hair of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was neither curly nor straight, and came down to a point between his ears and his shoulders.” (Narrated by al-Bukhari, 5565; Muslim, 2337)
According to another report, his hair used to touch his shoulders. (Narrated by al-Bukhari, 5563; Muslim, 2338)
Sometimes his hair was shorter than that. All of this may be understood as referring to different situations, and each of the Companions narrated what he had seen.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to dye his hair sometimes.
‘Uthman ibn ‘Abd-Allah ibn Muhib said: I entered upon Umm Salamah and she brought out to us one of the hairs of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) which was dyed. (Narrated by al-Bukhari, 5558)
Ahmad (25328) added: “… dyed with henna and katam.”
Katam is a plant that is used to dye hair. When mixed with henna, it gives the hair a colour between black and red. (See ‘Awn al-Ma’bud, commentary on hadith no. 4205)
He used to part his hair.
‘Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to let his hair hang down over his forehead and the pagans used to part their hair, and the People of the Book used to let their hair hang down over their foreheads. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) liked to be like the People of the Book in matters where there was no specific command. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) parted his hair. ((Narrated by al-Bukhari, 3365; Muslim, 2336).
Some of the scholars discussed the meaning of this hadith, and their comments were summed up by Imam al-Nawawi as follows:
The correct view is that both letting the hair hang down over the forehead and parting it are permissible, but that parting is better. (Sharh Muslim, 15/90)
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) did his Farewell Pilgrimage when his hair was stuck together.
(This means) making some parts of the hair stick to others using gum or something similar, so that the hair is held together and avoids getting dirty and does not need to be washed. This is easier for the person who is in ihram, especially in the past when the person in ihram was faced with a lot of dirt and little water.
Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) raising his voice in the Talbiyah, with his hair stuck together. (Narrated by al-Bukhari, 5570; Muslim, 1184)
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) sometimes used to braid his hair, especially when travelling, to keep it from getting dusty.
Umm Hani said: “The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) came from Makkah with four braids.” (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 1781; Abu Dawud, 4191; Ibn Majah, 3631. Classed as sahih by al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar in Fath al-Bari, 10/360”
Halal haircuts in Islam
With regard to the kinds of hairstyles that are forbidden, they are characterized by the following:
Al-Qaza’ (lit. tufts), which is where part of the head is shaved and part is left.
Ibn ‘Umar narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) forbade al-qaza’. (Narrated by al-Bukhari, 5466; Muslim, 3959)
One of the narrators of this hadith defines al-qaza’ as shaving part of a child’s head and leaving some of his hair.
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
“With regard to shaving part of the head and leaving part , this is of varying degrees.
The worst is shaving the middle of the head and leaving the sides, as the Christian monks do.
After that comes shaving the sides and leaving the middle, as many of the foolish and worthless people do.
After that comes shaving the front of the head and leaving the back.
These three types all come under the heading of qaza’ which was forbidden by the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), but some of them are worse than others.” (Ahkam Ahl al-Dhimmah, 3/1294)
Imitating the unbelievers or immoral people.
There are many such hairstyles, some of which come under the heading of qaza’ – such as the “Marines” haircut, which is forbidden for two reasons, the fact that it is a kind of qaza’ and the fact that it is an imitation of the unbelievers . Some of them do not involve qaza’ but they are styles that belong to the unbelievers, such as making some of the hair stand up and letting the rest hang down, and so on.
This also includes every hairstyle that belongs to the unbelievers or immoral people, because it is not permissible for a Muslim to resemble them in that, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “Whoever imitates a people is one of them.” (Narrated by Abu Dawud, 4031. Classed as hasan by al-Hafiz ibn Hajar in Fath al-Bari, 10/271. its isnad was classed as jayyid by Shaykh al-Islam in Iqtida al-Sirat al-Mustaqim, p. 82)
Shaykh al-Islam said:
“The least that we can say about this hadith is that it implies that it is haram to imitate them, although the apparent meaning is that the one who imitates them is a kafir, as in the verse (interpretation of the meaning):
“And if any amongst you takes them (as Awliya), then surely, he is one of them.” [al-Maidah 5:51]” (Iqtida al-Sirat al-Mustaqim, p. 83)
Imitating foolish people.
These are hairstyles worn by some of the foolish people, which may be included in the categories mentioned above.
And Allah knows best. |
I heard from our Friday khutbah that a person will not be forgiven if he has bragged and boasted to his friends about his sin while Allah had hidden it, and he quoted a hadeeth to support his claim. Is this true ? I thought Allah forgives all sins! I am really in despair now. | Praise be to Allah.With regard to the idea that Allaah forgives all sins: this is correct, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Say: “O ‘Ibaadi (My slaves) who have transgressed against themselves (by committing evil deeds and sins)! Despair not of the Mercy of Allaah, verily, Allaah forgives all sins. Truly, He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful” [al-Zumar 39:53].
Minor sins (saghaa’ir) are expiated for by doing acts of worship and by avoiding major sins (kabaa’ir), because of the following evidence (daleel):
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“If you avoid the great sins which you are forbidden to do, We shall expiate from you your (small) sins, and admit you to a Noble Entrance (i.e. Paradise)” [al-Nisaa’ 4:31]
It was reported from Ibn Mas’ood that a man kissed a woman, then he came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and told him about it. Then Allaah revealed the words (interpretation of the meaning): “And perform As-Salaah (Iqaamat-as- Salaah), at the two ends of the day and in some hours of the night [i.e. the five compulsory Salaah (prayers)]. Verily, the good deeds remove the evil deeds (i.e. small sins).” [Hood 11:114]. The man said, O Messenger of Allaah, is this just for me? He said, “It is for all of my Ummah.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 503; Muslim, 2763)
It was reported from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The five prayers and Jumu’ah are an expiation from one week to the next, so long as you do not commit major sins.” (Narrated by Muslim, 233).
There are many things that expiate for minor sins, such as fasting, qiyaam, wudoo’, etc. But major sins require specific acts of expiation, such as sincere repentance, the carrying out of the Islamic punishment (hadd) on the one who committed them, etc., as can be seen in the following texts:
It was reported from ‘Ubaadah ibn al-Saamit (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, when there was a group of his Sahaabah around him: “Give allegiance to me that you will not associate anything in worship with Allaah, not steal, not commit fornication, not kill your children… and not disobey me in what is right. Whoever among you fulfils this, his reward will be with Allaah. Whoever commits any of these sins will be punished in this world and that will be an expiation for him. Whoever commits any of these sins but Allaah conceals it, then it will be for Allaah to decide: if He wills, He will forgive him, and if He wills, He will punish him.” So we gave allegiance to him on that basis.
The phrase “he will be punished in this world” means, the Islamically-prescribed punishment (hadd) will be carried out on him.
It was reported from Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri (may Allaah be pleasd with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Among the Children of Israel there was a man who killed ninety-nine people. Then he went out and came to a monk and asked him, ‘Can I repent?’ He said, ‘No,’ so he killed him. Then he started asking, and a man said to him, ‘Go to such and such a town.’ But death caught up with him, so he inclined his chest towards (that town, as he was dying). The angels of mercy and the angels of punishment disputed concerning him. Allaah inspired (the good town) to come closer to him, and (the evil town) to move away from him, then He said, Measure the distance between them. They found that he was closer to (the good town) by a hand-span, so he was forgiven.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3283; Muslim, 2766).
But if a sinner dies in a state of sin, if his sins include shirk, then Allaah will not forgive him in the Hereafter. If his sins are less than that, then the person is subject to the will of Allaah – if He wills, He will punish him and if He wills, He will forgive him.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Verily, Allaah forgives not that partners should be set up with Him (in worship), but He forgives except that (anything else) to whom He wills” [al-Nisaa’ 4:48, 116].
It was reported that Ibn ‘Umar said: I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: “The believer will be brought close to his Lord until He conceals him and makes him confess his sin. Allaah will say, ‘Do you remember such and such a sin?’ The man will say, ‘Yes, I admit it.’ The Lord will say, ‘I concealed it for you in the world and I forgive you for it today.’ Then He will close up his record of good deeds. As for the others or the Kuffaar, it will be called out before the witnesses, ‘These are the ones who disbelieved in their Lord. The curse of Allaah is upon the wrongdoers.’”
(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 4408; Muslim, 2768).
Your despairing of the mercy of Allaah is not permissible, because of the following evidence (daleel):
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Say: “O ‘Ibaadi (My slaves) who have transgressed against themselves (by committing evil deeds and sins)! Despair not of the Mercy of Allaah, verily, Allaah forgives all sins. Truly, He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful” [al-Zumar 39:53]. And He says (interpretation of the meaning): “… and My Mercy embraces all things…” [al-A’raaf 7:156]
It was reported from Abu Moosa that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah spreads out His hand at night to accept the repentance of those who committed sins during the day, and He spreads out His hand during the day to accept the repentance of those who committed sins during the night. (He will continue to do this) until the sun rises from the West.”
(Narrated by Muslim, 2759).
Speaking about your sin and flaunting it openly in front of your friends is haraam, and is a major sin. It is one of the ways of spreading immorality among the Muslims, encouraging evil and tempting others to do similar things. It also means that one does not take sin seriously and regards it as insignificant, and that the sinner is damaging his own reputation and exposing his honour to the slander of others. Islam seeks to put people off from doing such things in the strongest possible terms, as in the following hadeeth:
Abu Hurayrah said: I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: “All of my ummah will be forgiven except those who sin openly. It is a part of sinning openly when a man does something at night, then the following morning when Allaah has concealed his sin, he says, ‘O So and so, I did such and such last night,’ when all night his Lord has concealed him and the next morning he uncovers what Allaah had concealed.”
(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5721; Muslim, 2990).
On this basis:
We advise you to repent sincerely, and if you are tested with any kind of sin, do not speak openly of it or brag about it. You should be aware of the greatness of the One against Whom you are sinning, seek forgiveness for your sin, weep for the error of your ways and adhere strictly to the path of Allaah. Beware of despairing of the mercy of Allaah. If you adhere properly to the religion of Allaah, you will have glad tidings of goodness in this world and in the Hereafter. We ask Allaah to help us and you to do that which He loves and is pleased with. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad. |
I read a hadith in sahih al-jamii, where the Prophet said to the Sahaba that there would be Muslims that would come when the Religion is weak, and they would get reward equal to 50 times that of the Sahaba. I am confused, I thought that there was also a hadith where the Prophet said that the best generation is his, then the ones after them, and those after them. He also said that if someone gold that the sahaba gave?. | Praise be to Allah.In order to understand this issue we must note that there are two types of reward, the reward for knowledge and the reward for accompanying the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). Some later members of the ummah may do deeds that are greater in reward than similar actions on the part of some of the Sahaabah because they will have no one to support and help them, and because they will be subject to a great deal of temptation, but they will not have the reward of having accompanied the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and met him.
Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar said:
The hadeeth “The righteous among them will have the reward of fifty of you” does not mean that people other than the Sahaabah are superior to the Sahaabah, because simply having more reward does not prove that one is superior.
Moreover, the difference in reward is with regard to the same type of deed. But the superiority attained by one who saw the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) cannot be matched by anyone.
This is how we may interpret the ahaadeeth quoted above."(Fath al-Baari, 7/7 )
Shaykh al-Islam (Ibn Taymiyah – may Allah have mercy on him) said:
They – meaning the later members of the ummah – may have good deeds equivalent to those of fifty men among the Sahaabah, of the deeds that they did at that time. That is because the Sahaabah had help and support in that, whereas those who come later may not have help and support. But the fact that the reward will be multiplied for them in cases where it is not multiplied for the Sahaabah does not mean that they are better than the Sahaabah or that their virtue is any greater than that of the Sahaabah. What the Sahaabah achieved in terms of faith, jihad and fighting the people of this earth by supporting the Messenger, believing what he said and obeying his teachings before his call spread, his word prevailed, the number of his supporters increased and the proof of his Prophethood became widely known, indeed when the believers were so few in number and the disbelievers and hypocrites were so many, and the believers spent their wealth for the sake of Allah, seeking His pleasure in that situation, is something that no one can achieve the like of any more. As it says in al-Saheehayn, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Do not curse the Sahaabah, for by the One in Whose hand is my soul, if any one of you spent the equivalent of Mount Uhud in gold, he would not attain the level of any one of them, or even come half way.”(Majmoo’ al-Fatawa, 13/65, 66 _
Moreover, there is no virtuous deed that those who come later can do, but those who came before did something similar in a more perfect fashion.
With regard to the words “They will have the reward of fifty of you because you have supporters who help you to do good and they will not have any supporters who will help them to do good,” this is correct in a case where a deed done by a single person among those who come later are like the deed done by a group of people among those who came before, so he will have the reward of fifty. But you should not imagine that one of those who come later will do deeds like those of some of the major Sahaabah such as Abu Bakr and ‘Umar, for there will never again be a Prophet like Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) with whom people may do deeds like those that were done with Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
With regard to the words, “My ummah is like the rain, I do not know whether the first of it is better or the last of it,” although this hadeeth is not very sound, what it means is that among those who come later there will be those who are similar to those who came before, and they will be so close that the one who tries to compare them will not know which is better, even though one of them is in fact better.
This is glad tidings for those who come later, that among them will be those who are close to those who came before them, as it says in another hadeeth: “The best of my ummah are the first and the last, and between them there will be some crookedness. Would that I could see my brethren.” They said, “Are we not your brethren?” He said, “You are my companions.” This shows that precedence was given to the Sahaabah, because they alone are his companions, which is a higher status than merely being brothers.”(Majmoo’ al-Fatawa, 11/370, 371 )
It is worth pointing out that there is no basis for the phrase used in the question, “the best of generations is my generation”, although it is often used in the books of Ahl al-Sunnah. Moreover, there is a mistake with regard to its meaning. If this is what he said, then he would have said after it, “then the one that follows it.” But the wording of the hadeeth is “then those who follow them.” The wording of the saheeh hadeeth is: “The best of mankind/people is my generation” and “The best of my ummah is my generation.”
And Allah knows best. |
What type of love affair is allowed in Islam? Can I talk to her privately or write without any sexual insinuation? Or, can I tell her that I like her? And if my parents disagree, Do I still possess the right to marry her? | Praise be to Allah.The kind of love that is permissible
is that which arises in a person's heart without there being any intention
to do something haraam such as looking or mixing etc. As far as talking
or writing to the girl is concerned, if this will lead to haraam actions
or there is the fear that it may do so, then it is not permitted.
In general terms, we advise you not
to do that, because it may start off innocently and in a proper manner,
then develop in such a way that it makes a person do something haraam.
If your parents do not want you to marry this girl, then try to convince
them, and if you cannot, then look for someone else, because there may
be something good in that although you may not realize it. |
In my area one of the requirements for renting a car is to have a credit card. You don't have to charge anything on the card, you just must present it for safety precautions. When the car is returned you can pay cash and nothing is ever charge to the card. So, I would like to know, is it halal to get a credit card for this purpose. | Praise be to Allah.The basic principle is that interest-based transactions are haraam and
it is not permissible to engage in them. This includes the conditions mentioned in the
contracts for credit cards. In some countries they rely a great deal on these credit
cards, and you can hardly find anyone who does not use them. We put the following question
to Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-Uthaymeen:
Credit cards include conditions based on riba (interest/usury)
if you delay payments, they charge an extra penalty. But in the place where I live in
America, I cannot rent a car or a shop or use many other services unless I have a credit
card. If I do not use a credit card, I will suffer unbearable hardship. If I commit myself
to make the payments within a certain time limit, so that I do not have to pay the
interest charges, will this allow me to have a credit card and thus relieve some of the
hardship I am facing?
The shaykh, may Allaah preserve him, answered as follows:
If the hardship he is facing is certain, and the likelihood that he
will delay payments is remote, then I hope there is nothing wrong with him having the
credit card.
Question:
Do the conditions relating to interest make a transaction invalid or
not?
Answer:
If a contract contains an invalid condition, this
does not invalidate the entire contract, for a number of reasons: (1) necessity, (2)
because it does not really affect anything. The man thinks that he is going to make the
payments before interest is due. Because this is more likely than the condition of having
to pay interest, and because it is necessary which is the main point I hope
that there is nothing wrong with it. We have a definite matter necessity and
a matter which is not necessarily going to happen which is delay in payment
and the matter that is definite takes precedence over something which may not even happen.
And Allaah knows best. |
A sister walked in front of a row of sisters praying behind the imaam. (There were only a few of us in the row and the sister walked so quickly that we could not stop her before she took her place in line.)I understand that three things invalidate the prayer if they pass between the praying person and the sutra, which are the donkey, black dog, and a woman . How should we start our prayer again and still follow the imaam ? | Praise be to Allah.With regard to the idea that a person’s prayer is invalidated if a woman, donkey or black dog passes in front of him, this is correct.
It was reported from ‘Abd-Allah ibn al-Saamit that Abu Dharr said: “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: ‘If any one of you stands up to pray, then he has a sutrah [an item placed in front of a praying person as a “screen”] if he has something the height of the back of a saddle in front of him. If he does not have something the height of the back of a saddle in front of him, then his prayer is invalidated if a donkey or a woman or a black dog passes in front of him.’” I [‘Abd-Allah] asked, “O Abu Dharr, what is the difference between a black dog and a red or yellow dog?” He said, “O son of my brother, I asked the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) the same question, and he said, ‘The black dog is a shaytaan (devil).’” (Narrated by Muslim, 510).
The height of the back of a saddle is one cubit or 2/3 of a cubit.
But this ruling applies only when one of these three pass in front of the imaam or a person who is praying on his own, not when they pass between the rows of a congregation praying behind the imaam during prayer in jamaa’ah, as the sister who asked the question thinks.
The evidence for that is the report in which ‘Abd-Allah ibn ‘Abbaas said: “I came along riding on a female donkey one day when I had just reached the age of puberty. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was leading the people in prayer in Mina, without any kind of wall in front of him. I passed in front of part of the row, then I got down and sent the donkey to graze, and joined the row, and no one rebuked me for that.” (Narrated by al-Bukhari, 472; Muslim, 504)
Imaam al-Bukhari gave this hadeeth the heading of “Sutrat al-Imaam sutrat man khalfahu (the sutrah of the imaam is the sutrah of those behind him).” This hadeeth clearly proves our point, which is that the person who is praying behind the imaam does not have to have a sutrah, and it does not matter what passes in front of him, especially since Ibn ‘Abbaas passed in front of them with his donkey, which is one of the things which invalidates prayer if it passes in front of the imaam or a person who is praying on his own.
Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr said:
This hadeeth – i.e., the hadeeth narrated by al-Bukhari (487) and Muslim (505) from Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri which says “If any one of you is praying, he should not let anyone pass in front of him. Let him push him away as much as he can, and if he insists then let him fight him, for he is nothing but a shaytaan (devil)” – indicates that it is makrooh to pass in front of a person who is praying if he is praying on his own and without a sutrah. The same ruling applies to the imaam if he is praying without a sutrah. But with regard to the person who is praying behind the imaam, it does not matter what passes in front of him, just as it does not matter what passes in front of the imaam or person praying alone if it passes behind the sutrah. The sutrah of the imaam is also the sutrah of those who are praying behind him.
We say this concerning the imaam and the person who prays alone, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “If any one of you is praying…” According to the scholars, this means praying on his own, because of the hadeeth of Ibn ‘Abbaas. Hence we say that the person who is praying behind the imaam does not have to push away the person who passes in front of him, because Ibn ‘Abbaas said:“I came along riding on a female donkey one day when I had just reached the age of puberty. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was leading the people in prayer in Mina, without any kind of wall in front of him. I passed in front of part of the row, then I got down and sent the donkey to graze, and joined the row, and no one rebuked me for that.”(al-Tamheed, 4/187)
On this basis, the sister who asked this question, and other people, do not have to push away anyone who passes in front of them if they are praying behind the imaam, and there is no sin on the person who passes in front of the row if this is donefor a reason. Pushing a person away and preventing them from passing in front is to be done by the imaam or the person who is praying alone, if a person wants to pass between him and his sutrah.
And Allah knows best. |
I know that Muslim women are not allowed in Islam to marry non-Muslim men; there is a sister on a converts’ list who recently became Muslim and who was asking what to do regarding her non-Muslim husband who accepted her conversion without any problems and who also lets her educate the children the Islamic way. However, when she asked for an advice, most of us told her that the husband has to take shahada (become Muslim) or she should not remain married to him otherwise. Unfortunately, some other people don't believe so and advised her the opposite way; that she just should remain with the husband and so on,.... I would like you to send me concrete cases at the time of the Prophet where Muslim women (sahabiyyat) would leave their non-Muslim husbands if they decided not to convert. I think those cases would be the only proof to convince the people of that list that Muslim women are not allowed to marry or remain married to non-Muslim men even though they are not against the woman's conversion. | Praise be to Allah.What you have said in your question about it being haraam (unlawful)for a Muslim woman to marry a non-Muslim man is correct, and there is no doubt concerning that.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
And give not (your daughters) in marriage to Al-Mushrikoon (polytheists)till they believe [al-Baqarah 2:221]
Al-Qurtubi said:
And give not (your daughters) in marriage means, do not give Muslim women in marriage to Mushrik (pagan)men. The ummah (Muslim nation)is agreed that a Mushrik should not marry a Muslim woman because this is like putting Islam in an inferior position. (Tafseer al-Qurtubi, 3/72).
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
They are not lawful (wives) for the disbelievers nor are the disbelievers lawful (husbands) for them [al-Mumtahanah 60:10]
Al-Bukhaari (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
Chapter: when a mushrik or Christian woman who is married to a dhimmi (non-Muslim living under Muslim rule) or a harbi (non-Muslim belonging to a people who are hostile towards Islam) becomes Muslim. Abd al-Waarith said, narrating from Khaalid from Ikrimah from Ibn Abbaas: if a Christian woman becomes Muslim shortly before her husband, she is forbidden for him Mujaahid said: if he becomes Muslim during the iddah [waiting period following divorce], then he may (re)marry her. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): They are not lawful (wives) for the disbelievers nor are the disbelievers lawful (husbands) for them [al-Mumtahanah 60:10]. Al-Hasan and Qutaadah said concerning two Magians who became Muslim that their marriage was still valid. If one of them had become Muslim and the other had refused, the woman would have been divorced and he would no longer have any rights over her.
(Saheeh al-Bukhaari. See al-Fath, 9/421).
Examples of such women include:
Zaynab, the daughter of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). She was married to Abul-Aas ibn al-Rabee during the Jaahiliyyah (pre-Islamic days of ignorance) but when she became Muslim, their marriage was annulled, and she went and stayed with her father (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). When her husband became Muslim, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) sent her back to him.
(Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 1143; Abu Dawood, 2240; Ibn Maajah, 2009; classed as saheeh by Imaam Ahmad, 1789. Al-Tirmidhi said, there is nothing wrong with its isnaad).
The correct view is that the husband can go back to her with no need to renew the marriage contract.
If the woman is still in her iddah (waiting period), he has more right (than anyone else) to marry her. If her iddah has ended, she is free to choose whether to go back to him or not.
Al-Tirmidhi said:
On the basis of this hadeeth, the scholars said that if a woman becomes Muslim before her husband, then her husband becomes Muslim whilst she is still in her iddah, then the husband has more right to her whilst she is still in her iddah. This is the view of Maalik ibn Anas, al-Oozaai, al-Shaafai, Ahmad and Ishaaq.
(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadeeth 1142).
Ibn Abd al-Barr said:
There is no dispute among the scholars concerning the fact that if a non-Muslim woman becomes Muslim then her iddah ends, her husband has no rights concerning her if he has not become Muslim during her iddah.
(Al-Tamheed, 12/23).
Ibn al-Qayyim said:
But what the ruling of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) indicates is that the marriage comes to a halt. If he becomes Muslim before the end of her iddah, then she is (still) his wife, but if her iddah ends, then she may marry whomever she wants. If she likes, she can wait for him, and if he becomes Muslim she is his wife and there is no need to renew the marriage contract.
(Zaad al-Maaad, 5/137, 138)
Al-Qurtubi said:
Talhah ibn Ubayd-Allaah was married to Arwaa bint Rabeeah ibn al-Haarith ibn Abd al-Muttalib. They were separated by Islam, then in Islam Khaalid ibn Saeed ibn al-Aas married her. She was one of the [Muslim] wives of the non-Muslims who fled to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) kept her in Madinah and married her to Khaalid.
(Tafseer al-Qurtubi, 18/65, 66)
It was reported that Anas said: Abu Talhah married Umm Sulaym and the mahr (dowry)between them was Islam. Umm Sulaym became Muslim before Abu Talhah. He proposed marriage to her and she said, I have become Muslim. If you become Muslim I will marry you. So he became Muslim and that was the mahr between them.
(Narrated by al-Nasaai, 3340)
The daughter of al-Waleed ibn al-Magheerah, the wife of Safwaan ibn Umayyah, became Muslim before him, and the marriage was annulled. Then he became Muslim later on, and she went back to him. It was narrated by Maalik in al-Muwatta, 1132. Ibn Abd al-Barr said: I do not know of any unbroken saheeh isnaad for this hadeeth, but it is famous and well known to the scholars of seerah, Ibn Shihaab, the leader of the scholars of seerah, and al-Shubi. The fame of this hadeeth is stronger than its isnaad in sha Allaah.
(al-Tamheed, 12/19)
Umm Hakeem bint al-Haarith ibn Hishaam, the wife of Ikrimah ibn Abi Jahl. Her marriage was annulled, then he became Muslim during her iddah, so she went back to her husband.
(Narrated by Ibn Abi Shaybah in al-Musannaf, 4/107)
And Allaah knows best. |
I would like to know whether it is allowed for a person to use water that maybe unclean for wudu. What if the water is not suitable for drinking due to it being unclean, can one rinse their mouth out with this water? | Praise be to Allah.This
question was answered for us by Shaykh ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Munayyi’, who
said:
“One
of the basic principles of sharee’ah is the hadeeth of the Messenger
(peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him), who said: ‘There should be neither harming nor reciprocating
harm.’ Part of this principle is that the Muslim is not permitted to
harm himself, which includes not using contaminated water for doing
wudoo’.
So it
is forbidden to do wudoo’ using contaminated water, but if a person
does do wudoo’ using such water his wudoo’ is still valid, because it
is not naajis (ritually impure), but his action is haraam because he
is harming himself. And Allaah knows best.” |
At what point does obedience to the
creation in disobedience to Allaah, become shirk? For example if my parents tell me to
shave my beard, and I listen, am I then committing shirk? When is it considered to be
shirk? | Praise be to Allah.Obedience to a created being becomes shirk in situations such as
obeying that person in matters where what is forbidden is deemed to be allowed, and vice
versa, or when that person issues rules and regulations, or laws, that go against the laws
of Allaah, and the follower believes that these laws are more complete and better than the
laws of Allaah, or as good as His laws, or that the laws of Allaah are better but it is
permissible to follow these man-made laws. The evidence for this is the aayah
(interpretation of the meaning): “They (Jews and Christians) took their rabbis and
their monks to be their Lords besides Allaah (by obeying then in things which they made
lawful or unlawful according to their own desires without being ordered by
Allaah)…” [al-Tawbah 9:31]. ‘Adiyy ibn Haatim said: “O Messenger
of Allaah, we do not worship them.” [He was a Christian who became a Muslim -
Translator]. The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said: “Do they not allow you that which Allaah has forbidden and forbid
what Allaah has allowed?” He said, “Yes.” He said, “This is a kind of
worship.” The Christians’ obedience of their priests in sin and in accepting
what they say about what is lawful or unlawful is a form of worshipping something other
than Allaah, which is a kind of shirk akbar (major shirk), that contradicts Tawheed (true
monotheism).
With regard to your question, if the person who obeys his parents in
sin believes that it is in fact a sin, but he does what he does because of his own desires
or because he is afraid of his parents’ punishment, but it is not the matter of being
forced to do so, then he is a sinner who has gone against the words of the Prophet
(peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him), There is no obedience to a created being if it
involves disobedience of the Creator” (reported by Ahmad, 1041; a saheeh
hadeeth) – but he is not considered to be guilty of shirk akbar. But
if the son believes that what his parents say overrules what Allaah says about halaal and
haraam, then he is guilty of shirk akbar. The Muslim has to strive against himself to
bring his desires in line with what the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) taught, and so that he gives precedence to obeying Allaah and His Messenger over
obeying anyone else, and so that Allaah and His Messenger are more beloved to him than
anyone else. The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “None of
you truly believes until I am more beloved to him than his son, his father, and all the
people.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 63). And Allaah is the Guide
to the Straight Path. |
Is it better Islamically for a pregnant Muslim woman to fast or not fast in the month of Ramadan?. | Praise be to Allah.Is a pregnant woman obliged to fast?
A pregnant Muslim woman is obliged to fast , just like anyone else, unless she fears for herself or for her baby, in which case it is permissible for her not to fast.
Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said, concerning the verse (interpretation of the meaning):
“And as for those who can fast with difficulty, (e.g. an old man), they have (a choice either to fast or) to feed a miskeen (poor person) (for every day).” [al-Baqarah 2:184]
“This was a concession granted to old men and old women who are able to fast but it is difficult, so they are allowed not to fast, and must feed one poor person for each day ; and for those who are sick or pregnant, if they fear for their children, they are allowed not to fast and must feed (one poor person for each day).” (Narrated by Abu Dawud, 2317; classed as sahih by al-Albani in Irwa al-Ghalil, 4/25, 18)
Cases of fasting during pregnancy
It should be noted that it may be permissible, obligatory or haram for a pregnant woman not to fast.
It is permissible for her not to fast if fasting is too difficult for her, but will not harm her.
It is obligatory for her (not to fast) if fasting will cause harm to her or her baby.
It is haraam for her (not to fast) if no hardship results from her fasting.
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymin (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
In the case of a pregnant woman, one of two scenarios must apply:
She is strong and active, and fasting does not cause any hardship to her or affect her baby. This woman is obliged to fast, because she has no excuse for not fasting.
When a woman is not able to fast, because the pregnancy is too difficult for her, or because she is physically weak, or for some other reason. In this case she should break the fast, especially if it will cause harm to her baby – in which case she is obliged not to fast. (Fatawa al-Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymin, 1/487)
Shaykh Ibn Baz (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
“Pregnant and breastfeeding women come under the same ruling as those who are sick. If fasting is too difficult for them, it is prescribed for them to break the fast, and they have to make up missed fasts when they are able to do so, just as in the case of one who is sick.
Some of the scholars were of the view that it is sufficient for them to feed one poor person for each day missed, but this is a weak view. The correct view is that they have to make up the missed days, as is the case of those who were sick and for travelers, because Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“but if any of you is ill or on a journey, the same number (should be made up) from other days.” [al-Baqarah 2:184]
This is also indicated by the hadith of Anas ibn Malik al-Ka’bi, according to which the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: ‘Allah has exempted the traveler from the obligation of fasting and has reduced the prayer by half for him, and has exempted pregnant and breastfeeding women from the obligation of fasting.” (Narrated by the five) (Tuhfat al-Ikhwan bi Ajwibah Muhimmah Tata’allaq bi Arkan al-Islam, p. 171)
For more, please see these answers: 128804 and 50762 .
And Allah knows best. |
When traveling via airplane which direction should one pray? Assuming that due to conditions on the plane the proper direction cannot be ascertained. | Praise be to Allah.You have to face the direction of the Qiblah when you are praying an obligatory prayer, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“so turn your face in the direction of Al-Masjid Al-Haraam (at Makkah). And wheresoever you people are, turn your faces (in prayer) in that direction” [al-Baqarah 2:144].
You could ask the crew to find out which direction the Qiblah is in, and make the most of the opportunity, once the plane has reached its altitude and settled in its course, to pray standing facing the Qiblah. If that is not possible, and you can delay the prayer until the plane lands, without delaying it beyond the allotted time, so that you can pray standing and facing the Qiblah on the ground, then you can do that. If this is not possible because you fear that the time for that prayer will end, then pray as best you can in the plane, and your prayer will be valid. Allaah does not burden any soul with more than it is able to bear. And Allaah is the Source of strength. |
My question is regarding the tribes of Yajuj and Majuj. I understand that they are huge in number, are plunderers and are destined for hell fire.
My question is: do they still exist? If they do, are they confined within the wall erected by Dhul Qarnain? Is this wall (doorway) imaginary or physical (made of metal)? | Praise be to Allah.Who are Yajuj and Majuj?
There is no doubt that Yajuj and Majuj are two huge nations of the sons of Adam. Anyone who reads the story of Dhu’l-Qarnayn and how he dealt with this nation in Surat al-Kahf will know for sure that they exist and that the barrier which was built is not metaphorical or imaginary, but is a physical barrier built of iron and melted copper.
The basic principle is that we should take this Quranic text as it is, without resorting to any kind of misinterpretation or trying to twist the intended meaning.
Wall of Dhu’l-Qarnayn: Real or imaginary?
The Quran has told us how the barrier was built and what materials were used, so it is not right to say that it is a metaphorical or imaginary barrier. In Surat al-Kahf, Allah has told us the story of the Muslim king and the great leader Dhu’l-Qarnayn (may Allah have mercy on him):
“Until, when he reached between two mountains, he found, before (near) them, a people who scarcely understood a word.
They said, ‘O Dhu’l-Qarnayn! Verily! Yajuj and Majuj are doing great mischief in the land. Shall we then pay you a tribute in order that you might erect a barrier between us and them?’
He said: ‘That (wealth, authority and power) in which my Lord has established me is better (than your tribute). So help me with strength (of men), I will erect between you and them a barrier.
Give me pieces (blocks) of iron,’ then, when he had filled up the gap between the two mountain-cliffs, he said, ‘Blow,’ till when he had made it (red as) fire, he said, ‘Bring me molten copper to pour over it.’
So they [Yajuj and Majuj ] were made powerless to scale it or dig through it.
(Dhu’l-Qarnayn) said: ‘This is a mercy from my Lord, but when the Promise of my Lord comes, He shall level it down to the ground. And the Promise of my Lord is ever true.’” [al-Kahf 18:93-98]
Hadiths about Yajuj and Majuj
What indicates that these nations exist at present, and indeed are attempting on a daily basis to get out and attack people, is the hadith reported by Ibn Majah with a sahih isnad from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said that Yajuj and Majuj are digging every day until they can almost see sunlight, then the one who is in charge of them says, “Go back, we will dig again tomorrow.” Then Allah restores (the barrier) and makes it stronger than it was. (This will continue) until the appointed time. When Allah wishes to send them against the people, they will dig until they can almost see sunlight, then the one who is in charge of them will say, “Go back, we will dig again tomorrow, in sha Allah.” This time he will say “in sha Allah”, so when they come back (the next day), they will find it as they left it, so they will dig their way out and emerge to attack the people. They will dry up water (by drinking it, because of their great numbers), and the people will seek to protect themselves from them in their fortresses. They will fire their arrows into the sky, and the arrows will come back down covered in blood (as a test for them), and they will say, “We have defeated the people of the earth and have gained the upper hand over the people of heaven.” Then Allah will send worms on the napes of their necks, which will kill them. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “By the One in Whose hand is my soul, the beasts of the earth will grow fat from their flesh.” (Sahih Ibn Majah, 3298)
Umm Habibah bint Abi Sufyan reported from Zaynab bint Jahsh (may Allah be pleased with them) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) entered upon her in an agitated state and said, “La ilaha ill-Allah, woe to the Arabs from an evil that has approached! Today a hole like this has been opened in the barrier of Yajuj and Majuj ,” and he made a circle with his thumb and forefinger. Zaynab bint Jahsh said: “I said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, will we be destroyed even though there are righteous people among us?’ He said, ‘Yes, if evil becomes overwhelming.’” (Reported by al-Bukhari, 3097).
And Allah knows best. |
Is it permissible to combine all the five prayers, at the start of a journey, if you have an intention to travel a long distance requiring very long hours of traveling. If not, then how many prayers can be combined at each time?
May Allah accept your effort in helping your Muslim brothers to better understand their religion. | Praise be to Allah.It is not permissible to combine all five prayers at one time, even if it is because of travelling. Indeed, it is not permissible to combine three prayers, so it is not correct to combine Maghrib, `Isha and Fajr, for example.
What is permitted is to combine Zuhr and `Asr , and Maghrib and `Isha’ , but Fajr cannot be combined with any other prayer.
The reason for this is that each one of the five prayers has its appointed time which is clearly defined, and which should be adhered to as it says in the Quran:
“… Verily, the prayer is enjoined on the believers at fixed hours.” [Al-Nisa 4:103]
This is also indicated by the hadith in which Jibril (peace be upon him) defined the times of each prayer and explained them to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
It was not reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) combined all five prayers, only that he combined Zuhr and `Asr , and Maghrib and `Isha .
Acts of worship are based on reports, and combining prayers is an issue that has to do with acts of worship, so we should adhere to what it says in the texts and not try to take the matter any further. Ibn Daqiq al-‘Eid reported scholarly consensus on this issue, as did Ibn Hubayrah. Ibn Hajar al-Haythami said: “`Asr should not be combined with Maghrib, nor `Isha with Subh (Fajr), `Asr can only be combined with Zuhr, in accordance with what was reported.”
Al-Rafi’i (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “It is not permitted to combine Fajr prayer with any other prayer, or to combine `Asr and Maghrib, because no such thing was reported from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).” (Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar agreed with him in Talkhis al-Habir, 4/427)
Al-Nawawi said:
“It is not permitted to combine Fajr with any other prayer or to combine `Asr with Maghrib .”
And Allah knows best |
There is a deviant group of people who claim to follow the Quran only, and not the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet . Please provide us with scholarly proof that they are on the wrong path, so we can give them da'wah, Insha Allah.
Wassalaam | Praise be to Allah.Some people have started to claim that the Sunnah is not a source of legislation. They call themselves al-Quraniyyeen and say that we have the Quran, so we take as halaal whatever it allows and take as haraam whatever it forbids. The Sunnah, according to their claims, is full of fabricated ahaadeeth falsely attributed to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). They are the successors of other people about whom the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) told us. Ahmad, Abu Dawood and al-Haakim reported with a saheeh isnaad from al-Miqdaam that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: Soon there will be a time when a man will be reclining on his couch, narrating a hadeeth from me, and he will say, Between us and you is the Book of Allah: what it says is halaal, we take as halaal, and what it says is haraam, we take as haraam. But listen! Whatever the Messenger of Allah forbids is like what Allah forbids. (Al-Fath al-Kabeer, 3/438. Al-Tirmidhi reported it with different wording, and said that it is hasan saheeh. Sunan al-Tirmidhi bi Sharh Ibn al-Arabi, al-Saawi edn., 10/132). The name al-Quraniyyeen does not befit these people, because the Quran tells us, in almost one hundred aayahs, to obey the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). Obedience to the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is considered in the Quran to be a part of obedience to Allah, may He be glorified. He who obeys the Messenger, has indeed obeyed Allah, but he who turns away, then we have not sent you (O Muhammad) as a watcher over them. [al-Nisa 4:80 interpretation of the meaning]. The Quran, which they claim to follow, denies the faith of the one who refuses to obey the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and does not accept his ruling: But no, by your Lord, they can have no Faith, until they make you (O Muhammad) judge in all disputes between them, and find in themselves no resistance against your decisions, and accept (them) with full submission. [al-Nisa 4:65 interpretation of the meaning]
Their suggestion that the Sunnah is contaminated with fabricated ahaadeeth is not valid, because the scholars of this ummah took the utmost care to purify the Sunnah from all alien elements. If they had any doubts about the truthfulness of any narrator, or there was the slightest possibility that he could have forgotten something, this would be sufficient grounds for rejecting a hadeeth. Even the enemies of this ummah have stated that no other nation has paid so much attention to examining its reports and their narrators, especially in the case of reports narrated from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
For it to be obligatory to follow a hadeeth, it is sufficient for it to be known that it is a saheeh (authentic, sound) hadeeth narrated from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was content to convey his message by sending just one of his Companions, which proves that the hadeeth reported by one trustworthy person must be followed.
Moreover, we would ask these people: where are the aayaat which tell us how to pray, or which tell us that the obligatory prayers are five times daily, or which tell us about the nisaab on various kinds of wealth for the purpose of zakah, or about the details of the rituals of Hajj, and other rulings which we can only know from the Sunnah?
Al-Mawsooah al-Fiqhiyyah, 1/44
For more information on the shar'i evidence that the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is a source of evidence, see Question # 604. |
What is the virtues of Qiyaam (prayer at night) during Ramadaan ? | Praise be to Allah.Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to encourage us to pray at night in Ramadaan, without making it obligatory. Then he said, ‘Whoever prays at night in Ramadaan out of faith and the hope of reward, all his previous sins will be forgiven.’ When the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) died, this is how things were (i.e., Taraaweeh was not prayed in congregation), and this is how they remained during the khilaafah of Abu Bakr (may Allaah be pleased with him), until the beginning of the khilaafah of ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him).”
‘Amr ibn Murrah al-Juhani said: “A man from Qudaa’ah came to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah! What do you think if I testify that there is no god except Allaah, and that you, Muhammad, are His Messenger, and I pray the five daily prayers, and fast in the month (of Ramadaan), and pray at night in Ramadaan, and pay zakaah?’ The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘Whoever dies on that will be among the siddeeqeen (those who tell the truth) and the martyrs.’”
Laylat al-Qadr and its timing
2 – The best of its nights is Laylat al-Qadr, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever prays at night during Laylat al-Qadr and manages to “catch” it out of faith and the hope of reward, all his previous sins will be forgiven.”
3 – According to the most correct opinion, it is the twenty-seventh night of Ramadaan. Most of the ahaadeeth state this, such as the hadeeth of Zurr ibn Hubaysh, who said: “I heard Ubayy ibn Ka’b saying – and it was said to him that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Mas’ood said: ‘Whoever follows the Sunnah will ‘catch’ Laylat al-Qadr!’ – Ubayy (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: ‘May Allaah have mercy on him, he did not want people to take it for granted and only stay up to pray on one night. By the One besides Whom there is no other god, it is in Ramadaan – he was swearing without a doubt – and by Allaah, I do know which night it is. It is the night in which the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) commanded us to pray (qiyaam). It is the night the morning of which is the twenty seventh, and the sign of it is that the sun rises on that morning white and without rays.’”
In another report, this was attributed to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). (Reported by Muslim and others).
Praying qiyaam in congregation
It is allowed to pray qiyaam in congregation, indeed it is better than praying individually, because this is what the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did himself and explained its virtues. Abu Dharr (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “We fasted Ramadaan with the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and he did not lead us in qiyaam at all until there were only seven days left, when he led us in prayer until a third of the night had passed. When there were six days left, he did not lead us in qiyaam. When there were five days left, he led us in prayer until half the night had passed. I said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, I wish that you had continued until the end of the night.’ He said, ‘If a man prays with the imaam until he finishes, it will be counted as if he prayed the whole night.’ When there were four nights left, he did not lead us in qiyaam. When there were three nights left, he brought together his family, his wives and the people, and led us in qiyaam until we were afraid that we would miss al-falaah. I asked, ‘What is al-falaah?’ he said, ‘Suhoor. Then he did not lead us in qiyaam for the rest of the month.’” (Saheeh hadeeth reported by the authors of Sunan).
The reason why the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not continually lead the people in praying qiyaam in congregation
5 - The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not lead them in qiyaam for the rest of the month because he feared that it would then become obligatory, and they would not be able to do it, as is stated in the hadeeth of ‘Aa’ishah reported in al-Saheehayn and elsewhere. Following the death of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), that fear was no longer a factor, because Allaah had completed the religion. The reason for not praying qiyaam in congregation during Ramadaan no longer applied, and the previous ruling, that congregational prayer is something prescribed in Islam, remained in effect. So ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) revived the practice, as is recorded in Saheeh al-Bukhaari and elsewhere.
Women can pray qiyaam in congregation
Women can attend the prayers too, as is stated in the hadeeth of Abu Dharr referred to above. Indeed, it is permissible to appoint an imaam just for them, apart from the imaam of the men. It was proven that when ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) gathered the people to pray qiyaam, he appointed Ubayy ibn Ka’b to lead the men and Sulaymaan ibn Abi Hathmah to lead the women. ‘Arfajah al-Thaqafi said: “ ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib (may Allaah be pleased with him) used to command the people to pray during the night in Ramadaan, and he would appoint an imaam for the men and an imaam for the women. I was the imaam for the women.”
I say: this is fine in my view so long as the mosque is big enough so that they will not disturb one another.
Number of rak’ahs of qiyaam
7 – The number of rak’ahs is eleven, and it is preferable in our opinion not to exceed this number, following the practice of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), because he never did more than that in his life. ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) was asked about how he prayed in Ramadaan. She said, “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) never prayed more than eleven rak’ahs (of qiyaam), whether during Ramadaan or any other time. He would pray four, and don’t ask me how beautiful or how long they were. Then he would pray four, and don’t ask me how beautiful or how long they were. Then he would pray three.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, Muslim and others).
8- A person may do less than that, even if it is only one rak’ah of witr, because of the evidence that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did this and spoke about it.
With regard to him doing it: ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) was asked how many rak’ahs the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to pray in witr? She said, “He used to pray four and three, or six and three, or ten and three. He never used to pray less than seven, or more than thirteen.” (Reported by Abu Dawood, Ahmad and others).
With regard to him speaking about it, he said: “Witr is true, so whoever wishes can pray five, and whoever wishes can pray three, and whoever wishes can pray one.”
Reciting Qur’aan in qiyaam
9 – As regards reciting from the Qur’aan during qiyaam, whether in Ramadaan or at other times, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not set a limit or state what was too much or too little. His recitation used to vary, sometimes it would be long, at other times short. Sometimes in every rak’ah he would recite the equivalent of ‘Yaa ayyuha’l-muzammil, which is twenty aayaat; sometimes he would recite the equivalent of fifty aayaat. He used to say, “Whoever prays at night and reads one hundred aayaat will not be recorded as one of the negligent.” According to another hadeeth: “…and reads two hundred aayaat, will be recorded as one of the devout and sincere believers.”
When he was sick, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) recited the seven long soorahs in his night prayers, i.e., al-Baqarah, Aal ‘Imraan, al-Nisaa’, al-Maa’idah, al-An’aam, al-A’raaf and al-Tawbah.
In the account of Hudhayfah ibn al-Yamaan praying behind the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), in one rak’ah he recited al-Baqarah, al-Nisa’ and Aal ‘Imraan, and he recited them in a slow and measured tone. It is proven with the soundest (most saheeh) of isnaads that when ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) appointed Ubayy ibn Ka’b to lead the people in praying eleven rak’ahs in Ramadaan, Ubayy used to recite aayaat by the hundreds, so that the people behind him would be leaning on sticks because the prayers were so long, and they did not finish until just before Fajr.
It is also reported in a saheeh account that ‘Umar called the readers during Ramadaan, and told the fastest of them to recite thirty aayaat, the moderate ones to recite twenty-five aayaat, and the slowest ones to recite twenty aayaat.
However, is a person is praying qiyaam by himself, he can make it as long as he wishes; if others agree with the imaam, he may also make it as long as he wishes. The longer it is, the better, but a person should not go to extremes and spend the whole night in qiyaam, except on rare occasions, following the example of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) who said: “The best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad.” If a person is praying as an imaam, he should make it only as long as is easy for the people behind him, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “If any of you leads the people in prayer, let him make it short, because among them are the young and the old, the weak, and those who have pressing needs. But if he is praying alone, let him make it as long as he likes.”
The timing of qiyaam
10 – The time for praying qiyaam is from after ‘Isha until Fajr, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah has added one more prayer for you, which is witr, so pray it between Salaat al-‘Isha’ and Salaat al-Fajr.”
11 – Praying at the end of the night is better, for those who can manage it, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever is afraid that he will not get up at the end of the night, let him pray witr at the beginning of the night, but whoever feels that he will be able to get up at the end of the night, let him pray witr at the end of the night, for prayer at the end of the night is witnessed [by the angels???], and that is better.”
12 – If it is the matter of choosing between praying in congregation at the beginning of the night and praying alone at the end of the night, it is preferable to pray with the jamaa’ah, because that is counted as if one had prayed the whole night through.
This is what the Sahaabah did at the time of ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him). ‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn ‘Abd al-Qaari said: “I went out with ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab to the mosque one night during Ramadaan, and saw the people scattered throughout the mosque, some praying individually, and some praying in small groups. He said, ‘By Allaah, I think that if I gathered all of them behind one reader it would be better.’ So he resolved to do that, and he gathered them behind Ubayy ibn Ka’b. Then I went with him on another night, and the people were all praying behind their reader, and ‘Umar said, ‘What a good innovation this is. What they sleep and miss – meaning the latter part of the night – is better than what they are doing,’ – the people used to pray qiyaam at the beginning of the night.”
Zayd ibn Wahb said: “‘Abd-Allaah used to lead us in prayer in Ramadaan, and he used to finish at night.”
13 – The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade praying witr as three rak’ahs, and explained this by saying: “Do not make it resemble Salaat al-Maghrib.” Therefore the person who wants to pray three rak’ahs for witr must find a way to make it different (from Maghrib). There are two ways he can do this: either by giving salaam after the first two rak’ahs, which is the best way; or by not sitting after the first two rak’ahs (i.e., praying three rak’ahs non-stop). And Allaah knows best.
Recitation during three rak’ahs of witr
14 – It is Sunnah to recite Sabbih bi ismi Rabbika al-‘A’laa in the first rak’ah, Qul Yaa ayyuha’l-Kaafiroon in the second rak’ah, and Qul Huwa Allaahu ahad in the third rak’ah. Sometimes Qul a’oodhu bi Rabbi’l-Falaq and Qul a’oodhu bi Rabbi’l-Naas may be added as well.
It was reported in a saheeh report that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) once recited one hundred aayaat of Soorat al-Nisa’ in one rak’ah of witr.
Du’aa’ al-Qunoot
15 – A person may also humble himself before Allaah by reciting the du’aa’ which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) taught to his grandson al-Hasan ibn ‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him), which is:
“Allaahumma’hdinee fiman hadayta wa ‘aafinee fiman ‘aafayta wa tawallanee fiman tawallayta wa baarik lee fimaa a’tayta wa qinee sharra maa qadayt, fa innaka taqdee wa laa yuqdaa ‘alayk. Wa innahu laa yadhillu man waalayta wa laa ya’izzu man ‘aadayt. Tabaarakta Rabbanaa wa ta’aalayt. Laa majaa minka illa ilayk (O Allaah, guide me along with those whom You have guided, pardon me along with those whom You have pardoned, be an ally to me along with those whom You are an ally to, and bless for me that which You have bestowed. Protect me from the evil You have decreed for verily You decree and none can decree over You. For surety, he whom You show allegiance to is never abased and he whom You take an enemy is never honored and mighty. O our Lord, Blessed and Exalted are You. There is no refuge from You except with You).”
Sometimes one may send blessings on the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and there is nothing wrong with adding other du’aa’s that are known from the Sunnah.
16 – There is nothing wrong with reciting Qunoot after rukoo’, or with adding curses against the kuffaar, sending blessings on the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or praying for the Muslims in the second half of Ramadaan, because it is proven that the imaam used to do this at the time of ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him). At the end of the hadeeth of ‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn ‘Ubayd al-Qaari mentioned above, it says: “… They used to curse the kuffaar in the middle, saying, ‘Allaahumma qaatil al-kafarata alladheena yasuddoona ‘an sabeelik wa yukadhdhiboona rusulak wa laa yu’minoona bi wa’dik. Wa khaalif bayna kalimatihim wa alqi fi quloobihim al-ru’b wa alqi ‘alayhim rijzaka wa ‘adhaabak ilaah al-haqq (O Allaah, destroy the kuffaar who are trying to prevent people from following Your path, who deny Your Messengers and who do not believe in Your promise (the Day of Judgement). Make them disunited, fill their hearts with terror and send Your wrath and punishment against them, O God of Truth).” Then he would send blessings on the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and pray for good for the Muslims as much as he could, and seek forgiveness for the believers.
After he had finished cursing the kuffaar, sending blessings on the Prophet, seeking forgiveness for the believing men and women and asking for his own needs, he would say: “Allaahumma iyyaaka na’bud wa laka nusalli wa najud, wa ilayka nas’aa wa nahfud, wa narju rahmataka rabbanaa wa nakhaafu ‘adhaabak al-jadd. Inna ‘adhaabaka liman ‘aadayta mulhaq (O Allaah, You do we worship, to You do we pray and prostrate, for Your sake we strive and toil. We place our hope in Your Mercy, O our Lord, and we fear Your mighty punishment, for Your punishment will certainly overtake the one whom You have taken as an enemy.” Then he would say “Allaahu akbar” and go down in sujood.
What should be said at the end of witr
17 – It is Sunnah to say at the end of witr (before or after the salaam):
“Allaahumma innee a’oodhu bi ridaaka min sakhatika wa bi mu’aafaatika min ‘aqoobatika, wa a’oodhu bika minka. La uhsee thanaa’an ‘alayka, anta kamaa athnayta ‘ala nafsik (O Allaah, I seek refuge in Your good pleasure from Your wrath, and in Your protection from Your punishment. I seek refuge with You from You. I cannot praise You enough, and You are as You have praised Yourself.”
18 – When he gave salaam at the end of witr, he said: “Subhaan il-Malik il-Quddoos, subhaan il-Malik il-Quddoos, subhaan il-Malik il-Quddoos (Glory be to the Sovereign, the Most Holy), elongating the syllables, and raising his voice the third time.
Two rak’ahs after witr
19 – A person may pray two rak’ahs after witr if he wishes, because it is proven that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did this. Indeed, he said, “This travelling is exhausting and difficult, so after any one of you prays witr, let him pray two rak’ahs. If he wakes up, this is fine, otherwise these two rak’ahs will be counted for him.
20 – It is Sunnah to recite Idha zulzilat al-ard and Qul yaa ayyuha’l-kaafiroon in these two rak’ahs. |
Some people, when they pray witr with
the imaam and he says salaam, they get up and do another rakah, because they want to
do more prayers before praying witr later in the night. What is the ruling on this action?
Is it considered to be forsaking the prayer with the imaam? | Praise be to Allah.We do not see anything wrong with this, and the ulama
stated that there is nothing wrong with doing this, so that his witr will be at the end of
the night. He will be considered to have prayed with the imaam until he finished, because
he stayed with him until he finished, and added another rakah for a shar'i reason,
which was so that he could pray witr later in the night. There is nothing wrong with this,
and it does not mean that he did not stay with the imaam until he finished, but he did not
finish with him he delayed it a little longer. |
There is a theory current among some educated people which says that the Arabic numerals in their current form (?-?-?-?, etc.)
are actually Indian numerals, and that the European numerals (1-2-3-4, etc.) are the original Arabic numerals. This conclusion leads them a step further, so that they call for the use of the European form of numerals in Arab countries, supporting their demand with the fact that the European numerals are used in calculations and dealings with foreign states and institutions which have come to have a great deal of influence on the economic and social affairs of Arab countries. They also refer to the appearance of calculators and computers which only use these numerals, and this – they claim – makes the use of European numerals in Arab countries something to be desired, if not unavoidable. What do you think? | Praise be to Allah.It is not permissible to change the Arabic numerals which are currently
in use and replace them with the numerals used in the western world, for the following
reasons:
Firstly: there is no proof of what the advocates of change say about
the numerals used in the West being Arabic numerals. What is known is something other than
that, as is proven by reality and the fact that for centuries the current numerals were
used in different circumstances and different fields, which makes them Arabic. There are
words in the Arabic language which were not originally Arabic, but they became part of the
Arabic language through usage, to the extent that some of these words are to be found in
the Qur’aan; these words are described as Arabized.
Secondly: this idea has bad consequences and harmful effects, because
it is a step towards the gradual Westernization of Islamic societies.
Thirdly: it paves the way for changing the Arabic script and using
Latin script instead of Arabic, even in the long run.
Fourthly: it is an aspect of imitating the West and approving of its
ways.
Fifthly: all the copies of the Qur’aan (masaahif), books of
Tafseer, Arabic dictionaries and other books use the current Arabic numerals in numbering
their pages etc., and in referring to other sources. All these books represent a vast
store of knowledge. If the foreign numerals are used instead, this will make it very
difficult for the coming generation to access this vast store of knowledge.
Sixthly: It is not necessary to follow certain Arab countries which are
accustomed to using these European numerals. Many of these countries have also abolished
something even more important, which is ruling according to the whole sharee’ah of
Allaah, which is the source of honour, power and happiness in this world and the next, so
what they (those countries) have done is nothing to go by. |
Which is better during the day in Ramadaan – reading Qur’aan or praying voluntary prayers? | Praise be to Allah.The Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was to do a lot of different kinds of worship during Ramadaan. Jibreel used to review the Qur’aan with him at night, and when Jibreel met with him, he was more generous in charity than the blowing wind. He was the most generous of people, and he was at his most generous in Ramadaan. At this time he used to give more in charity and treat people even more kindly; he would read more Qur’aan, pray more, recite more dhikr, and spend time in I’tikaaf (retreat). This is the guidance of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in this aspect of this holy month.
As to whether it is better to read Qur’aan or to pray voluntary prayers, this depends on people’s circumstances, and the true evaluation of this is up to Allaah, because He knows all things.
(From al-Jawaab al-Saheeh min Ahkaam Salaat al-Layl wa’l-Taraaweeh, by Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz, p. 45).
A specific action may be better in the case of any given individual, and another may be better for another individual, according to the degree to which a particular action brings a person closer to Allaah. Some people may be influenced more by naafil prayers and may focus on them and do them properly, which will bring them closer to Allaah than other deeds might, so in their case those deeds are better. And Allaah knows best. |
The most correct opinion is that the number of rakahs for Taraaweeh is eleven, but I pray in a mosque where they do twenty one rakahs. Can I leave the mosque after the tenth rakah, or is it better to complete the twenty one rakahs with them? | Praise be to Allah.It is better to stay with the imaam until he finishes, even if he is doing more than eleven rakahs, because it is permissible to do the extra rakahs, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: Whoever prays qiyaam with the imaam until he finishes, Allaah will record it as if he prayed the whole night
(reported by al-Nisaa'i and others. Sunan al-Nisaa'i, Baab Qiyaam Shahr Ramadaan), and because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: Prayer at night should be two by two (rakahs), and when dawn approaches, pray one for witr. (Reported by the seven; this version reported by al-Nisaa'i).
There is no doubt that adhering to the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is better and brings more reward, so long as it is done properly and without haste, but if it is the matter of a choice between leaving the imaam because of the number of rakahs or going along with the extra that he does, it is better to go along with him, because of the ahaadeeth referred to above. At the same time, you should advise the imaam to follow the Sunnah. |
Is Tarawih prayer required for women?
Which is better for women, to perform Tarawih at home or in a mosque? | Praise be to Allah.Is tarawih compulsory for females?
Tarawih prayer is not obligatory for women, and it is still better for them to perform the Night Prayer at home. Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon Him) said:
"Do not prevent your women from going to the mosque, even though their houses are better for them." (Reported by Abu Dawud in al-Sunan, Bab ma ja-a fi khuruj al-nisa ila'l-masjid: Bab al-tashdid fi dhalik. See also Sahih al-Jami', no. 7458)
Whenever a woman prays in a place that is more private and more hidden, that is better for her, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon Him) said: "A woman's prayer in her house is better than her prayer in her courtyard , and her prayer in her bedroom is better than her prayer in her house." (Reported by Abu Dawud in al-Sunan, Bab ma ja-a fi khuruj al-nisa ila'l-masjid. See also Sahih al-Jami', no. 3833)
Umm Humayd, the wife of Abu Humayd al-Sa'idi reported that she came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon Him) and said: "O Messenger of Allah, I love to pray with you." He said: "I know that you love to pray with me, but praying in your house is better for you than praying in your courtyard, and praying in your courtyard is better for you than praying in the mosque of your people, and praying in the mosque of your people is better for you than praying in my mosque." So she ordered that a prayer-place be built for her in the furthest and darkest part of her house, and she always prayed there until she died. (Reported by Imam Ahmad; the men of its isnad are trustworthy. )
But the fact that praying at home is preferable does not mean that women are not permitted to go to the mosque, as is clear from the following hadith:
`Abdullah ibn `Umar said: "I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon Him) say: 'Do not prevent your women from going to the mosque if they ask your permission.'" Bilal ibn `Abdullah said, "By Allah, we will prevent them." (Ibn `Umar) turned to him and told him off in an unprecedented fashion, saying: "I tell you what the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon Him) said, and you say 'By Allah, we will prevent them'!!" (Muslim, 667)
Conditions of women going out to the mosques
But there are conditions attached to the permission for women to go to the mosque , as follows:
She should wear complete hijab.
She should not go out wearing perfume.
She should have the permission of her husband.
Her going out should not involve any other kind of prohibited acts, such as being alone in a car with a non-mahram driver. If a woman does something wrong like that, her husband or guardian has the right to stop her; in fact it is his duty to do so.
I asked our Shaykh, 'Abd al-'Aziz, about Tarawih prayer in particular, and whether it is better for a woman to perform this prayer in the mosque . He replied in the negative and said that the hadiths that state that it is preferable for a woman to pray in her house apply to all prayers, and this includes Tarawih as well as others.
For more, please see this category: Tarawih prayers and Laylat al-Qadar
And Allah knows best. |
Some fathers want to give zakaat al-fitr on behalf of their sons even though the sons may be well-off. What should a son do? | Praise be to Allah.So long as the son is well-off, he should give zakaat al-fitr on his own behalf. If his father gives zakaat al-fitr on his behalf there is nothing wrong with that, especially if the father is accustomed to giving zakaat al-fitr on behalf of his children every year even though they are grown up and working. He may like to continue doing what he is used to doing, and it may upset the father if his son tells him “Don’t give zakaat on my behalf.” So the son should give his father the opportunity to give zakaat on his behalf, and he should also give it on his own behalf. Some people consider the father’s continued giving of zakaat on behalf of his children to be a continuation of his connection to his children and a sign that they are still under his authority and care, so the son should let his father do what makes him happy. We ask Allaah to put right the affairs of us all. |
Does the father have to pay for his son’s obligatory Hajj if the son is poor, and does the son have to pay for his father’s obligatory Hajj if the father is poor? | Praise be to Allah.This question was put to Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen, may
Allaah preserve him, and he answered as follows:
That is not obligatory, because acts of worship are conditional upon a
person’s ability to do them. That ability cannot come from someone else.
So neither party has to do this for the other. But if the father asks
his son who is able to finance his Hajj to do so, the son’s responding
to that request will be part of the honouring of one's parents that
is enjoined upon children, so it is obligatory in that sense. And Allaah
knows best. |
I want to get married to a girl whose
father is in another country, and at present I cannot travel there for us to meet and do
the marriage contract, because of my financial situation and other reasons. I am living in
a foreign country. Is it permissible for me to call her father on the phone so that he can
say to me, “I marry my daughter so and so to you,” and I can say, “I
accept,” with the girl’s consent and with two Muslim witnesses listening to what
is said by means of loudspeakers attached to the phone? Would this be considered a valid
marriage contract in shari’ah? | Praise be to Allah.We put this question to our mufti and shaykh,
al-‘Allaamah ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Baaz, who replied that
if what is described in the question is genuine (and is not done for the purpose of
cheating), then it fulfils the purpose of meeting the conditions for nikaah, and the
marriage contract is valid. And Allaah knows best.
Fiqh (jurisprudence and Islamic rulings) – Nikaah (marriage)
– ‘Aqd al-Nikaah (marriage contract) |
Is it better to recite from the Mushaf than from memory? Please explain. | Praise be to Allah.If one is reciting Quran in situations other than in prayer, then reading from the Mushaf is better, because it is more accurate and helps one to remember better. But if reciting from memory is easier and helps one to concentrate more and have better presence of mind (khushoo’), then one should recite from memory.
In prayer, however, it is better to recite from memory, because if a person recites from the Mushaf, he will be doing repeated actions such as holding the Mushaf, putting it down, turning its pages and looking at the letters. By doing so he will miss out on putting his right hand over his left hand on his chest when standing during the prayer, or spreading out his arms during rukoo’ and sujood, if he puts the Mushaf under his arm. Hence we think that it is preferable for a person who is praying to recite from memory rather than from the Mushaf.
We see some people when they pray behind the imaam, carrying the Mushaf and following the imaam’s recitation. This is something which should not be done, for the reasons we have referred to above, and because they do not need to do anything except follow the imaam.
However, if the imaam does not have such a good memory, and he says to one of the members of the congregation, “Pray behind me, and follow me (my recitation) in the Mushaf, and if I make a mistake, correct me,” then there is nothing wrong with this. |
What is the ruling on reading Qur’aan
collectively in the mosque? | Praise be to Allah.The question is somewhat vague, but if what
is meant is that they read it together in unison, pausing and stopping at the
same places, then this is not prescribed by Islam and at the very least is makrooh
(disliked) because it is not reported that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or his Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased
with them) did such a thing. If, however, it is done for the purpose of learning,
then there should be nothing wrong with it. If what is meant is that they gather
to read Qur’an in order to learn it and memorize it, and one of them reads
whilst the others listen, or each one reads to himself quietly, and not in unison
with the others, then this is allowed because it is proven that the Messenger
of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: “No people gather together in one of the houses of Allaah and
read the Book of Allaah, studying it together, but tranquillity descends upon
them, the angels surround them and mercy covers them, and Allaah mentions them
to those who are with Him.” (Reported by Muslim). |
If the alcohol in which perfume is
dissolved is of a type that is poisonous, not intoxicating, is it permissible to use this
perfume? | Praise be to Allah.I put this question to our Shaykh, al-Mufti al-‘Allaamah ‘Abd
al-‘Azeez ibn ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Baaz, who replied that it is permissible to use
this as perfume, and there does not seem to be any reason not to do so. And Allaah knows
best. |
One of the mosques has announced that there will be iftaar for anyone who wants to fast on Thursdays. What is the ruling on this? | Praise be to Allah.We put this question to Shaykh Muhammad ibn ‘Uthaymeen, may Allah preserve him, and he answered as follows:
, Lord of the Worlds, and peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad and all his family and companions. There is nothing wrong with this announcement, because it is a call to good and it does not involve buying or selling. What is haraam is making announcements about buying, selling, leasing and renting, which are things for which mosques are not built, but there is nothing wrong with announcements that call for good, feeding others and acts of charity.
With regard to the question of whether this is a kind of joint worship that is not prescribed in Islam, the fact is that they are not calling for communal fasting, they are just announcing that iftaar is available, and there is nothing wrong with that.
And Allah knows best. |
Subsets and Splits