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What were the Scientific Achievements of Islam?
Please tell me the answer as soon as possible! | Praise be to Allah.The greatest achievement of Islam is that it has freed man from the worship of other beings and delivered
him to the worship of the creator of all beings. As a religious text, the Qur'aan is not a record of inventions
or discoveries in this life, but rather a revealed book that helps in the replenishment, enlightenment and
solace of humanity. Through it, man can help in the development and civilization of this earth, and through
it man can ponder the signs of Allaah's creation.
Accordingly, Muslims have concentrated on the study of this universe and made great strides in the fields
of medicine, astronomy, mathematics, physics, etc. However, the specifics of these contributions are not
the area of concentration for Muslim scholars, and there are perhaps better sources than this forum to
explain the role of Muslim scientists, such as books written for this specific purpose. One can always refer
to books written by fair-minded non-Muslims about the achievements of al-Khawarizmi in mathematics, Ibn
Haytham in physics, al-Idrisi in geography,and Ibn Nafees in the circulatory system.etc. |
If a couple differs in their Islamic perceptions; one who grew up in the West and the other in the East, and they quarrel constantly and can't come to an agreement, at what point is talaq considered? Is it wrong for a sister to ask for talaq? Will she be punished on the Day of Judgment? Does the ‘Arsh of Ar-Rahman shake once talaq is asked for? This is what one sister, growing up in the West, is being told by her husband from the East. | Praise be to Allah.Divorce in Islam
The divorce of a Muslim woman from her husband is an affair which is loathsome to Allah and not a praiseworthy event. This is due to the problems and possible evils.
When can a woman ask for divorce?
However, if there is a situation in the marital life taking place between the man and the woman, due to a defect or defects in one or both of them, such as problems of Din, bad character, sickness, or a defect such as being sterile or similar, then out of the mercy of Allah, seeking divorce is permissible. In this case, it is okay and there is nothing prohibited in seeking a divorce .
Seeking divorce for no reason
The thing which is prohibited is a wife seeking a divorce from her husband for no (valid) reason in the Shari’ah. There is a serious promise made for seeking a divorce without a valid reason. It is reported in the hadith of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), "If a woman asks her husband for a divorce, for no reason, then the smell of Paradise is forbidden for her". (At-Tirmidhi narrated it. He said this is a hasan hadith. Sunan At-Tirmidhi, 1187.)
Does the Throne of Allah shake because of divorce?
The hadith "Marry and do not divorce for verily divorce causes the ‘Arsh (Throne of Allah) to shake " is forged and da'if. (Al-Jami` al-Saghir, 2429)
And Allah knows best. |
What do Muslims Believe? | Praise be to Allah.Muslims believe in one, unique, incomparable, and singular God, whose name in Arabic is "Allaah",
literally meaning "The God"; in the angels created by Him; in the prophets through whom His revelations
were brought to mankind; in God's complete authority over human destiny, and in life after death.
Muslims believe in a chain of prophets (may the peace and blessings of Allaah be upon them all) starting
with Adam and including Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Job, Moses, Aaron, David,
Solomon, Elias, Jonah, John the Baptist and Jesus, peace be upon them.
God's final message to man, a reconfirmation of the eternal message and a summing-up, synopsis, and
perfection of all that has gone before was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad
, peace be upon him,
the last prophet, through the angel Gabriel. |
Who is Allaah? | Praise be to Allah.Allaah is the Arabic word for "one God", the same as Eloh in Aramaic. Allaah is not the God of
Muslims only. He is God of all creations, because He is their Creator and Sustainer. |
Do muslims worship Muhammad peace and blessings of God be upon him)? | Praise be to Allah.No. Muslims do not worship Muhammad
(peace be upon him), or any other prophet. Muslims believe
in all prophets including Adam, Noah, Abraham, David, Solomon, Moses, and Jesus, peace be upon
them all. Muslims believe that Muhammad
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was the last of
the Prophets. They believe that only God is to be worshipped, not human beings nor anything else. |
What do Muslims believe about Jesus (peace be upon him)? | Praise be to Allah.What do Muslims believe about Jesus?
Muslims respect and revere Jesus (peace be upon him), and await his second coming. They consider him one of the greatest of God’s messengers to mankind. A Muslim never refers to him simply as `Jesus', but always adds the phrase "peace be upon him."
Creation of Jesus
The Quran confirms his virgin birth (a chapter of the Quran is entitled `Mary') in her time, and Mary is considered the purest woman in all creation.
The Quran describes the creation of Jesus as follows (interpretation of the meaning):
"Behold! the Angel said, `God has chosen you, and purified you, and chosen you above the women of all nations. O Mary, God gives you glad tidings of a word from Him, whose name shall be the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, honored in this world and the Hereafter, and one that shall speak to the people from his cradle and in maturity, and shall be of the righteous.' She said: `O my Lord! How shall I have a son when no man has touched me?' He said: `Even so; God creates what He wills. When He decrees a thing, He but says to it, "Be!" and it is." (Al Imran 3:42-7)
Jesus (peace be upon him) was born miraculously through the same power which had brought Adam (peace be upon him) into being without a father: "Truly, the likeness of Jesus unto Allah is as the likeness of Adam. He created him of dust, and then said to him, `Be!' and he was." (Al Imran 3:59)
Miracles of Jesus
During his prophetic mission, Jesus (peace be upon him) was granted and performed many miracles. The Quran tells us that he said (interpretation of meaning):
"I have come to you with a sign from your Lord: I make for you out of the clay, as it were, the figure of a bird, and breathe into it and it becomes a bird by Allah’s leave. And I heal the blind and the lepers, and I raise the dead by Allah’s leave." (Al Imran 3:49)
Other miracles include speaking soon after birth in defense of his mother's piety. God's other gifts to him included healing the blind and the sick, reviving the dead, and, most importantly, the message he was carrying.
Was Jesus crucified?
These miracles were granted to him by God to establish him as a prophet. According to the Quran, he was not crucified , but it only appeared so; instead, Allah raised him unto Heaven. (An-Nisa 4:157)
Neither Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), nor Jesus (peace be upon him), came to change the basic doctrine of the belief in one God , brought by earlier prophets, but to confirm and renew it.
In the Quran Jesus (peace be upon him), is reported as saying that he came: "To attest the law which was before me. And to make lawful to you part of what was forbidden you; I have come to you with a sign from your Lord, so fear God and obey me." (al Imran 3:50)
And Allah knows best. |
Bismilla Arrahman Arraheem
Dear shaikh , Assalamu Alaycom wa Rahmatu Allah Wabaracatu.
In your book "MASA'IL Fi ADA'WA wa ATTARBIA" that was written in the
15th of Ramadan 1412 Hijri in the fourth chapter "Al-iftiqar ila Attaswurat
Al-islamiya" page #36 you answered with fifty 50 titles and in the end of the page
you mentioned that you have the intention to prepare a reference for every subject
from the fifty subjects or titles that you mentioned earlier .PLEASE if you have
written them please let me know how can I get them? because after reading these
points I do believe that they are a must for every Invitor "DA'EE" to ALLAH and
very important for any one wants to serve and work for ISLAM . When I was
reading the titles and the thoughts you have written I considered them the practical
instructions and guide lines which I really need as an invitor " Da'ee to Allah" as
well as other brothers who are in the field of da'wa and establishing the Deen of
Allah .
Again please let me know where can I get the books that you wrote under the titles
mentioned above ?
Jazak Allahu Khaiyra Wassalamu Alaycum wa Rahmatu ALLAH wa Baracatu | Praise be to Allah.I mentioned some of the topics you referred to in a book entitled "ad-Dalil ila Maraji
al-Mawduat al-Islamiyyah" which also included references for such topics. The said book
comes in 3 volumes of which only Volume 1 has been issued. Volumes 2 and 3 are being
printed and will soon be made available by Dar al-Watan for Publishing, Riyadh. Other topics
have been included in recorded lectures, teaching sessions and Islamic topics. Other topics
need to be discussed and included.
I ask Allah to help us all serve His religion and the call to His way. |
My understanding is that planning for
having kids is OK in Islam, but limiting it is not. I have four kids, wal Hamdu li Llah,
and I am in my 36th year and about to turn 37. Actually I love kids, and I feel guilty
having my IUD, a means to avoid pregnancy, for my 5th year now. My husband is a good
Muslim, wal Hamdu li Llah, but he does not like me to have more kids. Finally, I decided,
and told him about it, next month, in-sha-Allah, I plan to remove that device from my
body. For you information this device is causing problems in my menstrual timing (monthly
period), and also causes infection.
Thanks, and baraka Allahu feekom. | Praise be to Allah.The answer to your question is found in the following three
points:
Giving birth is the right of both husband and wife, and
neither one of them has the right to deprive the other from doing so.
It is prohibited to take any measure which would
permanently prevent pregnancy, or cause infertility. It is permissible, however, to use
temporary birth control methods to delay pregnancy, as in the case of delaying pregnancy
for the two years of breast feeding the first child.
It is prohibited to use any birth control method which
would harm the body, as the Prophet said: "Do not (impose)
harm, nor (inflect) harm". He also said: "And your body has a right
upon you". |
Al salam alaikom
I would kindly like an answer on the question of eating veal. Is it haram or
halal? I know the forbidden like carrion, blood, and suffering animals but I
am not sure about veal. Too young? or tortured because they are kept in
cages. Please explain.
Thank you | Praise be to Allah.As long as the slaughtering has been performed according to Islamic conditions, then
there is no problem with eating veal. The calf being too young or being confined in a
cage does not make it haraam to slaughter and eat. |
Regaurding the use of the cressent: 1. Is
it sunnah to use the cressent moon as a symbol? (i.e. hadith or Qur'an?) 2. secondarlly
so, on the top of the Masjid in Bloomington IN ( and many MANY others around the world)
they use this symbol, BUT I heard from a brother that it was originally a pagan symbol
(worship of the moon etc) --- if so should we not all remove this? I am a bit confused and
have been unable to find fatwa or hadith. thank you - wa alekium salaam. | Praise be to Allah.After consulting with scholars and muftis, we have learned that there
is no known basis in Islam for putting a crescent on top of the minaret. Some scholars
forbid doing so and consider it to be something that is newly-innovated in the religion.
The practice may also contain some element of imitating the kuffaar, especially if it is
proven that the crescent is a symbol used by those who worship heavenly bodies. So we
should not use this symbol, and the mosques money should not be spent on something
that serves no Islamic purpose. And Allaah knows best. |
Although I am of Christianity, I am using your page as a resource in a paper
that I am doing.
May Lord Jesus forgive you in your sins. | Praise be to Allah.Al-hamdu lillaah.
You are still in your twenties and you still have enough time to explore and think as
well as ponder. Your entering Islam is not a hopeless matter. As you may or may not
know, some of the biggest enemies of Islam, even priests, such as Uday bin Hatem and
al-Najashi as well as others were non-Muslims and rejecters of faith and then Allaah
guided them to Islam.
In any case, welcome to our page as a user. If you have any real questions, you are
welcome to ask at any time. |
Is contraception allowed ? | Praise be to Allah.Al-hamdu lillaah.
Contraception is permitted under the following conditions:
Mutual agreement of both husband and wife.
It does not cause harm.
It is not be practiced on a permanent basis, but rather for a temporary period (such
as two years until the breastfeeding of the current baby is completed, for example). |
What is the Islamic View in having a divider in the Masjid between the men
and the women sections? | Praise be to Allah.Al-hamdu lillaah.
There is no problem with having a divider as long as the women are standing behind
the men and as long as the women can follow the imam easily. |
Assalamu alikum
My question concerns bills related to telephone or university tuition. If you
delay the payment of the telephone bill they add an extra amount by a certain
percentage of the bill and if you further delay by another month an extra
amount is added to the previous total using the same percentage on the whole
amount.
Are these extra amounts riba or if it is not riba is it still haram to pay this extra
amount?
Jazakallah kheir | Praise be to Allah.Al-hamdu lillaah.
Yes, this extra amount is undoubtedly considered ribaa, as the longer period for
payment they allow you the more they increase the amount for you to pay. You need to
refuse this kind of transaction. If you are forced, then pay the original sum without the
extra amount. If you are forced to pay the extra amount, then pay it while offering
repentance to Allaah and committing not to deal in such transactions again. |
I am a believer and I am in love with a believer. We are both women and have
already had children who we are taking good care of, but their fathers have
deserted us . We both want to live as good muslims, but we love each other so
much . We have been told culturally that our love is an abomination, however we
cannot find anything in the Qur'an which condemns us or our actions. We are
hurting no one. We are employed. We are educating our children and nurturing
our families. We know the passage in the Qur'an about Soddem and Gommorah,
but that appears to deal with the rape of men by men. It does not speak to
monogamous love between two women. We love Allah and want to do his will.
We need more information about our situation. | Praise be to Allah.Just as illicit sexual relations can occur between men, they can also occur between women. The
Muslim fuqahaa call this sihaaq (lesbianism), which they define as sexual relations between one
woman and another (al-Mufassal fi Ahkaam al-Marah by Zaydaan, 5/450), and state that it is a
punishable offence (the punishment is a form of discipline for disobedience; no specific
punishment is given in the Quraan, so the punishment is to be set by the Qaadi according to
the circumstances of the crime and the one who commits it). The lesbians testimony is
unacceptable because she is a evildoer (al-Mawsooah al-Fiqhiyyah, 24/253).
Ibn Qudaamah, may Allaah have mercy on him, said: "If two women masturbate one another,
then they are cursed fornicators" (al-Mughni 10/162). Some of the scholars, like al-Izz ibn Abd
al-Salaam say that a lesbian is not permitted to look at a Muslim woman, and that a Muslim
woman is not permitted to uncover (take off her hijaab) in front of a lesbian, because she is an
evildoer who cannot be trusted not to describe her to others.
If what is described above is the nature of the relationship between the two women mentioned
in the question, then they must repent sincerely to Allaah and stop their evil actions. If their
being together in one place will lead to them committing this sin, then they must never meet, so
as to avoid this wrongful act. Their husbands desertion of them may be one of the reasons for
them falling into this kind of perversion, because they have no legitimate way in which to fulfil
their desires and so they have resorted to this haraam way. So they must think seriously of
finding Muslim husbands with whom they can live in the way prescribed by Islaam.
As for love, this is a different kind of sin, which need not necessarily be associated with
physical desire. It is dangerous because it leads to the lover worshipping the beloved, so that
he thinks only of the one he loves, cannot bear to be parted from him by day and dreams about
him at night; he lives and dies for his sake, and may change when he sees him and become sick
when he is absent. This kind of relationship destroys a persons mental health and destroys his
relationship with his Lord, because it makes the lover worship his beloved and it is haraam to
worship anything other than Allaah.
The solution to this disastrous situation is total separation, so that one will never see that
person, or hear news of him again. |
Can A Muslim attend a finish where there is Alcohol Being Served Rfo: I am in the army and there is an Army Ball and I told my supervisor I could not go because of the Music and alcohol , He said just do not drink and go. Well, I want some Daleel on the subject | Praise be to Allah.Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): " And if Shaytaan causes you to forget, then after the remembrance sit not in the company of those people who are the zaalimoon (polytheists and wrong-doers, etc.)." [al-An'aam 6:68]
Jaabir (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Whoever believes in Allah and the last day, should not sit at a table where wine is being served." (Reported by al-Tirmidhi, no. 2801; classed as saheeh in Saheeh al-Jaami', 6506).
Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri said: "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: 'Allah will ask His slave on the Day of Resurrection until He says: What prevented you, when you saw something evil, from denouncing it?'" According to another report: "One of you will be asked on the Day of Resurrection until he is asked: What prevented you from denouncing evil when you saw it?" (Reported by Imaam Ahmad and Ibn Maajah, 4017; see also Saheeh al-Jaami', 1818).
I think that now, my brother, you will know the ruling concerning going to parties where there is wine and other evils. When the believer sits in such gatherings it is as if his heart dies from merely seeing what is going on and saying anything about it, even if he himself does not partake of it. |
Can a muslim one man and one woman perform
janaat together? | Praise be to Allah.Yes, it is permissible for one man to pray jamaa'ah (in
congregation) with one woman (say his wife). She would
stand behind him. (Note from the translator: It should be
understood that this would not substitute the man praying
jamaa'ah in the mosque whenever applicable.)
wallaahu a'lam. |
Is it permissible to use medicine that contains as one of its ingredients alcohol? Is
it permissible to use if it is being applied to the skin only? | Praise be to Allah.
If the medicine containing alcohol is essentially an intoxicant, such that drinking a large amount
of it would make one drunk, then it is haraam to take it or to give it, because the Prophet
SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whatever makes one drunk in large
amounts, a little of it is haraam" (Reported by the four muhadditheen and others; see also Saheeh al-Jaami’,
no. 5530). If it is not an intoxicant, then it is permitted to give it and to apply it to the skin, etc.
And Allaah knows best. |
Why do we have to follow the sunnah of the prophet Muhammad and not just follow the quraan ?
Why do we have to follow a specific Mathab? | Praise be to Allah.The first question may appear strange and somewhat surprising to committed, practising Muslims. How can something which is so obviously one of the bases of Islaam become a matter for discussion and debate? But since the question has been asked, we will present, with the help of Allaah, the principles and bases of the importance of the Sunnah, the obligation to follow it and the ruling concerning those who reject it. By so doing, we will also refute the doubters and the misguided group who call themselves “Qur’aaniyyeen” (the Qur’aan has nothing to do with them!) In sha Allaah this discussion will be of benefit to everyone who wants to understand the truth of the matter.
Proof of the importance of the Sunnah
(1) The Qur’aan speaks of the importance of the Sunnah, for example:
(a) Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “He who obeys the Messenger has indeed obeyed Allaah . . .” [al-Nisaa’ 4:80] Allaah described obedience to the Prophet (peace be upon him) as being a part of obedience to Him. Then He made a connection between obedience to Him and obedience to the Prophet (peace be upon him): “O you who believe! Obey Allaah and obey the Messenger . . .” [al-Nisaa’ 4:59]
(b) Allaah warns us not to go against the Prophet (peace be upon him), and states that whoever disobeys him will be doomed to eternal Hell. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “. . . And let those who oppose the Messenger’s commandment beware, lest some fitnah (trial, affliction, etc.) befall them or a painful torment be inflicted on them.” [al-Nur 24:63]
(c) Allaah has made obedience to His Prophet a religious duty; resisting or opposing it is a sign of hypocrisy: “”But no, by your Lord, they can have no Faith, until they make you [Muhammad] judge in all disputes between them, and find in themselves no resistance against your decisions, and accept (them) with full submission.” [al-Nisaa’ 4:65]
(d) Allaah commands His slaves to respond to Him and His Messenger: “O you who believe! Answer Allaah (by obeying Him) and (His) Messenger when he calls you to that which will give you life . . .” [al-Anfaal 8:24]
(e) Allaah also commands His slaves to refer all disputes to him: “. . . (And) if you differ in anything amongst yourselves, refer it to Allaah and His Messenger . . .” [al-Nisaa’ 4:59]
(2) The Sunnah itself indicates the importance of the Sunnah. For example:
(a) Al-Tirmidhi reported from Abu Raafi’ and others that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “I do not want to see any one of you reclining on his couch and, when he hears of my instructions or prohibitions, saying ‘I don’t accept it; we didn’t find any such thing in the Book of Allaah.’” Abu ‘Eesaa said: This is a saheeh hasan hadeeth. (See Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Shaakir edition, no. 2663).
Al-’Irbaad ibn Saariyah, may Allaah be pleased with him, reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Would any of you think, reclining on his couch, that Allaah would only describe what is forbidden in the Qur’aan? I tell you, by Allaah, that I have warned and commanded and prohibited things that are as important as what is in the Qur’aan, if not more so.” (Reported by Abu Dawud, Kitaab al-Khiraj wa’l-imaarah wa’l-fay’).
(b) Abu Dawud also reported from al-’Irbaad ibn Saariyah, may Allaah be pleased with him, that “the Messenger of Allaah (peace be upon him) led us in prayer one day, then he turned to us and exhorted us strongly . . . (he said), ‘Pay attention to my sunnah (way) and the way of the Rightly-guided Khaleefahs after me, adhere to it and hold fast to it.’” (Saheeh Abi Dawud, Kitaab al-Sunnah).
(3) The scholars’ consensus (ijmaa’) affirming the importance of the Sunnah.
Al-Shaafi’i, may Allaah have mercy on him, said: “I do not know of anyone among the Sahaabah and Taabi’een who narrated a report from the Messenger of Allaah (peace be upon him) without accepting it, adhering to it and affirming that this was sunnah. Those who came after the Taabi’een, and those whom we met did likewise: they all accepted the reports and took them to be sunnah, praising those who followed them and criticizing those who went against them. Whoever deviated from this path would be regarded by us as having deviated from the way of the Companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and the scholars who followed them, and would be considered as one of the ignorant.
(4) Common sense indicates the importance of the Sunnah.
The fact that the Prophet (peace be upon him) is the Messenger of Allaah indicates that we must believe everything he said and obey every command he gave. It goes without saying that he has told us things and given instructions in addition to what is in the Qur’aan. It is futile to make a distinction between the Sunnah and the Qur’aan when it comes to adhering to it and responding to it. It is obligatory to believe in what he has told us, and to obey his instructions.
The ruling concerning those who deny the importance of the Sunnah is that they are kaafirs, because they deny and reject a well-known and undeniable part of the religion.
As regards your second question, about whether a Muslim is required to follow a particular madhhab, the answer is that he does not have to. For the average “rank and file” Muslim, his madhhab is that of his mufti or the scholar whom he consults for religious verdicts; he must ask those pious scholars whom he trusts for opinions when necessary. If a person has enough knowledge to distinguish which evidence and opinion is stronger, then he must follow the scholarly opinion which has the strongest support from the Qur’an and Sunnah. It is acceptable for a Muslim to follow one of the four well-known madhhabs, on the condition that he understands that the truth in any given issue may lie with another madhhab, in which case he must ignore his own madhhab’s opinion and follow the truth. The Muslim’s aim is to follow the truth that is in accordance with the Qur’an and Sunnah. The madhhabs of fiqh are only a means of reaching ahkaam (rules) based on the Qur’aan and Sunnah, they are not Qur’aan and Sunnah.
We ask Allaah to show us the truth and help us to follow it, and to show us falsehood and help us to avoid it. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad. |
Are there any books on psychology which you would recommend? | Praise be to Allah.If you are asking about the names of books on the field of Islamic psychology, the answer is that unfortunately there are still very few modern books in this field. There is a need for people who have studied the Qur’aan and Sunnah, and who have an insight into and practical experience of human psychology, as well as knowledge of the experience and writings of non-Muslims in this field, to write about this subject properly and produce useful work in this field. In any case, there are a few modern books in this field, which include the following:
‘Ilm al-Nafs al-Da’wi (The Psychology of Da’wah) by ‘Abd al-‘Azeez Muhammad al-Naghmeeshi
Madkhil ila al-Tarbiyah al-Islamiyah (Introduction to Islamic Education) by ‘Abd al-Rahmaan al-Yaami
Usas al-Sihhah al-Nafsiyyah li’l-Tifl al-Muslim (Principles of Psychological Health of the Muslim Child) by Maalik Badri
Al-Tafakkur min al-Mushaahadah ila’l-Shuhood: Diraasat Nafsiyah Islamiyah (From Seeing to Bearing Witness: A Study in Islamic Psychology) by Maalik Badri
‘Ilm al-Nafs al-Ta’leemi (Educational Psychology) by Muhammad Khaleefah Barakaat
Araa’ Ibn al-Qayyim al-Tarbawiyah (The Educational Thought of Ibn al-Qayyim) by Hasan ‘Ali Hasan al-Hijaaji
Diraasaat fi’l-Nafs al-Insaaniyah (Studies in Human Psychology) by Muhammad Qutb
Manhaj al-Tarbiyah al-Islamiyah (Methodology of Islamic Education) (2 vols.) by Muhammad Qutb
‘Ilm al-Nafs fi Hayaatinaa al-Yawmiyah (Everyday Psychology) by Muhammad ‘Uthmaan Najaati
‘Ilm al-Nafs al-Takweeni (Formative Psychology) by ‘Abd al-Hameed Muhammad al-Haashimi
Al-Muraahiqoon (Teenagers) by ‘Abd al-‘Azeez Muhammad al-Naghmeeshi
Usool ‘Ilm al-Nafs al-‘Aam (Principles of General Psychology) by ‘Abd al-Hameed Muhammad al-Haashimi
The first reference given will give you more details about these references, in sha Allaah.
We ask Allaah to give you help and strength. |
Why does the Quran use the term "We" when referring to Allah in its verses? Many non-believers believe that this may be in reference to Jesus? | Praise be to Allah.It is a feature of literary style in Arabic that a person may refer to himself by the pronoun nahnu, ‘We’, for respect or glorification. He may also use the word ana, ‘I’, indicating one person, or the third person huwa, ‘He’ . All three styles are used in the Quran , where Allah addresses the Arabs in their own tongue. (Fatawa al-Lajnah al-Daimah, 4/143)
“Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, sometimes refers to Himself in the singular, by name or by use of a pronoun, and sometimes by use of the plural, as in the phrase (interpretation of the meaning): ‘Verily, We have given you a manifest victory” [Al-Fath 48:1], and other similar phrases. But Allah never refers to Himself by use of the dual, because the plural refers to the respect that He deserves, and may refer to His names and attributes, whereas the dual refers to a specific number (and nothing else), and He is far above that.” (Al-‘Aqidah al-Tadmuriyyah by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, p. 75)
These words, inna (“Verily We”) and nahnu (“We”), and other forms of the plural, may be used by one person speaking on behalf of a group, or they may be used by one person for purposes of respect or glorification, as is done by some monarchs when they issue statements or decrees in which they say “We have decided…” etc. [This is known in English as “The Royal We” – Translator].
In such cases, only one person is speaking but the plural is used for respect. The One Who is more deserving of respect than any other is Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, so when He says in the Quran inna (“Verily We”) and nahnu (“We”), it is for respect and glorification, not to indicate plurality of numbers. If a verse of this type is causing confusion, it is essential to refer to the clear, unambiguous verses for clarification.
If a Christian, for example, insists on taking verses such as “Verily, We: it is We Who have sent down the Dhikr (i.e., the Quran)” [al-Hijr 15:9 – interpretation of the meaning] as proof of divine plurality, we may refute this claim by quoting such clear and unambiguous verses as (interpretation of the meanings): “And your god is One God, there is none who has the right to be worshipped but He, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful” [al-Baqarah 2:163] and “Say: He is Allah, the One” [al-Ikhlas 112:1] – and other verses which can only be interpreted in one way.
Thus confusion will be dispelled for the one who is seeking the truth. Every time Allah uses the plural to refer to Himself, it is based on the respect and honour that He deserves, and on the great number of His names and attributes, and on the great number of His troops and angels.” (See Al-‘Aqidah al-Tadmuriyyah by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, p. 109)
And Allah knows best. |
As salaamualaikum wa rahmatullilahi wabarkaatahu Sheikh:
I work in a different city than where my family is. My work is 250 kilometers
from my family (parents, and brothers). I work from Monday to Friday and
return to my family for Saturday and Sunday. I have an apartment where I
work. My question is can I shorten my salaat in my working city or are both
cities considered to be my home?
Jazakallahu khariran
wa salaamualaikum | Praise be to Allah.Your home town, the one where your family
lives, is your home. The town which you intend to stay in for more than four
days is also considered a place of residence, according to the opinion of the
majority of scholars. Therefore you are not allowed to enjoy the concessions
of the traveler (i.e. shortening and combining the prayers) in either place.
However, you can shorten and combine prayers while traveling in between the
two places.
Refer to questions under Salaat
Ul-Musaafir (Prayer of the Traveler). |
I am a firm believer in the Quran and Allah. Thank Allah my faith and trust in Him grows each day. My concern is this: the Quran mentions over and over the blessings of Heaven. It repeatedly mentions beautiful, pure maidens as a bounty of Heaven. People often say Islam is a male dominance religion.
Why is there no mention of rewards for women? | Praise be to Allah.All address to men in the Quran is address to women
Since you believe in Allah and His Book, you must know that {and not one will thy Lord treat with injustice}, Verse 49, Surat al-Kahf, or the Cave, and {Allah is never unjust in the least degree: if there is any good (done), He doubles it, and gives from His Own Self a great reward}, Verse 40, Surat an-Nisa, or the Women. (Translation of the meanings)
Allah has meant this Law of Islam (Shari'ah) for both men and women. All address to men in the Quran is address to women as well, and all rules affecting men affect women as well unless evidence is established that one of them is meant and not the other as in the rules relating to Jihad (fighting for Islam), menstruation, custodianship, rule etc.
The evidence that women are included in Verses of the Quran in the male gender is a Hadith by ‘Aishah who said that the Prophet (may peace and blessings be upon him) was asked about a man who sees traces of semen but does not remember having any dream of a sexual nature. The Prophet (may peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Such a man should perform the Ghusl (ritual bath).”
He was also asked of a man who remembers a dream of a sexual nature but sees no traces of semen. He said: "Such a man does not have to perform the Ghusl (ritual bath). Umm Salim said "A woman may have the same experience. Does she have to perform the Ghusl (ritual bath)?" The Prophet (may peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Yes, there is no difference in this between man and woman." (Narrated by Abu Dawud, at-Tirmidhi 113 and others. The last phrase is in Sahih al-Jami’ under No. 2333)
What will women get in Jannah?
With respect to rewards in the Hereafter and what women have in Heaven , we include a number of Verses and Hadiths as follows:
Umm Salamah said: "O Messenger of Allah. I did not hear a Verse in the Quran regarding the Hijrah (migration with the Prophet) of women." Then was revealed the Verse: {And their Lord has accepted of them, and answered them: Never will I suffer to be lost the work of any of you, be he male or female: ye are members, one of another: those who have left their homes, and were driven out therefrom, and suffered harm in My cause, and fought and were slain, verily I will blot out from them their inequities, and admit them into gardens with rivers flowing beneath; ... A reward from Allah, and from Allah is the best of rewards.}, Verse 195, Surat al-Imran, or the Family (translation of the meaning). The Hadith was narrated by at-Tirmidhi under No. 3023.
Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) said the Verse {fastajaba lahum rabbuhum} means Allah replied to their queries ... and the Verse {anni la udi’u ‘amala ‘amilin minkum min thakarin aw untha} is an explanation of the reply meaning that good deeds will not be lost or ignored. All men and women will have the just reward for their deeds. The Verse {ba’dukum min ba’d} means you will be treated equally with respect to rewards .
{If any do deeds of righteousness, be they male or female, and have faith, they will enter Heaven, and not the least injustice will be done to them.}, Verse 124, Surat an-Nisa, or the Women (translation of the meaning).
In explanation of this Verse, Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) said the Verse shows Allah’s kindness, generosity and mercy in accepting the good deeds of all people, men and women, provided that they believe, in allowing them into Heaven and in not decreasing rewards for their good deeds, not even in the least.
{Whoever works righteousness, man or woman, and has faith, verily, to him will we give a life that is good and pure, and we will bestow on such their reward according to the best of actions.}, Verse 97, Surat an-Nahl, or the Bees (translation of the meaning).
Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) said this is a promise by Allah, the Exalted, to those who do good deeds i.e. deeds acceptable to Allah in which a Muslim follows the rules set in the Book of Allah, the Exalted, and the Sunnah of His Prophet (may peace and blessings be upon him), be they men or women, if they believe in Allah and His Messenger (may peace and blessings be upon him), that He will make them live a good life in this world and will be rewarded in the Hereafter. A good life would include all types of comfort.
{He that makes evil will not be requited but by the like thereof; and he that makes a righteous deed whether man or woman and is a believer, such will enter the garden (of bliss): therein will they have abundance without measure.}, Verse 40, Surat al-Muminun, or the believers (translation of the meaning).
Finally; Dear Sister, here is a Hadith that will dispel any doubt you may have with respect to the mentioning of women:
Umm Umarah al-Ansariyyah said that she went to the Prophet (may peace and blessings be upon him) and said to Him: "I feel that everything is for men. Women are not mentioned as having anything. Then was revealed the Verse (translation of the meaning): {For Muslim men and women, for believing men and women etc}, Verse 35, Surat al-Ahzab, or the Confederates. The Hadith is narrated by at-Tirmidhi under No. 3211, and is in Sahih at-Tirmidhi under No. 2565.
In the collection of Hadiths of Imam Ahmad was narrated the Hadith that Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: "I said "O Messenger (may peace and blessings be upon him) of Allah. Why aren’t we mentioned in the Quran in an equal footing with men?" Then; I was surprised to hear Him call one day from the pulpit: "O people." As I was combing my hair at the moment, I wrapped it up and came close to the door and stood there listening to him say: "Allah, Mighty and Sublime be He, revealed that (in meaning) {For Muslim men and women; for believing men and women; for devout men and women, for true men and women; for men and women who are patient and constant; for men and women who humble themselves; for men and women who give in charity; for men and women who fast; for men and women who guard their chastity; and for men and women who engage much in Allah's remembrance, for them has Allah prepared forgiveness and great reward.} Verse 35, Surat al-Ahzab, or the Confederates.
We ask Allah to give us all the ability to show sincerity in words and deeds and to continue as well-established Muslims.
For more, please see these answers: 114050 , 96598 and 96619 .
And Allah knows best. |
What is the ruling concerning the removal of women's body
hair? If it is permitted, who is permitted to do that for her? | Praise be to Allah.
It is permitted for a woman to remove all her body hair, except for her
eyebrows and the hair on her head, which she is not permitted to shave or
remove by other methods. She may remove other hair herself, or her
husband or other mahram may remove it within the limits of what he is
permitted to see, or another woman may do this, within the limits of what
she is permitted to see. |
I am 38 years old man. till the age of 25 I
did'nt prayed. please advice me what I have to do for this? | Praise be to Allah.Remember how Allaah has blessed you by bringing
you back to Islam after you have been neglecting salaah, and keep on doing the
prayers at the right times. Do more naafil (supererogatory or extra) prayers
to make up for the fard (obligatory) prayers that you have missed, as was advised
in the saheeh hadeeth narrated by Hurayth ibn Qubaysah, who said: I came
to Madeenah and prayed, O Allaah, send me a righteous companion.
I went and sat with Abu Hurayrah and said: I asked Allaah to bless me
with a righteous companion; tell me a hadeeth that you heard from the Messenger
of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him), so that I may benefit therefrom. He said: I heard the Messenger
of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) say that the first thing for which a person will be brought to account
on the Day of Resurrection will be his prayer. If it is sound, he will be successful,
and if it is lacking in any way, he will be doomed. If his obligatory prayers
are lacking, the Lord will say: Look and see whether My slave has any
voluntary prayers which may be used to make up what is lacking in his obligatory
prayers. Then all his deeds will be examined and dealt with in the same
way. (Reported by al-Tirmidhi, no. 413; see
also Saheeh al-Jaami, 2020).
Abu Dawood reported from Anas ibn Hakeem al-Dabbi that he came to Madeenah and
met Abu Hurayrah. He said: He asked me about my lineage so I told him
about it, then he said: O young man, shall I not tell you a hadeeth?
I said, Of course, may Allaah have mercy on you, and I think he
mentioned it from the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him). He said: The first thing that people will be asked
about on the Day of Resurrection will be their prayers. Our Lord will say to
His angels (although He knows best): Look at My slaves prayers:
are they complete or is something lacking? If they are complete, they
will be recorded as such, but if something is lacking, He will say: Look
and see if My slave has any voluntary prayers to his credit. If this proves
to be the case, He will say: Make up his (missing) obligatory prayers
with his voluntary prayers. Then the rest of his deeds will be dealt with
in the same manner. (Saheeh al-Jaami, 2571) |
Brother I don't know what to do, but I have committed a great sin. I know the concept of confession does not exist in our beautiful religion, but I have committed fornication. I am trying to repent, and trying to ask Allah for his forgiveness. As I was reading Surah Nur, I found out that I can't marry a chaste woman, what should I do? Please pray for me so Allah makes His punishments easy on me in the Hell fire. | Praise be to Allah.Tips on how to repent from zina
1) Do not despair , for Allah, the Most Exalted and Glorified, said (interpretation of the meaning): "Say: Oh my servants who have transgressed against their souls! Despair not of the mercy of Allah, for Allah forgives all sins; for He is oft-forgiving, most merciful." [Az-Zumar 39:53]
2) Let your repentance be truly from your heart, and stay away from all sources of temptations. Also, perform many good deeds, as good deeds abrogate the bad ones.
3) If you repent to Allah, you are no longer described as a fornicator (zani). Therefore, you can marry a chaste woman.
4) The believer has high hope and aspiration for the best from Allah. He not only asks Allah for making his punishment easy in Hellfire, but he also prays to God the Almighty to save him from Hell and award him with Paradise for his repentance and good deeds.
For more, please see these answer: 47971 , 32 , 33 ,
And Allah knows best. |
what is Id al-Adha, The festival
of sacrafice. my daughter is doing a homework assignment
I need as much info or where else to look as soon as possible? | Praise be to Allah.Eid al-Adhaa is the tenth day of Dhoo’l-Hijjah, the last
(twelfth) month of the Hijri or Islamic calendar. It is, as the Prophet
(peace be
upon him) said: “The greatest day in the sight of Allaah, may He be blessed and
exalted, the Day of Sacrifice . . .” (Reported by Abu Dawud; see also Saheeh
al-Jaami‘, 1064).
It is also the greatest day of Hajj, as the Prophet
(peace be
upon him) told us. (Reported by al-Tirmidhi, see Saheeh al-Jaami‘, 8191).
The reason why it is described as the greatest day of the year is
that it combines so many acts of worship which are not combined on any other day, such as
the Eid prayer, offering the sacrifice, reciting Takbeer (glorifying Allaah), and
widespread remembrance of Allaah. For the pilgrims in Makkah, it also includes offering a
sacrifice, stoning the pillars representing Shaytaan (the devil), shaving the head (for
men only; women merely cut a little off their hair), and performing Tawaaf
(circumambulation of the Ka‘bah) and Sa‘ee (running between the two hills
of Safaa and Marwa). |
I always pray Fajr namaz at 7 in the morning, so do I have to pray sunnath too? or only faraz? | Praise be to Allah.
If you are praying Fajr prayer before the sun rises, then the
Sunnah in your case is to pray the regular Sunnah of Fajr which is two
rak’ahs. If you miss Fajr and do not wake up until after the sun has risen,
then you should pray Sunnah and then Fard (obligatory prayer). But if you
always delay Fajr prayer until after the sun has risen, this is a serious
problem. In this case, before you ask about the Sunnah prayer you have to
pause and ask yourself what you will say when you stand before Allaah on the
Day of Resurrection, and He calls you to account for neglecting Fajr
prayer.
See also question no. 266. |
Assalamu Alaikum
What is the hukm(rule) for repeating Surat al-Fatiha if you do not think you had
enough Khushu(Peace and fear of Allah) in your first recitation.
Jazak Allahu Khiran | Praise be to Allah.
We do not advise you to do this, in case it opens the way for Shaytaan’s whispers. Try to
concentrate (khushoo’) during prayer. One of the best ways to focus during prayer is to
remember death. |
What is the Islamic ruling concerning the removal of women's
facial fair - specifically, the upper lip, if the hair is very visible
or obvious? Is it permissible to remove it, or is does it come
under the category of plucking? What about hair on the legs
and arms? | Praise be to Allah.
There is nothing wrong with a woman removing hair from her upper lip,
thighs, legs and arms. This is not included in the category of plucking
which is forbidden. |
What is the ruling on a person changing his lineage in order to obtain nationality of a country for certain benefits? For example, a man might claim to be the child or brother of an uncle or other relative who holds the desired nationality, so as to obtain that nationality and all the benefits etc. that come with it, even though he has a nationality and proper documents of his own, and has no problems as such; he is only doing this to serve some materialistic interests. What is the ruling on this action? | Praise be to Allah.This action is haraam. It is not permissible for a person to claim to belong to anyone other than his father, because this leads to further lies, and has an impact on matters of inheritance, who is considered to be a mahram, and all other issues that have to do with lineage. Thus the texts issue stern warnings to those who claim to belong to anyone other than their fathers. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: Whoever claims to belong to anyone other than his father on him will be the curse of Allaah and the angels and all the people.
(Reported by Ibn Maajah, 2599; Saheeh al-Jaami, 6104). This action is also a major sin comprised of two major sins, lying in order to consume wealth unlawfully and claiming to belong to someone other than one's father.
This person has to go back to what is true, and give up the nationality he aquired improperly. He should go back to using his proper documents that prove his real lineage. This is obligatory upon him. I am astounded that anyone would do such a thing for worldly gains. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
Whoever wishes for the quick-passing (transitory enjoyment of this world), We readily grant him what We will for whome We like. Then, afterwards, We have appointed for him Hell, he will burn therein disgraced and rejected, (- far away from Allaahs Mercy). [al-Isra 17:18]
The one who does this had to repent to Allaah, and Allaah has forgiven what is past [al-Maaidah 5:95 interpretation of the meaning]. With regard to whatever money he has taken as a result of having that nationality, Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) So whoever receives an admonition from his Lord and stops eating riba [usury] shall not be punished for the past [al-Baqarah 2:275]. This aayah is speaking about the one who consumes riba (interest or usury), so it applies even more in the case of lesser sins. And Allaah knows best. |
We have heard some people saying that it is permissible for a
woman to make wudoo' without removing her nail polish.
What is your opinion? | Praise be to Allah.
If the nail polish forms an impermeable layer that prevents water from
reaching the surface of the nail, her wudoo' is not valid unless she first
removes it. If she wears something like henna that does not create an
impermeable layer, then her wudoo' is valid. |
Some people write aayaat of the
Qur’aan then wash them and drink the water. If anyone objects, they say, “It is
the word of Allaah and we are seeking healing through it.” Is this action
permissible? | Praise be to Allah.This action is permissible, i.e., if a person writes
Qur’aan in a kind of “ink” that it is permissible to drink (e.g., saffron),
then puts what he has written into water and shakes it, then drinks it. Some of the salaf
used to do this, using vessels such as plates and the like. If someone does this, he has a
precedent in the salaf or early generations of Islam. He may also take as evidence the
general meaning of the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):
“And We send down from the Qur’aan that which is a healing
and a mercy to those who believe…” [al-Isra’ 17:82]
If a person seeks healing from the Qur’aan in this manner and
benefits from it (and there is no text to prove that doing so is haraam and no bad results
occur), then it comes under the general meaning of this aayah. |
Can a man/women who is sexually
involved before they are married, atone for their sins by getting married to the same
person? | Praise be to Allah.If both partners repent to Allaah, and the woman is not pregnant,
then they are permitted to marry one another.
See also question #33. |
In the Name of Allah, Asalamu alaikum:
What is the legal ruling of men wearing jewelery that is 18k gold "electroplated"
such as watches, belts, rings, etc.
wa jazakamu Allahu khairan. | Praise be to Allah.
Wearing gold is haraam for men.
‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbaas reported that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) saw a gold ring on a man’s hand. He took it off and threw it aside, saying, "Would
any of you take a burning coal and hold it in his hand?" When the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) had gone away, someone said to the man, "Take
your ring and benefit from it (i.e., sell it)." He said, "No, by Allaah, I will not take it after the
Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) has thrown it away."
(reported by Muslim, no. 2090).
‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr ibn al’Aas reported that the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever of my ummah wears gold and dies wearing it,
Allaah will deny him the gold of Paradise. Whoever of my ummah wears silk and dies wearing
it, Allaah will deny him the silk of Paradise." (Reported by Imaam Ahmad).
This prohibition applies to men only, not to women, as ‘Ali, may Allaah be pleased with him,
reported that the Prophet of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) took a
piece of silk in his right hand and a piece of gold in his left, and said: "These are forbidden for
the males of my ummah." (reported by al-Nisaa’i and Abu Dawud).
The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) also said: "Wearing silk and
gold is permitted for the women of my ummah and prohibited for the males." (Reported by Imaam
Ahmad)
Gold is permitted for women because of their delicate and gentle nature, and their need for
adornment. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): "(Do they then like for Allaah) a
creature who is brought up in adornments (wearing gold and silk ornaments, i.e., women),
and in dispute cannot make herself clear?" [al-Zukhruf 43:18]
As for men, it is a sign of instability and an unmasculine nature to adorn oneself with gold.
Islaam wants the differences between the sexes to be marked clearly, and their distinct
characteristics to stand out, because when they resemble one another, much corruption results
therefrom. The prohibition of gold for men includes pure gold, gold alloys, cut pieces, joined
pieces, gold inlay, etc. As for gold-plating and gilding, some scholars are of the opinion that
such articles are forbidden for men if it is possible to extract gold from them (by peeling or
shaving off, for example); if no gold can be extracted from it, then such items are permitted.
Some scholars say that it is not permitted to wear an item which is wholly or mostly
gold-plated, but if only a little part of it is gold-plated (like the hands of a watch, or the
numerals, or the tiny points denoting numbers), then it is permitted to wear it. They say that the
issue is its appearance, not its value: if the gold-plating is very obvious and covers everything, it
is not permitted, because many people will not make the distinction between gold-plate and real
gold, and some may follow this person’s example and begin to wear pure gold. And Allaah
knows best. |
In The Name Of ALLAH.
(Q)I was married to a Muslim girl, and I divorced her because, I couldn't
intercourse with her,and I'm 100% O.K., and I discovered the reason for
that,which was "SEHER"(MAGIC). We(my father and I)were advised to go to a
"SHIEKH" to solve this problem, and that SHIEKH read some"QUR'AN
VERSES" only,and my ex. wife was totally shaking,and was absolutely obvious
that someone did a "SEHER" to her.
After that, I discovered that my ex. wife's family use the "SEHER" in their life, so
I decided to divorce her because,her family wanted to carry on with "SEHER".
Now I'm asking about any USEFUL INFORMATION to help me to overcome
my problem, because I need to marry again ?
Prompt answer would be appreciated. Thanks, | Praise be to Allah.
What I advise you to do is to put your trust in Allaah and hasten to remarry. Nothing will harm
you so long as you put your trust in Allaah, as He says (interpretation of the meaning): ". . .
And whosoever puts his trust in Allaah, then He will suffice him. . ." [al-Talaaq 65:3]
But this time you should make the effort to check out your future wife and her family very
carefully. Take a lesson from your past experience, for the Prophet SAWS (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "The believer should not stung from the same hole
twice." (Reported by al-Bukhaari, Fath, no. 6133).
Something that may help you not to worry is the fact that it appears from your question that the
fault lay with your ex-wife, and not with you. So you must strive to recite the verses of the
Quraan which offer protection (muawwidhaat i.e., Surat al-Falaq and Surat al-Naas)
immediately after each prayer and before sleeping, blow into your hands when you recite them,
and wipe your face and body with your hands.
May Allaah protect you and us from all evil. |
What is the surah in the quran which is considered the heaert of the Quran? | Praise be to Allah.There is a hadeeth which suggests that Soorah Yaa-Seen is the heart of the Qur’aan, but this is a weak hadeeth
(see Silsilat al-Ahaadeeth al-Da’eefah wa’l-Mawdoo’ah by al-Albaani, hadeeth no. 169). There is no doubt that Soorah Yaa-Seen is a great and important soorah which contains moving stories and eloquent lessons, but there is no proof that it was described as the heart of the Qur’aan.
The fact that you are asking such a question at the age of only thirteen is something which deserves praise and encouragement. May Allaah help and guide you. |
Non-muslim dies, and I know him/her. As far as I know this person beleived and accepted Islam, but died before they could convert. What does Islam say about such a person, is he/she forgiven by Allah or still considered as one of the "kaffar"? | Praise be to Allah.If a person does not pronounce the Shahaadatayn and enter Islaam, we cannot say that he is a Muslim, even if he admired Islaam and recognized that it the best religion, a great religion, and so on. Abu Taalib, the uncle of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) died a kaafir, and Allaah forbade His Prophet to pray for forgiveness for him, even though he used to defend the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said in his poems:
"I do know that the religion of Muhammad is better than all other religions of mankind;
were it not for fear of blame or slander, you would find me accepting it completely."
If a person accepts Islaam out of conviction, and begins to practise it, then he is a Muslim, even if he does not register his Islaam officially, or go to a court or Islaamic centre to obtain documentation, or announce it to others. If such a person dies, then we hope for Paradise for him and pray for mercy for him.
And Allaah is the One Who sees all that His slaves do. |
I am iving in the same house with my sister, but we end up arguing and fighting all
the time. We are a close knit family, and I can not move out. I have tried talking
and reasoning with her, but with no avail.
How do I handle a situation like this? | Praise be to Allah.
There is no mention in the question of the reason for the differences between you but, in any
case, you should avoid contact with each other as much as possible, and both of you should
occupy yourselves with useful things like worship, study of Islaam, etc. There are many
brothers and sisters who have experienced similar problems, and when they have distanced
themselves from one another, a spirit of love and friendship has returned. You both need to
equip yourselves with patience, calmness and tolerance of one another’s mistakes, until Allaah
brings about the marriag of either or both of you. It is the nature of life that you will part one
day, so let it be on good terms. We ask Allaah to guide you both, to reconcile you and to put
friendship and love in your hearts. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad
. |
I have a bad temper, if I get mad or upset, I move away from the situation, when I was standing I would sit down, when I was sitting I would lie down, and I have recited the "darud" and "laholawallah kuwatta", but to no avail.
How does one control their temper then? | Praise be to Allah.How to control anger
Anger is one of the evil whispers of Shaytan, which leads to so many evils and tragedies, of which only Allah knows their full extent. For this reason Islam has a great deal to say about this bad characteristic, and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) described cures for this "disease" and ways to limit its effects, among which are the following:
Seeking refuge with Allah from the Shaytan
Sulayman ibn Sard said: "I was sitting with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and two men were slandering one another. One of them was red in the face, and the veins on his neck were standing out. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, ‘I know a word which, if he were to say it, what he feels would go away. If he said "I seek refuge with Allah from the Shaytan," what he feels (i.e., his anger) would go away.’" (Reported by al-Bukhari, al-Fath, 6/337)
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "If a man gets angry and says, ‘I seek refuge with Allah ,’ his anger will go away." (Sahih al-Jami’ al-Saghir, no. 695)
Keeping silent
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "If any of you becomes angry, let him keep silent." (Reported by Imam Ahmad, al-Musnad, 1/329; see also Sahih al-Jami’, 693, 4027)
This is because, in most cases, the angry person loses self-control and could utter words of kufr/disbelief (from which we seek refuge with Allah), or curses, or the word of divorce (talaq) which would destroy his home, or words of slander which would bring him the enmity and hatred of others. So, in short, keeping silent is the solution which helps one to avoid all that.
Not moving
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "If any of you becomes angry and he is standing, let him sit down, so his anger will go away; if it does not go away, let him lie down."
The narrator of this hadith is Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him), and there is a story connected to his telling of it: he was taking his camels to drink at a trough that he owned, when some other people came along and said (to one another), "Who can compete with Abu Dharr (in bringing animals to drink) and make his hair stand on end?" A man said, "I can," so he brought his animals and competed with Abu Dharr, with the result that the trough was broken. [i.e., Abu Dharr was expecting help in watering his camels, but instead the man misbehaved and caused the trough to be broken]. Abu Dharr was standing, so he sat down, then he laid down. Someone asked him, "O Abu Dharr, why did you sit down then lie down?" He said: "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: . . ." and quoted the hadith. (The hadith and this story may be found in Musnad Ahmad, 5/152; see also Sahih al-Jami’, no. 694).
According to another report, Abu Dharr was watering his animals at the trough, when another man made him angry, so he sat down . . . (Fayd al-Qadir, al-Manawi, 1/408)
Among the benefits of this advice given by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is the fact that it prevents the angry person from going out of control, because he could strike out and injure someone, or even kill - as we will find out shortly - or he could destroy possessions and so on. Sitting down makes it less likely that one will become overexcited. Lying down makes it even less likely that he will do something crazy or harmful.
Al-’Allamah al-Khattabi, may Allah have mercy on him, said in his commentary on Abu Dawud:
"One who is standing is in a position to strike and destroy, while the one who is sitting is less likely to do that, and the one who is lying down can do neither. It is possible that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) told the angry person to sit down or lie down so that he would not do something that he would later regret. And Allah knows best." (Sunan Abi Dawud, with Ma'alim al-Sunan, 5/141)
Following the advice of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that a man said to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), "Advise me." He said, "Do not become angry." The man repeated his request several times, and each time the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) told him, "Do not become angry." (Reported by al-Bukhari, Fath al-Bari, 10/456)
According to another report, the man said: "I thought about what the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, and I realized that anger combines all kinds of evil." (Musnad Ahmad, 5/373)
Do not become angry and Paradise will be yours
This is an authentic hadith. (See Sahih al-Jami’, 7374. Ibn Hijr attributed it to al-Tabarani, see al-Fath 4/465)
Remembering what Allah has promised to the righteous (muttaqin) who keep away from the causes of anger and struggle within themselves to control it, is one of the most effective ways of extinguishing the flames of anger. One of the hadiths that describe the great reward for doing this is: "Whoever controls his anger at the time when he has the means to act upon it, Allah will fill his heart with contentment on the Day of Resurrection." (Reported by al-Tabarani, 12/453, see also Sahih al-Jami’, 6518).
Another great reward is described in the Prophet’s words: "Whoever controls his anger at the time when he has the means to act upon it, Allah will call him before all of mankind on the Day of Resurrection, and will let him choose of the Hur al-’Iyn whoever he wants." (Reported by Abu Dawud, 4777, and others. It is classified as hasan (sound) in Sahih al-Jami’, 6518)
Knowing the high status and advantages offered to those who control themselves
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "The strong man is not the one who can overpower others (in wrestling); rather, the strong man is the one who controls himself when he gets angry." (Reported by Ahmad, 2/236; the hadith is agreed upon).
The greater the anger, the higher the status of the one who controls himself. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "The strongest man is the one who, when he gets angry and his face reddens and his hackles rise, is able to defeat his anger." (Reported by Imam Ahmad, 5/367, and classified as hasan in Sahih al-Jami’, 3859)
Anas reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) passed by some people who were wrestling. He asked, "What is this?" They said: "So-and-So is the strongest, he can beat anybody." The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, "Shall I not tell you who is even stronger than him? The man who, when he is mistreated by another, controls his anger, has defeated his own shaytan and the shaytan of the one who made him angry." (Reported by al-Bazzar, and Ibn Hijr said its isnad is sahih. Al-Fath, 10/519)
Following the Prophet’s example in the case of anger
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is our leader and has set the highest example in this matter, as is recorded in a number of hadiths. One of the most famous was reported by Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, who said: "I was walking with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and he was wearing a Najrani cloak with a rough collar. A Bedouin came and seized him roughly by the edge of his cloak, and I saw the marks left on his neck by the collar. Then the Bedouin ordered him to give him some of the wealth of Allah that he had. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) turned to him and smiled, then ordered that he should be given something." (Agreed upon. Fath al-Bari, 10/375)
Another way in which we can follow the example of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is by making our anger for the sake of Allah, when His rights are violated. This is the kind of anger which is praiseworthy. So the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) became angry when he was told about the imam who was putting people off the prayer by making it too long; when he saw a curtain with pictures of animate creatures in ‘Aishah’s house; when Usamah spoke to him about the Makhzumi woman who had been convicted of theft, and he said "Do you seek to intervene concerning one of the punishments prescribed by Allah?"; when he was asked questions that he disliked, and so on. His anger was purely for the sake of Allah.
Knowing that resisting anger is one of the signs of righteousness
The righteous (al-muttaqun) are those praised by Allah in the Quran and by His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). Paradise as wide as heaven and earth has been prepared for them. One of their characteristics is that they (interpretation of the meaning) "spend (in Allah’s Cause) in prosperity and in adversity, [they] repress anger, and [they] pardon men; verily, Allah loves al-muhsinun (the good-doers)." [Al ‘Imran 3:134]
These are the ones whose good character and beautiful attributes and deeds Allah has mentioned, and whom people admire and want to emulate. One of their characteristics is that (interpretation of the meaning) ". . . when they are angry, they forgive." [al-Shura 42:37]
Listening to reminders
Anger is a part of human nature, and people vary in their anger. It may be difficult for a man not to get angry, but sincere people will remember Allah when they are reminded, and they will not overstep the mark. Some examples follow:
Ibn `Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that a man sought permission to speak to ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him), then he said: "O son of al-Khattab, you are not giving us much and you are not judging fairly between us." ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was so angry that he was about to attack the man, but al-Hurr ibn Qays, who was one of those present, said: "O Amir al-Mu’minin, Allah said to His Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) (interpretation of the meaning): ‘Show forgiveness, enjoin what is good, and turn away from the foolish’ [al-A’raf 7:199]. This man is one of the foolish." By Allah, ‘Umar could go no further after al-Hurr had recited this ayah to him, and he was a man who was careful to adhere to the Book of Allah. (Reported by al-Bukhari, al-Fath, 4/304)
This is how the Muslim should be. The evil hypocrite was not like this when he was told the hadith of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and one of the Companions said to him, "Seek refuge with Allah from the Shaytan." He said to the one who reminded him, "Do you think I am crazy? Go away!" (Reported by al-Bukhari, al-Fath, 1/465). We seek refuge with Allah from failure.
Knowing the bad effects of anger
The negative effects of anger are many; in short they cause damage to one’s own self and to others. The angry person may utter words of slander and obscenity, he may attack others (physically) in an uncontrolled manner, even to the point of killing. The following story contains a valuable lesson:
`Alqamah ibn Wail reported that his father (may Allah be pleased with him) told him: "I was sitting with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) when a man came to him leading another man by a rope. He said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, this man killed my brother.’ The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) asked him, ‘Did you kill him?’ He said, ‘Yes, I killed him.’ He asked, ‘How did you kill him?’ He said, ‘He and I were hitting a tree to make the leaves fall, for animal feed, and he slandered me, so I struck him on the side of the head with an axe, and killed him.’ . . ." (Reported by Muslim, 1307, edited by al-Baqi)
Anger could lead to less than killing, such as wounding and breaking bones. If the one who caused the anger runs away, the angry person turns his anger on himself, so he may tear his clothes, or strike his cheeks, or have a fit, or fall unconscious, or he may break dishes and plates, or break furniture.
In the worst cases, anger results in social disasters and the breaking of family ties, i.e., divorce. Ask many of those who divorced their wives, and they will tell you: it was in a moment of anger. This divorce results in misery for the children, regret and frustration, a hard and difficult life, all as a result of anger. If they had remembered Allah, come to their senses, restrained their anger and sought refuge with Allah, none of this would have happened. Going against the shari’ah (Islamic law) only results in loss.
The damage to health that results from anger can only be described by doctors, such as thrombosis, high blood pressure, tachycardia (abnormally rapid heartbeat) and hyperventilation (rapid, shallow breathing), which can lead to fatal heart attacks, diabetes, etc. We ask Allah for good health.
The angry person should think about himself during moments of anger
If the angry person could see himself in the mirror when he is angry, he would hate himself and the way he looks. If he could see the way he changes, and the way his body and limbs shake, how his eyes glare and how out of control and crazy his behaviour is, he would despise himself and be revolted by his own appearance. It is well-known that inner ugliness is even worse than outer ugliness; how happy the Shaytan must be when a person is in this state! We seek refuge with Allah from the Shaytan and from failure.
Du`a (Supplication)
Du`a is always the weapon of the believer, whereby he asks Allah to protect him from evil, trouble and bad behaviour and seeks refuge with Him from falling into the pit of kufr (disbelief) or wrongdoing because of anger. One of the three things that can help save him is: being fair at times of contentment and of anger (Sahih al-Jami’, 3039). One of the Du`as of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was:
"O Allah, by Your knowledge of the Unseen and Your power over Your creation, keep me alive for as long as You know life is good for me, and cause me to die when You know death is good for me. O Allah, I ask You to make me fear You in secret and in public, and I ask You to make me speak the truth in times of contentment and of anger. I ask You not to let me be extravagant in poverty or in prosperity. I ask You for continuous blessings, and for contentment that does not end. I ask You to let me accept Your decree, and for a good life after death. I ask You for the joy of seeing Your face and for the longing to meet You, without going through diseases and misguiding fitnah (trials). O Allah, adorn us with the adornment of faith and make us among those who are guided. Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds."
For more about issues related to anger, please see these answers: 42505 , 22034 and 82400 .
And Allah knows best. |
Is a person married to another if they both say "We accept each other as man and wife, having Allah as our witness," with no other witnesses present, and later having a celebration, telling everyone that they are married? | Praise be to Allah.The Prophet (Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him) said: "There is no marriage without a wali (guardian) and two witnesses." (It is a saheeh hadith because of corroborating reports: Irwa’ al-Ghaleel, no. 1858).
Imam al-Tirmidhi, may Allah have mercy on him, said: "The correct opinion is that narrated from Ibn ‘Abbas, who said that there is no marriage without clear evidence… Acting in accordance with that, the scholars among the Companions of the Prophet (Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him) and the Taabi‘een and others who followed them said that there is no marriage without witnesses. (Jaami‘ al-Tirmidhi, 4/235).
If the couple referred to in the question did not follow the above, they must repeat the marriage, this time with a guardian and two witnesses.
And Allah knows best. |
Assalamu Alaikum , my question is I have
had a credit card which I applied for when I needed to rent a car. I had been very careful
not to exceed on this card what I could pay for every month so that I would not have to
pay any interest. During one time of some difficulty I could not pay the entire bill and
it incured the interest. After several months I was able to pay it off with the help of my
husband who had also used it from time to time. After the bill was paid I told him that I
wanted to get rid of the card so that we would not risk falling into this condition again.
However my husband wanted me to apply for a card in his name since I was planning to gat
rid of mine. He had previously had 2 credit cards of his own which he was unable to pay
off. He became very angry and insulting, so to keep the peace I got it for him. He also
said that he would be responsible for it if he couldn't pay it. I have not used the card
at all and for the past 6 months he has not been able to pay the entire balance so for all
that time it is gathering interest. my question is who is accountable before Allah for
this card? Me because I gat it for him Or Him because he asked for it .
If I am responsible for it. What should I
do about paying it off since he dosen't want me to work now and he is unable to make even
the minimum payments? | Praise be to Allah.You should repent to Allaah, may He be glorified, for helping your
husband to do something sinful and wrong by getting this interest-based credit card.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): Help you one another in
al-birr and al-taqwa (virtue, righteousness and piety); but do not help one another in sin
and transgression [al-Maaidah 5:2]. You should not have helped him
to get this card or responded to his demand for your help, even though he insisted,
because the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: There is
no obedience to any created being if it involves disobedience to Allaah, may He be
glorified. (Reported by Imaam Ahmad in Musnad Ali; Saheeh
al-Jaami, 7520). And Allaah knows best. |
Someone found out that another man’s wife is committing zinaa. Does he have to tell her husband? | Praise be to Allah.We put this question to Shaykh ‘Abd-Allah ibn Jibreen, may Allah preserve him, who answered as follows:
If she persists and is admonished but does not repent, then in this case we think that it is obligatory to tell her husband lest “his bed be corrupted” (i.e., lest his honour is compromised and/or a child be born that is not his and thus the lineage is corrupted).
And Allah knows best. |
I am in love with a non believer and I don't want to stop seeing her. What are
the options that I have.
I thank you tremendously for you time. | Praise be to Allah.Al-hamdu lillaah
You have two options;
Your first option is: The woman must be a chaste kitaabiyya (be among people of the
book, i.e. Christian or Jewish), and in that case you can marry her following what
Allaah said (interpretation of the meaning):
"and chaste women among the believers and chaste women among those who were
given the Scripture (Jews and Christians)" Al-Maidah 4:5.
The second option you have is that she converts to Islam and then you marry her.
Otherwise, remember the hell fire, and remember what Allaah said in the Quraan
(interpretation of the meaning):
"And do not marry Al-Mushrikat ( idolatresses, etc.) until they believe ( worship Allaah
alone). And indeed a slave woman who believes is better than a (free) Mushrikah
(idolatress, etc.) even though she pleases you. And give not your daughters in
marriage to Al-Mushrikoon until they believe (in Allaah alone) and verily, a believing
slave is better than a (free) Mushrik ( idolater, etc.), even though he pleases you. They
(Al-Mushrikoon) invite you to the Fire, but Allaah invites (you) to Paradise and
Forgiveness by His leave, and makes His aayaat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons,
signs, revelations) clear to mankind so that they may remember ". Al-Baqarah, verse
#2:221
The meaning of "a slave woman who believes is better than a non-believer" is simply
that she is better than a non-believer who is (free) even if the non-believer pleases you,
even if she pleases you, EVEN IF SHE PLEASES YOU!
We ask Allaah to show you the truth, and to guide you back to it. May the peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon the prophet Muhammad ). |
Is it against the Sunnah to call the adhan inside the Musallah? I believe the
way of the Salaf is to call it from the tallest structure/house near the masjid or
the masjid itself. | Praise be to Allah.Al-hamdu lillaah.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with calling the athaan in the musallah; on the
contrary, it is better than abandoning it altogether. Prophet Muhammad (peace be
upon him) taught two men who were traveling how to make the call for prayer while
traveling, where no mosques or musallahs may be found. As was narrated in the
hadeeth saheah by Malik Ibn Al-Huwayrith: "My cousin and I came to the Prophet
SAWS and he said to us, ‘If you travel, (meaning while you are traveling) perform the
call for prayer, and call the iqamah before prayer and let the older one of you be the
Imam." Narrated by Al Bukhari, Fath ul-Baari hadeeth #658 and Al Tirmidhi, hadeeth
#189. According to Abu Eissa (Al Tirmidhi) this hadeeth is hasan saheeh. There were
two views on the hadeeth. The majority of the Muslim scholars agreed on the validity of
calling the aathaan while traveling. Others however, have said that the iqamah alone is
sufficient, and that the purpose of the aathaan is to gather people for prayer. According
to Ahmad and Ishaaq, the first view is more sound.
In another Hadeeth narrated by ‘Ukbah bin ‘Aamir he said: I heard the Prophet say,
"Allaah is pleased by a shepherd who, while on the top of a mountain, calls for prayer
and prays. Allaah the Almighty says, ‘Look at my worshipperhe calls the aathaan,
and he prays; he fears me. I have forgiven my worshipper, and I have sent him to
heaven ( meaning that Allah chose for this person to go to heaven).’" Narrated by
Al-Nisaa’i, Abu Dawood, and Ahmad and was confirmed sound by Al Albany in his
book Saheeh Al-Jami’, Hadeeth #8102.
The benefits of the aathaan are many and they are by no means limited to gathering
people, or announcing prayer time. They encompass: repelling Satan, getting rewarded
in the afterlife for calling for prayer, and furthermore, for announcing and repeating the
oneness of Allaah, etc.
Allaah knows best. |
Is it permissible for a Muslim man to marry
a woman who professes no faith or "deen" at all -- an "agnostic"? | Praise be to Allah.This is not permitted at all, because Allaah says (interpretation of the
meaning): “… they are not lawful (wives) for the disbelievers nor are the
disbelievers lawful (husbands) for them…” [al-Mumtahinah 60:10]. An
exception is made in the case of chaste women of the People of the Book (Jews and
Christians), because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “(Lawful to you
in marriage) are … and chaste women from those who were given the Scripture (Jews and
Christians) before your time…” [al-Maa’idah 5:5]. And Allaah knows
best. |
Is it permissible to eat meat dishes at non muslim restuarants where pork and/or alcohol is served. It is not known whether the meat was slaughtered Islamically or not. However the meat and the pork are stored in the same refrigerator and/or cooked using the same utensils. | Praise be to Allah.What
the Muslim should do if this is the case, is to avoid eating in these
restaurants. He should look for halaal meat in halaal places, even if
that is a little difficult for him, because of the importance in Islam
of ensuring that food comes from good sources.
And
Allaah knows best. |
Does a father have any right to prevent his son from getting married on
the grounds that he needs his help in providing for his brothers and
sisters? | Praise be to Allah.
If the son will commit haraam acts if he does not get married, then the father has no
right to prevent him from getting married for the reason stated in the question. Allaah
is the Provider and those brothers and sisters are part of His creation; He will never
forsake them. Allaah has promised to help the one who gets married in order to keep
himself chaste. He says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And marry those among you who are single (i.e. a man who has no wife and a
woman who has no husband) and (also marry) the saalihoon (pious, fit and
capable ones) of your (male) slaves and maid-servants (female slaves). If they be
poor, Allaah will enrich them out of His Bounty. And Allaah is All-Sufficient for His
creatures’ needs, All-Knowing (about the state of the people)."
[al-Noor 24:32]
The Messenger of Allaah
said: "There are three to whom Allaah’s help is due: the
mujaahid who goes out to fight for the sake of Allaah; the slaves who makes a
contract with his master to pay installments towards his freedom; and the one who
gets married because he wants to remain chaste." (al-Tirmidhi, no. 1566. Abu ‘Eesaa said: this
is a hasan hadeeth. See also Saheeh al-Jaami’, no. 3050).
But if the son is able to be patient and give himself up to working and helping his
father to provide for his brothers and sisters, then he will be rewarded, for Allaah
never allows the reward of those who do good to be lost.
And Allaah knows best. |
There is a rich person among
us who donated some land to build a mosque, then someone came along and asked him to make
it a school. What should he do? | Praise be to Allah.If the man has already donated the piece of
land for building a mosque, then it should be used for that purpose, and he cannot go back
on his donation. But if it is the case that all that has happened is a promise to donate
land for a mosque, it is better for him to keep his promise. May Allaah bless our Prophet
Muhammad and his family and companions. |
Can a Muslim marry a Roman Catholic without the
person converting to Islam? | Praise be to Allah.If a Muslim wants to marry a Christian woman, she does not have to
become Muslim first, because of the general statement in the Qur’aan (interpretation
of the meaning):
“Made lawful to you this day are . . . chaste women from those
who were given the Scripture (Jews and Christians) before your time . . .” [al-Maa’idah
5:5].
The conditions for a non-Muslim woman to marry a Muslim man are that
she should be of the People of the Book (Jewish or Christian) and that she should be
chaste.
We remind the Muslims living outside the Muslim world that they
should not rush into taking such a step, and if they wish to do so, they should think long
and hard, even though marrying a woman of the People of the Book is permitted in
principle. There is a very real possibility of the children becoming Christian, especially
in countries where the law favours the non-Muslim mother. In fact many such tragedies have
occurred. We ask Allaah to guide us all and give us strength. May Allaah bless our Prophet
Muhammad. |
A young girl has finished reading the Qur’aan for
the first time, and wants to invite her friends for a celebration on this occasion. What
should she write on the invitation cards? | Praise be to Allah.
This is a wonderful thing for such a young person (11 years old) living in a non-Muslim
country and deviant society to accomplish. The fact that she has not given her name is a
sign of sincerity, in sha Allaah. I think that this should only be announced for the
purposes of encouraging others to do the same. The affair should be limited to a small
gathering where some relatives or friends invite a few of the girl’s friends, tell
them of her achievement in completing the Qur’aan in order to encourage them - not to
show off or boast - and some of the mothers say a few words about the greatness of the
Qur’aan, the importance of reading it and how the Muslim should treat the
Qur’aan. Or this girl could invite her friends to a meal to mark the occasion and
give thanks for this blessing. There is nothing wrong with such activities, as long as one
is careful not to let it turn into a celebration.
It is clear from the above that celebrating a person’s completion of reciting or
memorizing the Qur’aan, inviting people and offering food, is an action in which
there is a risk of two fitnahs (temptations):
(1) that it might be an occasion for showing off and boasting, and
(2) that it may constitute bid’ah, if people believe that such celebrations are part
of the religion and must be held every time a person completes the reading of the
Qur’aan. The first danger may be avoided by striving within oneself to be sincere
towards Allaah, and the second by restricting the invitees to a small number of family and
friends.
We should not hold such gatherings regularly, lest people think it is a part of the Sunnah
I ask Allaah to increase His blessings upon you and to give you the strength to memorize
Qur’aan and Sincerity in speech and deeds. |
I am currently in a philosophy of religion class and my teacher is an atheist. He
claims that under an Islamic state if a born Muslim converts to another religion he
is killed. Please tell me if this is true. | Praise be to Allah.
The punishment for apostasy (riddah) is well-known in Islaamic Sharee’ah. The one who leaves
Islaam will be asked to repent by the Sharee’ah judge in an Islaamic country; if he does not
repent and come back to the true religion, he will be killed as a kaafir and apostate, because of
the command of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): "Whoever
changes his religion, kill him." (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 3017).
It is well-known in Sharee’ah that the punishments (hudood) are not carried out on minors,
because they have not yet reached the age of responsibility; but in the case of those who have
reached the age of responsibility, the punishment (hadd) applies, without a doubt.
The person who knows the truth and believes in it, then turns his back on it, does not deserve
to live. The punishment for apostasy is prescribed for the protection of the religion and as a
deterrent to anyone who is thinking of leaving Islaam. There is no doubt that such a serious
crime must be met with an equally weighty punishment. If the kuffaar do not give people the
freedom to cross a red light, how can we give freedom to people to leave Islaam and disbelieve
in Allaah when they want to?
It seems that the intention of the teacher mentioned in the question was to shock the students
with news of this ruling, in order to mislead them from the way of Allaah. You must respond
and explain to him and the other students as much as you can.
May Allaah make you and us bearers of His Message and defenders of His Sharee’ah. |
I entered Islaam five years ago, and my family find it hard to accept. My
sister cut off ties with me for a year, then she got in touch and asked me
to forgive her, which I did. But she has not stopped insulting my Islaam
and attacking me at every chance she gets. I told her several times that
she is hurting me, but she didn’t stop. After years of suffering, I sent her
a letter telling me to contact me only if her attitude changed, otherwise,
not to get in touch. Did I do the right thing? | Praise be to Allah.
Because of the insults that you suffered, there is nothing wrong with what you did, in
sha Allaah. This would not be considered as "breaking family ties", and it may give
her the opportunity to think about what she has done.
Al-‘Allaamah al’Safaareeni, may Allaah have mercy on him, said in his book Ghidhaa’
al-Albaab: "Ibn Abi Hamzah said: ‘The ties of kinship may be by money, by helping at
times of need, by warding off harm, by meeting them with a smiling face, and by
praying for them. The general meaning is that one helps them in good ways as much
as possible and helps them to resist or fight evil as much as possible. This is the case
if one’s relatives are righteous, but if they are kaafirs or are wrongdoers, then cutting
off ties with them for the sake of Allaah is how one maintains the tie, on the condition
that one tries to warn them, and tells them that the reason for cutting the ties is
because of their deviation from the truth. At the same time, the connection of making
du’aa’ for them should remain, and you should pray for them in their absence that
Allaah will guide them to the Right Path. (al-Tuhfah: Ghidha’ al-Albaab, 1/356).
And Allaah knows best. |
I am very interested in the Islamic religion. What can I do in order to convert to become a Muslim? I have always been in search of a religion that makes me feel closer to God, like Islam does. Why should I convert to Islam? | Praise be to Allah.Benefits of converting to Islam
It brought us great joy to hear from the noble inquirer expressing interest in accepting Islam.
Islam is indeed the religion that links the human being to his Lord directly via the belief in the oneness of God and through various acts of worship.
Alsoو Islam instills peace of mind and an inner serenity to the created human being, embodied in a unique relationship and devout tranquillity, encompassing love for, fear of, hope from, and submission to God Almighty, Allah.
Indeed, this essence is the true meaning of worship, which comprises and combines acts of the heart with acts of the tongue in remembering God, in addition to the acts of the physical organs.
This is manifested through prayer, fasting, paying zakah (the poor due), and reading the Noble Quran, among other acts, which you will find resulting in positive and benevolent effects in yourself, God willing (in sha Allah).
No doubt that if you decide to accept Islam that the conclusion which you will have reached was due to two things: (1) a sound mind and (2) success granted from God (Allah).
How to convert to Islam
As for converting to Islam, it is a very simple and easy thing, consisting of your pronouncing the two testimonies of faith. You will find the details regarding this as well as other relevant information in the answers to questions # , 179 , and 378 .
You are always welcome
Finally, we say to you that you are sincerely welcome as a sister to us in Islam, and we are in the utmost readiness to provide you with any service or information possible. We ask Allah to fulfill, perfect, and complete His grace and benevolence upon you, and to grant you perseverance in holding fast to the truth. For indeed, Allah is the One Who guides to the path of truth and light.
If you would like us to assist in guiding you to a reliable local source from which you can learn in person or obtain books, please inform us of your city or town, and we will try, God willing, to help find you an appropriate contact. |
Is it permissible to breast-feed a child over 2 years old? Until what age does
breast-feeding make the child a relative (mahram)? Are there any exceptions to this
rule?
I am asking because there are many 2 year olds in our area who need families -
they need to be "adopted" in the Western sense. I would like to help these
children, and expand our ummah, but too avoid hardship, I hope that there is a
way that they could become relatives of my son. | Praise be to Allah.Breast-feeding a child over two years old will not have the effect of making him a relative
(mahram). It is permitted to breast-feed one’s own child beyond two years, but two years is
enough, as Allah says:
"The mothers shall give suck to their children for two whole years, (that is) for those (parents)
who desire to complete the term of suckling . . ."[al-Baqarah 2:233]
The reply to the rest of this question can be found under Question 804. |
Can a non-muslim enter paradise, for example, a Christian who believes in God
(believing Jesus is a prophet) and his prophets, excluding Mohammad
? | Praise be to Allah.
The answer to this question is presumably quite clear to all Muslims, because it is one of the
obvious matters of ‘aqeedah (belief).
In answer to this question, it is sufficient to quote one aayah and one hadeeth.
The aayah is (interpretation of the meaning): "And whoever seeks a religion other than Islaam,
it will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers." [Aal
‘Imraan 3:85]
The hadeeth is: "By the One in Whose hand is the soul of Muhammad, there is no-one of this
ummah, Jew or Christian, who hears of me then dies without believing in that with which I have
been sent, but he will be one of the people of Hell." (Reported by Muslim, may Allaah have mercy on
him, in al-Saheeh, 153). |
Assalaamu'alaikum.
I have a friend. He has married. He told me, someday he did 'Zinnah' with other
woman. Now, he want to Taubat An-Nasuha. The Questions are : How can he do a Taubat An-Nasuha ? Would be Allah 'azza wa jalla receive
his Taubat ?
He told me, (I'm sorry if sounds rough), his penis did not entered to the
woman's vagina, but their condition have been nude. His penis position
between her up leg. Could we say that is a zinna that must be punished with
'rajm' ?
As information, In our country, the zinna can't punish with 'rajm'. I need your
answer soon as possible.
Jazzakumullaahu khoiran katsiran.
Assalaamu'alaikum warahmatullaahi wabarakaatuh. | Praise be to Allah.All
Praises are Due to Allah
The
act that your friend committed is a great sin and crime. He must repent to Allah.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon
him) said: "the eyes fornicate, the hands fornicate, the legs commit
fornication, and the private parts commit fornication". (It is reported
by Ahmad and it is in sahih Al Jahni 4150.)
Tell
your friend that he has to increase in good deeds so that Allah will wipe out
his evil deeds, as Abdullah ibn Masud reported. He said that a man came to the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and said, Oh Messenger
of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon
him), I met a woman in the garden so I pulled her close, fondled her, kissed
her, and did everything with except have intercourse. The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was then silent and so the verse
came down, "verily, the good deeds erase the bad deeds, that is admonition
to those who remember." So the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah
be upon him) called him and recited it to him. So Umar (may Allah be pleased
with him) said, Oh Messenger of Allah (peace
and blessings of Allah be upon him) is this for him specifically or for everyone.
He said (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
, no, for everyone.' (It was narrated by Ahmad.)
There
are more details on repenting from fornication. Refer to question #624.
As for your question regarding whether he is considered to have committed fornication,
which is punishable by stoning, it is obligatory that the married fornicator
be stoned and the unmarried fornicator receive lashes. This is only if the sexual
organs of the fornicator penetrate the vagina of the woman. Whatever is similar
deserves a different punishment, depending on the level of the haram committed.
It is not obligatory that he admit to a judge what he did. It is sufficient
that repentance take place between him and Allah, and Allah is the Acceptor
of repentance and the Most Merciful. We ask Allah to forgive us and the rest
of the Muslims.
Allah
knows best. |
I have heard in certain lectures given by
the shaikhs here in America who consider themselves Salafee, say things like this: My
mother is a kafira and I KNOW she is going to hell.
Saying that they know for sure that a certain person is going to hell.
Is this permissible in Islam? Can we say that a certain person is going to Jahannam
because of their religion? | Praise be to Allah.According to Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa’ah, the
basic principle is that the issue of who will go to Paradise and who will go to Hell is
the matter of ‘aqeedah based on what is said in the Qur’aan and Sunnah, and
there is no room for reasoning or ijtihaad in this matter.
If the Qur’aan or Sunnah says that a specific person will be in
Paradise or Hell, we bear witness to that. At the same time we hope that those who do good
will go to Paradise and fear that those who do bad will go to Hell, but Allaah knows best
how people will end up.
The issue of saying who will go to Paradise or Hell may be divided into
two categories:
General statements, which have to do with people’s qualities, such
as saying, “Whoever associates anything with Allaah in an act of major shirk is a
kaafir who is beyond the pale of Islam, and will be in Hell.”
Similarly we say that whoever fasts Ramadaan out of faith and in the
hope of receiving reward will be forgiven his previous and future sins, and that an
acceptable Hajj has no other reward but Paradise. There are many such statements in the
Qur’aan and saheeh Sunnah.
If a person asks, “Will the one who calls on anything other than
Allaah and seeks the help of anyone but Allaah be in Paradise or Hell?” we would say
that he is a kaafir who will be in Hell, if he is shown clear evidence that he is wrong
but he stills persists and dies believing that.
If it were said, Whoever does Hajj then does not commit any obscene or
immoral act, and dies after his Hajj, for example, what will his fate be? We would say
that he is in Paradise. Or the person whose last words in this life are Laa ilaaha
ill-Allaah will be in Paradise, and so on.
All of this has to do with people’s qualities and does not apply
to any specific, named person.
Specific statements referring to people by name, stating that a
particular person will be in Paradise or in Hell. This is not permissible except in cases
where Allaah or His Messenger
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) have informed
us of it.
Whoever Allaah or His Messenger have mentioned by name and stated that
they will be in Paradise are definitely among the people of Paradise, such as the ten who
were given the good news of Paradise (al-‘asharah al-mubashsharah), foremost among
whom are the four Khulafa’, Abu Bakr al-Siddeeq, ‘Umar, ‘Uthmaan and
‘Ali, may Allaah be pleased with them.
Those who the Qur’aan and Sunnah mention by name and state that
they will be in Hell are definitely among the people of Hell, such as Abu Lahab and his
wife, Abu Taalib, ‘Amr ibn Lahiy, and others.
We ask Allaah to make us among the people of Paradise by His Grace and
Mercy. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad. |
In my culture, people read Surat Yasin in groups before and after people die. I would like to know whether this is based on the Sunnah or an innovation? | Praise be to Allah.Reading Yasin for one who is dying
We have to make a distinction here between the two issues: reading Surat Yasin for one who is dying, and reading it for one who has died.
With regard to reading Surat Yasin for one who is dying, this practice has been reported from some of the Companions.
Imam Ahmad reported in his Musnad from Safwan: “My shaykhs told me that they were with Ghudayf ibn al-Harith al-Thumani when he was dying. He said: ‘Can any of you read Yasin ?’ So Salih ibn Shurayh al-Sakuni recited it, and when he reached the fortieth verse, Ghudayf passed away. My shaykhs used to say that when it is recited in the presence of one who is dying, it eases the pain of death.” That was the opinion of Safwan. ‘Isa ibn al-Mu’tamir read it for Ibn Mab’ad (when the latter was dying).” (Al-Musnad, 16355)
Al-Albani said in Irwa al-Ghalil, 3/152: “This is a sahih sanad going back to Ghudayf ibn al-Harith, may Allah be pleased with him. Its men are thiqat apart from ‘the shaykhs’ who are not named and are therefore unknown (majhul). But the fact that they are unknown is compensated for by their large number, especially since they are of the generation of the Tabi’in (Successors)…”
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymin said in al-Sharh al-Mumti’ fi Ahkam al-Janaiz: “Surat Yasin may be recited over him (i.e., the one who is dying) for the one who thinks that the hadith is correct.” He explained that this is because this surah contains good news of Paradise, as in the ayah (interpretation of the meaning): “It was said: ‘Enter Paradise.’…” [Yasin 36:26], and because it makes the passage of the soul easier, and other reasons.
Reading Surat Yasin for the dead
As regards reading Surat Yasin for one who has died, there is no sahih hadith to indicate that this should be done. A hadith was narrated by Abu Dawud and others which says “Read Yasin over your dead”, but this hadith is not sahih because its isnad contains contradictions and narrators who are unknown (majhul). This was stated by al-‘Allamah al-Albani in Irwa al-Ghalil, hadith no. 688.
Reading Quran over the dead is considered to be a bid`ah (innovation), as he states at the end of his book Ahkam al-Janaiz.
Some people think that it should be read forty times over the deceased, and some of them may distribute copies of the Quran among the mourners who gather to offer condolences so that they may read, or organize gatherings in the mosque to read it for the soul of the deceased. All of this has no basis whatsoever (in the sunnah), and these are innovated deeds of bid`ah which we should avoid and warn others against. And Allah is the Source of strength.
For more, please see these answers: 763 , 42384 , and 20996 .
And Allah knows best. |
As Salam Wahalakum,
Brothers and sisters
My question is kind of puzzling but I think it is important
My question is: Is a man suppose to shave his legs if his hair grows big like we do
to over private parts? I 'm asking this question because most of my friends do it and
I didn't because I was never told. So please answer this question and don't leave it
as joke.
Thank You | Praise be to Allah.,
We would never consider your question as a joke for the reason
that you do what you are supposed to do by asking about something you dont
know its ruling.
At the age of our Prophet Mohammed (Peace Be Upon Him) someone, called Abu-Refaa, may Allah be pleased
with him, came to him while he was addressing his speech, and said. Oh Prophet
a strange man came to ask about his religion for he knows nothing about it.
Our Messenger came to me, as the man said, leaving his speech
and sat on an iron chair, as I believe and start teaching me things he learned
from Allah, then he completed his speech.(Narrated by Muslim - # 870)
Hence, it is your right upon us to answer your question if we
know its response
Hair is divided into 3 parts:
First: Hair that must be removed as the pubic region and the
armpit.
Second: Hair that must be leftover as it is such as mans
beard.
Third : Hair that we told nothing about and there is no legal
text determines its remaining or its removal. (Though Allah doesnt forget
anything in his Quran). This hair is left to you as you want to leave or remove
and you are at liberty in that.
(Also see question #451) and Allah
is the most knowing. |
Hello, my
name is XXXX, and I have decided to embrace Islam as my way of life..
However my girlfriend and soon to be wife has embraced christianity for her way life and
for our two children..
I have no problem with her faith, but she always wants me to go to church with them, and
sometimes I do to keep the peace. But I'm not sure how I should handle this reguest after
I have become a muslim and have embraced Islam..
Can I still attend her church services's from time to time? How do I handle this dilemma..
She seems to be supportive of my decision to embrace Islam, but Like many others including
myself. Untill I did my own research and discovered this magnificent way of life. She's a
bit apprehensive..
Please guide me in the ways of Islam, so as not to hurt our family relationship..
Thank you.. | Praise be to Allah.First of all, you should hasten to enter Islam, which is
easy to do. An explanation of what is involved may be found under Question 114.
(See also Questions 122, 158
and 177).
Secondly, if this lady becomes a Muslim or one of the People of the Book (Christian
or Jewish), repents to Allaah for the forbidden relationship, and remains chaste,
then it is permissible for you to marry her.
Thirdly, the children who were born to this woman outside of marriage are not
your children; they cannot take your name and must take her name. However, this
should not prevent you from treating them kindly, taking care of them and spending
on them. In the future, you should try to call them and their mother to Islaam.
Fourthly, going to her church and attending rituals of kufr is not advisable,
because of the possible negative consequences. We advise you not to do that,
but this should not be any obstacle to your entering Islam. If you were to say
that it is a choice of either embracing Islam and going to the church with her,
or not embracing Islam at all, we would definitely tell you to embrace Islam.
But we would like you to think of the meaning of these two soorahs of the Qur'aan
(interpretation of the meanings):
"Say: He is Allaah, (the) One.
Allaah-us-Samad (The Self-Sufficient Master, Whom all creatures need; He neither
eats nor drinks).
He begets not nor was He begotten;
And there is none co-equal or comparable unto Him."[al-Ikhlaas 112:1-4]
"Say: O Kaafiroon (disbelievers in Allaah, in His Oneness, etc.)!
I worship not that which you worship,
Nor will you worship that which I worship.
And I shall not worship that which you are worshipping.
Nor will you worship that which I worship
To you be your religion, and to me my religion (Islaamic monotheism)."[al-Kaafiroon 109:1-6]
Finally I advise you, a wise man who is striving to make the right choice, hasten
to enter Islam and practise it: Allaah will help you to overcome all obstacles.
May Allaah take care of you. |
A person wanted to borrow money from one of the banks without paying interest, because interest is considered to be ribaa. But one of the managers in that bank told him: If you want to avoid ribaa, you can take a million from us, and one year later, if you can afford it, you can give us two million, one million which is due to us, and another million which we will keep for one year in return for the year during which you kept our million. After one year, you can take your million back. Is this considered to be ribaa or not? Please advise us, may Allaah reward you. | Praise be to Allah.This
is the essence of ribaa, and is not permitted under any circumstances,
because the purpose of lending is to help Muslims. It was narrated from
Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) that a loan is like an
act of charity. If the bank lends you one million riyaals for a period
of one year, and after that year passes you return the million that
you borrowed and add another million for them to keep for a year in
return for their loan to you, this is haraam according to the consensus
of the Muslim scholars. The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Every loan which
brings benefits is ribaa.” (this version narrated by al-Baghawi). The
bank lent you one million riyaals on the condition that you give them
one million more than what is due to them, so that they can buy and
sell with it and keep the profits for themselves. This condition brings
benefits, so it is an invalid condition according to the consensus of
the Muslim scholars. All that you have to do is to give the bank the
million that you borrowed from them, and not another million to benefit
from for a year. This is not permissible according to the consensus
of the Muslim scholars. The bank is not entitled to anything except
getting its money back, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“O
you who believe! Be afraid of Allaah and give up what remains (due to
you) from Ribaa (from now onward) if you are (really) believers.
And
if you do not do it, then take a notice of war from Allaah and His Messengerbut if you repent, you shall have your capital sums. Deal
not unjustly (by asking more than your capital sums), and you shall
not be dealt with unjustly (by receiving less than your capital sums).”
[al-Baqarah
2:278-289] |
Why are adultery, gambling, eating the flesh of swine forbidden in Islam or consedered "haram"? | Praise be to Allah.Even though we find it strange that a Muslim would ask such a question about matters which are so clear and undisputed, the answer is simply that these things are haraam because Allaah, Whom we must obey, has forbidden them. He tells us in the Qur’aan (interpretation of the meanings):
“And come not near to unlawful sexual intercourse. Verily, it is a faahishah (a great sin) and an evil way.” [al-Israa’ 17:32]
“He has forbidden you only the maytatah (dead animals), and blood, and the flesh of swine…” [al-Baqarah 2:173]
“O you who believe! Intoxicants, gambling, al-ansaab [stone altars for sacrifice to false gods], and al-azlaam (arrows for seeking luck or decision) are an abomination of Shaytaan’s handiwork. So avoid (strictly all) that (abomination) in order that you may be successful.
Shaytaan wants only to excite enmity and hatred between you with intoxicants and gambling, and hinder you from the remembrance of Allaah and from al-salaah. So, will you not then abstain?” [al-Maa’idah 5:90-91]
So we must avoid all that which Allaah has forbidden, out of faith in His laws, in the hope of His reward and in fear of His punishment. We must also believe that Allaah does not forbid anything in Islamic sharee’ah except that which is harmful and corrupt, whether we understand this rationally or not, because He says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And 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-Nisaa’ 4:65] |
Aslam Al Akham
If one has us$ 10,000 above the nisab at the beginning of the Zakat year and by end of that year he earns another Us$ 5,000. Therefore making it US$ 15,000 . But the extra 5,000 have not been in his possession for a full zakat year. Is the Zakat then payable on the 10,000 only or on 15 ,000.
Please clarify.
Thank You | Praise be to Allah.It is not obligatory that zakat be paid on wealth until after the year ends. This refers to the $10,000. That is unless the additional money, which has come after the beginning of the year is a result and proceeds from the original money. This would make this money have the same zakat status, and you would then have to pay zakat on the entire $15,000.
Also, see question #64 and question #101. |
I have a question in regard to prayer. I know that it is wrong to yawn during prayer. I've heard some reasons as to why people yawn during prayer, all of them having to do with Shaytan. It seems that I always yawn when I pray. Is there any remedy by the Prophet as to how to stop it? And how wrong is it that I yawn? | Praise be to Allah.Yawning in Islam
There follow a number of the Prophets’ teachings on this matter:
Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Yawning is from the Shaytan . If any of you feels the urge to yawn, let him resist it as much as possible, for if any of you says Ha (makes a noise when yawning), the Shaytan laughs." (Al-Bukhari no. 3289)
Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Allah loves the act of sneezing and dislikes the act of yawning . If any one of you sneezes and praises Allah, it is a duty on every Muslim who hears him to say Yarhamak Allah (May Allah have mercy on you). As for yawning, it is from Shaytan, so if any of you feels the urge to yawn, let him resist it as much as he can, for if any of you yawns, the Shaytan laughs at him." (Al-Bukhari, Fath, no. 6226)
Abu Hurayrah reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Yawning is from Shaytan, so if any of you feels the urge to yawn, let him resist it as much as he can." (Muslim, 2994)
Abu Hurayrah reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Sneezing is from Allah and yawning is from Shaytan. If any of you yawns, let him place his hand over his mouth. If he says Ah, ah! (makes a noise when yawning), Shaytan laughs from inside him." Abu ‘Isa said: this is a sahih hasan hadith. (Sunan al-Tirmidhi, no. 2746; classified as hasan by al-Albani in Sahih al-Jami’, 4130)
Abu Hurayrah reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Allah loves sneezing and dislikes yawning. If any one of you sneezes and says Al-hamdu Lillah, it is a duty on everyone who hears him to say Yarhamak Allah. As for yawning, if any one of you feels the urge to yawn, let him resist it as much as he can, and do not say Hah, hah (do not make a noise when yawning), for this is from Shaytan and he laughs at it." Abu ‘Isa said: This is a sahih hadith. (Sunan al-Tirmidhi, 2747)
Abu Said al-Khudri reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "If any of you yawns, let him cover his mouth lest the Shaytan enter." (Abu Dawud)
Abu Said al-Khudri reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "If any of you feels the urge to yawn, let him resist it as much as possible, lest the Shaytan enter his mouth." (Imam Ahmad)
According to another report also narrated by Imam Ahmad, Shaytan enters when a person yawns. (Sahih al-Jami’, 426)
What to do if you yawn
From the reports quoted above, we may summarize the following:
· That Shaytan prompts the human to yawn, which is indicative of laziness and sluggishness.
· That Shaytan enters the person who yawns.
· That Shaytan laughs at man and makes fun of his ugly appearance when he is in that state.
What to do if you yawn while praying
The person who is praying must take care of the following:
· He should resist yawning.
· He should cover his mouth.
· He should suppress his voice (not make a sound).
And Allah knows best. |
When is the month of Ramadan and can someone like me fast properly? What time
of the day am I supposed to fast? | Praise be to Allah.The fact that you have concern with the blessed month of Ramadhan, are questioning it's arrival,
and anticipating it, is very wonderful. It indicates that you are affected by this great Islamic
worship, which consists of abstaining from food and drink, and sexual intercourse from fajr (the
break of dawn), until maghrib ( the sunset) during the day of the noble month of Ramadhan.
As far as it's appointed time, my dear respected questioner, the laws of worship in Islam are
scheduled according to proof which is clearly traceable and detectable. The evidence which is
seen is not estimated. This entails the sighting of the moon, which indicates that the month of
Ramadhan has begun. So, if we see the new moon, or it is established that someone amongst us
has seen the new moon, then it becomes obligatory on the entire Muslim community to fast every
day of this month, until we see the new moon for the following month of Shawwal and know that
therefore Ramadhan has ended.
The month of Ramadhan on the Islamic calendar could be 29 or 30 days depending on the
sighting of the physical proof, which is the new moon. According to the Christian calender, the
approximate time of Ramadhan this year would occur on the 30th or 31st of December 1997.
In order for your fast to be correct and accepted, you must first enter Islam by testifying to
Allah's Oneness and believing in the Prophet and following the laws of Islam. We would be
happy to see you living a happy life with strong faith, and good years to come, spending them
inspired by Islam. We ask Allah to protect you and guide you along. |
I am not a muslim but have respect and faith for the religion. Though
non-muslims are regarded as non-believers I do believe in ALLAH, but will
not be able to convert because my mother, who is unwell, might not be able
to bear losing her only daughter.I am in love with a muslim man and we
want to get married. I have promised with my sincerest intentions that if we
do get married and have children, they will follow Islam. Is there any way of
us getting married without me converting and I would also appreciate if I
could be told where I can read more on this subject. Thank You. | Praise be to Allah.All Praise be to Allaah.
To the noble inquirer:
You have traversed an important part of
the path to the truth and directing yourself towards it. From what I have
been able to gather from your question, I understand that you wish to embrace
Islam but what is preventing you from doing so is fear for your sick mother's
health upon hearing the news. I want you to know that overcoming this
obstacle is an easy matter, as it is possible for you in a practical way, to
conceal your acceptance of Islam and not divulge it. You are not required
to announce your acceptance of Islam in an Islamic center or anywhere else;
all that is required is the pronouncing of the two testimonies of faith (see
question(s) ) and the initiation of practicing the rites of the religion.
You can pray in private, undisclosed places, for example. In addition,
fasting will not be difficult as you can easily advance any appropriate excuse
for not eating if something is offered to you during the daylight hours of the
month of fasting.
Now, I would like to remind you of two
things:
Firstly, that the driving factor and underlying
truth regarding wanting to embrace the religion must be to gain the pleasure
and acceptance of your Lord--Allaah, the Most Glorified and All-High, who does
not accept any religion other than Islam, as He has said in his Glorious Book
(the Qur'aan), [interpretation of the meaning]: "And whoever seeks a religion
other than Islam--it will never be accepted from him, and in the Hereafter he
will be among the losers." (The Family of Imran, verse 3:85) It has
been narrated by Abu Hurairah, may Allaah be please with him, that Allaah's
Messenger (peace be upon him) said: "By
Him in whose hand Muhammad's soul is (i.e.,
God, Allaah), there is none from amongst the Jews and the Christians (of these
present nations to whom I have been sent) who hears about me and then dies without
believing in the message with which I have been sent (i.e. Islamic monotheism),
but he will be among the dwellers of the Hellfire." (Sahih Muslim, Book
of Faith, #240).
Thus, your objectives in entering Islam
are to save yourself from being among the permanent dwellers of Hell in the
Hereafter, and to achieve the fantastic reward of the bliss of Heaven, the vastness
of which is greater than that of the earth and the skies. Your overriding
motive for accepting Islam should not be emotions stemming from your relationship
with the Muslim man with whom you are in love. Your embracing Islam is
something necessary for yourself whether you marry this man or not.
Secondly, obeying God (Allaah) and His
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) has a
higher priority than your closest relative and most beloved dear one even if
it is your mother or your spouse or anyone else. The Prophet of guidance
has said : "There are three qualities,
for which whoever is characterized by them will relish the sweetness of faith:
one to whom Allaah and His Messenger are dearer than all else; one who loves
a man only for Allaah's sake; and one who abhors returning to apostasy after
Allaah has rescued him from it as he abhors being cast into Hell." (Sahih
al-Bukhari, Book of Faith, #15).
He also
said: "No worshipper (and in the hadeeth narrated by 'Abdul-Warith,
no person) is a truthful believer, until I am dearer to him than the members
of his household, his wealth and the whole of mankind." (Sahih al-Bukhari,
Book of Faith #14).
I ask Allaah to hasten you to Islam and
to help you firmly establish yourself in it, and to grant you a righteous and
successful marriage as well as a blessed family. Indeed, Allaah is the
One who guides to the path of truth, success, and righteousness.
Please see Subject area :Issues
Relevant to New Muslims and Accepting Islam. |
Can we organize two Friday prayers!? We do not have a mosque until now
inside the campus--we ask you for doa'a... May Allaah help us to gain a
permanent room. Due to different schedules of the university, students can
not attend Friday Prayer which is scheduled at 1:00 p.m. Currently new
Muslim brothers are asking if we can hold a second Friday arrangement on
campus. Is it correct to host two Friday prayers in the same campus or same
place!?
I personally am afraid [the reality is that it is] madhhab excuses, and different
groups favour one time to another.I urge you to answer this question fast
may Allaah reward you. | Praise be to Allah.All Praise be to Allaah.
After discussing the question you raised with the learned sheikh Abdul-Aziz bin
Abdullaah bin Baz, he has indicated that Islamic shari'ah does not legislate holding two
jumu'ah prayers in one place. You should choose the most convenient time--and its
timing extends until the 'asr prayer--and urge and enjoin all the Muslims to attend. Note
that it is mandatory to stop all work (including attending classes) for the jumu'ah
prayer. Whoever misses it would pray the dhuhr prayer.
May Allaah grant you all success in obeying Him and pleasing Him and may He ease
your affairs wherever you may be. |
Assalamu Alaikum
A brother was telling me that wearing clothing below the ankles is haram and that
there are many hadiths that prove this. I would appreciate your opinion on this
matter.
Jazakallah | Praise be to Allah.
What your friend has told you is true. Many ahaadeeth were reported from the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) which forbid isbaal (wearing ones clothes below
the ankles), for example:
Al-Bukhaari reported that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: "Whatever of the izaar (lower garment) is below the ankles is in the Fire." (al-Bukhaari, no.
5787)
The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "There are three whom
Allaah will not look at or praise on the Day of Judgement and theirs will be a painful
punishment: the one who wears his garment below his ankles, the one who reminds others of his
favours, and the one who sells his product by means of making false oaths" (reported by Muslim,
no. 106)
The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Isbaal (wearing ones
garment below the ankles) may apply to the izaar (lower garment), the shirt or the turban.
Whoever allows any part of these to trail on the ground out of arrogance, Allaah will not look at
him on the Day of Judgement." (reported by Abu Dawud, no. 4085, and al-Nisaai, no. 5334, with a saheeh
isnaad).
Ibn Abbaas reported that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: "Allaah will not look at the one who wears his lower garment below his ankles." (Reported by
al-Nisaai in al-Mujtabaa, Kitaab al-Zeenah, Baab Isbaal al-Izaar).
Hudhayfah said: "The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) took hold of the muscle of my calf (or his calf) and said, This is where the izaar should
stop; if you insist, it may be lower, but it should not reach the ankles." (Reported by al-Tirmidhi, who
said this is a saheeh hasan hadeeth; see Sunan al-Tirmidhi, no. 1783)
All of the ahaadeeth quoted above speak against isbaal, whether or not the intention is to show
off; but if a person does this deliberately out of arrogance, there is no doubt that his sin is
greater. The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Allaah will not
look at the one who trails his izaar on the ground out of pride." (al-Bukhaari, no. 5788)
Jaabir ibn Sulaym said: "The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said to me: Beware of wearing ones lower garment below the ankles, because this is
a kind of showing-off, and Allaah does not love showing-off." (Regarded as saheeh by al-Tirmidhi,
no. 2722).
No one is able to be completely free of pride and arrogance, even if he claims that this is so.
Such a claim is unacceptable, because by saying it, he is praising himself. Only in the case of
those whom the wahy (revelation) testified that they were free of pride do we believe that this is
the case. For example, there is a hadeeth which states that the Prophet
(peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever trails his garment on the ground out of pride,
Allaah will not look at him on the Day of Resurrection." Abu Bakr said to him, "O Messenger
of Allaah, my izaar slips down if I do not pay attention to it." He said: "You are not one of
those who do it out of pride." (Reported by al-Bukhaari, no. 5784)
What indicates that isbaal is prohibited even if it is not done out of pride is the hadeeth of Abu
Saeed al-Khudri, may Allaah be pleased with him, who said: "The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: The lower garment of the Muslim should
come down to mid-calf, but there is nothing wrong if it is between that point and the ankles.
Whatever is lower than the ankles is in the Fire. Whoever trails his garment on the ground out of
pride, Allaah will not look at him." (Reported by Abu Dawud, no. 4093, with a saheeh isnaad.)
These ahaadeeth describe two different deeds, for which there will be two different
punishments:
Imaam Ahmad reported that Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Yaqoob said: "I asked Abu Saeed: Did
you hear anything from the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) concerning the izaar (lower garment)? he said, Yes, listen! The izaar of the
believer should come to mid-calf, although there is nothing wrong if it comes between there and
the ankles, but whatever is lower than the ankles is in the Fire, and he said it three times."
Ibn Umar said: "I passed by the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him), and my izaar had slipped down. He said, O Abdullaah, pull up your izaar! so
I pulled it up. He said, More! so I pulled it up more, and always made sure it was pulled up
properly after that." Some people asked, "To where did you pull it up?" He said, "To mid-calf
length." (Reported by Muslim, no. 2086; al-Dhahabi, Kitaab al-Kabaair, 131-132)
The issue of isbaal applies to women just as much as it applies to men. This is indicated by the
hadeeth of Ibn Umar, may Allaah be pleased with him, who said: "The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: Whoever trails his garment on the
ground out of pride, Allaah will not look at him. Umm Salamah said: O Messenger of Allaah,
what should women do with their hems? He said, Let them go down a handspan. She asked,
What if their feet show? He said, Let them lengthen it by a cubit, but no more." (al-Nisaa'i,
Kitaab al-zeenah, Baab dhuyool al-nisaa).
The punishment for showing off may come to pass in this world, not in the Hereafter. Abu
Hurayrah reported that the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: "Whilst a man was walking arrogantly admiring himself and his clothes, Allaah
caused the earth to swallow him and he is suffering in it until the Day of Resurrection." (Reported
by Muslim, no. 2088). |
My father passed away about two weeks ago. I wanted to know when me or my family members go to his grave, is he able to hear us and what we are saying to him? ... And if not, is there any way we can have him hear what we say? | Praise be to Allah.Can the dead hear the living?
The principle is that the dead do not hear the words of the living, because Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): "but you cannot make hear those in the graves." [Fatir 35:22] and "Verily, you cannot make the dead to hear" [al-Naml 27:80]
When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) addressed the slain disbelievers after the Battle of Badr, Allah caused them to hear his words, although they were at the bottom of the well in which they had been buried. This was a special case, as the scholars, may Allah have mercy on them, have stated. (See Al-Ayat al-Bayyinat fi ‘adam Sama’ al-Amwat).
Perhaps the psychological motive for wishing that your father could hear you is an attempt to do something to re-establish the communication that has been cut, in order to alleviate the pain you are feeling.
What benefits the dead in Islam?
You should understand, my sister, that Islam has explained what actions on the part of the living may benefit the dead, and what may reach them in their graves. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "When a person dies, all his deeds come to an end except three: sadaqah jariyah (ongoing charity, e.g. a waqf or endowment), beneficial knowledge (which he has left behind), or a righteous child who will pray for him." (Reported by al-Tirmidhi, no 1376; he said this is a sahih hasan hadith)
The most important thing that will benefit your father after his death, and that you can do for him now that he is in his grave, is to strive to pray for him and ask for forgiveness and mercy for him, and for Paradise and salvation from the Fire, and other good and beautiful du`as (prayers).
Prayers for forgiveness offered by both sons and daughters of the deceased bring great benefits, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "A man’s status will be raised in Paradise and he will ask, How did I get here? He will be told, By your son’s du’as (prayers) for forgiveness for you." (Reported by Ibn Majah, no 3660; see also Sahih al-Jami, 1617)
Another thing that may reach the deceased is sadaqah (charity) given on his behalf, because `Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported that a man said to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): "My mother has passed away, and if she could have spoken, she would have given something in charity. Will she receive a reward if I give something on her behalf?" He said, "Yes." (Reported by al-Bukhari, Fath, 1388)
Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported that the mother of Sa’d ibn Ubadah (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) died when he was away from her. He said: "O Messenger of Allah, my mother has died and I am away from her. Will it benefit her anything if I give in charity on her behalf?" He said, "Yes." He said, "Then I ask you to be my witness that I am giving my garden al-Mikhraf (so called because it bore so many dates) in charity on her behalf." (Reported by al-Bukhari, Fath, 2756)
Abu Hurayrah reported that a man said to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): "My father has died and left money behind. He did not make a wasiyyah (a will); will it expiate for his sins if I give some of it in charity on his behalf?" He said, "Yes." (Reported by al-Nasai)
Sa'd ibn Ubadah said: "I said: O Messenger of Allah, my mother has died. Should I give charity on her behalf? He said, Yes. I asked, What kind of charity is best? He said, Providing water." (Reported by al-Nasai)
Other deeds that may also benefit the dead
Other deeds that may also benefit the deceased are Hajj and ‘Umrah on their behalf, after the living person has first performed Hajj and ‘Umrah on his or her own behalf.
‘Abdullah ibn Buraydah reported that his father (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "While I was sitting with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), a woman came to him and said: I gave my mother a slave-woman in charity, and now my mother has died. He said: You have got your reward, and your right of inheritance has brought your gift back to you. She said, O Messenger of Allah, she still had one month to fast. Can I fast it on her behalf? He said, Fast it on her behalf. She said, She never went to Hajj. Can I perform Hajj on her behalf? He said, Perform Hajj on her behalf." (Reported by Muslim, may Allah have mercy on him, in his Sahih, no. 1149)
This shows that it is also permissible to fast on behalf of the deceased.
Another thing that may benefit the deceased is to fulfil their nadhr (vow), because Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported that a woman came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and said: "My mother made a vow to perform Hajj but she died before she could do it. Can I perform Hajj on her behalf?" He said, "Yes, perform Hajj on her behalf. Don't you think that if your mother owed a debt you would pay it off?" She said, "Yes." He said, "Then pay off what is owed to Allah, for Allah is more deserving of having vows fulfilled." (al-Bukhari, al-Fath, 7315)
Another thing that may benefit the deceased is if his relative devotes a share to him of a sacrifice he offers. When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) offered a sacrifice, he said: "In the name of Allah, O Allah, on behalf of Muhammad and the family of Muhammad" (reported by Muslim, no. 1967) and the family of Muhammad included both the living and the dead.
The question of whether women may visit graves has already been addressed (please see question# 127 )
You should also know that keeping yourself busy with praying for your father is more important and better for you, and more beneficial to the deceased, than thinking about whether he can hear your voice. So try to do whatever will be of benefit both to him and you. You and your family should avoid forbidden innovations (bid’ah) such as marking the fortieth day after death, or the passing of one year since the death, or gatherings for reciting al-Fatihah (the first chapter of surah of the Quran), doing forbidden acts at graves, and so on, deeds which are done by those who are ignorant and are imitated by others.
I ask Allah to forgive your father and have mercy on him and on all the deceased Muslims, for He is the Forgiving, Most Merciful.
For more, please see these answers: 9979 , 43138 , and 9304 .
And Allah knows best. |
would you please answer the following question, asked by my none-Muslim
coworker.
On top of this, the Egyptians had a fairly standardized code of punishment,
which was generally followed. The punishment for treachery was to have the
tongue cut off, blasphemy was one hundred beatings. If a crime was
committed, it was formally charged and punished, it was not a heat of the
moment thing.
To me this is a problem of logical inconsistency in the Qur'an. Could
someone please rationally explain this for me.
David "
I really need the answer to his question ASAP please, | Praise be to Allah.al-hamdu lillaah.
The problem lies in that your friend is a kafir (non-believer) who believes in what the
archeologists say more than in what Allaah the Most Exalted says. The only solution is
that this friend of yours realizes and believes that the One who created Moses, the
magicians, the Pharaohs, and the Persians, knows them better, and knows every minute
detail in their lives and all the events that occurred to them, than anyone else. And tell
this friend of yours, who claims that he has read the story of Moses and the Pharaoh:
Doesnt Allah the Most Exalted say in the Quraan, with regards to the dialogue that
took place between Moses and the Pharaoh (interpretation of the meaning): Firaun
(Pharaoh) said: " What about the generations of old (previous generations)? Musa
(Moses) said : " The knowledge thereof is with my Lord, in a Record. My Lord is
neither unaware nor does He forget Verses # 51-52, surat Ta-ha.
We ask Allah to guide your friend to the truth and to reward you for trying to call him
to Islam. |
What is the ruling on touching the wife and the status of wudu? Does touching the wife cause breaking of wudu? | Praise be to Allah.In this issue, the strongest of the statements of the scholars is that touching the wife does not break the wudu, unless there is a discharge of sperm. This is the statement of Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) and it is also from ‘Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) as well as Hasan, Mujahid, and Qatadah.
It is also of the madhhab of Abu Hanifah. Ibn Jarir supports this statement, as well as At-Tabari and Sheikh Al-Islam ibn Taimiyyah.
The people who support this statement, use as proof the hadith of `Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her), the wife of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) who said, "I was sleeping in front of the Messenger of Allah and my legs were in his qiblah. When he prostrated he touched me and I withdrew my legs, and when he stood I stretched them out". (Homes in those days did not have lamps.) (Al-Bukhari,328)
They also use the hadith where `Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) says, "I noticed the Messenger of Allah was gone one evening from the bed, so I looked for him and my hand landed on the sole of his feet and he was in the mosque. They were close together and he was saying, "O Allah I seek refuge with You, pleasure from Your anger, and with Your pardon, and from Your punishment. I seek refuge with You from what is falsely attributed to You as praise. You are how You have praised Yourself". (Muslim, 486)
An-Nawawi states in explaining this hadith that `Aisha’s statement, "and my hand landed on the soles of his feet when he was in the mosque and they were close together," is proof for the one who says that touching the wife does not break wudu.
Sheikh Al-Islam Ibn Taimiyyah says the statement of Allah, "Or ye have been in contact with women" refers to sex as Ibn Abbas and others from the Arabs have said. It is reported by ‘Ali and others, and it is the correct meaning of the verse.
There is nothing showing that touching one's wife breaks wudu in the Quran or Sunnah. The Muslims used to touch their wives all the time and not one of the Muslims reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) ordered anyone to make wudu because of touching women . (Majmu` al-Fatawa 21/401)
For more, please see these answers: 21242 , 134956 , 93234 , and 8531 .
And Allah knows best. |
How many sects are there in the Muslim religion and how are each beliefs
differ from the others?
Also, how was Islam influenced by other religions in the Middle East? | Praise be to Allah.al-hamdu lillaah.
The one and only religion that Allaah, the Most Gracious, accepts is Islam. This religion
has one path, one direction and is based on one methodologythat which the Prophet
of Islam Muhammad (peace be upon him) followed along with his comrades. This
religion which Allaah has chosen for mankind is not subdivided into different sects nor
does it divert into different paths. However, a number of people have gone astray and
corrupted the religion, forming many different groups that bear no relation to Islam,
examples of which are Al-Baatiniya,, Al-Qadyaninya, and the Bahaa’iya, among which
Allaah the Most Exalted and Glorious has warned us in the Holy Qur’aan:
" And verily this (i.e. Allah’s commandments mentioned in the previous two verses 151
and 152) is my straight path, so follow it, and follow not (other) paths, for they will
separate you from His path. This He has ordained for you that you may become Al-
Muttaqoon ( the pious-see V2:2) " Verse # 153, Surat Al An’aam.
As for the second part of the question, the noble inquirer must know that Islam came
down from the heavens in the form of divine revelations and inspirations to the Prophet
(peace be upon him). Islam is the religion that Allaah has accepted for his
worshippers, and has chosen it to mark the final completion of all that preceded it and
thus supercede and be the seal for all religions. Therefore, it is not possible to say that
Islam was influenced by other religions (as it was revealed by God, Allaah, the
Almighty).
We hope that you will read more about this religion and we ask Allaah to guide you to
the True Path. |
When the Imam gets on the minbar for the Khutbah as gives the salaam, do
the people reply of keep silent for fear of losing the reward of the Jumu'ah
khutbah?
Jazakumullahu Khayran
As salaamu 'alaykum | Praise be to Allah.al-hamdu lillaah.
If the Imam ascends the mimbar and greets the audience with the salaam then the
audience should respond. This would not be considered frivolous discourse and would
not violate the silence required for listening because the actual khutbah has not yet
begun. Therefore, until then, the audience can recite praises of Allaah and duaa, and
also repeat after the muathin who calls for prayer, which is timed after the Imam has
actually greeted the audience and has taken his place on the mimbar. |
This is regarding family matters and disputes.
I have a maternal uncle who creates alot of trouble for my
family. His wife and children have even went to the limits of
taking my mother to court, and falsely bearing witness that she
physically assaulted them and threatened to kill them. There
are numerous things they do, but, my uncle after a few months
fights with his children and comes back and asks my mother
for forgiveness. She forgives him, and he starts pretending he
is a maskeen. But, he continues to support his children and
wife who hurt my mother numerously.
Anyway, I asked my mother, NOT to talk to him anymore.
She claims we have to forget and forgive. But, surely there are
limitations. Anyway, is it wrong to ask my mother, not to
associate with him anymore. Is it wrong for me to continue to
refuse to have anything to do with him or his family. I DO
NOT wish to forget or forgive, especially, when there is no
change in his behavior.
Any Advice is appreciated. | Praise be to Allah.
If you want to deal with him on the basis of justice, then it is permissible
for you to respond in like to his unkind words, as Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning): "And if you punish (your enemy), then
punish them with the like of that with which you were afflicted" [al-Nahl
16:126].
But if you bear it with patience, that will be better for you, as Allaah says at
the end of the same aayah (interpretation of the meaning): " But if you
endure patiently, verily, it is better for al-saabireen (the patient ones)."
[al-Nahl 16:126]
If you want to turn enmity into love, then treat him well, if he treats you
badly, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): "The good deed and
the evil deed cannot be equal. Repel (the evil) with one which is better,
then verily! He between whom and you there was enmity, (will become)
as though he was a close friend." [Fussilat 41:34]
The words, "The good deed and the evil deed cannot be equal" mean that
there is a huge difference between the two. "Repel (the evil) with one which
is better," means that when someone treats you badly, answer back with
something better, as 'Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: "There
is no better punishment for the person who sinned by being bad to you,
than your obeying Allaah by being good to him in return." (Tafseer Ibn
Katheer).
A man came to the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) and said: "O Messenger of Allaah, I have relatives with whom I try to
keep in touch, but they cut me off; I treat them well, but they treat me
badly; I try to be kind to them, but they are cruel to me." He said: "If you
are as you say, it is as if you are putting hot ashes in their mouths. You will
continue to have support from Allaah against them so long as you continue
doing that." (Reported by Muslim, no. 2558)
Our advice to you, our sister, is to be tolerant and forgiving. Follow your
mother's advice. It is clear from your question that this man has room to
regret and retract his bad actions. Allaah tells us (interpetation of the
meaning): " whoever forgives and makes reconciliation, his reward is
due from Allaah" [al-Shoora 42:40]
However, all of this does not prevent us from protecting ourselves from the
evil and harm that such relatives may cause. If going to their houses, for
example, will cause some kind of offence or harm, then the relationship can
be limited to telephone calls, kind words, the occasional gift and so on.
The relationship can be maintained at a distance, if being too close will
cause problems.
We ask Allaah to guide us all, to help us not to bear any grudges towards
anyone, and to treat one another properly. May Allaah bless our Prophet
Muhammad. |
Assalaam alaikum
I am desiring to embrace Islam, however I have a slight concern. I am legally
blind and use a guide dog for mobility purposes. I have been informed that I
have no problems being a Muslim and having a guide dog due to my
disability. However, I am concerned at the reaction that I get from other
Muslims when I approach an Islamic Center. I do not want to offend but
without the assistance of the guide dog I am unable to travel to a Masjid or
Islamic center alone. With who should I discuss this situation i.e., an Imam? I
sometimes feel I am at a "stalemate" .
Thank you for your help. | Praise be to Allah.Al-hamdu lillaah. (All praise be to God Almighty, Allaah.)
To the dear noble inquirer:
You have reached the doorstep of entering into Islam and are hesitant due to concern
over what you may face vis-à-vis the response of fellow Muslims regarding the dog you
use to guide you to the masjid or Islamic center. Let me assure you that the matter is
simple and much easier to deal with than you may think.
You are a man for whom Allaah has ordained blindness as a trial, and there is little or
no practical recourse for your daily movement, coming and going, other than a trained
guide dog. Whereas keeping a dog without due need is censured and objectionable
according to Islamic shari’ah (due to its filth and uncleanness), in your case keeping a
dog is clearly for an urgent need and not out of custom, tradition, or love for owning
the dog itself. So perhaps you have a valid excuse regarding this issue, Allaah willing.
I can’t imagine that you would require to enter the mosque or Islamic center with the
dog; rather, you most likely would leave him outside and enter for worship, attending a
religious gathering, or to learn and ask about matters concerning your religion. As long
as the case is as such, the issue is solved and the matter is settled. If you leave the dog at
a distance from the entrance to the mosque, then whoever among the Muslim does not
welcome you warmly would clearly be committing a mistake. You could also contact
the director of the Islamic center or whoever fills such a position, in order to explain to
him your situation. I would expect him to assume the responsibility for informing those
who administer as well as attend the mosque. If you like, feel free to take this response
as a letter to him and ask him to peruse it, and I am confident you will find only
goodwill and cordiality, Allaah willing.
In closing I would like to welcome you to the religion of Islam and send you a warm
salutation and an extraordinary congratulations on your desire to accept the religion. I
urge you to hasten in taking the greatest step of your life since your mother gave birth to
you, and would like to leave you with glad tidings regarding the disability with which
you are afflicted. In fact, you will receive a great reward for your blindness if you
accept Islam, as per the saying of our Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)
[translation of the meaning]:
"Verily Allaah has said, ‘If I afflict one of My worshippers with a trial regarding his
two dearest ones (i.e., his eyes) and he is patient and perseveres, I will compensate him
for them Heaven.’ " (Hadeeth al-Bukhari, Fath ul-Baari #5653)
We ask Allaah to open your heart to the truth and to assist you in holding fast to it, and
Allaah is the One Who Guides to the true path of righteousness. |
My question is about marriage. I want to marry a cousin because we are very
deeply in love. But we heard that I got some milk from her mother. Then we
wondered how many times this had happened. When we asked her mother, she
said, "I don’t remember - it is so long ago." So she does not remember how many
times she may have given me milk. I do not know what I should do in such a
situation.
But one thing I know very well is that I love her very much! Please advise me. | Praise be to Allah.
For breast-feeding to have the effect of making a child a relative (mahram), two conditions must
be met:
(1) The number of breast-feedings should be five or more, because of the hadith of ‘Aa’ishah
(may Allah be pleased with her), who said: "When the Qur’an was first revealed, the number of
breast-feedings that would make a child a relative (mahram) was ten, then this was abrogated
and replaced with the number of five which is well-known."
(Reported by Muslim, no. 1452).
(2) This should happen within the first two years of the child’s life, because of the hadith:
"Harmalah ibn Yahya told us that ‘Abdullah ibn Wahb told us that Ibn Lahimah informed us
from Abu al-Aswad from ‘Urwah from ‘Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr that the Messenger of Allah
(Peace & Blessings of Allah be Upon Him)
said: "There is no breast-feeding except what fills the stomach to bursting point." (Reported by
Ibn Maajah, no. 1946; see also Saheeh al-Jaami‘, no. 7495).
Al-Bukhaari, may Allah have mercy on him, included a chapter in his Saheeh entitled: "The
chapter of the one who says there is no breast-feeding after two years because of the words of
Allah ‘. . . two whole years, (that is) for those (parents) who desire to complete the term of
suckling . . .’
[al-Baqarah 2:233]."
The definition of rad‘ah (one breast-feed) is that the child should take the breast and drink milk
from it, then leave it of his own accord in order to breathe or to change position, and so on.
If this is the case, then the rulings concerning breast-feeding will apply, i.e. the child will be
considered a relative and marriage will be forbidden, etc.
In the case of doubt concerning the number of breast-feedings, Ibn Qudaamah, may Allah have
mercy on him, said: "If there is some doubt concerning whether breast-feeding took place, or
concerning the number of feeds and whether it was enough to make the child a relative
(mahram) or not, then there is no proof that the child must be considered a relative, because the
general rule of life is that a child does not breast-feed from anyone except his own mother, and
one cannot dismiss certainty in favour of doubt. (al-Mughni 11/312).
Therefore it is permissible to marry if there is no proof of breast-feeding that would make the
individual concerned a relative.
I do not want to omit reminding the one who asked this question that we are obliged to adhere
to the Sharee‘ah no matter where it leads us, and our desires and emotions should not prevent
us from following the truth. The Muslim must remain chaste and avoid all kinds of "love
relationships." He must strive to protect himself by marrying in a proper fashion according to
Islamic sharee‘ah. |
Alslamualik
This question has bees asked several time from non-Muslims and I want
to find an answer: Why When the Muslim convert to another
religion(Murtad) he/she should be killed? | Praise be to Allah.
Your question may be answered by the following points:
(1) This is the ruling of Allaah and His Messenger, as the Prophet
(peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever changes his religion, kill him."
(reported by al-Bukhaari, al-Fath, no. 3017).
(2) The one who has known the religion which Allaah revealed, entered it and
practised it, then rejected it, despised it and left it, is a person who does not deserve
to live on the earth of Allaah and eat from the provision of Allaah.
(3) By leaving Islaam, the apostate opens the way for everyone who wants to leave the
faith, thus spreading apostasy and encouraging it.
(4) The apostate is not to be killed without warning. Even though his crime is so great,
he is given a last chance, a respite of three days in which to repent. If he repents, he
will be left alone; if he does not repent, then he will be killed.
(5) If the punishment for murder and espionage (also known as high treason) is death,
then what should be the punishment for the one who disbelieves in the Lord of
mankind and despises and rejects His religion? Is espionage or shedding blood worse
than leaving the religion of the Lord of mankind and rejecting it?
(6) None of those who bleat about personal freedom and freedom of belief would put
up with a neighbour’s child hitting their child or justify this as "personal freedom," so
how can they justify leaving the true religion and rejecting the sharee’ah which Allaah
revealed to teach mankind about His unity and bring justice and fairness to all?
We ask Allaah for safety and health. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad
. |
What is the correct Islamic procedure for a marriage ceremony, I mean if two Muslims are married (legally) without the presence of a religious "person" (like imam etc.), does that mean the marriage is non-existent in terms of Islam? | Praise be to Allah.All praise is due to Allaah. A marriage contract is valid in Islam if the following conditions are met, even if the marriage does not take place in a court, or in the presence of a Judge or the Imaam of the masjid. In addition, it does not need to be written. The waliy (guardian) of the girl has accepted the proposal by saying, for example, "I marry you my daughter", and the one who proposed has replied, for example, by " I accept," or "I am satisfied" (i.e. with his acceptance). This takes place in the presence of two witnesses The woman is legally eligible to marry the man according to Islamic shari'ah (that is she is not a Mahram of the proposer [those to whom the proposer is forbidden to marry. etc.]) Allah knows best. |
Assalammualaikum
I would like to know, from your point of view, does the Internet bring any benefits
to the Islamic society in terms of spreading information to the user???
Thank You. | Praise be to Allah.All Praises Are Due to Allah.
The answer to your question is in what you see and not in what you hear. I don't think the issue
needs to be addressed; however, your question must be regarding the negative and unlawful
things found on the Internet, and not the positive aspects as they are clearly evident. There are in
fact many down sides in the Internet, which contain great evil and this is what pushes one to think
of the necessary ways to fix the ills on the Internet. It is the obligation of the experts from
amongst the Muslims to work on this issue. |
Salam Brother,
My question is; how does one purify himself or his place of business from things
that may have occurred prior to knowledge that it was haram? For example, I own
clothing stores, but have financed this business via moneys borrowed and paid
interest upon. To this day I am using a bank where I have a loan and pay interest
on it.
Also in the past I had a business that did not succeed, and was forced into
bankruptcy, which meant that there were many people and businesses that were
left unpaid, what is my Islamic duty in that case? I did make a sincere effort to pay
all that I could but after the business went bad was not able to repay them. | Praise be to Allah.It is wajib that you repent for each loan involving interest you took. The Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him) cursed all involved in the interest, the recipient, the sponsor,
and the one eating and the feeding it, as stated in the authentic hadith. The Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, "The gold for the gold, the silver for the silver,
wheat for wheat, barley for barley, date for date, salt for salt, similar for the like, and hand
in hand. So whoever adds or seeks to add, then he has used riba. The recipient and the giver
of the transaction are the same". (Reported by Muslim, #1584.)
On the authority of Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) who said that the Messenger of Allah
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) "cursed the one who consumes interest, the one
giving it, the one bearing scroll, and the two witnesses to it". He said (peace and blessings
of Allah be upon him), "they are all equal." (Muslim narrated it.)
If a Muslim wants to partake in a specific affair and he doesn't know it's ruling, then it is upon
him to ask before he gets involved in it. Ignorance isn't an excuse for each and every situation.
As far as the loans you borrowed, you are obligated to return the initial money borrowed only.
If you are forced to pay riba, and that is the added amount with no way out, then we hope that
you do your best in repenting to Allah to pardon you. We also hope that you remain consistent
in your business and give sadaqa with what you are able to, in order to purify yourself and your
wealth.
We ask Allah to enrich us with His halal and to avoid His haram. |
Is masturbation haram between man and wife? | Praise be to Allah.Masturbation between husband and wife is not haram, rather, it is permissible. This is because it is a part of the enjoyment which Allah has allowed. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Those who guard their chastity (.e., [private parts, from illegal sexual acts) Except from their wives or (the captives and slaves) that their right hands possess, - for them, they are free from blame." [al-Muminun 23:5-6]
For more about masturbation, please see these answers: 329 , 99756 , 50017 , 2571 , 14587 , 23432 , and 83140 .
And Allah knows best. |
Why is it forbidden to sleep on ones belly? Is it forbidden for both men and women? | Praise be to Allah.The reason for this is that it was forbidden by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), who left no good thing but he told us about it and left no evil thing but he warned us against it. Ya’eesh ibn Tihfah al-Ghifaari reported that his father said: “I stayed as a guest with the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) with those of the poor whom he hosted. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came out in the night to check up on his guests, and saw me lying on my stomach. He prodded me with his foot and said, ‘Do not lie in this manner, for it is a way of lying that Allaah hates.’” According to another report, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) prodded him with his foot and woke him up, and said, “Do not lie like this, for this is how the people of Hell lie.”
(Reported by Ahmad, al-Fath al-Rabbaani, 14/244-245; by al-Tirmidhi, no. 2798, Shaakir edn.; and by Abu Dawood, al-Sunan, Kitaab al-Adab, no. 5040, al-Da’aas edn. Also reported in Saheeh al-Jaami’, 2270-2271)
This is a general prohibition that applies to both males and females, because the basic principle is that rulings apply to both sexes, except in cases where it is indicated that there is a differentiation between the two. And Allaah knows best. |
I am in sixth grade and am studying Islam. I am currently working on a report on the
Arabian coffee ceremonies, and want to know more about the subject. | Praise be to Allah.All Praises are Due to Allah
Drinking coffee is a custom and not from the laws of Islam. If drinking coffee in excess becomes
dangerous to the individual, then Islam prohibits it. There are no ceremonies in Islam for coffee
drinking nor is drinking coffee from the particular customs of the Muslims, since Muslims as well
as non-Muslims drink coffee. There are however specific manners in the Islamic law concerning
drinking in general.
From amongst them are the following:
Drinking with the right hand.
To say Bismillah before you begin to drink.
Drinking at least three sips or more and not drinking the entire drink at once.
To praise Allah after finishing the drink.
To drink sitting down.
The person giving the drink to others should drink last.
The person passing out the drinks should start on his right hand side when distributing the
drinks.
An individual should not drink from the pitcher, but instead pour some of the drink into a
dish or cup, and then drink.
A person should not drink from gold or silver dishes.
Your question dear young man and the information you provided indicates that you are without a
religion and this is wrong because the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him) stated that you were born as a Muslim and that this is your origin as well as others
besides you. This is the case, until something happened to you to change that, such as other
incorrect religions like Judaism, Buddhism, Christianity, or Magianism. Return back to your true
origin, read about Islam, and establish prayer. I see that you have sufficient wit and intelligence to
know the truth and implement it.
I ask Allah to guide you and open your heart to Islam. |
I would like to know what the ruling is concerning Muslim women shaving their legs. The legs are not one of the areas mentioned in the hadeeth about things which are consistent with the fitrah.
Does this mean that it is haram for women to shave them? Maybe it would also be haram as an imitation of the unbelievers. However, a woman may want to do it in order to please her husband. What do the scholars say about this issue? | Praise be to Allah.It is permitted to remove the hair of the legs. Islamic schools of thought say that a woman may remove all her body hair , such as that on the arms or legs, if removing it will increase her beauty, but she must leave whatever makes her beautiful, so she is forbidden to shave the hair on her head. (Al-Mawsu‘ah al-Fiqhiyyah, 18/100)
The woman is also forbidden to remove the hair on her face , especially plucking the eyebrows , because the promised punishment for doing that is clearly stated. |
I am now living close to the arctic circle where during the winter we have up to only 4.5 hours of daylight. During Ramadan am I to only fast these hours? If Ramadan were to fall during the time around the longest day of the year we would have 24hrs. of daylight. Am I then to take the schedule followed by a city farther south than I am, such as Vancouver? My question also pertains to prayer times.
Thank you. | Praise be to Allah.If you are living in a country where you can clearly distinguish between day and night, then during Ramadan you are required to fast from the break of dawn to sunset regardless of the length of day.
May Allaah make us fortunate by guiding us to that which pleases him and helping us worship him in the best way possible. |
I would like to know more about the meaning of this part of Surah al-Nisa’:
"If any of your women are guilty of lewdness . . . confine them to houses until
death do claim them, or Allah ordain for them some (other) way." [al-Nisaa’ 4:15]
Does this mean to punish a woman who has committed adultery by death, or does
it mean to imprison her for the remainder of her life? Also what does "or Allah
make some way for them" mean?
Thank you for you time, I look forward to your response so that I may better
understand Islam through the explanation of Muslims as opposed to those of
non-Muslims. | Praise be to Allah.
Allah says: "If any of your women are guilty of lewdness, take the evidence of four (reliable)
witnesses from amongst you against them; and if they testify, confine them to houses until
death do claim them, or Allah ordain for them some (other) way." [al-Nisa’ 4:15]
Ibn Katheer, may Allah have mercy on him, said in his Tafseer (explanation) of this aayah:
"At the beginning of Islam, the ruling concerning a woman who was proven guilty of adultery
was that she was to be detained in a house and not allowed to come out until she died. So the
phrase ‘If any of your women are guilty of lewdness’ refers to adultery. ‘Take the evidence of
four (reliable) witnesses from amongst you against them; and if they testify, confine them to
houses until death do claim them, or Allah ordain for them some (other) way’ - the ‘other way’
that Allah made for them was the abrogation of this. Ibn ‘Abbas, may Allah be pleased with
him, said: ‘This was the ruling until Allah revealed Surat al-Nur, then this punishment was
abrogated and replaced with whipping or stoning.’ Something similar was reported from
‘Ikrimah, Sa‘id ibn Jubayr, al-Hasan, ‘Ataa’ al-Khurasani, Abu Saalih, Qutaadah, Zayd ibn
Aslam and al-Dahhak, stating that this is abrogated, and this is agreed upon. Imam Ahmad said:
‘Muhammad ibn Ja‘far told us that Sa‘id told us from Qutaadah from al-Hasan from Hattaan
ibn ‘Abdullah al-Raqaashi from ‘Ubaadah ibn al-Saamit who said: Whenever the wahy
(revelation) descended upon the Messenger of Allah
(Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him), it affected him, the stress showed on
him and his face would change. Allah sent a revelation to him one day, and when it was over, he
said: " Listen to me, Allah has made another way for them. (When) a married man (commits
adultery) with a married woman, and an unmarried man with an unmarried woman, then in the
case of married (persons) there is (a punishment) of one hundred lashes and then stoning (to
death), and in the case of unmarried persons, (the punishment) is one hundred lashes and exile
for one year."’ It was reported by Muslim and other narrators of Sunan via Qutaadah from
al-Hasan from al-Hattan from ‘Ubaadah ibn al-Saamit from the Prophet
(Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him) with the wording:
‘Receive (teaching) from me, receive (teaching) from me. Allah has made another way for those
(women). When an unmarried man commits adultery with an unmarried woman, (they should
receive) one hundred lashes, and banishment for one year. In the case of a married male
committing adultery with a married female, they should receive one hundred lashes and be
stoned to death.’ Al-Tirmidhi said: This is a saheeh hasan hadeeth."
Al-Qurtubi, may Allah have mercy on him, said in his tafseer of this aayah:
"This [confinement] was the first punishment for adultery, at the beginning of Islam. Ibn
‘Abbas and al-Hasan said: Ibn Zayd added: They would not be allowed to marry, until they
died, as a punishment for them when they asked to marry someone else. This ruling applied for
a while, then the Prophet
(Peace & Blessings of Allaah be upon Him) said, according to the hadeeth narrated by ‘Ubaadah ibn al-Saamit:
"Receive (teaching) from me, receive (teaching) from me. Allah has made another way for those
(women). When an unmarried man commits adultery with an unmarried woman, (they should
receive) one hundred lashes, and banishment for one year. In the case of a married male
committing adultery with a married female, they should receive one hundred lashes and be
stoned to death." Some of the scholars said: the idea of punishment and shame was still there
with the lashing, because there is no contradiction, and they are applied to one person. As for
confinement, this is abrogated, by the consensus of the scholars. And Allah knows best.
To complete the benefit of what has been said, it is appropriate to learn the tafseer of the next
aayah in Surat al-Nisaa’:
"If two men among you are guilty of lewdness, punish them both. If they repent and amend,
leave them alone; for Allah is Oft Returning, Most Merciful." [al-Nisaa’ 4:16]
Ibn Katheer, may Allah have mercy on him, said in his Tafseer of this aayah:
"‘If two men among you are guilty of lewdness’ means two who commit an immoral act, so
they should be punished. Ibn ‘Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, Sa‘eed ibn Jubayr and
others said: i.e., by putting them to public shame and hitting them with shoes. This was the
ruling until Allah abrogated it and replaced it with lashing and stoning. ‘Ikrimah, ‘Ataa’,
al-Hasan and ‘Abdullah ibn Katheer said: ‘This was revealed concerning a man and a woman
who commit adultery. The phrase ‘if they repent and amend’ means if they give up what they
were doing and mend their ways. ‘Leave them alone’ means not to keep rebuking them with
ugly words after that, because the one who has repented from his sin is like one who never
sinned at all. ‘Allah is Oft Returning, Most Merciful’ - it was proven in the two Saheehs: ‘If the
slave woman of one of you commits adultery, apply the punishment of lashing, and do not
blame her (after that)’ - i.e., do not blame her for what she did after the punishment has been
given, because the punishment is an expiation for her deed.’" |
What do you believe about angels regarding their function, appearance, form and powers? | Praise be to Allah.Belief in angels is one of the six pillars of belief
Belief in angels is one of the six pillars of faith without which there is no faith. Whoever does not believe in any of these pillars is not a believer (mumin). These pillars are belief in: Allah, His angels, His Books, His Messengers, the Last Day, and that predestination, both good and bad, comes from Allah.
Who are the Angels?
Angels are a part of the world of the “Unseen” which we cannot comprehend. Allah has told us about them in many places in the Quran and via His Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). There follows a number of proven reports concerning the angels, which hopefully will make you realize the greatness of the Creator and the greatness of this religion which has told us so much about them:
Of what are the Angels created?
They are created from light, as ‘Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: ‘The angels are created from light, just as the jinn are created from smokeless fire and mankind is created from what you have been told about.’" [Muslim].
When were the Angels created?
We have no knowledge of precisely when they were created, because there is no text to tell us this. But they were created before mankind for certain, because the Quran says (interpretation of the meaning): "Behold, your Lord said to the angels: ‘I will create a vicegerent on earth.’" [2:30] The fact that Allah told them of His intention to create man indicates that they already existed.
The great size of Angels
Allah says concerning the angels of Hell:
"O you who believe! Save yourselves and your families from a Fire whose fuel is men and stones, over which are (appointed) angels stern and severe, who flinch not (from executing) the commands they receive from Allah, but do (precisely) what they are commanded." [66:6]
The greatest of all the angels is Jibreel, upon whom be peace, who was described in the following report:
"From ‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ood (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) saw Jibreel in his true form. He had six hundred wings, each of which covered the horizon. There fell from his wings jewels, pearls and rubies, only Allah knows about them." It was reported by Ahmad in al-Musnad, and Ibn Katheer said in al-Bidayah that its isnad (chain of narrators) is jayyid (good).
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, describing Jibreel:
"I saw Jibreel descending from heaven, and his great size filled the space between heaven and earth." [Muslim].
Among the greatest angels are those who carry the Throne (of Allah), who were described in the following report:
"From Jabir ibn ‘Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), who said: ‘I have been given permission to speak about one of the angels of Allah who carry the Throne. The distance between his ear-lobes and his shoulders is equivalent to a seven-hundred-year journey.’" [Abu Dawood].
Description of Angels
Angels have wings
Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Praise be to Allah, Who created (out of nothing) the heavens and the earth, Who made the angels messengers with wings - two, or three, or four (pairs) adds to Creation as He pleases: for Allah has power over all things." [35:1]
Beauty of the Angels
Allah said, describing Jibreel, upon whom be peace (interpretation of the meaning):
"He [the Prophet] has been taught by one Mighty in Power, Dhoo Mirrah (free from any defect in body and mind), then he rose and became stable." [53:5-6]
Ibn ‘Abbas said: "‘Dhoo Mirrah means that he has a beautiful appearance." Qutadah said: "He is tall and beautiful."
The idea that angels are beautiful is firmly established in all people’s minds, so much so that they liken a beautiful human to an angel, as the women said about Yoosuf:
". . . When they [the women] saw him, they did extol him and (in their amazement) cut their hands: they said: ‘Allah preserve us! No mortal is this! This is none other than a noble angel!’" [12:31]
The differences in size and status of the Angels
The Angels are not all of one size or status; there are differences between them just as there are differences in virtue. The best of them are those that were present at the battle of Badr, as is stated in the hadith narrated by Mu‘adh ibn Rifa‘ah al-Zuraqi from his father, who had been one of the people present at Badr. He said: "Jibreel came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon Him) and asked, ‘How do you rate the people among you who were present at Badr?’ He said: ‘They are the best of the Muslims,’ or something similar. [Jibreel] said: ‘So it is with the angels who were present at Badr.’" [al-Bukhaari].
The Angels do not eat or drink
This is indicated by the conversation between Ibrahim, the "friend" of Allah, and the angels who visited him. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Then he turned quickly to his household, brought out a fatted calf, and placed it before them. He said, ‘Will you not eat?’ (When they did not eat), he conceived a fear of them. They said: ‘Fear not,’ and they gave him glad tidings of a son endowed with knowledge." [51:26-28]
Elsewhere, Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"But when he [Ibrahim] saw their hands went not towards the (meal), he felt some mistrust of them, and conceived a fear of them. They said: ‘Fear not: we have been sent against the people of Lut.’" [11:70]
The Angels do not get bored or tired of remembering and worshipping Allah
Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"They celebrate His praises night and day, nor do they ever slacken." [21:20]
". . . For in the presence of your Lord are those who celebrate His praises by night and by day. And they never become tired (nor feel themselves above it)." [41:38]
Number of Angels
The angels are many, and their number is known only to Allah. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, describing the Much-Frequented House (al-Bayt al-M’amoor) in the seventh heaven:
"Then I was taken up to the Much-Frequented House: every day seventy thousand angels visit it and leave, never returning to it again, another [group] coming after them." [al-Bukhaari].
‘Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: ‘Hell will be brought forth that day by means of seventy thousand ropes, each of which will be pulled by seventy thousand angels." [Muslim].
Names of Angels
The angels have names, but we know only the names of a few of them. We have to believe in the names reported in the Quran and Sunnah (prophetic teachings) texts, as a part of general belief in the angels. Among the names of angels that are known to us are:
(1) Jibreel and (2) Mikail
"Say: Whoever is an enemy to Jibreel - for he brings down the (revelation) to your heart by Allah’s will, a confirmation of what went before, and guidance and glad tidings to those who believe -
Whoever is an enemy to Allah, and His angels and prophets, to Jibreel and Mikail - Lo! Allah is an enemy to those who reject faith." [2:97-98]
(3) Israfil
From Abu Salamah ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn ‘Awf, who said: "I asked ‘Aishah, the Mother of the Believers, about what the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to start his prayer with when he got up to pray at night (qiyam al-layl). She said: ‘When he got up to pray at night, he would start his prayer (with the words): ‘O Allah, Lord of Jibreel, Mikail and Israfil, Creator of heaven and earth, Knower of the unseen and the seen, You are the Judge of the matters in which Your slaves differ; guide me with regard to disputed matters of truth by Your permission, for You guide whomever You will to the straight path.’" [Muslim].
(4) Malik
He is the Keeper of Hell, as Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): "They [the people in Hell] will cry: ‘O Malik! Would that your Lord put an end to us!’" [43:77]
(5) Munkar and (6) Nakeer
From Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: ‘When the deceased is buried (or he said: when one of you is buried), there come to him two blue-black angels, one of whom is called Munkar and the other Nakeer. They ask him, ‘What did you used to say about this man?’ and he says what he used to say: ‘He is the slave and Messenger of Allah: I bear witness that there is no god except Allah and that Muhammad is the slave and Messenger of Allah. They say, ‘We knew beforehand that you used to say this.’ Then his grave will be widened for him to a size of seventy cubits by seventy cubits and it will be illuminated for him. Then they tell him, ‘Sleep.’ He says, ‘Go back to my family and tell them.’ They tell him, ‘Sleep like a bridegroom whom no-one will wake up except his most beloved,’ until Allah raises him up. If (the deceased) was a hypocrite, he says, ‘I heard the people saying something so I said something similar; I do not know.’ They say: ‘We knew beforehand that you used to say this.’ The earth will be told to squeeze him, so he will be crushed until his ribs are interlocked, and he will remain like that until Allah raises him up.’" [al-Tirmidhi].
(7) Haroot and (8) Maroot
Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
". . . and such things as came down at Babylon to the angels Haroot and Maroot . . ." [2:102]
". . . and none can know the forces of your Lord, except He. And this is nothing other than a warning to mankind." [74:31]
Power of Angels
The angels have great powers given to them by Allah, including the following:
The ability to take on different forms. Allah has given the angels the ability to take on forms other than their own. Allah sent Jibreel to Maryam in the form of a man, as Allah says:
". . . Then We sent to her Our angel, and he appeared before her as a man in all respects." [19:17]
Angels also came to Ibrahim in human form, and he did not know that they were angels until they told him so. Similarly, angels came to Lut in the form of young men with beautiful faces. Jibreel used to come to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon Him) in different forms: sometimes he would appear in the form of Dihyah al-Kalbi, a sahaabee (companion) who was very handsome, and sometimes in the form of a Bedouin. The sahaabah (companions) saw him in his human form, as is reported from ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) in the two Saheehs Al-Bukhari and Muslim). (‘Umar) said:
"One day while we were sitting with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), there appeared before us a man whose clothes were exceedingly white and whose hair was exceedingly black; no signs of travel were to be seen on him, and none of us knew him. He walked up and sat down by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). Resting his knees against his and placing his hands on his thighs, he said: ‘O Muhammad, tell me about Islam.’..." [ Muslim].
Many other ahadith (report) refer to the angels taking human forms, such as the hadith (report) about the one who killed a hundred, in which it says ". . . there came to them an angel in human form . . ." and the hadith about the blind man, the bald man and the leper.
Speed of Angels
The greatest speed known to man today is the speed of light; the angels are able to travel much faster than this. Hardly had an enquirer completed a question to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), but Jibreel would bring the answer from Allah.
Duties of Angels
Among the angels is one whose task it was to convey the revelation from Allah to His Messengers; this is al-Rooh al-Ameen, Jibreel, upon whom be peace. Allah says:
"Say: whoever is an enemy to Jibreel - for he brings down the (revelation) to your heart by Allah’s will. . . " [2:97]
"Which the trustworthy spirit has brought down, Upon your heart, that you may be (one) of the warners." [26:193-194]
Another is responsible for rain, directing it wherever Allah wishes. This is Mikail, upon whom be peace. He has helpers, who do what he tells them, by the command of his Lord; they direct the winds and clouds, as Allah wills.
Another is responsible for blowing the Trumpet, which will be blown by Israfil at the onset of the Hour (the Day of Judgement).
Others are responsible for taking people’s souls: these are the Angel of Death and his helpers. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): "Say: ‘the Angel of Death, put in charge of you, will (duly) take your souls, then shall you be brought back to your Lord.’" [32:11] There is no proof in any saheeh hadith (authentic report) that his name is ‘Azrail.
Others are responsible for protecting the slave throughout his life, when he stays home and when he travels, when he is asleep and when he is awake. These are the "angels in succession" concerning whom Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"It is the same (to Him) whether any of you conceals his speech or declares it openly, whether he be hid by night or goes forth freely by day.
For each (person), there are angels in succession, before and behind him. They guard him by the Command of Allah. Verily! Allah will not change the good condition of a people so long as they do not change their state of goodness themselves (by committing sin and by being ungrateful and disobedient to Allah). But when Allah wills a people’s punishment, there can be no turning back of it, and they will find besides Him no protector." [13:10-11]
Others are responsible for recording the deeds of man, good and bad. These are the "honourable scribes" (kiraman katibeen) and are referred to in the ayat/verses (interpretation of the meanings):
". . . and He sends guardians (angels guarding and writing all of one’s good and bad deeds) over you . . ." [6:61]
"Or do they think that We hear not their secrets and their private counsel? (Yes, We do) and Our messengers (appointed angels in charge of mankind) are by them, to record."
[43:80]
"(Remember!) that the two receivers (recording angels) receive (each human being after he or she has attained the age of puberty), one sitting on the right and one on the left (to note his or her actions).
Not a word does he (or she) utter, but there is a watcher by him ready (to record it)." [50:17-18]
"But verily, over you (are appointed angels in charge of mankind) to watch you,
Kiraman (honourable) katibeen - writing down (your deeds)." [82:10-11]
Others are responsible for testing people in the grave. These are Munkar and Nakeer. From Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: ‘When the deceased is buried (or he said: when one of you is buried), there come to him two blue-black angels, one of whom is called Munkar and the other Nakeer. They ask him, ‘What did you used to say about this man?’ . . ." [The hadith is quoted in full above]
Some of them are the keepers of Paradise. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And those who kept their duty to their Lord will be led to Paradise in groups, till, when they reach it, its gates will be opened and its keepers will say: Salamun ‘alaikum (peace be upon you!). You have done well, so enter here, to abide therein." [39:73]
Some of them are the keepers of Hell, the "guards of Hell", whose number is nineteen and whose leader is Malik, upon whom be peace. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And those who disbelieved will be driven to Hell in groups, till, when they reach it, the gates thereof will be opened. And its keepers will say, ‘Did not the Messengers come to you from yourselves, - reciting to you the verses of your Lord, and warning you of the meeting of this Day of yours?’ They will say: ‘Yes, but the word of torment has been justified against the disbelievers!’" [39:71]
"Then, let him call upon his council (of helpers), We will call the guards of Hell (to deal with him)!" [96:17-18]
"And what will make you know exactly what Hell-fire is? It spares not (any sinner), nor does it leave (anything unburnt)! Burning the skins! Over it are nineteen (angels as guardians and keepers of Hell). And We have set none but angels as guardians of the Fire, and We have fixed their number only as a trial for the disbelievers - in order that the People of the Scripture may arrive at a certainty and the believers may increase in faith . . ." [74:27-31]
"And they will cry: ‘O Malik (Keeper of Hell)! Let your Lord make an end of us.’ He will say: ‘Verily you shall abide forever.’" [43:77]
One of the angels is responsible for the sperm in the womb, as is mentioned in the hadith (report) of Ibn Mas‘ood (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), whose truthfulness is confirmed, said:
‘The way that each of you is created is that he is gathered in his mother’s womb for forty days as a sperm drop, and then for a similar length of time as a blood-clot, and then for a similar length of time as a lump of flesh. Then an angel is sent and he breathes the spirit into (the foetus), and is charged with four commands: to write down his provision, his life-span, his actions, and whether he will be wretched or happy. By the One besides Whom there is no other god, one of you may do the deeds of the people of Paradise until he is just a cubit away from entering it, then his fate will overtake him and he will begin to do the deeds of the people of Hell, so he will enter Hell; and one of you may do the deeds of the people of Hell until he is just a cubit away from entering it, then his fate will overtake him and he will begin to do the deeds of the people of Paradise, so he will enter Paradise." [al-Bukhaari, Muslim].
Some angels carry the Throne of Allah, as He describes in the Quran (interpretation of the meaning):
"Those (angels) who bear the Throne (of Allah) and those around it glorify the praises of their Lord, and believe in Him, and ask forgiveness for those who believe (in the Oneness of Allah) (saying): ‘Our Lord! You comprehend all things in mercy and knowledge, so forgive those who repent and follow Your way, and save them from the torment of the blazing Fire!’" [40:7]
Some of the angels travel throughout the world, seeking out gatherings of dhikr (remembrance of Allah). Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon Him) said:
‘Allah, be He blessed and exalted, has angels who travel the highways seeking out the people of dhikr. When they find people remembering Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, they call out to one another, "Come to what you hunger for!" and they enfold them with their wings, stretching up to the lowest heaven. Their Lord asks them, and He knows better than them, "What are My slaves saying?" They say: "They are glorifying, magnifying, praising and extolling You." He asks, "Have they seen Me?" They say, "No, by Allah, they have not seen You." He asks, "And how would it be if they saw Me?" They say, "They would be even more fervent and devoted in their praise and worship." He asks, "What are they asking me for?" They say, "They ask You for Paradise." He asks, "And have they seen it?" They say, "No, by Allah, O Lord, they have not seen it." He asks, "And how would it be if they saw it?" They say: "They would be even more eager for it and they would beseech You even more earnestly." He asks, "And what do they seek My protection from?" They say, "From the Fire of Hell." He asks, "Have they seen it?" They say, "No, by Allah, they have not seen it." He asks, "And how would it be if they saw it?" They say: "They would be even more afraid and anxious to escape it." Allah says: "You are My witnesses that I have forgiven them." One of the angels says: "So-and-so is not really one of them; he came (to the gathering) for some other reason." Allah says, "They were all in the gathering, and one of them will not be excluded (from forgiveness)."" [al-Bukhaari].
Some of them are responsible for the mountains. ‘Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) asked the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): "Have you ever faced any day more difficult than the day of Uhud?" He said: "I suffered at the hands of your people and the worst that I suffered was what I suffered at their hands on the day of ‘Aqabah. That was when I went to call Ibn ‘Abd Yalayl ibn ‘Abd al-Kalal to Islam, and he did not respond. I left, feeling depressed and hardly knowing where I was going. I did not recover until I found myself in Qarn al-Tha‘alib. I raised my head and saw that I was being shaded by a cloud. I looked, and saw Jibreel in the cloud. He called me and said: ‘Allah has heard what your people said and how they responded to you. He has sent the Angel of the Mountains so that you can tell him to do to them whatever you want.’ The Angel of the Mountains called me and greeted me, then said: ‘O Muhammad, tell me what you want me to do. If you want, I can crush them between two mountains. ’"The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "All I hope for is that Allah will bring forth from their loins people who will worship Allah alone and not associate any partner with Him." [al-Buhaari].
Some of them visit the Much Frequented House (al-bayt al-m’amoor). In the lengthy hadith describing the Isra and M’iraj (the Night Journey and the Ascent to Heaven), the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
"Then I was taken up to the Much-Frequented House: every day seventy thousand angels visit it and leave, never returning to it again, another [group] coming after them."
There are also angels standing in rows, who never get tired or sit down, and others who bow or prostrate, and never raise their heads, as was reported by Abu Dharr, may Allah be pleased with him, who said: "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: ‘I see what you do not see and hear what you do not hear. The heaven makes a noise like groaning, and it has the right to (or it is no surprise), for there is no space in it the width of four fingers, but there is an angel there, placing his forehead in sujood (prostration) to Allah. By Allah, if you knew what I know, you would laugh little and weep much, you would not enjoy your relationships with women and you would go out in the street praying to Allah.’" [ al-Tirmidhi]
This is a summary of Islamic teachings concerning the noble angels of Allah. We ask Allah to make us believe in them and love them. May Allah bless our Prophet Muhammad.
For more, see the following answers:
Angels
Reality of Belief in the Angels
Gender of Angels and Do They Die? |
For some reason a woman tore her hymen. Is it permissible for her to have it repaired surgically? | Praise be to Allah.
This matter is one of the issues that
have been raised in the modern age, so we should look at each of the two
scholarly opinions on the matter and indicate which one we believe to be
more correct.
The first opinion is that it is not
permissible to repair the hymen at all.
The second opinion is more detailed:
1.If the rupture of the hymen was caused by an accident
or by an action that is not considered in sharee’ah to be a sin, and was
not caused by intercourse within the bounds of legal marriage, then we
look at the following issue:
If
it is deemed most likely that the girl will suffer hardship and unfair
accusations because of the customs and traditions of her society, then
doing this operation is obligatory. If that is not the case, then it is
still better to do the operation.
2.If the rupture was caused by intercourse within the
bounds of legal marriage, as in the case of woman who has been divorced,
or by zinaa (illicit sexual activity i.e., outside the bounds of marriage)
in a case that is well known among the people, then it is haraam to do
this operation.
3.If the rupture was caused by zinaa in a case that is
not well known among the people, then the doctor has the choice of either
repairing it or not repairing it, although it is better to repair it.
The points on which the scholars differ
The differences between these two
opinions are confined to the first and third cases outlined above. With
regard to the second case, they are agreed that this operation in haraam
in such situations.
Evidence (daleel)
The evidence for the first view (that it is
completely haraam).
Firstly: repairing the hymen could lead
to mixing of lineages, as a woman could become pregnant from a previous
liaison, then she gets marriaed after having her hymen repaired, which
then leads to the pregnancy being attributed to her husband, thus mixing
halaal with haraam.
Secondly: repairing the hymen involves
looking at that part of the ‘awrah which is to hidden most.
Thirdly: repairing the hymen makes
iteasy for young women to commit the sin of zinaa, because they know that
they can have the hymen repaired afterwards.
Fourthly: there is the matter of good and bad
consequences, or pros and cons. If it is possible to achieve the good
consequences whilst warding off the bad consequences, then we should do
that. If the bad consequences outweigh the good consequences, we should
ward off the bad consequences and not worry about the good consequences,
as the fuqahaa’ of Islam have stated.
If we apply this principle and look at the
evil consequences that result from repairing the hymen, we will understand
that it is not permissible to do this operation because of the enormity of
the evil consequences that result from it.
Fifthly: one of the principles of Islamic
sharee’ah is that something harmful cannot be removed by something else
that is also harmful. One of the implications of this principle is that
“it is not permissible for a man to prevent his land from being flooded
by diverting the flood waters onto someone else’s land.” By the same
token, it is not permissible for a girl and her mother to remove harm from
themselves by having the hymen repaired and thus causing harm to the
husband.
Sixthly: the basic idea of repairing the hymen
is not permissible according to sharee’ah because it is a kind of
deceit, and deceit is forbidden in Islam.
Seventhly: repairing the hymen pavest he way
for girls and their families to tell lies about the real reason why the
hymen was ruptured, and lying is also forbidden in Islam.
Eighthly: repairing the hymen paves the way
for doctors to resort to performing abortions for the purposes of
concealing sin.
Evidence for the second opinion:
Firstly: the texts indicate that it is
permissible and is encouraged to conceal sins, and repairing the hymen
helps to achieve that in cases where this operation is permissible.
Secondly: if a woman who is innocent of any
immoral action is allowed to have this operation so as to leave no room
for suspicion, this will ward off unjustice for her and will achieve the
aim prescribed by sharee’ah of thinking well of believing men and women.
Thirdly: repairing the hymen has to ward off
harm . If a woman was left without having this operation done, and her
husband were to notice that, it would cause trouble for her and her
family, and if the matter became well known among people, the family may
never be able to find marriage partners for their daughters. So they are
permitted to ward off harm because they are innocent in this case.
Fourthly: the fact that a Muslim doctor
may perform this operation in order to conceal the illusionary evidence of
has a general educational impact on society, especially where the
psychology of young women is concerned.
Fifthly: the objection of deception does not
exist in cases where we have determined that it is permissible to repair
the hymen.
Which view is more correct?
The view which is more correct- and Allaah knows best – is that which states that it is not
permissible to repair the hymen at all. This is for the following reasons:
Fisrtly: because the reports quoted as
evidence by those who have this view are saheeh.
Secondly: with regard to the evidence quoted
by those who favour the second view, they may be dealt with as follows:
The response to the first :
The concealing that is required in Islam is
that described in the texts as a concealing of sin, but this aim is not
achieved by repairing the hymen. Basically it is haraam because it
involves uncovering the ‘awrah and opens the door to evil.
The response to the second :
Preventing the husband from thinking badly of
the woman may be achieved by informing him of the situation before
marriage. If he accepts it, this is fine, otherwise Allaah will compensate
her with someone better.
The response to the third :
The evil consequence mentioned cannot be
avoided entirely by doing this operation, because there is the possibility
that the husband may find out about it, even if that happens by way of
someone else telling him. He should be told about it, and if he accepts
then the evil consequence is not longer an issue, as is also the case if
he decides not to go ahead with the marriage.
The response to the fourth :
Even though there are some positive aspects to
this concealment, there are also negative consequences, such as making it
easy for women to commit zinaa. Warding off evil consequences takes
priority over gaining benefits.
The response to the fifth :
We do not accept that there is no deception
involved, because this hymen is renewed, it is not the original hymen. If
we accept that there is no deception of the husband involved in cases
where the hymen was broken as a result of jumping and so on, we cannot be
sure that there is no deception in cases where it was broken as a result
of an attack on the woman.
Secondly: blocking the routes that could lead
to harm, as mentioned by those who favour the first opinion, is a very
important matter, especially in cases that have to do with the violation
of the sanctity of private parts and the evil that can undoubtedly result
from permitting the repair of hymens.
Thirdly: the basic principle in Islam is that
it is haraam to uncover, touch or look at that which is ‘awrah. The
excuses mentioned by those who favour the second opinion are not strong
enough to let operations to repair the hymen be exempted from this general
rule. So we have to adhere to this ruling, and say that it is haraam to do
operations to repair the hymen.
Fifthly [sic]: the evil consequence of false
accusations being made can be dealt with by obtaining a medical
certificate after the event to prove the woman’s innocence. This is the
best way, and by doing this there is no longer any need to do an operation
to repair the hymen.
For all of these reasons, it is not
permissible for a doctor or a woman to do this kind of surgery, and Allaah
knows best.
(See Ahkaam al-Jaraahah al-Tibbiyyah
wa’l-Athaar al-Mutarattibah ‘alayhaa by Dr. Muhammad ibn
Muhammad al-Mukhtaar al-Shanqeeti, p. 403)
Some contemporary scholars have issued fatwas
stating that surgery to repair the hymen is permissible in the case of
rape victims and those who have repented (from zinaa), but it not
permissible in the case of women who have not repented, because this is
helping her to continue committing that sin. By the same token, a woman
who has previously had intercourse is not permitted to do this operation
because this is helping her to deceive and cheat a future husband, since
he will think that she is a virgin when this is not the case. And Allaah
knows best |
I am a 21yr-old young man and inshallah next year I will be getting married.
My question is that, i need to know the way a marriage is set to be planned. I mean how is the nikah supposed to be performed, how many people can i invite? Is there a limit? Can I have music, dancing during my wedding or during reception or walima?
Also I need to know whose responsibility is it to conduct the nikah and walima? Is it the brides, or the bride grooms?
I need to know the answer a.s.a.p. so I could inform my family and inshallah I will implement it in my life, so Allah will bless me and my marriage. | Praise be to Allah.How to consummate marriage in Islam
When a Muslim wants to consummate his marriage , a number of things are recommended in the sunnah:
He should treat his bride kindly and gently, like offering her something to drink and so on, because of the hadith narrated by Asma bint Yazid ibn al-Sakan, who said: “I prepared ‘Aishah as a bride when she married the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). I came to him and invited him to see her (uncover her face). So he came and sat beside her, and a large cup of milk was brought to him. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) drank some, then offered it to her, but she lowered her head and felt shy. I rebuked her and said: ‘Take it from the hand of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).’ So she took it and drank a little, then the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to her, ‘Give some to your companion (meaning himself).’” (Reported by Imam Ahmad and deemed sahih by al-Albani)
He should place his hand on his bride’s head and pray for her, saying “Bismillah” and asking for barakah (blessing), saying the words reported in the hadith narrated by ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘As, who said that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “When one of you marries a woman or buys a servant, let him say: ‘Allahumma inni as-aluka khayraha wa khayra ma jabaltaha ‘alayhi wa a’udhu bika min sharriha wa min sharri ma jabaltaha ‘alayhi (O Allah, I ask You for her goodness and the goodness which You have created in her, and I seek refuge with You from her evil and the evil which You have created in her).’” Abu Dawud said that Abu Sa’id added: “Then let him take hold of her forelock and pray for blessing from this woman or servant.” (Reported by Abu Dawud in al-Sunan, Kitab al-Nikah, Bab fi jami’ al-nikah; classed as hasan in Sahih al-Jaami’, no. 341)
He should pray two rak’ahs with her, leading her in prayer, because this is reported as being the practice of the salaf (early generations). There are two reports concerning this. (i) from Abu Sa’id, the freed slave of Abu Usayd, which states that a group of the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) taught him and told him: “When your wife comes in to you, pray two rak’ahs and ask Allah for the goodness of what has come to you, and seek refuge with Him from its evil.” (ii) from Shaqiq, who said: “A man called Abu Hariz came and said (to ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ud, may Allah be pleased with him): ‘I have married a young virgin girl, but I am afraid that she may hate me.’ ‘Abdullah said: ‘Love comes from Allah and hatred comes from Shaytan, who wants to make you hate what Allah has made permissible. When she comes to you, tell her to pray two rak’ahs behind you.’” (These two reports were narrated by Ibn Abi Shaybah; see Adab al-Zafaf by al-Albani).
When he wants to consummate the marriage , he should say the words reported in the hadith reported by Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) who said: “When one of you wants to approach (have intercourse with) his wife, if he says: ‘Bismillahi Allahumma jannibna al-Shaytan wa jannib al-Shaytan ma razaqtana (In the name of Allah, O Allah, protect us from Shaytan and protect whatever You give to us from Shaytan)’ – then if they are given a child, Shaytan will not harm it.” (Reported by al-Bukhari, Fath, no. 3271) (For more information, see Adab al-Zafaf by al-Albani, p. 91)
Is there a limit to the number of guests in a wedding feast?
There is no limit to the number of guests one can invite to a wedding feast (walimah), so invite whoever you wish of your relatives, the bride’s relatives, your friends and anyone you have a good reason to invite.
Music in a wedding ceremony: Haram?
It is not permitted in Islam to do anything that is haram such as having music , letting men and women mix, or letting women dance in front of men, or other things that earn the wrath of Allah. How can the blessing of Allah be exchanged for disobedience and immorality?
At weddings , women can do whatever is allowed in Islam, such as singing acceptable songs with good words or entertaining themselves by playing the daff (a certain kind of drum, resembling a tambourine without the rattles) only, so long as no men are present.
Who should give the wedding walimah?
Providing the wedding feast (walimah) is the husband’s responsibility . The sunnah is to slaughter one sheep or more for the guests, if he is able to, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn ‘Awf, “Give a wedding feast, even if it is only one sheep.” (Reported by al-Bukhari, al-Fath, no. 2048).
We ask Allah to bless you and your bride and to grant you a happy marriage.
And Allah knows best. |
I am very interested in learning more about and embracing the religion of Al-Islam. My problem is that I live in an area that has no Muslim community at all. No places of worship, no study groups, nothing. What is the best way for me to get started learning what I should know? | Praise be to Allah.Al hamdulilah
As soon as you have come to know, dear noble inquirer, that Islam is the true religion of righteousness and the straight path, you should hasten to embrace it and begin practicing the Islamically-prescribed obligations, such as the prayer, etc. Your earning to learn about Islam is a wonderful thing for which you should be commended.
Your unfortunate complaint regarding the absence of a helpful surrounding and a righteous environment is certainly a valid one and to a degree a problem; however, this obstacle no doubt can be overcome by the will of Allaah. For example there are several pages on the Internet that you can use to gain knowledge and benefit. You can also correspond to the various Islamic organizations and publishing houses to get valuable and informative books about Islam. There may be an Islamic center in your town or in a nearby town that you can go to, even if only once a month, to get to know your fellow Muslim sisters and to get advice from them and work with each other in enjoining righteousness and good deeds. Perhaps you can use the internet as an avenue to find out the addresses of Islamic centers in any particular city or state.
If it is possible for you to move to a city where there is a Muslim community or an Islamic center which adheres to true, mainstream Islam (followers of the Sunnah and the united Islamic community), this would be very good. If, in the worst case, may Allaah forbid, lets suppose you don't find even a single Muslim about you, this would not ever prevent you from holding fast to the religion of Islam. In Islam you have an ever-persistent relationship with your Lord; you worship Him and talk to Him and ask Him
guidance, support, and aid in adhering to His religion; you feel His company and security by your prayers to Him your seeking refuge in Him--to an extent that will compensate you more than the absence of anybody else, and will allay your loneliness and the inability to meet fellow sisters in faith and religion. Consider the situation of the followers of our beloved Prophet (peace be upon him) who embraced Islam at its inception. They remained alone and estranged among their tribes and people, each one worshipping Allaah from his place until the Prophet migrated to al-Madinah, at which time they migrated with him and supported him in establishing the Islamic state.
We ask Allaah for your guidance and for you to reply quickly to the call of Allaah and his Prophet (peace be upon him), and we wish you happiness in this life and the hereafter. |
Before my menstrual period I spot for about five days . I would like to know
can I pray and fast ? I know already that after my menstrual period if I'm
spotting then I should pray but this is before starting my period. | Praise be to Allah.Al-hamdu lillaah.
If yellowish or brownish secretions and
red blood spots appear regularly before and after your period then they are
considered part of your period so long as the total number of days does not
exceed 15 days. Consequently, you cannot pray nor fast during this time.
Yet if your period actually stops and the
secretions appear after 1 or more days after your period has ended then these
secretions are not considered part of the menstruation. In which case you can
fast and pray, as you are considered in a state of istihaadah not menstruation,
but you will need to perform ablution for each prayer, after the athaan (prayer
call) or corresponding time has come.
See questions #56
and #57. |
I have a question in the area of what is and isn't Bidaa. Over and over again I hear people terming certain actions as Bidaa. I am however confused. Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't there a hadith by Prophet Muhammed (SAW) that says that anyone who introduces a new helpful hadith will be rewarded. If this is true, then why are all new inovations frowned upon. | Praise be to Allah.
Firstly, we should know what "bid'ah" means according to Islamic teaching.
It is defined as: any invented way in religion that is aimed at worshipping or drawing closer to Allaah. This means anything that is not referred to specifically in Sharee'ah, and for which there is no evidence (daleel) in the Qur'aan or Sunnah, and which was not known at the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and his Companions. At the same time, it is quite obvious that this definition of religious inventions or innovations, which are condemned, does not include worldly inventions [such as cars and washing machines, etc. - Translator].
If your confusion has to do with an apparent contradiction between the hadeeth narrated by Abu Hurayrah and the hadeeth narrated by Jareer ibn 'Abdullaah, then let us examine these two reports and find out what they mean:
Jareer ibn 'Abdullaah al-Bajali (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: "The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: 'Whoever starts a good thing and is followed by others, will have his own reward and a reward equal to that of those who follow him, without it detracting from their reward in any way. Whoever starts a bad thing and is followed by others, will bear the burden of his own sin and a burden equal to that of those who follow him, without it detracting from their burden in any way.'" (Reported by al-Tirmidhi, no. 2675. He said, This is a saheeh hasan hadeeth)
There is a story behind this hadeeth, which will explain what "whoever starts a good thing" means. Imaam Muslim reported this story from Jareer ibn 'Abdullaah, who also narrated the hadeeth itself. He said: "Some people from the Bedouin came to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), wearing woollen garments. He saw that they were in bad shape and in desperate need, so he urged the people to give them charity. They people were very slow to respond, and it could be seen in his face (that he was upset). Then a man of the Ansaar brought a package of silver, then another came, and another and another, and his face was filled with joy. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: 'Whoever starts a good thing in Islam, and others do likewise after him, there will be written for him a reward like that of those who followed him, without it detracting in the least from their reward. Whoever starts a bad thing in Islam, and others do likewise after him, there will be written for him a burden of sin like that of those who followed him, without it detracting in the least from their burden.'" (Reported by Muslim, no. 1017)
Further explanation may be found in a report recorded by al-Nisaa'i, also from Jareer ibn 'Abdullah, may Allaah be pleased with him, who said: "We were with the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) early one day, when some people who were almost naked (not dressed properly) and barefoot, with their swords by their sides, came to him. Most, if not all of them, were of (the tribe of) Mudar. The Messenger's face changed when he saw how poor they were (i.e., he became upset). He went into (his house), then he came out and ordered Bilaal to give the call to prayer. He led the people in prayer, then he addressed them, saying: 'O people, "be dutiful to your Lord, Who created you from a single person, and from him He created his wife, and from them both he created many men and women, and fear Allaah through Whom you demand your mutual (rights), and (do not cut the relations of) the wombs (kinship)" [al-Nisaa' 4:1].
"Fear Allaah, and keep your duty to Him. And let every person look to what he has sent forth for the morrow" [al-Hashr 59:18].
Let a man give charity from his dinars, his dirhams, his clothing, his wheat or his dates - even if it is only half a date.' A man from the Ansaar brought a package which he could hardly carry in his hand, then another and another came, until there were two piles, of food and clothing, and I saw the face of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) beaming with joy. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: 'Whoever starts a good thing in Islam will have his own reward and a reward equal to that of those who follow him, without it detracting in the least from their reward, and whoever starts a bad thing in Islam will have to bear the burden of his own sin and a burden equal to that of those who followed him, without it detracting in the least from their burden. (Reported by al-Nisaa'i in al-Mujtaba: Kitaab al-Zakaat, Bab al-Tahreed 'ala al-Sadaqah).
From the context of the story, it is clear that what is meant by the words "whoever starts a good thing (sunnah hasanah) in Islam" means: Whoever revives a part of the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), or teaches it to others, or commands others to follow it, or acts according to it so that others see him or hear about it and follow his example. This is also indicated by the hadeeth narrated by Abu Hurayrah, may Allaah be pleased with him, who said: "A man came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and he urged the people to give him charity. A man said: 'I have such-and-such,' and there was no person left in the gathering who did not give something in charity to him, whether it was a large amount or a little. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: 'Whoever starts something good, and others follow his lead, will have a complete reward and a reward like that of those who followed him, without it detracting in the least from their reward. Whoever starts something bad, and others follow his lead, will bear a complete burden of sin, and a burden like that of those who followed him, without it detracting in the least from their burden. (Reported by Ibn Maaajah in al-Sunan, no. 204)
It should be clear from the above, with no room for doubt, that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was not allowing innovation in matters of deen (religion), nor was he opening the door to what some people call "bid'ah hasanah," for the following reasons:
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) stated repeatedly that: "Every newly-invented thing is a bid'ah (innovation), every bid'ah is a going astray, and every going astray will be in the Fire." (Reported by al-Nisaa'i in al-Sunan, Salaat al-'Eedayn, Baab kayfa al-Khutbah). Reports with the same meaning were narrated via Jaabir (may Allaah be pleased with him) by Ahmad, via al-'Irbaad ibn Saariyah by Abu Dawud and via Ibn Mas'ood (may Allaah be pleased with him) by Ibn Maajah.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to say, when beginning a khutbah (sermon): " The best of speech is the Book of Allaah and the best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad. The worst of things are those which are newly-invented, and every innovation is a going astray" (reported by Muslim, no. 867)
If every bid'ah is a going astray, how can some people then say that there is such a thing in Islam as "bid'ah hasanah"? By Allaah, this is an obvious contradiction of the statement and warning of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) stated that whoever innovates something new in the deen (religion) will have his deed rejected, and Allaah will not accept it, as is stated in the hadeeth narrated by 'Aa'ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her), who said: "The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: 'Whoever innovates something in this matter of ours that is not a part of it will have it rejected.'" (Reported by al-Bukhaari, Fath al-Baari, no. 2697). How can anybody then say that bid'ah is acceptable and it is permitted to follow it?
When a person innovates something and adds to the deen something that does not belong to it, he is implying a number of bad things, each worse than the last, for example:
That the religion is lacking, that Allaah did not complete and perfect it, and that there is room for improvement. This clearly contradicts the statement in the Qur'aan (interpretation of the meaning): " This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion" [al-Maa'idah 5:3]
That the religion remained imperfect from the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) until the time when this innovator came along and completed it with his own ideas.
That the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was "guilty" of either of two things: either he was ignorant of this "good innovation," or he knew about it but concealed it, thus letting his ummah down by not conveying it.
That the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), his Companions and the righteous salaf (early generations) missed out on the reward of this "good innovation" - until this innovator came along and earned it for himself, despite the fact that he should say to himself, "If it was truly good, they would have been the first to do it."
Opening the door to bid'ah leads to changing the deen (religion) and opens the way for personal whims and opinions, because every innovator implies that what he is introducing is something good, so whose opinion are we supposed to follow, and which of them should we take as a leader?
Following bid'ah leads to the cancelling out of sunnah practices and the ways of the salaf. Real life bears witness that whenever a bid'ah is followed, a sunnah practice dies out; the reverse is also true.
We ask Allaah to save us from the misguidance of personal whims and from all trials whether they are open or secret. And Allaah knows best. |
Aslamoaliakum.
I have been offered a job at a Bank, and I am not sure whether
I should work there or not, because the bank makes money
from interest (Riba). Please tell me whether working there is
allowed (Jaaiz), or not.
jazaakum-Allah-khair. | Praise be to Allah.
You will find the answer in the hadeeth of Jaabir, may Allaah be pleased
with him, who said: "The Messenger of Allaah cursed the one who
consumes riba (interest or usury), the one who gives it, the one who writes
it down and the one who witnesses it. He said: 'All of them are equal in
sin.'" (Reported by Muslim, may Allaah have mercy on him, in his Saheeh, no. 1598)
Commenting on this hadeeth, al-Nawawi, may Allaah have mercy on him,
said: This is clearly a prohibition of the writing down or witnessing of a
contract between the two parties involved in a riba-based deal. It also
includes a prohibition of helping others to commit wrong acts. And Allaah
knows best.
It is inevitable that the employee in a riba-based bank will play a part in riba
dealings one way or another, even if he is just a security guard. Maybe
Allaah will help you, my brother, if you are patient, to find halaal
employment. (Interpretation of the meaning) " 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] |
I am doing a project for school and I could you some help. Is the "red dot"
on some women's foreheads related to Islam and if so how?. | Praise be to Allah.The red dot, which some women place on their foreheads specially in India, has
nothing to do with Islam. It is an Indian custom, we were told, Hundos women ware the
red dot to imply being married. We were also told that other peoples of India do imitate
the Hundos.
We ask Allaah to show the righteous path. |
I am looking for the hadith that gives reference to the Ansar women appearing as crows after the verse 33:59 was revealed. It was my understanding that this was considered as proof that black as a color for hijaab was Sunnah, and therefore mustahab. Could you tell me where I could find this hadith, and include its volume and number please? | Praise be to Allah.The hadeeth to which you refer was narrated by Abu Dawood,
may Allaah have mercy on him, in al-Sunan, from Umm Salamah who said:
“When the aayah ‘… to draw their cloaks (veils) all over their
bodies…’ [al-Ahzaab 33:59 – interpretation of the meaning]
was revealed, the women of the Ansaar came out looking as if there were crows
on their heads, because of their clothing.” (Sunan Abi Dawood, Kitaab
al-Libaas, Baab fi qawlihi ta’aala: yubneena ‘alayhinna jalaabeebihinna).
The author of ‘Awn al-Ma’bood fi Sharh Sunan Abi
Dawood said, commenting on this phrase: “Their veils were likened to
crows because of their black colour.”
However, it is not a condition of hijaab that the clothes should
be black, but it may be better because it is more concealing. For the conditions
of Muslim woman’s hijaab, please refer to question #214. |
What is the ruling on selling live chickens by weight, and on selling vinegar in which there is 6% alcohol? | Praise be to Allah.Firstly, it is permissible to buy chicken by weight. This is the basic principle and we do not know of any evidence (daleel) to the contrary.
Secondly, it was reported that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whatever intoxicates in large quantities, a small amount of it is haraam.” (Narrated by Ahmad in al-Musnad, 2/91, 167, 179; 3/343). If the vinegar would cause intoxication in large amounts, then a little of it is haraam, and it comes under the same ruling as wine. If a large amount of it does not cause intoxication, then there is no reason not to sell it, buy it or drink it. |
What i want to know is that: What kind of people will be included into the "shade" of the chair which Allah (s.w.t) will be sitting, when the sun is brought closer to the earth. I hope i am phrasing the question right. | Praise be to Allah.Seven of those whom Allaah will shade with His shade on
the Day when there will be no shade except His were mentioned in the
saheeh ahaadeeth.
It was reported from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be
pleased with him) that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said:
“There are seven whom Allaah will shade with
His shade on the day when there will be no shade except His: the just
ruler; a young man who grows up worshipping his Lord; a man whose heart is
attached to the mosque; two men who love one another for the sake of
Allaah and meet and part on that basis; a man who is called by a woman of
rank and beauty and says ‘I fear Allaah’; a man who gives in charity
and conceals it to such an extent that his left hand does not know what
his right hand gives; and a man who remembers Allaah when he is alone, and
his eyes fill up.” (Agreed
upon, narrated by al-Bukhaari, no. 620; Muslim, no. 1712; and others).
This is one of the blessings that Allaah bestows
upon His believing slaves. On the great Day when mankind will be suffering
distress and hardship,the sun will be brought near to mankind, until the
distance between them is equal to the length of the stick used for
applying kohl to the eyes [meel= may also mean a “mile”], and all the
people will sweat according to their deeds, except for some of the
believers, whom Allaah will single out to shade them with His shade, and
He will protect them from the sun and from sweating.
‘Uqbah ibn ‘Aamir said: I heard the Messenger
of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say:
“The sun will be brought near to the earth and
the people will sweat. For some people, the sweat will come up to their
heels; for some it will come halfway up their shins; for some it will come
up to their knees; for some it will come up to their backsides; for some
it will come up to their hips; for some it will come up to their
shoulders; for some it will come up to their necks; for some it will come
up to the middle of their mouths; and some of them will be comepletely
covered with their sweat.” (Narrated
by Imaam Ahmad in his Musnad,
no. 16798)
There follows the commentary of Ibn Hajar (may
Allaah be pleased with him) on the hadeeth (about the shade of Allaah):
“with His shade”. The fact that the shade is
connected to Allaah is an expression of honour, for every shade belongs to
Him. It was said that this refers to His honour and protection, just as it
may be said (in Arabic) that a person is in the shade (or shadow) of the
king. And it was said that it refers to the shadow of His Throne, which is
more correct
“the just ruler” means one who holds the
position of khaleefah, and anyone else who is appointed to a position of
authority over the Muslims’ affairs, and he fulfils his duties justly.
The best definition of “just” is: one who
obeys the commands of Allaah and puts everything in its proper place
without going to the extreme either of overdoing it or of negligence. The
just ruler is mentioned first because his benefits are so far-reaching.
“a young man”. Young men are mentioned in
particular because they are more likely to feel desire because of their
strong motives for following their desires. The fact that a young man
adheres to worship despite that is indicative of the strength of his
taqwaa (piety).
“worshipping his Lord”. In the hadeeth of
Salmaan it says that he “spent his youth and his energy in worshipping
Allaah.”
“attached to the mosque”. The apparent
meaning is attachment in the sense of hanging, as if his heart is likened
to something that hangs in the mosque – like a lamp, for example –
indicating that his heart is so strongly attached to the mosque that even
when he leaves the mosque, his heart is still there. Or it could mean
attachment in the sense of a deep love.
“love one another” means, they shared a kind
of love whereby each loved the other in a genuine sense, not just to show
off.
“and [they] meet and part on that basis”
means, this is an ongoing love based on religion, which they do not cut
off for any worldly reason, whether they meet in reality or not, until
death comes between them.
“a man who is called by a woman of rank and
beauty”. The meaning of “of rank” is, of high birth or a high
position; this may refer to lineage or to wealth. The woman is described
as having all the qualities which people usually seek, power and wealth,
along with beauty. It is very rare to find all three in a woman. The
apparent meaning is that she called him to commit immoral actions.
“and says ‘I fear Allaah’”. The apparent
meaning is that he says this out loud, either to rebuke her for her
immoralityor to refuse her call. It may also be that he says it in his
heart.
“to such an extent that his left hand does not
know what his right hand gives”. What is meant by this is that he
conceals his charitable giving , and goes to such an extreme that his left
hand, even though it is so close to his right hand and is always with it
that even if we imagined that it could understand, it would not know what
the right hand is doing because of this utter secrecy. This is a metaphor.
“and a man who remembers Allaah” – either
in his heart, or by mentioning Him out loud.
“when he is alone” – because this is
furthest away from showing off. What is meant here is that there are no
distractions, so he pays attention to nothing except Allaah.
“his eyes fill up (lit. flood)” means, they
fill with tears; this is another metaphor.
Although men are mentioned in this hadeeth, women
are also included in what is described here. Although what is meant by a
“just leader” is the position of imaam (khaleefah), women may also be
included in this, if they have children and treat them justly. The idea of
being attached to the mosque does not apply to women, because a woman’s
prayer in her home is better than her prayer in the mosque. Apart from
that, women have a share in all of these things; if a man may be called by
a woman, then it can be imagined that a woman could be called by a
handsome king, for example, and she refuses because she fears Allaah, even
though she may have motives to respond.
Fath al-Baari,
620.
There are others whom Allaah will also shade with
His shade – apart from the seven mentioned in the hadeeth quoted above
– who are mentioned in other ahaadeeth. Ibn Hajar listed them in Fath
al-Baari (620) as follows:
“Those who fight (for the sake of Allaah);
those who help the mujaahideen; those who defer payment of debt for
debtors who are in difficulty, or let them off all or part of the debt;
those who help people who are heavily in debt; those who help slaves who
have drawn up contracts of manumission; those who have a good attitude;
those who walk to the mosque; sincere and honest traders; those who take
what is due to them and no more; those who spend for the sake of Allaah;
those who sponsor orphans.”
We ask Allaah to shade us with His shade on the
Day when there will be no shade except His. |
I want to know the Islamic view on wearing colored contact lenses. | Praise be to Allah.There are two types of contact lenses:
Ophthalmic contact lenses: those that are used to correct long- or short-sightedness etc. There is nothing wrong with using this kind of contact lens on the advice of a specialist eye-doctor.
Coloured cosmetic contact lenses: these come under the rulings on adornment. If a woman wears them for her husband, there is nothing wrong with it. If she is wearing them where others will see her too, then it should not cause any fitnah or temptation. There is also the condition that they should not cause any harm, and there should be no element of cheating or deceiving, such as a woman wearing them when she meets the man who is proposing marriage to her. Also, they should not be extravagantly expensive, because Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “… and waste not by extravagance…” [Al-An'am 6:141]
For more about issues related to contact lenses, please see these answers: 152357 and 65693 .
And Allah knows best. |
IF THE MAN IS NOT THE MAIN SOURCE OF INCOME IS HE CONSIDERED AS THE HEAD OF THE HOUSEHOLD? | Praise be to Allah.Qiwaamah (the role of being in charge or head of the household) is one of the things that Allaah has given to men, exclusive of women. What is meant by qiwaamah is that men are entrusted with the task of being responsible for women, to take care of them, to guide them in the best possible way, and to issue commands and prohibitions - just as a ruler takes care of the people under his control.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): "...but men have a degree (of responsibility) over them [women]..." [al-Baqarah 2:228] and "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-Nisaa’ 4:34]
Ibn Katheer said: "This means that men are in charge of women; they govern them and discipline them if they do wrong." Al-‘Allaamah Shaykh al-Shanqeeti said: "This indicates that men are better than women, because the masculine is honour and perfection, whereas the feminine naturally has something lacking physically. All people are agreed on this, because all peoples give women the best of adornments, which is only to make up for this natural lack..."
Rare cases among women are nothing to go by, because the exception does not change the rule.
Some of the reasons why men are given the role of qiwaamah include:
1. Men are more intelligent and have a better ability to distinguish right from wrong. Al-Qurtubi said: "Men have the advantage of being more wise and more capable of management; for this reason they were given the right of qiwaamah." 2. Men’s religion is more complete, because women menstruate and bleed after childbirth, and do not pray or fast at such times - unlike men. 3. Spending money in charity and on one’s family is a duty on men, but not on women.
Thus if a man refuses to spend on his wife, she has the right to seek an annulment of the marriage by going to a Qaadi (Sharee’ah judge).
In summary, qiwaamah is only for men, as is made clear in the Qur’aan. If a woman spends on her husband, herself and her children, this is an act of kindness on her part, as Allaah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning): "... but if they, of their own good pleasure, remit any part of it (the mahr) to you, take it, and enjoy it without fear of any harm (as Allaah has made it lawful)." [al-Nisaa’ 4:4] Qiwaamah is for men in all cases: one can hardly imagine a man asking his wife for permission to go out, for example. And Allaah knows best.
For more information on this matter, please refer to: Ibn al-‘Arabi, Ahkaam al-Qur’aan, 1/531; Ahkaam al-Jassaas, 2/188; Tafseer al-Qurtubi, 2/169; Tafseer Ibn Katheer, 1/491; al-Shanqeeti, Adwaa’ al-Bayaan, 1/136-137) |