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Makruh and Non-Makruh Acts for a Fasting Person 19 Aug 2011 5:19 AM (13 years ago)

Question: What are makruh and what are not makruh for a fasting person?
ANSWER
The following things are makruh for a fasting person:

1. It is makruh to brush the teeth with toothpaste.

2. It is makruh to gargle with medicine. If a sore in the mouth prevents one from reciting in the namaz, then it will not be makruh to gargle with medicine because there is an excuse for it.

3. It is makruh to kiss one's wife when there is the danger of ejaculating.

4. If the fast is broken in Ramadan for such reasons as having an injection or vomiting a mouthful by forcing oneself to or if a traveler arrives in the city where he/she lives or if the menstruation of a woman stops, such people must abstain from what breaks the fast, as fasting people do. It is makruh for them to eat or drink.

The following things are not makruh for a fasting person:
1. If one has a nocturnal emission in the night and if there is little time for imsak (the time when prohibition on eating begins) time and if one eats pre-dawn meal first and performs a ghusl after dawn, that is, if one begins fasting in a state of impurity, this fast will be valid. It is permissible to perform the ghusl later.

2. It is permissible to make intention for Ramadan fast after dawn lest kaffarah (expiation) might become necessary if it is broken.

3. If a man has sexual intercourse with his wife in Ramadan and if they sleep late thinking that they will make a ghusl soon and if the sun has risen when they wake up, it does not harm their fasts. However, they must take a bath at the earliest opportunity to be able to perform a namaz.

4. It is permissible to delay the onset of menstruation by taking pills in order not to miss fast-days.

5. If a woman begins menstruating while fasting, she should not avoid eating and drinking like a fasting person; she can eat and drink.

Legal concessions for fasting
Question: Is it permissible to make use of the legal concessions mentioned below to be able to fast?

1. To put water into one's mouth to quench one's thirst; to pour cold water onto the head or to take a bath with cold water to cool down,
2. To apply a nicotine patch to the skin when one feels the need to smoke a cigarette,
3. To spray medicine or to apply ointment on a part with pain or with rheumatic pain; to apply medication or a patch absorbed through the skin on the chest for heart attacks,
4. To insert acupuncture needles into the body or to wear diet patches when one feels hunger [they not only stop the feeling of hunger but also help weight loss],
5. To take pills to delay monthly period so as not to miss fast-days and to observe them fully.
ANSWERAll of them are permissible, but the acts that rank first on the list are makruh tanzihi (makruh of a lesser degree) according to Imam-i A'zam because such acts may be a sign of boredom with this act of worship. However, according to Imam-i Abu Yusuf, there is nothing wrong with doing them because one, by doing so, removes the difficulty to some degree and helps oneself perform the act of worship more easily. Following the statement of Imam-i Abu Yusuf, one can do all of the above-mentioned acts.

What to do if the fast breaks?
Question: If a person's fast breaks in Ramadan, is it permissible for the relevant person to eat or drink?
ANSWERIf one breaks one's fast in Ramadan for any reason whatsoever or if a traveler arrives in the city where he/she lives, that is, if a person becomes settled (muqim) when he/she comes back or if the menstrual bleeding of a woman stops, such people must abstain from eating and drinking until dusk, like fasting people. But if the menstrual bleeding of a woman begins, she should not act like a fasting person; she should eat and drink. Those with excuses that prevent them from fasting should eat and drink secretly on the days when they do not fast.

The Time of Sahar and Sahur Meal 19 Aug 2011 5:15 AM (13 years ago)

Question: What is the importance of the time of sahar (last portion of the night)? How is it calculated?
ANSWERThe time of sahar is the final one-sixth of the night. That is, it is the final one-sixth of the duration from sunset to the time of imsak (the time when prohibition on eating begins). Let us say for example that the sun sets at 5:30 p.m. and the time of imsak occurs at 5:30 a.m., the night is 12 hours long. The one-sixth of this equals 2 hours. When it is subtracted from 5:30 a.m., it is 3:30 a.m. The time of sahar is from 3:30 a.m. to 5:30 a.m. This duration increases or decreases in summer and winter.

It is better to perform the namazes of tahajjud (voluntary late night namaz) and witr at the time of sahar. It is declared in hadith-i sharifs:
(Whoever fears that he will not be able to wake up in the last portion of the night, let him perform the witr in the early portion of the night. Then let him go to sleep. Whoever thinks that he will be able to wake up in the last portion of the night, let him perform the witr then because Angels of Compassion are present when he wakes up for it in the last portion of the night.) [Muslim]

(The du'a [supplication] made in the last portion of the night and the du'a made after namazes are accepted.) [Tirmidhi]

(Allahu ta'ala declares in the last portion of the night: "Isn't there anyone to make repentance, so that I shall forgive him? Isn't there anyone to ask, so that I shall give what he wants and accept his supplication?") [Muslim]

The time of sahar is a time when supplications and repentance are accepted. When one gets up for sahur (pre-dawn meal) in Ramadan, one will have gotten up at the time of sahar. One should deem it a great opportunity to make supplication at this time. In praising good people [in the Qur'an al-karim], Allahu ta'ala says, "They ask for forgiveness in the last portion of the night" (Adh-Dhariyat 18).

Ya'qub alaihis-salam said to his sons, "Soon [at the time of sahar], I will ask forgiveness for you from my Lord" (Yusuf 98).

In the 17th verse of Al-i Imran Sura, those who show patience, those who are truthful [in their speeches, deeds, and intentions], those who perform namaz, those who give zakat, and those who ask forgiveness in the last portion of the night are praised. The reason why those who ask forgiveness are mentioned after all others is that humans should consider their every act of worship as defective and should always implore for forgiveness.

Opportunity is a windfall. We should not waste our lifetimes on useless pursuits. Instead, we should spend them on things Allahu ta'ala is pleased with. We should perform five daily namazes with tadil-i arkan and in congregation, offer the namaz of tahajjud, and should not let the last portion of the night pass without imploring for forgiveness. We should not be overcast with the slumber of oblivion, but meditate death and afterlife. Turning away from prohibited worldly affairs, we should direct ourselves towards otherworldly deeds. We should engage in worldly earnings as much as indispensably necessary, and at other times we should fully occupy ourselves with making our afterlife better. (Maktubat-i Ma'thumiyya)
Question: Is it sinful to fast without getting up for sahur (pre-dawn meal)?
ANSWERIt is not sinful, but it is much reward-deserving to get up for pre-dawn meal. It is good to get up for it even if one gets up just to drink a sip of water. It is declared in hadith-i sharifs:
(Sahur meal is blessed. The whole of sahur is blessing. Get up for sahur even if you drink just a sip of water. Allahu ta'ala and His angels shower salat and salam upon those who get up for sahur.) [Imam-i Ahmad] (That is, Allahu ta'ala forgives those who get up for sahur and angels pray for them.)

(Get up for sahur; there is blessing in it.) [Bukhari]

(Aid yourselves in fasting by eating a meal at sahur.) [Bayhaqi]

(Getting up for sahur meal is a blessing that Allah has bestowed upon you. Do not miss it.) [Nasai]

(Providing that what they eat is halal [lawful], three people will not be called to account: a person who fasts, a person who eats sahur meal, and a person who keeps guard in the way of Allah.) [Nasai]

(Certainly sahur meal is blessed.) [Ibn Hibban]

(Have sahur meal even if it is just a morsel because there is blessing in it.) [Daylami]

(How excellent are dates as a Believer's sahur.) [Abu Dawud]

(Allahu ta'ala showers mercy upon those who get up for sahur.) [Tabarani]

Fasting and Remaining Hungry 19 Aug 2011 5:13 AM (13 years ago)

Question: Some people say, "What can the benefit of remaining hungry and thirsty be?" What is the purpose of fasting?

ANSWERFasting is not just the state of remaining hungry and thirsty. If an animal or a disbeliever is confined in a room and deprived of food and water, this is not considered fasting. In fact, fasting has a connection with other acts of worship, such as patience, giving thanks to Allahu ta'ala, and disciplining the nafs. Therefore, it is stated in a hadith-i sharif, "Everything has a gate. The gate of worship is fasting" (Ibn Mubarak).

The nervous system has a vital place in the human body. Those whose lingual nerves have been paralyzed cannot talk. Those whose nerves in their legs have been paralyzed cannot walk. Our lives are in danger to a lesser or greater degree as per the nervous system disorder we experience. People who suffer from neurosis are restless and impatient. Most of the fights and murders that occur within the community spring from being nervous and lacking patience. The hadith-i sharif, "Fasting is half of patience, and patience is half of faith," states that a fasting person is forbearing. (Abu Nu'aym)

Thus, it is seen that fasting is also from faith. Those who have faith do not commit crimes or sins in accordance with the strength of their faith. They keep their temper. There is a zakat for everything, and the zakat of the body is hunger. Because the desires of those who remain hungry by fasting are restrained, it is easy for them to show patience. Fasting people remain hungry. Remaining hungry, in turn, is beneficial: It develops one's insight (basirah) and enhances one's ability to understand. As a matter of fact, it was declared in hadith-i sharifs, "The comprehension of a hungry person increases, and his intellect is sharpened" and "Meditation [tafakkur] is half of worship, while eating little is all of it" (Imam-i Ghazali).

Those who eat much sleep much, thus spending their lives doing nothing. They are like drunks. Their brains become sluggish, and their intellects and memories atrophy. However, hunger brings tenderness to the heart. A hadith-i sharif says, "The interior of a person who eats little is filled with lights. Allahu ta'ala loves the Believer who eats and drinks little and whose body is light in weight" (Daylami).

In a state of hunger, desires are curbed. Leaving disobedience, our nafses become submissive. On the other hand, overeating causes negligence. Just as it is difficult to subjugate a wild horse, so it is difficult to subjugate the nafs that had gotten out of hand as a result of overindulgence in food. Hunger facilitates training of the nafs. It was declared in a hadith-i sharif:
(The human heart is like crops in a field, and eating is like rain. Just as excessive rain causes crops to rot, so excessive food causes the heart to die.) [Imam-i Ghazali]

Those who are always full up become merciless and ruthless. They cannot imagine what it means to be hungry. Gluttonous people become hard-hearted. It was related in a hadith-i sharif, "Do not kill your heart by eating and drinking much" (Imam-i Ghazali).

Those who keep their temper experience inner happiness. Hunger crushes one's hankering to commit sins and prevents one from doing evil deeds. A hadith-i sharif says, "Fighting against the nafs through hunger and thirst is like fighting in the way of Allah" (Imam-i Ghazali).

Those who eat much drink much water. Those who drink much water, in turn, sleep much. Since such people spend their lives sleeping, this state keeps them from earning material and spiritual profits. This means to say that hunger keeps nerves agile and energetic. Repletion results in imbecility. It inhibits memorization and keeping something in mind. A hadith-i sharif says, "Eating a meal once a day is moderation" (Bayhaqi).

Having meals three times every two days [that is, morning and evening meals on the first day and lunch on the second day] was reported to be standard. (Tashil-ul-manafi)
Most of diseases result from eating much. It was stated in a hadith-i sharif, "Eating and drinking much is the source of diseases" (Dara Qutni).

Those who eat little will have healthy bodies. "He who fasts will have a good health," was said in a hadith-i sharif. (Tabarani)

The feeling of pity in those who consume excessively will lessen. Their sensual desires will increase, and they will engage in forbidden deeds. It is necessary to block off all the paths that excite unlawful desires. Hunger, in this respect, blocks off Satan's path. A hadith-i sharif declares, "Satan circulates in the body like blood. Make his passage narrow by means of hunger" (Ihya).

The Virtues of Fasting and Ramadan 19 Aug 2011 5:10 AM (13 years ago)

Hadrat Imam-i Rabbani states the following about this subject:
The blessed month of Ramadan is very honorable. The rewards given for the voluntary prayer, remembrance of Allah, alms, and all other such worships done in this month are like those given for the obligatory ones done in other months. One obligatory act of worship done in this month is like seventy obligatory acts of worship done in other months. If a person gives (the supper called) iftar to a fasting person in this month, his or her sins will be forgiven. He or she will be emancipated from Hell. In addition, he or she will be given as many rewards as those which the fasting person receives. The rewards of that fasting person will not decrease in the slightest degree.

In this month, also those bosses who facilitate the work of those under their commands and who make it easy for them to worship will be forgiven. They will be emancipated from Hell. In the blessed month of Ramadan, the Messenger of Allah used to emancipate the slaves and would give whatever was asked from him. Those who can do good deeds in this month will be blessed with doing such deeds all the year round. If a person disrespects this month and commits sins in this month, he or she will spend all the year sinning.

We should consider this month as an opportunity. We should perform as many acts of worship as we can, do the deeds which Allahu ta’ala likes, and deem this month an opportunity for earning the next world.

The Qur’an al-karim descended in the month of Ramadan. The Night of Qadr is in this month. In holy Ramadan, it is an act of sunnat to have the iftar early and to have the sahur (pre-dawn meal) late. The Messenger of Allah was careful about performing these two sunnats.

Maybe hurrying for the iftar and being late for the sahur show humans' incapacity and that they need to eat and drink, and consequently, everything. And this is the meaning of worshiping.

It is a sunnat to have the iftar with a date. It is an important sunnat to recite the prayer, “Zahabazzama’ wabtallat-il uruq wa thabat-al-ajr insha-Allahu ta’ala” after breaking the fast, to perform the namaz of Tarawih, and to read a khatm (that is, to read the entire Qur’an al-karim).

In this month, thousands of those Muslims who are to go to Hell are forgiven and emancipated every night. In this month, the gates of Paradise are opened. The gates of Hell are closed. The devils are chained. The doors of compassion are opened. May Allahu ta’ala bless us all with the lot of worshipping Him in a manner worthy of His greatness and with being on the right way which He likes! Amen. (Maktubat, Vol. 1, Letter 45)
Those who do not fast and who eat in public are not respectful to this month. Even people who do not perform namaz must fast and avoid the prohibited actions. Such people's fasting is accepted and is a symptom of their faith.

It is very thawab to fast in the blessed month of Ramadan, and it is a grave sin not to fast without a good excuse. A hadith-i sharif says, "If a person does not fast for a single day in Ramadan without a good excuse, he cannot earn the thawab of this single day, even if he fasts all the year round instead of it" [Tirmidhi].
(If there is a religiously legitimate excuse, then it is not sinful not to fast.)

Some hadith-i sharifs about fasting in Ramadan are as follows:
(The month of Ramadan is a blessed month. Allahu ta'ala made fasting in Ramadan obligatory for you. In this month, the gates of compassion are opened, and the gates of Hell are closed. The devils are put in chains. In this month is a night which is more valuable than a thousand months. Whoever is deprived of the goodness of that night [the Night of Qadr] has been deprived of all goodness.) [Nasai]

(If a person fasts by knowing it as fard to fast in the month of Ramadan and by expecting its thawab from Allahu ta'ala, his sins are pardoned.) [Bukhari]

(If a person dies after fasting in Ramadan, he will go to Paradise.) [Daylami]

(When the month of Ramadan comes, it is said, "O seekers of goodness, run to what is good. O seekers of evil, abstain from what is evil.") [Nasai]

(Ramadan is the month of barakah. In this month, Allahu ta'ala forgives sins and accepts supplications. Fulfill the rights of this month. Only he who will go to Hell does not become the beneficiary of compassion in this month.) [Tabarani]

(When the holy month of Ramadan comes, Allahu ta'ala orders angels to pray for forgiveness of Believers.) [Daylami]

(An obligatory namaz becomes atonement for the sins committed up to the next namaz. A Friday becomes atonement for the sins committed up to the next Friday. The month of Ramadan becomes atonement for the sins committed up to the next Ramadan.) [Tabarani]

(He who can fast for three consecutive days must observe the fast of Ramadan.) [Abu Nu'aym]

(The fast of Ramadan is fard and Tarawih is sunnat. If a person fasts in this month and spends its nights performing acts of worship, his sins are forgiven.) [Nasai]
(The reason why this month is called Ramadan is that it burns and melts sins.) [I. Mansur]

(The beginning of Ramadan is mercy. Its middle is forgiveness, and its end is emancipation from Hell.) [Ibn Abi ad-Dunya]

(Islam is to say Kalima-i shahadah, to perform namaz, to give zakat, to fast in the month of Ramadan, and to make a pilgrimage [to Mecca].) [Muslim]

(The beautiful mansions in Paradise will be given to those who are honey-tongued, whose salams are many, who offer meals, who observe the fast, and who perform namaz at nights.) [Ibn Nasr]

(A fasting Believer's silence is regarded as tasbih [glorification of Allahu ta'ala], and his sleep is regarded as an act of worship. His prayer is accepted, and the reward for his good deeds is multiplied.) [Daylami]

(Do not utter obscene speech especially when you are fasting. If anyone aggresses against you, say to him, "I am fasting.") [Bukhari]

(The true fast is the one observed not only by leaving eating and drinking but also by leaving vain speech and foul language.) [Hakim]

(Only fasting people will sit Allahu ta'ala's table spread that is full of blessings that no eye has ever seen, no ear has ever heard, and no mind has ever imagined.) [Tabarani]

(Whoever observes fast for a day in the way of Allah, Allahu ta'ala keeps him seventy years' distance away from Hell.) [Bukhari]

(Cleanliness is half of faith, and fasting is half of patience.) [Muslim]

(If a person dies while being in a state of fasting, thawab is recorded for him as if he fasted until Doomsday.) [Daylami]

(He who dies while fasting enters Paradise.) [Bazzar]

(A person who fasts and performs namaz will get his reward on the Day of Judgment in proportion to the degree of his aql.) [Hatib]
(Fasting curbs lust.) [Imam-i Ahmad]

On blessed occasions, we should strictly avoid sins and increase righteous deeds, acts of worships, and all kinds of charitable acts. Those who are liked by Allahu ta'ala engage in virtuous deeds at virtuous times, while those who are disliked by Him engage in evil deeds at virtuous times. This demeanor of those who engage in evil actions causes the torment they will suffer to become more severe and causes Allahu ta'ala to dislike them much more because such people, by doing so, have left themselves destitute of the blessings of these times and have violated the sanctity and honor of them. (Maw'iza-i hasana)

The dream of our master the Prophet
(I saw astonishing things in my dream. [In my dream] the Angels of Torment grabbed someone from my Ummah. Ablutions he had performed came and saved him from the difficult situation he was in. I saw someone being squeezed in his grave. The namâzes he had offered came and saved him from the torment of the grave. The devils were pestering someone. The remembrances [dhikr] he had made came and saved him from the devils. One's tongue stuck out as a result of a raging thirst. The fasts he had observed in Ramadan came and quenched his thirst.

Someone was encircled by darkness. The pilgrimage he had made came and delivered him from darkness. The Angel of Death came to someone. The kindnesses he had done to his parents came. They averted death and delayed it. Someone was not allowed to talk to Muslims. Then sila-i rahm [visiting relatives, good treatment towards them, maintaining good ties with them] came and made intercession for him, so he could talk to them. Someone who wanted to go near his Prophet was being prevented from going. The ghusls he had taken brought him near me. Someone desired protection from the Fire. His voluntary charities came and became a veil against the Fire. When the Angels of Hell were taking someone to Hell, his enjoining the doing of what was good and forbidding the doing of what was evil came and saved him. Someone was thrown into Hellfire. The tears he had shed out of fear of Allah came and saved him.
When the deed-book of a person was being given to him from his left, his fear of Allah came and carried it to his right. Someone's thawab weighed light. His children who had died before himself came and made it heavy. Someone was quaking with fear by Hell. When his husn-i zann [having a good opinion of] about Allahu ta'ala came, his quaking ceased. Someone who crossed the Sirat with difficulty came to Paradise, but the gates were closed. His Kalima-i shahadah came and put him into Paradise.) [Tabarani, Hakim-i Tirmidhi]

Safeguarding Faith (Iman) 12 Jul 2011 11:28 PM (13 years ago)

People of wisdom state:With the approach of Doomsday, darkness gathers. As darkness increases, so does people's bumping against one another; everybody bumps against one another. What turns daylight into darkness is the gloom of unlawful things [harams], religious innovations [bida'], and disbelief [kufr]. It is such that Hadrat Imam-i Rabbani, speaking in reference to his own time, said centuries ago, "Religious innovations have become so prevalent that the world has darkened." What caused the world to get dark at that time was religious innovations. As for the time period close to Doomsday [Akhir az-Zaman, Last Age, Last Era], what causes the world to get dark is the gloom of disbelief.

What is meant by one-tenth that is mentioned in the hadith-i sharif "If my Ummah of the Last Age perform one-tenth of the commandments, they will attain salvation" is to safeguard the faith and die with the correct faith. Those who accomplish this will attain salvation because the greatest disaster in the Last Age is to die faithless. People who die without faith will go to eternal Hell. Today, lawful [halal] and unlawful [haram] things have become so mixed that the majority of people do not know what is lawful. But the truth is that whoever takes a haram lightly loses his/her faith. As a matter of fact, our Master the Prophet stated, "The biggest trouble of my Ummah that will come in the Last Age will be to protect and save their faith. Their biggest disaster will be to lose their faith." Acts of worship cannot rescue us, but they are highly valuable as they help us protect our faith. It resembles this: Let us say a fierce storm has broken. In order to protect a candle against this storm lest it should burn out, it is necessary to put it within 20 or 30 glass globes placed one inside the other. A candle that is left in the open burns out quickly. Therefore, people need to do more acts of worship and have much more sincerity in the Last Age to save their faith. Interestingly enough, it was not so difficult to save one's faith in the past, for there was not such a storm in those days. The candle was still burning even if there was not a glass globe surrounding it. Everywhere was in tranquility, so candles were burning without going out. Furthermore, there were many candles. As there is no light today, disbelief and harams have become normal practice, which is a very dangerous situation. Considerably worse days will come, and increasingly, the situation will deteriorate further.

Dying sinful is a great felicity compared with dying a disbeliever because the sinful will attain salvation sooner or later. Acting on the hadith-i sharifs "I will intercede for those with grave sins" and "Die with faith, and do not interfere in the rest," we should strive to save our faith. This, in turn, is fulfilled by having the creed of Ahl as-Sunnah, avoiding what is prohibited, and performing acts of worship. To be able to safeguard our faith, we should recite the prayer, "Allahumma inni a'oodhu bika min an-ushrika bika shay-an wa ana a'lamu wa astaghfiru-ka li-maa laa-a'lamu innaka anta 'allaamul ghuyoob," which was prescribed by our Master the Prophet, in the mornings and in the evenings. It means "O my Allah, I take refuge in You from ascribing any partners to You knowingly. If I did it unknowingly, forgive me. You know everything." Repeating the statement "La ilaha ill-Allah Muhammadun Rasul-Allah," we should frequently renew our faith. Also, steering clear of words and actions that cause disbelief, we should endeavor to protect our faith. May Allahu ta'ala keep us all from the disaster of disbelief and falling into faithlessness!

Our nafs is not a creator 12 Jul 2011 11:23 AM (13 years ago)

Question: In the books of Ahl as-Sunnah, on the one hand it is written that both good and evil are from Allah, but on the other hand it is written that humans are responsible for the sins they commit. Is it not a contradiction? Is it not our nafs that creates sins?

ANSWERThere is no contradiction in our religion. The Creator of everything is Allahu ta'ala alone. There is not any other creator. Our nafs (a negative force within humans that prompts them to do evil) cannot create anything. To consider the nafs as the creator is the view of the Mu'tazilah. Our nafs is not even an accountable creature unlike humans and genies. When a human dies, his/her nafs will be annihilated. How wrong it is to call a thing creator that is not even held liable and is doomed to annihilation! One of the six fundamentals of faith is to believe that both good and evil are from Allah. A person who does not believe in this cannot be a Muslim.

Ahl as-Sunnah scholars, inheritors of the Messenger of Allah, state:

Allahu ta'ala is the one who always creates, trains, and develops everything, who causes every favor to be done, and who sends every favor. He alone is the owner of strength and power. Unless He gives us thought, nobody can will or desire to do good or evil. After man receives the thought, he can will to do something, but unless Allah wills and gives strength and opportunity to that thought, nobody can do one bit of kindness or evil to anybody. He creates everything that man wants if He wills it. Only what He wills happens. He sends us the thoughts of doing good or evil for various reasons. When His born servants (men) whom He pities wish to do evil, He does not will and create it. When they wish to do good, He, too, wills and creates it. Goodness always arises from such people. He, too, wills to create the evil wills of His enemies, with whom He is angry. Since these evil people do not wish to do something virtuous, evils always arise from them.

In other words, all people are a means, a tool. They are like the pen in the writer’s hand. Only using their partial will that has been bestowed upon them, those who will goodness earn blessings, while those willing evil to be created become sinful. Allahu ta’ala willed in pre-eternity to create the optional deeds of people through their will power.

Our nafs causes us to commit evil
Question: While it is our nafs that causes us to commit evil, is it true to say, "Both good and evil are from Allah"?

ANSWERIn terms of causing it, of course evil is from the nafs. However, in terms of creating it, both good and evil are from Allah. The nafs desires evil and causes it, and Allahu ta'ala creates it. That is, it is Allah who creates and wills evil, too. A fly cannot move its wing unless He wills and creates it. Every adversity that befalls us takes place by Allah's will and creation. Our nafs is not a creator. It cannot create either good or evil. It is Allahu ta'ala alone who creates everything. The Qur'an al-karim says (what means):

(The Creator of everything is Allah.) [Az-Zumar 62; Al-Mu'min 62]

(It is Allah who creates you and what you do.) [As-Saffat 96]

(Your Lord creates what He wants, chooses what He wills. They do not have the right to choose.) [Al-Qasas 68]

If a servant deserves a disaster, Allahu ta'ala sends it to him/her. As a matter of fact, a Qur'anic verse says:

(Any disaster that befalls you is because of what you commit with your own hands, yet Allah forgives most of them.) [Ash-Shura 30]
(This means to say that disasters are being sent because of our sins, but the Sender is Allah. It is declared in this verse that Allah forgives most of them. That is, the One who sends disasters is He, and He forgives most of them.)

(Whatever good comes to you comes from Allah [as a grace of His]. Whatever evil befalls you comes from yourself [in return for your sins].) [An-Nisa' 79]

As is seen, this Qur'anic verse says that evil befalls us because of our sins, but it is Allahu ta'ala who creates evil. The verse preceding the above one says that evil, too, is created by Allah. The meaning of this verse is as follows:
(If any good reaches them, they say, “This is from Allah,” but if any evil reaches them, they say, “This happened because of you.” Say: “All things are from Allah.”) [An-Nisa' 78]

It is a condition of faith to believe that it is Allah who creates both good and evil. A hadith-i sharif says:
(A person who does not believe that qadar, good, and evil are from Allah is not a Believer.) [Tirmidhi]

Of the ahl al-bid'ah (people of innovation), some reject qadar, and some reject the fact that good and evil are from Allahu ta'ala. There are people who reduce fundamentals of faith to less than six or who increase them to seven. Moreover, there are even people who say that there is no such thing as the fundamentals of Islam. This stems from the disease of blaming the early scholars and thus trying to rise by treading on them, which is a very abominable act. It is stated in a hadith-i sharif that it is a sign of Doomsday for upstarts to blame the scholars who lived in the past with a view to make reform in the religion. Our Master the Prophet stated, "Scholars are the inheritors of the Messenger of Allah." Does blaming the scholars of old, who are the inheritors of the Messenger of Allah, not sadden the Messenger of Allah, the owner of inheritors? One must recover from the disease of blaming the early scholars.

Both Good and Evil Are from Allah 11 Jul 2011 11:22 AM (13 years ago)

Question: A man says, "Good is from Allah, but evil is not from Him. Humans themselves create evil. People, however, included the belief that evil is from Allah in the Amantu [formula of faith] as well, though there is no such thing in the Qur'anic verses or Prophetic sayings." Please explain this topic with Qur'anic verses and traditions.

ANSWERThat both good and evil are from Allah is clearly stated in the Qur'an al-karim and hadith-i sharifs. All Islamic scholars to date, without exception, said that good and evil are from Allah. The belief that evil is not from Allah is the view held by the followers of Christianity, the Mu'tazilah, and some heretical sects. No Ahl as-Sunnah scholar stated that evil was not from Allah because no scholar can say anything against the Qur'an al-karim and hadith-i sharifs. Humans cannot create their own qadar. As a matter of fact, the Qur'an al-karim says (what means):

(If any good reaches them, they say, “This is from Allah,” but if any evil befalls them, they say, “This happened because of you.” Say: “All things are from Allah.” What is wrong with these people that they do not understand any word?) [An-Nisa' 78]

(We decreed that the wife of Lut should undergo torment.) [Al-Hijr 60] (That is, We wrote her such a bad qadar.)

(Those for whom We decreed a good end [those whose qadar is good] will be kept away from Hell.) [Al-Anbiya' 101]

(If Allah were hasty in sending evil to the people, as they are hasty in seeking good, all of them would certainly have been ruined. However, We leave those who do not expect to meet Us wandering in their transgression.) [Yunus 11]

(Your Lord creates what He wants, chooses what He wills. They do not have the right to choose.) [Al-Qasas 68]

(It is Allah who creates you and what you do.) [As-Saffat 96]

(The Creator of everything is Allah.) [Az-Zumar 62; Al-Mu'min 62]

Hadrat Qadi Baydawi, the greatest of mufassirun (those who make a tafsir of the Qur'an al-karim), explained this verse as follows:
"It is Allahu ta'ala alone who creates good and evil, belief and disbelief, and everything. All things are at His disposal."

Our Master the Prophet clarified the Qur'anic verses about faith and stated:
(Iman [faith] is to believe in Allah, angels, books, prophets, the Day of Resurrection [that is, Paradise, Hell, the Reckoning, and the Balance], qadar, that good and evil are from Allah, death, and the Resurrection after death. It is to bear witness that there is no god but Allah and that I am His servant and messenger.) [Bukhari, Muslim, Nasai]

(Allahu ta'ala said: "Whoever believes in Me but does not believe in qadar and that good and evil are by My preordainment, let him look for another Lord besides Me.") [Shirazi]

(A person is not considered a Believer unless he believes that good and evil are from Allah.) [Tirmidhi]

As is seen, it is Allah and His Messenger who included the belief "Good and evil are from Allah" in the Amantu. The deviant sect called the Jabriyyah, looking at these verses, said, "It is Allah who makes us commit sins. We are not responsible for the sins." Of course this is wrong, too. According to Ahl as-Sunnah, humans have partial will (al-iradah al-juz'iyyah), and they are responsible for the sins they commit.

Hadrat Imam-i Rabbani declares:
Belief and disbelief, good and evil, guidance and aberration, obedience and sins are all by the creation, preordainment, and will of Allahu ta'ala. He has linked rewards and sins to the deeds of humans. He has left humans to their free will and made punishment and rewards dependent on the use of free will, which is termed kasb (acquirement). Kasb is from humans, and creating it is from Allah. Kasb is those actions we do with our own free will.

Just as Allahu ta'ala's knowing in the eternal past what He would create does not cancel His attribute will, so His knowing in the eternal past what humans would do does not prevent them from having free will and option.

The reason why Allahu ta'ala has laid down commandments and prohibitions is that humans have been given kasb (the heart's option and partial free will in their actions). If kasb had not been bestowed upon them, these commandments and prohibitions would have been unnecessary (never!). The promises of torment and blessings would have been wrong (never!). And prophets' and holy books' being sent would have been altogether out of place (never!). As it is seen, the purpose of the above-mentioned man is to eradicate the religions.

Allahu ta'ala definitely knows everythingWe have proved above with Qur'anic verses and Prophetic sayings the fact that good and evil are from Allah. Now we will give answers to the following assertion: "If Allah knows whether people will go to Paradise or Hell, then why does He hold them responsible? If He knows where we will go, why did He send us the great Qur'an? Why did He enjoin us commandments and prohibitions? There is no such thing as qadar. Everybody shapes his/her own qadar."

The answers to all these assertions exist in the Qur'an al-karim, and Islamic scholars explained them.

To start with, let us ask this:
Does Allah not know whether a person will go to Paradise or Hell? Can the one who does not know it be a god? How can so many verses existing in the Qur'an be denied? Following the usual strategy "Just throw mud. If it does not stick, it will leave a mark," he is talking through his hat in the hope that he may trap some unwary people.

Who creates evil?It is written in Maktubat-i Rabbani:

Hadrat Imam-i A'zam asked Hadrat Imam-i Ja'far-i Sadiq:
"Has Allahu left humans' optional deeds to their wish?"
"No, He does not leave His rububiyyah [greatness of creating and doing whatever He wants] to His weak servants," he said in response.

"Then does He make His servants do deeds by force?" he asked.
"He is just. He does not compel His servants to commit sins and then put them into Hell," he responded.
"Then who is doing the optional deeds of humans?" he inquired.
"He neither forces them nor leaves them to their wish. It is something between these two. He does not leave creating something to His servants nor forces them," he elucidated.

Abd al-Jabbar Hamadani, a follower of the Mu'tazilah, asked Abu Ishaq Isfaraini, an Ahl as-Sunnah scholar:
"Allah does not will evils and sins; He does not create them. Are these things not created by the Devil?"
"All the good things, evil things, and everything are created by Allah. No one other than He can create anything," he said.

"Does Allah ever will disobedience to Himself?" he asked.
"Could the servants ever be disobedient to Him by force if Allahu ta'ala did not will and create disbelief and sins? Servants use their partial will and wish to commit disbelief, sins, and evils. And Allah creates their wishes, if He wills to do so," was his answer.

"If Allah did not will guidance for a servant, though he/she wants it, would He not be harming him/her?" he asked.
"He does not will not to give a servant's right, but He may not will to take His own right. He will reward for the tiniest goodness done. He forgives most of the sins except for disbelief. As for the question why He wills disbelief, Allahu ta'ala has knowledge, and He knows everything that will happen in the future. He is Hakeem; whatsoever He does and makes, it is always the best that can ever be done and made. He guides whomever He wills to the true way of salvation. He leaves in aberration a servant about whom He has knowledge that he will not renounce it. A Qur'anic verse says:
(He leaves to stray whom He wills and guides whom He wills.) [Fatir 8]

Allahu ta'ala creates good and evil after humans will them. The will power of man is a cause for His creation. When Believers will faith and obedience through their partial will, Allahu ta'ala wills and creates them. When disbelievers will disbelief and sinners will sins, He creates them if He wills to do so. Nothing comes into existence only with the will of servants. It exists if He, too, wills. A fly cannot move its wing unless Allah wills it to move it. All the good and evil deeds of people happen by His will. When a human wills to do something, it does not take place if He does not will it to take place. Something He does not will to exist does not exist. If it existed after all, it would mean some drawbacks in His power. However, Allahu ta'ala is omnipotent.

What does hidâyah mean? 8 Jun 2011 3:01 PM (13 years ago)

ANSWER
It never does. By saying so, you are accusing all Islamic scholars of giving wrong meaning (never!) to hidâyah. However, Allahu ta’âlâ declares, “If you do not know, ask scholars.” Our master the Prophet states, “Scholars are my and the other prophets’ inheritors.”

Thus far, none of the Islamic scholars has declared the meaning of that word to be reaching Allah. Of the such scholars as the founders of four madhhabs (namely, Imâm-i A’zam, Imâm-i Mâlik, Imâm-i Shâfi’î, Imâm-i Ahmad), great scholars within madhhabs (such as Imâm-i Ghazâlî, Imâm-i Rabbânî, Imâm-i Abû Yûsuf, Imâm-i Muhammad, Imâm-i Nawawî) or other awliyâ’ with hundreds of wonders (such as Sayyid Abdul Qâdir Gailanî, Junayd al-Baghdâdî), which one said hidâyah meant to reach Allah? Which mufassir wrote in his tafsîr book that hidâyah was to reach Allah? Out of thousands of scholars, even one scholar cannot be put forth.
What is the reason for the animosity towards Islamic savants? Isn’t the reason for it that they explained hidâyah as Islam and that they conveyed the commandments and prohibitions of the religion exactly as our master Rasûlullah communicated? Why do they not refer to Islamic scholars instead of heretics?
Have the religion of Islam come incompletely until today? Some aberrant people say, “Islam had been incomplete until our master came. He completed it.” Has Islam come to us incompletely for 1,400 years? Or did Allahu ta’âlâ communicate it incompletely (never!)? Or did our master the Prophet communicate and explain it incompletely (never!)?
Hidâyah does not mean a path. That is, it does not mean a way, path or a bridge. Hidâyah means Islam. Islam, on the other hand, means the true path shown by Allahu ta’âlâ. Therefore, hidâyah is explained to be the true path. Its antonym is dalâlah, deviating.
Hidâyah is to see right as right and wrong as wrong and to enter the right path; to keep away from deviating and false path; to have îmân and to become a Muslim.
Hidâyah is the religion and the path that Allahu ta’âlâ wants.
Since the word path explains it well, all Islamic scholars declared hidâyah to be path. All the translations of the Qur’ân on the market, true and wrong ones alike, have given hidâyah the meaning of true path, that is, they have said that it is Islam. They have not fabricated such an odd meaning as “reaching.”
Hidâyah is to become a Muslim, to accept the religion of Islam. Islam itself is the true path. Then hidâyah means the true path. Two âyat-i karîmas purport:
(You cannot make whom you like reach hidâyah. But Allah gives hidâyah to whom He wills.) [Sûrat-ul-Qasas, 56]
(Whomever Allah wills to guide to hidâyah, He expands his breast for Islam.) [Sûrat-ul-An’âm, 125]
Two hadîth-i sharîfs purport:
(Allahu ta’âlâ has sent me as compassion and hidâyah for the worlds.) [Abû Nu’aym]
(It is not within my power to give hidâyah. Shaitan, on his part, shows what Allahu ta’âlâ has prohibited as being ornate and enticing. But it is not within his power to make one deviate, either.) [I. ‘Adiy]

The number of the fundamentals of îmân is not seven
Question: Is it true to say, “It is îmân to have faith in a soul’s being reached Allah. The fundamentals of îmân are seven. Sharr (evil) is not from Allah but from nafs”?

ANSWER
Saying that evil is from nafs means that there are associates in Allah’s Attribute of Creativeness. Allahu ta’âlâ sends us afflictions owing to our sins, but we do not create the afflictions. We deserve them; as a result, Allahu ta’âlâ punishes us. Allah does not oppress His born slaves.
(If any good reaches them, they say, “This is from Allah,” but if any evil reaches them, they say, “This happened because of you.” Say: “Kullun min ‘Indillaah [All things are from Allah].” What is the matter with these people that they do not understand what they are told?) [Sûrat-un-Nisâ, 78]

Question: Isn’t there the expression “reaching Allah before death” at the end of the Arabic hadîth of îmân? Have the translators not added this part?

ANSWER
There has not been a lie of this kind. One cannot reach Allah before death.
The hadîth of îmân in Arabic is as follows:
(Âmantu bi’llâhi wa malâ’ikatihî wa kutubihî wa rusulihî wal-yawm-il-âkhiri wa bil-qadari khairihî wa sharrihî minallâhi ta’âlâ walba’thu ba’d-al-mawt haqqun ash-hadu an lâ ilâha illallâh wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan ’abduhu wa Rasûluhu.) [Bukhârî, Muslim, Nasâî]
Sharrihî minallâhi ta’âlâ = Sharr is from Allah.
How can one deny this well-known hadîth?
Its English translation is the following:
(I have belief in Allah, in His angels, in His books, in His prophets, in the Last Day [that is, to have belief in Paradise, Hell, Judgement, Mîzân], in qadar and that good (khair) and evil (sharr) are from Allahu ta’âlâ, in death and Resur-rection. I bear witness that there is no ilâh except Allah and that Muhammad “alaihisslâm” is His born slave and Messenger.) [Bukhârî, Muslim, Nasâî]

Reaching Allah before death 8 Jun 2011 2:55 PM (13 years ago)

Question: Wherever they see the word “hidâyah” in the Qur’ân, some people, somehow, say it means a soul’s reaching Allah before death. Actually, are there any âyât or hadîths that are in accordance with this definition? What is “reaching Allah”?

ANSWERNo, there is not such an âyat or a hadîth. Nor did any Islamic scholars say such a thing.
Hidâyah has these senses: the true path, the righteous path, Islam. Its opposite is dalâlah [going astray, deviating]. Hidâyah is to enter the right path after seeing right as right and wrong as wrong; it is to turn away from dalâlah and wrong path, to have îmân and to become a Muslim.
Al-Hâdî and al-Mahdî, two of the Beautiful Names of Allah, denote the One who provides hidâyah, who guides to the right path.
There is not such an expression as “reaching Allah,” but there is such an expression as “meeting Allah.” However, it does not mean “a soul’s reaching Allah before death.” The scholars of tafsîr explain “meeting Allah” as follows:
(Those who [deny the Resurrection] do not expect to meet Us [to be questioned], who are content with [as they are heedless of the Hereafter] and take comfort [preferring this world to the next] from worldly life, and who are unaware of Our âyât [proofs that show the existence of the Creator] will go to Hell because of what they have committed [because of their sins].) [Sûrat-u Yûnus, 7-8]
(To deny the meeting with Allah after death is to deny the Rising after death.)
The following are the purport of some verses that contain the word hidâyah:
(Inna hudallaahi huwal hudaa = Allah’s path of hidâyah [Islam] is the true path through and through.) The proper English translation of this âyat is: (The true path is only Allah’s path.) [Sûrat-ul-Baqara, 120]
(In-nalhudaa hudal-laahi = The true path is without doubt Allah’s path.) [Sûrat-u Âl-i ‘Imrân, 73]
(Ulaaikal-ladheena hadaahumul-laahu = Those are the ones whom Allah has guided to hidâyah [whom Allah has guided to the true path.) [Sûrat-uz-Zumar, 18]
(Wal-ladheena-h-tadaw zaadahum hudaa = Allah increases the hidâyah of those who have attained it [who have entered the true path].) [Sûrat-u Muhammad, 17]
(Wa man yu’min bil-laahi yahdi qalbahuu = Whoever believes in Allah, Allah guides his hearth towards hidâyah [truth].) [Sûrat-ut-Taghâbun, 11]
(Wa yazeedul-laahul-ladheena-h-tadaw hudaa = Allah increases the hidâyah of those who have attained it [who have attained îmân].) [Sûrat-u Maryam, 76]
(Wallaahu yahdee man yashaau ilaa siraatin mustaqeem = Allah provides hidâyah for whom He wills to the right path [makes him reach the right path].) [Sûrat-ul-Baqara, 213]
(Sayahdeehim = He makes them reach hidâyah [makes them reach the right path].) [Sûrat-u Muhammad, 5]
(Hadaanaa li haadhaa wa maa kunnaa li nahtadee = If Allah had not given us hidâyah, we could not have attained it on our own.) [Sûrat-ul-A’râf, 43]
(Ulaaikalladheena-sh-taraw-ud-dalaalata bil hudaa = Those are the ones who have bought aberration instead of truth.) [Sûrat-ul-Baqara, 175]
(Innaka laa tahdee man ahbabta wa laakin-nallaaha yahdee man yashaau = You cannot make whom you like reach hidâyah [you cannot make whom you like a Muslim]. But Allah gives hidâyah to whom He wills.) [Sûrat-ul-Qasas, 56]
(Wallaahu laa yahdil qawmaZZaalimeen = Allah does not guide the zâlimîn to the hidâyah.) [Sûrat-ut-Tawba, 19]
(Laysa ‘alayka hudaahum = It is not your duty to make them reach hidâyah.) [Sûrat-ul-Baqara, 272]
In addition to them, the purport of some hadîth-i sharîfs is as follow:
(Each of my Ashâb is like a star in the sky. If you follow any one of them, you will attain hidâyah [the true path].) [Dârimî, Bayhaqî, Ibni ‘Adiy, Munawî]
(My Lord revealed: “O My Messenger! Your Ashâb are like the celestial stars. Some of them are more luminous. He who follows any one of them is on hidâyah.) [Daylamî]
(He who causes a person to attain hidâyah [who causes a person to have îmân] goes to Paradise.) [Bukhârî]
(Join the suhba of those pious scholars who strive to make people attain hidâyah and keep them away from dalâlah.) [I. Mâwardî]

Giving improper names to Muslims 28 May 2011 5:27 AM (13 years ago)

Giving improper names to a Muslim or calling a Muslim an improper name given by others is not permissible. Rasulullah ‘sall-Allahu ’alaihi wa sal-lam’ states in a hadith-i-sharif: “A person who has an improper name should change it to a good name.” For example, the name ‘Asiya’ ought to be replaced with ‘Jamila’. It is permissible to give nice names to Muslims. Children should not be given eulogistic names such as Rashid and Amin. Names like Muhyiddin or Nuruddin would be fictitious and neulogistic (bid’at). It is an act of makruh to call sinners, ignoramuses and apostates with names of this sort, which are eulogistic and laudatory. Nor can they be used in their figurative subsenses. Some (Islamic scholars) expressed their deductions as to the vindicability of giving such names to your children for being blessed with the auspicious connotations inherent in their meanings. It is permissible and useful to use these names for those scholars who are renowned for their piety.

[Famous scholar Ibn al-Abidin ‘rahimahullahu ta’ala’ states in the fifth fascicle of his book Radd-ul-Muhtar that the best and most proper names for Muslim children are Abdullah, then Abdurrahman, then Muhammad, then Ahmad and then Ibrahim in the order of priority. It is also permissible to give names of Allahu ta’ala such as Ali, Rashid, ’Aziz. However, names of this level will have be uttered with due reverence. A person who knowingly shows disrespect while mentioning these names becomes a disbeliever. For example, saying “Abdulkoydur” instead of Abdulqadir, or “Hasso” instead of Hasan, or “Ibo” instead of Ibrahim would be degrading these names. Even though saying these words would not cause disbelief when one does not intend to degrade them, it is better to avoid using such words which would verge on disbelief. If a child dies immediately after birth, it should not be buried without giving a name. Even though the name ’Abdunnabi is permissible, it is better not to use it. Hadrat Sayyid Abdulhakim Arwasi ‘rahimahullahu ta’ala’ preached for twenty-five years after late afternoon prayer every Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday at the Bayazid mosque in Istanbul until he passed away in the year 1362 hijri qamari, [1943 A.D.] During one of his preaches he stated: “A child has three rights on his parents: giving a Muslim name at birth; teaching him reading/writing, knowledge (’ilm), and crafts upon reaching the age of discretion; and marrying him when he reaches the age of puberty.” Some degenerate people in Europe and America are raised in an irreligious and non-ethical manner and are given fake diplomas and scholarly titles and then sent to Islamic countries. These ignorant disbelivers are appointed to high schools and universities as teachers or professors. They trap Muslim children with their position and make them irreligious and non-madhhabite. These children influenced by them easily become murderers and traitors. Those parents who send their sons and daughters to these schools are throwing their children to the Hell with their own hands.]

A BIOGRAPHY of HADRAT IMÂM RABBÂNÎ AHMAD FÂRÛQÎ SERHENDÎ ‘quddisa sirruh’ 28 May 2011 2:44 AM (13 years ago)

Marriage and the Rights of Spouses 26 May 2011 3:04 PM (13 years ago)

People of wisdom state:In order to be successful, we should not argue with or speak ill of or pick on anyone, for in such a case there is a danger that we may hurt a person's feelings (may Allah forbid!). Hadrat Imam an-Nawawi was both a scholar and a dear servant of Allah. However, he never got married. When people asked him, "Sir, you carry out all the obligatory and voluntary obligations and duties. But why do you not marry and follow this Prophetic practice [sunnah]?" he said in reply:

"I feel anxious that I may fall into forbidden actions while I am trying to perform a Prophetic practice. I fear greatly that I may hurt my wife's feelings or I may not earn sustenance through lawful means. Such fears are the reasons why I abstain from marrying. Is it possible not to be fearful of incurring divine punishment?"
It is not meant by these statements that people must not get married. Rather, marriage is a great blessing. A married person saves half of his religion, but at the same time he must not forget his spouse's rights. He who has learnt Islam fully and lives by it should not fear at all. However, he who has learnt or practices it wrongly will never be free from trouble and disasters. Problems and worries will not end in a house unless family members read a true Islamic book and put it into practice.

The lady whom a man marries is not a slave or a servant. Then what is her status? Our religious superiors stated: "Allahu ta'ala sent down from Paradise to the earth a blessing. But this blessing is not a copy of its original, but the real, genuine form itself. This blessing is a pious wife. A devout wife who wears hijab, guards her chastity, and performs acts of worship is a real blessing from Paradise."
One can only respect and love such a blessing of Paradise. Marriage is a beneficent gift, but married people have been put under a great responsibility. As a matter of fact, the most distressing questioning in the next world will be about human rights. Even prophets were afraid of the seventh question to be asked at the Sirat Bridge, which will be about the rights of human beings.

What is meant by the hadith-i sharif "Die before death" is as follows:

Our eyes will be opened in the Hereafter, and we will see all the facts. We will bitterly regret, but it will be of no avail. Then we must be regretful now before having regrets that day. We must feel sorry for the time we wasted doing nothing, for the sins we committed, for our misbehavior that hurt other people's feelings, that is, for all of our actions that were against our religion, because the time of regret will certainly come. We should assume that what will befall us after death has befallen us now and accustom ourselves to it. All of what is preached here today will actually happen in the world to come. For this reason, we should emigrate from this world to the next with preparations made in advance so that we may not be surprised there.

Ashq, love, and passion 26 May 2011 2:29 PM (13 years ago)

AWRAT PARTS TO BE COVERED 23 May 2011 3:05 AM (13 years ago)

Parts of the body that men and women are to cover during salat and elsewhere are called ‘awrat parts’. If a person says that Islam does not prescribe a certain part in the name of awrat, he becomes an unbeliever. Some parts of the body are awrat according to the ijma’ (unanimity, consessu) of all four Madhhabs [1], (and these awrat parts vary with sex).

If a person flouts the importance of covering these parts of his (or her) body or of not looking at others’ exposed awrat parts, i.e. if he (or she) does not feel any fear concerning the torment (that will be incrurred by the violation of this prohibition), he (or she) becomes a disbeliever. In a man’s body, parts between the pelvis and the knees are not awrat in the Madhhab of Hanbali.

If a person says, “I am a Muslim,” he has to learn Islam’s tenets and the actions that are fard (obligatory) and those that are haram (forbidden) with the consensus (ijma’) of the four Madhhabs, and he has to pay due importance to this matter. Not to know is not a valid excuse. It is identical with intentional unbelief.

A woman’s entire body, with the exception of her hands and face, is awrat according to all four Madhhabs. So is the case with a woman’s exposing her awrat parts, singing, or saying (aloud the eulogy called) Mawlid in the presence of men. If a person slightingly exposes a part of his body which is awrat not with ijma’, i.e. which is not awrat in one of the other three Madhhabs, (though it is awrat according to his own Madhhab and two of the other three Madhhabs,) he will have committed a grave sin though this violation will not make him an unbeliever. An example of this is a man’s exposing his legs between the pelvis and the knees, (which are, as we have already said, not awrat in the Hanbali though they are awrat in the other three Madhhabs).

It is fard to learn the Islamic tenets that you do not know. As soon as you learn them, you must make tawba and cover your awrat parts. Lying, gossip, backbiting, slander, theft, cheating, treachery, hurting someone’s feelings, mischief-making, using someone’s property without permission, not paying a laborer’s or porter’s due, rebellion, that is, opposing the laws and the government’s orders, and not paying that are not so commonly spread or indispensable so as to be known by him, he is not in disbelief (kufr) but sinful (fisq).


[1] madhhab: all of what a profound ‘alim of (especially) Fiqh (usually one of the four-Hanafi, Shafi’i, Maliki, Hanbali) or iman (one of the two, namely Ash-ari, Maturidi) communicated

Whoever is for Allah, Allah will be for him 23 May 2011 2:58 AM (13 years ago)

Being unable to find a marriage partner 22 May 2011 8:26 AM (13 years ago)

Question: I am a 30-year-old female who have not been able to get married, though having no ethical or physical faults and defects. People around me are gossiping about me, saying, "She has been left on the shelf." I am in this situation through no fault of my own. Is it from qadar, too?

ANSWERThe heretical sect called the Jabriyyah puts the blame on qadar. As for the Mu'tazilite sect, it denies the role of qadar. Everything happens by the will and preordainment of Allahu ta'ala. Qadar is always from Allahu ta'ala, whether it is good or bad, sweet or dismal. Qadar is Allahu ta'ala's foreknowing in eternal past the things that will take place. Qada' is His creating anything just compatibly with qadar when the time comes.

After one takes measures and applies proper means, if one is not blessed with the lot of marriage, it will be wrong to distress oneself because of it. "Nasibuke yusibuke," as the saying goes. It means, "If something was preordained for you, you will certainly obtain it."

In order to be freed from troubles, to perform acts of worship comfortably, and to refrain from prohibited things, it is necessary to make du'a (supplication, prayer) with patience. Our Master the Prophet stated, "Du'a is the weapon of a Believer" (Ibn Abi ad-Dunya).

In addition to it, it is declared in the Qur'an al-karim, "O you who believe! Seek help from Allah through patience and salat" (Al-Baqarah 153).

As is seen, patience, salat, and du'a are of great importance. Trouble befalls man because of his insistence on some things. One should take precautions but should not rely on precautions, for precautions cannot thwart Allah's decree. It is fard to submit to Allah's decree and preordainment and to believe in it. It is declared in a hadith-i sharif:
(Being pleased with qadar is a sign of happiness. Being displeased with it is a sign of unhappiness.) [Tirmidhi]

Hadrat Muhammad Ma'thum says:
Worries and grief that befall man come by divine will and preordainment, so he should be pleased with them. He should keep performing acts of worship, endure worries and diseases with patience, and expect welfare from Allah's grace. He should not expect anything from creatures and should know well that everything comes from Allahu ta'ala. He should make supplication and ask for forgiveness so as to be delivered from grief and troubles. No one can harm anyone except by His will and decree. Nevertheless, applying means is the way of prophets. He should also ask Allahu ta'ala to give effectiveness to means. (Vol. 1, Letter 72)

Does Qadar Change? 21 May 2011 1:08 AM (13 years ago)

Question: Does du'a (supplication, prayer) change qadar? What is the meaning of the statement "If Allah has written it, let Him erase it"? Is it also from qadar to will a person to supplicate? What is the length of time that qadar continues to exist? Is it eternal in the past or eternal in the future? Does qadar have a qadar, too?

ANSWERTo start with, one should know qada', qadar, and their kinds. Qadar is Allahu ta'ala's knowing in the eternal past the things that will happen. Qada' is His creating the things existing in qadar when the time comes. That is, qadar is like a payroll. Qada' is like distribution of wages. Allahu ta'ala knows what all people will do, where and how they will die. It is termed qadar. The Qur'an al-karim says (what means):
(Allah knows what they did and what they will do.) [Al-Baqarah 255]

If a movie is screened many times and if a person watching it before says while watching it the third time, "The leading actor will fall off the horse and die," will the performer die because one member of the audience said so, or does he knows it because he watched it before?

The times when the sun will rise and set in a year are calculated and written on charts and timetables. The sun rises and sets at those times written on charts and timetables. However, it does not rise or set at those times as they were written beforehand so. Their having been written does not affect its rising or setting. Likewise, Allahu ta'ala knows what will befall humans, and He wrote it in al-Lawh al-Mahfuz. A Qur'anic verse says:

(Allah knows the place where every living creature stands and where it will be left in the end. All of them are in a clear book [Al-Lawh al-Mahfuz].) [Hud 6]
Qadar is divided into two categories: qadar that may change and qadar that does not change. For example, the appointed time of death that does not change is called ajal al-musamma. It is declared in a Qur'anic verse:
(Death is never late even for a moment, nor does it come before time is up.) [Al-A'raf 34]

A person's lifetime and sustenance (rizq) may change according to his deeds. The Qur'an al-karim says (what means):
(Allah erases what He wishes, and He does not change what He does not wish to. Umm-ul-kitab [al-Lawh al-Mahfuz] is with Him.) [Ar-Ra'd 39]

Umm-ul-kitab is the name of the Divine word, which is eternal. Angels cannot understand it. It is not with time. No one but Allah knows it. It never ceases to exist. As for al-Lawh al-Mahfuz, there are changes in it. Angels see it. A person's lifetime and sustenance may be changed on account of his deeds. The good may be changed into evil and the evil into good. Another Qur'anic verse says:
(Verily, lifetimes of all and the shortening of lifetimes are recorded in the Book.) [Fatir 11]

The qada' and qadar that may change are termed qada al-mu'allaq. If a person does a good deed and his du'a is accepted, qada' can change. It is declared in hadith-i sharifs:

(Nothing can change the qada al-mu'allaq. Only du'a can change it.) [Hakim]

(Qadar does not change by taking precautions or avoiding. But a du'a that is accepted protects one against an approaching catastrophe.) [Tabarani]

(Silat-ur-rahm [upholding the ties of kinship] lengthens one's lifetime.) [Tabarani]

The recording of qadar in al-Lawh al-Mahfuz is qada'. If the disaster predestined for a person is qada' al-mu'allaq and if it had been predestined also that the person would pray, he prays and, when the prayer is accepted, it prevents the disaster. Du'a's repelling the catastrophe is also within qada' and qadar. As an umbrella is a shield against rain, so du'a acts as a shield against disasters.

Ajal al-musamma (time of death that does not change) does not change, but ajal al-qada' (time of death that is conditional) may change. Let us give an example:
Two people came to Hadrat Dawud and complained about each other. Azrail (Angel of Death) 'alaihis-salam came to him and said, "One of these two people has one week before his death. The other's lifetime was over a week ago, but he did not die." When Hadrat Dawud was astonished and asked the reason why, he answered, "The latter had a relative who was offended with him. He visited him and reconciled himself with him. For this reason, Allahu ta'ala decreed to add 20 years to his lifetime.) (The booklet titled Al-Lawh Al-Mahfuz and Umm-ul-kitab)

What are a nabî and a rasûl? 21 May 2011 12:59 AM (13 years ago)

Khidir ‘alaihis-salâm 20 May 2011 5:56 AM (13 years ago)

Finding the True Path and Qadar 20 May 2011 12:49 AM (13 years ago)

Question: Some people say, "Embracing Islam and finding the true path are something related to qada' and qadar." Since it is Allah who creates qadar, why does He create other people unfortunate? Is His creating so compatible with justice?

ANSWER: Allahu ta'ala does not create anyone a disbeliever. He knows with His eternal knowledge all the things that happened and will happen. For example, He knows whether or not a certain disbeliever will remain a disbeliever forever. He knows all the things that will happen the way they will happen. Let us explain this issue with an example: The times when the sun will rise and set during a year are calculated and written on charts and timetables. And the sun rises and sets at those times written beforehand. However, the reason why it rises or sets at calculated times is not that they were written so on charts and timetables. Their having been written does not affect sunrise or sunset. Because Allahu ta'ala foreknows what will befall humans, He recorded it in al-Lawh al-Mahfuz. The reason why Allahu ta'ala has stated that some people will be unfortunate is that they want to remain in disbelief of their own volition and do not want to believe. They do not remain in disbelief as Allahu ta'ala has informed us about it. The Qur'an al-karim says (what means):

(By Allahu ta'ala, who gave the nafs good and evil [ability to obey and disobey, that is, the right to choose one of them; partial will], he who has purified his nafs and who has purged it of disbelief and disobedience has been saved. He who has left it in them has suffered a loss.) [Ash-Shams 7-10]

Humans are free in using their partial will. They are not compelled. That is, if they use their partial will in goodness, Allahu ta'ala creates goodness. If they spend it in evil, He creates evil. Humans use their partial will, and Allahu ta'ala creates [what they want]. (The pamphlet "Iradah al-Juz'iyyah")
This means to say that He creates goodness for him who wills it, and that person is considered fortunate. He creates evil for him who wills it, and that person is considered unfortunate. There is no compulsion. In other words, Allahu ta'ala does not force anyone to sin. Nor does He guide anyone to Hell by force. In conclusion, there is nothing incompatible with justice.

Words and Actions That Cause Disbelief 20 May 2011 12:37 AM (13 years ago)

The following are some words and actions that cause a Muslim to fall into kufr (disbelief, apostasy). We have quoted them from Zawajir by Hadrat Ibn Hajar al-Makki, Hadiqa, Bariqa, Birghiwi, Miftah-ul Janna, Maktubat-i Rabbani, Endless Bliss, and Ibn 'Abidin.

1. Attributing Allahu ta'ala with a non-befitting attribute causes disbelief. For example, it is disbelief to say "Allah knows that I did not do it" to refer to something one did or to say "Allah knows that I did it" to refer to something one did not do, if there is no extreme necessity to say so. Uttering such a statement means imputing ignorance to Allahu ta'ala.

2. Saying "Allah is wise, conscious, and thinks well" means likening Him to His creation, which is disbelief.

3. Making derogatory remarks about prophets or making fun of them causes disbelief. Examples of this category of disbelief are as follows: saying "The first human was wild" to refer to Hadrat Adam or considering a wali higher than a prophet or saying "If what the Prophet said is true, we have attained salvation."

Such statements, too, cause disbelief: "Only the Qur'an" or "I do not accept any sources except the Qur'an" or "There is no need for any sources other than the Qur'an" or "The Prophet is a postman. His mission is over."
4. It is disbelief to claim that a prophet will succeed our Master the Prophet. ('Isa 'alaihis-salam will come but not as a prophet.)

5. Making disparaging remarks about angels is disbelief. For example, such statements are included in this category: "In my opinion, your look is like Azrail" or "I would not believe it even if Jibrael said it" or "If you do not discipline your children well, they will be Zabanis."

6. Insulting the words of, the fiqh books of, and the fatwas of Islamic scholars instead of respecting them causes disbelief. Examples of disbelief of this kind include: to claim, for instance, that the qiyas performed by Imam-i A'zam is not valid or to fling a fatwa on the ground or to hurl the books of hadith and tafsir on the ground.

7. It is an act of disbelief to make mockery of the events that will take place in the Hereafter. To say, for instance, "I do not want Paradise. I want Hell because all prostitutes will be there."

8. It causes disbelief not to believe, not to like, or not to attach importance to any of Allahu ta'ala's commandments and prohibitions, that is, any of the Islamic facts that have been communicated clearly by the Qur'an al-karim and hadith-i sharifs and have spread everywhere by means of the books of Islamic scholars and thus must be believed in indispensably. To say, for instance, "I do not believe in genies and evil eye because I do not see them" causes disbelief.

9. It is an act of disbelief to say the Basmala while eating or drinking something that is definitely known to be haram. To say the Basmala, for instance, while drinking wine or eating pork causes disbelief. However, it does not cause disbelief to say the Basmala while eating something that has been obtained by way of theft because what is haram in this case is not that which is eaten but theft itself.

10. It is an act of disbelief to do or use the things that are symptoms of disbelief, symptoms of denying and disbelieving Islam. It is wajib on us to debase them. Also, he who does or uses one of them that is commonly known without knowing or as a joke or to make people laugh becomes a disbeliever. For example, it causes disbelief to wear the robe-like girdle called zunnar, which is worn by priests. One's using them to make others laugh causes disbelief too, even if one might have correct faith. (Bariqa)

11. It is disbelief to say that the earth exists without a beginning and an end, as did the Greek philosophers.

12. Using such expressions as "Islamic thought" or "Islamic theory" or "Islamic view" to mean the Islamic religion causes disbelief. [A thought means a solution that is considered to deal with a situation or means a compared result. A view means a thought, too. A theory means an idea based on mental and intellectual principles. Islamic scholars state that attributing Allah with man's created attributes, such as mind, consciousness, memory, and thought, causes disbelief.]

13. It is an act of disbelief to call Allahu ta'ala's commandments and prohibitions "divine thoughts" or "divine views" or "divine theories" or "divine consciousness." The case is the same with calling the rules in the Qur'an al-karim "Qur'anic views."

14. It is disbelief to like the religious rites or religious festivals of disbelievers, to congratulate them on Christmas if there is no extreme necessity to do so, or to attend services at church.

15. Saying "Those Jews and Christians who believe in Allah will go to Paradise" causes disbelief.

16. It is disbelief to deny mu'jizah and karamah.

17. It causes disbelief to consider halal that which is commonly known as haram or to consider haram that which is commonly known as halal, e.g., to consider lard halal and vinegar haram.

18. It is an act of disbelief to throw a piece of paper on which is written a Qur'anic verse, the Basmala, the name of an angel or a prophet in the toilet, on filth. Also, cursing the mouth a Muslim with the words of defecation and urination is an act of disbelief.

19. If someone says to a Muslim, "O, you, disbeliever," it causes disbelief to say "Yes" by accepting it.

20. To say "A slice of bread is better than Islamic knowledge" causes disbelief because one holds Islamic knowledge in contempt with this statement.

21. It is disbelief to think, "I will become a Christian sometime later." A Muslim woman becomes a disbeliever (an apostate) at the moment she makes up her mind to marry a Christian man. Similarly, a Muslim man becomes a disbeliever at the moment he makes up his mind to marry an atheistic woman.

22. If one is afflicted by a severe illness and supplicates, "O my Allah, take my soul, as a disbeliever if You like," it causes disbelief.

23. It is disbelief to say, "O my Allah, You have taken my child. Now do whatever You are able to."

24. When someone with long nails is told, "It is sunnat to cut nails," if he answers "So what?" he becomes a disbeliever. It causes disbelief not because he does not cut his nails but because he treats a sunnat as unimportant.

25. To say "Uttering 'insha-Allah' or 'masha-Allah' or performing salat does not fill one's stomach. Things do not take place by saying 'insha-Allah' or 'masha-Allah'" is disbelief. One dislikes and mocks the order of our religion by uttering such statements. Insha-Allah means "by the permission of Allah." Nothing takes places except by His permission. Therefore, it is necessary to believe that good and evil are from Allah. It is disbelief to reject the fact that evil, like good, is from Allah. Man wills an action, and Allahu ta'ala creates it.

26. It is disbelief to say to someone one loves, "You are dearer to me than Allah and the Prophet are."

27. Approval of kufr (disbelief) causes kufr. An example of it is that one does not feel sad that one's children have become disbelievers, e.g., to consent to the marriage of one's daughter to a non-Muslim man.

28. When a disbeliever wants to become a Muslim and needs you, it causes disbelief to delay his becoming a Muslim on a plea of some work.

29. It is disbelief to say, "The boorish hand of ajal." (The reason is that ajal [one's appointed time of death] comes by Allah's command. It is disbelief to describe the command of Allah and the duty of Azrail 'alaihis-salam as cruelty.)

30. To respect a disbeliever, e.g., to kiss the hand of a priest out of respect, causes disbelief.

31. It is an act of disbelief to call any of the As-hab-i Kiram a disbeliever (kafir). (The reason for it is that the Qur'an al-karim declares that all of them will go to Paradise. If one calls any of them a disbeliever, then one has not believed what the Qur'an says.)

32. To say, "The disbelievers who suffer oppression will go to Paradise," causes disbelief.

33. It is disbelief to expect thawab from money that is haram. For example, if a woman sacrifices an animal with the money that she earned through prostitution and expects thawab in return for this act of hers, she will fall into disbelief. If she does it without expecting any thawab, it will not be disbelief.

34. To consider Allahu ta'ala as being with place, e.g., to say, like Christians, "Allah sits in the sky" or to say "Some sound has come from the sky" by meaning that that sound has come from Allahu ta'ala or to say "Allah is looking at us from the sky" causes disbelief because such statements mean ascribing a place to Allahu ta'ala. The earth, planets, Paradise, and Hell are not without a beginning. They were created afterwards and are creatures. Allahu ta'ala had existed when the earth and the heavens did not exist. Islamic scholars state that it is permissible to use the statement "Allah is present and overlooking all the time and everywhere eternally." However, since Allahu ta'ala is not with time or with place, this statement is not as it seems to be, but it is a metaphor. That is, it is permissible to say, "Allah is not with time or with place. He is present [exists] and overlooking [sees] without Him being at any place." Otherwise, Allahu ta'ala would be considered to be with time or with place, which is kufr. It is written in the book Miftah-ul Janna: "If one says, 'There is no space that is not filled by Allah" or "Allah is my witness in the sky," one becomes a disbeliever, for he has attributed a place to Him. However, Allah is clear of occupying spaces'" (The Chapter About Kufr).

35. To say, "I do not perform salat, but look at my heart. My heart is pure," is disbelief. (The reason for it is that one treats salat as unimportant by saying so, and considering it unimportant is disbelief. A person's not performing salat means he is committing haram all the time. A committer of haram cannot have a pure heart.)

36. When one says to a person, "Your parents are dark-skinned. How do you have fair skin?" it is disbelief to answer, "I am a faulty design." This statement means to suggest that the Creator has done a faulty deed.

37. To perform acts of worship or to sing nasheeds in a way accompanied by music causes disbelief because nasheeds are ibadah. And mixing something haram into ibadah causes disbelief. Similarly, saying the Basmala while drinking alcohol is disbelief, too.

38. To say about a Muslim, "So-and-so is like a Jew in my eyes," is disbelief.

39. If a Muslim says, for a jocular purpose, about an Islamic book widely acknowledged as reliable that it is old wives' tale or if he says mockingly "May it be halal!" to someone who is committing haram or who is making someone commit haram, he becomes an apostate.

40. A person will lose his faith if he says, "How beautifully you recited!" to a hafiz who recited the Qur'an by tuning it up to musical notes. (Durr-ul-muntaqa)

41. When a person listens to a singer or sees any haram action, he will lose his faith as soon as he says, "How nice!" to refer to that haram. (Maktubat-i Rabbani, Vol. 1, Letter 266)

42. It causes disbelief to use deliberately, not for any other reason—such as from sheer force of habit—such expressions for a human: "He created it" or "He is creative" or "I created it" or "I am the creator." No one, except Allah, is called a creator. The Creator is Allahu ta'ala alone. Such expressions should not be used metaphorically either in the meaning of "making or producing something." Nevertheless, those who use them metaphorically or without malice should not be called disbelievers.

43. He who disbelieves the Islamic knowledge that is indispensable and has been communicated through consensus becomes a disbeliever. Every word, every action signifying disbelief, even if it is done in a jocular manner or unwillingly, is disbelief. (Kitab al–Milal wa al-Nihal)

44. It is disbelief to insult Islamic knowledge and scholars of the Ahl as-Sunnah wa'l-Jama'ah.

45. When someone looking at non-mahram women is advised that it is haram to do so, if he says, 'It is thawab to look at what is beautiful," it is disbelief. With this statement, he does not accept haram and says that it is thawab, as if it were an act of worship. Looking at non-mahram women weakens eyes and darkens heart. It is thawab to like what is lawful and beautiful and to observe Allah's power.

46. It is disbelief to curse the religion and the creed of a Muslim.

Becoming a Disbeliever by Only One Statement 19 May 2011 11:59 PM (13 years ago)

Question: Some people claim, "Sometimes, a statement does not make a person who has uttered it a disbeliever, even though it is a statement of disbelief (alfaz al-kufr). Maybe he has said it not out of disbelief but out of ignorance. If he has not renounced faith by heart, he does not lose his faith simply because of his statement." Is it not disbelief to utter statements of disbelief out of ignorance? Should everybody be ignorant so that he will not fall into disbelief?

ANSWERIgnorance about statements of disbelief is inexcusable. Just as a disbeliever becomes a Believer by saying the Kalima at-Tawhid once, so a Believer becomes a disbeliever by uttering only one statement. A hadith-i sharif says (what means):
(Such a time will come that a person will lose his faith without even noticing it.) [Daylami]

If a Muslim purposely makes a statement or commits an act that he knows Islamic scholars unanimously define as one of the statements or acts that will cause one to become a disbeliever, he will lose his faith, even if the statement has been made or the act has been committed for jocular purpose or without really thinking of its meaning. This sort of disbelief is called kufr-i inadi (disbelief out of obstinacy). Doing so purposely causes one to become a disbeliever, even if one does not know that the statement or the act concerned causes a state of disbelief. In this case the state of disbelief lapsed into is called kufr-i jahli (disbelief out of ignorance). It is fard (obligatory) for every individual Muslim to learn those Islamic facts that they have been enjoined to know. Not to know them is not excusable. A statement of disbelief does not cause one to become a disbeliever only when it is uttered by mistake or in an interpretable way or under duress. (Bariqa, Hadiqa, Majma-ul-anhur)

Question: If a Muslim has made a statement of disbelief, can we consider him a disbeliever?

ANSWERWe are enjoined to have a good opinion of (husn az-zann) Muslims, so we should have a good assumption about him and think, "Maybe he uttered it by mistake. Or he said it in an interpretable way. Or maybe he repented of what he had said." We are not considered sinful because of our good thoughts about him, even if he has not made repentance for what he said.

Hadrat Imam-i Rabbani states:
If a statement or an action of a Muslim signifies 100 meanings 99 of which causing disbelief and one showing that he is a Muslim, it is necessary to take this one meaning and not to call him a disbeliever. (Vol. 3, Letter 38)
This is the case when a statement or an action signifies 100 meanings. If, however, 1 out of 100 statements or actions indicates faith while 99 of them show disbelief, such a person cannot be called a Muslim because if only one statement or action of a person openly shows disbelief, that is, if it does not have a meaning that indicates the presence of faith, he is judged to be a disbeliever. He is not protected from disbelief and is not judged to be a Muslim by his other statements or actions that show the presence of faith in him. (Advice for the Muslim)

Having a good opinion of an apostate

Question: It is written in the book Endless Bliss: "Then, it is useless to say 'Maybe he repented, gave up apostasy' about those dead people who did not believe in Islam when they were alive. Their limbs that perpetrated oppression must do favors. Their tongues must pray, and they must say their last requests in such a manner as to please the oppressed. Those apostates who have not done so will not be thought of as good." What is the use of a disbeliever's or an apostate's doing favors and supplicating?

ANSWERNo thawab (reward) is given in return for the good deeds of disbelievers and apostates. However, some people, when a disbeliever or an apostate has died, say, "Maybe he had made repentance and become a Muslim before he died. We should entertain a good assumption about him." This passage of the book gives an answer to those who say so. That is, it means to say, "In our religion, a person is judged by external criteria. If there are not any signs that he regretted and made repentance, we must not have a good assumption about him and not consider him a Muslim. The signs mentioned herein refer to the actions signifying the opposite of his oppression." To sum up, if we know that he made repentance, then we can have a good assumption about him. If we do not know whether he made repentance, we must not assume that he made repentance. Even if he made repentance, as we do not know anything about his penitence, there is no harm upon us for not having a good opinion of him, for sins committed publicly must be repented of publicly.

The Merchant Whom Allah Loves 19 May 2011 11:55 PM (13 years ago)

People of wisdom state:Allahu ta'ala loves a merchant who is honest in all his transactions. He never loves a liar. Our Master the Prophet said, "A trustworthy and truthful merchant will be raised up with prophets, the truthful, and martyrs on the Day of Resurrection."
Trade is done at a place where Allahu ta'ala sees. Since there is no place Allahu ta'ala does not see, we should not deceive anyone, should always see customers as the right party, should not be trying toward them but rather put up with their trying behavior, and should deem it a blessing to serve them for the pleasure of Allah. We should work for the sake of Allah and ponder whether our Lord is pleased with what we are doing now. Our master the Prophet said the following to Hadrat Bilal al-Habashi before dying:

(O Bilal, go and inform my Ummah that they will be successful in all affairs if they do these three things:
1. Let them be perfectly truthful and let them not deviate from truthfulness.

2. Let them remain in unity and solidarity with each other.

3. Let them correct their intention and do whatever they do for the pleasure of Allah.)
The sin that upsets Allahu ta'ala the most is to break people's hearts. We should not break anyone's heart no matter whether one is a Believer or a disbeliever. We should please people, make them happy, and appreciate their value. We should not regard customers as easy touches, as suckers. Rather, we should regard them as our benefactors.

Buying and selling is contingent on the will of Allah, so we cannot know whether or not the sale will be concluded. We should only employ means, agencies, and ways. We should not do a wrong action, valuing only money. Instead, we should take it as our duty to win people's hearts and to satisfy them. Those who are modest and full of love will be successful in all affairs.

A little greed brings much harm. Acquisitiveness and greed are like two hungry wolves. They gnaw and eat up the greedy, and their lives end in this way. We should be satisfied with what we have and give thanks to Allah for His blessings.

Does a person who is satisfied with what he has not work? Of course he works. If he attracts positive energy and wins du'a [supplication, prayer], no one can catch him, and no one can count his steps. However, if he is fractious, causes others trouble, and is always quarrelling and disagreeing with people, that is, if he is the one who has ruined his own self, it is quite difficult for him to do a good job. Eighty percent of success is to win people's hearts and twenty percent of it is to work.

Du'a takes precedence over money. It is very wrong to change this order and give priority to money. We should work to win dua before anything else. In order for us to win du'a, we must do good and win the love and confidence of others. People listen to and obey whom they love. A person who has lost others' love may seem successful temporarily, but this success will not be long-lasting. We should not be today's merchants, but tomorrow's merchants.

We should work in accordance with the description of the Muslim. Our Master the Prophet stated, "The Muslim is he from whose hand and tongue people are safe."

The sign of remembering Allahu ta’âlâ 9 May 2011 3:21 PM (13 years ago)

It is a great bliss to remember and make mention of Allah when one goes to and comes back from work, performs a task, and at every possible opportunity. It is an utter misfortune to forget Him and to be heedless and unmindful of His remembrance. People always remember their beloved ones. If they love much, they never forget. The basis of îmân is to love Allahu ta’âlâ. The symptom that indicates this love, in turn, is to remember Him frequently. That is, those who love Allahu ta’âlâ remember Him much, and those who remember Him much love Him.

It was stated in a hadîth-i sharîf:
(The sign of loving Allahu ta’âlâ much is to love remembering Him.) [Ibni Shâhin]

The Holy Qur’an purports:
(To remember Allahu ta’âlâ is greater than everything else.) [Sûrat-ul-‘Ankabût, 45]

(O Believers! Remember Allah much.) [Sûrat-ul-Ahzâb, 41]

(Remember Allah’s blessings, so that you can attain salvation.) [Sûrat-ul-A’râf, 69]

(Know well that only in the remembrance of Allahu ta’âlâ do hearts find satisfaction, rest.) [Sûrat-ur-Ra’d, 28]

(He who does not remember Me will experience woes, and He will be raised up blind on the Day of Resurrection.) [Sûrat-u Tâhâ, 124]

The symptom of whether the remembrance of Allahu ta’âlâ has settled in a heart manifests itself through a person’s having (Islamic manners called) adab and beautiful morals. The following ahâdîth declare:
(The difference between a person who remembers Allahu ta’âlâ and who does not is like the difference between a living person and a dead one.) [Bukhârî]

(Remember Allahu ta’âlâ so much that you will be called a madman in the end.) [Hâkim]

(Remember Allahu ta’âlâ in such a way that hypocrites will call you pharisees.) [Bayhaqî]

Haqq ta’âlâ (Allahu ta’âlâ) declared: (I will treat My slave the way My slave thinks of Me. Whenever he remembers Me and makes mention of Me, I will be with him. If My slave remembers Me at a gathering, I will remember Him at a gathering better than it.) [Bukhârî]

(There is a varnish for everything. The varnish of the heart is the remembrance of Allahu ta’âlâ.) [Bayhaqî]

(The most virtuous dhikr [remembrance] is to say Lâ ilâha ill-Allah.) [Nasâî]

(He who remembers Allahu ta’âlâ among negligent and heedless people is like a soldier who continues to fight while everyone is fleeing from the front.) [Tabarânî]

(He who makes remembrance much will be safe from hypocrisy.) [Ibni Shâhin]

(Remembering Allahu ta’âlâ in the morning and in the evening is superior to fighting in the way of Allah.) [Daylamî]

(He who cannot perform acts of worship at night, who cannot spend his property on charity, and who is afraid of fighting with the enemy [jihâd] should remember Allahu ta’âlâ much.) [Bazzâr]

Haqq ta’âlâ (Allahu ta’âlâ) declared:
(I will take him out of Hell who has remembered Me for a day or who has feared Me once.) [Hâkim]

Those who remember Allahu ta’âlâ will reflect on His greatness, attributes, commandments and prohibitions. So they will develop a desire to do good deeds and to avoid evil ones. In this respect, it is highly effective to remember Allahu ta’âlâ.

Hadrat Hasan-i Basrî declared:
The remembrance of Allahu ta’âlâ is of two kinds:
1. It is very thawâb to remember Allahu ta’âlâ through the heart.
2. What is better than the former is that when one intends to commit a harâm, one remembers Allahu ta’âlâ and quits it.

Three people and three differing views (Atheist, Mutezilite, Jabriyya) 7 Apr 2011 3:22 PM (14 years ago)

One day three people—an atheist, a Mu’tazilite and a person holding the Jabriyya belief (a determinist)—came before Imâm-i A’zam. The atheist said:
“If Allah exists, He who is existent is seen. If He exists, prove His existence.”
The rationalist Mu’tazilite asked:
“There is fire in Hell. The Devil was created from fire. Then is it possible to punish the Devil with fire?”
Then the determinist asked:
“You claim that people have irada-i juz’iyya [partial will]. Now that the Creator of everything is Allah, what can people do?”

Hadrat Imâm-i A’zam, taking three handfuls of damp soil from the ground and shaping it into three balls, threw each lump of soil at each of the three people.
All three of them made a complaint to the Qâdi about the event. The Qâdi asked the Imâm the reason why he threw those clods of earth.
Imâm-i A’zam gave the following reply:

They asked me questions, and I answered them. Initially, the atheist said that Allah had to be seen if He existed. But (when I threw the clod of soil at him) he said that it caused pain in his head. If there is the feeling of pain, he should show and prove it. How can a person who cannot see even the feeling of pain see Allah? The atheist does not have mind. If he has, he should show it. A soul, like mind, is not seen, but its existence is understood through the deeds it does. The existence of the universe, in the same way, shows the necessity of the existence of a creator of it.

As for the Mu’tazilite, even though he was created from soil, the clod of soil affected him. Now that the soil is affected by soil, so fire is affected by fire. As a hacksaw cuts metal, so fire burns fire.

Lastly, the determinist asserted that Allah made people do all deeds by force. Then, (according to his belief) that lump of soil was thrown at him by Allah. Why did he make a complaint to you about me? He is contradicting himself with this complaint.
 
The boat without a maker

Occasions for which Hadrat Imâm made such pithy replies are many. For example, one day he made an agreement with an atheist to meet at ten o’clock and have a debate. Hadrat Imâm intentionally came about an hour later than the arranged time. When he was late, the atheist said, “Your imâm feared, so he has not come.” But when he came, he was asked the reason why he was late. He answered, “There was not a boat, so I could not get across the river. All of a sudden, to my utter amazement, tree branches that broke off became a boat without anyone intervening. I boarded it and came. Therefore, I am late.” On hearing this, the atheist burst out laughing. “Do you see how he is lying? Can a boat be made without anyone intervening, without a maker?” said the atheist. The Imâm hit the nail on the head saying, “Oh atheist! Even a boat cannot come into existence without a maker, how can this enormous universe come into existence by itself?” So he gained a decisive victory over the atheist before the debate ended.
 
There is no end to numbers

An atheist, again, said, “If Allah exists, He cannot be eternal in the past and in the future.” Upon this, Hadrat Imâm asked, “Is there a number before 1?” The atheist answered, “There is not.” The Imâm said, “Count up from beginning to end.” After counting up for quite a while, he gave up. Hadrat Imâm told, “Go on! Count up to the last number.” When the atheist opposed him saying, “Million, billion, trillion, quadrillion … There is no end to them,” At that moment, Hadrat Imâm made a sharp riposte, “Now that there is not a number before 1 and there is no end to them, is it not possible for the Creator, who has created the universe out of nothing, to be eternal in the past and in the future?”