The Heart Softeners (Part 1)
Chapter 6
Virtues of deeds
47190: Is he regarded as
sponsoring an orphan if he simply pays money to
a charity that sponsors orphans?
Question:
I sponsor an orphan through Jama'iyyat
al-Birr in Jeddah, paying 200 riyals a month
which is given to the mother of the child
through them. I am not responsible for anything
else concerning the child apart from paying this
money. Is this what the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) enjoined when
he said, "I and the one who sponsors an orphan
will be in Paradise"? Please advise me, may
Allaah reward you with good.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly: sponsoring an orphan is one of the
righteous deeds which Islam encourages us to do
and tells us are among the means of entering
Paradise, and indeed of attaining the highest
positions therein. There is sufficient
encouragement for the believer to do these
actions in the words of the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him): "I and the one
who sponsors an orphan will be in Paradise like
these two" _ and he gestured with his forefinger
and middle finger, holding them apart.
Al-Bukhaari, 5304.
Ibn Battaal (may Allaah have mercy on him)
said: "It is a duty for the one who hears this
hadeeth to act upon it, so that he will be with
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) in Paradise." (Quoted by Ibn Hajar in
Fath al-Baari, 10/436.
Secondly: spending money on an orphan is
something that is encouraged in particular. The
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: "This money is fresh and sweet.
Blessed is the wealth of the Muslim, from which
he gives to the poor, the orphan and the
wayfarer" or as the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) said it. Narrated by
al-Bukhaari, 1465; Muslim, 1052.
But this spending is not the be-all and
end-all of the sponsorship that is encouraged in
Islam, for which a person is promised a high
status in Paradise, rather it is just one kind
and one aspect of sponsorship and kind treatment
of the orphan until he grows up. Rather
sponsorship in the complete sense means looking
after him, guiding him with regard to his
religious and worldly affairs, educating him,
and treating him kindly until he is no longer
regarded as an orphan (i.e., when he reaches
adulthood). Ibn al-Atheer said: "The sponsor is
the one who takes care of the orphan's affairs
and brings him up." Al-Nihaayah, 4/192.
In Riyaadh al-Saaliheen, al-Nawawi (may Allaah
have mercy on him) defined the sponsor of an
orphan as being the one who takes care of his
affairs. The commentator on this book said:
(that means) his religious and worldly affairs,
by spending on him, clothing him, etc. Daleel
al-Faaliheen, 3/103. Shaykh Ibn `Uthaymeen
(may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Sponsoring
an orphan means taking care of his religious and
worldly interests, teaching him and guiding him
etc with regard to religious matters, and taking
care of his food, drink, shelter and other
worldly concerns. Sharh Riyaadh
al-Saaliheen, 5/113.
The religious and educational affairs of the
orphan both come under the heading of
sponsorship; it is not only the matter of
material, worldly interests. Indeed, these
(religious and educational interests) are more
important, just as a father's educating and
disciplining his children is more important than
his simply spending on them. Shaykh Ibn Sa'di
said _ concerning a man educating his children:
When you feed them, clothe them and train them
physically, you are fulfilling their rights for
which you will be rewarded; by the same token,
when you train them spiritually and impart
beneficial knowledge to them, and guide them
towards good morals and manners and warn them
against the opposite, you are also fulfilling
rights which are even more important." Bahjat
Quloob al-Abraar, 128.
This is the true sponsorship of an orphan,
bringing him up like one's own son, which is not
limited to feeling compassion for him and being
kind to him, and teaching him and disciplining
him and educating him in the best manner.
Fayd al-Qadeer by al-Manaawi, 1/108.
Al-`Iraaqi (may Allaah have mercy on him)
wondered whether this was the reason why the one
who sponsors an orphan would be close to the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) in Paradise. He said: "Perhaps the reason
why the one who sponsors an orphan will be so
close to the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) in Paradise is because a
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) is usually sent to people who do not know
about Allaah and the true religion, so a Prophet
is like a sponsor, teacher and guide for them,
and the one who sponsors an orphan is taking
care of one who does not understand his
religion, or even his worldly affairs, so he
guides him, teaches him and disciplines him.
(Quoted by al-Haafiz in al-Fath, 10/437.
Moreover, limiting it to spending, especially
when the orphan is far away, deprives the
sponsor of one of the means of softening the
heart and meeting needs, which is embracing the
orphan and treating him kindly. The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: "Bring the orphan close to you, wipe his
head and give him some of your food, for that
will soften your heart and fulfil your need."
Al-Silsilah al-Saheehah, 854.
The point is that the best way of sponsoring
an orphan is for a man to bring him in with his
own children, and raise him as he raises them,
and spend on him as he spends on them.
If the sponsor cannot afford to spend on the
orphan, or if the orphan has enough wealth to be
independent of means, and a man brings him in
with his own children, this is good, even if it
is lower in status than the first suggestion.
This is one of the greatest types of
sponsorship, and serves one of its greatest
aims. Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him)
said: "This virtue is attained by the one who
sponsors an orphan from his own wealth or from
the orphan's wealth under legitimate shar'i
guardianship. Quoted by Ibn `Alaan in Daleel
al-Faaliheen, 3/104.
If a man has wealth from which he can spend
on an orphan, as in the case of the person
asking this question, then he is doing something
very good in sha Allah, and it will be
sufficient to protect him from the fitnah
(trial, temptation) of wealth and stinginess.
And it will fulfill the condition stipulated by
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him): "… from which he gives to the poor,
the orphan and the wayfarer." But this is not
sponsorship in the fullest sense, for which a
person is promised closeness to the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in
Paradise. But if he has a pure and sincere
intention he may achieve thereby that which he
could not attain by his deeds. It was narrated
from Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him) that
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) was on a campaign and he said: "There
are people whom we have left behind in Madeenah,
but we did not travel though any mountain pass
or valley but they were with us. They were
detained by some excuse."
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2839.
Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com)
36546: Examples of good deeds
we can do every day to increase our hasanaat
Question:
I hope you can give me some examples of good
deeds that we can do every day to increase our
hasanaat.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
If Allaah helps him to do righteous deeds,
the Muslim can earn a great deal of reward.
There are many different kinds of righteous
deeds that can be done by rich and poor, old and
young, male and female, depending on each
person's circumstances, ambition and energy,
after the help of Allaah.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Whoever works righteousness — whether
male or female — while he (or she) is a true
believer (of Islamic Monotheism) verily, to him
We will give a good life (in this world with
respect, contentment and lawful provision), and
We shall pay them certainly a reward in
proportion to the best of what they used to do
(i.e. Paradise in the Hereafter)"
[al-Nahl 16:97]
It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: "Hasten to do good
deeds before there come tribulations like pieces
of a dark night, when a man will be a believer
in the morning and a kaafir by evening, or he
will be a believer in the evening and a kaafir
by morning, selling his religious commitment for
worldly gain." Narrated by Muslim, 118.
The kinds of good deeds that a person can do
every day include the following:
1 _ Praying in congregation in the mosque
It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: "Whoever goes to the mosque in the
morning and evening, Allaah will prepare for him
an honourable place in Paradise every time he
goes and comes."
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 631; Muslim, 669.
2 _ Attending funerals and offering the
funeral prayer
It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah
be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: "Whoever attends a funeral until he
offers the (funeral) prayer will have one qiraat
(of reward) and whoever attends until the burial
is done will have two qiraats." It was said:
"What are the two qiraats?" He said: "Like two
great mountains." Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1261;
Muslim, 945
3 _ Saying "Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wahdahu
laa shareeka lah, lahu'l-mulk wa lahu'l-hamd wa
huwa `ala kulli shay'in qadeer (There is no
god but Allaah alone, with no partner or
associate; His is the Dominion, to Him be all
praise, and He is able to do all things)" one
hundred times each day.
It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah
be pleased with him) that the Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: "Whoever says Laa ilaaha
ill-Allaah wahdahu laa shareeka lah, lahu'l-mulk
wa lahu'l-hamd wa huwa `ala kulli shay'in
qadeer one hundred times in a day, it will
be as if he freed ten slaves, and one hundred
hasanaat (good deeds) will be recorded for him,
and one hundred sayi'aat (bad deeds) will be
erased from him, and it will be a protection for
him against the Shaytaan all that day until
evening comes. No one can do anything better
than that except one who does more." Narrated by
al-Bukhaari, 3119; Muslim, 2691.
4 _ Upholding the ties of kinship
It was narrated that Anas (may Allaah be
pleased with him) said: I heard the Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) say: "Whoever would like his provision to
be increased and his lifespan extended, let him
uphold his ties of kinship."
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5639; Muslim, 2557.
5 _ Observing voluntary fasts, visiting the
sick and giving charity.
It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: The
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: "Who among you is
fasting today?" Abu Bakr (may Allaah be pleased
with him) said: "I am." He said: "Who among you
has attended a funeral today?" Abu Bakr (may
Allaah be pleased with him) said: "I have." He
said: "Who among you has fed a poor person
today?' Abu Bakr (may Allaah be pleased with
him) said: "I have." He said: "Who among you has
visited a sick person today?" Abu Bakr (may
Allaah be pleased with him) said: "I have." The
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: "These (traits) are
not combined in a person but he will enter
Paradise."
Narrated by Muslim, 1028.
6 _ Saying Subhaan Allaah wa bi hamdih
(Praise and glory be to Allaah) one hundred
times.
It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: The
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever says
Subhaan Allaah wa bi hamdih (Praise and
glory be to Allaah) one hundred times, morning
and evening, his sins will be erased even if
they are like the foam of the sea."
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 6042; Muslim, 2691.
7 _ Tasbeeh, tahmeed and takbeer, and
enjoining what is good and forbidding what is
evil, and praying Duha.
It was narrated from Abu Dharr that the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: "For every bone of the son of Adam a
charity must be given each day. Every tasbeehah
[saying Subhaan Allaah (Glory be to Allaah)] is
a charity, every tahmeedah [saying al-hamdu
Lillaah (praise be to Allaah)] is a charity,
every tahleelah [saying Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah
(There is no god but Allaah)] is a charity,
every takbeerah [saying Allaahu akbar [Allaah is
Most Great]) is a charity, enjoining what is
good is a charity, forbidding what is evil is a
charity, and two rak'ahs offered in the
mid-morning (Duha) is sufficient."
Narrated by Muslim, 720.
8 _ Reading Qur'aan.
It was narrated that `Abd-Allaah ibn Mas'ood
said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever
reads a letter of the Book of Allaah will be
credited with a good deed, and a good deed gets
a tenfold reward. I do not say that
Alif-Laam-Meem is a letter, rather alif is a
letter, laam is a letter and meem is a letter."
Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 2910; he said it is
hasan saheeh. Also classed as saheeh by
al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi.
And there are many other good deeds. The
Muslim should seek the help of his Lord to do
good deeds, and do his best to do them. He
should persist in doing these good deeds even if
they are little, for that is better than doing a
lot of good deeds then stopping.
It was narrated that `Aa'ishah said: The
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: "O people, you should
do whatever good deeds you can, for Allaah does
not get tired (of giving reward) until you get
tired. And the most beloved of good deeds to
Allaah is that in which a person persists, even
if it is little. If the family of Muhammad
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
started to do something, they would persist in
it."
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 43; Muslim, 782.
And Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com)
34604: Will a person be
rewarded for any calamity such as disease or an
accident that befalls him?
Question:
Witchcraft and the evil eye are trials from
Allaah. Will a person be rewarded if he is
afflicted by either of them? Will a person be
rewarded for any calamity such as disease or an
accident that befalls him, or are there things
that Islam says must be followed in order to
attain the reward?.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
We have already posted, in the answer to
question no. 10936, the fatwa of Shaykh
Muhammad ibn Saalih ibn `Uthyameen (may Allaah
have mercy on him), which states that the
calamities for which a Muslim may be rewarded
are those which he bears with patience and seeks
the reward from Allaah, may He be blessed and
exalted.
Undoubtedly being afflicted by the evil eye
and witchcraft are some of the greatest
calamities that may befall a Muslim, for their
effects on the mind, heart and body of the
victim may be serious. Bearing that with
patience will bring a great reward from Allaah.
It was narrated from Ibn `Abbaas that a black
woman came to the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) and said: "I suffer from
epilepsy and I become uncovered. Pray to Allaah
for me." He said: "If you wish, you can be
patient and Paradise will be yours, or if you
wish I will pray to Allaah to heal you." She
said, "I will be patient." Then she said: "But I
become uncovered. Pray to Allaah that I will not
become uncovered." So he prayed for her.
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5652; Muslim, 2576.
The calamities that befall a person and
affect him or his wealth or his family are not
completely bad, rather they may result in a lot
of good for a person.
Allaah has told us in His Book of that which
may reduce the impact of the calamity on a
person and encourage him to seek reward, namely
patience and saying Inna Lillaahi wa inna
ilayhi raaji'oon (Truly, to Allaah we belong
and truly, to Him we shall return). This is a
promise from Allaah that He will fulfil. Allaah
says (interpretation of the meaning):
"but give glad tidings to As Saabiroon
(the patient).
156. Who, when afflicted with calamity, say:
`Truly, to Allaah we belong and truly, to Him we
shall return.'
157. They are those on whom are the Salawaat
(i.e. who are blessed and will be forgiven) from
their Lord, and (they are those who) receive His
Mercy, and it is they who are the guided ones"
[al-Baqarah 2:155-157]
Ibn al-Qayyim said:
This phrase is one of the greatest means of
dealing with calamity and is one of the most
beneficial in this world and in the Hereafter.
It comprises two great principles which, if a
person understands them properly, will bring him
consolation for the calamity that has befallen
him:
1 _ That the person, his family and his
wealth all belong to Allaah in a real sense;
they have been given to him as a loan, and if
they are taken from him, that is like the lender
taking back his property from the borrower.
2 _ The person will ultimately return to
Allaah his Lord. He will inevitably leave this
world behind and come before his Lord on his own
as He created him the first time, with no
family, no wealth, no tribe, rather with good
deeds and bad deeds. If this is how he started
and is how he is going to end, then how can he
rejoice over what he has or grieve over what he
does not have? Thinking about how he began and
how he will end is the best remedy for this
problem.
Zaad al-Ma'aad, 4/189.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) has told us that bearing hardships and
calamities with patience is something that can
only be done by those who have achieved true
faith.
It was narrated that Subhayb al-Roomi (may
Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: "How wonderful is the affair of the
believer, for his affair is all good, and this
applies to no one except the believer. If
something good happens to him, he gives thanks
and that is good for him, and if something bad
happens to him, he bears it with patience, and
he will be rewarded for that, so everything that
Allaah has decreed for the Muslim is good."
Narrated by Muslim, 2999.
Trials and calamities are a test, and are a
sign of Allaah's love for a person. They are
like medicine: even if it is bitter, you offer
it despite its bitterness to one whom you love _
and for Allaah is the highest description.
According to a saheeh hadeeth: "The greatest
reward comes with the greatest trial. When
Allaah loves a people He tests them. Whoever
accepts that wins His pleasure but whoever is
discontent with that earns His wrath."
Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 2396; Ibn Maajah,
4031; classed as saheeh by Shaykh al-Albaani.
We should not hate the trials that Allaah has
decreed for us. Al-Hasan al-Basri (may Allaah
have mercy on him) said: Do not hate the trials
that befall you or the calamities that happen to
you, for they may be something that you hate but
it leads to your salvation, and there may be
something that you love, but it leads to your
doom.
And Allaah knows best. Islam Q&A
(www.islam-qa.com)
7859: The virtue of fasting
six days of Shawwaal
Question:
What is the ruling on fasting six days of
Shawwaal? Is it waajib (obligatory)?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Fasting six days of Shawwaal after the
obligatory fast of Ramadaan is Sunnah
Mustahabbah, not waajib. It is recommended
for the Muslim to fast six days of Shawwaal, and
in this there is great virtue and an immense
reward. Whoever fasts these six days will have
recorded for him a reward as if he had fasted a
whole year, as was reported in a saheeh hadeeth
from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him). Abu Ayyoob (may Allaah be pleased
with him) reported that the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: "Whoever fasts Ramadaan and follows it
with six days of Shawwaal, it will be as if he
fasted for a lifetime." (Narrated by Muslim, Abu
Dawood, al-Tirmidhi, al-Nisaa'i and Ibn Maajah).
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) explained this when he said: "Whoever
fasts for six days after (Eid) al-Fitr has
completed the year: (whoever does a good deed
(hasanah) will have ten hasanah like it)."
According to another report: "Allaah has made
for each hasanah ten like it, so a month is like
fasting ten months, and fasting six days
completes the year." (al-Nisaa'i and Ibn Maajah.
See also Saheeh al-Targheeb wa'l-Tarheeb,
1/421). It was also narrated by Ibn Khuzaymah
with the wording: "Fasting for the month of
Ramadaan brings the reward of ten like it, and
fasting for six days brings the reward of two
months, and that is the fasting of the whole
year."
The Hanbali and Shaafa'i fuqaha' explained
that fasting six days of Shawwaal after fasting
Ramadaan makes it as if one has fasted for an
entire year of obligatory fasts, because the
multiplication of the reward applies even to
naafil fasts, because each hasanah brings the
reward of ten like it.
Another of the important benefits of fasting
six days of Shawwaal is that is makes up for any
shortfall in a person's obligatory Ramadaan
fasts, because no one is free of shortcomings or
sins that have a negative effect on his fasting.
On the Day of Resurrection, some of his naafil
deeds will be taken to make up the shortcomings
in his obligatory deeds, as the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "The
first thing for which people will be brought to
account on the Day of Resurrection will be their
salaah (prayer). Our Lord, may He be glorified
and exalted, will say to His angels _ although
He knows best _ `Look at the salaah of My slave,
whether it is complete or incomplete.' If it is
perfect, it will be recorded as perfect, and if
something is lacking, He will say, `Look and see
whether My slave did any voluntary (naafil)
prayers.' If he did some voluntary prayers,
[Allaah] will say, Complete the obligatory
actions of My slave from his voluntary actions.'
Then all his actions will be dealt with in a
similar manner."
(Narrated by Abu Dawood).
And Allaah knows best.
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid
(www.islam-qa.com)
11722: Virtues of Laylat
al-Qadar
Question:
what is the importance of 15 shaban,is it the
night in which the fate of every one is decided
for the next year?
the especial night
mentioned in surah Dakan means which night.is it
the shaban or Qadar?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Laylat al-Nusf min Sha'baan (the
15th of Sha'baan) is like any other
night, and there is no sound report from the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) to indicate that on this night the fate or
destiny of people is decided.
See Question no. 8907.
With regard to the night mentioned in the
verses:
"We sent it (this Qur'aan) down on a
blessed night. Verily, We are ever warning
[mankind that Our Torment will reach those who
disbelieve in Our Oneness of Lordship and in Our
Oneness of worship].
Therein (that night) is decreed every matter
of ordainments"
[al-Dukhaan 44:3-4]
Ibn Jareer al-Tabari (may Allaah have mercy
on him) said: the commentators differed
concerning that night, i.e., which night of the
year it is. Some of them said that it is Laylat
al-Qadr, and it was narrated from Qurtaadah that
it is Laylat al-Qadr. Others said that it is the
night of the 15th of Sha'baan. The
correct view is the view of those who say that
it is Laylat al-Qadr, because Allaah has told us
of that when He says, `Verily, We are ever
warning' [al-Dukhaan 44:3]."
(Tafseer al-Tabari, 11/221)
With regard to the phrase, "Therein (that
night) is decreed every matter of
ordainments": Ibn Hajar said in his
commentary on Saheeh al-Bukhaari: "What
this means is that the decrees for the year are
decided on that night, because Allaah says:
`Therein (that night) is decreed every matter
of ordainments'. And al-Nawawi said: the
scholars said that it is called Laylat al-Qadr
because on this night the angels write down the
decrees (aqdaar), because Allaah says,
`Therein (that night) is decreed every matter
of ordainments'. This was also narrated by
`Abd al-Razzaaq and other mufassireen with
saheeh isnaads from Mujaahid, `Ikrimah, Qutaadah
and others. Al-Toorbashti said that the word
used in the Qur'aan is qadr, whereas people
think it is qadar (decree); the word qadr refers
to the detailed manifestation of the decree.
Laylat al-Qadr brings great reward for the
one who does good deeds and strives in worship
on that night.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Verily, We have sent it (this Qur'aan)
down in the Night of AlQadr (Decree).
And what will make you know what the Night of
AlQadr (Decree) is?
The Night of AlQadr (Decree) is better than a
thousand months (i.e. worshipping Allaah in that
night is better than worshipping Him a thousand
months, i.e. 83 years and 4 months).
Therein descend the angels and the Rooh
[Jibreel (Gabriel)] by Allaah's Permission with
all Decrees,
(All that night), there is peace (and
goodness from Allaah to His believing slaves)
until the appearance of dawn"[al-Qadr
97:1-5]
There are many ahaadeeth which speak of the
virtue of that night, such as the hadeeth
narrated by al-Bukhaari from Abu Hurayrah, in
which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) said: "Whoever spends Laylat
al-Qadr in prayer out of faith and hoping for
reward, all his previous sins will be forgiven,
and whoever fasts Ramadaan out of faith and
hoping for reward, all his previous sins will be
forgiven." (Narrated by al-Bukhaari,
al-Sawm, 1768).
And Allaah knows best.
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid
(www.islam-qa.com)
45839: The virtue of reading
Qur'aan at night when people are asleep
Question:
What is the virtue of reading the Qur'aan at
night when people are asleep?.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
It is proven in the saheeh Sunnah that the
Qur'aan will intercede for those who read it at
night, as Ahmad (6626) narrated from `Abd-Allaah
ibn `Amr that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Fasting
and the Qur'aan will intercede for a person on
the Day of Resurrection. Fasting will say, `O
Lord, I deprived him of his food and his desires
during the day, so let me intercede for him.'
And the Qur'aan will say: `I deprived him of his
sleep at night so let me intercede for him.'
Then they will intercede." Narrated by Ahmad;
classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh
al-Jaami', no. 3882.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) stated that reading the Qur'aan at
night is one of the blessings that the believer
is to be envied for. He said: "There should be
no envy except in two cases: a man to whom
Allaah teaches the Qur'aan, so he recites it
during the night and during the day, and his
neighbour hears him and says, `Would that I had
been given what So and so has been given and I
could do what he does, and a man to whom Allaah
gives wealth so he spends it all for the sake of
the truth, and a man says, `Would that I had
been given what So and so has been given and I
could do what he does.'" Narrated by
al-Bukhaari, 4738.
Reading Qur'aan at night saves one from
negligence, as the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever reads ten
verses at night will not be recorded as one of
the negligent." Narrated by al-Haakim, who said
it is saheeh according to the conditions of
Muslim. Al-Albaani said in Saheeh al-Targheeb
wa'l-Tarheeb (640): It is saheeh because of
corroborating reports.
And the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever observes
these prescribed prayers regularly will not be
recorded as one of the negligent, and whoever
reads one hundred verses in a night will be
recorded as one of the devout." Narrated by Ibn
Khuzaymah in his Saheeh, and by
al-Haakim, who said it is saheeh according to
the conditions of both (al-Bukhaari and Muslim).
It was also classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in
Saheeh al-Targheeb wa'l-Tarheeb, 640.
Allaah has described the pious as follows
(interpretation of the meaning):
"They used to sleep but little by night
[invoking their Lord (Allaah) and praying, with
fear and hope].
18. And in the hours before dawn, they were
(found) asking (Allaah) for forgiveness"
[al-Dhaariyaat 51:17, 18]
And Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com)
21748: When is the "hour of
response" on Friday?
Question:
Is the last hour of `Asr on Friday the "hour
of response"? Does the Muslim have to be in the
mosque at this time, and do women have to be at
home?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
There are two opinions concerning the hour of
response on Friday which are likely to be
correct:
The first is that it lasts from after `Asr
until the sun sets, for those who sit and wait
for Maghrib, whether that is in the mosque or at
home, making du'aa' to their Lord, whether they
are men or women; whoever does that is more
deserving of seeing a response to his or her
du'aa'. But men should not pray Maghrib or any
other prayer at home unless they have a
legitimate shar'i excuse, as is well known from
the evidence of sharee'ah.
The second is that it lasts from the time
when the imaam sits on the minbar to deliver the
khutbah on Friday until he finishes the prayer.
Du'aa' at either of these times is deserving of
being answered.
These two times are more likely to be the
times of response on Friday, because of the
saheeh ahaadeeth which indicate that. The hour
of response may also be sought at other times of
the day. And the bounty of Allaah is great.
Among the moments when response may come to a
du'aa' in all prayers, obligatory and naafil
alike, is the moment of sujood (prostration),
because the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: "The closest that a
person may be to his Lord is when he is
prostrating, so say a great deal of du'aa' in
sujood." (Narrated by Muslim in his
Saheeh from the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah
(may Allaah be pleased with him), in
al-Salaah, 482). And Muslim (may Allaah
have mercy on him) narrated in his Saheeh
from Ibn `Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with
them both) that the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) said: "As for rukoo'
(bowing), proclaim the greatness of your Lord in
rukoo' and strive in du'aa', for you will be
more deserving of being responded to." (Muslim,
al-Salaah, 479). Shaykh Ibn Baaz,
Majallat al-Buhooth, issue no. 34, p. 142
(www.islam-qa.com)
26242: Good deeds
Question:
What exactly are good deeds (as-salihat)? I
know some but maybe not all of them.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Good deeds are those which are in accordance
with sharee'ah, and which are done sincerely for
the sake of Allaah. Shaykh al-Islam [Ibn
Taymiyah] defined `ibaadah (worship) as "a
general term which includes all that Allaah
loves and is pleased with, be it words or deeds,
both inward and outward; these are of many kinds
and we cannot list them, let alone enumerate
them, but we will mention some of them:
1. Belief in Allaah _ which includes belief
in Allaah, His angels, His Books, His
Messengers, the Last Day, and the divine will
and decree (al-qadar), both good and bad.
2. Prayer done on time _ there are five
prayers that Allaah has enjoined during the
night and day. The Sahaabah (may Allaah be
pleased with hem) were all agreed that the one
who does not pray is a kaafir. It is not
permissible to delay the prayers beyond their
appointed time. It is obligatory to perform all
the obligatory parts of the prayer, and the
Muslim should pray as the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) prayed.
3. Acceptable Hajj _ which means:
a. It should be done with halaal money
(earned from permissible sources)
b. One should avoid immoral actions, sin and
arguments whilst doing Hajj
c. He should perform all the rituals
according to the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
d. He should not do Hajj to show off, rather
he should do it sincerely for the sake of
Allaah.
e. He should not follow it with any act of
disobedience or sin.
4. Honouring one's parents _ which means
obeying them in acts of obedience towards
Allaah; it is not permissible to obey them in
matters of disobedience or sin. Honouring them
also means not raising one's voice to them, and
not offending them with hurtful words. It also
includes spending on them, and serving them.
5. Jihad for the sake of Allaah. Allaah has
prescribed jihad in order to establish Tawheed
and spread Islam throughout the world. Allaah
has prepared a great reward for the mujaahideen.
6. Loving for the sake of Allaah and hating
for the sake of Allaah. This means that the
Muslim loves his fellow Muslim for the sake of
Allaah, not for his colour, nationality or
wealth, rather for his obedience to his Lord and
his closeness to Him. Similarly he hates the
sinner for his disobedience towards Allaah.
7. Reading and reciting Qur'aan _ whether
that is in the portion he reads each day or what
he recites in prayers at night (qiyaam al-layl).
8. Persisting in acts of worship even if they
are little. The Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) loved actions that were done
consistently, even if they were little. A small
action done persistently is better than a
greater action done intermittently.
9. Fulfilling one's trusts. This is an
obligatory action and is one of the greatest of
deeds. It is known in Islam that the hypocrite
is the one who betrays his trust and does not
render trusts back to the people who entrusted
them to him.
10. Being forgiving towards people. This
means foregoing one's personal rights, forgiving
the one who has done you wrong, if doing so will
lead to his changing, or if he has repented and
regrets what he did. The Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "A person
only increases in honour by forgiving."
Narrated by Muslim, 2588
11. Being truthful in speech. The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: "A man will keep on speaking the truth and
endeavouring to tell the truth until he will be
recorded with Allaah as a speaker of truth.
Truthfulness is a means of salvation; it is a
great characteristic which was one of the
features of the Prophets and those who followed
them in truth."
Narrated by Muslim, 2607.
12. Spending for the sake of Allaah. This
includes spending on jihad, and spending on
one's parents, the poor and needy, on building
mosques, on printing copies of the Qur'aan and
Islamic books, and spending on one's family and
children.
13. Ensuring that the Muslims are safe from
one's words and actions. That means refraining
from gossip, backbiting, slander, insults and
curses, and refraining from hitting or beating
those who do not deserve such treatment.
14. Feeding the hungry _ which includes
feeding both humans and animals.
15. Spreading the greeting of salaam to those
whom you know and those whom you do not know _
except in the case of those whom the texts say
we should not initiate the greeting of salaam
with, namely the kuffaar.
16. Helping the needy, wayfarers and those
who are helpless.
17. Keeping your evil away from people, which
is an act of charity that may benefit you.
And there are many other good deeds.
The following hadeeth enumerates several good
deeds:
Al-Bayhaqi narrated that Abu Dharr said: I
said, "O Messenger of Allaah, what will save a
person from Hellfire?"
He said, "Belief in Allaah."
I said, "O Messenger of Allaah, are there are
any deeds that should accompany that belief?"
He said, `He should give from that provision
which Allaah has granted him."
I said, "O Messenger of Allaah, what if he is
poor and does not have anything to give?"
He said, "He should enjoin what is good and
forbid what is evil."
I said, "O Messenger of Allaah, what if he
cannot enjoin what is good and forbid what is
evil?"
He said, "He should help the one who is
helpless (i.e., has no skills and cannot earn a
learning)."
I said, "What if he himself is helpless and
cannot do anything?"
He said, "He should help one who has been
wronged."
I said, "What if he is weak and cannot help
one who has been wronged?"
He said, "You do not want to think of your
companion as having any good in him. Let him
refrain from harming people."
I said, "O Messenger of Allaah, if he does
that, will he enter Paradise?"
He said, "There is no believer who does not
strive to acquire one of these characteristics,
but I will take him by the hand and lead him
into Paradise."
Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in
al-Targheeb, 876
And Allaah is the Source of strength.
Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com)
12702: Is there reward for
good deeds in this world apart from reward in
the Hereafter?
Question:
Do we get rewarded by allah in this world not
only the next..
Meaning allah will reward us in life for
doing good deeds and also get more reward in the
hereafter..
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Yes, Allaah has promised the believer who
does righteous deeds reward in this world, as
well as the greater reward which awaits him in
the Hereafter.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Whoever works righteousness — whether
male or female — while he (or she) is a true
believer (of Islamic Monotheism) verily, to him
We will give a good life (in this world with
respect, contentment and lawful provision), and
We shall pay them certainly a reward in
proportion to the best of what they used to do
(i.e. Paradise in the Hereafter"
[al-Nahl 16:97]
Ibn al-Qayyim said: Allaah guarantees to
those who believe and do righteous deeds reward
in this world with a good life, and Paradise on
the Day of Resurrection.
The rewards in this life for some good deeds
have been mentioned in the Qur'aan and Sunnah.
These include the following:
1 _ Spending for the sake of Allaah
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"and whatsoever you spend of anything (in
Allaah's Cause), He will replace it. And He is
the Best of providers"
[Saba' 34:39]
It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: The
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: "Allaah says: `O son
of Adam, spend and I will spend on you.'"
(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 4407; Muslim, 993).
Spending for the sake of Allaah is one of the
means of increasing one's provision.
2 _ Being easy-going with a debtor who is
facing hardship, concealing a Muslim's faults
and helping him.
It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: The
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever relieves a
Muslim of some distress in this world, Allaah
will relieve him of some distress on the Day of
Resurrection. Whoever is easy-going with a
debtor who is facing hardship, Allaah will make
it easy for him in this world and in the
Hereafter. And whoever conceals a Muslim's
faults, Allaah will conceal his faults in this
world and the Hereafter. And Allaah will help
His slave so long as His slave helps his
brother."
Narrated by Muslim, 2699.
3 _ Being humble for the sake of Allaah.
It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: "Wealth never
decreases because of charity. No person shows
forbearance but Allaah will honour him and no
one is humble for the sake of Allaah but Allaah
will raise him in status."
Narrated by Muslim, 2588.
Al-Mubaarakfoori said:
"raise him in status" means in this world and
in the Hereafter.
Tuhfat al-Ahwadhi, 6/150.
4 _ Upholding the ties of kinship
It was narrated that Anas ibn Maalik (may
Allaah be pleased with him) said: I heard the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) say: "Whoever would like to
have his provision increased or his lifespan
extended, let him uphold the ties of kinship."
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1961; Muslim, 2557.
With regard to the extension of one's
lifespan there is a well-known scholarly
discussion, which is that lifespans and
provisions are decreed and cannot increase or
decrease. "when their term comes, neither can
they delay it nor can they advance it an hour
(or a moment)" [Yoonus 10:49 _ interpretation of
the meaning]. The scholars came up with
several answers to this issue, the most correct
of which:
That this refers to an increase of blessing
during one's lifetime, being guided to do good
deeds and to make use of one's times in ways
that will be of benefit in the Hereafter and to
make the most of his time for the sake of
Allaah.
The second suggestion is that it refers to
what the angels see and what is in al-Lawh
al-Mahfooz, etc. For the angels see in al-Lawh
al-Mahfooz that a person's lifespan will be
sixty years, unless he upholds the ties of
kinship, in which case another forty years will
be added to his life. Allaah knows what will
happen to him in that regard. This is the
meaning of the words (interpretation of the
meaning): "Allaah blots out what He wills and
confirms (what He wills)" [al-Ra'd 13:39].
With regard to what Allaah knows and what He
has already decreed, nothing can be added to
that; such a thing is impossible. With regard to
what people see, they see that it is increased.
This is what is meant by the hadeeth.
And Allaah knows best. Sharh Muslim,
16/114
Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com)
21434: The reward of one
whose child dies and he bears that with patience
Question:
What is the reward parents recieve for being
patient and thanking Allah, when they have an
infant or child die?.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
There are many texts in the Qur'aan and
Sunnah which point to the virtue and great
reward of those who are patient and state that
Allaah will give them reward without measure.
This includes everyone who bears with patience
any calamity with which he is tested.
Undoubtedly the loss of a child is one of the
greatest calamities for the one whom it befalls.
Whoever bears that with patience and accepts the
will and decree of Allaah will have a great
reward by the grace and bounty of Allaah. There
follow some of these texts, which we hope will
be of consolation to you in your time of
calamity:
Allaah says (interpretation of the meanings):
"And certainly, We shall test you with
something of fear, hunger, loss of wealth, lives
and fruits, but give glad tidings to As
Saabiroon (the patient).
Who, when afflicted with calamity, say:
`Truly, to Allaah we belong and truly, to Him we
shall return.'
They are those on whom are the Salawaat (i.e.
who are blessed and will be forgiven) from their
Lord, and (they are those who) receive His
Mercy, and it is they who are the guided ones"
[al-Baqarah 2:155-157]
"And Allaah loves As-Saabiroon (the
patient)"
[Aal `Imraan 3:146]
"Only those who are patient shall receive
their reward in full, without reckoning"
[al-Zumar 39:10]
And there are many similar verses.
There are also many ahaadeeth, including the
following:
Muslim (5318) narrated that Suhayb said: The
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: "How wonderful is the
affair of the believer, for his affair is all
good, and this applies to no one except the
believer. If something good happens to him, he
gives thanks and that is good for him, and if
something bad happens to him, he bears it with
patience, and that is good for him." This has to
do with the virtues of patience in general.
There are also ahaadeeth which speak
specifically of losing a child. For example:
Al-Tirmidhi (942) narrated that Abu Sinaan
said: I buried my son Sinaan and Abu Talhah
al-Khoolaani was sitting at the graveside. When
I wanted to go out he took my hand and said,
"Shall I not give you some glad tidings, O Abu
Sinaan?" I said, "Yes." He said, "Al-Dahhaak ibn
`Abd al-Rahmaan ibn `Arzab narrated to me from
Abu Moosa al-Ash'ari that the Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: "When a person's child dies, Allaah
says to His angels, `You have taken the child of
My slave.' They say, `Yes.' He says, `You have
taken the apple of his eye.' They say, `Yes.' He
says, `What did My slave say?' They say, `He
praised you and said "Innaa lillaahi wa inna
ilayhi raaji'oon (Verily to Allaah we belong
and unto Him is our return).' Allaah says,
`Build for My slave a house in Paradise and call
it the house of praise.'" (Classed as hasan by
al-Albaani in al-Silsilah al-Saheehah,
1408)
It was narrated in al-Saheehayn that
there is a special reward for the person whose
child dies but he bears that with patience and
hopes for reward. It was narrated from Abu
Sa'eed (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the
women said to the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him): "Give us a day (to teach
us)," So he preached to them and said, "Any
woman who loses three of her children, they will
be a shield for her against the Fire." A woman
said, "And two?" He said, "And two."
(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 99; Muslim, 4786)
According to a report narrated by al-Bukhaari
(1292), Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased
with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
"There is no Muslim who loses three of his
children before they reach the age of puberty,
but Allaah will admit him to Paradise by virtue
of His Mercy towards them."
These ahaadeeth explain that if two or more
of a person's children die and he bears that
with patience, then he is promised Paradise and
salvation from the Fire.
Our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) taught us a du'aa' to say at times of
calamity, in which there is virtue and great
reward. Muslim narrated in his Saheeh
(1525) that Umm Salamah said: I heard the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) say, "There is no Muslim who
is afflicted with a calamity and says that which
Allaah has enjoined, Innaa lillaahi wa inna
ilayhi raaji'oon. Allaahumma ajurni fi museebati
wakhluf li khayran minha (Verily to Allaah
we belong and unto Him is our return. O Allaah,
reward me for my calamity and compensate me with
something better than it), but Allaah will
compensate him with something better than it."
She said, When Abu Salamah died, I said, who
among the Muslims is better than Abu Salamah,
the first household to migrate to the Messenger
of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him)? Then I said these words, and Allaah
compensated me with the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
We ask Allaah to bless you with patience in
the face of your loss, and to compensate you
with something better. And Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com)
5201: The difference between
sponsoring orphans and adopting them
Question:
Many refugees are entering the USA from
Kosova, they may be sponsored by christain
organizations. Some brothers want to sponsor the
orphans by allowing them to live in their homes
and feeding them. A scholar here said that it is
Haraam to adopt someone in Islaam, and he
discouraged the people from sponsoring the
orphans. My question is, doesn't Islaam allow us
to adopt the orphans, only that the orphan does
not change his last name, nor is he considered
the child of the one adopting him.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
There is a difference between adoption and
sponsoring orphans.
A _ Adoption means that a man takes an orphan
and makes him like one of his own children and
calling him after him, so that the orphan is not
allowed to marry one of the man's mahrams; so
the sons of the adoptive father are regarded as
brothers of the orphan and his daughters are
regarded as his sisters, and the adoptive
father's sisters are regarded as his paternal
aunts, and so on. This was one of the things
that were done during the first Jaahiliyyah, and
some of the Sahaabah carried the names of their
adoptive fathers, as in the case of al-Miqdaad
ibn al-Aswad whose real father's name was `Amr,
but he was called ibn (son of) al-Aswad, after
the man who had adopted him.
This continued into the early days of Islam,
until Allaah forbade that, according to a
well-known story. Zayd ibn Haarithah was called
Zayd ibn Muhammad, and he was the husband of
Zaynab bint Jahsh, then Zayd divorced her.
It was narrated that Anas said: When Zaynab's
`iddah came to an end, the Messenger of Allaah
said to Zayd ibn Haarithah, "Go and tell her
about me (that I want to marry her)." So he went
to her and found her kneading dough. He said, "O
Zaynab, good news. The Messenger of Allaah wants
to marry you." She said, "I will not do anything
until I consult with my Lord." Then she got up
and went to her prayer-place, then the Messenger
of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) came and entered upon her.
Concerning this, Allaah revealed the words
(interpretation of the meaning):
"And (remember) when you said to him (Zayd
bin Haarithah the freedslave of the Prophet) on
whom Allaah has bestowed grace (by guiding him
to Islam) and you (O Muhammad too) have done
favour (by manumitting him): `Keep your wife to
yourself, and fear Allaah.' But you did hide in
yourself (i.e. what Allaah has already made
known to you that He will give her to you
in marriage) that which Allaah will make
manifest, you did fear the people (i.e., their
saying that Muhammad married the divorced wife
of his manumitted slave) whereas Allaah had a
better right that you should fear Him. So when
Zayd had accomplished his desire from her (i.e.
divorced her), We gave her to you in marriage,
so that (in future) there may be no difficulty
to the believers in respect of (the marriage of)
the wives of their adopted sons when the latter
have no desire to keep them (i.e. they have
divorced them). And Allaah's Command must be
fulfilled"
[al-Ahzaab 33:37]
(Narrated by Muslim, 1428)
B _ Allaah has forbidden adoption because it
causes knowledge of people's lineage to be lost,
and we have been commanded to preserve people's
lineage.
It was narrated from Abu Dharr (may Allaah be
pleased with him) that he heard the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say:
"There is no man who knowingly calls himself
after someone other than his father but he has
committed kufr. Whoever claims to belong to
people to whom he has no ties of blood, let him
take his place in Hell."
(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3317; Muslim, 61)
What is meant by "committed kufr" is that he
has done an act of kufr, not that he is beyond
the pale of Islam, because he is forbidding
something that Allaah has permitted and is
permitting something that Allaah has forbidden.
Because forbidding the orphan to marry the
daughters of the adoptive father, for example,
is forbidding something that is permissible that
Allaah has not forbidden. And allowing the
orphan to inherit [like a son] from the adoptive
father after he dies is permitting something
that Allaah has forbidden, because the
inheritance is the right of the children who
come from his own loins. This may generate
hatred and resentment between the adopted son
and the children of the adoptive father, because
it will cause them to lose out on something that
is rightfully theirs, which will go to this
orphan unlawfully who they know is not entitled
to it as they are.
Sponsoring an orphan means that a man brings
the orphan to live in his house, or he sponsors
him somewhere other than his house, without
giving him his name or forbidding that which is
permitted or permitting that which is forbidden,
as is the case with adoption. Rather the one who
sponsors an orphan does it as an act of charity.
So there can be no comparison between one who
sponsors an orphan and one who adopts a child,
because of the great difference between them and
because sponsoring orphans is something which is
encouraged in Islam.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"…And they ask you concerning orphans. Say:
The best thing is to work honestly in their
property, and if you mix your affairs with
theirs, then they are your brothers. And Allaah
knows him who means mischief (e.g. to swallow
their property) from him who means good (e.g. to
save their property). And if Allaah had wished,
He could have put you into difficulties. Truly,
Allaah is All-Mighty, All-Wise" [al-Baqarah
2:220]
The Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) said that sponsoring orphans is a
means of being together with him in Paradise.
It was narrated that Sahl ibn Sa'd said: The
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: "I and the one who
sponsors an orphan will be like this in
Paradise" _ and he gestured with his index and
middle fingers, holding them slightly apart.
(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 4998)
But we must point out that when these orphans
reach adolescence, they must be separated from
the wives and daughters of the sponsor; when
doing an act of charity we should not let that
lead to immorality. We should also note that the
one who is sponsored may be an orphaned girl and
she may be beautiful and may become attractive
before adolescence, so the sponsor must watch
his sons lest they fall into doing haraam things
with the orphans, because this could happen and
be a means of causing mischief which it will be
difficult to put right.
We encourage our brothers to sponsor orphans,
for this is something that is rarely done except
by those whom Allaah has made righteous and
caused them to love good and feel compassion for
the orphans and the poor, especially our
brothers in Kosova and Chechnya who are faced
with hardship and difficulties. We ask Allaah to
relieve them of their distress.
And Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com)
13210: Do the agonies of
death reduce a person's sins?
Question:
Do the agonies of death reduce a person's
sins? Does sickness reduce a person's sins?
Please advise us.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Yes, everything of sickness, difficulty,
worry or distress that befalls a person, even
the prick of a thorn, is an expiation for his
sins. Then if he bears it patiently and seeks
reward for that with Allaah, as well as the
expiation of his sins he will be rewarded for
the patience with which he bears the calamity
that has befallen him. It makes no difference
whether that is at the time of death or before.
Calamities are expiation of sin for the
believer. The proof of that is the verse
(interpretation of the meaning):
"And whatever of misfortune befalls you,
it is because of what your hands have earned.
And He pardons much"[al-Shoora 42:30]
Since that is because of what our hands have
earned, this indicates that it is an expiation
for the things we have done. The Prophet SAWS
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said
that no worry, distress or hurt befalls the
Muslim, not even a thorn that pricks him, but
Allaah will expiate his sins thereby.
Shaykh Ibn `Uthaymeen, in al-Fataawa
al-Jaami'ah li'l-Mar'ah al-Muslimah, part 3, p.
1138
(www.islam-qa.com)
14035: The advantages of the
haafiz in this world and in the Hereafter
Question:
What are the benefits that a Hafiz gets in
this life and the next.
And what about his relatives and offspring?
What about the genereations before and after
him.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
Memorizing the Qur'aan is an act of worship
through which one seeks the Face of Allaah and
reward in the Hereafter. Without this intention,
he will never have any reward, rather he will be
punished for doing this act of worship for
someone or something other than Allaah.
The haafiz (the person who has memorized the
Qur'aan) should not have any intention of
gaining worldly benefits by memorizing the
Qur'aan, because his memorization thereof is not
a product to be traded with in this world,
rather it is an act of worship which is done for
the sake of his Lord.
Allaah has given special privileges to the
one who memorizes the Qur'aan in a number of
ways in this world and in the Hereafter, for
example:
1 _ He takes precedence over others in
leading the prayer.
It was narrated that Abu Mas'ood al-Ansaari
said: "The Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: `The
people should be led in prayer by the one among
them who has the most knowledge of the Book of
Allaah; if they are equal in knowledge of the
Qur'aan, then by the one who has most knowledge
of the Sunnah; if they are equal in knowledge of
the Sunnah, then by the one who migrated (made
hijrah) first; if they are equal in terms of
hijrah, then by the one who became Muslim first.
No man should lead another in prayer in his
domain of authority, or sit in his place in his
house, except with his permission."
(Narrated by Muslim, 673)
It was narrated that `Abd-Allaah ibn `Umar
said: "When the first muhaajiroon (emigrants)
came to Quba', before the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came
(to Madeenah), Saalim the freed slave of Abu
Hudhayfah used to lead them in prayer, and he
was the one who knew the most Qur'aan."
(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 660)
2 _ He is placed in front of others in a
common grave, closer to the qiblah, if it is
essential to bury him with others.
It was narrated that Jaabir ibn `Abd-Allaah
(may Allaah be pleased with them both) said:
"The Prophet would wrap two of the men slain at
Uhud in a single cloth, then he would ask,
`Which of them knew more Qur'aan?' If one of
them was pointed out to him, he would put that
one in the lahd (niche in the side of the grave)
first. And he said, `I will be a witness over
these people on the Day of Resurrection.' He
commanded that they should be buried with their
blood, without being washed, and that no funeral
prayer should be offered for them."
(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1278)
3 _ He takes precedence in leadership if he
able to bear that
It was narrated from `Aamir ibn Waathilah
that Naafi' ibn `Abd al-Haarith met `Umar in
`Usfaan, and `Umar had appointed him as governor
of Makkah. `Umar said, "Who have you appointed
in charge of the people of the valley?" He said,
"Ibn Abza." `Umar asked, "Who is Ibn Abza?" He
said, "One of our freed slaves." Umar said,
"Have you appointed over them a freed slave?!"
He said, "He is well-versed in the Book of
Allaah and he has knowledge of the laws of
inheritance." `Umar said: "Your Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
`Indeed, by this Book, Allaah would exalt some
people and degrade others.'" (Narrated by
Muslim, 817)
With regard to the Hereafter:
4 _ The status of the one who memorizes
Qur'aan will be commensurate with the last aayah
he memorized.
It was narrated from `Abd-Allaah ibn `Amr
that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) said: "It will be said to the
companion of the Qur'aan (i.e., the one who
memorized and studied it): `Read, advance in
status and recite as you used to do in the
world, for your status will be commensurate with
the last aayah that you recite.'"
(Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 2914; he said this
is a saheeh hasan hadeeth. Al-Albaani said in
Saheeh al-Tirmidhi, no. 2329, it is hasan
saheeh. Also narrated by Abu Dawood, 1464).
What is meant by reciting here is memorizing.
5 _ He will be with the angels, accompanying
them.
It was narrated from `Aa'ishah that the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: "The one who recites the Qur'aan and
learns it by heart, will be with the noble
righteous scribes (in Heaven) and the one who
exerts himself to learn the Qur'aan by heart and
recites it with great difficulty, will have a
double reward."
(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 4653; Muslim, 798)
6 _ He will be given a crown of honour and a
garment of honour to wear.
It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: "The Qur'aan will come on the Day of
Resurrection and will say, `O Lord, adorn him.'
So he will be given a crown of honour to wear.
Then it will say, `O Lord, give him more.' So he
will be given a garment of honour.' Then it will
say, `O Lord, be pleased with him.' So Allaah
will be pleased with him. Then it will be said
to him, `Recite and advance in status, and for
each verse you will gain one more hasanah
(reward for good deed)."
(Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 2915. He said, this
is a saheeh hasan hadeeth. Al-Albaani said in
Saheeh al-Tirmidhi, 2328, this is hasan).
7 _ The Qur'aan will intercede for him with
his Lord.
It was narrated that Abu Umaamah al-Baahili
said: "I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say,
`Recite the Qur'aan, for it will come on the Day
of Resurrection to intercede for its companions.
Recite the two bright ones, al-Baqarah and
Soorat Aal `Imraan, for they will come on the
Day of Resurrection like two clouds or two
shades or two flocks of birds in ranks, pleading
for those who recite them. Recite Soorat
al-Baqarah for to take recourse to it is a
blessing and to give it up is a cause of grief,
and the magicians cannot confront it."
(Narrated by Muslim, 804, and by al-Bukhaari
in a mu'allaq report).
Secondly:
With regard to his relatives and descendents,
there is evidence concerning his parents that
they will be clothed with garments which far
surpass everything to be found in this world,
and that will only be because they took care of
and taught their child. Even if they themselves
were ignorant, Allaah will honour them because
of their child. But the one who prevented his
child from learning the Qur'aan, he will be one
of those who are deprived.
It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: "The
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: `The Qur'aan will come
on the Day of Resurrection like a pale man
saying to its companion, "Do you recognize me? I
am the one who made you stay up at night and
made you thirsty during the day…" Then he will
be given dominion in his right hand and eternity
in his left, and a crown of dignity will be
placed upon his head, and his parents will be
clothed with garments which far surpass
everything to be found in this world. They will
say, "O Lord, how did we earn this." It will be
said to them, "Because you taught your child the
Qur'aan."'"
(Narrated by al-Tabaraani in al-Awsat,
6/51).
It was narrated that Buraydah said: "The
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: `Whoever reads the
Qur'aan, learns it and acts in accordance with
it, on the Day of Resurrection his parents will
be given a crown to wear whose light will be
like the light of the sun, and his parents will
be given garments which far surpass everything
to be found in this world. They will say, "Why
have we been given this to wear?" It will be
said, "Because your child learned the
Qur'aan."'"
(Narrated by al-Haakim, 1/756)
These two hadeeth support one another. See
al-Silsilah al-Saheehah, 2829.
And Allaah knows best. Islam Q&A Sheikh
Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com)
21374: What are the best
righteous deeds after the obligatory duties?
Question:
What are the best righteous deeds after the
obligatory duties?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah was asked the
following question:
I asked the Shaykh, who followed in the
footsteps of the earlier generations and was the
example for the later generations, the most
knowledgeable man I have ever met in the east or
the west, Taqiy al-Deen Abu'l-`Abbaas Ahmad ibn
Taymiyah, to point out to me what is the best
righteous deed after the obligatory duties. He
(may Allaah have mercy on him) replied as
follows:
What you have asked about, the best deed
after the obligatory duties, varies from one
person to another, depending on what they are
able to do and what is best at any given time.
So it is not possible to give a comprehensive,
detailed answer that suits everyone. But what
those who have knowledge of Allaah and His
commands are agreed upon is that constantly
remembering Allaah (dhikr) is the best thing
with which a person may occupy himself in
general. Therefore the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah
narrated by Muslim says: " `The mufridoon have
gone ahead.' They said, `O Messenger of Allaah,
who are the mufridoon?' He said, `Those men and
women who remember Allaah much.'" And Abu Dawood
narrated from Abu'l-Dardaa' (may Allah be
pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Shall I
not tell you of the best of your deeds and that
which is most pure in the sight of your Lord,
that which raises you more in status and is
better for you than giving gold and silver (in
charity), and better than your meeting your
enemy and striking their necks and they strike
your necks?' They said, `Yes, O Messenger of
Allaah.' He said, `Remembering Allaah (dhikr).'"
There is a great deal of Qur'aanic evidence
to support this. The least that a person should
do is to persist in reciting the adhkaar (pl. of
dhikr) which have been narrated from the teacher
of good and the leader of the pious (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him), such as the
adhkaar to be recited at certain times, at the
beginning and end of the day, when going to bed
and waking up from sleep and after the
prescribed prayers; and the adhkaar to be
recited on certain occasions, such as that to be
said when eating and drinking, when getting
dressed, when having intercourse, when entering
or leaving the home, the mosque or the washroom,
when it rains, when thunder is heard, and so on.
Books have been compiled on this topic called
`Aml al-Yawm wa'l-Laylah (Actions of the
Day and Night). One of the best books written on
this topic is the small book entitled Saheeh
al-Kalim al-Tayyib, which is derived from
the book by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah called
al-Kalim al-Tayyib; this has been edited
by al-`Allaamah al-Albaani.
Then one should persist in remembering Allaah
in general, the best of which is Laa ilaaha
ill-Allaah.
There may be some situations where certain
kinds of dhikr are preferable, such as saying
Subhaana Allaah wa'l-hamdu-Lillaah wa Allaahu
akbar wa laa hawla wa laa quwwata illa
Billaah.
Moreover, one should realize that everything
that the tongue utters or the heart imagines
that may bring one closer to Allaah, such as
seeking knowledge or teaching, enjoining what is
good and forbidding what is evil, is a kind of
dhikr or remembering Allaah. Hence the one who
occupies himself in the pursuit of beneficial
knowledge after performing the obligatory
duties, or who joins a gathering in order to
learn or teach, which Allaah and His Messenger
have called fiqh or understanding, is also doing
something which is one of the best forms of
remembering Allaah (dhikr).
If you think about it, you will not find much
difference of opinion among the earliest
generation concerning what is the best of deeds.
Whenever a person is confused he should pray
istikhaarah as prescribed in sharee'ah, for the
one who prays to Allaah asking Him for that
which is best (istikhaarah) will not have any
regrets. He should do that a lot, and make a lot
of du'aa', for that is the key to all goodness.
He should not be hasty and say "I prayed but I
did not get an answer." He should seek out the
times of special virtue, such as the end of the
night, the times immediately following the
prescribed prayers, the time of the adhaan, when
rain is falling, and so on.
Quoted from the essay al-Wasiyyah al-Jaami'ah
li Khayr al-Dunya wa'l-Aakhirah, by Shaykh
al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on
him), published by al-Maktabah al-Salafiyyah,
Cairo. (www.islam-qa.com)
21905: Seeing Laylat al-Qadr
Question:
Can Laylat al-Qadr be seen, i.e. can it be
seen with the human eye? Some people say that if
a person can see Laylat al-Qadr he sees a light
in the sky and so on. How did the Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) and the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased
with them all) see it? How can a person know
that he has seen Laylat al-Qadr? Will a person
still gain its reward even if he could not see
that night? Please explain that to us, and
mention the evidence for it.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Laylat al-Qadr may be seen with the eye, for
the one whom Allaah helps to see it. That is by
seeing its signs. The Sahaabah (may Allaah be
pleased with them) used to recognize it by its
signs. But not seeing them does not means that
one will not gain its reward, if one spends that
night in prayer out of faith and the hope of
reward. The Muslim should strive to seek it in
the last ten nights of Ramadaan, as enjoined by
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him), hoping to earn reward. If it so
happens that a person spends this night in
prayer out of faith and seeking reward, then he
will gain its reward, even if he does not know
that that was Laylat al-Qadr. The Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
"Whoever spends the night of Laylat al-Qadr in
prayer out of faith and seeking reward, all his
previous sins will be forgiven." According to
another report: "Whoever spends that night in
prayer, seeking Laylat al-Qadr, then he catches
it, his previous and future sins will be
forgiven."
And a sound report from the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) indicates
that the sign of Laylat al-Qadr is that the sun
rises on the following morning with no visible
rays. Ubayy ibn Ka'b used to swear that it was
the night of the twenty-seventh, citing this
sign as evidence. The more correct view is that
it moves through all the last ten nights, but it
is most likely to be one of the odd-numbered
nights, and the night of the twenty-seventh is
the most likely among the odd-numbered nights.
Whoever strives in worship during all of the
last ten nights, praying, reading Qur'aan,
making du'aa' and other kinds of good deeds will
undoubtedly catch up with Laylat al-Qadr and
attain what Allaah has promised to those who do
that out of faith and seeking reward.
And Allaah is the Source of strength, May
Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad and his family
and companions.
Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid
(www.islam-qa.com)
14590: Listening to Qur'aan
from a CD whilst on the bus
Question:
Is it possible to make an audio cd from a
quran software cd so i could possibly listen to
it while travelling on a bus or for general
listening on a cd player?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah. The Qur'aan is the word
of Allaah which was revealed to Muhammad (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him). It is
mustahabb to read it and recite it frequently.
This is one of the means of raising one's status
in Paradise, as it was narrated in the hadeeth
of `Abd-Allaah ibn `Amr ibn al-`Aas (may Allaah
be pleased with them both) that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: "It will be said to the companions of the
Qur'aan (i.e., those who read it much), `Read
and rise in status, recite as you used to recite
in the world, for your status will be
commensurate with the last aayah you read.'"
Likewise, listening to the Qur'aan is also
mustahabb, as the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) listened to the
recitation of Abu Moosa al-Ash'ari, and he said
to him, "If only you could have seen me when I
was listening to your recitation yesterday." And
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) asked `Abd-Allaah ibn Mas'ood (may
Allaah be pleased with him) to recite the
Qur'aan to him. `Abd-Allaah said, "Should I
recite it to you when it was revealed to you?"
The Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said, "I like to hear it from others."
So your listening to the Qur'aan on CD, as
you asked about, or from a tape recorder or on
the radio or TV, comes under the same ruling
(i.e., it is mustahabb), whether that is at
home, in the car, on the bus or in any other
appropriate place. So long as you focus on it
and do not listen to it whilst doing something
else, you will be rewarded for listening. And
Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid
(www.islam-qa.com)
21982: He wants something
that will guide him in his worldly and religious
affairs
Question:
Can you advise us of something that will
guide us in our worldly and religious affairs?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah was asked the
following question:
I ask the shaykh and imaam, the follower of
the salaf (earlier generations) and the leader
of the later generations, the most knowledgeable
man whom I have met in the east or the west,
Taqiy al-Deen Abu'l-Abbaas Ahmad Ibn Taymiyah,
to advise me of something that will guide me in
my worldly and religious affairs.
He (may Allaah have mercy on him) replied as
follows:
With regard to advice, I do not know of any
advice more beneficial than the advice of Allaah
and His Messenger, for those who understand it
and follow it:
"And verily, We have recommended to the
people of the Scripture before you, and to you
(O Muslims) that you (all) fear Allaah, and keep
your duty to Him"[al-Nisaa' 4:131]
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) advised Mu'aadh, when he sent him to
Yemen, "O Mu'aadh, fear Allaah wherever you are,
and follow up a bad deed with a good deed, and
it will wipe it out, and treat people in a kind
manner." Mu'aadh (may Allaah be pleased with
him) was held in high esteem by the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and
he said to him, "O Mu'aadh, by Allaah I love
you." And he used to let him ride behind him. It
was narrated that he was the most knowledgeable
of this ummah concerning halaal and haraam, that
he will be gathered (on the Day of Resurrection)
one step ahead of the scholars. One of his
virtues is that the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) sent him to Yemen to
convey the message from him, as a daa'iyah,
mufti and judge for the people of Yemen. And he
used to liken him to Ibraaheem (peace be upon
him), and Ibraaheem was a leader of mankind.
And Ibn Mas'ood (may Allaah be pleased with
him) used to say that Mu'aadh was an ummah (a
leader having all the good righteous qualities),
obedient to Allaah, and he was not one of the
mushrikeen (cf. al-Nahl 16:120), likening him to
Ibraaheem (peace be upon him).
Moreover, the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) gave him this advice, so we
should note that it is concise and
comprehensive. It is like that for the one who
understands it, even though it is an
interpretation of advice given in the Qur'aan.
With regard to its conciseness, that is
because each person has two duties: his duty
towards Allaah and his duty towards others. It
is inevitable that he will fall short sometimes
with regard to those duties, either by failing
to do something he is commanded to do or by
doing something he is forbidden to do. So the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: "Fear Allaah wherever you are." This
is a comprehensive phrase. The words "wherever
you are" refer to the need for taqwa in secret
and in the open. Then he said: "and follow up a
bad deed with a good deed, and it will wipe it
out". For when the doctor sees a patient and
realizes that he has ingested something harmful,
he will tell him to take something that is good
for him. Sin is something inevitable for man, so
the smart man is the one who keeps doing good
deeds so that they will wipe out his bad deeds.
In the wording of the hadeeth, the word
sayi'ah (bad deed) is mentioned first, even
though it is the object, because the aim here is
to wipe out bad deeds, not to emphasize good
deeds.
The good deeds should be of a similar nature
to the bad deeds, for that will be more
effective in wiping them out. The consequences
of sin may be erased by several things, the
first of which is repentance, and the second is
seeking forgiveness (istighfaar) without
repenting, for Allaah may forgive him in
response to his du'aa' even though he has not
repented. But if repentance and seeking
forgiveness are combined, this is perfect. The
third thing is doing righteous deeds that
expiate for sin.
With regard to specific acts of expiation,
such as those prescribed for one who has
intercourse during the day in Ramadaan, one who
divorces his wife by zihaar (a jaahili form of
divorce by which a man says to his wife "You are
to me as my mother's back), the one who commits
some actions which are forbidden during Hajj or
who fails to fulfil some of its obligations and
the one who hunts during Hajj, these expiations
are of four types: offering a sacrifice, freeing
a slave, giving in charity and fasting. With
regard to kinds of expiation that are not
specified, as Hudhayfah said to `Umar: The
fitnah faced by a man (i.e., his shortcomings
with regard to religious duties) because of his
family, wealth and children may be expiated by
prayer, fasting, charity and enjoining what is
good and forbidding what is evil. This is
indicated by the Qur'aan and the saheeh
ahaadeeth which speak of expiation via the five
daily prayers, Jumu'ah, fasting, Hajj and all
the actions concerning which it is said, whoever
says such and such or does such and such, he
will be forgiven, or his previous sins will be
forgiven. There are many such reports in the
books of Sunan, especially those books
which have been written concerning virtuous
deeds.
It should be noted that paying attention to
such matters is one of the things of which man
is in the greatest need. When a person reaches
the age of puberty, especially in these times
and similar periods which resemble the time of
jaahiliyyah in so many ways, the person who
grows up among knowledgeable and religious
people may be affected by matters of jaahiliyyah
to some extent, so how about others?
In al-Saheehayn it is narrated in the
hadeeth of Abu Sa'eed (may Allaah be pleased
with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) said: "You will follow
the path of those who came before you step by
step, so that even if they entered the hole of a
lizard, you will enter it too." They said, "O
Messenger of Allaah, do you mean the Jews and
Christians?" He said, "Who else?" This report is
confirmed by the aayah (interpretation of the
meaning):
"so enjoy your portion (awhile) as those
before you enjoyed their portion (awhile); and
you indulged in play and pastime (and in telling
lies against Allaah and His Messenger Muhammad)
as they indulged in play and pastime"
[al-Tawbah 9:69]
And there are further corroborating reports
in the saheeh and hasan ahaadeeth. This is
something which affects those among the elite
who claim to be religiously committed, as more
than one of the salaf, including Ibn `Uyayanah,
said. For many of the characteristics of the
Jews are things from which some of those who
claim to be knowledgeable are suffering, and
many of the characteristics of the Christians
are things from which some of those who claim to
be religiously-committed are suffering _ as is
clear to everyone who understands the religion
of Islam with which Allaah sent Muhammad (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him), then tries
to understand people in the light of Islam.
If this is the case, then the one whose heart
Allaah opens to Islam will be following light
from his Lord, for he was dead then Allaah
revived him and gave him light by which to walk
among mankind. So he will inevitably notice the
characteristics of jaahiliyyah and the path of
the two nations with whom Allaah is angry and
who have gone astray, namely the Jews and
Christians, and he will see that he is also
afflicted with some of that.
The most useful thing that both the elite and
the common folk may know is that which will
cleanse their souls of these bad effects, and
that is following bad deeds with good deeds.
Good deeds are those which Allaah has encouraged
on the lips of the final Prophet, whether they
are actions, attitudes or characteristics. Among
the things which remove the consequences of sin
are disasters or calamities which expiate sin;
these include all kinds of anxiety, grief or
harm with regard to wealth, honour, one's body,
and so on, but which are not brought about by a
person's own actions.
When the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) had stated the rights of
Allaah with regard to doing righteous deeds and
putting right bad deeds, he then said, "and
treat people in a kind manner". This refers to
one's duty towards other people. A good attitude
towards other people is based on maintaining
contact with one who cuts you off by greeting
him with salaam, honouring him, making du'aa'
for him, praying for forgiveness for him,
praising him and visiting him; giving to one who
has deprived you of knowledge, benefits and
money; forgiving one who has wronged you with
regard to blood, wealth or honour. Some of these
matters are waajib (obligatory) and some are
mustahabb (encouraged).
With regard to the "exalted standard of
character" [al-Qalam 68:4] with which Allaah
described Muhammad (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him), this is the religion which
includes all that Allaah has enjoined. Hence
Mujaahid said that he was the interpretation of
the Qur'aan, as `Aa'ishah (may Allaah be pleased
with her) said: "His character was the Qur'aan."
The essence of his character was that he
hastened to do what Allaah loves with a willing
spirit and an open heart. All of this may be
summed up in the word taqwa (fear of Allaah),
which includes doing everything that Allaah has
enjoined whether it is waajib (obligatory) or
mustahabb (recommended), and avoiding all that
He has forbidden, whether it is haraam
(forbidden) or makrooh (disliked). This combines
both duties towards Allaah and duties towards
other people. But as taqwa may sometimes mean
fearing the punishment which makes one refrain
from forbidden things, it was explained in the
hadeeth of Mu'aadh. Similarly, in the hadeeth of
Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with them)
which was narrated and classed as saheeh by
al-Tirmidhi, "it was said, `O Messenger of
Allaah, which thing most commonly brings people
into Paradise?' He said, `Fear of Allaah (taqwa)
and a good attitude.' It was said, `And which
thing most commonly brings people into Hell?' He
said, `The two hollow things: the mouth and the
private parts.'"
In al-Saheeh it is narrated from
`Abd-Allaah ibn `Umar (may Allaah be pleased
with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "The
most perfect of the believers in faith is the
one who is best in attitude." So he connected
perfection of faith to good attitude. It is well
known that faith is all fear of Allaah (taqwa),
but this is not the place to discuss the basic
principles and minor details of that. This is
the whole of religion, but the source of
goodness is sincere devotion of the slave to his
Lord, worshipping Him alone and seeking His help
alone, as in the aayahs (interpretation of the
meaning):
"You (Alone) we worship, and You (Alone)
we ask for help (for each and everything)"
[al-Faatihah 1:5]
"So worship Him (O Muhammad) and put your
trust in Him"[Hood 11:123]
"in Him I trust and unto Him I repent"[Hood
11:88]
"so seek your provision from Allaah
(Alone), and worship Him (Alone), and be
grateful to Him" [al-`Ankaboot 29:17]
Thus the slave does away with any hope of
benefiting from created beings and does not
strive for their sake, and he focuses all his
concern on his Lord, by praying to him for all
his needs, fears, etc., and striving to do all
that He loves.
Quoted from the essay al-Wasiyyah al-Jaami'ah
li khayr al-Sunya wa'l-Aakhirah by Shaykh
al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on
him), published by al-Maktabah al-Salafiyyah,
Cairo (www.islam-qa.com)
21018: The danger of rushing
to issue fatwas
Question:
There are some muftis on some satellite
channels who answer all questions without
exception. Some people in some gatherings, when
a question is posed, rush to answer it and each
of them wants to speak before the other. What is
the Islamic ruling on this?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Ibn al-Qayyim said:
The salaf, the Sahaabah and Taabi'een, used
to regard it as makrooh to rush to issue fatwas.
Each of them would wish that someone else would
take care of it, but if he realized that he had
no alternative but to answer, he would do his
utmost to find the ruling from the Qur'aan and
Sunnah or the words of the Rightly-Guided
khaleefahs, then he would give his fatwa.
`Abd-Allaah ibn al-Mubaarak said: Sufyaan told
us from `Ataa' ibn al-Saa'ib from `Abd
al-Rahmaan ibn Abi Layla who said: I met one
hundred and twenty of the Companions of the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) _ and I think he said, in
the mosque _ and there was none of them who had
to speak but he wished that his brother would
take care of it; there was no one who had to
give a fatwa but he wished that his brother
would take care of it. Imaam Ahmad said: Jareer
told us from `Ataa' ibn al-Saa'ib from `Abd
al-Rahmaan ibn Abi Layla that he said: I met one
hundred and twenty of the Ansaar from among the
Companions of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him), and there was
no man among them who was asked about something
but he would wish that his brother would take
care of it, and there was none who had to speak
but he would wish that his brother would take
care of it.
Maalik said, narrating from Yahya ibn Sa'eed
that Bukayr ibn al-Ashajj told him, narrating
from Mu'aawiyah ibn Abi `Ayaash that he was
sitting with `Abd-Allaah ibn al-Zubayr and
`Aasim ibn `Umar, when Muhammad ibn Iyaas ibn
al-Bukayr came and said, A man from among the
desert people has divorced his wife three times,
what do you think? `Abd-Allaah ibn al-Zubayr
said, This matter is something about which we
know nothing; go to `Abd-Allaah ibn `Abbaas and
Abu Hurayrah, for I have just left them with
`Aa'ishah the wife of the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him), then come and
tell us (what they say). So I went and asked
them, and Ibn `Abbaas said to Abu Hurayrah: Give
him the answer, O Abu Hurayrah, for here there
is a problem. Abu Hurayrah said: one talaaq
makes her divorced, and three makes her
forbidden to him until she has married another
husband.
Maalik narrated that Yahyaa ibn Sa'eed said:
Ibn `Abbaas said: Everyone who issues fatwas to
the people concerning everything that they ask
him about is crazy. Maalik said: I heard
something similar from Ibn Mas'ood. This was
narrated by Ibn Waddaah from Yoosuf ibn `Adiy
from `Abd ibn Humayd from al-A'mash from Shaqeeq
from `Abd-Allaah; and it was narrated by Habeeb
ibn Abi Thaabit from Abu Waa'il from
`Abd-Allaah.
Sahnoon ibn Sa'eed said: the most audacious
of the people in giving fatwas is the one who
has the least knowledge; a man may have a grasp
of one branch of knowledge and he thinks that
all the truth is to be found in this branch.
I say: being audacious in giving fatwas may
be because of a lack of knowledge or because of
an abundance thereof. If he is lacking in
knowledge he gives a fatwa on everything
concerning which he is asked without knowledge.
If his knowledge is abundant he will be able to
answer a lot of questions. Hence Ibn `Abbaas was
one of the Sahaabah who issued the most fatwas.
We have mentioned above that his fatwas were
compiled in twenty volumes. Sa'eed ibn
al-Musayyib also issued a lot of fatwas, and
they used to call him al-Jaree' (the
Bold), as was mentioned by Ibn Wahb from
Muhammad ibn Sulaymaan al-Muraadi from Abu
Ishaaq, who said: I used to see a man at that
time entering and asking about some matter, and
the people would divert him, sending him from
one gathering to another, until he was sent to
the gathering of Sa'eed ibn al-Musayyib, because
they did not like to issue a fatwa. He said, And
they used to call Sa'eed ibn al-Musayyib,
al-Jaree' (the Bold).
Sahnoon said: I memorized some issues
concerning which there would be eight opinions
from eight of the leading scholars, so how could
I hasten to answer before I am certain which one
is correct? Why should anyone blame me for not
giving an answer? Ibn Wahb said: Ashhal ibn
Haatim told us from `Abd-Allaah ibn `Awn from
Ibn Seereen who said: Hudhayfah said: The one
who gives fatwas to the people is one of three:
either he knows what has been abrogated of the
Qur'aan, or he is a leader who has no choice
(but to issue a fatwa) or he is a fool who is
doing something that is not his job. He said,
perhaps Ibn Seereen said: I am neither of the
first two, and I do not want to be the third.
I'laam al-Muwaqqi'een, 1/28, 29
(www.islam-qa.com)
21575: What are the best
fields of worldly work, employment or trade?
Question:
What are the best fields of worldly work,
employment or trade?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah was asked the
following question:
I ask the shaykh and imaam, the follower of
the salaf (earlier generations) and the leader
of the later generations, the most knowledgeable
man whom I have met in the east or the west,
Taqiy al-Deen Abu'l-Abbaas Ahmad Ibn Taymiyah,
to explain to me the best means of earning a
living.
He (may Allaah have mercy on him) answered as
follows:
The best way of earning a living is to put
one's trust in Allaah and have faith that He is
Able to take care of you, and to think well of
Him. That means that one who is keen to earn a
living should turn to Him and call upon Him, as
Allaah said, according to the report (hadeeth
qudsi) in which His Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) said: " `All of you are
hungry except those whom I feed; ask Me for food
and I will feed you. All of you are naked except
those whom I clothe. Ask Me to clothe you and I
will clothe you.'" And al-Tirmidhi narrated from
Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: "Let each one of you
ask his Lord for whatever he needs, even if it
is a thong for his sandal when it breaks, for if
Allaah does not make it easy for him, he will
not be able to fix it." (A similar reports from
Umm al-Mu'mineen `Aa'ishah (may Allaah be
pleased with her) has been classed as saheeh.
See al-Silsilah al-Da'eefah, no. 1362).
Allaah says in His Book (interpretation of
the meaning):
"… and ask Allaah of His Bounty"
[al-Nisa' 4:32 _ check this is the right
quote]
"Then when the (Jumu`ah) Saaaht (prayer) is
ended, you may disperse through the land, and
seek the Bounty of Allaah (by working)…"
[al-Jumu'ah 62:10]
Although this refers to Jumu'ah (Friday
prayers), the meaning applies to all the
prayers.
Hence _ and Allaah knows best _ the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told
us to say when entering the mosque,
"Allaahumma iftah li abwaab
rahmatika (O Allaah, open to me the gates of
Your mercy)," and when leaving the mosque to
say, "Allaahumma inni as'aluka min
fadlika (O Allaah, I ask You of Your
Bounty)." And Ibraaheem the close friend of
Allaah (peace be upon him) said: "so seek
your provision from Allaah (Alone), and worship
Him (Alone), and be grateful to Him"
[al-`Ankaboot 29:17 _ interpretation of the
meaning]
This is a command, and a command demands a
response. So seeking the help of Allaah, turning
to Him with regard to the matter of provision
and other matters, is an important principle.
Then one should seek to earn money with
self-respect and pride, so that Allaah may bless
it for him; one should not take it with an
attitude of desperation and greed. Rather money
should be like the toilet, which one needs but
which does not hold any special place in one's
heart. Striving to earn money should be like
striving to fix the toilet. According to a
marfoo' hadeeth which was narrated by
al-Tirmidhi and others, "Whoever wakes up and
this world is his main concern, Allaah will make
him scattered and shattered, and he will feel a
sense of panic and loss, and he will get nothing
of this world except that which was already
decreed for him. But whoever gets up and is
mostly concerned about the Hereafter, Allaah
will cause him to feel focused and content, and
will give him a feeling of being independent,
and worldly gains will come to him willingly or
unwillingly."
One of the salaf said: You are in need of
this world but you are in greater need of your
share of the Hereafter. If you start with your
share of the Hereafter, then your share of this
world will automatically come with it. Allaah
says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And I (Allaah) created not the jinn and
mankind except that they should worship Me
(Alone).
I seek not any provision from them (i.e.
provision for themselves or for My creatures)
nor do I ask that they should feed Me (i.e. feed
themselves or My creatures).
Verily, Allaah is the AllProvider, Owner of
Power, the Most Strong"
[al-Dhaariyaat 51:56-58]
With regard to specifying a particular means
of earning a living, whether it be in industry,
business, construction, farming, etc., this
varies from one person to another. I do not know
of any general ruling, but if there is a
direction that a person wants to take, then let
him seek the guidance of Allaah and pray
istikhaarah as taught by the teacher of all good
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), for
there is such great blessing in that that it
cannot be comprehended, then whatever is made
easy for him, he should be content with that,
unless it is something which is objectionable on
Islamic grounds.
Quoted from Ibn Taymiyah's essay al-Wasiyyah
al-Jaami'ah li khayr al-Dunya wa'l-Aakhirah,
published by al-Maktabah al-Salafiyyah, Cairo.
(www.islam-qa.com)
10936: Calamities expiate
for sins
Question:
My wife used to pray until she had her first
child, then she became lazy, claiming that any
woman who gives birth, all her sins are forgiven
because of the pain that she suffers in
childbirth. What do you say to her?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
This is not correct. A woman, like anyone
else among the children of Adam, if anything
befalls her and she bears it with patience and
seeks reward (from Allaah), then she will be
rewarded for these pains and calamities. The
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) gave the example of something that is less
severe than that, and said that if a thorn
pricks a person, he will have expiation because
of that. It should be noted that if a person
bears the disasters that befall him with
patience and seeks reward from Allaah, he will
be rewarded for his patience and seeking reward,
and the disaster itself will be an expiation for
his sins. Calamities expiate sins in all cases;
if that is accompanied by patience, a person
will be rewarded for his patience in the face of
those calamities. When a woman gives birth,
there is no doubt that she endures pain and
suffering; this pain is an expiation for her,
and if she bears it with patience and seeks
reward from Allaah, that will increase her
reward and hasanaat… and Allaah knows best.
From the fataawa of Shaykh ibn `Uthaymeen,
Majallah al-Da'wah, no. 1789, p. 61
(www.islam-qa.com)
12391: The most honoured of
you with Allaah is the one who is the most pious
Question:
What does Islam say about racial
discrimination?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
All people are the descendants of one man and
one woman, believer and kaafir, black and white,
Arab and non-Arab, rich and poor, noble and
lowly.
Islam does not pay attention to differences
in colour, race or lineage. All people come from
Adam, and Adam was created from dust. In Islam,
differentiation between people is based on faith
(eemaan) and piety (taqwaa), by doing that which
Allaah has enjoined and avoiding that which
Allaah has prohibited. Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):
"O mankind! We have created you from a
male and a female, and made you into nations and
tribes, that you may know one another. Verily,
the most honourable of you with Allaah is that
(believer) who has AtTaqwa [i.e. he is one of
the Muttaqoon (the pious)]. Verily, Allaah is
AllKnowing, All Aware"
[al-Hujuraat 49:13]
Islam regards all people as equal as far as
rights and duties are concerned People are equal
before the law (sharee'ah), as Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):
"Whoever works righteousness — whether
male or female — while he (or she) is a true
believer (of Islamic Monotheism) verily, to him
We will give a good life (in this world with
respect, contentment and lawful provision), and
We shall pay them certainly a reward in
proportion to the best of what they used to do
(i.e. Paradise in the Hereafter)" [al-Nahl
16:97]
Faith, truthfulness and piety all lead to
Paradise, which is the right of the one who
acquires these attributes, even if he is one of
the weakest or lowliest of people. Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):
"And whosoever believes in Allaah and
performs righteous good deeds, He will admit him
into Gardens under which rivers flow (Paradise)
to dwell therein forever. Allaah has indeed
granted for him an excellent provision"
[al-Talaaq 65:11]
Kufr, arrogance and oppression all lead to
Hell, even if the one who does these things is
one of the richest or noblest of people. Allaah
says (interpretation of the meaning):
"But those who disbelieved (in the Oneness
of Allaah _ Islamic Monotheism) and denied Our
Ayaat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons,
signs, revelations, etc.), they will be the
dwellers of the Fire, to dwell therein forever.
And worst indeed is that destination"
[al-Taghaabun 64:10]
The advisors of the Messenger (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) included Muslim
men of all tribes, races and colours. Their
hearts were filled with Tawheed and they were
brought together by their faith and piety _ such
as Abu Bakr from Quraysh, `Ali ibn Abi Taalib
from Bani Haashim, Bilaal the Ethiopian, Suhayb
the Roman, Salmaan the Persian, rich men like
`Uthmaan and poor men like `Ammaar, people of
means and poor people like Ahl al-Suffah, and
others.
They believed in Allaah and strove for His
sake, until Allaah and His Messenger were
pleased with them. They were the true believers.
"Their reward with their Lord is `Adn
(Eden) Paradise (Gardens of Eternity),
underneath which rivers flow. They will abide
therein forever, Allaah will be pleased with
them, and they with Him. That is for him who
fears his Lord" [al-Bayyinah 98:8 _
interpretation of the meaning]
From Usool al-Deen al-Islami by Shaykh
Muhammad ibn Ibraaheem al-Tuwayjri
(www.islam-qa.com)
8511: The six blessings of
the martyrs
Question:
What are the six characteristics of the
martyrs (shahid)taught to us from our beloved
Prophet Muhammad ?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
It was reported in the hadeeth of al-Miqdaam
ibn Ma'di Karb that the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
"The martyr (shaheed) has seven blessings
from Allaah: he is forgiven from the moment his
blood is first shed; he will be shown his place
in Paradise; he will be spared the trial of the
grave; and he will be secure on the Day of the
Greatest Terror (the Day of Judgement); there
will be placed on his head a crown of dignity,
one ruby of which is better than this world and
all that is in it; he will be married to
seventy-two of al-hoor al-`iyn; and he
will be permitted to intercede for seventy of
his relatives."
According to another report, the martyr has
six blessings from Allaah. According to other
reports (the number is) six, or nine, or ten.
(Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, who said it is a
hasan hadeeth. Also narrated by Ibn Maajah in
al-Sunan, by Ahmad, by `Abd al-Razzaaq in
al-Musannaf, by al-Tabaraani in
al-Kabeer, and by Sa'eed ibn Mansoor in
al-Sunan).
Shaykh Waleed al-Firyaan (www.islam-qa.com)
5226: Reward for patience
when miscarrying a foetus who had a soul
Question:
Does the hadeeth "Whoever loses three
children who had not reached the age of
puberty…" include miscarried foetuses into whom
the soul had already been breathed?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
We put this question to Shaykh Muhammad ibn
Saalih al-`Uthaymeen, may Allaah preserve him,
who answered as follows:
Yes, they are included, but they are not like
children who have been born and to whom one has
developed an attachment.
Question: but will a person get the same
reward?
Answer: yes, we hope so.
And Allaah knows best.
Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-`Uthaymeen
(www.islam-qa.com)
11419: The female martyr and
the male martyr's reward of seventy-two hoor
al-`iyn
Question:
If a woman is killed as a martyr for the sake
of Allaah, how does the hadeeth "The shaheed
will be married to seventy-two hoor al-`iyn"
apply to her?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
We put this question to Shaykh `Abd-Allaah
ibn Jibreen, may Allaah preserve him, who
answered as follows:
This number is only for men. A woman will
have only one husband in Paradise, and she will
be satisfied with him and will not need any more
than that.
The Muslim woman _ who is not influenced by
the claims of those who propagate permissiveness
and knows that she is not like men in her
make-up and nature, because Allaah has made her
like that _ does not object to the rulings of
Allaah or feel angry. Rather she accepts what
Allaah has decreed for her. Her sound nature
tells her that she cannot live with more than
one man at a time. So long as she has entered
Paradise, she will have all that she desires, so
she should not dispute now about the delights
and rewards that her Lord has chosen for her,
for your Lord does not treat anyone unjustly. If
she is one of the people of Paradise, then she
is included, like men, in the words of Allaah
(interpretation of the meaning):
"Trays of gold and cups will be passed
round them; (there will be) therein all that
innerselves could desire, and all that eyes
could delight in and you will abide therein
forever"
[al-Zukhruf 43:71]
We ask Allaah for al-Firdaws, the highest
part of Paradise. May Allaah bless our Prophet
Muhammad.
Islam Q&A Sheikh Muhammed Salih
Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com)
9282: Whoever dies of
appendicitis or cirrhosis of the liver is a
shaheed (martyr)
Question:
It was narrated in the hadeeth that the
mabtoon (one who dies of an abdominal disease)
is a shaheed. What is the meaning of the word
mabtoon? Does it include one who dies of
cirrhosis of the liver?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Concerning the word mabtoon, the
scholars said: one who dies of an abdominal
disease. The apparent meaning is that this would
include one who dies of appendicitis because it
is one of the abdominal diseases that can kill.
It may also include those who die of cirrhosis
of the liver, because this is also a abdominal
disease that can kill.
From the fatwas of Shaykh Ibn `Uthaymeen for
al-Da'wah magazine (www.islam-qa.com)
924: Those whom Allaah will
shade with His shade
Question:
What i want to know is that: What kind of
people will be included into the "shade" of the
chair which Allah (s.w.t) will be sitting, when
the sun is brought closer to the earth. I hope i
am phrasing the question right.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Seven of those whom Allaah will shade with
His shade on the Day when there will be no shade
except His were mentioned in the saheeh
ahaadeeth.
It was reported from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah
be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
"There are seven whom Allaah will shade with
His shade on the day when there will be no shade
except His: the just ruler; a young man who
grows up worshipping his Lord; a man whose heart
is attached to the mosque; two men who love one
another for the sake of Allaah and meet and part
on that basis; a man who is called by a woman of
rank and beauty and says `I fear Allaah'; a man
who gives in charity and conceals it to such an
extent that his left hand does not know what his
right hand gives; and a man who remembers Allaah
when he is alone, and his eyes fill up." (Agreed
upon, narrated by al-Bukhaari, no. 620; Muslim,
no. 1712; and others).
This is one of the blessings that Allaah
bestows upon His believing slaves. On the great
Day when mankind will be suffering distress and
hardship,the sun will be brought near to
mankind, until the distance between them is
equal to the length of the stick used for
applying kohl to the eyes [meel= may also mean a
"mile"], and all the people will sweat according
to their deeds, except for some of the
believers, whom Allaah will single out to shade
them with His shade, and He will protect them
from the sun and from sweating.
`Uqbah ibn `Aamir said: I heard the Messenger
of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) say:
"The sun will be brought near to the earth
and the people will sweat. For some people, the
sweat will come up to their heels; for some it
will come halfway up their shins; for some it
will come up to their knees; for some it will
come up to their backsides; for some it will
come up to their hips; for some it will come up
to their shoulders; for some it will come up to
their necks; for some it will come up to the
middle of their mouths; and some of them will be
comepletely covered with their sweat." (Narrated
by Imaam Ahmad in his Musnad, no. 16798)
There follows the commentary of Ibn Hajar
(may Allaah be pleased with him) on the hadeeth
(about the shade of Allaah):
"with His shade". The fact that the shade is
connected to Allaah is an expression of honour,
for every shade belongs to Him. It was said that
this refers to His honour and protection, just
as it may be said (in Arabic) that a person is
in the shade (or shadow) of the king. And it was
said that it refers to the shadow of His Throne,
which is more correct
"the just ruler" means one who holds the
position of khaleefah, and anyone else who is
appointed to a position of authority over the
Muslims' affairs, and he fulfils his duties
justly.
The best definition of "just" is: one who
obeys the commands of Allaah and puts everything
in its proper place without going to the extreme
either of overdoing it or of negligence. The
just ruler is mentioned first because his
benefits are so far-reaching.
"a young man". Young men are mentioned in
particular because they are more likely to feel
desire because of their strong motives for
following their desires. The fact that a young
man adheres to worship despite that is
indicative of the strength of his taqwaa
(piety).
"worshipping his Lord". In the hadeeth of
Salmaan it says that he "spent his youth and his
energy in worshipping Allaah."
"attached to the mosque". The apparent
meaning is attachment in the sense of hanging,
as if his heart is likened to something that
hangs in the mosque _ like a lamp, for example _
indicating that his heart is so strongly
attached to the mosque that even when he leaves
the mosque, his heart is still there. Or it
could mean attachment in the sense of a deep
love.
"love one another" means, they shared a kind
of love whereby each loved the other in a
genuine sense, not just to show off.
"and [they] meet and part on that basis"
means, this is an ongoing love based on
religion, which they do not cut off for any
worldly reason, whether they meet in reality or
not, until death comes between them.
"a man who is called by a woman of rank and
beauty". The meaning of "of rank" is, of high
birth or a high position; this may refer to
lineage or to wealth. The woman is described as
having all the qualities which people usually
seek, power and wealth, along with beauty. It is
very rare to find all three in a woman. The
apparent meaning is that she called him to
commit immoral actions.
"and says `I fear Allaah'". The apparent
meaning is that he says this out loud, either to
rebuke her for her immorality or to refuse her
call. It may also be that he says it in his
heart.
"to such an extent that his left hand does
not know what his right hand gives". What is
meant by this is that he conceals his charitable
giving , and goes to such an extreme that his
left hand, even though it is so close to his
right hand and is always with it that even if we
imagined that it could understand, it would not
know what the right hand is doing because of
this utter secrecy. This is a metaphor.
"and a man who remembers Allaah" _ either in
his heart, or by mentioning Him out loud.
"when he is alone" _ because this is furthest
away from showing off. What is meant here is
that there are no distractions, so he pays
attention to nothing except Allaah.
"his eyes fill up (lit. flood)" means, they
fill with tears; this is another metaphor.
Although men are mentioned in this hadeeth,
women are also included in what is described
here. Although what is meant by a "just leader"
is the position of imaam (khaleefah), women may
also be included in this, if they have children
and treat them justly. The idea of being
attached to the mosque does not apply to women,
because a woman's prayer in her home is better
than her prayer in the mosque. Apart from that,
women have a share in all of these things; if a
man may be called by a woman, then it can be
imagined that a woman could be called by a
handsome king, for example, and she refuses
because she fears Allaah, even though she may
have motives to respond.
Fath al-Baari, 620.
There are others whom Allaah will also shade
with His shade _ apart from the seven mentioned
in the hadeeth quoted above _ who are mentioned
in other ahaadeeth. Ibn Hajar listed them in
Fath al-Baari (620) as follows:
"Those who fight (for the sake of Allaah);
those who help the mujaahideen; those who defer
payment of debt for debtors who are in
difficulty, or let them off all or part of the
debt; those who help people who are heavily in
debt; those who help slaves who have drawn up
contracts of manumission; those who have a good
attitude; those who walk to the mosque; sincere
and honest traders; those who take what is due
to them and no more; those who spend for the
sake of Allaah; those who sponsor orphans."
We ask Allaah to shade us with His shade on
the Day when there will be no shade except His.
Islam Q&A Sheikh Muhammed Salih
Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com)
8800: His wife died
following childbirth _ is she a shaheedah
(martyr)?
Question:
My wife (may Allaah have mercy on her) died
two hours after giving birth to my daughter. Is
my wife considered to be a shaheedah (martyr)?
What are my duties towards her daughter? Am I
counted as one who sponsors an orphan?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
If a woman dies with a child in her womb, or
she dies during childbirth or after childbirth
but within the period of nifaas (post-partum
bleeding), she is considered to be a shaheedah
in sha Allaah. Raashid ibn Hubaysh narrated that
the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) entered upon `Ubaadah ibn
al-Saamit when he was sick and said, "Do you
know who is a shaheed (martyr) in my ummah?" The
people remained silent, then `Ubaadah said,
"Help me to sit up." They helped him to sit up,
then he said, "O Messenger of Allaah, (is it)
the patient one who seeks reward from Allaah for
his patience?" The Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, "Then
the martyrs among my ummah would be very few.
Being killed for the sake of Allaah is
martyrdom, the plague is martyrdom, drowning is
martyrdom, stomach disease is martyrdom, and if
a woman dies during the post-partum period, her
child will drag her to Paradise by his umbilical
cord." The umbilical cord is that which is cut
by the midwife when the child is born. The
hadeeth was narrated by Imaam Ahmad in his
Musnad with a saheeh isnaad.
(al-Musnad, 3/489). There is a
corroborating report narrated by Maalik (1/233)
and Abu Dawood, 3/482).
`Ubaadah ibn al-Saamit also narrated that the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said, "Who is counted as a
shaheed among you?" They said, "The one who
fights and is killed for the sake of Allaah."
The Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said: "Then the shaheeds among my
ummah would be few. The one who is killed for
the sake of Allaah is a shaheed; the one who
dies of plague is a shaheed; the one who dies of
a stomach disease is a shaheed; the woman who
dies with a child in her womb is a shaheed."
This was narrated by Imaam Ahmad, 5/315, and by
Ibn Maajah, and by Ibn Hibbaan in his
Saheeh, who said its isnaad is saheeh. A
report with a similar meaning was narrated by
Muslim, as referred to above.
With regard to how you should take care of
your daughter after her mother's death, this
means that you should spend on her, clothe her,
teach her good manners and educate her, etc.
This is obligatory upon you, and you will have
the reward for that as long as your intention is
sincerely for Allaah. But this is not counted as
sponsoring an orphan, because according to
sharee'ah the orphan is the person whose father
dies whilst he or she is still a child. Muslim
reported in his Saheeh that Abu Hurayrah
(may Allaah be pleased with him) said: the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: "The one who sponsors
an orphan, whether he belongs to him or to
someone else, and I will be like these two in
Paradise" _ and Maalik made a gesture with his
forefinger and middle finger. What is meant by
"who belongs to him" is that the sponsor is
related to the orphan, e.g. his grandfather,
mother, grandmother, brother, sister, paternal
uncle, paternal aunt, maternal uncle, maternal
aunt, or other relative. What is meant by "or to
someone else" is that the sponsor is a
"stranger" (i.e., not closely related) to the
orphan. Your duty towards your daughter is to
spend on her food, drink, clothing and shelter,
and take care of her Islamic upbringing,
teaching her about her religion and instilling
the pure Islamic `aqeedah in her heart.
Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid
(www.islam-qa.com)
3095: She fell into a well
and died _ is she counted as a shaheedah
(martyr)?
Question:
My mother died approximately twenty years
ago, by falling into a well that was not
completely filled with water. She was a
righteous woman. Is she among those who are
counted as shuhadaa' (martyrs)?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Yes, those who drown are counted as martyrs,
because of the report from Abu Hurayrah (may
Allaah be pleased with him) according to which
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said: "The shuhadaa' are five: the one
who dies of plague, the one who dies of a
stomach disease, the one who drowns, the one who
is crushed by a falling wall, and the one who is
killed for the sake of Allaah." This was
narrated by Maalik in al-Muwatta', and by
al-Bukhaari, Muslim and al-Tirmidhi.
And Allaah is the Source of strength. May
Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad and his family
and companions, and grant them peace.
Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid
(www.islam-qa.com)
4156: What can you do in one
minute?
Question:
In our offices and workplaces we can hardly
find time to do acts of worship and righteous
deeds. What can we do in the short time that we
can find in our day? How can we make use of it?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Time is of the essence, it is too precious to
be wasted or neglected. The wise person is the
one who pays attention to his time and does not
treat it as a vessel to be filled with cheap
things and vain talk. Instead, he limits it to
worthy efforts and righteous deeds that please
Allaah and benefit other people. Every minute of
a person's life carries the potential to raise
his own status and to make his people happier,
little by little.
If you are keen to attain the highest
position, and bring the most happiness to your
people, then forget about relaxing and keep away
from empty amusement.
In one minute you can do a lot of good and
earn much reward. In just one minute, by giving
in charity, studying, memorizing, or striving to
do good deeds, you can make sure that this
minute of your life is not wasted. One minute
may be recorded in your book of good deeds if
you know how to make the most of it and take
care of it:
Strive to make the most of each minute
If you forget it, you forget the most
important thing, the truth.
There follows a list of things that can be
done in one minute, by the permission of Allaah:
1. 1. In one minute you can recite Soorat
al-Faatihah 3 times, reciting rapidly and
silently. Some scholars said that the reward for
reading al-Faatihah is more than 600
hasanahs, so if you read it 3 times you
will, by the permission of Allaah, gain more
than 1800 hasanahs _ all of that in one
minute.
2. In one minute you can recite Soorat
al-Ikhlaas (Qul Huwa Allaahu Ahad) 20
times, reciting rapidly and silently. Reciting
it once is equivalent to one-third of the
Qur'aan. If you read it 20 times it is
equivalent to reading the Qur'aan 7 times. If
you read it 20 times in one minute each day, you
will have read it 600 times in one month, and
7200 times in one year, which will be equal in
reward to reading the Qur'aan 2400 times.
3. You can read one page of the Book of
Allaah in one minute.
4. You can memorize a short aayah of the Book
of Allaah in one minute.
5. In one minute you can say Laa ilaaha
ill-Allaah wahdahu laa shareeka lah, lahu'l-mulk
wa lahu'l-hamd wa huwa `ala kulli shay'in
qadeer (There is no god except Allaah alone
with no partner; to Him be dominion and praise,
and He is Able to do all things) _ 20 times. The
reward for saying this is like freeing 8 slaves
for the sake of Allaah from among the sons of
Ismaa'eel.
6. In one minute you can say Subhaan
Allaahi wa bi hamdihi (Glory and praise be
to Allaah) 100 times. Whoever says that in one
day will be forgiven for his sins even if they
are like the foam of the sea.
7. In one minute you can say Subhaan
Allaahi wa bi hamdihi Subhaan Allaah
il-`Azeem (Glory and praise be to Allaah,
glory be to Allaah the Almighty) 50 times. These
are two phrases which are light on the lips,
heavy in the balance and beloved to the Most
Merciful, as was narrated by al-Bukhaari and
Muslim.
8. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) said: "When I say `Subhaan
Allaah, wa'l-hamdu Lillah, wa laa ilaah
ill-Allaah, wa Allaahu akbar (Glory be to
Allaah, praise be to Allaah, there is no god
except Allaah, and Allaah is Most Great)', this
is more beloved to me than all that the sun
rises upon." (Narrated by Muslim). In one
minute, you can say all of these words more than
18 times. These words are the most beloved words
to Allaah, the best of words, and they weigh
heavily in the balance of good deeds, as was
narrated in the saheeh ahaadeeth.
9. In one minute you can say, Laa hawla wa
laa quwwata illa Billaah (there is no
strength and no power except with Allaah) more
than 40 times. This is one of the treasures of
Paradise, as was narrated by al-Bukhaari and
Muslim. They are a means of putting up with
difficulties and of aiming to achieve great
things.
10. In one minute you can say Laa ilaaha
ill-Allaah approximately 50 times. This is
the greatest word, for it is the word of
Tawheed, the good word, the word that stands
firm. If these are the last words of a person,
he will enter Paradise, and there are other
reports which indicate how great these words
are.
11. In one minute you can say Subhaan
Allaah wa bi hamdih, `adada khalqihi, wa ridaa
nafsihi, wazinata `arshihi, wa midaada
kalimaatihi (Glory and praise be to Allaah,
as much as the number of His creation, as much
as pleases Him, as much as the weight of His
Throne and as much as the ink of His words) more
than 15 times. This words bring many more times
the reward for other forms of tasbeeh and dhikr,
as was reported in saheeh ahaadeeth from
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him).
12. In one minute you can seek the
forgiveness of Allaah more than 100 times by
saying "Astaghfir-Allaah (I seek the
forgiveness of Allaah). The virtues of seeking
forgiveness are no secret, for it is the means
of attaining forgiveness and entering Paradise,
and it is the means of being granted a good
life, increasing one's strength, warding off
disasters, making things easier, bringing rain
and increasing one's wealth and children.
13. You can say a few brief and concise words
in one minute, and Allaah may bring about some
good through them that you could never imagine.
14. In one minute you can send blessings on
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) 50 times by saying Sall-Allaahu
`alayhi wa sallam (May Allaah bless him and
grant him peace). In return Allaah will send
blessings upon you 500 hundred times because one
blessing brings ten like it.
15. In one minute you can motivate your heart
to give thanks to Allaah, to love Him, to fear
Him, to put hope in Him, to long for Him, and
thus travel through the stages of
`uboodiyyah (total enslavement to
Allaah). You could do this when you are lying on
your bed or walking in the street.
16. In one minute you can read more than two
pages of a useful book that is easy to
understand.
17. In one minute you can uphold the ties of
kinship by calling a relative on the phone.
18. You can raise your hands and recite any
du'aa' you wish from the books of du'aa', in one
minute.
19. You can say salaams to and shake hands
with a number of people in one minute.
20. You can forbid an evil action in one
minute.
21. You can enjoin something good in one
minute.
22. You can offer sincere advice to a brother
in one minute.
23. You can console someone who is depressed
in one minute.
24. You can remove something harmful from the
road in one minute.
25. Making the most of one minute motivates
you to make the most of other periods that would
otherwise be wasted.
Al-Shaafa'i (may Allaah have mercy on him)
said:
When people go to sleep, I let my tears flow,
and I recite a verse of the most eloquent poetry
Is it not a waste that nights go by and I do
not increase in knowledge, yet this time is
counted as part of my life?
Finally, the more sincere you are towards
Allaah and the more aware you are of Him, the
greater will be your reward and the more your
hasanaat will increase.
Note that most of these actions will not cost
you anything; they do not require tahaarah
(purity) and they will not tire you out or take
much effort. On the contrary, you can do them
whilst you are walking, or in your car, or lying
down, or standing, or sitting, or waiting for
somebody.
These actions are also among the greatest
means of attaining happiness, expanding the
chest (i.e., bringing relief and joy) and
removing stress and anxiety. May Allaah help us
and you to do that which He loves and which
pleases Him. May Allaah bless our Prophet
Muhammad.
Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid
(www.islam-qa.com)
5893: Sponsoring a lost
child
Question:
Is it possible to sponsor a child whose
father is missing under a program for sponsoring
orphans, or should this sponsorship program be
only for orphans?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
The orphan is a child whose father has died,
as was stated by the scholars in Lisaan
al-`Arab [an Arabic-language dictionary] and
elsewhere. Such a child is regarded as an orphan
until he reaches the age of puberty, i.e., the
age of fifteen or earlier if the signs of
puberty appear. These signs are: the emission of
gushing water (ejaculation) during intercourse
or a wet-dream, the growth of coarse hair around
the private parts, and, in the case of females,
the onset of menstruation. (See Al-Mughni
by Ibn Qudaamah, 6/591)
As for the child whose father is missing, he
is not considered to be an orphan unless it is
proven that his father is dead, or a period of
time passes beyond which it is impossible that
his father would still be alive; this should be
left to the discretion of the judge, as stated
by the majority of the fuqaha' on the
topic of the inheritance of one who is missing.
If this child is poor or comes from a poor
family, then money can be spent on him from the
Zakaah or general charity funds, but orphan
sponsorship does not apply in his case.
Reference: Masaa'il wa Rasaa'il, Muhammad
Al-Hammood Al-Najdi, p. 13 (www.islam-qa.com)
4236: The Hadith of the
Seven is Not in Reference to Men Only
Question:
Is the hadith that talks about the seven whom
Allah will shade on the Day in which there is no
shade except
Allah's specific just for men
or is it for anyone, such as women, who perform
those acts and, therefore, they will receive
that reward mentioned in the hadith?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
The merits mentioned in the hadith are not
specifically for men. In fact, they are general
for both men and women. If a young woman grows
up in the worship of Allah, she is included
among them. Similarly, two women who love each
other for the sake of Allah alone are also
included. Again, any woman who is invited to
illegal sexual intercourse by a man of nobility
and beauty and she refuses his advances, saying,
"I fear Allah," will be one of those in the
shade of Allah.
Any woman who gives in charity from her legal
earnings to the extent that her left hand does
not know what her right hand has given will be
included among them. If a woman remembers Allah
when she is alone by herself, she will be
included among them like any man. However, the
righteous leader is something specific for men.
Similarly, performing the prayers in
congregation in the mosque is something specific
for men. The prayer of the woman in her house is
more virtuous as has been stated in the
authentic Hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon
him).
Shaikh ibn Baz
(www.islam-qa.com)
1699: Virtues of the Ten
Days of Dhul Hijjah
Question:
How do the first ten days of the Month of
Dhul Hijjah differ from other days of the year?
Answer:
The first ten days of Dhu'l-Hijjah:
Days of virtue and righteous deeds
Praise be to Allaah Who has created Time and
has made some times better than others, some
months and days and nights better than others,
when rewards are multiplied many times, as a
mercy towards His slaves. This encourages them
to do more righteous deeds and makes them more
eager to worship Him, so that the Muslim renews
his efforts to gain a greater share of reward,
prepare himself for death and supply himself in
readiness for the Day of Judgement.
This season of worship brings many benefits,
such as the opportunity to correct one's faults
and make up for any shortcomings or anything
that one might have missed. Every one of these
special occasions involves some kind of worship
through which the slaves may draw closer to
Allaah, and some kind of blessing though which
Allaah bestows His favour and mercy upon
whomsoever He will. The happy person is the one
who makes the most of these special months, days
and hours and draws nearer to his Lord during
these times through acts of worship; he will
most likely be touched by the blessing of Allaah
and will feel the joy of knowing that he is safe
from the flames of Hell. (Ibn Rajab,
al-Lataa'if, p.8)
The Muslim must understand the value of his
life, increase his worship of Allaah and persist
in doing good deeds until the moment of death.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And worship your Lord until there comes unto
you the certainty." [al-Hijr 15:99] The
mufassireen (commentators) said: "`The
certainty' means death."
Among the special seasons of worship are the
first ten days of Dhu'l-Hijjah, which Allaah has
preferred over all the other days of the year.
Ibn `Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him and
his father) reported that the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "There
are no days in which righteous deeds are more
beloved to Allaah than these ten days." The
people asked, "Not even jihaad for the sake of
Allaah?" He said, "Not even jihaad for the sake
of Allaah, except in the case of a man who went
out to fight giving himself and his wealth up
for the cause, and came back with nothing."
(Reported by al-Bukhaari, 2/457).
Ibn `Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him
and his father) also reported that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: "There is no deed more precious in the
sight of Allaah, nor greater in reward, than a
good deed done during the ten days of
Sacrifice." He was asked, "Not even jihaad for
the sake of Allaah?" He said, "Not even jihaad
for the sake of Allaah, except in the case of a
man who went out to fight giving himself and his
wealth up for the cause, and came back with
nothing." (Reported by al-Daarimi, 1/357; its
isnaad is hasan as stated in
al-Irwaa', 3/398).
These texts and others indicate that these
ten days are better than all the other days of
the year, with no exceptions, not even the last
ten days of Ramadaan. But the last ten
nights of Ramadaan are better, because
they include Laylat al-Qadr ("the Night
of Power"), which is better than a thousand
months. Thus the various reports may be
reconciled. (See Tafseer Ibn Katheer,
5/412).
You should know, my brother in Islaam, that
the virtue of these ten days is based on many
things:
Allaah swears an oath by them, and swearing
an oath by something is indicative of its
importance and great benefit. Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning): "By the dawn;
by the ten nights" [al-Fajr 89:1-2]. Ibn
`Abbaas, Ibn al-Zubayr, Mujaahid and others of
the earlier and later generations said that this
refers to the first ten days of Dhu'l-Hijjah.
Ibn Katheer said: "This is the correct opinion."
(Tafseer Ibn Katheer, 8/413)
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) testified that these are the best days
of this world, as we have already quoted above
from saheeh ahaadeeth.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) encouraged people to do righteous
deeds because of the virtue of this season for
people throughout the world, and also because of
the virtue of the place - for the Hujjaaj
(pilgrims) to the Sacred House of Allaah.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) commanded us to recite a lot of
Tasbeeh ("Subhan-Allaah"),
Tahmeed ("Al-hamdu Lillaah") and
Takbeer ("Allaahu akbar") during
this time. `Abdullaah ibn `Umar (may Allaah be
pleased with him and his father) reported that
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said: "There are no days greater in
the sight of Allaah and in which righteous deeds
are more beloved to Him than these ten days, so
during this time recite a great deal of
Tahleel ("La ilaaha ill-Allaah"),
Takbeer and Tahmeed." (Reported by
Ahmad, 7/224; Ahmad Shaakir stated that it is
saheeh).
These ten days include Yawm `Arafaah
(the Day of `Arafaah), on which Allaah perfected
His Religion. Fasting on this day will expiate
for the sins of two years. These days also
include Yawm al-Nahar (the Day of
Sacrifice), the greatest day of the entire year
and the greatest day of Hajj, which combines
acts of worship in a way unlike any other day.
These ten days include the days of sacrifice
and of Hajj.
Question: What must the Muslim avoid during
these ten days if he wants to offer a sacrifice?
The Sunnah indicates that the one who wants
to offer a sacrifice must stop cutting his hair
and nails and removing anything from his skin,
from the beginning of the ten days until after
he has offered his sacrifice, because the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: "When you see the new moon of
Dhu'l-Hijjah, if any one of you wants to offer a
sacrifice, then he should stop cutting his hair
and nails until he has offered his sacrifice."
According to another report he said: "He should
not remove (literally, touch) anything from his
hair or skin." (reported by Muslim with four
isnaads, 13/146)
The Prophet's instruction here makes one
thing obligatory and his prohibition makes
another haraam, according to the soundest
opinion, because these commands and prohibitions
are unconditional and unavoidable. However, if a
person does any of these things deliberately, he
must seek Allaah's forgiveness but is not
required to offer (an extra) sacrifice in
expiation; his sacrifice will be acceptable.
Whoever needs to remove some hair, nails, etc.
because it is harming him, such as having a
broken nail or a wound in a site where there is
hair, should do so, and there is nothing wrong
with that. The state of ihraam is so
important that it is permitted to cut one's hair
if leaving it will cause harm. There is nothing
wrong with men or women washing their heads
during the first ten days of Dhu'l-Hijjah,
because the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) only forbade cutting the
hair, not washing it.
The wisdom behind this prohibition of the one
who wants to offer a sacrifice from cutting his
hair etc., is so that he may resemble those in
ihraam in some aspects of the rituals
performed, and so that he may draw closer to
Allaah by offering the sacrifice. So he leaves
his hair and nails alone until the time when he
has offered his sacrifice, in the hope that
Allaah will save him in his entirety from the
Fire. And Allaah knows best.
If a person has cut his hair or nails during
the first ten days of Dhu'l-Hijjah because he
was not planning to offer a sacrifice, then he
decides later, during the ten days, to offer a
sacrifice, then he must refrain from cutting his
hair and nails from the moment he makes this
decision.
Some women may delegate their brothers or
sons to make the sacrifice on their behalf, then
cut their hair during these ten days. This is
not correct, because the ruling applies to the
one who is offering the sacrifice, whether or
not he (or she) delegates someone else to carry
out the actual deed. The prohibition does not
apply to the person delegated, only to the
person who is making the sacrifice, as is
indicated in the hadeeth. The person who is
sacrificing on behalf of someone else, for
whatever reason, does not have to adhere to this
prohibition.
This prohibition appears to apply only to the
one who is offering the sacrifice, not to his
wife and children, unless any of them is
offering a sacrifice in his or her own right,
because the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) used to sacrifice "on behalf
of the family of Muhammad," but there are no
reports that say he forbade them to cut their
hair or nails at that time.
If a person was planning to offer a
sacrifice, then he decides to go and perform
Hajj, he should not cut his hair or nails if he
wants to enter ihraam, because the Sunnah
is only to cut hair and nails when necessary.
But if he is performing Tamattu' [whereby
he performs `Umrah, comes out of ihraam
and enters ihraam anew for Hajj], he
should trim his hair at the end of his `Umrah
because this is part of the ritual.
The things that are described above as being
prohibited for the person who is planning to
offer a sacrifice are reported in the hadeeth
quoted above; the person is not forbidden to
wear perfume, have marital relations, wear sewn
garments, etc.
Concerning the types of worship to be
performed during these ten days: one must
understand that these days are a great blessing
from Allaah to His slave, which is appreciated
properly by the actively righteous. It is the
Muslim's duty to appreciate this blessing and
make the most of the opportunity, by devoting
these ten days to paying more attention to
striving hard in worship. Among His blessings to
His slaves, Allaah has given us many ways in
which to do good and worship Him, so that the
Muslim may be constantly active and consistent
in his worship of his Lord.
Among the good deeds which the Muslim should
strive to do during the first ten days of
Dhu'l-Hijjah are:
Fasting. It is Sunnah to fast on the ninth
day of Dhu'l-Hijjah, because the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) urged us to
do good deeds during this time, and fasting is
one of the best of deeds. Allaah has chosen
fasting for Himself, as is stated in the
hadeeth qudsi: "Allaah says: `All the
deeds of the son of Adam are for him, except for
fasting, which is for Me and I am the One Who
will reward him for it.'"
(Reported by al-Bukhaari, 1805).
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) used to fast on the ninth of
Dhu'l-Hijjah. Hunaydah ibn Khaalid reported from
his wife that some of the wives of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: "The Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) used to fast on the ninth of
Dhu'l-Hijjah, on the day of `Aashooraa', on
three days of each month, and on the first two
Mondays and Thursdays of each month." (Reported
by al-Nisaa'i, 4/205 and by Abu Dawud;
classified by al-Albaani as saheeh in
Saheeh Abi Dawud, 2/462).
Takbeer. It is Sunnah to say
Takbeer ("Allaahu akbar"),
Tahmeed ("Al-hamdu Lillaah"),
Tahleel ("La ilaha ill-Allaah")
and Tasbeeh ("Subhaan Allaah")
during the first ten days of Dhu'l-Hijjah, and
to say it loudly in the mosque, the home, the
street and every place where it is permitted to
remember Allaah and mention His name out loud,
as an act of worship and as a proclamation of
the greatness of Allaah, may He be exalted.
Men should recite these phrases out loud, and
women should recite them quietly.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"That they might witness things that are of
benefit to them (i.e., reward of Hajj in the
Hereafter, and also some worldly gain from
trade, etc.), and mention the name of Allaah on
appointed days, over the beast of cattle that He
has provided for them (for sacrifice)..."
[al-Hajj 22:28]
The majority of scholars agree that the
"appointed days" are the first ten days of
Dhu'l-Hijjah, because of the words of Ibn
`Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him and his
father): "The `appointed days' are the first ten
days (of Dhu'l-Hijjah)."
The Takbeer may include the words
"Allaahu akbar, Allaahu akbar, la ilaaha
ill-Allaah; wa Allaahu akbar wa
Lillaahi'l-hamd (Allaah is Most Great,
Allaah is Most Great, there is no god but
Allaah; Allaah is Most Great and to Allaah be
praise)," as well as other phrases.
Takbeer at this time is an aspect of
the Sunnah that has been forgotten, especially
during the early part of this period, so much so
that one hardly ever hears Takbeer,
except from a few people. This Takbeer
should be pronounced loudly, in order to revive
the Sunnah and as a reminder to the negligent.
There is sound evidence that Ibn `Umar and Abu
Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with them) used
to go out in the marketplace during the first
ten days of Dhu'l-Hijjah, reciting
Takbeer, and the people would recite
Takbeer when they heard them. The idea
behind reminding the people to recite
Takbeer is that each one should recite it
individually, not in unison, as there is no
basis in Sharee'ah for doing this.
Reviving aspects of the Sunnah that have been
virtually forgotten is a deed that will bring an
immense reward, as is indicated by the words of
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him): "Whoever revives an aspect of my
Sunnah that is forgotten after my death, he will
have a reward equivalent to that of the people
who follow him, without it detracting in the
least from their reward."
(Reported by al-Tirmidhi, 7/443; this is a
hasan hadeeth because of corroborating
asaaneed).
Performing Hajj and `Umrah. One of the best
deeds that one can do during these ten days is
to perform Hajj to the Sacred House of Allaah.
The one whom Allaah helps to go on Hajj to His
House and to perform all the rituals properly is
included in the words of the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him): "An accepted
Hajj brings no less a reward than Paradise."
Doing more good deeds in general, because
good deeds are beloved by Allaah and will bring
a great reward from Him. Whoever is not able to
go to Hajj should occupy himself at this blessed
time by worshipping Allaah, praying
(salaat), reading Qur'an, remembering
Allaah, making supplication (du'aa'),
giving charity, honouring his parents, upholding
the ties of kinship, enjoining what is good and
forbidding what is evil, and other good deeds
and acts of worship.
Sacrifice. One of the good deeds that will
bring a person closer to Allaah during these ten
days is offering a sacrifice, by choosing a
high-quality animal and fattening it, spending
money for the sake of Allaah. (more information
to follow, in sha Allaah).
Sincere repentance. One of the most important
things to do during these ten days is to repent
sincerely to Allaah and to give up all kinds of
disobedience and sin. Repentance means coming
back to Allaah and foregoing all the deeds, open
and secret, that He dislikes, out of regret for
what has passed, giving it up immediately and
being determined never to return to it, but to
adhere firmly to the Truth by doing what Allaah
loves.
If a Muslim commits a sin, he must hasten to
repent at once, without delay, firstly because
he does not know when he will die, and secondly
because one evil deed leads to another.
Repentance at special times is very important
because in most cases people's thoughts turn
towards worship at these times, and they are
keen to do good, which leads to them recognizing
their sins and feeling regret for the past.
Repentance is obligatory at all times, but when
the Muslim combines sincere repentance with good
deeds during the days of most virtue, this is a
sign of success, in sha Allaah. Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning): "But as for him
who repented, believed and did righteous deeds,
then he will be among those who are successful."
[al-Qasas 28:67]
The Muslim should make sure that he does not
miss any of these important occasion, because
time is passing quickly. Let him prepare himself
by doing good deeds which will bring him reward
when he is most in need of it, for no matter how
much reward he earns, he will find it is less
than he needs; the time of departure is at hand,
the journey is frightening, delusions are
widespread, and the road is long, but Allaah is
ever watchful, and to Him will we return and
render account. As the Qur'aan says
(interpretation of the meaning):
"So whosoever does good equal to the weight
of an atom, shall see it,
And whosoever does evil equal to the weight
of an atom, shall see it."
[al-Zalzalah 99:7-8]
There is much to be gained, so make the most
of the opportunity afforded by these invaluable
and irreplaceable ten days. Hasten to do good
works, before death strikes, before one can
regret one's negligence and failure to act,
before one is asked to return to a place where
no prayers will be answered, before death
intervenes between the hopeful one and the
things he hopes for, before you are trapped with
your deeds in the grave.
O you whose hard heart is as dark as the
night, is it not time that your heart was filled
with light and became soft? Expose yourself to
the gentle breeze of your Lord's mercy during
these ten days, for Allaah will cause this
breeze to touch whomever He wills, and whoever
is touched by it will be happy on the Day of
Judgement. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad
and all his Family and Companions.
Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid
(www.islam-qa.com)
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Introduction