FEEDS RSS 2.0 Comments Introduction The Hadeeth (Hadith) and its Sciences Commentary on Hadeeth 2534: How sound is the hadeeth "Whoever visits my grave after I die, it is as if he visited me when I was still alive"? Question: I was once told that Rasulullah(saw) has said that visiting his grave after his death is the same as visiting him when he was alive and that, therefore, when we visit his grave in Madinah, there is no harm in speaking to him as if he were alive and requesting him to intercede on our behalf with Allah. But I'm worried that this might be `shirk'. Please answer soon; I hope to go for an Umrah in the near future and visit his grave too, insya Allah. Answer: Al-Daaraqutni reported in his Sunan (2/278) with an isnaad from Haatib that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever visits me after I die, it is as if he visited me when I was still alive…" This is a hadeeth which many of the scholars of hadeeth judged to be false and not to have been reported with a saheeh isnaad from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Among the scholars who voiced this opinion was al-Haafiz al-Dhahabi in Lisaan al-Meezaan (4/285), in his biography of one of the narrators, Haaroon ibn Abi Qaz'ah. Al-Dhahabi said: "…Haaroon ibn Abi Qaz'ah al-Madani [reported] from a man" _ about visiting the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Al-Bukhaari said: "This is not to be accepted or followed." Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar said in Lisaan al-Meezaan (6/217): "Al-Azdi said: `Haaroon Abu Qaz'ah reports mursal ahaadeeth from a man of Aal Haatib.' I [Ibn Hajar] say: from this we understand that what he is referring to is al-Azdi. Ya'qoob ibn Shaybah also classed him as da'eef (weak)." Al-Haafiz ibn Hajar also mentioned him in al-Talkhees al-Habeer, in his comment on the ahaadeeth of al-Raafa'i al-Kabeer (2/266). He said, "In his isnaad is the unknown [majhool] man" _ meaning a man from Aal Haatib. Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah said in al-Tawassul wa'l-Waseelah (p. 134) about this hadeeth: "It is obviously a lie that goes against Islam. Anyone who visited him during his lifetime and believed in him, was one of his Companions, especially if he was among those who migrated to join him or fought alongside him. It is proven that he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: `Do not slander my Companions, for by the One in Whose hand is my soul, if any one of you were to spend gold equal to the size of Uhud, it would not equal the deeds of one of them, not even half of it.' [Reported by al-Bukhaari and Muslim]. Anyone who comes after the Sahaabah cannot be like the Sahaabah by doing obligatory duties such as Hajj, jihaad, the five daily prayers and sending blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), so how can he become equal to them by doing something that is not obligatory according to the consensus of the Muslims? We are not even supposed to travel for this purpose, in fact it is forbidden to do so. However, travelling to the [Prophet's] Mosque, and to al-Masjid al-Aqsaa [in Jerusalem], for the purpose of praying there, is mustahabb (encouraged), and travelling to the Ka'bah for Hajj is waajib (obligatory). If a person who undertakes a journey that is waajib or mustahabb still cannot be like one of the Sahaabah who travelled to visit the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) during his lifetime, how can they achieve this by undertaking a journey that is not allowed?" He also said (p. 133): "All of the ahaadeeth about visiting his grave are da'eef, and are not to be relied upon in matters of religion. For this reason none of the authors of books of Saheeh and Sunan reported them at all; they were only narrated by those who reported da'eef ahaadeeth, such as al-Daaraqutni, al-Bazzaar and others. Shaykh al-Albaani said in al-Da'eefah (no. 1021) about this hadeeth: it is baatil (false). He mentioned what is wrong with the hadeeth, namely the man who is not named, and classed Haaroon Abu Qaz'ah as da'eef. There is a third fault with the hadeeth, which is that it causes confusion and contradiction. Then Shaykh al-Albaani said: "In general, the isnaad of this hadeeth is weak." He also said in al-Da'eefah (no. 47): "many people think that Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah and those who follow him among the Salafis forbid visiting the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) altogether. This is a lie and a fabrication, and it is not the only lie told about Ibn Taymiyah, may Allaah have mercy on him, or about the Salafis. Everyone who reads the books of Ibn Taymiyah will see that he says it is permissible to visit his grave (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and that doing so is recommended (mustahabb), so long as it is not associated with any objectionable practices or innovations (bid'ah), such as travelling solely for that purpose, because of the hadeeth "No one should set out purposely except to visit three mosques." The hadeeth does not describe a ban only on travelling to visit other mosques, as many people think; it also includes a ban on setting out to visit any place which people think will bring them closer to Allaah, whether it is a mosque, a grave or any other place. This is indicated by the hadeeth narrated by Abu Hurayrah who said: `I met Basrah ibn Abi Basrah al-Ghifaari and he asked me, `Where are you coming from?' I said, `From al-Toor [Sinai].' He said, `If I had met you before you left, you would not have gone there! I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: `Do not travel except to three mosques.'" (Reported by Ahmad and others with a saheeh isnaad). This clearly indicates that the Sahaabah understood the hadeeth to be general in application [i.e., it did not apply only to mosques]. This is supported by the fact that it is not reported that any of them ever set out with the intention of visiting a grave. They are the predecessors of Ibn Taymiyah in this regard, so whoever condemns Ibn Taymiyah is in effect condemning the salaf (the righteous predecessors), may Allaah be pleased with them. May Allaah have mercy on the one who said: "All goodness is in following those who went before (the salaf)" and all evil is in following the innovations of those who came later." In conclusion, travelling with the intention of visiting the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is bid'ah and is haraam, because of the hadeeth which forbids travelling to worship in any place except the three mosques. As for visiting the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) when one happens to be in Madeenah, this is perfectly acceptable, as is travelling with the intention of praying in the Prophet's Mosque as an act of worship and seeking to draw close to Allaah. Those that are confused about this issue are those who do not understand the difference between what is permitted and what is forbidden. And Allaah knows best. Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com) 32690: What is the status of the hadeeth, "No man is scratched by a thorn…"? Question: What is the status of this hadeeth? It was narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "No man is scratched by a thorn, or stumbles, or has a twitching in a vein, except for a sin, and what Allaah forgives is greater." Does this mean that everything that happens to a person is because of his sin? I read this in Tafseer al-Qurtubi, and I looked in Saheeh al-Bukhaari and Fath al-Baari, but I could not find it. Answer: Praise be to Allaah. Firstly: This hadeeth was narrated by al-Tabari in al-Tafseer, 5/175; and by al-Bayhaqi in Shu'ab al-Eemaan, 7/153; from the mursal hadeeth of Qataadah. A mursal report is one which is narrated by a Taabi'i from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), with no narrator in between. This is one of the categories of da'eef (weak) hadeeth. So this hadeeth has a weak isnaad, as was mentioned by al-Albaani in al-Silsilah al-Da'eefah, 1796. Secondly: The meaning of the hadeeth is sound and is supported by other evidence from the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). The calamities that befall a man may be as the result of sin that he has committed, so this calamity may be expiation for that sin. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): "Whatever of good reaches you, is from Allaah, but whatever of evil befalls you, is from yourself. And We have sent you (O Muhammad) as a Messenger to mankind, and Allaah is Sufficient as a Witness" [al-Nisa' 4:79] "And whatever of misfortune befalls you, it is because of what your hands have earned. And He pardons much" [al-Shoora 42:30] Ibn Katheer said in his Tafseer (1/529): "Whatever of good reaches you, is from Allaah" means, it is by the grace, bounty, kindness and mercy of Allaah. "but whatever of evil befalls you, is from yourself" means, it is because of your own actions. This is like the verse in which Allaah says (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] Al-Saddi, al-Hasan al-Basri, Ibn Jurayj and Ibn Zayd said: "is from yourself" means, because of your sin. Qataadah said concerning this verse, "is from yourself" means, as a punishment to you, O son of Adam, for your sin. Thirdly: The calamities that befall a believer in this world raise him in status and expiate for his sins. Hence the believer should accept whatever calamities Allaah decrees for him, and should realize that this is good for him. It was narrated that `Aa'ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her), the wife of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "There is no calamity that befalls a Muslim but Allaah expiates (sin) thereby, even a thorn that pricks him." Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5640; Muslim, 2572. Muslim (2572) narrated that `Aa'ishah said: I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: "There is nothing that befalls a believer, not even a thorn that pricks him, but Allaah will record a hasanah (good deed) for him thereby, or erase from him a sin." And Allaah knows best. Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com) 21711: al-Namrood and the people of the ditch Question: In which book of Hadees is the Explanation of Namrood's infanticide during the days of Hazarat Abrahim ?. Answer: Praise be to Allaah. Al-Namrood was the king of Babylon, and he was a kaafir king. There happened between him and Ibraaheem (peace be upon him) that which Allaah describes in the verse (interpretation of the meaning): "Have you not looked at him who disputed with Ibraaheem (Abraham) about his Lord (Allaah), because Allaah had given him the kingdom? When Ibraaheem (Abraham) said (to him): `My Lord (Allaah) is He Who gives life and causes death.' He said, `I give life and cause death.' Ibraaheem (Abraham) said, `Verily, Allaah brings the sun from the east; then bring it you from the west.' So the disbeliever was utterly defeated. And Allaah guides not the people, who are Zaalimoon (wrongdoers)" [al-Baqarah 2:258] There is no story about him and any child that can be proven, as far as we know. But if you are asking about the story of the believing boy and the kaafir king, and how the boy was killed and the people believed in Allaah, and they bore persecution for that, this is the story of the people of the ditch, which was narrated by Muslim (3005) from the hadeeth of Suhayb (may Allaah be pleased with him), which says that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Among those who came before you there lived a king who had a (court) sorcerer. As he (the sorcerer) grew old, he said to the king: `I have grown old, so send some young boy to me so that I may teach him magic.' He (the king) sent a boy to him so that he might train him (in magic). On his way to the sorcerer he (the boy) met a monk and sat with him. He (the boy) listened to his (the monk's) talk and was impressed by it. So whenever he went to the sorcerer he would pass by the monk and sit with him. And when he came to the sorcerer, he (the sorcerer) beat him. He complained about it to the monk and he said to him: `When you feel afraid of the sorcerer, say: My family made me late. And when you feel afraid of your family, say: The sorcerer made me late.' It so happened that there came a huge beast (of prey) and it blocked the way of the people. He (the young boy) said: I shall find out today whether the sorcerer or the monk is superior. He picked up a stone and said: O Allaah, if the affairs of the monk are dearer to You than the affairs of the sorcerer, bring death to this animal so that the people will be able to move about freely. He threw that stone at it and killed it and the people were able to pass freely. He (the boy) then came to that monk and told him (what had happened). The monk said: My son, today you are better than me. Your affairs have reached a stage where I think that you will be soon put to the test, and in case you are put to the test do not reveal my identity. That young man began to heal the blind and those suffering from leprosy and he began to cure people of (all kinds) of illness. When a companion of the king, who had become blind, heard about him, he came to him with numerous gifts and said: If you heal me, all these things here will be yours. He said: I myself do not heal anyone; it is Allaah Who heals. If you believe in Allaah, I shall also pray to Allaah to heal you. He believed in Allaah and Allaah healed him. He came to the king and sat by his side as he used to sit before. The king said to him: Who restored your eyesight? He said: My Lord. He asked, Do you have any Lord other than me? He said: My Lord and your Lord is Allaah; so he (the king) took hold of him and tortured him until he revealed the identity of the boy. The boy was then summoned and the king said to him: O boy, it has been conveyed to me that you have become so proficient in your magic that you heal the blind and those suffering from leprosy and you do such and such things. Thereupon he said: I do not heal anyone; it is Allah Who heals. He (the king) took hold of him and began to torture him. So he revealed the identity of the monk. The monk was thus summoned and it was said to him: Turn back from your religion. But he refused to do so. He (ordered) a saw to be brought and he (the king) placed it in the middle of his head and cut it until it fell apart. Then the courtier of the king was brought and it was said to him: Turn back from your religion, but he refused to do so. So the saw was placed in the middle of his head and it was cut until it fell apart. Then the boy was brought and it was said to him: Turn back from your religion. He refused to do so and he was handed over to a group of his courtiers. He said to them: Take him to such and such a mountain; make him climb that mountain and when you reach its top (ask him to renounce his faith) but if he refuses to do so, then throw him (down the mountain). So they took him and made him climb the mountain and he said: O Allaah, save me from them however You will. The mountain began to shake and they all fell down, and the boy came walking back to the king. The king said to him: What has happened to your companions? He said: Allaah has saved me from them. He again handed him to some of his courtiers and said: Take him and carry him away in a small boat and when you reach the middle of the ocean (ask him to renounce) his religion, but if he does not renounce his religion throw him (into the water). So they took him and he said: O Allaah, save me from them and what they want to do. It was not long before the boat overturned and they were drowned but he came walking back to the king. The king said to him: What has happened to your companions? He said: Allaah has saved me from them. He also said to the king: You cannot kill me until you do what I ask you to do. And he said: What is that? He said: You should gather people in a plain and crucify me on the trunk (of a tree). Then take an arrow from my quiver and say: In the name of Allaah, the Lord of the boy; then shoot an arrow and if you do that then you would be able to kill me. So he (the king) called the people to an open plain and crucified him (the boy) on the trunk of a tree. Then he took an arrow from his quiver, placed the arrow in the bow and then said: In the name of Allaah, the Lord of the boy; he then shot an arrow and it hit his temple. He (the boy) placed his hands upon the temple where the arrow had hit him and he died. The people said: We believe in the Lord of this boy, we believe in the Lord of this boy, we believe in the Lord of this boy. Some people came to the king and said to him: Do you realize that you what feared has happened? All the people now believe (in the Lord of the boy). He (the king) commanded ditches to be dug at the entry-points of the roads. When these ditches were dug, and fires was lit in them it was said (to the people): He who does not turn back from his (the boy's) religion will be thrown in the fire or they will be told to jump in it. So they started to do that until a woman came with her child and she hesitated to jump into the fire. Then her child said to her: O mother, be patient, for you are following the Truth." Your saying in your question "Hazrat Ibraaheem" is an innovated expression which is best avoided, because for the Prophets (peace be upon them) there is an expression which is used only for them, namely "al-salaatu wa'l-salaamu `alayhim (blessings and peace be upon them). There is scholarly consensus on this point, as was narrated by Ibn al-Qayyim in Jala' al-Afhaam from Imam al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on them both) And Allaah knows best. Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com) 43147: Reconciling the ahaadeeth about how many times better praying in congregation is than praying alone Question: In Saheeh al-Bukhaari there are two ahaadeeth _ numbers 645 and 646 according to the numbering of Fath al-Baari. According to hadeeth no. 645 the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Praying in congregation is twenty seven times better than praying alone". According to hadeeth no. 646, the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Praying in congregation is twenty-five times better than praying alone." I hope that you can comment and explain. Answer: Praise be to Allaah. The first hadeeth was narrated from `Abd-Allaah ibn `Umar by al-Bukhaari (619) and Muslim (650). It says: "Praying in congregation is twenty seven times better than praying alone". The second hadeeth was narrated from Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri, and was narrated by al-Bukhaari (619). It says: "Praying in congregation is twenty-five times better than praying alone." The scholars have reconciled between these two hadeeth. Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: They may be reconciled in three ways: 1 _ There is no contradiction because mentioning a smaller number does not rule out the larger number. Taking numbers literally is not acceptable according to the scholars of usool. 2 _ He first spoke of the smaller number then Allaah told him of the greater bounty so he spoke of that. 3 _ It may vary according to the circumstances of the worshippers and the prayer. So for some of them it may be twenty-five and for some it may be twenty-seven, depending on how complete their prayer is, whether it is done in the proper manner and with proper focus and humility (khushoo'), the number of people present, how good they are, how good the environment is, etc. And Allaah knows best. Al-Majmoo', 4/84 And there are other ways of reconciling the two hadeeth, some of which are based on the above. Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar suggested another way in Fath al-Baari (2/132) which was not mentioned by al-Nawawi, which is twenty-seven applies to the prayers in which Qur'aan is recited out loud and twenty-five applies to the prayers in which it is recited silently. And Allaah knows best. Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com) 22836: The ratio of people of Paradise to people of Hell Question: In Saheeh al-Bukhaari there are two ahaadeeth (nos. 6529 and 6530 according to the numbering of Fath al-Baari). In hadeeth no. 6529 it says that the number of "those who are to be sent to Hell is ninety nine from every hundred." And in hadeeth no. 6530 it says that the number of "those who are to be sent to Hell is nine hundred and ninety nine from every thousand." I hope that you could comment and explain this. May Allaah reward you with good. Answer: Praise be to Allaah. The first hadeeth was narrated by al-Bukhaari (6529) from Abu Hurayrah, that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "The first one to be called on the Day of Resurrection will be Adam. He will be shown his progeny and it will be said, `This is your father Adam.' He will say, `Here I am at Your service.' He will say: `Bring forth those who are to be sent to Hell from among your progeny.' He will say, `O Lord, how many should I bring forth?' He will say, `Bring forth from every hundred ninety nine.'" They said: "O Messenger of Allaah, if ninety nine are taken from every hundred of us, what will be left of us?" He said, "My ummah, among the other nations, is like a white hair on a black bull." The second hadeeth was narrated by al-Bukhaari (3348) and Muslim (222) from Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri (may Allaah be pleased with him), that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Allaah will say, `O Adam!' and he will say, `Here I am at Your service, and all goodness is in Your hand.' He will say, `Bring forth those who are to be sent to Hell.' He will say, `Who are those who are to be sent to Hell?' He will say, `From every thousand, nine hundred and ninety nine.' At that point the young will turn grey, every pregnant female will abort, and the people will appear intoxicated although they are not. But the punishment of Allaah is severe." They said, "O Messenger of Allaah, which of us will be that one?" He said, "Be of good cheer, for there will be one man from among you and one thousand from among Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj." Then he said, "By the One in Whose hand is my soul, I hope that you will be one quarter of the people of Paradise," and they said, "Allaahu akbar!" Then he said, "I hope that you will be one third of the people of Paradise," and they said, "Allaahu akbar!" Then he said, "I hope that you will be half of the people of Paradise," and they said, "Allaahu akbar!" Then he said, "Among the people you are like a black hair on the hide of a white bull, or like a white hair on the hide of a black bull." According to the first hadeeth, the number of those who will be saved on the Day of Resurrection is ten in a thousand. According to the second hadeeth it is one in a thousand. The scholars have reconciled between these two ahaadeeth in several ways, such as the following: 1 _ The numbers are not to be taken literally, so stating a particular number does not mean that there may not be more than that. What is meant by the two numbers mentioned in the two hadeeth is the small number of believers and the large number of kaafirs. 2 _ The hadeeth of Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri may be understood as referring to all the progeny of Adam, so there will be one in every thousand (who goes to Paradise), and the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah may be understood as referring to everyone except Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj, so that the number is ten in every thousand. This is supported by the fact that Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj are mentioned in the hadeeth of Abu Sa'eed but not in the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah. 3 _ It may be that the division will happen twice: once involving all the nations who came before this ummah, when the number will be one in every thousand, and again for this ummah only, when the number will be ten in every thousand. 4 _ It may be that what is meant by "those who are to be sent to Hell" is the kaafirs and the sinners [from among the Muslims] who will enter it, so that from every thousand nine hundred and ninety nine kaafirs are sent, and from every hundred ninety-nine sinners are sent. These answers were mentioned by al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar in Fath al-Baari, 11/390. And Allaah knows best. Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com) 20612: He is amazed by the height of Adam (peace be upon him) Question: In saheeh al bukhari hadith No246, rasulullah states Adam was created 30m in height. i cannot understand and imagine this can you please expain?. Answer: Praise be to Allaah. Firstly: This hadeeth was narrated by Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) who said: "Allaah created Adam and he was sixty cubits tall. Then He said, `Go and greet those angels and listen to how they greet you, for that will be your greeting and the greeting of your progeny.' He said, `Al-salaamu `alaykum (Peace be upon you).' They said, `Al-salaamu `alaykum wa rahmat-Allaah (Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allaah).' So they added the words `wa rahmat Allaah.' And everyone who enters Paradise will be in the form of Adam. People kept on growing smaller until now." Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3336; Muslim, 7092 According to a version narrated by Muslim: "Everyone who enters Paradise will be in the form of Adam who was sixty cubits tall. People kept growing smaller until now." With regard to the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), "People kept growing smaller until now," al-Haafiz ibn Hajar said in Fath al-Baari (6/367): "This means that in every generation people grew shorter than the previous generation, and continued to grow shorter until the time of this ummah, then they stayed like that." The Muslim is obliged to believe in every idea for which there is evidence in the Qur'aan or saheeh Sunnah from the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Imam al-Shaafa'i (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: "I believe in Allaah and in that which came from Allaah in the sense meant by Allaah. I believe in the Messenger of Allaah and in what came from the Messenger of Allaah in the sense meant by the Messenger of Allaah." See al-Irshaad Sharh Lam'at al-I'tiqaad, p. 89. So the believer is required to believe with firm faith in everything that we are told by Allaah and by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), if it is proven to be soundly reported from him (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). He must believe in it with firm faith that leaves no room for the slightest doubt. He must accept it in general and specific terms, whether he understands it or not and whether he finds it strange or not, because not understanding something that is proven in a sound report does not mean that it did not happen. All that means is that he cannot comprehend this particular issue. Allaah has commanded us to believe in everything that He tells us and everything that His Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) tells us. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): "Only those are the believers who have believed in Allaah and His Messenger, and afterward doubt not but strive with their wealth and their lives for the Cause of Allaah. Those! They are the truthful" [al-Hujuraat 49:15] Part of faith is belief in the unseen (al-ghayb). The hadeeth we are discussing here comes under this heading. Allaah praises those who believe in the unseen, as He says (interpretation of the meaning): "Alif-Laam-Meem. [These letters are one of the miracles of the Qur'aan and none but Allaah (Alone) knows their meanings.] This is the Book (the Qur'aan), whereof there is no doubt, a guidance to those who are Al-Muttaqoon [the pious believers of Islamic Monotheism who fear Allaah much (abstain from all kinds of sins and evil deeds which He has forbidden) and love Allaah much (perform all kinds of good deeds which He has ordained)]. Who believe in the Ghayb[the unseen]" [al-Baqarah 2:1-3] You should note that Allaah is Able to do all things. Just as He is able to create man in the form that he appears in now, He is also Able to create man in a larger or smaller form. If this is difficult for you to understand, then think of the dwarves that we see, who are child-sized men. If this can happen, then why could the opposite not happen, namely a man being sixty cubits tall? In the history of mankind there have been giants as the archaeologists tell us. The basic principle here is to accept the absolute power of Allaah and to accept what He tells us and what His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) tell us, and to say what those who are well versed in knowledge say: "We believe in it; the whole of it (clear and unclear Verses) are from our Lord" [Aal `Imraan 3:7 _ interpretation of the meaning]. We ask Allaah to show us the truth as true and help us to follow it, and to show us falsehood as false and help us to avoid it. And Allaah knows best. Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com) 34750: Woman taking off her clothes in a house other than her husband's house Question: It is proven in the hadeeth that a woman is forbidden to take off her clothes anywhere other than her husband's house. What is the purpose of that prohibition? Is she allowed to take off her clothes in the house of her own family or her relatives?. Answer: Praise be to Allaah. The hadeeth which was narrated by Imam Ahmad, Ibn Maajah and al-Haakim from `Aa'ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) says: "Any woman who takes off her clothes anywhere but in her husband's house has torn the veil that was between her and Allaah (i.e., He will expose her)." A version that was narrated by Ahmad, al-Tabaraani, al-Haakim and al-Bayhaqi from Abu Umaamah (may Allaah be pleased with him) says: "Any woman who takes off her clothes, Allaah will tear His cover away from her (i.e., expose her)." What the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) meant was to stop women treating as insignificant the matter of removing their clothes anywhere but in their husband's houses in such a manner that their `awrah can be seen and that they may be accused of intending to commit immoral actions and the like. As for taking off their clothes in a safe place, such as in her family's house or her mahram's house, to change her clothes and the like, or to relax etc and for other permissible purposes that are far removed from fitnah, there is nothing wrong with that. And Allaah is the Source of strength. Al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah li'l-Buhooth al-`Ilmiyyah wa'l-Ifta', 17/224. (www.islam-qa.com) 9262: What is the ability to marry that is mentioned in the hadeeth which encourages marrying? Question: What is meant by the words man astataa' al-baa'ah (whoever is able to) in the hadeeth in which the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) encourages young men to get married?. Answer: Praise be to Allaah. It was narrated that Ibn Mas'ood said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "O young men, whoever among you is able to, let him get married. Whoever is not able to, he must fast, for it will be a shield for him." Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5065; Muslim, 1400 A shield means protection against committing immoral actions. The scholars differed concerning the meaning of ability here, and there are two opinions. Some of them said that it means the ability to afford the expenses of marriage and spending on one's wife; others said that it means the ability to have intercourse. There is no conflict between the two meanings, so what it meant is that whoever is able to have intercourse and can afford it, let him get married. Al-Nawawi said: The scholars differed concerning the meaning of ability here, and there are two views which boil down to the same meaning. The sounder of these two views is that what is meant is what the word (al-baa'ah) means in Arabic, which is the ability to have intercourse. So the meaning is, whoever is able to have intercourse because he can afford the expenses of marriage, then let him get married. Whoever is unable to have intercourse because he cannot afford the expenses of marriage, then he has to fast in order to control his desire. Sharh Muslim, 9/173 Ibn al-Qayyim said: With regard to the phrase, "whoever among you is able to, let him get married" _ the word al-baa'ah was interpreted as meaning intercourse, and as meaning the expenses of marriage. That does not contradict the first meaning. Rawdat al-Muhibbeen, p. 219 Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said: The ability to get married is the ability to afford the expenses of marriage, not the ability to have intercourse because the hadeeth is addressed to those who are able to have intercourse. Hence those who cannot afford it are commanded to fast, for it is a shield. Al-Fataawa al-Kubra, 3/134. Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com) 12403: Advice to one who wants to get married but is not able for it Question: In the mosque we had a program where the Muslim youth could discuss with those who are older the ahaadeeth of the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) concerning marriage, and the fact that they should make it easy for the youth to get married. This subject led to a number of discussions, because the parents are concerned about the situation and welfare of the couple, especially if they have children. Young people nowadays do not complete their university studies until the age of 21, or 23 for those who study medicine. They cannot afford the expenses of marriage. So what practical advice can you give them? Many of the Muslim youth in the west want to complete half of their religion. Answer: Praise be to Allaah. Firstly: Discussing Islamic matters and spending time on that is one of the most beneficial things that a person can do for himself, because seeking knowledge is an obligation and an act of worship, and he is spending time in doing something that is of benefit to him and to others. If the people who are discussing do not understand something, then they have to ask people who have knowledge. Secondly: Our advice to those who live in the lands of immorality and kufr is to migrate from them to the Muslim lands where the temptations of this world and of women are less. The Muslim countries are not equal in that regard, so he has to choose the best of them. We advise them to leave every environment in which he may stumble and fall, whether that is his accommodation, his work or his school/college. We advise them to hasten to marry, and to choose righteous wives who do not make extravagant demands with regard to the mahr, etc. We advise those who are unable to get married to fear Allaah and not to look at or listen to haraam things, not to walk towards haraam things, not to touch that which it is not permissible for him to touch. They should help themselves in this regard by fasting and praying, making du'aa', and keeping company with righteous people. They should keep themselves busy with beneficial things such as seeking knowledge, memorizing Qur'aan and making du'aa' to Allaah, for if a person keeps busy in obeying Allaah, that will distract him from disobeying Him. Thirdly: Our advise to community leaders and parents and guardians of boys and girls is not to regard completion of studies as an impediment to marriage. Since when is marriage an obstacle to acquiring knowledge?! Rather reality and experience point to the opposite, because marriage helps a person to focus and makes his mind clear, and above all that it is obedience to the command of the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to the youth to get married. So parents and guardians should not burden the youth with excessive demands that may be regarded as a form of extravagance. They should limit the demands to that which the woman and the house need only. They should understand that marriage is one of the means by which provision is sought. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): "And marry those among you who are single (i.e. a man who has no wife and the woman who has no husband) and (also marry) the Saalihoon (pious, fit and capable ones) of your (male) slaves and maidservants (female slaves). If they be poor, Allaah will enrich them out of His Bounty. And Allaah is AllSufficient for His creatures' needs, AllKnowing (about the state of the people)" [al-Noor 24:32] And Allaah knows best. Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com) 20653: The soundness and meaning of the hadeeth about performing Hajj every five years Question: We would like to know how to understand the hadeeth found in Saheeh At-Targheeb wat-Tarheeb (Al-Albani-RA)which states that (hadeeth qudsi) one whom Allaah has granted good health etc.. and does not visit His house every five years is mahroom (deprived). Does it refer to Hajj or `umrah or both? And whatever the case may be, what are we to take from the hadeeth?. Answer: Praise be to Allaah. Firstly: The text of the hadeeth: It was narrated from Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Allaah says: `A person whose body I make healthy and to whom I grant ample provision but five years go by and he does not come to Me is indeed deprived.'" Narrated by Abu Ya'laa, 2/304; al-Bayhaqi, 5/262 Secondly: Discussion of the hadeeth: Some of the scholars have discussed this hadeeth. Some of them _ such as Ibn al-`Arabi al-Maaliki _ were of the view that it is mawdoo' (fabricated). Others classed it as da'eef, such as al-Daaraqutni, al-`Aqeeli and al-Subki. Ibn Hibbaan and Shaykh al-Albaani in al-Silsilah al-Saheehah (1662) are of the view that it is saheeh. Thirdly: Some of the scholars have interpreted this hadeeth as referring to Hajj or `Umrah. Based on this, al-Haythami included this hadeeth in his book Mawaarid al-Zam'aan under the heading "Chapter concerning one who is well off but does not go for Hajj or `Umrah in five years." Mawaarid al-Zam'aan, p. 239. Others interpreted it as referring to Hajj only, as al-Mundhiri included it in his book al-Targheeb wa'l-Tarheeb under the heading, "Warning to one who is able to do Hajj but does not go for Hajj." Some of the scholars quoted this hadeeth as evidence that it is obligatory to perform Hajj once every five years for the one who is able to do that. This is a weak view, either because the hadeeth is weak (da'eef) and not saheeh, or because the hadeeth is to be understood as referring to what is mustahabb, not what is obligatory. Al-Subki said: The scholars are agreed that Hajj is an individual obligation upon every accountable, free Muslim who is able to do it, once in his or her lifetime, except for very few scholars who held different views, who said: It is obligatory once every five years, and they based that view on the report that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Every Muslim should come to the House of Allaah every five years." This was narrated by Ibn al-`Arabi. We say: Narrating this hadeeth is haraam, so how can a ruling be established based on it? Al-Daaraqutni said: It was narrated through more than one isnaad, none of which are saheeh at all. Fataawa al-Subki, 1/263 Al-Hattaab said: Some of those who held an odd view said that it is obligatory every year, and it was narrated from some of them that it is obligatory every five years, because of the report according to which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Every Muslim should come to the House of Allaah every five years." Ibn `Arabi said: Narrating this hadeeth is haraam, so how can a ruling be established based on it? Meaning that it is mawdoo' (fabricated). Al-Nawawi said: This idea is contrary to the consensus of the scholars, so this odd view is to be rejected on the basis of the consensus of the scholars who came before those who held this odd view. Even if we accept this hadeeth, then it is to be understood as meaning that it is mustahabb. Mawaahib al-Jaleel, 2/466. And Allaah knows best. Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com) 14627: Meaning of maa'ilaat mumeelaat Question: What is the meaning of the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in the hadeeth, "maa'ilaat mumeelaat"?. Answer: Praise be to Allaah. This is a saheeh hadeeth which was narrated by Muslim in his Saheeh from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) who said: "There are two types of the people of Hell whom I have not seen: men in whose hands are whips like the tails of cattle, with which they beat the people, and women who are clothed yet naked, maa'ilaat mumeelaat, with their heads like the humps of camels, tilted to one side. They will not enter Paradise nor even smell its fragrance." This is a stern warning to beware of the things referred to. The men in whose hands are whips like the tails of cattle are those who beat the people unjustly, like police and others, whether that is done by order of the state or otherwise. The state is only to be obeyed with regard to matters that are right and proper. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Obedience is only with regard to what is right and proper." And he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "There is no obedience to any created being if it involves disobedience towards the Creator." With regard to the phrase "women who are clothed yet naked, maa'ilaat mumeelaat", the scholars interpreted this as follows: "kaasiyat `aariyaat (translated above as "clothed yet naked" may have another meaning, which is that they are enjoying the blessings of Allaah, but they do not give thanks for them and they do not obey the commands of Allaah or heed His prohibitions, even though Allaah has bestowed upon them wealth and other blessings. The hadeeth is also explained in a different manner, which is that they wear clothes that do not cover them, because they are too thin or too short, so they do not serve the purpose of clothes, hence they are described as naked, and because the clothes they wear do not cover their `awrah. Maa'ilaat (literally "deviant") means they turn away from chastity and righteousness, i.e., they commit sins and evil deeds like those who do immoral actions, or they fall short in doing the obligatory duties, prayer etc. Mumeelaat means they turn others away, i.e., they call people to evil and corruption, so by their words and actions they lead others into immorality and sin, and they commit immoral actions because of their lack of faith or the weakness of their faith. The point of this saheeh hadeeth is to warn against oppression and all kinds of corruption from men and women. With regard to the phrase, "their heads are like the heads of camels, tilted to one side," some of the scholars said that this means they make their heads look big because of the hairstyles they adopt and so on, so that it looks like the hump of a bakht camel. The bakht is a type of camel that has two humps between which there is a dip, so that one hump leans one way and the other leans the other way. When these woman make their heads look big in this way, they look like these humps. With regard to the phrase, "They will not enter Paradise nor even smell its fragrance," this is a stern warning; it does not necessarily mean that they are kaafirs or that they will abide in Hell forever, like other sinners who die as Muslims; rather what is meant is that they and other sinners are threatened with Hell for their sins, but they are subject to the will of Allaah. If He wills He will forgive them and if He will He will punish them. This is like the verse in which Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): "Verily, Allaah forgives not that partners should be set up with Him (in worship), but He forgives except that (anything else) to whom He wills" [al-Nisa' 4:48] If a sinner (who is Muslim) enters Hell, he will not abide therein forever like the kuffaar, and those who will abide therein like murderers, adulterers and suicides will not abide therein forever like the kuffaar; rather it is an eternity which will have an end according to Ahl al-Sunnah wa'l-Jamaa'ah _ in contrast to the Khawaarij and Mu'tazilah and the innovators who follow their path, because the saheeh mutawaatir ahaadeeth narrated from the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) indicate that he will intercede for the sinners among his ummah and that Allaah will accept that intercession from him (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) a number of times; each time He will specify a number who are to be brought forth from Hell. Similarly the rest of the Messengers, the believers and the angels will all intercede by Allaah's leave, and He will accept their intercession for whomsoever He will among the believers in Tawheed who have entered Hell because of their sins but are Muslims. Then there will remain in Hell those sinners who are not included in the intercession of the intercessors, but Allaah will bring them forth by His Mercy and Kindness, and there will be none left in Hell but the kuffaar who will abide therein forever and ever. Allaah says concerning the kuffaar (interpretation of the meaning): "whenever it abates, We shall increase for them the fierceness of the Fire" [al-Isra' 17:97] "So taste you (the results of your evil actions). No increase shall We give you, except in torment" [al-Naba' 78:30] And He says concerning the kuffaar who worshipped idols (interpretation of the meaning): "Thus Allaah will show them their deeds as regrets for them. And they will never get out of the Fire" [al-Baqarah 2:167] And Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): "Verily, those who disbelieve, if they had all that is in the earth, and as much again therewith to ransom themselves thereby from the torment on the Day of Resurrection, it would never be accepted of them, and theirs would be a painful torment. They will long to get out of the Fire, but never will they get out therefrom; and theirs will be a lasting torment" [al-Maa'idah 5:36-37] We ask Allaah to keep us safe and sound from being like them. Majmoo' Fataawa wa Maqaalaat Mutanawwi'ah li'l-Shaykh Ibn Baaz, 6/355 (www.islam-qa.com) 6652: What does it mean when we say that Allaah loves beauty? Question: What is the meaning of the hadeeth which says that Allaah is beautiful and loves beauty? What is meant here by beauty? _ especially since some people use this hadeeth as evidence that it is permissible to look at beautiful women and to enjoy every beautiful thing. Can you clarify this? Answer: Praise be to Allaah. The hadeeth mentioned in the question was narrated by Muslim in his Saheeh, no. 131, from `Abd-Allaah ibn Mas'ood, who narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "No one will enter Paradise who has an atom's-weight of pride in his heart." A man said, "What if a man likes his clothes to look good and his shoes to look good?" He said, "Allaah is beautiful and loves beauty. Pride means denying the truth and looking down on people." Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said, commenting on this hadeeth: the phrase "Allaah is beautiful and loves beauty" includes the beautiful clothing which was asked about in the same hadeeth. It is included by way of generalization, i.e., that beauty in all things is what is meant here. In Saheeh Muslim no. 1686 it says: "Allaah is good and only accepts that which is good." In Sunan al-Tirmidhi it says: "Allaah loves to see the effects of His blessing on His slave." (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, no. 2963; he said it is hasan saheeh). It was reported that Abu'l-Ahwas al-Jashami said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) saw me wearing old, tattered clothes, and asked me, "Do you have any wealth?" I said, "Yes." He said, "What kind of wealth?" I said, "All that Allaah has given me of camels and sheep." He said, "Then show the generous blessings that He has given you." (Narrated by Ahmad, no. 15323; al-Tirmidhi, 1929; al-Nisaa'i, 5128). Allaah, may He be glorified, loves the effects of His blessings to His slave to be made manifest, for this is part of the beauty that He loves, and that is part of the gratitude for His blessings which forms an inner beauty (beauty of character). Allaah loves to see the external beauty of His slaves which reflects His blessings on them, and the inner beauty of their gratitude to Him for those blessings. Because He loves beauty, He sends down on His slaves clothes and adornments with which they may make their outward appearance beautiful and He gives them Taqwaa which makes their inner characters beautiful. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): "O Children of Adam! We have bestowed raiment upon you to cover yourselves (screen your private parts, etc.) and as an adornment, and the raiment of righteousness, that is better." [al-A'raaf 7:26] And He says, speaking of the people of Paradise (interpretation of the meaning): "… and [Allaah] gave them Nadratan (a light of beauty) and joy. And their recompense shall be Paradise and silken garments, because they were patient." [al-Insaan 76:11-12] Their faces will be made beautiful with the Nadrah (light of beauty), their innermost being with joy and their bodies with silken garments. Just as Allaah loves beauty in words, deeds, garments and outward appearance, so He hates ugliness in words, deeds, garments and outward appearance. He hates ugliness and its people, and loves beauty and its people. But two groups are misguided with regard to this issue: a group who say that everything that He has created is beautiful, so He loves all that He has created and we should love all that He has created and not hate anything. They say: whoever realizes that all that exists comes from Him will see that it is beautiful… these people have no sense of jealousy for the sake of Allaah or hatred and enmity for the sake of Allaah, or denouncing what is evil (munkar), or jihaad for the sake of Allaah, or adhering His limits. They regard the beauty of images, male or female, as being part of the beauty that Allaah loves, and seek to worship Allaah through immoral acts. Some of them may even go so far as to claim that the One Whom they worship is manifested or incarnated in those images. The second group, on the other hand, say that Allaah condemns the beauty of images, forms and outward appearances. Allaah says about the Munaafiqoon (hypocrites) (interpretation of the meaning): "And when you look at them, their bodies please you…" [al-Munaafiqoon 63:4] "And how many a generation have We destroyed before them. Who were better in wealth, goods and outward appearance?" [Maryam 19:54] In Saheeh Muslim it is reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Allaah does not look at your outward appearance and your wealth, rather He looks at your hearts and deeds." (Saheeh Muslim, no. 4651). According to another hadeeth: "Shabbiness is part of faith." (Narrated by Ibn Maajah, 4108; Abu Dawood, 3630; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani, may Allaah have mercy on him). Allaah condemns those who are extravagant, which applies to extravagance in clothing as well as in food and drink. In order to settle this dispute, we may say that beauty in clothing and outward appearance is of three types, one of which is commendable, one is blameworthy and one of which is neither. The kind of beauty which is to be commended is that which is done for the sake of Allaah, to help one to obey Allaah and fulfil His commands, such as when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) made himself look beautiful (i.e. handsome) when meeting the delegations that came to him. This is like wearing armour or battle-dress when fighting, or wearing silk and showing off (in front of the enemy). This is commendable because it is done to make the word of Allaah supreme and to support His religion and annoy His enemies. The blameworthy kind of beauty is that which is done for the sake of this world, for reasons of power, false pride and showing off, or to fulfil some (selfish) desires. This also includes cases where beauty is an end in itself for a person and is all he cares about. Many people have no other concern in life. As for the kind of beauty which is neither commendable nor blameworthy, it is that which has nothing to do with either of the two purposes mentioned above (i.e., it is neither for the sake of Allaah nor for the sake of worldly purposes). The hadeeth under discussion refers to two important principles, knowledge and behaviour. Allaah is to be acknowledged for beauty that bears no resemblance to anything else, and He is to be worshipped by means of the beauty which He loves in words, deeds and attitudes. He loves His slaves to beautify their tongues with the truth, to beautify their hearts with sincere devotion (Ikhlaas), love, repentance and trust in Him, to beautify their faculties with obedience, and to beautify their bodies by showing His blessings upon them in their clothing and by keeping them pure and free of any filth, dirt or impurity, by removing the hairs which should be removed, by circumcision, and by clipping the nails. Thus they recognize Allaah through these qualities of beauty and seek to draw close to Him through beautiful words, deeds and attitudes. They acknowledge Him for the beauty which is His attribute and they worship Him through the beauty which He has prescribed and His religion. The hadeeth combines these two principles of knowledge and behaviour. Al-Fawaa'id, 1/185 Where are these deep meanings of this hadeeth, as explained by Ibn al-Qayyim, in the misguided interpretations of those who follow their whims and desires, who want to follow deviant interpretations in order to justify their evil aims and goals? We ask Allaah to protect us. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad. Islam Q&A Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com) 13260: Meaning of good treatment in the hadeeth "… and treats them well…" Question: What is the meaning of good treatment in the hadeeth of the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): "Whoever has two daughters and he treats them well, they will be a shield for him against the Fire"? Answer: Praise be to Allaah. Good treatment of girls and others means giving them an Islamic upbringing, teaching them the truth, striving to keep them chaste and keep them away from the things that Allaah has forbidden, such as tabarruj (wanton display) etc. The same applies to taking care of one's sisters and sons, so that all of them will be brought up to obey Allaah and His Messenger, and will keep away from the things that Allaah has forbidden, and will do their duty towards Allaah. Hence we know that good treatment does not simply mean giving them food and drink and clothing only; rather what is meant is something greater than that, treating them kindly by taking care of both their religious and worldly interests. Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn Baaz in al-Fataawa al-Jaami'ah li'l-Mar'ah al-Muslimah, part 3, p. 1074 (www.islam-qa.com) 10299: Names of Commentaries on Saheeh Muslim Question: I want to know the names of some detailed commentaries on Saheeh Muslim. Answer: Praise be to Allaah. You may read the book Fath al-Mulhim li Sharh Saheeh Muslim by Imam al-Subki; al-Siraaj al-Wahhaaj by Abu'l-Tayyib Siddeeq ibn Hasan Khan al-Qanooji al-Bukhaari, b. 1248 AH, d. 1307 AH, which is comprised of 13 volumes. And Allaah is the Source of strength. Islam Q&A. Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com) 14397: What is the meaning of the words "I am his hearing with which he hears…" etc? Question: What is the meaning of Allaah's words in the hadeeth qudsi, "When I love him I am his hearing with which he hears, his seeing with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes and his foot with which he walks"? Answer: Praise be to Allaah. If the Muslim does the obligatory acts that Allaah has enjoined upon him, then he strives to draw closer to Allaah by doing naafil (supererogatory) acts of worship and persists in that as much as he can, then Allaah will love him and will help him in all that he does or does not do. So when he hears he will be guided by Allaah with regard to what he hears, and he will not hear anything but what is good, and he will not accept anything but the truth, and falsehood will be kept away from him, by the help and support of Allaah. So he will see the truth as truth and falsehood as falsehood, and when he strikes anything he will strike with power from Allaah, so his strike will be like a strike from Allaah in support of the truth. And when he walks he will be walking in obedience to Allaah, seeking knowledge, striving in jihad for the sake of Allaah. To sum up, all that he does, both inwardly and outwardly, will be guided and supported by Allaah. Hence it becomes clear that there is nothing in this hadeeth to indicate that Allaah is "incarnated" in His creation or that He becomes one with any of them. This is shown by the words at the end of the hadeeth, where Allaah says: "Were he to ask [something] of Me, I would surely give it to him, and were he to ask Me for refuge, I would surely grant him it." According to some reports, He also said, "So by My help he hears and by My help he sees…" This explains what is meant at the beginning of the hadeeth, and it clearly demonstrates that there is one who asks and One Who is asks, one who seeks refuge and One Who grants refuge [i.e., two separate entities]. This hadeeth is similar to another hadeeth qudsi: "Allaah says: `O My slave, I fell sick and you did not visit Me…'" In both cases, the latter part of the hadeeth explains the first part, but those who are led by their whims and desires follow the ambiguous texts and ignore the clear and unambiguous texts, and so they go astray. Al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah, Kitaab Fataawa Islamiyyah, 1/35. (www.islam-qa.com) 13731: The meaning of the hadeeth, "Whoever taunts his brother with a sin" and how sound it is Question: Hadhrat Muaaz (Allah be pleased with him) narrates that Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Whoever taunts a brother (Muslim) with a sin (which the Muslim has committed), will not die until he the taunter) commits the same sin." Could you please xplain this Hadith in further detail? Answer: Praise be to Allaah. This hadeeth was narrated by al-Tirmidhi, (Kitaab Sifat al-Qiyaamah wa'l-Wara', 2429), where the wording is, "Whoever shames his brother for a sin will not die until he does it too." Shaykh al-Albaani described this hadeeth in Da'eef al-Jaami' (5710) as mawdoo' (fabricated). If a hadeeth is da'eef (weak) and mawdoo' (fabricated), it cannot be taken as a basis for rulings or be acted upon. With regard to the meaning of the hadeeth, Shaykh al-Mubaarakfoori said: " `Whoever shames' means whoever criticizes or condemns. `his brother' means his brother in faith. `For a sin' means one from which he has repented, according to the way in which Imaam Ahmad explained it. `will not die' _ the subject of this verb is `whoever'. `Until he does it too' means, the sin for which he criticizes his brother. It is as if the one who criticizes his brother will be forsaken by Allaah until he commits the sin for which he criticized his brother, if that criticism was accompanied by self-admiration for being free of that sin." (Tuhfat al-Ahwadhi, 7/173) The fact that this hadeeth is da'eef (weak) does not mean that it is permissible to criticize those who have fallen into sin, for those who fall into sin are of different types. Some of them repent and turn back to their Lord, or else the punishment (hadd) is carried out on them. So it is not permissible to criticize them because their souls have been purified by their repentance or the punishment. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "The one who repents from sin is like one who has never sinned." (Narrated by Ibn Maajah, 4240; classed as saheeh by al-Busayri in al-Zawaa'id, commentary on Sunan Ibn Maajah). Imam Ahmad said that the punishment mentioned in the hadeeth is for the one who criticizes a person who has repented from his sin, as al-Tirmidhi narrated from him. After narrating this hadeeth, he said: Ahmad said: from a sin from which he has repented. Some of them commit sin but they do not do it openly. Anyone who comes to know of that has to advise the person and cover his faults. And some of them commit sin openly. They should also be advised, and others should be warned against them to whatever extent is appropriate. Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: It may be that what he meant is that your criticizing your brother for his sin is an even greater sin than his, because it means that you feel pride in your obedience and you are praising yourself for that, and claiming to be free from sin, whereas your brother has fallen into sin. But it may be that his feeling humble because of his sin and what has happened to him, such as his feeling humble and submissive, thinking less of himself, ridding himself of pious pretensions, arrogance and self-admiration, standing before Allaah with his head bowed, his gaze lowered and his heart broken _ it may be that all of that is better for him than your feeling proud of your obedience, thinking that you are doing much good, believing that by doing so you are important, and reminding Allaah and mankind of that. How close this sinner is to the mercy of Allaah, and how close this conceited one is to the wrath of Allaah! A sin that leads to humility is more beloved to Him than an act of obedience which fills a person with conceit. If you sleep all night then wake up feeling regret (for not having prayed qiyaam al-layl), that may be better for you than if you were to pray all night and wake up in the morning filled with self-admiration. For the deeds of the one who admires himself are not accepted. Perhaps your laughing whilst admitting to shortcomings is better than your weeping with piety but being filled with conceit. The groaning of the sinners is more beloved to Allaah than the tasbeeh of the conceited. It may be that by means of this sin, Allaah has caused him to drink the medicine that will cure a fatal disease which you also have, but you do not realize it. Allaah has reason for what He does to both those who are obedient and those who sin, which are known to no-one except Him, and which no one recognizes except those who have insight, and then only within the limits of human understanding; beyond that there are reasons which are not even known to the honourable scribes (i.e., the recording angels). The Prophet said: "If the slave woman of any one of you commits adultery, let him carry out the punishment on her and not criticize." And Yoosuf (peace be upon him) said: "No reproach on you this day" [Yoosuf 12:92 _ interpretation of the meaning]. For the scale is in the hand of Allaah, and the ruling is His. The point is to carry out the punishment (prescribed by Allaah) and not to shame and criticize. No one feels safe from what has been decreed for them and from the power of His decree except those who are ignorant of Allaah. Allaah said to the one who had more knowledge of Him than anyone else and was closer to Him: "And had We not made you stand firm, you would nearly have inclined to them a little"[al-Israa' 17:74 _ interpretation of the meaning]. And Yoosuf said: "Unless You turn away their plot from me, I will feel inclined towards them and be one (of those who commit sin and deserve blame or those who do deeds) of the ignorant"[Yoosuf 12:33 _ interpretation of the meaning]. One of the ways in which the Messenger of Allaah used to swear was "No, by the One who turns hearts." And he said, "There is no heart which is not between two of the fingers of the Most Merciful. If He wills He guides it aright and if He wills He sends it astray." Then he said, "O Allaah, the one Who turns hearts over, make our hearts steadfast in adhering to Your religion. O Allaah, musrif al-Quloob, sirf our hearts to obey You." Madaarij al-Saalikeen, 1/177, 178) And Allaah knows best. Islam Q&A Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com) 2665: Meaning of the hadeeth, "Treat women kindly" Question: The hadeeth says, "Treat women kindly, for woman was created from a bent rib, and the most crooked part of the rib is the top part…" Please explain the meaning of this hadeeth, especially the phrase "and the most crooked part of the rib is the top part". Answer: Praise be to Allaah. This is a saheeh hadeeth which was narrated by the two Shaykhs [al-Bukhaari and Muslim] in al-Saheehayn from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), from the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Treat women kindly, for woman was created from a bent rib, and the most crooked part of the rib is the top part, so treat women kindly." This is a command to husbands, fathers, brothers and others to treat women kindly and not to oppress them; to give them their rights and to guide them to do good. This is what is obligatory upon everyone, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Treat women kindly." This is not altered by the fact that a woman may sometimes mistreat her husband or relatives with her words or actions, because she was created from a rib as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, and the most crooked part of it is the top. It is well known that the top of it is the part by which it is attached, so the rib will have some crookedness in it at that point, as is well known. The meaning is that she will inevitably have some crookedness or shortcomings in her character. Hence it was narrated in another hadeeth in al-Saheehayn: "I have not seen any lacking in rational ability and failing in religion but (at the same time) robbing the wisdom of the wise, besides you [women]." The point is that this is the ruling of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and it is narrated in al-Saheehayn from the hadeeth of Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri (may Allaah be pleased with him). What is meant by lacking in rational ability, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, is that the testimony of two women is equivalent to the testimony of one man. Failing in religion, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, means that women spend days and nights without praying, i.e., because of menstruation or post-childbirth bleeding. This is a shortcoming which Allaah has decreed for them, and there is no sin on them because of that. So women should accept this in the way that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) meant it, even if a woman is knowledgeable and pious, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not speak of his own whims and desires, rather that was a Revelation that was revealed to him, which he conveyed to the ummah, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): "By the star when it goes down (or vanishes). Your companion (Muhammad) has neither gone astray nor has erred. Nor does he speak of (his own) desire. It is only a Revelation revealed" [al-Najm 53:1-4] Majmoo' Fataawa wa Maqaalaat al-Shaykh `Abd al-`Azeez ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him), part 5 (www.islam-qa.com) 22394: The soundness of the hadeeth "Do not write anything from me…" and explanation of what it means Question: Is this hadeeth saheeh, and what does it mean: "Do not write anything from me, and whoever writes anything but the Qur'aan, let him erase it"? May Allaah reward you with good. Answer: Praise be to Allaah. It was narrated from Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Do not write anything from me; whoever has written anything from me other than the Qur'aan, let him erase it and narrate from me, for there is nothing wrong with that." (Narrated by Muslim, al-Zuhd wa'l-Raqaa'iq, 5326) Al-Nawawi said in his commentary on Saheeh Muslim: "Al-Qaadi said: there were many disputes among the Sahaabah and Taabi'een concerning the writing down of knowledge. Many of them regarded this as being makrooh, but most of them regarded it as permissible. This dispute is no longer an issue. They differed as to the meaning of this hadeeth which says that it is forbidden. It was said that this pertained to one who was sure of his memory, and there was the fear that he may rely upon what he had written if he wrote it down; the ahaadeeth which say that it is permissible to write things down is to be interpreted as referring to the one whose memory is not reliable, such as the hadeeth, "Write it down for Abu Shaah"; or the hadeeth of the saheefah of `Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him); the hadeeth of the book of `Amr ibn Hazm, which contains laws on inheritance, sunnahs and diyaat (blood money); the hadeeth about writing down charity, and the minimum amounts at which zakaah becomes obligatory (nisaab), with which Abu Bakr sent Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him) to Bahrain; the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah which says that Ibn `Amr ibn al-`Aas used to ; write things down but he (Abu Hurayrah) did not write things down, and other ahaadeeth. And it was said that the hadeeth forbidding writing down ahaadeeth was abrogated by these ahaadeeth. The prohibition was in effect when there was the fear that (the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) might be mixed with the Qur'aan. When that danger was no longer present, permission was given to write down (ahaadeeth). And it was said that the prohibition mentioned in the hadeeth referred to writing ahaadeeth on the same page as Qur'aan, lest they become mixed and thus the reader would be confused when looking at this page. And Allaah knows best. The hadeeth of Abu Shaah was narrated by al-Bukhaari from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him), who said: `When Allaah granted His Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) victory over Makkah, he stood before the people and praised and glorified Allaah, then he said: "Allaah protected Makkah from the elephant and has given authority to His Messenger and the believers over it, so fighting was forbidden for anyone before me, and was made permissible for me for part of a day, and it will not be permissible for anyone after me. Its game should not be chased, its thorny bushes should not be uprooted, and picking up its fallen things is not allowed except for one who makes public announcement for it, and he whose relative is murdered has the option either to accept a compensation for it or to retaliate." Al-`Abbas said, "Except Al-Idhkhir (a kind of plant), for we use it in our graves and houses." The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, "Except Al-Idhkhir." Abu Shaah, a Yemeni, stood up and said, "O Messenger of Allaah! Get it written for me." The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, "Write it for Abu Shaah." (al-Luqatah, 2254) Ibn Hajar said: What may be understood from the story of Abu Shaah ("Write it for Abu Shaah") is that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) gave permission for hadeeth to be written down from him. This contradicts the hadeeth of Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri, which says that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, `Do not write down anything from me except the Qur'aan.' (Narrated by Muslim). The two may be reconciled by noting that the prohibition applied only to the time when the Qur'aan was being revealed, lest it be confused with something else, and that permission was given at other times; or that the prohibition applied only to writing down things other than Qur'aan with the Qur'aan on one thing, and that permission was given to write them separately; of that the prohibition came first and the permission abrogated that, when there was no longer any fear of confusion. This is most likely to be the case. It was said that the prohibition applied only to those whom it was feared would depend on the writing and not memorize things, and that permission was given for those from whom such a thing was not feared. The scholars said: a group of the Sahaabah and Taabi'een regarded it as makrooh to write down the hadeeth and they regarded it as mustahabb to learn it from them by heart, as they had learned it. But when people were no longer able to strive so hard (in memorizing) and the scholars feared that knowledge might be lost, they compiled it in books." Islam Q&A. Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com) 13930: Meaning of the hadeeth "No haamah and no Safar and no naw' and no ghoul" Question: I read a strange hadeeth which says that there is no haamah, no Safar, no naw' and no ghoul. What do these words mean? Answer: Praise be to Allaah. Ibn Muflih al-Hanbali said: In al-Musnad, al-Saheehayn and elsewhere it is narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "No haamah and no Safar." Muslim and others add the words, "No naw' and no ghoul." Haamah (pl. Haam) [owl]: the people of the jaahiliyyah used to think that when someone died and was buried, an owl [haamah] would come out of his grave. The Arabs used to think that the bones of the deceased turned into owls which flew, and they said that if someone was murdered, an owl would come out of his head, and it would keep saying, "Give me to drink, give me to drink," until the slain person was avenged and his killer was killed. Safar: it was said that they used to have superstitions concerning the month of Safar, so the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "No Safar". And it was said that the Arabs used to believe that there was a snake in the stomach which would harm a person when he had intercourse, and that this was contagious, so the Lawgiver denied that. Maalik said: the people of the Jaahiliyyah would regard Safar as not being sacred one year and as sacred the next year. Naw': (pl. al-Anwaa') (a star which sets at the rising of another): this refers to twenty eight lunar mansions or phases, as in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning): "And the moon, We have measured for it mansions…" [Yaa-Seen 36:39]. Every thirteen nights, one of these stars sets in the west at dawn, and another rises in the east, so that at the end of the year they will all have come and gone. The Arabs used to believe that when one set and the next one rose, there would be rain, which they attributed to them (these stars), so they would say, "We have rain because of such and such naw' (star which sets at the rising of another)." It is called naw' because when the star which is setting sets in the west, the one which is rising appears (naa'a) in the east, i.e., it rises and emerges. And it was said that naw' means setting, which is the opposite. But in the case of those who believe that rain came by the will of Allaah and say, "We have rain at the time of such and such naw'" meaning that Allaah usually causes rain to come at this time _ there is some dispute as to whether saying this is haraam or makrooh. Ghoul (pl. gheelaan) means a kind of jinn or devil. The Arabs used to think that the ghoul lived in the wilderness and would appear to people, and that it could take on different shapes and colours, and that it would make them lose their way, seeking to kill them. The Lawgiver rejected and denied this idea altogether. And it was said that this was not denying that ghouls exist, rather it was a denial of the Arabs' belief that they could change shape and colour and make people lose their way, hence the meaning of "no ghoul" is that they cannot make people lose their way. This is borne out by another hadeeth, "There is no ghoul but there is sa'aali" This is in Muslim and elsewhere. Sa'aali is a magician among the jinn, but among them there are magicians who base their magic on confusion and illusions… al-Khallaal narrated from Taawoos that a man accompanied him, then a crow cawed and the man said, "Good, good." Taawoos said to him, "What good is there in this, and what evil? Do not come with me!" (al-Aadaab al-Shar'iyyah, 3/369, 370) Ibn al-Qayyim said: Some scholars said that the words "no healthy person should be exposed to a sick person" were abrogated by the words "There is no `adwa (contagion)." This is not correct. This is an example where what is negated is different than what is affirmed. What the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) denied when he said "There is no contagion and no Safar" was the belief of the mushrikeen which was based on their beliefs of shirk. With regard to the Prophet's prohibition of exposing healthy people to sick people, there are two interpretations: (1) The fear that people may attribute what Allaah has decreed to `adwa (contagion), which may confuse those who hear of this and make them believe in `adwa. There is no contradiction between the two reports. (2) That this refers to exposing the sick person to the healthy person, which may be the means by which Allaah creates disease, so the exposure is the cause, but Allaah may divert its effects by means of other causes which oppose it or prevent the effect of the sickness. This is pure Tawheed, unlike that which the people of shirk believe in. This is similar to the denial of intercession on the Day of Resurrection mentioned in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning): "when there will be no bargaining, nor friendship, nor intercession" [al-Baqarah 2:254] This does not contradict the unambiguous mutawaatir ahaadeeth which say that there will be intercession on the Day of Resurrection, because what Allaah is denying here is the kind of intercession that was known among the mushrikeen, where an intercessor would come forward and intercede without being given permission. The intercession which is affirmed by Allaah and His Messenger is that which comes after His permission is given, as in the aayahs (interpretation of the meaning): "…Who is he that can intercede with Him except with His Permission?…" [al-Baraqah 2:255] "and they cannot intercede except for him with whom He is pleased" [al-Anbiyaa' 21:28] "Intercession with Him profits not except for him whom He permits" [Saba' 34:23] Haashiyat Tahdheeb Sunan Abi Dawood, 10/289-291) And Allaah is the One Who grants strength to do what is right. Islam Q&A Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com) 12817: except ruqam (marks or stripes) on clothes Question: What is meant by ruqam (marks or stripes on clothes) in the hadeeth "except ruqam on textiles"? Answer: Praise be to Allaah. The scholars (may Allaah have mercy on them) interpreted ruqam in two ways: (i) That it refers to images in carpets and similar items, which are walked on and are not treated in a respectful manner like pillows. This is allowed, because the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) allowed it. What is meant is that he allowed their use, but making images is not allowed. (ii) That it refers to decorations on garments, apart from pictures or images. Decoration on clothing is fine and does not come under the ruling on images. What is forbidden is images of animate beings, human or otherwise, because it was reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) entered upon `Aa'ishah and saw a garment on which there was an image. He got angry and tore it down, and said, "The makers of these images will be punished on the Day of Resurrection, and they will be told, `Give life to that which you have created.' `Aa'ishah said: So I made it into two pillows on which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) could recline. Al-Nasaa'i narrated with a saheeh isnaad from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) had an appointment with Jibreel, and he was late, so he went out to him and found him waiting for him (outside). Jibreel said to him: "In the house there is a statue, and a curtain with images on it, and a dog. Go and break the head off the statue so that it will look like a tree, and go and make two pillows out of the curtain that will be thrown on the floor and stepped on, and go and throw the dog out." The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) went and did that, then Jibreel (peace be upon him) came in. Abu Hurayrah said: the dog was a puppy underneath a bed in the house, which has been brought in by al-Hasan and al-Husayn. Majmoo' Fataawa al-Maqaalaat Mutunaaw'iah li Samaahat al-Shaykh al-`Allaamah `Abd al-`Azeez ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him), p. 91 (www.islam-qa.com) 4713: What is the meaning of the hadeeth "We are an unlettered nation, we do not write or calculate"? Question: What is the meaning of the hadeeth "We are an unlettered nation, we do not read or write"? Does this contradict what the Muslims are doing nowadays of seeking education? Answer: Praise be to Allaah. The wording of the hadeeth is not as mentioned in the question. We will quote it here: It was narrated from Ibn `Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "We are an unlettered nation, we do not write or calculate. The month is such-and-such or such-and-such _ meaning sometimes it is twenty-nine and sometimes it is thirty." (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1814; Muslim, 1080) This hadeeth was narrated concerning the issue of the beginning of the lunar month, and it indicates that there is no need to resort to astronomical calculations in order to know when the month begins. We should rely on visual sighting of the moon when it is new, then we will know that the month has begun. The hadeeth was quoted to explain that we should rely on sighting of the moon and not on calculations. It did not come to urge the ummah to remain ignorant and not to learn arithmetic and all other useful sciences. So this hadeeth does not contradict what Muslims are doing nowadays of seeking education in different branches of science which will benefit their worldly interests. Islam is the religion of knowledge; it calls for knowledge and obliges every Muslim to learn what Allaah has enjoined upon him and to learn whatever rulings of sharee'ah he needs to know about acts of worship and dealings with others. With regard to worldly sciences such as medicine, engineering, agriculture, etc., Muslims have to learn whatever the ummah needs to know. If the Muslims need to manufacture a needle, there has to be someone among them who can learn how to make this needle. Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah wrote a very useful discussion on this hadeeth; there follows a selection of his comments on it: "The phrase `We are an unlettered nation' is not telling them to be like that. They were unlettered before Islam came, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): `He it is Who sent among the unlettered ones a Messenger (Muhammad) from among themselves' [al-Jumu'ah 62:2] `And say to those who were given the Scripture (Jews and Christians) and to those who are illiterates (Arab pagans): Do you (also) submit yourselves (to Allaah in Islam)?' [Aal `Imraan 3:20] Although this is how they were before the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was sent to them, they were not commanded to become like that. Some of the implications of being unlettered were to remain, but as we shall see, they were not commanded to remain as they were in every sense… Among the nation to which Allaah sent him were some who could read and write a great deal, just as there were among his Companions. There were also some who could calculate. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was sent with some obligations which involve calculation. It was narrated that when the person he had appointed to take care of the zakaah, Ibn al-Latabiyyah, came to him, he calculated the total amount collected. He had a number of scribes, such as Abu Bakr, `Umar, `Uthmaan, `Ali, Zayd and Mu'aawiyah, who would write down the Revelation, and would write contracts and write his letters to the people to whom Allaah had sent him, the kings of the earth and the leaders of groups, and to his workers, governors, etc. Allaah says in His Book (interpretation of the meaning): "… that you might know the number of the years and the reckoning" [Yoonus 10:5; al-Israa' 17:12] This is mentioned in two places in the Qur'aan, where Allaah tells us that He has created [the sun and moon] so that the calculations may be known. The word ummi (unlettered or illiterate) comes from the same root as the word ummah (nation). It refers to one who is not distinguished from the rest of the people by knowing how to read or write. It is akin to the word `aammi which is used to describe a regular person (one of the `aammah or masses) who is not distinguished from them by having knowledge which they do not have. It was also said that the word ummi is connected to the word umm (mother), because he has learned no more than his mother taught him, and so on. The distinction which takes him out of the ranks of the regular, unlettered people into the ranks of those who have specialized knowledge may be a virtue in and of itself, as in the case of those who read Qur'aan and understand its meaning, or it may be a means which helps to reach that level of virtue, as when a person is distinguished from them by his being able to write and read. So the one who uses that knowledge to pursue perfection is to be praised, whilst the one who neglects it or uses it for evil purposes is to be condemned. Whoever does away with it in favour of something that is more beneficial is more perfect, and if you can achieve the aim without using these means, then that is even better. Thus it is clear that being distinct from the unlettered is of two types. The first nation to which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was sent was the Arabs, through whom the Message was conveyed to all the other nations, because it was sent in their tongue. They were mostly illiterate, and they had no advantage of having knowledge or a scripture etc., although by nature they were more ready to learn than other nations. They were like a plowed field that is ready to be sown, but there was no one to do the task and they had no scripture they could read that had been revealed from Allaah, as the People of the Book had, or any analytical science like the Sabaeans and others had. Writing existed among them, but to a very small extent. They had some knowledge of the type that is acquired by common sense, but which does not make an individual distinct from any other unlettered person; for example, they knew of the Creator, and they held good characteristics in high esteem, and they had some knowledge of astronomy, genealogy and poetry. So they deserved to be called unlettered in all senses of the word, as Allaah said concerning them (interpretation of the meaning): "`He it is Who sent among the unlettered ones a Messenger (Muhammad) from among themselves' [al-Jumu'ah 62:2] `And say to those who were given the Scripture (Jews and Christians) and to those who are illiterates (Arab pagans): Do you (also) submit yourselves (to Allaah in Islam)?' [Aal `Imraan 3:20] So the unlettered or illiterate were described as being opposite to the People of the Book, for the kitaabi (one of the People of the Book) is something other than the ummi (unlettered). When he was sent among them, it became obligatory upon them to follow the Book that he brought and to ponder its meanings, understand it and act upon it. Allaah made this Book an explanation for all things, and their Prophet taught them everything, even (the etiquette of) defecation. They became people of a Book and people of knowledge, indeed, they became the most knowledgeable of people and the best of them in beneficial knowledge. They lost the feature of blameworthy and imperfect illiteracy, which is the lack of knowledge and a revealed Book, and they gained knowledge of the Book and wisdom. They inherited the Book, as Allaah said concerning them (interpretation of the meaning): "He it is Who sent among the unlettered ones a Messenger (Muhammad) from among themselves, reciting to them His Verses, purifying them (from the filth of disbelief and polytheism), and teaching them the Book (this Qur'aan, Islamic laws and Islamic jurisprudence) and AlHikmah (AsSunnah: legal ways, orders, acts of worship of Prophet Muhammad). And verily, they had been before in manifest error" [al-Jumu'ah 62:2] They were unlettered in every sense of the word, but when he taught then the Book and al-Hikmah, Allaah said concerning them (interpretation of the meaning): "Then We gave the Book (the Qur'aan) as inheritance to such of Our slaves whom We chose (the followers of Muhammad). Then of them are some who wrong their ownselves, and of them are some who follow a middle course, and of them are some who are, by Allaah's Leave, foremost in good deeds" [Faatir 35:32] "And this is a blessed Book (the Qur'aan) which We have sent down, so follow it and fear Allaah (i.e. do not disobey His Orders), that you may receive mercy (i.e. saved from the torment of Hell). Lest you (pagan Arabs) should say: `The Book was sent down only to two sects before us (the Jews and the Christians), and for our part, we were in fact unaware of what they studied.' Or lest you (pagan Arabs) should say: `If only the Book had been sent down to us, we would surely, have been better guided than they (Jews and Christians).'" [al-An'aam 6:155-157] And Allaah answered the prayer of al-Khaleel (Ibraaheem) for them, when he said (interpretation of the meaning): "Our Lord! Send amongst them a Messenger of their own (and indeed Allaah answered their invocation by sending Muhammad), who shall recite unto them Your Verses and instruct them in the Book (this Qur'aan) and Al-Hikmah (full knowledge of the Islamic laws and jurisprudence or wisdom or Prophethood) [al-Baqarah 2:129] So there are kinds of illiteracy which are haraam, kinds which are makrooh and kinds which are a shortcoming and failure to do that which is better. A person who does not know how to read al-Faatihah or any part of the Qur'aan, is called by the fuqahaa' in their discussion on al-salaah (prayer), ummi (unlettered), the opposite of whom is a qaari' (one who reads or recites). They say: it is not correct for a qaari' to be led in prayer by an ummi, but it is permissible for an ummi to lead another ummi in prayer; and they discuss other issues of the same nature. What they mean by ummi here is one who cannot read what is necessary, regardless of whether he can write and calculate or not. This illiteracy also includes neglecting what is obligatory, for which a man will be punished if he is able to learn it but he does not do so. There is also the kind of illiteracy which is blameworthy, such as that which Allaah described in the case of the People of the Book, when He said (interpretation of the meaning): "And there are among them (Jews) unlettered people, who know not the Book, but they trust upon false desires and they but guess" [al-Baqarah 2:78] This is a description of one who does not understand the word of Allaah or act upon it; all he does is to recite it. Al-Hasan al-Basri said: The Qur'aan was revealed to be acted upon, so recitation implies acting upon it. The ummi in this sense may read the letters of the Qur'aan, etc., but he does not understand it; when he speaks about matters of knowledge, he speaks superficially, based on conjecture. This person is also regarded as ummi and deserves to be blamed, just as Allaah condemned him for his lack of obligatory knowledge, whether this knowledge is fard `ayn (obligatory on each individual) or fard kafaayah (obligatory on the community as a whole but not on each individual) There is also the kind of `illiteracy' which is better and more perfect, such as the one who only reads a part of the Qur'aan and he only understands what he has learned. He only understands as much of sharee'ah as he has to know. Such a person is also called ummi (illiterate), and others who learn and act upon the Qur'aan are better and more perfect than him. These matters which distinguish a person are virtues, and if a person fails to attain them, he is missing out on something that is obligatory either on him as an individual (fard `ayn) or is obligatory on the community (fard kafaayah) or is mustahabb (recommended). These attributes of perfection and virtue may be attributed to Allaah and His Prophets in general terms. Allaah is All-Knowing and All-Wise, and He combines knowledge and beneficial speech in all that He wants, tells and wills. The same is true of His Prophets and our Prophet, the leader of the knowledgeable and wise. With regard to the distinguishing features which are means to attaining virtues, but which one can do without and use alternative means, these are things like writing and numeracy. If a person does not have these abilities, knowing that virtue cannot be achieved without them, not having them is a sign of imperfection. If a person acquires them and uses them to perfect himself _ like the one who learns how to read and then uses that to read the Qur'aan and read useful books or write other things that will be of benefit to people _ then this is a virtue in his case. But if he uses it for purposes that will harm him or other people _ like the one who reads misguided books or writes things that will harm people, like forging the writing of rulers, judges and witnesses _ then this will be bad for him, and will be a sin and imperfection. Hence `Umar forbade teaching women how to write. If it is possible to do without it yet still achieve perfect knowledge, then this is better, and this was the case with our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), of whom Allaah said (interpretation of the meaning): "Those who follow the Messenger, the Prophet who can neither read nor write (i.e. Muhammad) whom they find written with them in the Tawraat (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel)…" [al-A'raaf 7:157] His being unlettered did not mean that he was lacking in knowledge or the ability to recite by heart, for he is the leader of all imaams in that regard. What it meant was that he was not able to write or to read anything that was written, as Allaah said of him (interpretation of the meaning): "Neither did you (O Muhammad) read any book before it (this Qur'aan), nor did you write any book (whatsoever) with your right hand…" [al-`Ankaboot 29:48] [Then he (Ibn Taymiyah _ may Allaah have mercy on him) went back to discussing the hadeeth "We are an unlettered nation, we do not write or calculate…" and stated that there is a corroborating report which refers to what is meant by this hadeeth. Then he said:] When this is compared with his comment that the month may be thirty or twenty-nine days, it becomes clear that what is meant is that with regard to the new moon (beginning of the month), we have no need for writing or calculations, because sometimes it is (thirty days) and sometimes it is (twenty-nine days). What differentiates between them is the sighting (of the new moon), there is nothing else that differentiates between them, such as writing or calculation. Thus is becomes clear that the "illiteracy" mentioned here is a characteristic which is praiseworthy in several senses: it means doing without writing and calculations in favour of something whichis clearer and more apparent, namely, (sighting) the new moon. - Writing and calculation may involve errors… Etc. (Majmoo' al-Fataawa, 25/164-175) (www.islam-qa.com) 9571: What is the meaning of the hadeeth "Do not inveigh against time (waqt) for Allaah is time waqt)"? Question: Is the saying "Do not curse time for Allah is time" authentic from the Rasool's sayings ? If so, how do you interpret this ? I am confused about this issue. Answer: Praise be to Allaah. The word used in the hadeeth is not waqt (= time), but dahr (= time, vicissitudes of time) [this element of confusion may stem from translation of the question into Arabic]. This hadeeth was narrated by Muslim (5827) from Abu Hurayrah. Other versions of the hadeeth are: "Do not inveigh against time (al-dahr), for Allaah is time" "Let not any one of you say, `Woe to time,' for Allaah is time" "Allaah says, `The sons of Adam offend Me and say, Woe to time, but they should not say Woe to time. I am time, I alternate the night and the day, and if I willed, I could seize them both.'" With regard to the meaning of the hadeeth, al-Nawawi said: They said: this is a metaphor, because the Arabs used to inveigh against time when disasters such as death, old age, loss of money, etc., happened. They would say, `Woe to time' and other phrases cursing or inveighing against time. So the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: `Do not inveigh against time for Allaah is time', i.e., do not inveigh against the One Who brings about those disasters, for that will be directed towards Allaah, for He is the One Who causes them to happen. Time (al-dahr) means al-zamaan (time) which cannot do anything in and of itself, for it is just one of the things that have been created by Allaah. The meaning of the phrase "for Allaah is time" means that He is the One Who causes those events and accidents to happen, and He is the Creator of all that happens. And Allaah knows best. (Sharh Muslim, 15/3) It should be noted that "time" (al-dahr) is not one of the Names of Allaah; it is attributed to Allaah in the sense that He created it and is controlling it, i.e., He is the Creator of time. Some phrases in the same hadeeth also indicate this, as when He says, "It is in My Hand, I alternate the night and the day." The One Who alternates and the thing which is alternated cannot be one and the same; there is the One Who alternates _ i.e., Allaah _ and the thing which is alternated _ i.e., time, which Allaah controls as and when He wills. See: Fataawa al-`Aqeedah by Shaykh Ibn `Uthaymeen, 1/163 Al-Haafiz Ibn Katheer said, in his Tafseer of the aayah (interpretation of the meaning): "And they say: "There is nothing but our life of this world, we die and we live and nothing destroys us except AdDahr (time)" [al-Jaathiyah 45:24] Al-Shaafa'i, Abu `Ubaydah and others said, in their commentary on the hadeeth of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), "Do not inveigh against time for Allaah is time" _ During the Jaahiliyyah, if some difficulty, trial or disaster befell them, the Arabs would say `Woe to time', attributing those events to time and inveighing against it. But the One Who brought those events to pass is Allaah, so it was as if they were inveighing against Allaah, may He be glorified, because in fact He was the One Who caused those things to happen. So it was forbidden to inveigh against time in this manner, because Allaah is Time, i.e., He is the One lWho is controlling it, but the Arabs were attributing those events to Time. This is the best of the comments made in the Tafseer of this hadeeth, and this is what is meant. And Allaah knows best. (Tafseer Ibn Katheer, 4/152) Shaykh Ibn `Uthaymeen (may Allaah preserve him) was asked about the ruling on inveighing against time. He replied: Inveighing against time may be divided into three categories: 1. Where the intention is to convey information without blaming or condemning. This is permissible, such as when a person remarks, "We are suffering from the heat (or the cold) today" and the like, because deeds are judged according to their intentions, and in this case a person is merely describing what is happening without expressing discontent. 2. Where a person inveighs against time as the cause of events, as if by inveighing against it he means that time is what causes things to alternate between good and bad. This is shirk akbar (major form of shirk) because when a person attributes events to something other than Allaah, this means that he believes that there is another creator alongside Allaah. 3. Where a person inveighs against time but believes that the One who causes things to happen is Allaah, but he inveighs against time because of the bad things that happened. This is haraam because it is contrary to the sabr (patience) that is required, but it is not kufr because the person does not inveigh directly against Allaah. If he were to inveigh directly against Allaah, he would be a kaafir. (Fataawaa al-`Aqeedah, 1/197) Other reprehensible expressions which people utter include cursing the hour or the day on which a certain bad thing happened, and so on. This is a sin because it is cursing and improper speech, and because this is cursing something which does not deserve to be cursed. What has the hour or the day done wrong? Nothing apart from the fact that the events happened then, but they are only created things which have no control over anything and cannot be held to blame. If a person inveighs against time, this reflects on the Creator of time. The Muslim should be above speaking in such a foolish and improper manner. And Allaah is the One Whose help we seek. Islam Q&A Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (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) Set of 30 Paperback Books: Only £164.45 Click here to buy now Click this link to Preview all 30 Parts Online Biography of Hafiz Ibn Kathir Reasons For Buying Tafsir Ibn Kathir (c) Copyright 2004 www.msapubli.com Top of Page   Return to Home Page