Showing posts with label Misconceptions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Misconceptions. Show all posts
Saturday, 16 May 2009
Four Things You Are Unsafe From
Imaam Ath Thahabi Rahimahullah mentions in his monumental book "Seer A’alaam an Nubalaa” Vol.8 P.406 on the authority of Abdullah Ibn Al Mubaarak Rahimahullah (181H.):“The people of knowledge and insight do not consider themselves safe from four things:1) A past sin he committed which he does not know what Allaah will do with it (either forgive and pardon him for it or punish him with it);2) What is left of his life, whether there is something therein waiting to destroy him;3) A favor that Allaah bestowed upon him, perhaps it is a plot which will lead him step by step to his eventual destruction and ruin;4) Deviance which is beautified for him so that he sees it to be guidance and in a split second, his heart can deviate and he will be stripped of his deen and he doesn't even realize it.”
Monday, 15 September 2008
Where Did All The Muslims Go??????????....
Where Did All The Muslims Go????
Asalaamulaikum Warahmatulahi Wabarkatahu Dear Respected Brothers and Sisters!
Insha’Allah I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate myself and everyone else on another blessed Ramadhan which by Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’alaa’s Great Mercy, we have been blessed with!!!
May this Ramadhan be a source of guidance for all Muslims, and may Allah give us the strength to act upon that blessed guidance, Ameen! X
This post is to serve as a reminder to firstly myself and you (my precious sisters and brothers), about all that goes on during the month of Ramadhan, and how this blessed month is abused of its beauty and robbed of its true purpose.
My dear brothers and sisters, we must not forget WHY we are fasting in the month of Ramadhan…to please Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’alaa and to attain His pleasure and blessings, and no other material reason!
I can not stress enough why intention is soooooo important! Subhan’Allah!!!
For the Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam said, every deed is rewarded according to its intention!
Furthermore, it is a common misconception amongst our youth of the Ummah that the month of Ramadhan is the month to go dead religious and after the month has passed us by, we can carry on like usual!! NOOOOOOO!!!!
The month of Ramadhan, is to IMPROVE on ourselves, to BETTER ONESELF!!! And to MAINTAIN that IMPROVEMENT, after Ramadhan has gone!
It’s easy to be all good and religious in the month of Ramadhan because the Shayitan is not here and we just have to battle with our Nafs (desires), wouldn’t you agree? Indeed the real battle is when Shayitan will unfortunately come back, tempting us with even stronger whispers!!! Subhan’Allah!
Abu Hurairah Radi Allahu ‘Anhu narrates ‘The Messenger of Allah Sallallahu ‘Alayhi Wa Sallam said:
“There has come to you Ramadhan, a blessed month which Allah has enjoined you to fast, during which the gates of heaven are opened and the gates of Hell are closed, and the rebellious devils are chained up. In it there is a night which is better than a thousand months, and whoever is deprived of its goodness is indeed deprived.”
[Al-Nasaa’i 2106; Ahmad 8769]
&
“When Ramadhan commences, the gates of Paradise are opened and the gates of Hell are closed and the devils are bound in chains.”
[Sahih Al-Bukhari & Sahih Muslim]
In addition, another common misconception is that fasting in Ramadhan is just about abstaining from food and drink. NOOOOOOOOO!!!! …again!
It is sooo much more, for we fast with our eyes, our ears, our mouths, our mentalities and our limbs!!!!
How you may ask?
Well, for your limbs, bear patience my dear brothers and sisters!!!!
For Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu ‘Alayhi Wa Sallam said when someone is rude to you say,
“’Innee saa’imun, ‘innee saa’imun.”
(I am fasting, I am fasting)
[Al-Bukhari, Al-Asqalani, Fathul-Bari, Muslim]
&
Allah says in the Qur’an:
“O you who believe! Seek help in patience and As-Salat (the prayer). Truly! Allah is with As-Sabirun (the patient).”
[Surah Al Baqarah: 153]
&
“And Allah is with As-Sabirun (the patient).”
[Surah Al-Baqarah: 249]
Furthermore Imam Ahmad rahimahullah said:
“Allah has mentioned Sabr (patience) in over ninety places in His book.”
[Ibn al Qayyim- Madaarij us-Saalikeen]
&
The Prophet Salallahu ‘Alayhi Wassalaam said:
“The month of Patience, and the three days of every month, are times for fasting.”
[Sahih Ahmad and An-Nasaa’i]
Ibn ‘Abdur-Barr rahimahullah said:
“What is meant by the month of Patience is the month of Ramadhan…so fasting is called patience because it restrains the soul from eating, drinking, conjugal relations and sexual desires.”
[At-Tamheed- Al Haafidh ibn Abdul Barr]
For our mentalities, brothers and sisters, Ramadhan is just ONE of the tests Allah has decided to test us with, but only with patience, we shall pass, Insha’Allah, we must prepare ourselves my dear brothers and sisters, for no one knows what’s around the next corner except Allah and those who He has willed to know;
“And certainly, we shall test you with something of fear, hunger, loss of wealth, lives and fruits, but give glad tidings to As-Sabirun (the patient).”
[Surah Al-Baqarah: 155]
Our mouths and actions are also in need of control and self-restraint as usual but even more so in the month of Ramadhan,
Asalaamulaikum Warahmatulahi Wabarkatahu Dear Respected Brothers and Sisters!
Insha’Allah I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate myself and everyone else on another blessed Ramadhan which by Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’alaa’s Great Mercy, we have been blessed with!!!
May this Ramadhan be a source of guidance for all Muslims, and may Allah give us the strength to act upon that blessed guidance, Ameen! X
This post is to serve as a reminder to firstly myself and you (my precious sisters and brothers), about all that goes on during the month of Ramadhan, and how this blessed month is abused of its beauty and robbed of its true purpose.
My dear brothers and sisters, we must not forget WHY we are fasting in the month of Ramadhan…to please Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’alaa and to attain His pleasure and blessings, and no other material reason!
I can not stress enough why intention is soooooo important! Subhan’Allah!!!
For the Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam said, every deed is rewarded according to its intention!
Furthermore, it is a common misconception amongst our youth of the Ummah that the month of Ramadhan is the month to go dead religious and after the month has passed us by, we can carry on like usual!! NOOOOOOO!!!!
The month of Ramadhan, is to IMPROVE on ourselves, to BETTER ONESELF!!! And to MAINTAIN that IMPROVEMENT, after Ramadhan has gone!
It’s easy to be all good and religious in the month of Ramadhan because the Shayitan is not here and we just have to battle with our Nafs (desires), wouldn’t you agree? Indeed the real battle is when Shayitan will unfortunately come back, tempting us with even stronger whispers!!! Subhan’Allah!
Abu Hurairah Radi Allahu ‘Anhu narrates ‘The Messenger of Allah Sallallahu ‘Alayhi Wa Sallam said:
“There has come to you Ramadhan, a blessed month which Allah has enjoined you to fast, during which the gates of heaven are opened and the gates of Hell are closed, and the rebellious devils are chained up. In it there is a night which is better than a thousand months, and whoever is deprived of its goodness is indeed deprived.”
[Al-Nasaa’i 2106; Ahmad 8769]
&
“When Ramadhan commences, the gates of Paradise are opened and the gates of Hell are closed and the devils are bound in chains.”
[Sahih Al-Bukhari & Sahih Muslim]
In addition, another common misconception is that fasting in Ramadhan is just about abstaining from food and drink. NOOOOOOOOO!!!! …again!
It is sooo much more, for we fast with our eyes, our ears, our mouths, our mentalities and our limbs!!!!
How you may ask?
Well, for your limbs, bear patience my dear brothers and sisters!!!!
For Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu ‘Alayhi Wa Sallam said when someone is rude to you say,
“’Innee saa’imun, ‘innee saa’imun.”
(I am fasting, I am fasting)
[Al-Bukhari, Al-Asqalani, Fathul-Bari, Muslim]
&
Allah says in the Qur’an:
“O you who believe! Seek help in patience and As-Salat (the prayer). Truly! Allah is with As-Sabirun (the patient).”
[Surah Al Baqarah: 153]
&
“And Allah is with As-Sabirun (the patient).”
[Surah Al-Baqarah: 249]
Furthermore Imam Ahmad rahimahullah said:
“Allah has mentioned Sabr (patience) in over ninety places in His book.”
[Ibn al Qayyim- Madaarij us-Saalikeen]
&
The Prophet Salallahu ‘Alayhi Wassalaam said:
“The month of Patience, and the three days of every month, are times for fasting.”
[Sahih Ahmad and An-Nasaa’i]
Ibn ‘Abdur-Barr rahimahullah said:
“What is meant by the month of Patience is the month of Ramadhan…so fasting is called patience because it restrains the soul from eating, drinking, conjugal relations and sexual desires.”
[At-Tamheed- Al Haafidh ibn Abdul Barr]
For our mentalities, brothers and sisters, Ramadhan is just ONE of the tests Allah has decided to test us with, but only with patience, we shall pass, Insha’Allah, we must prepare ourselves my dear brothers and sisters, for no one knows what’s around the next corner except Allah and those who He has willed to know;
“And certainly, we shall test you with something of fear, hunger, loss of wealth, lives and fruits, but give glad tidings to As-Sabirun (the patient).”
[Surah Al-Baqarah: 155]
Our mouths and actions are also in need of control and self-restraint as usual but even more so in the month of Ramadhan,
for the Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu ‘Alayhi Wa Sallam said:
“Whoever does not leave off false speech and false conduct, Allah has no need of his leaving off food and drink.”
[Sahih Al-Bukhari]
&
He, Salallahu ‘Alayhi Wassalaam also said:
“Fasting is not merely abstaining from eating and drinking. Rather, it is also abstaining from ignorant and indecent speech. So if anyone abuses or behaves ignorantly with you, then say: I am fasting, I am fasting.”
[Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah and Al-Haakim]
And the same for our eyes and ears, we should lower our gaze (just like the other 11 months of the calendar) to protect our nafs and stay away from obscene language to maintain Iman and sincerity and to keep sexual desires at bay;
“When any one of you is observing the fast for the day, he should neither indulge in obscene language nor raise his voice. If someone insults him or quarrels with him, he should say: ‘I am fasting’.”
[Sahih Al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim]
So this includes the music blasting from our phones, since in addition to being haraam, it contains words of an obscene nature and profanity (swearing), and most of the time derogatory words of a sexual nature (sexual references), both of which are haraam, but one should be extra careful to avoid such things in the month of Ramadhan.
So I ask, from amongst us, are there the ‘Ramadhan Muslims?’ paying no attention to the actual facts of Ramadhan, and instead falling into the below categories:
The streets are clear,
The lunch halls are empty.
Where did all the Muslims go???
No more music,
The caps and Hijaabs come on.
Where did all the Muslims go???
The mosques are packed,
The clubs are empty.
Where did all the Muslims go???
Fasting is here,
The smoking is gone.
Where did all the Muslims go???
The beards go untrimmed,
The eyebrows go un-plucked.
Where did all the Muslims go???
Everyone is racing for Tarawih,
And the Xbox is left untouched.
Where did all the Muslims go???
The Qur’ans recited with calm and beautiful recitation,
While the magazines laying about gathering dust.
Where did all the Muslims go???
Prayer rooms filled with Assalaamualaikum and hugs here and there,
The gossip of the women missed in the malls.
Where did all the Muslims go???
Brothers in Thoubs/Jubbahs spreading Da’wah,
Sisters found at all the Halaqahs.
Where did all the Muslims go???
…
All of a sudden,
30 days have passed; another Ramadhan has just come and gone,
The rewards gained, gone has all the hunger pains,
And life is back to usual as was once found…
…
The Masjids are empty; the clubs are packed again,
The crews are back on the streets.
The Hijaabs, caps and Thoubs are off,
Music blazing, the air filled with smoke once again.
The beards shaved to the cleanest shave, the eyebrows plucked thinner then ever before,
Completing Salah nowadays is unheard of; the Xbox is on again.
The Qur’ans placed on the highest shelf in the house, out of reach, out of sight,
The magazines are out; plainly in sight and reach.
The prayer rooms abandoned, the malls jam packed,
Gone is the Da’wah, forgotten are the Halaqahs…
…
I guess the “Muslims” are back!
Being a Muslim is not a part-time job, not a part-time hobby or something to do just to look good amongst the brothers/sisters for a change,
So I ask you…
Are You A Ramadhan Muslim???????????
So what did YOU ACTUALLY LEARN FROM RAMADHAN????
‘Erm….ooo…. that I miss my food man!! I’ll never abandon my chicken burger again!’
---‘We leave the blessed month of Ramadhan, its beautiful days and its fragrant nights. We leave the month of the Qur’an, Taqwa, patience, Jihad (striving against the sacrifices we face in Ramadhan), Mercy, Forgiveness and Freedom from the Hellfire…
Have we fulfilled the requirements of Taqwa and graduated from the Ramadhan School with the diploma of the God-fearing?
Have we fought our souls and desires and defeated them, or have we been overtaken by our customs and blind imitations?
Have we performed our actions in a way that fulfils the conditions for receiving mercy, forgiveness and release from the fire?
Many questions and numerous thoughts come to the heart of the SINCERE MUSLIM, who ASKS and ANSWERS WITH TRUTHFULNESS.’---
{Paragraph from Tayyibun Institute UK-Preparation for Ramadhan course pack-titled ‘Not just Hunger and Thirst’}
I urge you to remember this hadith of the Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu ‘Alayhi Wa Sallam, my dear sisters and brothers!!!!
“Whoever does not leave off false speech and false conduct, Allah has no need of his leaving off food and drink.”
[Sahih Al-Bukhari]
I remind myself before anyone else, I apologise for any offence caused for that was not my intention, any good from this post is from Allah Subhana Wa’talaa ALONE only the mistakes have been mine.
Jazak’Allah Khairun,
Keep the Ummah in Your Du’as, (especially at the time of Iftar, for one’s Du’a at that time is accepted, Insha’Allah!)
Wasalaamulaikum Warahmatulahi Wabarkatahu, x Your Sister x
“Whoever does not leave off false speech and false conduct, Allah has no need of his leaving off food and drink.”
[Sahih Al-Bukhari]
&
He, Salallahu ‘Alayhi Wassalaam also said:
“Fasting is not merely abstaining from eating and drinking. Rather, it is also abstaining from ignorant and indecent speech. So if anyone abuses or behaves ignorantly with you, then say: I am fasting, I am fasting.”
[Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah and Al-Haakim]
And the same for our eyes and ears, we should lower our gaze (just like the other 11 months of the calendar) to protect our nafs and stay away from obscene language to maintain Iman and sincerity and to keep sexual desires at bay;
“When any one of you is observing the fast for the day, he should neither indulge in obscene language nor raise his voice. If someone insults him or quarrels with him, he should say: ‘I am fasting’.”
[Sahih Al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim]
So this includes the music blasting from our phones, since in addition to being haraam, it contains words of an obscene nature and profanity (swearing), and most of the time derogatory words of a sexual nature (sexual references), both of which are haraam, but one should be extra careful to avoid such things in the month of Ramadhan.
So I ask, from amongst us, are there the ‘Ramadhan Muslims?’ paying no attention to the actual facts of Ramadhan, and instead falling into the below categories:
The streets are clear,
The lunch halls are empty.
Where did all the Muslims go???
No more music,
The caps and Hijaabs come on.
Where did all the Muslims go???
The mosques are packed,
The clubs are empty.
Where did all the Muslims go???
Fasting is here,
The smoking is gone.
Where did all the Muslims go???
The beards go untrimmed,
The eyebrows go un-plucked.
Where did all the Muslims go???
Everyone is racing for Tarawih,
And the Xbox is left untouched.
Where did all the Muslims go???
The Qur’ans recited with calm and beautiful recitation,
While the magazines laying about gathering dust.
Where did all the Muslims go???
Prayer rooms filled with Assalaamualaikum and hugs here and there,
The gossip of the women missed in the malls.
Where did all the Muslims go???
Brothers in Thoubs/Jubbahs spreading Da’wah,
Sisters found at all the Halaqahs.
Where did all the Muslims go???
…
All of a sudden,
30 days have passed; another Ramadhan has just come and gone,
The rewards gained, gone has all the hunger pains,
And life is back to usual as was once found…
…
The Masjids are empty; the clubs are packed again,
The crews are back on the streets.
The Hijaabs, caps and Thoubs are off,
Music blazing, the air filled with smoke once again.
The beards shaved to the cleanest shave, the eyebrows plucked thinner then ever before,
Completing Salah nowadays is unheard of; the Xbox is on again.
The Qur’ans placed on the highest shelf in the house, out of reach, out of sight,
The magazines are out; plainly in sight and reach.
The prayer rooms abandoned, the malls jam packed,
Gone is the Da’wah, forgotten are the Halaqahs…
…
I guess the “Muslims” are back!
Being a Muslim is not a part-time job, not a part-time hobby or something to do just to look good amongst the brothers/sisters for a change,
So I ask you…
Are You A Ramadhan Muslim???????????
So what did YOU ACTUALLY LEARN FROM RAMADHAN????
‘Erm….ooo…. that I miss my food man!! I’ll never abandon my chicken burger again!’
---‘We leave the blessed month of Ramadhan, its beautiful days and its fragrant nights. We leave the month of the Qur’an, Taqwa, patience, Jihad (striving against the sacrifices we face in Ramadhan), Mercy, Forgiveness and Freedom from the Hellfire…
Have we fulfilled the requirements of Taqwa and graduated from the Ramadhan School with the diploma of the God-fearing?
Have we fought our souls and desires and defeated them, or have we been overtaken by our customs and blind imitations?
Have we performed our actions in a way that fulfils the conditions for receiving mercy, forgiveness and release from the fire?
Many questions and numerous thoughts come to the heart of the SINCERE MUSLIM, who ASKS and ANSWERS WITH TRUTHFULNESS.’---
{Paragraph from Tayyibun Institute UK-Preparation for Ramadhan course pack-titled ‘Not just Hunger and Thirst’}
I urge you to remember this hadith of the Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu ‘Alayhi Wa Sallam, my dear sisters and brothers!!!!
“Whoever does not leave off false speech and false conduct, Allah has no need of his leaving off food and drink.”
[Sahih Al-Bukhari]
I remind myself before anyone else, I apologise for any offence caused for that was not my intention, any good from this post is from Allah Subhana Wa’talaa ALONE only the mistakes have been mine.
Jazak’Allah Khairun,
Keep the Ummah in Your Du’as, (especially at the time of Iftar, for one’s Du’a at that time is accepted, Insha’Allah!)
Wasalaamulaikum Warahmatulahi Wabarkatahu, x Your Sister x
Wednesday, 20 August 2008
Email Chain Letters - ''If You Love Allah, Please Forward...''
By Yusuf Atiff Bin Abdel-Lateef Diab
There occurs today a very detestable practice among our Muslims in particular. It is the indulgence and participation in email chain letters. For those of us not familiar with this activity, it is where someone sends an email letter with some sort of story pertaining, in most cases but not always, to something Islamic, and then they put a condition at the end of this story to distribute this email to a certain number of people. The condition usually is a severe warning against not forwarding the email to the certain number of people in which case some calamity or mishap will occur if it is not done. In other cases the condition proposes a special benefit for forwarding the email to the certain number of people. Ordinarily this is a form of shirk that I think most people would be aware of or at least should recognize. Believing that some act not from the Qur'aan or Sunnah, if done, can cause some harm and/or benefit is indeed shirk. In doing so we set up a rival to Allaah, for truly it is only Allaah who can benefit us or harm us, and only Allaah can remove such harm.
As Allaah says in Surah Al-An'am ayah 17: "And if Allaah touches you with harm, none can remove it but He, and if He touches you with good, then He is Able to do all things."
One of the things we learn from this ayat is that any harm that afflicts us can only be removed by Allaah, so to specifically believe in bad omens, which includes bad luck and the belief that certain practices, not endorsed by Allaah or The Prophet sallAllahu 'Alayhi wa Salam, can affect the outcome of future events, is in essence the meaning of an omen. So to believe in these omens would be, belief that other than Allaah can remove such harm from us, which is setting a rival with Allaah in this removal of harm. And Allaah says in Surah al-Ma'aidah ayah 72: "Verily, whosoever sets up rivals in worship with Allaah, then Allaah has forbidden Al-Jannah for him, and the Fire will be his abode."
Imam Ahmad reports, on the authority of Ibn `Amr (radhi Allahu anhumma), that the Prophet (sallAllahu 'alayi wa Salam) said:"Whoever is turned back from his objective by a bad omen has committed Shirk." They asked: "And what is the expiation for that?" He (sallAllahu 'alayhi wa salam) replied: "It is to say: "Oh, Allah! There is no good except that which You bestow and there is no evil except that which You bestow and there is none has the right to be worshipped but You."
In many circumstances these chain emails threatens the reader that "if" the email is not sent to the certain number of people then "such and such" will occur. As reported in the above hadith this is Shirk! As is reported on the authority of Ibn Mas'ood (radhi Allahu 'anhu) in a marfoo' form, which he said: "At-tiyarah (belief in omens) is Shirk, at-tiyrah (belief in omens) is Shirk. There is none among us who is not afflicted by it, but Allah, by true dependence on Him removes it from the heart." [Abu Dawood]
So this hadeeth /athar is a rejection of belief in omens because such beliefs necessitates negation of belief in Allah's Qadr and because it causes the heart to become attached to other than Allah, which is Shirk.
Now what is even more disturbing is that these omens are presented and beautified in the form of "harmless" conditions and mere fun. No doubt a trick for shaytaan ar rajeem, wa iyaadhu billah.
The most recent one of these chain emails puts the condition that "if you love Allaah, then forward this letter to...”!!! This should indeed be a higher degree of disturbing for Muslims as it entails speaking about an attribute of Allaah without knowledge, namely Allaah's love. How is it that one can put a condition to Allaah's love based on doing an act that has no precedence in The Book of Allaah or The Sunnah of His Messenger (sallAllahu 'alayhi wa Salam)?!? This is indeed a form of ilhad (deviation) regarding the attribute of Allaah, and a form of shirk in this category of Tawheed (Asmaa wa Sifaat). The love of Allaah is attainable through many acts of ibaadah mentioned to us in the Quran and Sunnah, and thus to innovate in this noble venture is a disgusting type of bidah, pursued in most part by those of ahl kalam (The people of false rhetoric). Those people who chose not to be content with the established texts of Al-Islaam, but rather engage in exercising their intellect with regard to the deen. As we should know the Beautiful, Perfect and Lofty Names and Attributes of Allaah are tawqeefiyyah, meaning they are derived from the text of The Qur'aan and The Sunnah. Speaking about Allaah's Names and/or Attributes without knowledge that which was not mentioned by Allaah or His Messenger (sallAllahu 'alayhi wa Salam) or the righteous predecessors of this Ummah constitutes a great offense against Allaah and His Deen.
Allaah (Subhana wa Ta'ala) says in Surah Al Ar'af ayah 33: "Say: My Lord has forbidden... and that you say about Allaah that of which you have no knowledge". And Allaah says in Surah al-Isra'a ayah 36: "Do not pursue that of which you have no knowledge." So we must be extremely careful not to attribute to Allaah or place a condition on His attributes that was not mentioned in any text of The Qur'aan and Sunnah, even if it appears to agree with our intellect. This is the methodology of the Sahabah concerning the Names and Attributes of Allaah, and it is the methodology that we in turn should adopt.
In conclusion I offer this sincere advice, and brotherly warning, if you or anyone you know is in the practice of writing these emails, or forwarding them, please revere Allaah and set not rivals with Him by spreading this fitnah of belief and indulgence in omens and superstious practices. Like so many other types of hidden shirk, it is beautified and marginalized until it enters our home as something that we take to be so minute and insignificant.
May Allah Al-Wakeel rectify the affairs of the Ummah. May He, protect us from all forms of Shirk, major and minor, hidden and apparent. May Allaah support us against the plots of shaytaan ar rajeem and our nafs and desires.
There occurs today a very detestable practice among our Muslims in particular. It is the indulgence and participation in email chain letters. For those of us not familiar with this activity, it is where someone sends an email letter with some sort of story pertaining, in most cases but not always, to something Islamic, and then they put a condition at the end of this story to distribute this email to a certain number of people. The condition usually is a severe warning against not forwarding the email to the certain number of people in which case some calamity or mishap will occur if it is not done. In other cases the condition proposes a special benefit for forwarding the email to the certain number of people. Ordinarily this is a form of shirk that I think most people would be aware of or at least should recognize. Believing that some act not from the Qur'aan or Sunnah, if done, can cause some harm and/or benefit is indeed shirk. In doing so we set up a rival to Allaah, for truly it is only Allaah who can benefit us or harm us, and only Allaah can remove such harm.
As Allaah says in Surah Al-An'am ayah 17: "And if Allaah touches you with harm, none can remove it but He, and if He touches you with good, then He is Able to do all things."
One of the things we learn from this ayat is that any harm that afflicts us can only be removed by Allaah, so to specifically believe in bad omens, which includes bad luck and the belief that certain practices, not endorsed by Allaah or The Prophet sallAllahu 'Alayhi wa Salam, can affect the outcome of future events, is in essence the meaning of an omen. So to believe in these omens would be, belief that other than Allaah can remove such harm from us, which is setting a rival with Allaah in this removal of harm. And Allaah says in Surah al-Ma'aidah ayah 72: "Verily, whosoever sets up rivals in worship with Allaah, then Allaah has forbidden Al-Jannah for him, and the Fire will be his abode."
Imam Ahmad reports, on the authority of Ibn `Amr (radhi Allahu anhumma), that the Prophet (sallAllahu 'alayi wa Salam) said:"Whoever is turned back from his objective by a bad omen has committed Shirk." They asked: "And what is the expiation for that?" He (sallAllahu 'alayhi wa salam) replied: "It is to say: "Oh, Allah! There is no good except that which You bestow and there is no evil except that which You bestow and there is none has the right to be worshipped but You."
In many circumstances these chain emails threatens the reader that "if" the email is not sent to the certain number of people then "such and such" will occur. As reported in the above hadith this is Shirk! As is reported on the authority of Ibn Mas'ood (radhi Allahu 'anhu) in a marfoo' form, which he said: "At-tiyarah (belief in omens) is Shirk, at-tiyrah (belief in omens) is Shirk. There is none among us who is not afflicted by it, but Allah, by true dependence on Him removes it from the heart." [Abu Dawood]
So this hadeeth /athar is a rejection of belief in omens because such beliefs necessitates negation of belief in Allah's Qadr and because it causes the heart to become attached to other than Allah, which is Shirk.
Now what is even more disturbing is that these omens are presented and beautified in the form of "harmless" conditions and mere fun. No doubt a trick for shaytaan ar rajeem, wa iyaadhu billah.
The most recent one of these chain emails puts the condition that "if you love Allaah, then forward this letter to...”!!! This should indeed be a higher degree of disturbing for Muslims as it entails speaking about an attribute of Allaah without knowledge, namely Allaah's love. How is it that one can put a condition to Allaah's love based on doing an act that has no precedence in The Book of Allaah or The Sunnah of His Messenger (sallAllahu 'alayhi wa Salam)?!? This is indeed a form of ilhad (deviation) regarding the attribute of Allaah, and a form of shirk in this category of Tawheed (Asmaa wa Sifaat). The love of Allaah is attainable through many acts of ibaadah mentioned to us in the Quran and Sunnah, and thus to innovate in this noble venture is a disgusting type of bidah, pursued in most part by those of ahl kalam (The people of false rhetoric). Those people who chose not to be content with the established texts of Al-Islaam, but rather engage in exercising their intellect with regard to the deen. As we should know the Beautiful, Perfect and Lofty Names and Attributes of Allaah are tawqeefiyyah, meaning they are derived from the text of The Qur'aan and The Sunnah. Speaking about Allaah's Names and/or Attributes without knowledge that which was not mentioned by Allaah or His Messenger (sallAllahu 'alayhi wa Salam) or the righteous predecessors of this Ummah constitutes a great offense against Allaah and His Deen.
Allaah (Subhana wa Ta'ala) says in Surah Al Ar'af ayah 33: "Say: My Lord has forbidden... and that you say about Allaah that of which you have no knowledge". And Allaah says in Surah al-Isra'a ayah 36: "Do not pursue that of which you have no knowledge." So we must be extremely careful not to attribute to Allaah or place a condition on His attributes that was not mentioned in any text of The Qur'aan and Sunnah, even if it appears to agree with our intellect. This is the methodology of the Sahabah concerning the Names and Attributes of Allaah, and it is the methodology that we in turn should adopt.
In conclusion I offer this sincere advice, and brotherly warning, if you or anyone you know is in the practice of writing these emails, or forwarding them, please revere Allaah and set not rivals with Him by spreading this fitnah of belief and indulgence in omens and superstious practices. Like so many other types of hidden shirk, it is beautified and marginalized until it enters our home as something that we take to be so minute and insignificant.
May Allah Al-Wakeel rectify the affairs of the Ummah. May He, protect us from all forms of Shirk, major and minor, hidden and apparent. May Allaah support us against the plots of shaytaan ar rajeem and our nafs and desires.
Friday, 25 July 2008
The Third is ALWAYS The Shaitan!!!!
The third is always Shaitan.....
Men (non-mahram) + Women (non-mahram) = Shaytan (3rd Party)
Asalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakathahu beloved sisters and brothers...
I wanted to share some useful tips with you sisters and brothers in regards to the “INTERNET”…the internet is a world in its own right… You mustn't think all that you come across is real or even the truth.
The Scholars have been inundated with emails from people who have tasted the bitter taste of Zina due to online chats that has led from one thing to another...How do you know this guy/girl that you confide in, won't hesitate to offload all that to some one else or when Shaytan has his way, he will make that thing so alluring that you won't even hesitate to ask yourself is this right or wrong...
One post I came across online was that of a Saudi sister, she was chatting to some guy, as friends talking about the Deen, eventually over a period of time, they developed feelings for each other, so they started to send pictures of each other...Then one day, the guy from nowhere said to her, he doesn't want to be with her... AS EASY AS THAT!
So eventually she decides that she will get married to some one of her parents choice, to add to her stress, her ex "boyfriend"(i.e. the guy from the internet) starts sending her mails saying to not to get married otherwise he will show her parents her pictures... What’s the saying? - Alls fair in love and war!!
Fortunately for us Islam doesn't have that stance... I'm not suggesting everyone is committing Zina out there on the internet, but remember, many times people say "oh we're gonna get married and then we can repent" Not being funny but how do YOU know when your time will be up and the Angel of Death will come for your soul?????...
The is a reason why there are many rules in Islam about opposite sex mingling... Its for YOUR OWN SAFETY... Online world, anything goes, you can be anyone you want to be and dupe as many people as you can, because these people aren't thinking about anything apart from satisfying their desires, their NAFS!!!..
REMEMBER when you go out with some one there is NO REWARD IN IT, BUT SIN... But in a marriage... what ever you endure, be it good or bad, there is a reward and what is with Allah SUBHANA WA'TALAA is everlasting!!!...
When a husband and wife look at each other lovingly that is counted as Sadaqah.. When you endure hardship with Sabr know that Allah SWT out of His Mercy will expiate your sin and reward you for exercising patience…
Marriage in Islam does not have the western ideology of trying and testing your future spouse to be, some people think "how can I marry him without knowing him first?", some people go out for many years and then their marriages break up within the year... It’s all Allah SUBHANA WA'TALAA’s Hukm!!! (command), you may plan for your relationship, but know that Allah SUBHANA WA'TALAA is the Best of Planners!!!...
Ask your self what is better? a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship, incurring Allah's Wrath, the Wrath of AL JABBAR (THE OVER-POWERING LORD)? or a marriage which Allah SUBHANA WA'TALAA blesses with love for each other...CAN WE? THE CREATION TAKE ON THE CREATOR???? If you think you can then SubhanAllah, you will need help on that day when there is NO SHADE BUT THE SHADEOF ALLAH....THE AKIRAH...THE DAY OF RESURRECTION!!!
"This Day, We Shall Seal Up Their Mouths & Their Hands Will Speak To Us & Their Legs Will Bear Witness To What They Used To Earn" - [36 - 65]
{Source taken from Hi.5-United Muslim.Sister Ummtwin ak}
Men (non-mahram) + Women (non-mahram) = Shaytan (3rd Party)
Asalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakathahu beloved sisters and brothers...
I wanted to share some useful tips with you sisters and brothers in regards to the “INTERNET”…the internet is a world in its own right… You mustn't think all that you come across is real or even the truth.
The Scholars have been inundated with emails from people who have tasted the bitter taste of Zina due to online chats that has led from one thing to another...How do you know this guy/girl that you confide in, won't hesitate to offload all that to some one else or when Shaytan has his way, he will make that thing so alluring that you won't even hesitate to ask yourself is this right or wrong...
One post I came across online was that of a Saudi sister, she was chatting to some guy, as friends talking about the Deen, eventually over a period of time, they developed feelings for each other, so they started to send pictures of each other...Then one day, the guy from nowhere said to her, he doesn't want to be with her... AS EASY AS THAT!
So eventually she decides that she will get married to some one of her parents choice, to add to her stress, her ex "boyfriend"(i.e. the guy from the internet) starts sending her mails saying to not to get married otherwise he will show her parents her pictures... What’s the saying? - Alls fair in love and war!!
Fortunately for us Islam doesn't have that stance... I'm not suggesting everyone is committing Zina out there on the internet, but remember, many times people say "oh we're gonna get married and then we can repent" Not being funny but how do YOU know when your time will be up and the Angel of Death will come for your soul?????...
The is a reason why there are many rules in Islam about opposite sex mingling... Its for YOUR OWN SAFETY... Online world, anything goes, you can be anyone you want to be and dupe as many people as you can, because these people aren't thinking about anything apart from satisfying their desires, their NAFS!!!..
REMEMBER when you go out with some one there is NO REWARD IN IT, BUT SIN... But in a marriage... what ever you endure, be it good or bad, there is a reward and what is with Allah SUBHANA WA'TALAA is everlasting!!!...
When a husband and wife look at each other lovingly that is counted as Sadaqah.. When you endure hardship with Sabr know that Allah SWT out of His Mercy will expiate your sin and reward you for exercising patience…
Marriage in Islam does not have the western ideology of trying and testing your future spouse to be, some people think "how can I marry him without knowing him first?", some people go out for many years and then their marriages break up within the year... It’s all Allah SUBHANA WA'TALAA’s Hukm!!! (command), you may plan for your relationship, but know that Allah SUBHANA WA'TALAA is the Best of Planners!!!...
Ask your self what is better? a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship, incurring Allah's Wrath, the Wrath of AL JABBAR (THE OVER-POWERING LORD)? or a marriage which Allah SUBHANA WA'TALAA blesses with love for each other...CAN WE? THE CREATION TAKE ON THE CREATOR???? If you think you can then SubhanAllah, you will need help on that day when there is NO SHADE BUT THE SHADEOF ALLAH....THE AKIRAH...THE DAY OF RESURRECTION!!!
"This Day, We Shall Seal Up Their Mouths & Their Hands Will Speak To Us & Their Legs Will Bear Witness To What They Used To Earn" - [36 - 65]
{Source taken from Hi.5-United Muslim.Sister Ummtwin ak}
My dear brothers and sisters, my only point from this post is to show you the realities of the internet, talking to a boy/girl is haraam, whether on the internet or whether in person!!!
So please be careful, for this is just sincere advise from a fellow sister in Islam out of my love for you Fisabillah (For the Sake of Allah).
Keep the Ummah in your duas,
Wasalaam, XXX MEHAK XXX
Tuesday, 22 July 2008
Internet Fatwahs are Fitnah
I went to a friend’s salon recently to trim my hair. As I was getting my hair done, two sisters walked in (roughly around my age). One of them was getting married and wanted to book an appointment to get her hair and make-up done for the wedding. So my friend said ok and asked her what style she wanted for her hair. She said she wanted an up-do style but needs to put extensions in her hair because her hair was short and that she wanted her eyebrows to be trimmed and so on. My friend didn’t judge her and perhaps thought maybe she didn’t know having extensions put in and trimming the eyebrows were haraam so she just explained it to them. Her reaction? ‘Nuh uhh, Shaykh so-and-so on the internet said it’s not haraam’. Then she started hitting us with fatwas from left to right about what this so-called ‘Shaykh’ said (I can’t even remember his name, doesn’t matter, I just refer to them as Shaykh Google anyways).
My friend apologised and told her she already consulted a Scholar on these issues and they told her it was not permissible for her to do them and if they wanted she would be more than happy to bring them proof that it’s not allowed, if not they could always go to another salon. Obviously they weren’t very happy and said they also had proof that it was permissible. One of the other hairdressers intervened and started to quote some hadiths relating to the issue. But they still wouldn’t have it. One of them went as far as to say (and I quote) ‘It’s only one night anyways, it’s my BIG DAY, I want to look pretty and make it special. I can always say Istighfaar afterwards.’ SubhanAllah! I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Tears started to flow, I couldn’t even help it. What if this sister died on her wedding day and never got the chance to repent? What would she say in front of Allah? I think death was the last thing on her mind, wallahu ‘alam.
Anyways, I don’t want to go on about what happened that day or judge those sisters, that’s not the purpose of this post. What I wanna talk about is a little about internet fatwahs. It's amazing how....in these days people mostly use internet fatwahs for everything. Is something halal? "I dunno...let me ask "sh. google ibn yahoo" but what we don’t realise is these can be specific to a situation that has NOTHING to do with us.
Some people, once they gain a bit of knowledge in the deen or a specific topic, they think they’ve become scholars and can give fatwahs. I’ve seen it so many times; even my teacher told me some stories of people who have little knowledge of the deen giving fatwahs. He was telling us how it seems everyone’s become a scholar these days, hence why we have so many ‘shaykh googles’ giving internet fatawah and so many people doing ‘fatwah shopping’ (i.e., searching the net until you find a shaykh that agrees with your opinion; just like these two sisters who found a shaykh who said it was permissible to trim the eyebrows and put in extensions).
We were studying the history of the scholars of the past and found that the early imams were so cautious about speaking about [the lawful and unlawful] because one who speaks about such matters is relating information from Allah, enunciating His commandments and prohibitions, and passing on His sacred law. It was said about Ibn Sirin, "If he was asked about something regarding the lawful or the unlawful, his colour would change. He would be transformed until he no longer seemed the same person." Ata' ibn al-Saib said, "I met people who, when asked for a religious verdict, would tremble as they spoke." SubhanAllah
Imam Ahmad was extremely hesitant to speak on the lawful and unlawful, to claim that something was abrogated, or related matters which others would too readily expound. He frequently prefaced his answers with phrases such as, "I hope that..," "I fear..," or "It is more beloved to me..." He would often say on an issue with which righteous forbears had various opinions, "The most likely answer is, 'I do not know.' Similarly, Imam Malik and others would frequently say, "I do not know." It is related that when Imam Malik was asked about a legal matter, it was as if he were suspended between Heaven and Hell.
Compare this to the so-called ‘Internet Scholars’ of today. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that all the Shuyukh who give fatawah online are causing fitnah. In fact, there are many Islamic websites that have well-known scholars who give authentic fatawah based on the Quran and Sunnah. All I’m saying is we should be careful where we seek to get our fatwahs. The internet has opened a door where by EVERY SINGLE opinion in the world, and its mother, has a website. So if someone says, ‘I found this on the internet supporting my opinion’, who cares? It’s not rocket science. The concept of ‘fatwah shopping’ in Islam is not permissible.
May Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala forgive us and protect us from falling into haraam. May He help us in gaining more knowledge of the Deen and help us to follow the footsteps of our Beloved Prophet Muhammad salallahu ‘alayhi wassallam, Ameen.
My friend apologised and told her she already consulted a Scholar on these issues and they told her it was not permissible for her to do them and if they wanted she would be more than happy to bring them proof that it’s not allowed, if not they could always go to another salon. Obviously they weren’t very happy and said they also had proof that it was permissible. One of the other hairdressers intervened and started to quote some hadiths relating to the issue. But they still wouldn’t have it. One of them went as far as to say (and I quote) ‘It’s only one night anyways, it’s my BIG DAY, I want to look pretty and make it special. I can always say Istighfaar afterwards.’ SubhanAllah! I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Tears started to flow, I couldn’t even help it. What if this sister died on her wedding day and never got the chance to repent? What would she say in front of Allah? I think death was the last thing on her mind, wallahu ‘alam.
Anyways, I don’t want to go on about what happened that day or judge those sisters, that’s not the purpose of this post. What I wanna talk about is a little about internet fatwahs. It's amazing how....in these days people mostly use internet fatwahs for everything. Is something halal? "I dunno...let me ask "sh. google ibn yahoo" but what we don’t realise is these can be specific to a situation that has NOTHING to do with us.
Some people, once they gain a bit of knowledge in the deen or a specific topic, they think they’ve become scholars and can give fatwahs. I’ve seen it so many times; even my teacher told me some stories of people who have little knowledge of the deen giving fatwahs. He was telling us how it seems everyone’s become a scholar these days, hence why we have so many ‘shaykh googles’ giving internet fatawah and so many people doing ‘fatwah shopping’ (i.e., searching the net until you find a shaykh that agrees with your opinion; just like these two sisters who found a shaykh who said it was permissible to trim the eyebrows and put in extensions).
We were studying the history of the scholars of the past and found that the early imams were so cautious about speaking about [the lawful and unlawful] because one who speaks about such matters is relating information from Allah, enunciating His commandments and prohibitions, and passing on His sacred law. It was said about Ibn Sirin, "If he was asked about something regarding the lawful or the unlawful, his colour would change. He would be transformed until he no longer seemed the same person." Ata' ibn al-Saib said, "I met people who, when asked for a religious verdict, would tremble as they spoke." SubhanAllah
Imam Ahmad was extremely hesitant to speak on the lawful and unlawful, to claim that something was abrogated, or related matters which others would too readily expound. He frequently prefaced his answers with phrases such as, "I hope that..," "I fear..," or "It is more beloved to me..." He would often say on an issue with which righteous forbears had various opinions, "The most likely answer is, 'I do not know.' Similarly, Imam Malik and others would frequently say, "I do not know." It is related that when Imam Malik was asked about a legal matter, it was as if he were suspended between Heaven and Hell.
Compare this to the so-called ‘Internet Scholars’ of today. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that all the Shuyukh who give fatawah online are causing fitnah. In fact, there are many Islamic websites that have well-known scholars who give authentic fatawah based on the Quran and Sunnah. All I’m saying is we should be careful where we seek to get our fatwahs. The internet has opened a door where by EVERY SINGLE opinion in the world, and its mother, has a website. So if someone says, ‘I found this on the internet supporting my opinion’, who cares? It’s not rocket science. The concept of ‘fatwah shopping’ in Islam is not permissible.
May Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala forgive us and protect us from falling into haraam. May He help us in gaining more knowledge of the Deen and help us to follow the footsteps of our Beloved Prophet Muhammad salallahu ‘alayhi wassallam, Ameen.
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