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.

The Hidden Shirk....

The hidden Shirk...

Assalaamulaikum Warahmatulahi Wabarkatahu, respected brothers and sisters we must ever be aware of the word "Shirk" (meaning association of others with Allah) and bare in mind that we may be protected from the major shirk due to Allah's protection and be ever grateful to our dear Lord for that, but we should also keep in mind the minor shirk such as Riyaa...

Linguistically "Riyaa" comes from the root "Ra'aa" which means to see, to behold, to view.
The derived word 'Riyaa' means "eye-service, hypocrisy, dissimulation; dissemblance."

From the Shara'i point of view, "to perform acts which are pleasing to Allah, with the intention of pleasing other than Allah" is called Riyaa.
Thus, Riyaa originates in the heart.

Such a thing is Riyaa, such a danger to us, beloved and respected Brothers and Sisters, that if one has riyaa in his/her heart it can negate one's belief and break the concept of Tauheed (Islamic Monotheism)!!!!!

Mahmood bin Labeed reported that the Allah's Messenger Muhammad (salallahu alayhi wa salam) said:
"The thing that I fear most for you is the minor Shirk; Riyaa."
(Musnad Ahmad)

Abu Saeed (Radhi Allahu anhu) reported that the Messenger of Allah Muhammad (salallahu alayhi wa salam) came to us while we were discussing about Dajjal and said:
"Should I not inform you of that which I fear for you even more than the dangers of Dajjal? It is the hidden Shirk; a person stands to pray, and he beautifies his prayer because he sees the people looking at him."
(Sunan Ibn Majah Vol 2, No 3389)

Abu Musa al-Ash'ari reported that Allah's Messenger Muhammad (salallahu alayhi wa salam) delivered a sermon to them one day and said:
"O people! Fear this Shirk (meaning Riyaa), for it is more inconspicuous (more hidden) than the crawling of an ant."
(Authenticated in Sahih al-Targheeb wat-Tarheeb, No 33)

The primary cause of Riyaa is weakness in faith!!!!

When a person does not have strong faith in Allah Subhana Wa'talaa, he will prefer the admiration of people over the pleasure of Allah. There are three symptoms that are indicative of Riyaa, and it is essential that a believer should avoid all of them.

(1). The love of praise:
As mentioned in a Hadith of the first three people being thrown into the hellfire; the scholar (who taught for fame), the martyr (who fought for fame), and the person who gave his money in charity (so that people would say he is generous). All three of these people desired the pleasure of people over the pleasure of Allah. The person who desires the praise of people must feel some pride in himself, for he feels himself worthy of being praised. There is a danger, therefore, of him becoming arrogant and boastful.

Abu Hurairah (Radhi Allahu anhu) quoted Allah's Messenger Muhammad (salallahu alayhi wa salam) as saying:
"Allah, Most Great and Glorious said: Pride is My cloak, and greatness is My robe, so whoever competes with Me, with respect to either of them, I shall cast him into Hell."
(Sahih Muslim, Vol 4, No 6349, Sunan Abu Dawood, Vol 3, No 4079)

Abu Hurairah (Radhi Allahu anhu) quoted Allah's Messenger Muhammad (salallahu alayhi wa salam) warning about a person's adoration of himself:
"There are three destructive things: desires that are followed, greediness that is obeyed, and a person's self-admiration and conceit; and this is the worst of the three."

Allah also warned against falling into the category of those Christians and Jews whom the Holy Qur’an mentions:

"Do not assume that those who rejoice in what they have done, and love to be praised for what they have not done, think not that they are absolved from punishment, (but rather) for them is a painful torment."
(Al-‘Imran: 188)

(2). Fear of Criticism:
No one likes to be criticized. The dislike of criticism regarding religious practices may be divided into two categories:-

(a) The first category is that of a person who neglects a commandment of Allah in order to avoid the criticism of his peers. However, the true believers are described in the Holy Qur’an as follows:
"...They do not fear the criticism of those who criticize. And this is the blessing of Allah; He gives it to whomsoever He wishes. Verily, Allah is Self-Sufficient, All-Knowing."
(Al-Maidah: 54)

(b) The second category is that of a person who obeys certain commandments of Islam, not for the sake of Allah, but because he fears people will look down on him and criticize him if he does not do it.

For example, a man may make his formal prayers in the mosque because he does not want people to criticize him for praying at home, or to think that he is not praying at all.

(3). Greed for people's possessions:

If a person covets what other people possess, whether it is rank, money or power, then he will wish them to envy him similarly.

For example, if he is jealous of a position of a certain person in society, he will try by every possible means to attain the same position. Such desires lead people to spend their lives putting on a show for other people so that they will admire their rank, money, or power.

These three categories are implied in the following statement of Prophet Muhammad (salallahu alayhi wa salam).
Abu Musa related that a person came to the Holy Prophet Muhammad (salallahu alayhi wa salam) and asked:
"A person fights to defend his honor, another to prove his bravery (i.e. to be praised for it), and a third to show off (i.e. so that his position can be seen); of these three, which one fights in the way of Allah?"
The Holy Prophet Muhammad (salallahu alayhi wa salam) answered:

"Whoever fights to make the word of Allah present [i.e. to bring honor to Islam, and to establish it in the land], he is the one who fights in the way of Allah."
(Sahih al-Bukhari, Vol 4, No 65)

Some scholars advised:
"Remove the causes of Riyaa from yourself by considering the opinion of people as important to you as animals and small children. Do not differentiate in your worship between the presence of people or their absence, or between their knowledge of your actions and their ignorance. Rather be conscious of the infinite knowledge of Allah alone."

There are several ways to avoid Riyaa, which are as follows:-

(1) Increasing knowledge of Islam

(2) Du’a: we are taught the specific Du’a for Riyaa:

"O Allah, we seek refuge in you from committing shirk knowingly, and ask your forgiveness for the shirk that we may commit unknowingly."

(3) Reflecting upon Heaven and Hell

(4) Hiding one's good deeds from others

(5) Reflection upon one's shortcomings

(6) Accompanying the pious

(7) Knowledge of Riyaa.

{By Abu Ammar Yasir, from http://jang.com.pk/thenews/jun2008-weekly/iqra-06-06-2008/index.html}

May Allah make us from amongst those weary of Riyaa, and from amongst those who do good deeds and refrain from bad deeds for the pleasure of Allah Subhana Wa'talaa alone, ameen!

Keep the Ummah in your duas,

Wasalaam, XXX MEHAK XXX