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By Shaykh Muhammad Naasirud-Deen al-Albaanee (rahimahullaah) What should the Muslimah do whose husband forces her to drink wine, and other issues fundamental to women! First, she should repent to Allaah for what she did in those days - with the usual and known repentance, with its necessary conditions. [Q.1] What is the Islaamic ruling upon a husband offering khamr (wine and intoxicants) to his wife, threatening to divorce her if she refuses it, although he knows that she is regular in her Prayers? [A.1] The answer to this question is well-known! "There can be no obedience to the creation, if it involves disobedience to the creator." [1] It is not permissible for the wife to obey her husband in disobedience to Allaah - the Most High, and her divorce from him is better for her. Allaah says: "But if their intention is firm for divorce, Allaah sees and knows all things." [Sooratul-Baqarah 2:227] This is especially true when the cause for divorce from the woman is her obedience to Allaah and disobedience to her husband, who is flouting the commands of Allaah. However, other issues need to be taken into consideration; and each case is to be judged according to its individual circumstances. If the woman is divorced from her husband, her and her children's lives may be ruined. In such a case, it would be possible for us to say that she should stay with her husband, by way of choosing the lesser of the two evils. However, we do not give such a ruling generally, for it is against the essential principle. The matter is as Allaah says: "But each man is aware of his own self." [Sooratul-Qiyaamah 75:14]
[Q.2] Is it permissible for women to wear high-heeled shoes? [A.2] This is not permissible. It involves resembling the disbelieving women, or the wicked women. It has its origins amongst the Jewish women before Islaam. When one of them wanted to attend a gathering where her lover was present, she would wear a pair of high shoes for him to see her, being taller. Then after a time, those became high-heeled shoes. Further, that type of shoe changes a woman's way of walking, causing her to tilt from left to right, and therefore, the wicked and unbelievers choose this type of shoe. Therefore, a Muslim woman following the Sharee'ah (Islaamic Law) should not wear high-heeled shoes; especially since many times it causes her to fall!
[Q.3] With regard to a woman who did not pray, though she was Muslim, due to lack of fear of the Punishment of Allaah, but then she repents to Allaah; does she have to make up the missed Prayers? [A.3] First, she should repent to Allaah for what she did in those days - with the usual and known repentance, with its necessary conditions. [2] She should then be careful after that to pray the Prayer at its time, and should pray as much nafl (supererogatory) Prayers to make up for the great good which she missed in those days when she left the Prayer. [3] Footnotes: [1] Saheeh: Related by al-Waahidee in al-Asbaabun-Nuzool (p. 195), and by al-Baghawee in his Tafseer (5/188). It was authenticated by al-Albaanee in al-Mishkaatul-Masaabeeh (no. 3696). [2] There are four conditions for repentance, 1) To immediately refrain from the sin, 2) Remorse, 3) To make a firm resolve not to return to the sin, and 4) To seek forgiveness. Refer to al-Istighfaar by Shaykhul-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah, with the checking of Fawwaaz Ahmad Zumarlee. [3] Extracted from a tape by Shaykh al-Albaanee. Last Updated ( Wednesday, 30 May 2007 ) http://www.troid.org/sisters/fataawee/fataawaa-for-sisters-prayer-wine-and-high-heeled-shoes.html
Verily, those who conceal the clear proofs, evidences and the guidance, which We have sent down, after We have made it clear for the people in the Book, they are the ones cursed by All h and cursed by the cursers." Baqara 2:159 add that as proof "Except those who repent and do righteous deeds, and openly declare (rectifyth which they concealed). These, I will accept their repentance. And I am the One Who accepts repentance, the Most Merciful" Baqara 2:160 At-Tabarani explained this ayat to mean that it's not enough to repent but a condition of repenting after lying, or violating the rights, or calling to other than haqq is that you rectify & clarify.
Reading and writing fictional stories *Please appropriately reference this fatwa to: www.fatwa-online.com, thankyou!* Question: What is the ruling regarding reading or writing fictional stories and those which arouse the imagination? And if some of them [aid in] rectify[ing] social problems, then is this permissible? Response: Fictional stories are from lies which occupy the time of the writer and the reader without benefit, so abandoning busying oneself with them is preferable. And if writing and reading [fictional stories] occupies oneself from that which is obligatory then this [fictional stories] is prohibited. And if it occupies oneself from that which is recommended then this [fictional stories] is disliked. In any case, the time of the Muslim is valuable, so it is not permissible to spend it in that which there is no benefit. Shaykh Saalih al-Fowzaan ad-Durar an-Naadhirah fil-Fataaawa al-Mu'aasirah - Pages 644-645 al-Fowzaan - ad-Da'wah 1516, Jumaada al-Oolaa 1416AH Haya (Shyness)Posted
HAYA (SHYNESS)source: troid Hayaa itself is derived from the word hayaat which means life. But that is something that we will get into later on in this essay. This term covers a large number of concepts. In English, it may be translated as modesty, shyness, self-respect, bashfulness, shame, honour, etc. The original meaning of Hayaa according to a believer's nature, refers to a bad and painful feeling accompanied by embarrassment, caused by one's fear of being exposed or censured for some unworthy or indecent conduct. According to Islaam, Hayaa is an attribute which pushes the believer to avoid anything distasteful or abominable. It keeps him/her from being neglectful in giving everyone what is due upon them, and if for any reason he/she is not able to keep up with his/her commitment then they will feel extremely bad and ashamed about this. The reason being that he/she will have displeased Allaah by breaking a commitment. Hayaa plays a huge role in the lives of Muslims because it is a very important part of our eeman (faith/belief). If we do not have any form of hayaa in us then it is most likely that our eeman is very weak. For as it states in the following hadeeth: Narrated by Abu Hurairah (radi-Allaahu 'anhu):
We also learn from the Prophet (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) the importance of having hayaa and how it is not something to be ashamed about, but instead one should be ashamed if they do not have it. Narrated Abdullah Ibn Umar (radi-Allaahu 'anhu):
Now the above hadeeth is also a form of proof that "shyness" is not just something regarding women but also an attribute that believing men should have, for it is an indication if their fear of Allaah and an indication of the value of their deen. Now to discuss the different types of hayaa. How many types of hayaa are there? Hayaa' is of two kinds: good and badThe good Hayaa' is to be ashamed to commit a crime or a thing which Allaah and His Messenger (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) has forbidden, and bad Hayaa' is to be ashamed to do a thing, which Allaah and His Messenger (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) ordered to do. Firstly, to talk about the types of Good hayaa. For example, anyone who is a believer, he/she should build their personalities and their character with the good dimensions of hayaa. The most important is that he/she must be shy of doing ANYTHING displeasing to Allaah, with the belief that he/she will have to answer to all their deeds. If one develops a sense such as this one, it will help the believer to obey all of Allaah's command and to stay away from the sins. Once the believer realizes that Allaah is watching us all the time and we will have to answer for every move we make in this dunya, he/she would not neglect any order from Allaah or His Messenger (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam). So the stronger this sense of hayaa becomes, the more it motivates one to make sure that Allaah doesn't see him/her doing anything forbidden. The way to develop this hayaa is that one must keep learning and absorbing more and more knowledge of our deen. Another type of hayaa is more of a social aspect concerning others besides Allaah. Normally these things often come in regard with ones relationship with family. For instance a child not wanting to do something displeasing to his mother, or a wife not wanting to do something displeasing to her husband or even a student who is careful about saying something incorrect infront of his teacher (daa'ee). Last but not least is the type of hayaa in which the believers become shy of themselves. This is when they have reached the peek of their eeman. What this means is that if they do, or say, or see, anything wrong or even commit the tiniest sin, they start to feel extremely bad and embarrassed or they feel extreme guilt in their heart. This builds a high degree of self-consciousness and that is what strengthens the believers commitment to Allaah. After discussing the various types of "beneficial" hayaa, it is time to discuss the type of hayaa which is not only against the teachings of our Prophet (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) but it is also solid proof of the weakness of someone's eeman. This negative aspect revolves around a person's shamefulness or shyness of doing something that Allaah has ordered us to do through the Qur'aan or our Prophet's (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) sunnah. This constitutes the shamefulness or embarrassment of doing a lawful act or something that is ordered upon us from Allaah. Meaning for someone not to follow an obligation of Islaam, due the fact of being shy infront of others about it. This is totally forbidden because then one is giving the people of this dunya more respect than the One who Created this whole universe. It also means if someone is shy or afraid to seek knowledge of Islaam for worldly reasons, because they do not want others to see them or to know of their ignorance. This once again goes contrary to what Allaah has told us in the Qur'aan, which is to seek knowledge and preach it to others. In this society there are many examples. People will go out an get degrees in law schools, or science, or engineering and they will put four to six years of their lives studying for this stuff that will only benefit them in this world. Why? You ask? Well most likely, in this society people including Muslims, choose their careers according to how much money they will make and what status they will have in this society as to being a lawyer or a doctor etc. They do not realize that in Islaam the BEST stature of a Muslim is that of a "daa'ee" or a teacher of Islaam. These Islaamic teachers and scholars are even higher in the eyes of Allaah then one who only sits at home and preaches or does ibaadah. If they want to study law, why not Islaamic Shariah? If they want to study science, why not Islaamic Science? So this explains how people consider the worldly careers to be of higher value and are embarrassed to even express an interest in Islaamic Studies. Only because they will not be considered as high as the other "educated" people. This is having the bad hayaa or "shame" of something that is encouraged to us by Allaah and His Messenger (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam). Another proof of bad hayaa is that which is extremely popular amongst our sisters in this western society. That is what the rest of this essay will be focused on. One of the most important aspects of hayaa, for women, is that of guarding their chastity and their modesty. To do this they must follow the order from Allaah telling them to keep hidden themselves and their adornments from all men unlawful to them in marriage. Now this order involves all the aspects of hayaa for those who do follow it. The believing and following women are ashamed of disobeying Allaah. They are shy of the opposite gender in this society because of what they might experience if strange men look at them and lastly they have hayaa because they are ashamed of going out in public and committing this grave sin of displaying their beauty is public. There are many women in this society who claim that they have hayaa but to follow the order of hijab is backwards and that women in this society shouldn't have to cover, is obviously disbelief. For if someone really had hayaa they would never contradict ANYTHING that Allaah has ordained upon us even if they did not exactly like the idea. A women's hayaa comes from her modesty and her shyness and her fear of Allaah, so how can she have hayaa if she walks around in public un-veiled? Proof lies in the following hadeeth. Abdullah Ibn Umar (radi-Allaahu 'anhu) narrated that the Prophet (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) said:
There are many verses in the Qur'aan and many ahadeeth explaining the reasons behind observing Hijab. The Islaamic Shariah has not stopped at giving the Commandments of Hijab, it has also clarified every such thing which directly relates to these commandments and, with the slightest carelessness, may result in vulgarity and immodesty. In other words such things have also been forbidden in order to close the doors to indecency and lewdness, in return providing a stronger pillar for hayaa. Modesty (hayaa) and maintaining one's honor are of primary importance in preserving the moral fiber of any society. This is why modesty has been called the ornament of a woman, which protects her from many sins and which prevents ill-intentioned men from daring to have bad thoughts about her. This hayaa has been made a part of her nature to safeguard her from being abused by immoral men. Narrated on the authority of Anas Ibn Malik (radi-Allaahu 'anhu), that the Prophet (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) said:
So it is only obvious that Hijab plays and extremely important role in regards to Hayaa. For Hijab prevents lewdness and Hayaa backs this up and then person's eeman becomes even stronger. So both things work together in a partnership. At the time of our beloved Prophet (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) as soon as the verses of Hijab were revealed, all the Quraish and Ansar ran home to their wives and daughters and close female relatives to tell them to cover themselves. The ones who had veils used them and the ones who did not have veils made some right away. For instance the following hadeeth tells us: Narrated by Aa'ishah (radi-Allaahu 'anhaa):
This indicates that all these women wanted to guard their modesty which is why they followed out the orders of Allaah. Yet, another verse talk about the level of modesty in Aa'ishah (radi-Allaahu 'anhaa). Narrated Aa'ishah (radi-Allaahu 'anhaa):
If women in today's society choose not to wear the veils, but some belief in their hearts, than they might be categorized as Muslim women but not Mumineen. The truth is that Hayaa is a special characteristic of a Mu'min. People who are ignorant of the teachings of the Prophet (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) do not concern themselves with Hayaa and Honour. Hayaa and Iman are interdependent; therefore either they both exist together or they both perish. Thus, the Prophet (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) has said in one hadeeth,
Today vulgarity and all its ingredients have become a common place even among well-known Muslims in the zeal of imitating the non-believers. It is these people who have been struggling to bring Muslim women out of Hijab into immodesty "be'hayaai" and indecency. They have adopted the lifestyles of the Christians more than the traditions of the Prophet (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam). Such people are in a dilemma. On the one hand, they desire to freely look at the half-clad bodies of the wives and daughters of other Muslims on the streets; and on the other hand, they do not have the courage to deny the teachings of the Holy Qur'aan and the Prophet (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam). Neither can they say they have given up Islaam, nor can they bear to see Muslim women wear Hijab and showing some Hayaa. Actually the fact is, indulging in indecency for so long has killed the sense of modesty (hayaa) which Islaam had commanded them to preserve. It is this natural desire of maintaining one's honor which compels men to protect the respect and honor of their women. What these men and women do not understand is that if the women do not observe Hijab and do not develop Hayaa inside of them, they will be entertaining those who have taken the path of shaitaan. Such as the following hadeeth: Malik Ibn Uhaimir (radi-Allaahu 'anhu) reported that he heard the Prophet (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) saying,
Now the word "entertains" implies that she is showing off her beauty instead of keeping herself covered up. If the Muslim brothers of today's society knew the benefits of hayaa and hijab hey would definitely not tolerate the opposite. At the time of our beloved Prophet (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) the husbands could not even imagine their wives leaving the houses un-veiled let alone go out and beautify themselves for other men to get "free looks". The following hadeeth shows this fact clearly: Narrated by Al-Mugheera (radi-Allaahu 'anhu):
So this should be enough to understand why Hijab is so important for women to establish Hayaa in themselves and live the lives of true mu'mineen. Sometimes the situation becomes a such that people will have done wrong/sins for such a long period of time that they will not be able to differentiate between right and wrong. Another way to put this is that, a person's exceeding indulgence in indecency results in the loss of wisdom and the ability to see good deeds from bad deeds. As the Prophet (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) said:
So one wonders....what if this observing of Hijab and maintaining Hayaa is so important then how come we have nothing to show us the merits? Well the answer to that question clearly lies in the Qur'aan and ahadeeth. There are many merits of Hayaa if one wants to know. Here are some just to list a few.
In conclusion to this essay we must understand that Hayaa is important for both men and women. Men are to control themselves by getting married as young as possible or if they cannot afford that they should fast. Women are told to conceal themselves so that the men will not be over taken by the whispers of shaitaan and will not disrespect or take advantage of the women. There are many verses in the Qur'aan that have clearly explained how we have to behave and Allaah is All-Knowing therefore He knew that we would face these problems living in this society, and that is no excuse to change Islaam and only practice what we feel is right. Allaah has told men how to guide their modesty and has told women how to guide their modesty. If either one of them refuse to follow the commandment of their Lord, may Allaah have mercy on them and may He guide them to the straight path.
ALL PRAISE BE TO ALLAAH, AND MAY HIS PEACE AND BLESSINGS BE UPON MUHAMMAD (SAL-ALLAAHU 'ALAYHE WA SALLAM), HIS FAMILY, HIS COMPANIONS AND HIS TRUE FOLLOWERS UNTIL THE DAY OF JUDGEMENT.
The Distorted Image of Women in IslaamBy a former Non-Muslim, Naasira Bint Ellison "PIVOTAL QUOTE" We will never find success and/or solutions to our problems until we realise that Allaah knows best and that this disbelieving society will ruin itself. Since the height of the feminist movement in the late 70's there has been a magnifying glass placed over the status of Muslim women. Unfortunately, the magnifying glass that has been used is an unusual one. Unusual in the sense that it is very selective about which items it will magnify; other items it will distort to such a degree that they will no longer look familiar. I remember once reading in an "in depth" article about the lives of Muslim women. This article "explained" that at any time a man can divorce his wife by simply stating "I divorce you, I divorce you, I divorce you". This article can lead anyone ignorant of the Islamic ruling regarding divorce to believe that in less than five seconds the woman is left with no husband and is left to care for herself (and possibly children) by any means necessary. The question that immediately popped up in my mind was, "Did the author innocently write that out of sincere ignorance or was it another of the many attempts to degrade the religion of Islam and its followers (muslims)?" It may be my own paranoia, but I tend to believe it was the latter of the two. The truth of the matter is that Islam has the most humane and most just system of divorce that exists. Firstly, many options are taken and tried before coming to the decision of the divorce. If the man and woman decide that they can no longer live together successfully as a husband and wife, the husband (in most cases, not always) pronounces the divorce by saying "I divorce you". At this point the waiting period begins. The waiting period lasts for three menstrual cycles to assure the woman is not pregnant. This period allows the couple time to think about what they are doing and if this is what they really want to do. There are no lawyers involved to antagonise an already delicate situation. In the case that it is realised, that the woman is pregnant, the waiting period lasts the entire time she is pregnant. During the waiting period (whether the woman is pregnant or not) the man is obligated to provide food, clothing and shelter to the woman as he did before the divorce pronouncement. If the couple carries the divorce through to the birth of the child and the woman suckles the baby, the man is obligated to feed and clothe both his ex-wife for the time the woman suckles (the maximum being two years). After this weaning, the child will be provided for by the father until he/she is no longer in need of support. It is quite ironic that in such an "advanced society" as America, there are divorce cases in which women are being forced to pay alimony to their ex-husbands. Can this and many other things we know about the American system of divorce compare to the Islamic system of divorce? I have also read stories wherein it is stated that women are forced to marry men without their consent. This in no way resembles the marriage system in Islam. In Islaam the woman marries the man of her choice. She may even marry someone that her mother and/or father objects to. The point is that it is the woman who makes the final decision as to whom she will marry. Once the man and the woman decide that they are interested in one another for marriage, a dowry is decided upon. A dowry is not a brides price but, it is a gift from the groom to the bride. They agree upon a gift that is affordable by the groom. In the time of the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam), often things such as livestock and money were given. This is a wise decision in the event that a woman becomes divorced or widowed, she has some financial security to fall back on even if it is for a limited amount of time. Once the man and woman are married, the man is required to clothe, feed, shelter and educate her (or allow her to be educated) in the same manner as he does himself. The last distorted image that I will cover is that of the Muslim women's dress. The western influenced media portrays our dress to be outdated and oppressive. Needless to say however, I differ with these adjectives. Our dress code does not hinder us from doing anything productive in our lives. Muslim women maintain a variety of jobs, non of which are devalued nor hampered due to their dress code. And as for the timing of muslims women's dress during these contemporary times, it seems most appropriate due to decreasing morals in the world today. For those who say that Islamic dress is outdated, they speak from great ignorance. The decreasing morality and trials of this time makes Hijaab even more in need. More than ever before sex crimes are rampant. Although this society tells women they can wear what they want to wear, anytime a rape occurs the woman is the one put on trial an one of the first questions is, "What were you wearing?" This concept seems as though it is a set up directed against the so called contemporary woman. Also there is a direct correlation between the respect a man has for a woman and the amount of her body her body she displays flauntingly. In conclusion, I hope this article helped to clear up some distorted/misunderstood aspects of Islam and women. Women in Islam are respected and held in high regard. We will never find success and/or solutions to our problems until we realise that Allaah knows best and that this disbelieving society will ruin itself. The Order
Tell the believing men to lower their gaze (from looking at forbidden things), and protect their private parts (from illegal sexual acts, etc.). That is purer for them. Verily, All h is All-Aware of what they do. And tell the believing women to lower their gaze (from looking at forbidden things), and protect their private parts (from illegal sexual acts, etc.) and not to show off their adornment except only that which is apparent (like palms of hands or one eye or both eyes for necessity to see the way, or outer dress like veil, gloves, head-cover, apron, etc.), and to draw their veils all over Juyubihinna (i.e. their bodies, faces, necks and bosoms, etc.) and not to reveal their adornment except to their husbands, their fathers, their husband's fathers, their sons, their husband's sons, their brothers or their brother's sons, or their sister's sons, or their (Muslim) women (i.e. their sisters in Isl m), or the (female) slaves whom their right hands possess, or old male servants who lack vigour, or small children who have no sense of the shame of sex. And let them not stamp their feet so as to reveal what they hide of their adornment. And all of you beg All h to forgive you all, O believers, that you may be successful.
The Prophet
Hadith - Sunan of Abu Dawood, #4007, Narrated Abu Sa'id al-Khudri
Marriage helps to Lower the Gaze
We were with the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) while we were young and had no wealth whatever. So Allah's Apostle said, "O young people! Whoever among you can marry, should marry, because it helps him lower his gaze and guard his modesty (i.e. his private parts from committing illegal sexual intercourse etc.), and whoever is not able to marry, should fast, as fasting diminishes his sexual power."
Show thanks to Allah The Noble Qur'an Al-Balad 90:8 Have We not made for him a pair of eyes?
Say it is He Who has created you, and endowed you with hearing (ears), seeing (eyes), and hearts. Little thanks you give.
All h knows the fraud of the eyes, and all that the breasts conceal. Action Items for the Muttaqun
Remember... Allah, subhana watala, sees everything we do!
Characteristics of the Female Hypocrites
1. Exposing Their Beauty
Tabarruj or exposing the feminine, physical beauty that is to be concealed from all the non-mahram [1] male population, and seeking to be a source of enticement and fitnah is a sign of Hypocrisy.
Refer to Imam al-Albanee's blessed book "The Hijaab of the Muslim Woman" for a full commentary on this issue.
Khul' is defined by the scholars as being the same as removal of one's garment. This means when the woman seeks to remove (i.e. divorce) her husband from her. This understanding is taken from the words of Allaah: "It is made lawful for you to have sexual relations with your wives on the nights of fasting. They are a L baas [i.e. body cover or Garment] for you and you are a Libaas for them...." [Surah Al-Baqarah: 187]
Why should I wear the Hijaab? An oft-asked question by many Muslim woman! See the clear and simple answer! Dear Muslim sister! Come towards the gates of Paradise with us! Fulfill your duties towards Allaah, put on your adornment - put on your hijaab, and race towards Jannah (Paradise) by doing all good actions. This is a good question and there is a beautiful answer! Allaah has commanded us with every action that is good for us and prohibited us from performing every action that is bad for us. Allaah orders the Muslim woman to wear the hijaab when she steps out of the security of her home or when in the presence of strange men. So to wear the hijaab is a source of great good for you - the Muslim woman - for many reasons. Among them: You please Allaah. You are obeying the commands of your Lord when you wear the hijaab and you can expect great rewards in return. It is Allaah's protection of your natural beauty. You are too precious to be "on display" for each man to see. It is Allaah's preservation of your chastity. Allaah purifies your heart and mind through the hijaab. Allaah beautifies your inner and outer countenance with hijaab. Outwardly your hijaab reflects innocence, purity, modesty, shyness, serenity, contentment and obedience to your Lord. Inwardly you cultivate the same. Allaah defines your femininity through the hijaab. You are a woman who respects her womanhood. Allaah wants you to be respected by others, and for you to respect yourself. Allaah raises your dignity through the hijaab. When a strange man looks at you, he respects you because he sees that you respect yourself. Allaah protects your honour 100% through your hijaab. Men do not gaze at you in a sensual way, they do not approach you in a sensual way, and neither do they speak to you in a sensual way. Rather, a man holds you in high esteem and that is just by one glance at you! Allaah gives you nobility through the hijaab. You are noble not degraded because you covered not naked. Allaah demonstrates your equality as a Muslim woman through the hijaab. Your Lord bestows upon you equal worth as your male counterpart, and gives you a host of beautiful rights and liberties. You express your acceptance of these unique rights by putting on the hijaab. Allaah defines your role as a Muslim woman through the hijaab. You are a someone with important duties. You are a reflection of a woman of action not idle pursuits. You display your sense of direction and purpose through your hijaab. You are someone that people take seriously. Allaah expresses your independence through the hijaab. You are stating clearly that you are an obedient servant of the Greatest Master. You will obey no one else and follow no other way. You are not a slave to any man, nor a slave to any nation. You are free and independent from all man-made systems. Allaah gives you the freedom of movement and expression through the hijaab. You are able to move about and communicate without fear of harassment. Your hijaab gives you a unique confidence. Allaah wants others to treat you - a Muslim woman - with kindness. And the hijaab brings about the best treatment of men towards you. Allaah wants your beauty to be preserved and saved for just one man to enjoy - your husband. Allaah helps you to enjoy a successful marriage through wearing hijaab. Because you reserve your beauty for one man alone, your husband's love for you increases, he cherishes you more, he respects you more and he honours you more. So your hijaab contributes to a successful and lasting marriage relationship. Allaah brings about peace and stability in the society through the hijaab! Yes this is true! Men do not cause corruption by forming illegal relationships because you - the Muslim woman - calm their passions. When a man looks at you, he feels at ease, not tempted to fornicate So a Muslim woman in hijaab is dignified, not dishonoured, noble, not degraded, liberated, not subjugated, purified, not sullied, independent, not a slave, protected, not exposed, respected, not laughed at, confident, not insecure, obedient, not a sinner, a guarded pearl, not a prostitute Dear Muslim sister! Come towards the gates of Paradise with us! Fulfill your duties towards Allaah, put on your adornment - put on your hijaab, and race towards Jannah (Paradise) by doing all good actions. You should agree by now that wearing hijaab is extremely beneficial - it must be - because Allaah only commands what is good and believe me dear sister, it is good to obey the commands of your Lord "Their reward is with their Lord: Gardens of Eden underneath which rivers flow wherein they will dwell for ever; Allaah is pleased with them, and they are pleased with Him; this is (in store) for whoever fears his Lord." [Sooratul-Bayyinah 98:8] source: troid.org
What Exactly Are Good Deeds?Posted
Good deeds Question: What exactly are good deeds (as-salihat)? I know some but maybe not all of them. Answer: Praise be to Allaah. Good deeds are those which are in accordance with sharee'ah, and which are done sincerely for the sake of Allaah. Shaykh al-Islam [Ibn Taymiyah] defined 'ibaadah (worship) as "a general term which includes all that Allaah loves and is pleased with, be it words or deeds, both inward and outward; these are of many kinds and we cannot list them, let alone enumerate them, but we will mention some of them: 1. Belief in Allaah - which includes belief in Allaah, His angels, His Books, His Messengers, the Last Day, and the divine will and decree (al-qadar), both good and bad. 2. Prayer done on time - there are five prayers that Allaah has enjoined during the night and day. The Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with hem) were all agreed that the one who does not pray is a kaafir. It is not permissible to delay the prayers beyond their appointed time. It is obligatory to perform all the obligatory parts of the prayer, and the Muslim should pray as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) prayed. 3. Acceptable Hajj - which means: a. It should be done with halaal money (earned from permissible sources) b. One should avoid immoral actions, sin and arguments whilst doing Hajj c. He should perform all the rituals according to the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). d. He should not do Hajj to show off, rather he should do it sincerely for the sake of Allaah. e. He should not follow it with any act of disobedience or sin. 4. Honouring one's parents - which means obeying them in acts of obedience towards Allaah; it is not permissible to obey them in matters of disobedience or sin. Honouring them also means not raising one's voice to them, and not offending them with hurtful words. It also includes spending on them, and serving them. 5. Jihad for the sake of Allaah. Allaah has prescribed jihad in order to establish Tawheed and spread Islam throughout the world. Allaah has prepared a great reward for the mujaahideen. 6. Loving for the sake of Allaah and hating for the sake of Allaah. This means that the Muslim loves his fellow Muslim for the sake of Allaah, not for his colour, nationality or wealth, rather for his obedience to his Lord and his closeness to Him. Similarly he hates the sinner for his disobedience towards Allaah. 7. Reading and reciting Qur'aan - whether that is in the portion he reads each day or what he recites in prayers at night (qiyaam al-layl). 8. Persisting in acts of worship even if they are little. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) loved actions that were done consistently, even if they were little. A small action done persistently is better than a greater action done intermittently. 9. Fulfilling one's trusts. This is an obligatory action and is one of the greatest of deeds. It is known in Islam that the hypocrite is the one who betrays his trust and does not render trusts back to the people who entrusted them to him. 10. Being forgiving towards people. This means foregoing one's personal rights, forgiving the one who has done you wrong, if doing so will lead to his changing, or if he has repented and regrets what he did. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "A person only increases in honour by forgiving." Narrated by Muslim, 2588 11. Being truthful in speech. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "A man will keep on speaking the truth and endeavouring to tell the truth until he will be recorded with Allaah as a speaker of truth. Truthfulness is a means of salvation; it is a great characteristic which was one of the features of the Prophets and those who followed them in truth." Narrated by Muslim, 2607. 12. Spending for the sake of Allaah. This includes spending on jihad, and spending on one's parents, the poor and needy, on building mosques, on printing copies of the Qur'aan and Islamic books, and spending on one's family and children. 13. Ensuring that the Muslims are safe from one's words and actions. That means refraining from gossip, backbiting, slander, insults and curses, and refraining from hitting or beating those who do not deserve such treatment. 14. Feeding the hungry - which includes feeding both humans and animals. 15. Spreading the greeting of salaam to those whom you know and those whom you do not know - except in the case of those whom the texts say we should not initiate the greeting of salaam with, namely the kuffaar. 16. Helping the needy, wayfarers and those who are helpless. 17. Keeping your evil away from people, which is an act of charity that may benefit you. And there are many other good deeds. The following hadeeth enumerates several good deeds: Al-Bayhaqi narrated that Abu Dharr said: I said, "O Messenger of Allaah, what will save a person from Hellfire?" He said, "Belief in Allaah." I said, "O Messenger of Allaah, are there are any deeds that should accompany that belief?" He said, 'He should give from that provision which Allaah has granted him." I said, "O Messenger of Allaah, what if he is poor and does not have anything to give?" He said, "He should enjoin what is good and forbid what is evil." I said, "O Messenger of Allaah, what if he cannot enjoin what is good and forbid what is evil?" He said, "He should help the one who is helpless (i.e., has no skills and cannot earn a learning)." I said, "What if he himself is helpless and cannot do anything?" He said, "He should help one who has been wronged." I said, "What if he is weak and cannot help one who has been wronged?" He said, "You do not want to think of your companion as having any good in him. Let him refrain from harming people." I said, "O Messenger of Allaah, if he does that, will he enter Paradise?" He said, "There is no believer who does not strive to acquire one of these characteristics, but I will take him by the hand and lead him into Paradise." Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in al-Targheeb, 876 And Allaah is the Source of strength. http://www.islam-qa.com/index.php?ref=26242&ln=eng Who Is Your Enemy?Posted
Who is your Enemy? by Shaykh Ahmad Al-Munayee The Shaykh after praising Allaah as He deserves to be praised and sending the salaat and the salaam upon the Messenger , he said: The Prophet warned us and cautioned us about Shaytaan and He clarified to us his evil and the Sharee'ah - the legislation of Islaam, came to bring to the Muslim all types of good and to warn them from all types of evil; and to warn them from the evil of the Shaytaan as was mentioned in the hadeeth of Hudayfah ibn Yammaan, which is well-known to most of us, that: "The people used to ask Allaah's Prophet about good, but I used to ask him about evil for fear that it might overtake me. Once I said, 'O Messenger of Allaah! We were in ignorance and in evil and Allaah has bestowed upon us the present good (the religion of Islaam); will there by any evil after this good?' He said, 'Yes.' I asked, 'Will there be good after that evil?' He said, 'Yes, but it would be tainted (with Dakhan i.e. little evil).' I asked, 'What will its taint (Dakhan) be?' He said, 'There will be some people who will lead (people) according to principles other than my tradition. You will see their actions and disapprove of them.' I said, 'Will there by any evil after that good?' He said, 'Yes, there will be some people who will invite others to the doors of Hell, and whoever accepts their invitation to it will be thrown in it (by them).' I said, 'O Messenger of Allaah! Describe those people to us.' He said, 'They will belong to us and speak our language' I asked, 'What do you order me to do if such a thing should take place in my life?' He said, 'Adhere to the Jamaa'ah (group) of Muslims and their Leader.' I asked, 'If there is neither a Jamaa'ah (of Muslims) nor a leader (what shall I do)?' He said, 'Keep away from all those different sects, even if you had to bite (i.e. eat) the root of a tree, till you meet Allaah while you are still in that state.' [3] This is a magnificent hadeeth that was mentioned by Imaam al-Bukhaaree and others, and in this hadeeth the Prophet clarified the evil when he was asked about it and he cautioned and warned against it and he ordered with holding fast to the Jamaa'ah of the Muslims. This is due to the fact that the Shaytaan has plots and plans and traps and we will mention some of these plots and traps of the Shaytaan. THE PLOTS, PLANS AND TRAPS OF SHAYTAAN He flows through the son of Aadam like blood. This is as it was mentioned in an authentic hadeeth of Safiyyah bint Huyay that: "While Allah's Apostle was in I'tikaaf, I called on him at night and having had a talk with him, I got up to depart. He got up also to accompany me to my dwelling place, which was then in the house of Usama bin Zaid. Two Ansari men passed by, and when they saw the Prophet they hastened away. The Prophet said (to them). 'Don't hurry! It is Safiyyah, the daughter of Huyay (i.e. my wife).' They said, 'Glorified be Allah! O Allah's Apostle! (How dare we suspect you?)' He said, 'Shaytaan circulates in the human mind as blood circulates in it, and I was afraid that Shaytaan might throw an evil thought (or something) into your hearts." [4] He enters into the heart of the human being. This is based upon the hadeeth that was mentioned by Imaam al-Bukhaaree from a hadeeth of Abi Hurayrah where the Prophet said, "When the adhaan is called for prayer, Shaytaan takes to his heels passing wind so that he may not hear the Adhaan and when the call is finished he comes back, and when the Iqaamah is pronounced, Shaytaan again takes to his heels, and when the Iqaamah is finished he comes back again and tries to interfere with the person and his thoughts and says 'Remember this and that (which he has not thought of before the prayer)', till the praying person forgets how much he has prayed. If anyone of you does not remember whether he has offered three or four rak'aat then he should perform two prostrations of Sahu (forgetfulness) while sitting."[5] He whispers into the soul of the human being. The heart of the human being is free of any evil or evil thought. Then, the Shaytaan comes to him and shows him an image within himself and causes him to desire that image, and he encourages and seeks to increase that desire until the desire becomes something that is uncontrollable and it becomes a part of him. It is something that he reflects on and ponders over and the Shaytaan continues to beautify this desire for him until his self (nafs) starts to lean towards this and desires it. The Shaytaan continues to encourage him and he causes him to forget the harm which is in this desire that he has sparked. He comes in-between the slave and his effort to avoid the sin itself, until he causes the slave to forget the harm that it is to his Dunyaa and his Deen. As a result, if the individual inclines towards it, it increases and he encourages him; and if the slave turns away from it he encourages him (to return to it) and this is as Allaah says in the Qur'aan: {See you not that We have sent the Shay t n (devils) against the disbelievers to push them to do evil.} [Maryam 19:83] This is one of the plots and tricks of the Shaytaan - that he encourages and draws an image inside the human being and he encourages the human being until he makes him forget the evil that is found in that thing - whether it is an evil that will harm him in his worldly affairs or his religious affairs. If the slave desires it then he pushes him forward and if the slave turns back and he doesn't desire it then he continues to encourage him until the soul desires that the slave leans towards it until he eventually opens this door for him. This is as Allaah says as mentioned in the ayah: {See you not that We have sent the Shay t n (devils) against the disbelievers to push them to do evil.} He steals from the food and the drink of the human being and he lives in the house. This is due to the fact that if the human being does not mention the Name of Allaah on his food or drink before he eats and drinks. The Shaytaan steals from his food without his permission as he did not mention the Name of Allaah over his food and over his drink. Likewise, when the slave enters into his house, and this is something that the brothers and sisters have to pay close attention to - it is something that we very easily forget; we all fall victim to this. When the individual enters into his house and he does not mention the Name of Allaah before doing so then the Shaytaan enters along with him. This is due to the hadeeth of Jaabir ibn 'Abdillaah which is found in Saheeh Muslim that the Prophet said: "When a person enters his house and mentions the name of Allaah at the time of entering it and while eating the food, Shaytaan says (addressing himself: You have no place to spend the night and no evening meal; but when he enters without mentioning the name of Allaah, the Shaytaan says: You have found a place to spend the night, and when he does not mention the name of Allaah while eating food, he (the Shaytaan) says: You have found a place to spend the night and an evening meal."[6] When the slave sleeps the Shaytaan ties knots on his neck. When the human being sleeps Shaytaan ties knots on his neck which causes him to sleep and it may even cause him to miss the prayer. This is as related in Saheeh al-Bukhaaree from the hadeeth of Abi Hurayrah where the Prophet said: "Shaytaan ties three knots at the back of your head when you sleep, and he seals the place of each knot with 'You have a long night ahead, so sleep.' If you wake up and remember Allaah, a knot is untied. If you do wudu', a knot is untied. If you pray, a knot is untied, and morning finds you lively and in good spirits, and if not, morning finds you in bad spirits and lazy."[7] He urinates in the ears of the slave if he sleeps and does not awake for prayer. This is as mentioned in the hadeeth of Ibn Mas'ood found in the Saheehayn of Bukhaaree and Muslim where: "It was mentioned before the Prophet that there was a man who slept the night till morning (after sunrise). The Prophet said, 'He is a man in whose ears (or ear) Satan had urinated."[8] He plots and sits and waits for the son of Baani Aadam at the head of every path of good. Shaytaan sits at the head of every path of good that Allaah has made for the servant to get closer to Him and waits for the human being - the son of Aadam. If the son of Aadam opposes the Shaytaan and continues and travels this path of truth to get closer to Allaah the Shaytaan puts all sorts of obstacles in his way and he makes things very difficult for him and he tries to busy him from following this path. If the slave continues to follow this path without looking towards the Shaytaan then the Shaytaan takes it to another level trying very diligently to turn him away from following this path of good. He swore by Allaah that he would sit and wait to lead the children of Aadam astray. He swore this by Allaah; and that he would come to them from before them and behind them and from their right and their left, all to lead them astray. This is as found in the Qur'aan where Allaah says about the Shaytaan: {(Ibl s) said: 'Because You have sent me astray, surely, I will lie in wait against them (human beings) on Your straight path. 'Then I will come to them from before them and behind them, from their right and from their left, and You will not find most of them as thankful ones (i.e. they will not be dutiful to You).'} [al-A'raaf 7:15-17] He makes false promises to you. The Shaytaan makes false promises to you and he encourages you to follow these false promises which coincide with the desires of the human being, as Allaah says: {He [Shait n (Satan)] makes promises to them, and arouses in them false desires; and Shait n's (Sat n) promises are nothing but deceptions.} [an-Nisaa' 4:120] The Shaytaan only makes these false promises to you in order that you fall into sin and disobedience to Allaah . Then, once you fall into sin and disobedience to Allaah he will abandon you, as Allaah says: { And Shait n (Satan) is to man ever a deserter in the hour of need.' (Tafsir Al-Qurtubi)} [al-Furqaan 25:29] On Yawmul Qiyaamah - the Day of Judgment, the Shaytaan will tell the truth about his deception and trickery which he played on the human being. He will make known to Allaah and to everyone, the trickery which he played on the human being, and that his false promises were truly false promises, and that the only thing that he did was to encourage your desires to follow these false promises. This is as Allaah says in the Qur'aan: {And Shait n (Satan) will say when the matter has been decided: 'Verily, All h promised you a promise of truth. And I too promised you, but I betrayed you. I had no authority over you except that I called you, and you responded to me. So blame me not, but blame yourselves. I cannot help you, nor can you help me. I deny your former act in associating me (Satan) as a partner with All h (by obeying me in the life of the world). Verily, there is a painful torment for the Z lim n (polytheists and wrong doers).'} [Ibraaheem 14:22] Allaah is explaining here that the Shaytaan makes false promises and then he encourages you to follow these false promises. Then after you fall into sin and transgression against Allaah he abandons you. Then on the Day of Judgment when Allaah is finished (in His matters) with creation, and all of the people who are destined for the Jannah enter the Jannah and those destined for the Hellfire enter the Hellfire, the Shaytaan will stand in front of the people of the Hellfire as a khateeb - as one who will deliver a khutbah (sermon) to them and he will say: {"Indeed, All h promised you a promise of truth. And I too promised you, but I betrayed you. I had no authority over you"} meaning that you cannot say to Allaah : 'the Shaytaan led me astray.' The Shaytaan said that he has no authority over you {"except that I called you, and you responded to me. So blame me not, but blame yourselves. I cannot help you, nor can you help me. I deny your former act in associating me (Shaytaan) as a partner with Allaah."} Here Allaah is informing us that the Shaytaan will abandon them after he makes them fall into the sin. {"Verily, there is a painful torment for the Z lim n (polytheists and wrong doers).'} He will befool the human being. He will befool them. He will use his voice and he will make an assault on them and he will share with them in their wealth and children. This is based upon the statement of Allaah in suratul-Israa: {'And befool them gradually those whom you can among them with your voice (i.e. songs, music, and any other call for All h's disobedience), make assaults on them with your cavalry and your infantry, share with them wealth and children (by tempting them to earn money by illegal ways usury, or by committing illegal sexual intercourse), and make promises to them.' But Satan promises them nothing but deceit.} [al-Israa 17:64] Here, Allaah informs us that this is from the trickery of the Shaytaan - that he will befool you gradually until you fall into sin and disobedience and he will use his many means and ways to do this - by using his voice in songs, and by using his partners from the jinn and human beings and he will share with the human beings in their children and in their wealth. We understand that Shaytaan is the one who got Aadam put out of Jannah. In reality, we are children from the children of Jannah. It is necessary that we don't become delighted until we return to it; but Shaytaan is not satisfied with the removal of our parents (Aadam and Hawaa) from Jannah until he takes away from their progeny a large group of their successors; from every thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine.[9] It is enough that he tried to sway Ibraaheem, the Khaleel ( - friend) of Allaah , until his people cast him into the fire with a catapult, and Allaah repelled the plot of Shaytaan against him and made the fire upon his Khaleel cool and safe.[10] He is also the same one who came to the Maseeh 'Eesah ibn Maryam and encouraged the Jews to try and kill 'Eesah until Allaah raised 'Eesah to himself - and they didn't kill him as Allaah described in the Qur'aan[11]. Likewise he set out against Zackariyyah and Yahyaa until they were both killed . The Shaykh mentioned previously that Shaytaan befooled the people so much that out of every thousand people only one would enter the Jannah. This is from the plots of the Shaytaan. He encouraged the Jews to kill Zackariyyah and to kill Yahyaa. He also encouraged Fir'aun to spread all types of corruption and evil on the earth. He beautified to Fir'aun the idea that he (Fir'aun) was the lord, the most high. Shaytaan even came to our Prophet Muhammad and he encouraged the kuffaar (disbelievers) of the Quraysh and others to kill the Prophet , but Allaah chased him away and gave victory to the Muslims. When Shaytaan saw this he turned away and he left and he abandoned the Mushrikoon (hypocrites) and the kuffaar of Quraysh. It is not possible that we can enumerate all the evil of the Shaytaan. Rather, all of the evil that is seen on this earth, Shaytaan has a share in it. He is a part of it and he is the one who encourages it. There are six things that his evil can clearly be seen in. We will mention them now. SIX TRICKS OF THE SHAYTAAN WHICH HE USES TO LEAD MANKIND ASTRAY The Shaykh stated: As I mentioned, all of the evil that you see in this Dunyaa, on this earth, is as a result of the Shaytaan. It is not possible that we can enumerate all of the evil of the Shaytaan or all of his plots, or all of the evil that he does - it is not possible that we could enumerate everything; but, we will mention six things that the Shaytaan is very diligent in getting the son of Aadam to fall into. He (Shaytaan) will start with the most tremendous and the most severe of these six, and he will continue at the children of Aadam until he can get them to at least fall into the least severe of these six. He will continue until he encourages the son of Aadam to fall into one of these six. If the son of Aadam dies before he falls into one of these six and moves onto the next life, then the Shaytaan falls into despair because he realizes that he lost one. Kufr The first one is Kufr - disbelief or Shirk: disbelief and associating partners with Allaah wa ma`adaatillaah - and to show enmity and hatred to Allaah and His Messenger . If the Shaytaan is successful at getting the human being to fall into Kufr, and to fall into Shirk, or to fall into showing enmity and hatred to Allaah and His Messenger - then he relaxes, because he realizes that he got him to fall into the most severe, the most tremendous of these six. As a result of this individual falling into Shirk or into Kufr; this individual becomes from the du'aat - the callers of the Shaytaan. He becomes from the party and those who call to the Shaytaan, because this is the most tremendous thing that the Shaytaan wants the human being to fall into - Kufr and Shirk and to show enmity and hatred to Allaah and His Messenger . So if he can get you to fall into this then he relaxes because he realizes that he has you and you are a part of his team. You are a part of his party, you are from his callers, and he got you to fall into the most tremendous of these six. Bid'ah The second thing is that if the Shaytaan despairs and is not able to get the human being to fall into Shirk and Kufr, and hating Allaah and showing enmity to Allaah and His Messenger due to the fact that Allaah through His Mercy has decreed that the individual accept Islaam, then the Shaytaan goes to the next level which is to try to get the individual to fall into Bid'ah (innovation). This is the most beloved thing to Shaytaan. It is more beloved to him than Fisq wa Ma'aasee ( ) i.e. than plain disobedience to Allaah and major sins. This is because, the person who falls into innovation, into Bid'ah; the harm of the Bid'ah itself is not something that only the individual who fell into it is affected by, but the effects of Bid'ah also affect others that are around him. It affects the affairs of the Religion. This is because the person who falls into innovation will not repent. He will not make tawbah ( - sincere repentance), he will not repent from the innovation because when the individual is upon innovation, he believes that what he is doing is correct, and as a result of that he will not make tawbah. This is as opposed to the Muslim falling into ma'aasee - falling into sins and disobedience where he knows that he is wrong and that he is a sinner and as a result of that he makes tawbah. He commits a sin and then he turns (to Allaah) and he makes tawbah. It is very easy to make tawbah from a sin as opposed to an individual falling into innovation, falling into Bid'ah. The one who falls into innovation believes that what he is doing is correct and as a result of this, he will not make tawbah. Rather, when he falls into the innovation, he desires and he wishes that other people would do it! He desires and he wishes that other people would do the same innovation so that they can get the reward. He believes that by doing this innovation, there is a reward waiting for him! As a result of that, he becomes a caller to the innovation, desiring for other people to do the innovation like he is doing. This is the most beloved thing to the Shaytaan after Kufr and Shirk - that he can get an individual to fall into Bid'ah, innovation. Innovation itself is in total opposition to the call of the Prophets and Messengers. Actually, innovation opens up the door to committing Shirk. How is this? When you look at those who celebrate the birthday of the Prophet , they go to such extremes in celebrating the birthday of the Prophet , that they eventually raise him to the level of Uloohiyyah - they raise him to the level of Divinity. After that level, they raise him to the level of Rubboobiyyah. They start attributing things that go on in the world - like attributing provision, attributing children, attributing different things that are part of the Rubboobiyyah of Allaah , they attribute it to the Prophet and this in itself is Shirk. So you see that innovation opens up the door to Shirk. This is the most beloved thing to Shaytaan after Shirk and Kufr. He (Shaytaan) will continue to encourage the human being upon this innovation until the individual's heart soaks up everything and is 100% convinced and he will never turn back. Transgression, Disobedience, and Major Sins The third level is that if the Shaytaan cannot get the individual to fall into Bid'ah because the slave is from those whom Allaah has decreed to be from amongst Ahlus-Sunnah and that he is from the mu'aadaat ahlul-Bid'ah i.e. those people who are enemies to the people of Bid'ah and innovation, and the Shaytaan falls into despair about getting him to fall into innovation, then he takes him to this third level, which is to get him to fall into transgression, disobedience, and major sins. This is especially those who are Students of Knowledge or those who have a voice in their community, or those who are emulated and imitated in their community. The Shaytaan gets them to fall into sins, transgression and major sins. And what does the Shaytaan do after this? He spreads those sins amongst the community, so that the people abandon him. But how does the Shaytaan spread these sins amongst the community? He spreads the sins of the individual amongst the community by encouraging those people who intend to do good to take those sins and to spread them amongst the community. These people do this believing it to be from Deen. They believe it to be something that is going to bring them closer to Allaah . They are those who are second in command. They are the callers of the Shaytaan and they don't even realize it. They believe that what they are doing is good, by spreading his evil and spreading his sins amongst the community, when in actuality they are the callers and the aides and supporters of the Shaytaan. Indeed, Allaah has promised those who spread and those who love to spread the sins of the people in the community, a terrible punishment as He says in the Qur'aan: {Verily, those who like that (the crime of) illegal sexual intercourse should be propagated among those who believe, they will have a painful torment in this world and in the Hereafter. And Allaah knows and you know not.} [an-Noor 24:19] There is no naseehah i.e. there is no advice for these people because they believe that what they are doing is going to bring them closer to Allaah . They believe that spreading this individual's sin is something that is part of the Deen , something that is going to bring them closer to Allaah , and as a result of that you can't advise them, you can't stop them. All of this is so that the Shaytaan can chase the people away from him. Yes, he may have fallen into some sins. He may have fallen into some major sins, or things that were inappropriate for a Student of Knowledge, or someone who is emulated and imitated in his community, to have fallen into. But the door of tawbah is open and he can make tawbah. But these people take his sins and they spread them amongst the community so that the people run away from him and they turn away from him. They are the aides, supporters and the callers of the Shaytaan and they don't even realize it. The transgression of the one who fell into these sins is something that is minute to Allaah as opposed to the sin of those who are spreading it. Meaning, the sin of those who take his sins and spread them amongst the community, is more severe in the Sight of Allaah than the one who originally committed the sin. This is because, the sinner - the one who fell into these major sins - his sins only affect him. As for those who take his sins and spread them amongst the community, then they are destroying the community. That sin itself is worse because it affects all of the Muslims, it tears communities apart and it separates the Muslims and separates the hearts of the Muslims. This sin is more tremendous in the Sight of Allaah then the sin of the one who initially committed the act. Leading the slave to persist in minor sins If the Shaytaan is unable to get the human being to fall into Shirk and Kufr, and he is unable to get him to fall into Bid`ah or to fall into major sins and getting the people to spread those sins, then he takes it to the fourth level which is getting him to fall into the minor sins. These minor sins, if they are combined together, they will destroy the human being because they become major sins. They are minor sins in their essence but when they are combined and the human being is persistent and he continues in them, then they are eventually raised to the level of major sins and they will destroy the individual. The Prophet gave an example of some people who settled in a desert and they didn't have any firewood, so one went to get a twig, and another went to get a twig, and all of them brought twigs. All of them put their twigs together and then they had a tremendous fire. They started out with something small - one or two twigs, and it was a small flame, and then each one put a twig on the flame until it became a magnificent and tremendous fire. Likewise with the minor sins when they are combined. In the authentic hadeeth reported by Abu Ya'laa in his Musnad and narrated by 'Abdullaah ibn Mas'ood that the Prophet mentioned: "Stay away from the minor sins. The Shaytaan has fallen into despair that idols will be worshipped in the Arabian Peninsula, but he is diligent to make you fall into the minor sins. Stay away from oppressing one another, because the slave will come on Yawmul Qiyaamah with all of his hasanaat, with all of his good deeds, and he will believe that all of these good deeds will save him from the Hellfire until someone stands up and says: "O Allaah! This individual took a right from me!" And another one stands up and says: "O Allaah! This individual took a right from me! O Allaah! This individual oppressed me, he took a right from me unjustly!" And then Allaah will order that his good deeds be taken away from him. He will be stripped of his good deeds and they will be given to those whom he oppressed or took a right from, until there will be no good deeds left for him and he will be thrown into the Hellfire." [12] This is because he considered these affairs to be minor but when they were combined they took away all of his good deeds. Likewise the minor sins, they are minor in their essence, but when they are combined and the individual is persistent and continues to commit these minor sins, then they eventually turn into a major sin. The Shaytaan will continue to belittle the sin in the sight of the human being. He will continue to make the sin look as though it is minute and worthless and that you won't be punished for it, until you begin to belittle the sin. Once you belittle the sin you will continue to commit it until it eventually turns from a minor sin into a major sin. In some instances the major sinner is better than the minor sinner. Why is this? Because the one who commits a major sin knows that what he is doing is a major sin. He is fearful of Allaah and fearful of the Punishment of Allaah . As for the one who commits the minor sins, he doesn't fear Allaah; he doesn't fear the minor sin itself. The minor sin in his eyes - in his sight, is minute. He doesn't believe that it is something that is going to harm him, so he begins to belittle the sin and as a result he will continue to do the sin. As for the major sinner, he feels bad every time he does it. He knows that it is a major sin and he fears the Punishment of Allaah that may be waiting for him because of the sin that he is committing and as a result of that, every time he does it, he repents and he feels bad. As for the one who commits the minor sin - No, he considers the sin to be minute. He belittles the sin itself, and as a result of that he continues to commit the sin until it eventually destroys him. Encouraging the slave to busy himself with deeds for which there is no reward or punishment (the Mubahaat) If the Shaytaan is unable to get the human being to fall into these four things that were previously mentioned i.e. to get him to fall into either Shirk and Kufr, or to get him to fall into Bid'ah, or to get him to fall into committing major sins, or to get him to start to belittle the minor sins, then he takes him to the next level. The fifth level is that the Shaytaan busies the servant with some of the affairs of the mubaahaat i.e. those affairs which, if one does it there is no reward and if he leaves it off or abandons it, then there is no punishment. These are the mubaahaat - those affairs that are mubaah ( - allowed). Rather, the punishment for doing many of these affairs of mubaahaat, is that he will become negligent as it relates to some of his affairs which are waajibaat i.e. those affairs which are mandatory. Once he becomes negligent of the waajibaat, the Shaytaan will eventually take him to the next level, which is to lead him to the muharramaat. To lead him to those affairs which are haraam. The Shaytaan will continue to encourage the individual to busy himself with these things and he will become negligent of those things which Allaah has made compulsory on him. He will busy himself with those things for which there is no reward or punishment involved in them, until eventually he takes him to the level of doing the muhaaramaat, those affairs which are haraam. Busying the slave with actions that are good as opposed to actions that are better If the Shaytaan is unable to get the human being to fall into these five things which we have mentioned previously, then he takes him to the sixth level, which is such that when he sees that the slave is someone who is very diligent and stingy about his time; he doesn't waste time and he knows the value of time and the value of his deeds and the value of the time that he has to do these deeds, then he takes the slave to the sixth level, which is that he busies the slave with those actions which are good as opposed to those actions which are better than them. He encourages the slave to busy himself with those actions that are good, so that he is negligent as it relates to those actions which are better than them. As a result of this, he encourages the slave to busy himself until he leaves off that which is better for him. The Shaytaan continues to call him; you may see someone calling to good, without paying attention that this individual that you see calling to good is actually not calling to good[/u], because the Shaytaan doesn't call to good. From the outward appearance it seems that this person is calling to something good, but you fail to realize that there are other actions which are better, more prosperous and more virtuous than those actions which the individual is calling to. [b]The Shaytaan has seventy doors that he tries to call the individual to, and if he can't get you to fall into all of them, then he at least tries to get you to fall into one of them; and the one that you fall into and you busy yourself with, is always going to be of lesser importance, or of a lesser virtue, than that which you should be busying yourself with. CONCLUSION AND A GREAT REMINDER This can only be understood by those in whose heart Allaah has placed a light - the light of knowledge. He gives the slave the Tawfeeq and gives him the success to strictly follow the Prophet and to be sincere to Allaah and to be sincere to His Book and to His Messenger and to the common Muslims. No one understands these affairs on this level, except those who inherit their knowledge from the Prophets, and they are the 'Ulamaa, they are the Scholars. Most of the creation are negligent of this principle. When the Shaytaan cannot get the slave to fall into any of these six that were mentioned previously, what does he do? The Shaytaan encourages his party, or his troops, or his army, to overcome you, overtake you, and to conquer you. They are the Shayateen from the jinn and from the human beings. He sticks them on you. They attack you and they attack your honour and they preoccupy you with everything other than that which you should be busying yourself with. They encourage the people to backbite you, they encourage the people to stay away from you, and they encourage the people to busy themselves with talking about you and all of the other affairs that the party of Shaytaan busies themselves with - all to turn you away from that which you should be busying yourself with until you are wrapped up in this, so much so that you lose focus. The Shaytaan is not gentle when he does this. He is very diligent, he is very stern and he is firm and he is serious about leading you astray. The only way that you can defend yourself is that you have to wear your armoury. You have to wear your armoury for war and you NEVER TAKE THIS ARMOURY OFF - YOU NEVER TAKE IT OFF. What is this armoury that you are wearing? This armoury that you are wearing is the Knowledge of the Religion of Allaah - the knowledge of the Kitaab and the Sunnah, the knowledge of the legislation of Allaah . This is the armoury that you adorn yourself with in your war with the Shaytaan and his army. You never take this armoury off. You wear it outwardly and you wear it inwardly. You wear it when you eat, when you sleep, when you drink, when you look, when you talk, you wear this armoury in every aspect of your life - you never take it off. You will continue to wear this armoury, and you will continue in your war - in your battle with Shaytaan and his army, until you meet Allaah . This battle will never end. This battle will never end between you and Shaytaan and his army. You never take your armoury off and you realize that this battle will never end. It will be ongoing and continuous until you meet Allaah . So pay attention brothers and sisters, to what we have mentioned. Pay attention to the trickery and the plots of the Shaytaan. Pay attention to the evils of the Shaytaan, and use these principles that we have given you. Use them as the scale which you use to judge your own self. Use them as the scale that you use to judge your deeds. Use them as the scale that you use to judge other people; to judge the levels and the stations of people that are around you. I want to draw the brothers' and sisters' attention to one thing before I end, and that is that the Shaytaan has many plots and many plans. He has many means and ways which he uses to lead the human being astray. But the believing man and the believing woman, the Mu'min and the Mu'minah are not scared in the face of the Shaytaan. They are not scared or frightened in the face of the Shaytaan. Rather, Allaah has strengthened the hearts of the slaves - male and female - with His love, and He has given them tools which they can use to ward off the Shaytaan and to fight the Shaytaan. He has given him certain supplications, and certain Adhkaar - certain remembrances that the slave of Allaah uses to ward off the Shaytaan. These remembrances and these supplications will preserve him from the Shaytaan and his army. The believer is not afraid of Shaytaan himself, in his essence, but he is afraid of his trickery and the paths which the Shaytaan uses - the obstacles which he uses to lead the slave astray. That he never becomes content, and that he never deems himself to be safe from the plots of the Shaytaan. He is not scared of the Shaytaan within himself, but he is scared of the paths and the obstacles which the Shaytaan uses to lead the individual astray, because the Shaytaan is not going to stop. HE IS NOT GOING TO STOP. He is going to continue. Your battle with him will continue until you meet Allaah , and until you return to your original place where you started from - which was the Jannah. And we ask Allaah for the Tawfeeq. (The translator then made du'aa for the Shaykh and closed with praising Allaah and sending salaams and salaat on our Prophet . Aameen. References and Notes [1] Reported in Sunan Abi Daawuud, Kitaab al-Ilm 3/317 (#3641). Shaykh al-Albaanee says with a Saheeh isnaad. Also reported by at-Tirmidhee, Ibn Hibbaan, Haakim from Abi Dardaa. [2] Reported in Saheeh al-Bukhaaree, Kitaab al-'Ilm as a chapter heading (#13) and part of hadeeth (#71) in that chapter and found in other chapters as (#2948, 6882). Also reported in Saheeh Muslim, Kitaab az-Zakaat as part of hadeeth (#1037). [3] Reported in Saheeh al-Bukhaaree, Kitaab al-Manaaqib (#3411, 3412) and Kitaab al-Fitan (#6673) from Hudhayfah bin Yamman. Also found in Saheeh Muslim, Kitaab al-Imaarah (#1847). [4] Reported in Saheeh al-Bukhaaree, Kitaab Badul-Khalq (#3107) and in Saheeh Muslim, Kitaab as-Salaam (#2175). [5] Reported in Saheeh al-Bukhaaree, Kitaab Badul-Khalq (#3111). [6] Reported in Saheeh Muslim, Kitaab al-Ashribah (#2018). [7] Reported in Saheeh al-Bukhaaree, Kitaab Bad' al-Khalq (#3096). [8] Reported in Saheeh al-Bukhaaree, Kitaab Bad' al-Khalq (#3097) and in Saheeh Muslim, Kitaab Salaatul-Musaafireen wa Qasruhaa (#774). [9] Reported as part of various aahaadeeth in Saheeh al-Bukhaaree, Kitaab al-Anbiyaa' (#3170), Kitaab at-Tafseer (#4464), Kitaab ar-Riqaaq (#6165) and as a chapter heading in Saheeh Muslim, Kitaab al-Eemaan, Chapter (#96), hadeeth (#222) as follows: [10] Surah al-Anbiyaa 21:67-68 {They said: 'Burn him and help your lihah (gods), if you will be doing.' We (All h) said: 'O fire! Be you coolness and safety for Ibr h m (Abraham)!'} [11] Surah an-Nisaa 4:157-158 {And because of their saying (in boast), 'We killed Messiah Eesah (Jesus), on of Maryam (Mary), the Messenger of All h,' - but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but it appeared so to them [the resemblance of Eesah (Jesus) was put over another man (and they killed that man)], and those who differ therein are full of doubts. They have no (certain) knowledge, they follow nothing but conjecture. For surely, they killed him not [i.e. Eesah (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary) ['alayhis-sal m] But All h raised him [Eesah (Jesus)] up (with his body and soul) to Himself (and he ['alayhis-sal m] is in the heavens). And All h is Ever All-Powerful, All-Wise} [12] Shaykh al-Albaanee says Saheeh in Saheeh at-Targheeb wat-Tarheeb Vol. 2 (#2221). Reported by Ahmad and at-Tabaraani. www.albaseerah.org/forum/archive/index.php?t-2867.html |
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Similar narration in Sahih Muslim] 
said, 
