Posts in:09/24/14 | Learn Islam online

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Al-Masih-ul-Dajjal

Q: Will Al-Masih-ul-Dajjal (the Antichrist) appear, because - from what I have read - some scholars have confirmed this while others deny it?

A: Yes, Al-Masih-ul-Dajjal will appear. There are clear Sahih (authentic) and Mutawatir (Hadith reported by a significant number of narrators throughout the chain of narration, whose agreement upon a lie is impossible) Hadiths that have affirmed this. Imam Al-Bukhari (may Allah be merciful to him) has a chapter in his Sahih Book of Hadith dedicated to "References to Al-Masih-ul-Dajjal" that includes ten Hadiths about him. These Hadiths were explained by Al-Hafizh Ibn Hajar (may Allah be merciful to him) in his book:"Fath Al-Bary". You may refer to that book or any other books of Sunan (Hadith compilations classified by jurisprudential themes) that elaborate on this issue.

May Allah grant us success! May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family and Companions.

Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta

Source: Fatwas of the Permanent Committee

Fatwas of the Permanent Committee - Group 1 - Part 3 - Page 147

Banquets in honor of Awliya'

Q 4: What is the ruling on banquets held annually in the honor of Awliya' (pious people)? In our country, there are banquets for which people pay a lot of money, and naive people believe that this is obligatory upon them.

A: It is not permissible to make banquets in the name of Awliya', because this is a Bid`ah (innovation in religion). It is authentically reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:{Anyone who does an action which is not in accordance with this matter of ours (Islam) will have it rejected} [1]Similarly, it is not permissible for Muslims to attend such banquets as it is a kind of cooperation in sin and transgression. Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) forbade that, saying: {...but do not help one another in sin and transgression.}

The same can be said when the aim of such banquets is to draw closer to Awliya' for healing the sick or gaining their Shafa`ah (intercession) on the Day of Resurrection, or seeking their supportfor the living who offer such banquets. These are acts of major Shirk (associating others with Allah in His Divinity or worship that takes the Muslim out of Islam) because they amount to worshipping them.

[1]Muslim, Sahih, Book on judicial decisions, no. 1718; and Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, Musnad, vol. 6, p. 180.

May Allah grant us success! May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family and Companions.

Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta

Source: Fatwas of the Permanent Committee

Fatwas of the Permanent Committee - Group 1 - Part 3 - Page 99

Mother's Day

Q 5: On which day do Muslims celebrate Mother's Day andis it true that it was a special day for Fatimah Al-Zahra', the Prophet's daughter (may Allah be pleased with her)?

A: It is not permissible to celebrate what is called "Mother's Day" or any other innovated celebration, because the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: {Anyone who does an action which is not in accordance with this matter of ours (Islam) will have it rejected.} [1] The Prophet (peace be upon him) did not celebrate Mother's Day, and neither did any of his Sahabah (may Allah be pleased with them) nor the Salaf (righteous predecessors). It is a Bid`ah (innovation in religion) performed in imitation of the Kafirs (disbelievers).

[1]Muslim, Sahih, Book on judicial decisions, no. 1718; and Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, Musnad, vol. 6, p. 180.

May Allah grant us success! May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family and Companions.

Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta

Source: Fatwas of the Permanent Committee

Fatwas of the Permanent Committee - Group 1 - Part 3 - Page 86

Birthday celebrations

Q 2: My son is now living with his mother who celebrates his birthday every year. This involves having a party that includes food and lighting a number of candles equal to the age of my son; every candle representing a year of his life. The child has to blow all these candles and then the party starts. What is the ruling on this?

A: It is not permissible to have a birthday party for anyone, as it constitutes a Bid`ah (innovation in religion). It is authentically reported that the Messenger (peace be upon him) said: {Anyone who introduces anything into this matter of ours (Islam) that is not part of it will have it rejected.}[1] This is also done in imitation of the Kafirs, and the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: {Anyone who imitates a people is one of them.}

[1]Al-Bukhari, Sahih, Book on reconciliation, no. 2697; Muslim, Sahih, Book on judicial decisions, no. 1718; Abu Dawud, Sunan, Book on Al-Sunnah, no. 4606; Ibn Majah, Sunan, Introduction, no. 14; and Ahmad, Musnad, vol. 6, p. 240.

May Allah grant us success! May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family and Companions.

Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta

Source: Fatwas of the Permanent Committee

Fatwas of the Permanent Committee - Group 1 - Part 3 - Page 84

The night meant by the Ayah: "Therein is decreed every matter of ordainments"

Q 1: My question is about the 15th night of Sha`ban. Does the following Ayah (Qur'anic verse) in Surah Al-Dukhan, saying:{Therein (that night) is decreed every matter of ordainments}refer to the 15th night of Sha`ban or Laylat-ul-Qadr (the Night of Decree), the 27th night of Ramadan? Is it Mustahab (desirable) during this night to offer `Ibadah (worship), engage in Dhikr (remembrance of Allah), Qiyam-ul-Layl (optional Prayer at night), recite Qur'an and fast the 14th of Sha`ban?

A: First, the authentic explanation reported about the night mentioned in the Ayah is that it is Laylat-ul-Qadr, not the 15th night of Sha`ban. Second, it is not Mustahab to offer special `Ibadah on the 15th night of Sha`ban. Rather, it is as ordinary as any other night, and offering special `Ibadah on it is a Bid`ah (innovation in religion).

May Allah grant us success! May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family and Companions.

Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta

Source: Fatwas of the Permanent Committee

Fatwas of the Permanent Committee - Group 1 - Part 3 - Page 76

Celebrating the 27th night of Ramadan

Q 2: What is the ruling on celebrating the twenty-seventh night of Ramadan in particular?

A: Celebrating the twenty-seventh night of Ramadan in particular is a Bid`ah. It is authentically reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: {Anyone who introduces anything into this matter of ours (Islam) that is not part of it will have it rejected.}[1] (Related by Al-Bukhari and Muslim) The manner legislated by Islam is to spend this night in `Ibadah (worship), give Sadaqah (voluntary charity) and the like, as done during the rest of the last ten nights of Ramadan.

May Allah grant us success! May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family and Companions.

Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta

Source: Fatwas of the Permanent Committee

Fatwas of the Permanent Committee - Group 1 - Part 3 - Page 60

Types of Riddah

Q 2: It is said that Riddah (apostasy) may be committed either by words or actions. I hope that you briefly clarify for me the verbal, practical and doctrinal forms of Riddah.

A: Riddah is reverting to Kufr (disbelief) after accepting Islam. It may be by word, action, erroneous belief or doubt. Consequently, whoever associates other partners with Allah; denies His Lordship, His Oneness, one of His Attributes or some of His Books or Messengers; curses Allah or His Messenger; denies any of the consensually forbidden things or renders them lawful; denies one of the Five Pillars of Islam or doubts their obligation; doubts Resurrection, the truthfulness of Muhammad (peace be upon him) or any of the Prophets or prostrates to an idol, a planet or the like, has disbelieved and apostatized from Islam. Please read the chapters discussing Riddah in the books of Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), as scholars have elaborated on this topic.

Based on the above explanation, you can understand the verbal, practical, and doctrinal forms of Riddah.

May Allah grant us success! May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family and Companions.

Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta

Source: Fatwas of the Permanent Committee

Fatwas of the Permanent Committee - Group 1 - Part 2 - Page 9

Seeking help from Prophets and Awliya'

Q 1: Two groups holding opposing views: the first group maintains that seeking help from prophets and Awliya' (pious people) constitutes Kufr (disbelief) and Shirk (associating others with Allah in His Divinity or worship); they give evidence from Qur'an and Sunnah (whatever is reported from the Prophet) in support of their view. The second group maintains that seeking help from prophets and Awliya' is permissible because they are the chosen, sincere Servants of Allah (Exalted be He). Which of the two is correct?

A: Asking anyone other than Allah for help, to bring healing, to make it rain, to prolong one's life, or similar requests that lie in the Power of Allah Alone is a form of major Shirk (associating others with Allah in His Divinity or worship that takes a Muslim out of Islam). Likewise, seeking help from the dead or absent beings at the time of Du`a' (supplication), such as angels, Jinn or humans to bring about benefit or ward off harm, is an act of major Shirk. Allah (Exalted be He) does not forgive these acts unless sincere Tawbah (repentance to Allah) follows. Such forms of seeking help are in themselves acts of `Ibadah (worship) and means of approach; thus, they are not permissible to be offered to anyone other than Allah. Evidence in support of this ruling is the Ayah (Qur'anic verse) in which Allah (Exalted be He) teaches His Servants to say: {You (Alone) we worship, and You (Alone) we ask for help (for each and everything).} It means: "We worship and ask only You (Allah)." Allah (Exalted be He) also says: {And your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him.} And: {And they were commanded not, but that they should worship Allâh, and worship none but Him Alone (abstaining from ascribing partners to Him} And: {And the mosques are for Allâh (Alone): so invoke not anyone along with Allâh.} It is authentically reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said to `Abdullah ibn `Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him and his father): { If you ask, ask Allah; and if you seek help, seek it from Allah.} Also, he (peace be upon him) said in the Hadith reported by Mu`adh: { The Right of Allah due from His Servants is that they should worship Him Alone, not associating anything with Him.} And: { Anyone who dies while still invoking a rival (in worship or divinity) to Allah will enter Hellfire.} Seeking help from anyone other than Allah is Shirk unless the help needed is within the scope of ordinary human ability which Allah (Exalted be He) has provided mankind with and enabled them to use, such as seeking help from a doctor to treat a sick person, or from people to feed the hungry, provide water to the thirsty, or give money to the poor, etc. These and similar acts are not Shirk; rather, cooperation among people in life and livelihood. Likewise, it is permissible to seek help from living people who are not present at the same place via material methods like posting, wiring, phone calls and so on.

As for the life of prophets, martyrs and Awliya', they have a special life in the Barzakh (period between death and the Resurrection)whose reality is known to none but Allah. It differs from worldly life. This shows that the view held by the first group is the correct one, namely, those who say that seeking help from anyone other than Allah is Shirk.

May Allah grant us success! May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family and Companions.

Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta

Source: Fatwas of the Permanent Committee

Fatwas of the Permanent Committee - Group 1 - Part 1 - Page 172

Parents and children together in Paradise

Q: Will we meet with our offspring in the Hereafter? I do hope so. Please clarify this for us and guide us to what is right. May Allah reward you.

A: Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He), out of His Grace and Generosity, has informed us that the offspring of believing parents will be elevated to their rank in Paradise, even if their deeds do not qualify them for such a higher rank. Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) says: {And those who believe and whose offspring follow them in Faith: to them shall We join their offspring, and We shall not decrease the reward of their deeds in anything. Every person is a pledge for that which he has earned.} Ibn Kathir(may Allah be merciful to him) reported that Ibn `Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) said: "Indeed, Allah will raise the rank of a believer's offspring to join them, even if the offspring's deeds are less in order to please the believer." Then he recited the previous Ayah (Qur'anic verse).

May Allah grant us success! May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family and Companions.

Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta

Source: Fatwas of the Permanent Committee

Fatwas of the Permanent Committee - Group 2 - Part 2 - Page 490

Shafa`ah of the Prophet for serious sinners

Q 2: I would like to ask about a Hadith which I heard, but I do not know whether it is Sahih (authentic), Hasan (good), or Mawdu` (fabricated). The Hadith says that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: {My Shafa`ah (intercession) will be for those among my Ummah who have committed major sins.}May Allah reward you the best on behalf of us. As-salamu `alaykum warahmatullah wabarakatuh (May Allah's Peace, Mercy, and Blessings be upon you).

A: The Hadith mentioned above concerning the Prophet's Shafa`ah for the believers who have committed major sins is Sahih (authentic).

May Allah grant us success! May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family and Companions.

Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta

Source: Fatwas of the Permanent Committee

Fatwas of the Permanent Committee - Group 2 - Part 2 - Page 488

Shade of the `Arsh

Q: What is meant by the shade mentioned in the Hadith: {Al-Bukhari, Sahih, Book on Adhan, no. 660; Muslim, Sahih, Book on Zakah, no. 1031; Al-Tirmidhy, Sunan, Book on asceticism, no. 2391; Al-Nasa'y, Sunan, Book on the manners of judges, no. 5380; Ahmad, Musnad, vol. 2, p. 439; and Malik, Al-Muwatta', Book on miscellaneous matters, no. 1777.Seven (types of people) whom Allah will shade with His Shade on the Day when there is no shade but His.}

A: It is the shade of the `Arsh (Throne) of Allah, the Most Merciful (Blessed and Exalted be He). This explanation is based on the Hadith narrated bySalman (may Allah be pleased with him) in the Sunan (Hadith compilations classified by jurisprudential themes) of Sa`id ibn Mansur that states: {Seven (types of people) whom Allah will shade with the Shade of His `Arsh...} Al-Hafizh ibn Hajar (may Allah be merciful to him) ranked its Isnad (chain of narration) as Hasan (contains a narrator with weak exactitude, but is free from eccentricity or blemish); Al-Fath vol. 2, p.144.

Moreover, Al-Hafizh ibn Rajab (may Allah be merciful to him) said while concluding his explanation for the concerned Hadith mentioned in Sahih Al-Bukhari vol. 6, p. 51): Imam Ahmad and Al-Tirmidhy related this Hadith which Al-Tirmidhy ranked as Sahih (authentic) on the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) who narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: {Anyone who gives respite to their debtor, or forgives the debt, will be in the shade of the `Arsh (of Allah) on the Day of Resurrection.} This Hadith is another proof that the Shade of Allah refers to the Shade of His `Arsh.

Finally, Ibn Al-Qayyim (may Allah be merciful to him) mentioned the same explanation in his book Al-Wabil Al-Sayyib and at the end of his book Rawdat Al-Muhibbin.

May Allah grant us success! May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family and Companions.

Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta

Source: Fatwas of the Permanent Committee

Fatwas of the Permanent Committee - Group 2 - Part 2 - Page 486

Are we accountable for our inner thoughts?

Q 3: Will a person be called to account for their inner thoughts?

A: Allah is Gracious and Merciful to His Servants. He, out of His Mercy, does not impose upon them what they cannot bear. No one will be called to account for their inner thoughts, based on the Hadith authentically reported on the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: { Allah has forgiven my Ummah (nation based on one creed) whatever thoughts that occur to their minds, as long as they do not put them into action or utter them.} In his book "Al-Musnad", Imam Ahmad said: `Affan told us that `Abdul-Rahman ibn Ibrahim told him that Al-`Ala' ibn `Abdul-Rahman told him on the authority of his father that Abu Hurayrah said: "When it was revealed to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) the Ayah (Qur'anic verse) saying: {To Allâh belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on the earth, and whether you disclose what is in your ownselves or conceal it, Allâh will call you to account for it. Then He forgives whom He wills and punishes whom He wills. And Allâh is Able to do all things.} the Sahabah (Companions of the Prophet) felt it hard. They came to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), kneeled in front of him and said: "O Messenger of Allah! We were assigned deeds that we can perform, such as Salah (Prayer), Sawm (Fasting), Jihad (striving in the Cause of Allah) and Sadaqah (voluntary charity).But we cannot bear this Ayah that was revealed to you." The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: { 'Do you want to say as the people of the Book (Jews and Christians) said before you, 'We hear and disobey?' You should rather say, 'We hear and we obey; (we seek) Your forgiveness, our Lord! and unto You is the return.} When people acknowledged it and humbly recited it, Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) revealed directly after it: {The Messenger (Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) believes in what has been sent down to him from his Lord, and (so do) the believers. Each one believes in Allâh, His Angels, His Books, and His Messengers. (They say), "We make no distinction between one another of His Messengers" - and they say, "We hear, and we obey. (We seek) Your Forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the return (of all)."} When they did, Allah (Blessed and Exalted be He) abrogated it and revealed instead: {Allâh burdens not a person beyond his scope. He gets reward for that (good) which he has earned, and he is punished for that (evil) which he has earned. “Our Lord! Punish us not if we forget or fall into error}

May Allah grant us success! May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family and Companions.

Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta

Source: Fatwas of the Permanent Committee

Fatwas of the Permanent Committee - Group 2 - Part 2 - Page 485