Friday 30 September 2011

Making fun of some aspects of the Sunnah

 

What is the ruling on making fun of the beard, short clothes and other aspects of the Sunnah? What is your opinion on those who, when these acts of worship are enjoined upon them, point to their hearts and say “Piety is here”?

Praise be to Allaah.
 

 

Making fun of the beard or clothes whose length etc. is in
accordance with the Sunnah or other aspects of the Sunnah makes a person a
kaafir, if he knows that this was proven from the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him), because he is thereby making fun of the
words and actions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him). In this case he is opposing the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) and making fun of his Sunnah, and the one who makes fun
of the Sunnah and knowingly mocks things that are proven to be part of the
Sunnah is not a Muslim.

 Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

 “Say: ‘Was it at Allaah, and His Ayaat (proofs, evidences,
verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) and His Messenger that you were
mocking?’

Make no excuse; you disbelieved after you had believed”

[al-Tawbah 9:65-66] 

If a person is called to observe one of the rulings of Islam
and says that piety is in the heart but he does not follow the shar’i
ruling, he is an evil liar. For faith includes both words and deeds, it is
not simply the matter of what is in the heart. This view is the same as that
of the evil innovators of the Murji’ah who restricted faith to the heart and
said that it had nothing to do with outward actions. Moreover, if the heart
is sound and filled with faith, that will be manifested in a person’s
actions. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“In the body there is a piece of flesh which, if it is sound, the entire
body will be sound, and if it is corrupt, the entire body will be corrupt.
Indeed it is the heart.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 52; Muslim, 1599). And he
also said: “Allaah does not look at the outward appearance or wealth of any
one of you; rather he looks at your hearts and deeds.” (Narrated by Muslim,
2564)

 Whatever the case, these words of those who stubbornly
refuse to follow the truth and carry out the commands of Islam is a sign of
their lack of faith by means of which they want to stop those who seek to
call them to Islam and advise them.

He cursed Islam in a moment of intense anger

 

A man cursed Islam in a moment of intense anger – what is the ruling on that? What are the conditions of repentance from this action? Is his marriage to his wife annulled as a result?.

Praise be to Allaah.
 

 

The ruling on one who curses Islam is that he is a kaafir, because cursing Islam or making fun
of it constitutes apostasy from Islam and disbelief in Allaah and in His
religion. Allaah tells us of some people who made fun of Islam and then
said. “We were just joking and playing,” but Allaah tells us that this
joking and playing is in fact mocking Allaah, His signs and His Messenger,
and that they were committing kufr thereby. Allaah says (interpretation of
the meaning): 

“If you ask them (about this), they declare: ‘We were only
talking idly and joking.’ Say: ‘Was it at Allaah, and His Ayaat (proofs,
evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) and His Messenger that
you were mocking?

66. Make no excuse; you disbelieved after you had
believed’”

[al-Tawbah 9:65, 66] 

Mocking the religion of Allaah, or cursing the religion of
Allaah, or insulting Allaah and His Messenger, or making fun of them, is
kufr that puts one beyond the pale of Islam. However there is room for
repentance from that, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“Say: O ‘Ibaadi (My slaves) who have transgressed against
themselves (by committing evil deeds and sins)! Despair not of the Mercy of
Allaah, verily, Allaah forgives all sins. Truly, He is Oft‑Forgiving, Most
Merciful”

[al-Zumar 39:53] 

If a person repents from
any kind of apostasy and his repentance is sincere and meets all the
conditions of repentance, then Allaah will accept his repentance. There are
five conditions of repentance, which are as follows: 

1 – Being sincere towards Allaah in repentance, i.e., the
motive for repentance should not be a desire to show off, or fear of another
person, or the hope for some worldly gain to be made by repenting. If a
person’s repentance is sincerely for the sake of Allaah alone, and the
motive for it is fear of Allaah and fear of His punishment and hope for His
reward, then it is sincerely for Allaah alone. 

2 – He must regret what he has done of sin, by feeling
remorse and sorrow for what has happened in the past, and he should regard
it as a serious matter that he has to give up. 

3 – He must give up the sin and stop persisting in it. If his
sin was omission of an obligatory duty, he must start doing it and make it
up if he can. If his sin was commission of a forbidden action he must give
it up and keep away from it. If his sin had to do with other people, then he
must restore their rights to them or ask for their pardon. 

4 – He must resolve not to go back to it in the future, by
having the determination in his heart not to go back to the sin from which
he has repented. 

5 – His repentance must come at the time when it will be
accepted. If it comes after that time it will not be accepted. The time of
acceptance is general and specific.  

The general time is when the sun rises from the west;
repentance that comes after the sun rises from the west will not be
accepted, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“The day that some of the Signs of your Lord do come, no
good will it do to a person to believe then, if he believed not before, nor
earned good (by performing deeds of righteousness) through his Faith. Say:
Wait you! we (too) are waiting”

[al-An’aam 6:158] 

The specific time is when
death is imminent. When death is imminent repentance will be of no benefit,
because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“And of no effect is the repentance of those who continue
to do evil deeds until death faces one of them and he says: ‘Now I repent;’
nor of those who die while they are disbelievers”

[al-Nisa’ 4:18] 

I say: if a person
repents from any sin – even if that is cursing Islam – then his repentance
will be accepted if he meets the conditions mentioned here. 

But it should be noted that a word may be an act of kufr or
apostasy, but the one who says it may not become a kaafir thereby, if there
is a factor present which means that he cannot be judged to be a kaafir.
Here we have a man who tells us that he cursed Islam whilst in a state of
anger. We say to him: If your anger was so intense that you did not know
what you were saying, and at that point you did not know if you were in
heaven or on earth, and you said words without thinking or knowing what they
were, then these words are not subject to any ruling, and you cannot be
judged to be an apostate, because these words were not spoken intentionally.
If a word is spoken unintentionally, Allaah will not punish a person for it.
Allaah says concerning vows (interpretation of the meaning): 

“Allaah will not punish you for what is unintentional in
your oaths, but He will punish you for your deliberate oaths”

[al-Maa'idah 5:89] 

If this person who spoke
words of kufr in a moment of intense anger did not know what he was saying,
then there is no ruling on his words, and he cannot be judged to be an
apostate in this case. As he is not judged to be an apostate, his marriage
to his wife is not annulled, rather she is still married to him. 

But if a person feels angry he should try to counteract this
anger in the ways prescribed by the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) when a man asked him, “O Messenger of Allaah, advise me.” He said: “Do not get angry,” and he repeated it several times, saying, “Do not get angry.” So he must exercise self-control and seek refuge with Allaah from the accursed Shaytaan. If he is standing, he should sit down; if he is sitting, he should lie down. If his anger grows too intense, he should do wudoo’. All these things will take away his anger. How many people have regretted acting upon their anger, but it was too late. 

It is not permissible to elect to city councils etc those who mock the Islamic religion

 

Is it permissible for a Muslim to elect to city councils or any other kind of council someone who believes in communism or mocks religion or embraces nationalism and regards it as a religion?.

Praise be to Allaah.
 

 

It is not permissible
for a Muslim to elect to city councils or any other kind of council
someone who is known to be a communist or to mock the Islamic religion or
to believe in nationalism and regard it as a religion, because by electing
him he is accepting him as his representative and helping him to be in a
position where he could spread evil or cause corruption, and help those
who agree with him and his beliefs. That position may enable him to harm
those who differ from him and deprive them of their rights or some of
them. It is also a way of encouraging him to persist in his false beliefs
and implement them as much as he wants.

When is slaughtering for someone other than Allaah regarded as shirk?

 

Is every slaughter that is not done for the sake of Allaah regarded as shirk? Please give details, may Allaah reward you.

Praise be to Allaah.
 

 

Slaughter may sometimes be a sacrifice, done to glorify and
venerate Allaah, and it may sometimes be done to honour a guest or to
provide meat to eat and so on. In the first case, it is not permissible to
offer this kind of glorification and veneration to anyone other than Allaah;
whoever offers that to anyone other than Allaah has associated someone else
with Him and committed major shirk (shirk akbar), and the meat he
slaughtered is regarded as maytah (dead meat). But in the second case, this
is permissible and may be required, but in all cases it is not permissible
to mention the name of anyone other than Allaah when slaughtering the meat,
otherwise it becomes maytah (dead meat) which is haraam, so mentioning the
name of Allaah when slaughtering the animal is a separate issue from the
issue of the purpose of the slaughter. 

If it is said: how can we differentiate between that which is
done to honour a person and that which is an act of worship to someone other
than Allaah? The answer is:  that in the case of seeking to draw closer to
someone other than Allaah, the intention is not to slaughter the animal for
meat, rather the intention is to venerate the one for whom it is slaughtered
and to give the meat to other people, such as the one who slaughters before
a chief when he returns from a journey and so on, then he gives the meat to
other people to eat it. This is what some people used to do in the past, and
this sacrifice was only done in order to venerate the chief, so it comes
under the heading of major shirk. 

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen said: 

Slaughter means killing by shedding the blood in a specific
manner, which is done in several ways: 

1 – That which is done as an act of worship with the
intention of venerating the one for whom the sacrifice is done and humbling
oneself before him and drawing closer to him. This may only be done for
Allaah in the manner prescribed by Allaah. Doing this for anyone other than
Allaah is major shirk. The evidence for that is the verse in which Allaah
says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“Say (O Muhammad): Verily, my Salaah (prayer), my
sacrifice, my living, and my dying are for Allaah, the Lord of the ‘Aalameen
(mankind, jinn and all that exists)”

[al-An’aam 6:162] 

2 – That which is done to
honour a guest or for a wedding feast and the like. This is something which
is enjoined and is either obligatory or mustahabb (encouraged), because the
Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever
believes in Allaah and the Last Day, let him honour his guest.” And he SAWS
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to ‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn
‘Awf: “Give a wedding feast even if it is with only one sheep.” 

3 – That which is done to provide food or to sell the meat
and so on. This comes under the heading of that which is permissible and the
basic principle is that it is allowed, because Allaah says (interpretation
of the meaning): 

“Do they not see that We have created for them of what Our
Hands have created, the cattle, so that they are their owners.

72. And We have subdued
them unto them so that some of them they have for riding and some they eat”

[Ya-Seen 36:71-72] 

and it may be required or
forbidden, depending on what it is a means to. 

Sharh al-Usool al-Thalaathah in
Majmoo’ al-Fataawa, 6/62. 

It says in Mawaahib al-Jaleel: With regard to
slaughtering sacrifices to idols, there is no dispute that it is haraam,
because this is something that is sacrificed to something other than Allaah.
(3/213). 

It says in Radd al-Muhtaar (6/309): 

Slaughtering an animal
for the arrival of prominent figure is forbidden, whilst slaughtering an
animal to honour a guest is permissible. Then he said: The difference is
that if he offers some of the meat to the prominent figure, then the
slaughter is for the sake of Allaah and the benefit is for the guest or the
wedding feast or the purpose of making money (by selling the meat), but if
he does not offer any of it to the prominent figure and he gives it to
others, then it was done to venerate someone other than Allaah, so it is
haraam. 

It says in al-Majmoo’: It is not permissible for the
one who is slaughtering the animal to say “In the name of Muhammad” or “In
the name of Allaah and the name of Muhammad.” Rather it is the right of
Allaah that slaughtering should be done only in His name and vows should be
made only in His name, and prostration should be done only to Him, and no
created being should be associated with Him in that. Al- Ghazaali said in
al-Waseet that it is not permissible to say, “In the name of Allaah and
Muhammad the Messenger of Allaah (S).” because this is shirk. (8/384). 

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen was
asked about the ruling on offering a sacrifice to someone other than Allaah,
and whether it is permissible to eat that meat. He replied: Offering a
sacrifice to someone other than Allaah is major shirk, because offering a
sacrifice is an act of worship, as Allaah says (interpretation of the
meaning): 

“Therefore turn in prayer to your Lord and sacrifice (to Him
only)”

[al-Kawthar 108:2] 

“Say (O Muhammad): Verily, my Salaah (prayer), my
sacrifice, my living, and my dying are for Allaah, the Lord of the ‘Aalameen
(mankind, jinn and all that exists)”

[al-An’aam 6:162] 

So whoever offers a sacrifice to anyone other than Allaah is
a mushrik whose shirk puts him beyond the pale of Islam – we seek refuge
with Allaah – whether he offers that sacrifice to an angel, a Messenger, a
Prophet, a caliph, a wali (“saint”) or a scholar. All of that is shirk
(associating others in worship with Allaah) which puts one beyond the pale
of Islam. People must fear Allaah and not allow themselves to fall into that
shirk of which Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“Verily, whosoever sets
up partners (in worship) with Allaah, then Allaah has forbidden Paradise to
him, and the Fire will be his abode. And for the Zaalimoon (polytheists and
wrongdoers) there are no helpers”

[al-Maa’idah 5:72] 

Eating from this meat is haraam, because it has been
sacrificed to someone other than Allaah, and everything that is sacrificed
to someone other than Allaah or slaughtered on an altar is haraam, as Allaah
says in Soorat al-Maa’idah (interpretation of the meaning): 

“Forbidden to you (for
food) are: Al‑Maitah (the dead animals — cattle — beast not slaughtered),
blood, the flesh of swine, and that on which Allaah’s Name has not been
mentioned while slaughtering (that which has been slaughtered as a sacrifice
for others than Allaah, or has been slaughtered for idols) and that which
has been killed by strangling, or by a violent blow, or by a headlong fall,
or by the goring of horns — and that which has been (partly) eaten by a wild
animal — unless you are able to slaughter it (before its death) ‑ and that
which is sacrificed (slaughtered) on An‑Nusub (stone‑altars)”

[al-Maa'idah 5:3] 

These sacrifices which are slaughtered for anyone other than
Allaah come under the heading of haraam food which we are not permitted to
eat. 

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen was asked about the ruling on offering
sacrifices to anyone other than Allaah. 

He replied: 

We have stated elsewhere that Tawheed means devoting worship
only to Allaah – may He be exalted – and not worshipping anyone other than
Allaah with any kind of act of worship. It is well known that offering
sacrifices is a kind of worship by means of which a person seeks to draw
closer to his Lord, because Allaah has enjoined it in the verse
(interpretation of the meaning): 

“Therefore turn in prayer to your Lord and sacrifice (to
Him only)”

[al-Kawthar 108:2] 

Every act by means of which a person seeks to draw closer (to
his Lord) is an act of worship. So if a person offers a sacrifice to someone
other than Allaah as an act of veneration and humility, seeking thereby to
draw closer to him, as he seeks to draw closer to his Lord and venerate Him,
then he is a mushrik who associates others in worship with Allaah. And if he
is a mushrik, then Allaah has stated that He has forbidden Paradise to the
mushrik and his abode is Hell. 

Based on that, we say that what some people do, offering
sacrifice to graves – the graves of those whom they claim to be awliya’
(“saints”) – is shirk which puts them beyond the pale of Islam. Our advice
to these people is to repent to Allaah from their actions and to make their
sacrifices for Allaah alone, and their prayer and fasting for Allaah alone;
if they do that, He will forgive for them what they did before, as Allaah
says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“Say to those who have disbelieved, if they cease (from
disbelief), their past will be forgiven”

[al-Anfaal 8:38] 

Majmoo’ al-Fataawa
2/148. 

For more information see al-Qawl al-Mufeed ‘ala Kitaab al-Tawheed, 1/215; Tayseer al-‘Azeez al-Hameed, 1/155;
al-Durar al-Sanniyyah min al-Ajwabah al-Najdiyyah, 1/428.

Saying “Yaa Rasool Allaah”

 

I want to know that can we say Ya Rasool-Allah or not.


Praise be to Allaah.

It is not permissible to call upon anyone
other than Allaah, whether at times of ease or times of hardship, no matter how great the status of the one who is called upon, even if he is a
Prophet who is close to Allaah, or one of the angels, because du’aa’ is a form of worship. 

It was narrated from al-Nu’maan ibn Basheer
that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Du’aa’ is worship,” then he recited (interpretation of the meaning):

“And your Lord said: ‘Invoke Me [i.e.
believe in My Oneness (Islamic Monotheism) and ask Me for anything] I will respond to your (invocation). Verily, those who scorn My worship [i.e.
do not invoke Me, and do not believe in My Oneness, (Islamic Monotheism)] they will surely enter Hell in humiliation!’”

[Ghaafir 40:60] 

Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 2895; Ibn Maajah, 3818; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh
al-Tirmidhi, 2370. 

Worship is due only to Allaah; it is not permitted to direct worship towards anyone else. Hence
the Muslims are agreed that whoever calls upon anyone other than Allaah is a mushrik (polytheist, one who associates others with Allaah). 

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said: 

Whoever regards the angels and Prophets as intermediaries whom he calls upon, puts his trust in
and asks them to bring that which will benefit him and ward off harmful things, such as asking them to forgive sins, guide them, relieve them of
distress and meet their needs, is a kaafir, according to the consensus of the Muslims. 

Majmoo’ al-Fataawa,
1/124. 

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him)
said: 

The kinds of shirk include asked the dead for one's needs, or seeking their help, or turning to
them. This is the essence of shirk. 

Fath al-Majeed,
p. 145 

Hence Allaah has said that there is no one
more astray than the one who calls on others besides Him. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“And who is more astray than one who calls
on (invokes) besides Allaah, such as will not answer him till the Day of Resurrection, and who are (even) unaware of their calls (invocations) to
them?

And when mankind are gathered (on the Day
of Resurrection), they (false deities) will become their enemies and will deny their worshipping”

[al-Ahqaaf 46:5-6] 

How can he call on others besides Allaah,
when Allaah has told us that they are helpless? Allaah says: 

“And those, whom you invoke or call upon
instead of Him, own not even a Qitmeer (the thin membrane over the date stone).

If you invoke (or call upon) them, they
hear not your call; and if (in case) they were to hear, they could not grant it (your request) to you. And on the Day of Resurrection, they will
disown your worshipping them. And none can inform you (O Muhammad) like Him Who is the All‑Knower (of everything)”

[Faatir 35:13-14] 

Shaykh ‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Hasan Aal
al-Shaykh said: 

Allaah tells us the situation of those who
are called upon instead of Him, of the angels, Prophets, idols, etc. in a manner that indicates their helplessness and weakness, and that they
lack the abilities that are to be expected in the one who is called upon, such as sovereignty, the ability to hear the call and the ability to
respond. 

Fath al-Majeed,
p. 158 

How can the Messenger (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) be called upon, when Allaah has commanded him to say, “Say: ‘It is not in
my power to cause you harm, or to bring you to the Right Path’” [al-Jinn 72:21 – interpretation of the meaning]?  

And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “If you ask, then ask of
Allaah, and if you seek help, then seek the help of Allaah.” 

Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 2516; classed as
saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi, 2043. 

Hence there can be no doubt that it is a mistake to praise the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) in the words 

“O most noble of creation, I have nobody to
turn to except you when calamity strikes.” 

The major scholars have denounced this as
being wrong. 

Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz (may Allaah
have mercy on him) said, in his footnotes to the book Fath al-Majeed, commenting on the poem Burdat al-Busayri from which these
words are taken: 

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) warned us, according to the report
narrated by al-Bukhaari and Muslim, ‘Do not praise me as the Christians praised ‘Eesa ibn Maryam, I am the slave of Allaah and His Messenger.’
Rather the way to venerate him and love him is by following his Sunnah and establishing his religion and rejecting all the myths that the ignorant
attribute to him. But most of the people do not do this, and they occupy themselves with this exaggeration and praise which leads them to commit
major shirk.” 

Fath al-Majeed,
p. 155 

Moreover, it is not known that even a single Sahaabi used to seek the help of the Messenger or
call upon the Messenger, neither was that transmitted from any of the respectable scholars. It is only one of the myths of the deviant. 

If something troubles you, then say Yaa
Allaah, for He is the One Who answers prayers, relieves distress and controls all things. 

And Allaah knows best.