He has repented from interfering with his sisters’ daughters – what should he do?

I am a 28 year old man. When I was young I used to interfere with girls, at the instigation of my older brother, when I did not understand anything. This continued until it became a habit. I started by interfering with my sisters’ daughters when they were small, until they grew up and refused to allow it, and it went on until my first years in university, when I became religiously committed and regretted it greatly. I became the only religiously committed person in my family. I pray in congregation and advise others and I do all kinds of good deeds, but I am unable to offer advice to my sisters’ daughters if they do anything wrong. I am wondering if my repentance will be accepted? This matter may have been a wrong that I did to my sisters’ daughters, my sisters and my family. How can I right that wrong and purify myself? People like me are subject to severe punishment in this world and are given a stern warning with regard to the Hereafter. I am very afraid and I regret it deeply. There is no power and no strength except with Allaah.

Praise be to Allaah.

We praise Allaah for having guided you to become religiously committed and righteous, and to repent. We ask Him to forgive you for the wrongs that you have mentioned towards your sisters and their daughters. You have to pray for forgiveness a great deal and do many righteous deeds, and keep away from the things that lead to sin. 

The door of repentance is open, no matter how great the sin, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“Know they not that Allaah accepts repentance from His slaves and takes the Sadaqaat (alms, charity), and that Allaah Alone is the One Who forgives and accepts repentance, Most Merciful?”

[al-Tawbah 9:104] 

“And verily, I am indeed forgiving to him who repents, believes (in My Oneness, and associates none in worship with Me) and does righteous good deeds, and then remains constant in doing them (till his death)”

[Ta-Ha 20:82] 

Repentance erases that which came before it of sin, no matter how great or how many the sins. Allaah says: 

“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] 

As for restoring rights, you have to make a lot of du’aa’ and pray for forgiveness for those whom you wronged, and Allaah accepts the repentance of the one who repents. 

And Allaah knows best.

She was put under pressure and forced to steal from her maternal aunt

I want to tell you about a problem in the hope that you can help me. I am a young woman, twenty years of age, religiously-committed and educated, from a religiously-committed and very conservative family. I live with my mother and sister, as my father died four years ago, and my only brother died three years before that. I fell victim to a friend who betrayed me and managed to take a picture of me without my knowledge, then she took me by surprise when she tinkered with my picture by using a computer programme and put my head on the body of a woman who was in a very immoral situation, and she demanded that I give her 5000 or she would send the picture to my mother. That evil woman knew that my mother suffers from spasms in her chest because of grief, and she said to me literally: “If you do not give me the money, I will send the picture to your mother and she will have a heart attack and die like your father and brother.” 
I admit that I was naïve and I did not handle it well because I was so afraid for my mother and her feelings. She threatened me on the day when we were going to visit my maternal aunt, and I went into my female cousin’s room to pray, and I saw her bracelets, necklaces and jewellery, and I thought of stealing as something that came under the heading of necessity that makes forbidden things permissible. I said to myself: I will only take the chain because its value is sufficient for me, even though the jewels were in front of me, and I thought that if I took something from my own house and stole, my mother would find out, so I resorted to stealing from my aunt’s house. We have a very good relationship with this aunt and she is the dearest and closest of people to us. The only reason why I stole from my aunt’s house was that I could return what I had stolen to my aunt in the form of a gift in the future or some other way. I gave the money to that evil woman and I felt very bad after I had done this, because I had never stretched my hand towards any haraam things before. I am very religiously committed and I am memorizing the Qur’aan. After some time, this evil woman asked me for some more money. In the midst of my pain and suffering, my theft from my aunt’s house was discovered and my mother was shocked. As soon as she asked me I burst into tears and told her about the whole problem. Praise be to Allaah, my mother is a wise woman and trusts me completely, and she understood the situation, and she regards what happened to me and to her as a test from Allaah, but she criticized me sharply for not turning to her and for committing the sin of stealing. She asked me to pray to Allaah for forgiveness and I calmed down, and she thought that this was the end of the matter. My mother explained to my aunt what had happened, and returned to her what I had taken from her, but unfortunately my aunt did not believe it. Now the matter has had other consequences that affect my honour and reputation, and when I am with my family and relatives I am one person and when I am away from them I am someone else. When I swore on the Holy Qur’aan in my aunt’s presence that I was innocent, chaste and righteous, my aunt insisted that what had happened to me was no justification for stealing from her house and that she has lost trust in all young women after what I had done. What made matters worse is that I have a cousin (daughter of my maternal aunt) who always used to say to me: “Have you ever loved someone?” or whatever, and I would respond by saying that I would never go against sharee’ah or religion. When my cousin saw my situation she started to incite her mother against me even more, and there was an argument between my mother who was defending my honour, and my aunt who was accusing me of taking drugs, or that the picture was genuine and was not a fake, and love and affection turned to hatred and resentment. 
Our shaykh: I am turning to you to judge between us, for I am a victim who has been accused falsely. I admit that I made a mistake because I committed a sin to get out of this crisis. I admit that I made a mistake because I was not frank with my mother from the beginning, because I was so afraid for her and I thought that I could finish with this matter without her knowing. 
I hope that you can judge between us and my aunt so that the love between us may be restored, if only partially, and the relationship may be restored between my mother and my aunt, whom our relatives thought would only ever be parted by death, especially since I am going to give my aunt your answer to read.

Praise be to Allaah.

There follow three messages, addressed to you, your friend and your aunt. 

The first message is addressed to you: 

1.     We ask Allaah to increase your reward, and to relieve your distress, and to reconcile your family.

2.     We hope that what happened will be a lesson for you and for others, that women should not be careless about their pictures or allowing themselves to have their pictures taken, even with their friends, and they should not trust anyone with regard to such matters, even the closest of people to them such as their sisters, for example,  because she cannot be sure that her sister’s husband will not see them or publish them, let alone trusting a stranger on the grounds of friendship or being related.

3.     You made a mistake before stealing by not consulting people of knowledge and wisdom. When we read your letter, we thought that it would end with your consulting them about what to do with this treacherous friend, and we were shocked by the way things developed and reached such an extent. Perhaps this is a lesson for everyone who finds themselves in such a dilemma to look for a solution with others before it gets even worse, because the more problems develop, the more complicated they get, specially problems that befall women with regard to evil and corrupt people.

4.     What you did with regard to your aunt was absolutely necessary. You told her the truth, restored her rights and swore to her what the truth of the matter really was. She has to believe you and overlook this matter. Remember that being truthful will save a person, and Allaah will cause the truth to be known sooner or later. So be patient and seek the help of Allaah, and persist in making du’aa’, asking Allaah to grant you relief and cause justice and truth to prevail. 

5.     We offer you this advice, which you need to discuss with your family and with a lawyer – if possible – because we do not know anything about the laws in your country: why don’t you tell the police about your friend who betrayed you with this picture, because we think that if she is arrested and her computer is inspected, Allaah will suffice you against her evil and the truth will come out in sha Allaah. 

The second message is addressed to your friend: 

1.     You have to repent to Allaah and seek His forgiveness for what you have done, and you should realize that you have committed many sins and caused many bad things to happen. You have betrayed your friend and made false accusations against her, you have helped to spread evil by means of bad pictures which you have spread after adding the picture of your friend to them, you have taken money from her unlawfully, and you have caused trouble for her and caused her to break family ties.

2.     Part of repentance is admitting your error to your friend, her mother and her aunt. Allaah will not accept your repentance otherwise, because one of the conditions of repentance is setting right things that were affected by the sin. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Except those who repent and do righteous deeds, and openly declare (the truth which they concealed). These, I will accept their repentance. And I am the One Who accepts repentance, the Most Merciful”

[al-Baqarah 2:160]

You should understand that your admitting to what you did will relieve your friend of distress, and will lift the false accusation that has been made against her. Man’s life is short, then he will meet his Lord with his deeds, so beware of meeting your Lord with those deeds without having repented sincerely from them.

3.     Another part of repenting properly is returning the wealth that you took unlawfully from your friend.

4.     Another part of repenting properly is destroying the picture completely, and not committing this sin again either with your friend or with someone else. 

The third message is addressed to your aunt: 

1.     You should understand that Allaah is always watching you, He hears what you say and He knows that which is hidden and that which is more secret. We do not wish anything but good for you. It is to a woman like you that people would refer with regard to problems, and it is to people like you that those who are astray look for guidance. Your daughter and the daughters of your sisters turn to your for help, because you are the source of compassion and the merciful heart that they know, and our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The maternal aunt is like the mother.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari (2553).

2.     We will ask you a single question which we hope you will answer to yourself: What if something this – Allaah forbid – had happened to one of your daughters? What if she had done what your sister’s daughter did? Would you like her aunt’s attitude towards her to be like your attitude now? We are sure – based on our good opinion of you – that you would never want that. So why do you agree to that for yourself? Do not think it is unlikely that bad would do things like that, and do not think it is unlikely that good people may be falsely accused of bad things.

We wish you and your sons and daughters well, and we hope that you will have an open mind and accept the truth and realize that your niece is innocent of the false accusation that her friend made against her. We have advised her friend to repent and admit the truth to you. May Allaah guide her to admit to you the awful thing she has done. But we also ask you to think about this false accusation and understand that it is pure fabrication, and your wisdom and compassion dictate that you should do the right thing in this case.

3.     Your Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) has enjoined something upon you and we do not think that you will do anything but respond to it. This command is that if someone swears to you by Allaah, you must believe him and accept his oath. You have no certain knowledge that contradicts your niece’s oath, so you have no choice but to obey the command of your Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).

It was narrated that Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever swears by Allaah, let him fulfil his oath, and if an oath is sworn for a person by Allaah, let him accept it. Whoever is not content with Allaah has nothing to do with Allaah.” Narrated by Ibn Maajah (2101); classed as hasan by al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar in Fath al-Baari (11/536) and by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Targheeb (2951). 

Al-Sindi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said, commenting on Sunan Ibn Maajah: “if an oath is sworn for a person by Allaah” means: an oath is sworn for him by Allaah to please him. “Has nothing to do with Allaah” means, will never be close to Him. 

The point is that that who are close to Allaah believe the one who swears an oath, out of veneration towards Allaah. The one who does not believe him when he is able to do so is not one of them. End quote. 

Shaykh ‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Hasan (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: 

With regard to the words “and if an oath is sworn for a person by Allaah, let him accept it. Whoever is not content with Allaah has nothing to do with Allaah”, if there is no way to settle the matter except by asking his opponent to swear an oath and he swears an oath, then undoubtedly he must accept it. But if what is happening between the people is something on a personal level, where people are trying to justify their positions with other and the like, then it is the right of one Muslim over another that he should accept what he says when he swears an oath absolving himself of blame or declaring his innocence of what he has been accused of or justifying his position. Another right that he has over him is that he should think well of him if there is no evidence to the contrary, as in the report narrated from ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him): “Do not think badly of a word that is uttered by a Muslim when there is a way of interpreting it positively.”  

The hadeeth also points to humility, compassion, love and other interests that Allaah loves, as is clear to anyone who has any understanding. This is a means of uniting hearts in obedience to Allaah, and it also comes under the heading of the good attitude which is the heaviest thing that may be placed in a person’s balance, as it says in the hadeeth, and it is one of the noblest of characteristics. 

Fath al-Majeed (p. 405). 

We hope that you will think about the words of this Shaykh (may Allaah have mercy on him), for they are relevant to your situation. One of your niece’s rights over you is that you should accept her oath, and one of her rights over you is that you should think well of her. 

Do you know what ‘Eesa (peace be upon him) did when he saw a man stealing, and that man swore to him by Allaah that he did not steal? Think about it: 

It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “‘Eesa ibn Maryam saw a man stealing and ‘Eesa said to him: ‘Did you steal?’ He said: ‘No, by the One besides Whom there is no other god.’ ‘Eesa said: ‘I believe in Allaah and I disbelieve my own eyes.’” Narrated by al-Bukhaari (3260) and Muslim (2368). 

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: The Messiah (peace be upon him), because of the great fear of Allaah in his heart, thought that this person who swore by the Oneness of Allaah was telling the truth, so his belief in Allaah made him believe him and make him think that his eyes had deceived him, and shown him something that he did not see, so he said: “I believe in Allaah and I disbelieve my own eyes.”  

Undoubtedly one’s eyes may be mistaken and see things other than they really are, and may imagine things that do not really exist, then reason dictates that this is a mistake. The Messiah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) put his faith before his vision, and disbelieved what his eyes had seen, and attributed the mistake to himself. 

Badaa’i’ al-Fawaa’id (3/1159, 1160). 

We hope that what we have mentioned will be sufficient to persuade you to accept your niece’s oath and lift the accusation from her. You cannot afford to go against Islamic teachings by rejecting this ruling, We think that you are of a noble character, in sha Allaah.  

4.     We end this message to you by saying that if, Allaah forbid, your niece has committed any sin or error – and we would never say that you know that from a third party but we will say that you saw it yourself – then do you know what you should do? You should conceal it for her! Yes, conceal her sin and do not broadcast it among people. Do you know what the reward is that results from that? You will be concealed by Allaah in this world and in the Hereafter. 

It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever removes a worldly hardship from a believer, Allaah will remove one of the hardships of the Day of Resurrection from him. Whoever grants respite to (a debtor) who is in difficulty, Allaah will grant him relief in this world and in the Hereafter. Whoever conceals (the fault of) a Muslim in this world, Allaah will conceal him (his faults) in this world and in the Hereafter. Allaah will help a person so long as he is helping his brother.” Narrated by Muslim (2699). 

Think about what the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to a man who encouraged an adulterer to admit his sin. He said to him: “If you had concealed him with your garment it would have been better for you.” 

Narrated by Abu Dawood (4377); classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Targheeb (2335). 

Think about the warning issued to the one who exposed his brother’s honour – which you would not do, because your niece’s honour is your honour, and whoever harms her (with regard to her honour) is harming you too.

 It was narrated from Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:  “Whoever conceals the fault of his Muslim brother, Allaah will conceal his faults on the Day of Resurrection. Whoever exposes the fault of his Muslim brother, Allaah will expose his faults even if he did that in his own house.” 

Narrated by Ibn Maajah (2546); classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Targheeb (2338). 

Please excuse us for having spoken at length, which we would not have but for our distress at the severing of family ties which resulted from your niece’s thinking well of people, and our concern about accusations being made unjustly against people’s honour. You did not see anything yourself, and your niece did not confess to any sin, rather she swore an oath to you  and told you about her friend who caused all this trouble for her. What excuse is there for anyone to accuse her or impugn her honour? 

We ask Allaah, may He be blessed and exalted, to help you to do all that is good and to ward off evil and its people from you, and to reconcile between you, and to restore the ties between you and make them stronger than they were before. 

And Allaah is the Source of strength.

He married a second wife and they became Muslim – what should he do with his first wife?

I would appreciate if you can give an immediate answer to this question which has been bothering my new brother who just professes his faith in Islam.  
A man has had a relationship with a woman bearing 2 children during their marriage relationship way back on their own country. In the course of time, the man got a job in Saudi Arabia for contractual basis, leaving his wife and children behind. At the time the man was working in Saudi Arabia, he met a woman and had a relationship with her which bores them 1 child. A civil marriage ceremony was consumated without the knowledge of the first wife which he leave in his own country.  
Now, the couple who both works in Saudi Arabia recently embraced Islam. Since both are new in the religion, fearing they might commit sins/wrongs which is against the teaching of Islam, could you please give us your advise on the following:  
1. what is the Islamic ruling about the relationship mentioned?  
2. what is the man's responsibility as far as to his 2 children from the first wife, and what is his responsibility now to the first wife?  
3. what sins are committed and what to do to avoid this sins?   Further, please give Islmaic advice as regards the siutation stated above.

Praise be to Allaah.  

Firstly: 

We praise Allaah for having guided them to Islam, and we ask Allaah to make them steadfast in Islam until death, so that they may attain the Paradise of Allaah and His good pleasure. We give them the glad tidings that Islam erases whatever sin came before it. No matter what sins a person may have committed, if Allaah then blesses him with guidance to Islam, then he will become cleansed and free from sin as on the day his mother bore him. 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] 

“If they cease” means if they give up their kufr or disbelief by submitting to Allaah alone, with no partner or associate. Tafseer al-Sa’di. 

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Islam erases whatever came before it” (narrated by Muslim, 121) – meaning, of sin. 

Secondly: 

A man does not have the right to form a relationship with a woman who is a stranger (non-mahram) to him. If something of that nature happened before they got married, it is a sin which is recorded against them. If that happened before they became Muslim, then Allaah has forgiven it when they became Muslim. 

If that happened after they became Muslim, then they have to repent from that. Allaah has promised to accept the repentance of the one who turns to Him in repentance. He says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“And He it is Who accepts repentance from His slaves, and forgives sins, and He knows what you do”

[al-Shoora 42:25] 

“And He it is Who accepts repentance from His slaves, and forgives sins, and He knows what you do”

[Ta-Ha 20:82] 

For more information on repentance and its conditions, please see question no. 13990. 

Thirdly: 

There is no sin involved in a man’s marrying a second wife. Allaah has permitted a man to have up to four wives, if he is able to treat them fairly and give them all their rights. He does not have to inform his first wife of his desire to marry a second or that he has already done so. 

Fourthly: 

With regard to the man's duties towards his children and first wife, he has to spend on them according to their needs. What really matters is that he should try to guide them and save them from the Fire, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“O you who believe! Ward off yourselves and your families against a Fire (Hell) whose fuel is men and stones, over which are (appointed) angels stern (and) severe, who disobey not, (from executing) the Commands they receive from Allaah, but do that which they are commanded”

[al-Tahreem 66:6] 

So he must do all that he can to call his wife to Islam and to advise her, and encourage her to embrace Islam. If she refuses then he can still remain married to her and not divorce her if she is from among the People of the Book (i.e., Jewish or Christian). But if she is an idol-worshipper then it is not permissible for her to remain the wife of a Muslim, so in that case he has to divorce her. 

Please see also question no. 9949. 

It should be noted that if one of the parents becomes Muslim and his children are still small (i.e., below the age of adolescence), then they are judged to be Muslim because of his becoming Muslim. But if they are adults or have reached the age of adolescence, then that is not the case. See al-Mughni, 13/115; Ahkaam Ahl al-Dhimmah by Ibn al-Qayyim, 2/507. 

Based on this, if the small children know that Allaah has blessed him and them with guidance to the true religion, then he has to teach them about tahaarah (purity, i.e., wudoo’) and prayer, and other rulings, so that they will grow up with it and get used to doing it, following the command of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): “Teach your children to pray when they are seven years old and smack them if they do not do it when they are ten, and separate them in their beds.”

Narrated by Abu Dawood, 495; classed as saheeh by Shaykh al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’, 5868. 

See also question no. 10016. 

He should not stay here for work and leave his young children exposed to loss and deviation; he should try to bring them here to be with him, so that he will be able to do that which Allaah has enjoined him to do of bringing them up well. If he cannot bring them here then he should be in constant contact with them, corresponding with them and guiding them. It is not permissible for him to neglect them and leave them to be lost. He will be responsible for them on the Day of Resurrection.  

We also encourage our new brother and his wife to learn the rulings of Islam by reading and asking knowledgeable people and reading useful Islamic sites on the internet, and to apply whatever they have learned in the required manner. 

We ask Allaah to make them steadfast and help them to do that which He loves and which pleases Him. 

And Allaah knows best.

There is no clean place to do wudoo’ and pray – should he delay prayer?

I work for an american company, I am the only muslim. there is no clean place or feasible place to perform wadu during the day, and there is no private place to perform salat.. Is it haram to wait until I get home to perform Duhr and Asr salat.

Praise be to Allaah.  

The Muslim has to understand the importance of prayer and the necessity of observing prayer regularly at the appointed times, fulfilling all the conditions and pillars and essential parts of the prayer. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“Verily, As-Salaah (the prayer) is enjoined on the believers at fixed hours”

[al-Nisa’ 4:103] 

It was narrated that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Mas’ood said: I asked the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), “Which deed is most beloved to Allaah?” He said, “Prayer performed on time.” He said, “Then what?” He said, “Honouring one’s parents.” He said,  “Then what?” He said, “Jihad for the sake of Allaah.” 

Narrated by al-Bukhaari (504) and Muslim (85). 

So it is not permissible for the Muslim to delay his prayer beyond the time it is due. Wudoo’ does not require a clean place. Even if we assume that it does, the questioner could make sure that he has wudoo’ before coming to work and keep his wudoo’ so that he can pray on time. 

He has to offer prayer on time. Looking for a clean place where he can perform the prayer is not too difficult. Prayer is valid in any place on earth so long as it is clean and pure. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The earth has been made for me a place of prayer and purification, so whenever the time of prayer comes for any man of my ummah, let him pray.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 335; Muslim, 521. Sharee’ah only excludes from that specific places in which prayer is not valid, which include graveyards and bathrooms. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “All the earth is a place of prostration apart from graveyards and bathrooms.” Narrated by Abu Dawood, 492; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood. 

So the workplace may be a place of prayer if it is clean. If it is not easy then he should look for somewhere else. Asking his bosses to allocate a corner where he can pray is not something that is difficult. 

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said: 

If he deliberately delays the prayer until the time is too short to meet all the conditions and do all the essential parts of the prayer, such as if there is some impure substance on him, or he is junub and delays the prayer so that if he does ghusl the time for prayer will be over, then he has to purify himself first, but he is a sinner because he is doing the prayer at the wrong time. He should have purified himself before the time became too short and prayed on time. When he delays it, then he has to do what is required in the right sequence even though he is a sinner because of his delaying it. 

Sharh al-‘Umdah, 4/58. 

If he is unable to fulfil one of the conditions of prayer being valid – such as tahaarah (purity) – then he should pray on time and he is exempted from this condition. It is not permissible to delay the prayer until its time is over in order to fulfil that condition. 

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said: 

Because those who are obliged to pray when the time for prayer comes, but are unable to fulfil one of its conditions or essential parts at that moment, but will be able to do so after the time for prayer is over, it is not permissible for them to delay the prayer until its time is over. If this were permissible then the one who is unable to purify himself, cover himself, bow or prostrate, or do any other condition or essential part of the prayer would be allowed to delay the prayer until he is able to do that, if he knows or thinks it most likely that he will be able to do it. This is contrary to the Qur’aan, Sunnah and scholarly consensus, because sharee’ah’s concern that the prayer be performed on time is greater than its concern for any other condition or essential part of prayer that cannot be done. Hence it is not permissible to delay the prayer until its time is over because of being unable to do some of the essential parts. When the time for the obligatory prayer is too short and one cannot fulfil the conditions, then doing the prayer on time takes precedence over the conditions. There is only one time when fulfilling the conditions takes precedence over the act itself, which is when the act becomes obligatory towards the end of its time, such as when a sleeper wakes up at the end of the time, in which case the prayer becomes obligatory when he wakes up, and he must fulfil the conditions of prayer. The applies if someone wakes up after the time for prayer is over. 

Sharh al-‘Umdah, 4/347, 348. 

And Allaah knows best.

How to be successful in life

How to obtain success and prosperity in this world and hereafter.What kind of success or prosperity that islam want the ummah islam gain in this world.

Praise be to Allaah.  

Peace of mind, contentment, happiness and freedom from worries and anxiety… these are what everyone wants, and these are the ways in which people can have a good life and find complete happiness and joy. There are religious means of achieving that, and natural and practical means, but no one can combine all of them except the believers; although other people may achieve some of them, they will miss out on others. 

There follows a summary of the means of achieving this aim for which everyone is striving. In some cases, those who achieve many of them will live a joyful life and a good life; in other cases, those who fail to achieve all of them will live a life of misery and hardship. And there are others which are in between, according to what the means he is able to attain. These means include the following: 

1 – Faith and righteous deeds: 

This is the greatest and most fundamental of means. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“Whoever works righteousness — whether male or female — while he (or she) is a true believer (of Islamic Monotheism) verily, to him We will give a good life (in this world with respect, contentment and lawful provision), and We shall pay them certainly a reward in proportion to the best of what they used to do (i.e. Paradise in the Hereafter)”

[al-Nahl 16:97] 

Allaah tells us and promises us that whoever combines faith with righteous deeds will have a good life and a good reward in this world and in the Hereafter. 

The reason for that is clear: those who believe in Allaah – with sincere faith that motivates them to do righteous deeds that change hearts and attitudes and guides them to the straight path in this world and the Hereafter – follow principles and guidelines by means of which they deal with everything that happens to them, be it the causes of happiness and excitement or the causes of anxiety, worry and grief. 

They deal with the things that they like by accepting them and giving thanks for them, and using them in good ways. When they deal with them in this manner, that creates in them a sense of excitement and the hope that it will continue and that they will be rewarded for their gratitude, which is more important than the good things that happen to them. And they deal with bad things, worries and distress by resisting those that they can resist, alleviating those that they can alleviate, and bearing with goodly patience those that they cannot avoid. Thus as a result of the bad things they gain a lot of benefits, experience, strength, patience and hope of reward, which are more important and which diminish the hardships they have undergone and replace them with happiness and hope for the bounty and reward of Allaah. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) expressed this in a saheeh hadeeth in which he said: “How wonderful is the situation of the believer, for all his affairs are good. If something good happens to him, he gives thanks for it and that is good for him; if something bad happens to him, he bears it with patience, and that is good for him. This does not apply to anyone but the believer.” (Narrated by Muslim, no. 2999). 

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told us that the believer is always gaining and the reward for his deeds is always multiplying, no matter what happens to him, good or bad. 

2 – Being kind to people in word and deed, and all kinds of doing good. This is one of the means of removing worry, distress and anxiety. By this means Allaah wards off worries and distress from righteous and immoral like, but the believer has the greater share of that, and is distinguished by the fact that his kindness to others stems from sincerity and the hope of reward, so Allaah makes it easy for him to be kind to others because of the hope that this will bring good things and ward off bad things, by means of his sincerity and hope of reward. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“There is no good in most of their secret talks save (in) him who orders Sadaqah (charity in Allaah’s Cause), or Ma‘roof (Islamic Monotheism and all the good and righteous deeds which Allaah has ordained), or conciliation between mankind; and he who does this, seeking the good Pleasure of Allaah, We shall give him a great reward”

[al-Nisa’ 4:114] 

Part of that great reward is relief from worry, distress, troubles, etc. 

3 – Another of the means of warding off anxiety that stems from nervous tension and being preoccupied with disturbing thoughts is to occupy oneself with good deeds or seeking beneficial knowledge, for that will distract one from dwelling on the matters that are causing anxiety. In this way a person may forget about the things that are making him worried and distressed, and he may become happy and more energetic. This is another means that believers and others have in common, but the believer is distinguished by his faith, sincerity and hope of reward when he occupies himself with that knowledge which he is learning or teaching, or with the good deeds that he is doing. 

The work with which he occupies himself should be something that he likes and enjoys, for that is more likely to produce the desired results. And Allaah knows best. 

4 – Another thing that may ward off worry and anxiety is focusing all one’s thoughts of the present day, and not worrying about the future or grieving about the past. Hence the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) sought refuge with Allaah from worry and regret, from regret for things in the past which one cannot put right or change, and worry which may come because of fear for the future. So one should focus only on the present day, and focus one's efforts on getting things right today. For if a person is focused on that, this means that he will do things properly and forget about worry and regret. When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said a du’aa’ or taught a du’aa’ to his ummah, as well as urging them to seek the help of Allaah and hope for His bounty, he was also urging them to strive to attain the thing they were praying for through their own efforts and to forget about the thing which they were praying would be warded off from them. Because du’aa’ (supplication) must be accompanied by action. So a person must strive to attain that which will benefit him in worldly and spiritual terms, and ask his Lord to make his efforts successful, and he should seek His help in that, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Strive for that which will benefit you and seek the help of Allaah, and do not be helpless. If anything (bad) happens to you, do not say, ‘If only I had done such-and-such, then such-and-such would have happened.’ Rather you should say, ‘Qaddara Allaah wa ma sha’a fa’ala (Allaah decrees, and what He wills He does),’ for (the words) ‘If only’ open the door to the Shaytaan.” (Narrated by Muslim). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) connected the matter of striving to achieve good things with the matter of seeking the help of Allaah and not giving in to feelings of helplessness which are a harmful kind of laziness, and with the matter of accepting things in the past which are over and done with, and acknowledging that the will and decree of Allaah will inevitably come to pass. He described matters as being of two types: 

1 – Matters which a person may strive to achieve or to achieve whatever he can of them, or to ward them off or alleviate them. In such cases a person must strive and make the effort, and also seek the help of Allaah. 

2 – Matters where such is not possible, so he must have peace of mind, accept them and submit to Allaah’s will. 

Undoubtedly paying attention to this principle will bring happiness and relieve worry and distress. 

5 – One of the greatest means of feeling content and relaxed and of acquiring peace of mind is to remember Allaah a great deal (dhikr). That has a great effect in bringing contentment and peace of mind, and relieving worry and distress. Allaah says: 

“verily, in the remembrance of Allaah do hearts find rest”

[al-Ra’d 13:28] 

Remembering Allaah (dhikr) has a great effect in achieving this aim because it has a special influence and because of the hope that it brings of reward. 

6 – Another of the means of bringing happiness and relieving worry and distress is striving to eliminate the things that cause worry and to achieve the things that bring happiness. That may be done by forgetting about bad things in the past which cannot be changed, and  realizing that dwelling on them is a waste of time. So a person must strive to stop himself from thinking of that, and also strive to stop himself from feeling anxious about the future and the things that he may imagine of poverty, fear and other bad things that he thinks may happen to him in the future. He should realize that the future is something unknown, he cannot know what good or bad things are going to happen to him. That is in the hand of the Almighty, the Most Wise, and all that His slaves can do is to strive to attain the good things and to ward off the bad things. A person should realize that if he diverts his thoughts from worrying about his future and puts his trust in his Lord to take care of his situation, and puts his mind at rest concerning that, if he does that, then his heart will be at peace and his situation will improve and he will be relieved of worry and anxiety. 

One of the most effective ways of dealing with worries about the future is to recite this du’aa’ which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to recite: 

“Allaahumma aslih li deeni alladhi huwa ‘ismatu amri, wa aslih li dunyaaya allati fiha ma’aashi, wa aslih li aakhirati allati ilayha ma’aadi, waj’al al-hayaata ziyaadatan li fi kulli khayr, wa’l-mawta raahatan li min kulli sharr (O Allaah, correct my religious commitment which is the foundation of my life, and correct my worldly affairs in which is my livelihood, and grant me good in the Hereafter to which is my return. Make my life a means of accumulating good, and make death a respite for me from all evil).” (Narrated by Muslim, 2720). 

And he said, “Allaahumma rahmataka arju fa la takilni ila nafsi tarfata ‘aynin wa aslih li sha’ni kullahu, laa ilaaha illa anta (O Allaah, for Your mercy I hope, so do not abandon me to myself even for a moment. And correct all my affairs. There is no god but You).” (Narrated by Abu Dawood with a saheeh isnaad, no. 5090; classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Kalim al-Tayyib, p. 49).  

If a person utters these du’aa’s, which ask that his spiritual and worldly affairs may be set right or corrected, with proper presence of mind and sincerity of intention, whilst striving to achieve that, Allaah will grant him what he has prayed for, hoped for and striven for, and He will turn his worry into joy and happiness. 

7 – If a person experiences anxiety and distress because of a disaster, then one of the most effective means of relieving himself of that is to think of the worst scenario to which that may lead, and try to accept that. When he has done that, then he should try to alleviate it as much as possible. By means of this acceptance and these efforts, he will relieve himself of his worries and distress, and instead of worrying he will strive to bring about good things and to deal with whatever he can of the bad things. If he is faced with things that cause fear or the possibility of sickness or poverty, then he should deal with that by striving to make himself accept that, or something even worse, with contentment, because by making himself accept the worst-case scenario, he lessens the impact of the thing and makes it seem less terrible, especially if he occupies himself with efforts to ward it off as much as he can. Thus as well as striving to achieve something good which will distract him from his worries about calamity, he will also renew his strength to resist bad things, and put his trust and reliance in Allaah. Undoubtedly these matters are of great benefit in attaining happiness and peace of mind, as well as bringing the hope of reward in this world and in the Hereafter. This is something which is well known from the experience of many who have tried it. 

8 – Steadfastness of heart and not being disturbed about the imaginary things that bad thoughts may bring to mind. For when a person gives in to his imagination and lets his mind be disturbed by these thoughts, such as fear of disease and the like, or anger and confusion stirred up by some grievous matter, or the expectation of bad things and the loss of good things, that will fill him with worries, distress, mental and physical illness and nervous breakdowns, which will have a bad effect on him and which causes a great deal of harm, as many people have seen. But when a person depends on Allaah and puts his trust in Him, and does not give in to his imagination or let bad thoughts overwhelm him, and he relies on Allaah and has hope of His bounty, that wards off his worries and distress, and relieves him of a great deal of mental and physical sickness. It gives indescribable strength, comfort and happiness to the heart. How many hospitals are filled with the mentally sick victims of illusions and harmful imagination; how often have these things had an effect upon the hearts of many strong people, let alone the weak ones; how often have they led to foolishness and insanity. 

It should be noted that your life will follow your train of thought. If your thoughts are of things that will bring you benefit in your spiritual or worldly affairs, then your life will be good and happy. Otherwise it will be the opposite. 

The person who is safe from all of that is the one who is protected by Allaah and helped by Him to strive to achieve that which will benefit and strengthen the heart and ward off anxiety. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“And whosoever puts his trust in Allaah, then He will suffice him”

[al-Talaaq 65:3] 

i.e., He will be sufficient for all that is worrying him in his spiritual and worldly affairs. The one who puts his trust in Allaah will have strength in his heart and will not be affected by anything he imagines or be disturbed by events, because he knows that these are the result of vulnerable human nature and of weakness and fear that have no basis. He also knows that Allaah has guaranteed complete sufficiency to those who put their trust in Him. So he trusts in Allaah and finds peace of mind in His promise, and thus his worry and anxiety are dispelled; hardship is turned to ease, sadness is turned to joy, fear is turned to peace. We ask Allaah to keep us safe and sound, and to bless us with strength and steadfastness of heart, and complete trust, for Allaah has guaranteed all good things to those who put their trust in Him, and has guaranteed to ward off all bad and harmful things from them. 

If bad things happen or there is the fear of such, then you should count the many blessings that you are still enjoying, both spiritual and worldly, and compare them with the bad things that have happened, for when you compare them you will see the many blessings that you are enjoying, and this will make the bad things appear less serious. 

See al-Wasaa’il al-Mufeedah li’l-Hayaat al-Sa’eedah by Shatkh ‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Sa’di 

Ibn al-Qayyim summed fifteen ways through which Allaah may dispel worries and regret. These are as follows: 

1-     Tawheed al-Ruboobiyyah (belief in the Oneness of Divine Lordship)

2-     Tawheed al-Uloohiyyah (belief in the Oneness of the Divine nature)

3-     Tawheed of knowledge and belief (i.e., Tawheed al-Asma’ wa’l_Sifaat, belief in the Oneness of the Divine names and attributes)

4-     Thinking of Allaah as being above doing any injustice to His slaves, and above punishing anyone for no cause on the part of the slave that would require such punishment.

5-     The person’s acknowledging that he is the one who has done wrong.

6-     Beseeching Allaah by means of the things that are most beloved to Him, which are His names and attributes. Two of His names that encompass the meanings of all other names and attributes are al-Hayy (the Ever-Living) and al-Qayyoom (the Eternal).

7-     Seeking the help of Allaah Alone.

8-     Affirming one's hope in Him.

9-     Truly putting one’s trust in Him and leaving matters to Him, acknowledging that one's forelock is in His hand and that He does as He wills, that His will is forever executed and that He is just in all that He decrees.

10-Letting one's heart wander in the garden of the Qur’aan, seeking consolation in it from every calamity, seeking healing in it from all diseases of the heart, so that it will bring comfort to his grief and healing for his worries and distress.

11-Seeking forgiveness.

12-Repentance.

13-Jihad.

14-Salaah (prayer).

15-Declaring that he has no power and no strength, and leaving matters to the One in Whose hand they are.

 We ask Allaah to keep us safe and sound from worries and to relieve us of distress and anxiety, for He is the All-Hearing, Ever-Responsive, and He is the Ever-Living, Eternal.

 See Alhomoom – Dealing with Worries and Stress, in the Books section of this site.

 And Allaah knows best. May Allaah send blessings and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad and his family and companions.

There is a lot of tabarruj in his country; should he denounce such women in the street?

In my country and especially in the suburb where I live tabbaruj (exhibitionism of women) is widespread. They also imitate the Christians. Shall I denounce this in the street? Will it put me into a temptation? Or shall I just lower my gaze and denounce this evil by my heart?.

Praise be to Allaah.
Enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil is one of the most important commands of Islam, and it is the one of the most important features of the ummah (nation) that possesses much goodness, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“You (true believers in Islamic Monotheism, and real followers of Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم and his Sunnah) are the best of peoples ever raised up for mankind; you enjoin Al-Ma‘roof (i.e. Islamic Monotheism and all that Islam has ordained) and forbid Al‑Munkar (polytheism, disbelief and all that Islam has forbidden)”

[Aal ‘Imraan 3:110]

This involves conditions and etiquettes that have been explained in the answer to question no. 96662.

If denouncing it will lead to a greater evil, then it is not obligatory; rather it is haraam in that case, because Islam came to achieve what is in people’s best interests and to ward off and reduce that which is evil and harmful.

If a young man were to occupy his time in denouncing every adorned woman who crossed his path – in a land where there is a great deal of tabarruj – that may cause him to be tempted and may lead to others thinking badly of him, as well as taking up a lot of his time. Rather he should focus on calling his female relatives and his family, and explaining to them that tabarruj is haraam, and that hijab is obligatory. There is much good in that, and it will reduce the evil.

A number of scholars have stated that if it seems most likely that there will be no response and the person addressed will not benefit, then denouncing it is not obligatory.

Ibn Rushd (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in al-Bayaan wa’l-Tahseel: Enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil is obligatory for every Muslim, subject to three conditions:

1-    That he should know what is right and what is wrong. There is no guarantee that he will not forbid something that is right and enjoin something that is wrong if he is ignorant of the ruling.

2-    The denunciation of evil should not lead to a greater evil, such as if he tells people not to drink alcohol and that may result in murder and the like.

3-    He should know or think it most likely that his denunciation of evil will put a stop to it, and that his enjoining good will be effective and beneficial.

The first two conditions are essential for it to be permissible, and the third condition is essential for it to be obligatory. If the first and second conditions are not met, then it is not permissible to enjoin what is good and forbid what is evil. If the third condition is not met, but the first and second ones are, then it is permissible for him to enjoin what is good and forbid what is evil, but it is not obligatory. End quote from al-Madkhil by Ibn al-Haaj (1/70).

Al-Ghazaali said in al-Ihya’ (2/328): If he knows that his denunciation will be to no avail, but he does not fear any harm, then he does not have to enjoin what is good or forbid evil because it will be to no avail, but it is mustahabb, so as to manifest one of the symbols of Islam and to remind the people of their religion. End quote.

See: al-Furooq by al-Qaraafi (4/255).

From this it may be noted that if it is thought most likely that there will be no response, it is no longer obligatory.

Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

Enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil is a communal obligation (fard kifaayah); if sufficient people undertake it, it is waived for the rest, but if not enough people undertake it, then all the people are obliged to enjoin what is good and forbid what is evil. But it is essential that it be done with wisdom, kindness and gentleness, because Allaah sent Moosa and Haroon to Pharaoh and said (interpretation of the meaning):

“And speak to him mildly, perhaps he may accept admonition or fear (Allaah)”

[Ta-ha 20:44].

As for violence, whether in word or deed, this is contrary to wisdom and is contrary to what Allaah has enjoined.

But sometimes a person may be faced with something and say “This is a well known evil,” such as shaving the beard for example, which everyone knows is haraam – especially those who live in this land (Saudi Arabia) – and he says: if I were to stop every time I see someone with a bare face – and how many of them there are – and tell him not to do this, then I would miss out on a lot of good. In this case, perhaps we should say that the duty of denouncing is waived, because that would cause him to miss out on a lot of good. But if you happen to meet this man in a shop, restaurant or café, in that case it would be good to remind him to fear Allaah and say: This is something haraam, and if you persist in a minor sin then in your case it will become a major sin – and say something appropriate.

Liqaa’aat al-Baab il-Maftooh (110/ question no. 5)

And Allaah knows best.

Playing Qur’aan in the audio chat room in which there is music

What is the ruling on playing Qur’aan in audio chat rooms in which there is music and cameras?.

Praise be to Allaah.
This action is not something that is prescribed in sharee’ah, and it may cause people to be put off Qur’aan and not respect it, and they may want to stop the recitation, in addition to the fact that they will be busy with other things and will not pay attention to it. That may also be accompanied by other evil actions.

The one who wants to offer advice should enter the chat room and explain the shar’i ruling on music and images; it is not sufficient to recite Qur’aan or play a recording.

Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in al-Tibyaan fi Adaab Hamalat al-Qur’aan (p. 92): What should be paid attention to and is showing respect to the Qur’aan and avoiding matters that some negligent reciters do not pay attention to.

For example: not laughing, engaging in idle talk and speaking during the recitation, apart from essential talk, in obedience to the words of Allaah, may He be exalted (interpretation of the meaning): “So, when the Qur’aan is recited, listen to it, and be silent that you may receive mercy” [al-A’raaf 7:204].

That also includes not fidgeting with one’s hands and so on, for one is conversing with one’s Lord, may He be glorified and exalted, so one should not fidget before Him.

That also includes not looking at things that may distract one and not letting one’s mind wander.

Even worse than all of that is looking at that at which it is not permissible to look, such as beardless youths and so on. If those who are attending a gathering of Qur’aan recitation see any of these evils or any others, they should denounce it as much as possible, taking action to stop it if they can or speaking out against it if they cannot take action, otherwise let them denounce it in their hearts. And Allaah knows best. End quote.

Al-Bahooti (may Allaah have mercy on him) narrated in Kashshaaf al-Qinaa’ (1/433) that Ibn ‘Aqeel (may Allaah have mercy on him) stated that it is haraam to read Qur’aan in the marketplaces where people shout to sell their wares, and he quoted him as saying: Hanbal said: Many words and actions are done as acts of obedience by the common folk, but they are regarded as sins by the scholars, such as reading Qur’aan in the marketplaces where people shout to sell their wares, and the people of the marketplace are not able to hear it, and that is a kind of disrespect. End quote.

The following question was addressed to the Standing Committee for Issuing Fatwas:

The specialist hospital has an excellent internal communication system which allows a person to put a caller on hold, and answer another call for a short or long period, then go back to the first caller. During this period when he is on hold, the caller can listen to some appropriate recorded material. We wanted to fill this period with some religious material, such as portions of Qur’aan or hadeeth. But because this religious material may be interrupted with talk about worldly matters which may include serious talk and joking, depending on the status and circumstances of the speakers, we thought that we should consult you first, before we introduce this religious material.

They replied:

Firstly: It is not permissible to put the caller on hold, because that causes annoyance, unless there is a reason for that, such as if the caller is behaving badly and it cannot be stopped except by cutting him off, or if some emergency arises.

Secondly: The Holy Qur’aan is the Word of Allaah, which must be respected and guarded against anything inappropriate such as mixing it with jokes before or after the recitation, or using it as entertainment or something to fill empty time, as you have mentioned. Rather one should intend to listen to it properly with the aim of worshipping Allaah and drawing closer to Him, whilst pondering its meanings and learning lessons from it, not just for entertainment and to fill time. The same applies to the hadeeth of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): it is not permissible to mix them with jokes and chitchat, rather we should pay attention to it and guard it against anything that is inappropriate. The aim should be to learn the rulings of sharee’ah from it and act upon it. End quote.

‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Baaz, ‘Abd al-Razzaaq ‘Afeefi, ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Ghadyaan, ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Qa’ood

End quote from Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah (4/84)

Undoubtedly what is going on in the chat rooms is far more serious than what is mentioned in the question put to the Committee. Hence we say: You must protect the Qur’aan from such situations, for the Qur’aan is too great to be recited alongside music; in that case it may happen that it is being recited to people who are careless and heedless, let alone those who are engaged in haraam things.

We do not advise anyone to enter these websites and programs, apart from daa’iyahs who are equipped with sufficient knowledge and insight to ward off specious arguments and who have strong faith which will help them to resist whims and desires.

People should keep themselves busy with that which will benefit them, and make use of good and decent web sites, for hearts are weak and specious arguments may have a great impact. A person may go in with the intention of offering advice, but will soon become one of those who become confused. We ask Allaah to keep us safe and sound.

May Allaah help us to do that which He loves and which pleases Him.

And Allaah knows best.