The Label of Khawarij upon Muwahideen !!!

Angels and human beings !

 

1 – Angels and Adam (as): 

When Allah wanted to create Adam (as) He informed His angels of that. They asked Him the reason behind that, because they knew that the sons of Adam (as) would cause corruption and shed blood, and they would disobey Allah and disbelieve in Him. He told them that there were reasons for the creation of Adam (as) which they did not know. Allah says in the Quraan: "And (mention, O Muhammad), when your Lord said to the angels, “Indeed, I will make upon the earth a successive authority.” They said, “Will You place upon it one who causes corruption therein and sheds blood, while we declare Your praise and sanctify You?” He (Allah) said, “Indeed, I know that which you do not know." [2:30] 

Their prostration to Adam (as) when he was created:

Allah commanded His angels to prostrate to Adam (as) when He had completed his creation and breathed His soul into him, saying: "(So mention) when your Lord said to the angels: “Indeed, I am going to create a human being from clay. So when I have proportioned him and breathed into him of My (created) soul, then fall down to him in prostration." [38:71-2] 

They responded to the command, except for Shaytaan, as in the Ayah: "So the angels prostrated — all of them entirely. Except Satan; he was arrogant and became among the disbelievers." [38:73-74] 

Ruler who rules by other than Law of Allah...

Question: From the well-known types of ruling by other than what Allah has revealed is the ruler who adhers to the Judgement of Allah outwardly and inwardly, however he makes a judgement based upon a whim and desire in a specific matter, once or twice, and as is well-known he doesn’t disbelieve, according to the Madhab of the Salaf, so is this correct? And what is the ruling on whomever applied Takfeer upon him in a few matters (of ruling by other than the Law of Allah)?

Answer: This matter became obscure to many brothers, that even the murjiah overcame them, and from that is the debate in the recording between (…) and another person who views the kuffr of the ruler that rules by other than the law of Allah, so (…) asked him, what if he ruled in one matter? So he replied: “He doesn’t disbelieve,” he asked in two matters? He replied: “He doesn’t disbelieve,” and (the murji) would keep increasing it bit by bit until he cornered him, and he said to him: “Give me the number which would make him reach kuffr.” So he (the brother) wasn’t able to respond, and the murjiah considered these words as a final decisive blow! Whereas it’s falsely corrupt. 

And to sum it up, the ruler in the likes of this situation is of two types:

Female White/Yellow Vaginal Discharge Pure or Impure?

Since vaginal discharge is a common issue among Muslim women and a subject of controversy among the scholars, we've recently been receiving alot of queries on the subject matter and so we thought its best to cover this topic in detail, which honestly should've been done long back but atleast now than never. So do try to take out some time and read thoroughly.

Regular vaginal discharge has left many sisters confused as to whether:

a) It is Najis (impure) therefore requiring her to wash off undergarments and legs,

b) It breaks one’s Wudhu or not.

Many sisters turn to one of the commonly known website: Islamqa, to find answers about this embarrassing and complicated topic. Many of them then pass along the answers based on the Fatawa posted on the site. To summarize the info on Islamqa states that feminine discharge has been classified into the same categories as the discharge of males, i.e. words from Islamqa Fatwa:

“The water (secretions) of a woman fall into the same categories as water secreted by a man; so maniy [semen; fluid emitted at the point of climax], madhiy [a fluid which is usually secreted as a result of sexual excitement] and wadhiy [a thick, white fluid which may come after urination or due to other reasons such as illness] are all secreted by her.”

It seems like Wadhiy is what is considered a normal vaginal discharge, but, it is also assumed in some of the answers, that the vaginal discharge, other than sexual excitement, is only secreted on specific occasion like after urination or due to a disease.

In another Fatwa there is specific distinction based on color and secretion. However, in this Fatwa the Wadhiy or the regular discharge which is named “moisture,” is not to be washed off the garments but it breaks Wudhu.

After reading these sets of Fatawa, we felt more bewildered than educated on this matter. In our humble opinion, male scholars, no matter how much they research about this subject, cannot fully comprehend the complexity of the situation since they don’t experience it themselves. And as much as we respect the Shayoukh for the sake of Allah on Islamqa, we must respectfully suggest that certain issues need to be taken under consideration before classifying vaginal discharge as a cause of breaking the Wudhu.

First of all, let it be known that all women have vaginal discharge throughout the day. Some have more, some have less; some women always have white discharge and some have yellowish. Additionally, this also varies based on many factors, like age, hormonal changes, marital status, birth control, pregnancy, stress, psychological tension, physical fatigue, ovulation, etc. It would not be incorrect to state that anything and everything not only affects the amount secreted but even the color of it.

This information has been verified by different Gynecologists, one of them answered regarding vaginal discharge:

“Regarding vaginal discharge, yes there is a physiologic or normal discharge that most women have. It can vary from person to person in quantity and quality and vary depending on timing in the menstrual cycle (discharge is greatest at midcycle).”

Keeping this in mind:
1. If regular vaginal discharge breaks Wudhu, then it means that the majority of the women will have to renew their Wudhu for almost each and every prayer. Having to renew Wudhu for each prayer is usually required when a person is going through some sort of “abnormality” in their physique. However, if a discharge is normal, then how can a female be burdened with renewing her Wudhu for almost every Prayer? This basically implies that women cannot stay in the state of Taharah (purity) most of the time. Not only it is a hardship upon women while they are staying inside their homes, but more so if they have to leave the house for shopping, visiting or traveling, etc - at times in many countries and cities it is difficult to find a place to even Pray for a Muslim woman let alone now she must go around looking for a bathroom to renew her Wudhu!

2. Furthermore, if regular vaginal discharge were to be considered Najs in addition to breaking Wudhu, the hardship would be increased even more. How many times a day is it expected of Muslim females to change their undergarments? In the case of being outside her home, she must find a place to wash off her underwear first, then find a place to renew her Wudhu, and then find a place to Pray! In all honesty, we do not believe that Allah would subject women to this great difficulty, Allahu a'laam.

3. Based on the Fatawa points we mentioned above, the vaginal discharge is further classified based on the color and texture. We believe women will easily acknowledge that this is an overly simplistic classification of a very complicated matter. Although, generally each woman knows her “regular” discharge, it can differ in its color and texture at different times of the same day depending on many factors like mental stress, physical stress, ovulation, PMS’ing, etc.

When this question was posed to a Gynecologist, she answered:
“Yes this is definitely true. In my humble opinion, I don’t think that the discharge of women can be compared to that of men, but I don’t treat men, so if you know a Muslim urologist it may be helpful to get some input.”

4. Another point of classification mentioned in Islamqa Fatawa is the fact that female discharge is of two types, one secreting from urethra and the other from the uterus. The first being impure and the latter being pure. This question as well was posed to a Gynecologist to find out if it was even practically possible for women to know which opening the discharge was secreted from, and her reply was:

“I think it is impossible to differentiate based on color or texture.”

If the rulings were so complicated, how would a normal-everyday-average-woman that is not knowledgeable about women’s anatomy be able to cope!

5. In addition to the entire dilemma above, some sisters mentioned yet another predicament with regard to above rulings. What happens when females are at Hajj or Umrah? People are told to eat and drink less especially during hajj so they can maintain their Wudhu for longer periods of time. How practical, during Hajj, is the implication of the ruling that regular vaginal discharge breaks Wudhu! What can the majority of the women do to keep away from a discharge that is secreted from their body REGULARLY and is out of their control? Especially during Hajj, a time when everyone is physically fatigued. During such fatigue, a woman’s body is prone to increase its vaginal discharge, and can even change its color and texture based on the level of stress. Then how can it be expected of a woman to maintain her Wudhu for longer periods of time, unless what is considered by some scholars a cause of breaking the Wudhu, is actually not a cause to break the Wudhu at all.

Because of these factors, this predicament has left many Muslim women frustrated. Many sisters still struggle with distinguishing between the color of what marks the beginning and the end of their menstrual cycle, let alone knowing the different color/texture of daily vaginal discharge. Women of all ages, from young girls to older aunties, of various ethnicities, have discussed the dilemma of the inconsistency of the color of the discharge before and after menstruation. It is simply impossible to distinguish the color on a daily basis especially with such a sensitive situation where the prayer can be nullified based on the wrong judgment.

That is why we fear that digging too much into the color and texture is inviting complications upon ourselves, similar to how it was invited by inquiring too much about the color and texture of the cow. For many of us, this issue has raised more questions than answers. And that makes us think, and Allah knows best, that there must be a reason why there is:

1. Lack of Textual Proof: There is no textual proof from the Quraan and Sunnah at all to make regular vaginal discharge of a Muslim woman a cause of breaking Wudhu. If it was a cause then it would have been explicitly mentioned in at least one narration. It is interesting that there are many narrations explicitly mentioning a number of things breaking the Wudhu, however, regular vaginal discharge has never been mentioned in any one of them.

2. Lack of Questions from the Women of Ansar: We always read about the enthusiasm of the women of the Ansar for learning their religion. It is narrated that Ayesha (ra) said: “How excellent are the women of the Ansar, shyness/modesty does not prevent them from understanding the religion.” [Bukhari]
They would not leave matters in confusion, but would rather find a concrete answer even if it required sending their pads to the Prophet (saws) to find out if their cycle had ended or not. Is it then logical that they would not specifically question about their regular vaginal secretion?
UNLESS, the discharge was considered so normal and regular that it was obvious that it did not break the Wudhu. Perhaps, this situation was similar to the saliva in one’s mouth and how swallowing it while Fasting does not invalidate one’s Fast. But we don’t find any explicit text explaining it neither do we find any companion questioning the Prophet (saws) about it. Maybe because it was common sense and obvious and that’s why no one ever brought up this issue, Allahu a'laam.

It may have been the same reason why no female companion ever brought up the issue of regular vaginal discharge. And, maybe, it was considered common sense that classifying it as a cause to break Wudhu would be a matter of great hardship, and Allah doesn’t intend hardship for us rather He makes matters easy. Similar to how the scholars concluded that since avoiding swallowing of the saliva is extremely difficult while Fasting, and Shari’ah wards off unusual difficulty, then it must not be a cause to break one’s Fast. Likewise, marking vaginal discharge as a reason to break Wudhu, doesn’t correspond with the spirit of ease, for Allah said:

“Allah intends for you ease, and He does not want to make things difficult for you” [2:185]

“Allah does not want to place you in difficulty, but He wants to purify you, and to complete His Favor to you that you may be thankful” [5:6]

“and (Allah) has not laid upon you in religion any hardship” [22:78]

If the textual proof from the Quraan or Sunnah had existed clearly distinguishing vaginal discharge as a cause for breaking Wudhu, as is the case with the other actions that break Wudhu and are mentioned clearly in a number of Ahadith, then we would have withdrawn from the rational argument and would have “heard and obeyed” by Allah’s permission. However, the lack of textual evidence is a strong indication that there is room for logical reasoning.

Moreover like any Fiqhi matter, there is disagreement among the Scholars on this issue too. And it seems that Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen changed his opinion by the end of his life, as stated on Islamtoday.com:
“About vaginal discharge by Sheikh Yusuf al-Qasim: ‘What comes from the vagina, emanating from the birth canal, is pure. It requires neither a ritual bath, nor wudu, nor the washing of affected clothing. The reason for this is the absence of any textual evidence – to the extent of my knowledge – that indicates the impurity of this discharge or that it invalidates a woman’s wudu. This is very pertinent, especially since this discharge is something that affects all women, from the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him) up to today. If it had been impure or if it had nullified wudu, this would have been clarified by the Lawgiver. Also, this discharge is not a waste product – like urine and feces which are the waste products of our food and drink. It is a natural emanation from the womb. This is why it increases with pregnancy, especially during certain months. This ruling is the final opinion that Sheikh al-`Uthaymeen settled upon at the end of his life. It was also the view of Ibn Hazm. And Allah knows best.’

About vaginal discharge also Shaykh Ahmad al-Khalîl said: "The moisture which comes out from women’s vagina is a matter of disagreement among scholars. The most correct rule, in my opinion, is that it is pure and does not invalidate wudu." [Answered by the Fatwa Department Research Committee – chaired by Shaykh `Abd al-Wahhab al-Turayrî]

To conclude, we do believe that since it is a matter that our male Shayookh have not experienced themselves and with no textual reference, they cannot fully comprehend the difficulty of the situation, like they understood the situation of swallowing saliva during the Fast. Nevertheless, we highly respect them and we understand that this is possibly another issue of Ikhtilaaf (disagreement). So if sisters choose to follow their position with their Qiyaas on this issue then by all means the doors of differences of opinions have been left open and we must learn to agree to disagree on matters of Fiqh. As for the sisters, who are confused and find the ruling difficult based on what has been discussed above, then they have a choice, in spirit of Shari’ah’s assurance of ease and simplicity, to consider the REGULAR vaginal discharge as pure and not a reason to break the Wudhu and indeed Allah knows best!

Kashf ash-Shubuhat fit-Tawhid, PART-9

Last week we began speaking about some of the specific misconceptions, or the specific Shubuhat that the Mushrikin try to use to prove their Shirk or to prove that what they’re doing is something acceptable in Islam. When we say Mushrikin here, or the Mushrikun, or the people of Shirk, or the polytheists or whatever we call them here, we’re referring to people who claim Islam, but are actually not upon Islam.

So, they’ve either left Islam, or they’ve never been Muslim to begin with. The reason for this is obviously if they’re trying to prove what they’re doing is correct, by using Ayat from the Qur’an, or hadith from the Prophet (saws), then obviously these are people who are claiming Islam, because a Jew or a Christian, they wouldn’t bring or try to bring Ayat from the Qur’an or hadith from Rasul (saws) to try to say that “what we’re doing is correct”, because they don’t accept the Qur’an to begin with, let alone the Sunnah, and they don’t claim to be Muslimin.

So why would they try to prove that what they’re doing is Islamic, when they don’t even claim to be Muslim to begin with. So, this is something people need to keep in mind that when we’re talking about these misconceptions, it has to do with people who say that they’re Muslimin, but then introduce acts or beliefs, or statements in what they’re doing, trying to pass it off as being Islamic.

Last week we talked about three evidences that they try to use to say that what they’re doing from this Shirk is something acceptable. So, we mentioned three things, one of them was that they say that, we do these acts of shirk when we call upon someone in a grave, or call upon someone who’s alive but not in front of us, or we make sujud to our Shaykh, or whatever else they claim to do, that these are acts of Shirk. But what they will claim, is that they’ll say that this is something that’s Shirk or kufr, and it doesn’t take you out of Islam, and the reason for this is because, we aren’t that these people whether they’re alive or dead, we’re not saying that they control everything, we’re not saying the rizq comes from them, and we’re not saying that these people have the ability to take people’s lives or bring them back to life, and they don’t control the universe and these types of things.

The Perfect Pleasure...

Linguistically, 'aql signifies the act of withholding or restraining.

Blood money is called 'aql because it restrains the victim's family from retaliating.

'Aql is also defined as "knowledge of the qualities of things, of their goodness and their badness, and their perfectness and their defectiveness," and "knowledge of the better of two good things and of the worse of two bad things," and "a faculty whereby is the discrimination between the bad and the good," and a "spiritual light shed into the heart and brain, whereby the soul acquires the instinctive and speculative kinds of knowledge."

So your intellect is called 'aql because it restrains you from doing what isn't suitable or befitting. This makes it one of the most precious gifts Allah has given you, and is why protecting the 'aql is one fifth of the maqasid that the entire Shari'ah was designed to fulfill (e.g., one becomes eligible for a physical beating in public for tasting just a single drop of alcohol).

Likewise, a fifth of the body's oxygen supply is used by the brain. The largest and most complex part of the brain is the cerebrum, which controls thoughts and learning - i.e., the 'aql. Nearly eight centuries ago, Ibn Taymiyyah wrote that "it's said that the 'aql is the brain, as stated by many doctors. This was also stated by Imam Ahmad. A number of his students said that 'aql is rooted in the heart, and it moves to the brain upon maturing. More likely, thoughts and ideas are rooted in the brain, willpower is rooted in the heart, and the soul is connected to both."

Start with yourself !!!

In Da'wah always start with yourself before the members of your family and other people and look at what is lacking in you in order that you may start treating it.

So if there is a common deficiency between you and one of your companions or family members, then join him with you in resolving this problem because the Messenger of Allah (saws) said: “Whoever from amongst you sees an evil he should change it with his hand and if he is not able to, then with his tongue and if he is not able to, then he should hate it in his heart, and that is the weakest level of faith.” [Muslim]

How is your humbleness in prayer?

When our hearts are overloaded with the pressures of life and at the point of exploding, comes the prayer as an outlet where souls can breathe the taste of tranquility, throw the troubles of life away and become happy and calm. However, for a prayer we have to provide it with what makes us Humble. Allah says: "Indeed, they used to hasten to good deeds and supplicate Us in hope and fear, and they were to Us humbly submissive." [21:90]

Read about that which will better your condition and that of your prayer, increase your humbleness in it and soften your heart.

How is your relationship with Allah?

Are you one whose supplications are answered or do you notice most of your supplications not being answered?

Look into your Aqeedah and the level of your certainty and reliance upon Allah, and observe closely your food and drink - are they from that which is Halaal or Haraam or is there some doubt about their source?

Commentary on Attacks on a Shaykh who Forbade Evil of congratulating non-Muslims during their festivals!

As-salāmu ˋalaykum dear brothers and sisters and students of knowledge.

I normally don’t do this, but after recent events and reactions we’ve seen concerning a khutbah our beloved Shaykh Younus Kathrada gave (khutbah was on the ruling of congratulating non-Muslims during their festivals), a few things became abundantly clear – in case they weren’t before. So, I wanted to take a few minutes to highlight what his khutbah brought to light:

1. How blurred the line between īmān (faith) and kufr (disbelief) has become:

I recall many years ago when I read the ḥadīth in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim from ˋĀ’ishah (رضي الله عنها) who narrated that she heard the Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم) say, “The night and the day will not depart [meaning come to a permanent end] until al-Lāt and al-ˋUzzā are worshipped [again],” the first thing that came to my mind back then was how could this ever be possible? How can the worship of these two idols, whose worship was abolished in Arabia for being the very essence of shirk (polytheism), find its way back to relevance and existence? The answer to both these questions is before our faces today: The reality is, many Muslims, especially those who live amongst non-Muslims, either never had a true grasp on the essentials of tawḥīd (monotheism as founded in Islām), or followed blindly those who sold their place in the ākhirah (Afterlife) for a voice in the dunyā (worldly life) – simply to appease the kuffār who will never acknowledge them anyway. Because of this, they take offence when they hear (as though for the first time) the stance of Islām against kufr.

When “Muslims” cannot understand how congratulating a people on a day they take to be the day their ilāh (god) was born on is kufr, then not only have the lines of imān and kufr been blurred, but they’ve been outrightly crossed. Then they will try to argue and say, “But we don’t believe that, so there’s nothing wrong with it.” ANSWER: Everything is wrong with it. It is never acceptable to wish someone a blessed day or time for committing disobedience to Allāh. Would you ever wish someone a “merry” time for committing zinā (adultery)? Or, “Happy murdering spree!” Then how about doing this when they are doing what is worse than zinā or murder? – a point that will be addressed shortly (إن شاء الله).

Sincere Advising OR Shaming ?!?

Al-Haafidh Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali, in his monograph al-Farq bain al-Naseehah w’al-Ta’eer, devotes one section to the topic of “On the Difference between advising about one’s short-comings in order to return from that, and rebuking and scolding for one’s sins.” It reads as follows:

ومن هذا الباب أن يقال للرجل في وجهه ما يكرهه فإن كان هذا على وجه النصح فهو حسن وقد قال بعض السلف لبعض إخوانه: لا تنصحني حتى تقول في وجهي ما أكره.
And from this is that one would tell a man something that he disliked to his face, and if that was with the purpose of sincerely advising him, then that is good. And one of the Salaf said to his brother, “Do not advise me until you can say something to my face which I dislike.”

فإذا أخبر أحد أخاه بعيب ليجتنبه كان ذلك حسناً لمن أُخبر بعيب من عيوبه أن يعتذر منها إن كان له منها عذر وإن كان ذلك على وجه التوبيخ بالذنب فهو قبح مذموم.
Then if one of his brothers informs him of a short-coming in order for him to avoid it, then that is good for the one who was informed of one of his short-comings so that he can be wary of it, if it served as a warning for him. And if that [advising] was with the purpose of rebuking him for his sin, then that is distasteful and blameworthy.

وقيل لبعض السلف: أتحبُّ أن يخبرك أحد بعيوبك؟ فقال: إن كان يريد أن يوبخني فلا.
And it was said to one of the Salaf, “Would you like for someone to inform you of your short-comings?” So he replied, “If he wanted to reprimand me, then no.”

فالتوبيخ والتعيير بالذنب مذموم وقد نهى النبي ﷺ أن تُثَرَّبَ الأمة الزانية مع أمره بجلدها فتجلد حداً ولا تعير بالذنب ولا توبخ به.
So reprimanding and shaming for sins is blameworthy. And the Prophet (saws) prohibited one to blame a slave-woman who commits zinaa (illegal sexual intercourse) with simultaneously commanding him to whip her. So she would be lashed according to the hadd (prescribed punishment) and not shamed for the sin nor reprimanded for it. [see al-Bukhari #2152 and Muslim #1703]

Kashf ash-Shubuhat fit-Tawhid, PART-8

Last week, the last thing we talked about was we began going into essentially the main part of the book which is “Kashf ash-Shubuhat”, and the main part of the book is a refutation of the evidences that some people use to try to justify Shirk and they try to say that, these are evidences from the Qur’an or evidences from the Sunnah that justify making du’a or seeking things from other than Allah. So, what we talked about last week was that the author, he mentioned that there’s two ways of refuting or arguing against these types of misconceptions or these “Shubuhat” that people bring. He said that the first is a general way of refuting, or a “Muj’mal” way of refuting, and the second is a specific way of refuting the evidences that they bring.

So, last week we went over or we began speaking about the general way that we refute these evidences, that they try to bring from the Qur’an and we call it general for a number of reasons, so the first reason is that it’s general, it doesn’t go into the specific evidence that’s mentioned by the people who are trying to call to this Shirk.

So, it’s general in the sense that if someone brings a specific evidence from the Qur’an, and says “this can be used to say that we can make du’a to other than Allah”, that this evidence or this argument that’s general won’t specifically discuss that Ayah, it’ll be a general argument that’s used to refute that.

What we said last week was that the general rules that we know in the Qur’an and we know in the Sunnah, that Allah has forbid Shirk and that Allah has forbid making du’a to anyone other than Him. So, regardless of what evidence the person brings, even if the general person or the laymen or a person who doesn’t have a lot of knowledge on the issue, even if he doesn’t know how to refute this evidence specifically, he can always go back to this general rule, which is that Allah has forbid Shirk, and he can say, “I don’t understand or I can’t refute or discuss this specific evidence that you’ve bought, but I know that in general these things are forbidden in Islam, so whatever you’re trying to argue, must be wrong.” So, if we have a general rule, we can use this to refute these ideas in a general manner.

Rabi’ah al-`Adawiyah

There is a Masjid in Egypt that's called Rabi’ah al-‘Adawiyah. This Masjid is named after the amazing personality - Rabi’ah, she was a 2nd century devout worshipper (‘abidah) from Basra, who was loved, respected, and revered by all those around her; from scholars to lay men, women, and children, from rulers to village-dwellers.
Today, that Masjid continues her legacy as it shelters and holds countless oppressed worshippers in Nasr City, Cairo; burying its martyrs, feeding its poor, and sheltering its oppressed.

To know alittle about this amazing personality, below translated are a few paragraphs from her biography in the books of Siyar for those not well-acquainted with her words of wisdom:

Rabi’ah al-`Adawiyah

Ibn ‘Asim and Riyah al-Qaysi reported: “We witnessed a man going to Rabi’ah al-‘Adawiyah and giving her forty Dinar. He said to her, “Use this to serve your needs.” She wept and raised her head to the sky saying, “He Knows that I am too shy of asking Him for the Duniya although He owns it, so how can I seek to take it from someone who doesn’t even own it?”

§-§

The Doubtful between Halaal and Haraam...

On the authority of Abu 'Abdullah, Al-Nu'man Ibn Bashir who said : 'I heard Allah's Messenger (saws) say: "The Halaal is clear and the Haraam is clear, and in between them there are some things that are doubtful, which most people do not know - if they are Halaal or Haraam - Thus, whoever avoids the doubtful, safeguards his religion and honor, but one who engages in the doubtful, falls in the Haraam. The example of this is like the shepherd who grazes his animals near Al-Hima (i.e. the ground reserved for animals belonging to the king); it is thus quite likely that some of his animals will stray into it (Al-Hima). Every king has a Hima and the Hima of Allah is what He has forbidden. Truly! There is a lump of flesh in the human body; when it is healthy, the whole body is healthy, and when it is corrupted, the whole body is corrupted. Certainly it (this lump) is the heart." [Bukhari and Muslim]

Terminologies

Halaal:
The word Halaal has entered English dictionaries. It literally means lawful. In technical terms, it means the name given to the legal category of things which are permissible in Islam. Halaal is that which has been made lawful through the Qur'an or through the Sunnah of the Beloved Prophet (saws).

According to Islam, 'the first principle established by Islam is that the things which Allah has created and the benefits derived from them are essentially for man's use, and hence are permissible. Nothing is Haraam except what is prohibited by a sound and explicit Nass (Qur'anic verse or clear, authentic and explicit Hadith) from the Law-Giver.'

This leads us to understand that the sphere of forbidden things is very small, while the sphere of permissible things is extremely vast.

NEWS : Makkah Imam slammed for claiming Trump 'steering world to peace' !

Abdul Rahman al-Sudais claims Saudi Arabia and US are leading world to peace and security, sparking outcry on social media!

The imam of the grand mosque of Mecca has claimed Donald Trump, the US and Saudi Arabia are "steering the world to peace", in comments during a visit to New York that sparked an outcry on social media.

Abdulrahman al-Sudais said in a TV interview with Saudi channel Al Ekhbariya that Saudi Arabia and the United States are the "poles of influence in the world".

They are "steering the world and humanity to the ports of security, peace and prosperity," he added, claiming that the two countries should unite to "combat terrorism" and to "realise security and international peace".

The conference, on 'Civilisational communication between the United States of America and the Islamic World', was held by the Muslim World League over two days and attracted representatives of Islamic institutions globally.

Sudais' comments attracted criticism, with the hashtag #SudaisDeclarationDoesNotRepresentMe circulating in Arabic.

Many users criticised Sudais' remarks and his praising of the US.

Saudi Arabia has been at the forefront of a quartet of states boycotting Qatar after accusing it of funding terrorism.

The UAE, Bahrain and Egypt and the Saudis cut diplomatic ties with the tiny Gulf state in June and imposed an air and land blockade.

TO WATCH INTERVIEW CLIP AND READ TWEETS, CLICK SOURCE:

Mecca imam slammed for claiming Trump 'steering world to peace'

Hate For The Disbeliever Or Merely The Disbelief - A Presentation Of The Arguments !

Kashf ash-Shubuhat fit-Tawhid, PART-7

Last week, we finished talking about or we began talking about the issue of having a sufficient amount of knowledge to be able to, first of all know your Tawhid, and to know your religion in a sufficient manner, so that one doesn’t fall into matters of Shirk or kufr. Likewise, to have sufficient amount of knowledge, or that there’s a level of knowledge above this that is needed, in order to be able to refute or to keep away any doubts or any sort of misconceptions that people try to bring and try to have matters of shirk and kufr come into Islam.

We spoke about that these matters are often propagated by different groups, some that are Muslimin but are upon misguidance, and some that are out of the fold of Islam. Certain groups like the Rafidah, and certain groups like the Sufis or what people call Quburiyyun, the people who worship graves and modernists and things like this, that will try to bring things from the Qur’an and things from the Sunnah and try to say that a matter of Shirk and a matter of kufr is actually apart of Islam.

So, there’s two levels of knowledge that’s needed. So first of all, in order to not fall into this ourselves, we need to have a certain amount of knowledge, but likewise we need to have enough knowledge to repel these misguidances and these doubts because someone might know that something’s wrong when they’re told it, or when someone brings it up but they don’t have a sufficient amount of knowledge to disapprove this idea, or to prove to others that it’s a wrong idea and to get rid of this doubt. So, there’s two levels of knowledge that we talked about, so that’s where ended off last week.

The next thing that the author says is that:

“The general person or the lay person from the Muwahhidin.”

So, meaning from the Muslimin, the people of Tawhid.

“…has the ability to beat 1000 of the scholars of the Mushrikin. As Allah said, “And our soldiers, they will be the ones who are victorious.” [37:173]

And then he continues, and he says: 

“So the army of Allah, or the soldiers of Allah [in this context, he’s referring to the Muslimin], they are those who are victorious when it comes to there proofs on their tongue, just as they are the ones who are victorious with their swords and their spears.”So, meaning, just as they’re victorious on the battlefield when they fight, they’re also the ones who are victorious when it comes to arguing for Tawhid and arguing against Shirk.

Then he said: 
“The only thing that is feared is for the Muwahhid or the person of Tawhid [so in this context, he’s referring to the Muslimin] is to go about this path [calling to Tawhid] but they don’t have the sufficient amount of weapons.”

So, what he’s referring to here is someone who gets involved in this matter, calling to Tawhid and arguing against Shirk, but they don’t really know, they don’t have a sufficient amount of knowledge to refute these types of things. So this is what’s feared, someone may get involved in this issue, and they’re on the truth, and they know what’s wrong, but then they get themselves involved in arguments, and they get themselves involved in discussions. That even though they’re correct, they don’t know how to refute these ideas and because of this, people listening or people who are sitting around while this is going on, it looks to them that this person doesn’t know what he’s talking about  and therefore they might follow the thing that is wrong.

So, this is what the author says, this is why he says it. Here he refers to the general lay person being able to beat 1000 of the scholars of the Mushrikin. So, what he means here is that, or the reason for this is because something that’s wrong can’t be right, it’ll never be right, Shirk, so something that’s an insult to Allah, regardless of how many people follow it or how many people call to it, it’s never something that will be correct.

So, as long as the person is on Tawhid, then he is able to beat the scholars of Shirk on this matter. This doesn’t mean he’ll always win an argument clearly because he might not know how refute what’s being said or he might not know what to say to these people, but the fact he’s still upon Tawhid and that he knows Shirk is wrong, then this is something that’s sufficient for him to be considered that he was victorious, or he was the one who won in this situation.

When we say people who are lay people or people who are ‘ammi’, so that’s what the author refers to here, literally it translates to someone who is illiterate or unlettered. There’s a number of different types that we can talk about for this, so one is called “Amm-il harfi wa’l qira’a”, or someone who is illiterate when it comes to reading or writing and this is also what could be called “al-Ummi”, so when Allah referred to the Prophet (saws), He referred to him as “al-Ummi”, and this has nothing to do with the amount of knowledge, all it means is that the person can’t read or write.

The second type is what we say is that he’s an “Ammi”, it can be when it relates to his belief. So, he’s a lay person, he has no knowledge when it comes to his beliefs, and this, we would call someone who’s not upon Islam because obviously someone who’s upon Islam opposed to someone who isn’t upon Islam, the person who’s Muslim would be considered one of knowledge, and the person who’s on Shirk, would be considered someone of ignorance.

The last one, and this is what the author’s referring to here is the “Ammi” from the Muwahhidin, or the general lay person from the Muwahhidin, or from the Muslims. In this context, we call him an “Ammi” or someone who’s a lay person, merely because he doesn’t know the arguments, or he doesn’t know the evidence from the Qur’an and the Sunnah to prove his beliefs. He’s on the correct beliefs but he doesn’t have the evidence to prove them. So, he might be correct in and of himself and be safe in and of himself because he’s upon Tawhid, but his benefit doesn’t go further than that and he can’t benefit people beyond himself in that sense. 

The next point to talk about is when Allah said that the victory will be for the Muslimin or His ‘jund’. There’s a number of different types of ‘ghalabah’ or victory, or being victorious that we can talk about.

The first is the victory that is related to being upon the correct ‘Aqidah. So just being upon the correct ‘Aqidah is already a type of victory because if we know that the vast majority of the people aren’t upon Islam, and the people who are in Islam, according to the hadith of the Prophet (saws) when he said: “This Ummah will be divided into 73 sects, all of them are in the Fire except for one.” We know that the vast majority of people who attribute themselves to Islam aren’t upon the correct Islamic belief. They’re still Muslimin, but they still have these misguidances. So, the fact that the person’s upon the correct beliefs, this in and of itself is a victory.

The second type of ‘ghalabah’ or the second type of victory is when Allah gives you victory in the sense that you’re able to stay steadfast upon what your beliefs are, so whether it relates to people bringing you misguidances or misconceptions and you’re able to refute them, and you’re able to stay away from following them. Or if it becomes to someone is being put through trials in the dunya that’s related to the religion and someone is able to stay steadfast upon the religion, then this is also a type of victory. This is what Allah referred to when He said,

“It is those who believe, and confuse not their belief with dhulm [meaning Shirk], for them there is security and they are the ones who are guided.” [6:82]

So, here Allah referred to those who are upon Islam and don’t then perform any Shirk that they are the ones who are safe and have security, and they’re the ones who are guided. And Allah said,

“Allah will keep firm those who believe with the word that stands firm in this world and the Hereafter, and Allah will cause to go astray those who are dhalimin and Allah does whatever He wills.” [14:27]

Allah also said,

“As for those who strive hard in Our Path, we will surely guide them to Our Paths, and verily Allah is with the Muhsinin.” [29:69]

And lastly, Allah said,

“O you who believe, if you support Allah, He will support you and make your foothold firm.” [47:7]

So, here Allah mentioned a number of situations which if the person stays steadfast upon the religion, and that’s whether it is related to misconceptions that are brought to them, or whether it’s related to trials that are bought to them in the dunya with regards to their wealth, or with regards to their self or their family, that if the person stays steadfast upon this, then Allah will give him the means to stays steadfast as long as the person is sincere. So, this is the second type of victory.

The third is that if the person dies upon something good, so meaning they at the very least die upon Islam and in a better situation. They die in a good state, so maybe while they’re praying, or they die while making da’wah or they die while fighting for Islam or something like this. So, this is the last type of victory, and that’s similar to when Allah mentioned in Surat al-Buruj about ‘Ashab al-Ukhdud’, that these people were killed and all of them were killed but despite that, Allah said that they were victorious.
“That is the great victory” [85:11]

So, Allah said this about them and the only reason that was said about them because they died upon Tawhid, and they died upon what Allah was pleased with. So, this is a bit about the issue of ghalabah.

There’s also a second way of looking at victory, the first way we looked at victory relates to the actual victory itself so what is considered victory. The second type we look at is how will the victory come.

So, the author mentioned two types, the first was the victory or the ghalabah as it relates to proofs and arguments, so meaning that if someone is upon Islam, and they’re calling to Tawhid, then they will be victorious with regards to the proof that they use and the arguments that they have and the reason for that is…we know that Tawhid is correct and Shirk is something that’s false so it can never be proven that Shirk is something that’s correct. So, maybe the person in and of himself can’t argue for it and can’t prove it with his words, but in and of itself, what he’s arguing for is something that’s correct, and this is what the author referred to.

The second is the type that relates to fighting itself when it comes to weapons and this is the type that sometimes the Muslimin will be victorious with it and sometimes they won’t be. We know in the time of the Sahabah, there were certain battles that they lost and in the time of the Tabi’in and so on and all the way down, we know that there’s sometimes Allah will give the Muslimin victory, like physical victory and sometimes He won’t, but when it comes to arguing on behalf of Tawhid, then we know that it will always be something that is victorious.

The next part that the author mentioned as I quoted before is that what’s feared is the one who goes about this path and doesn’t have the sufficient amount of weapons. So, meaning that he doesn’t have a sufficient amount of knowledge and a sufficient amount of proof for what he’s arguing for.

So, what we fear for him is two things, one is that he might actually be taken astray, so maybe if he doesn’t have sufficient knowledge and he doesn’t have enough knowledge and enough studying that he’s done with regards to the issues of Shirk, he might actually be convinced and taken astray by people who bring misconceptions about Islam. The second type is that even if he doesn’t have enough knowledge or he doesn’t go astray when it comes to matters of Shirk, he might at the same time not be able to prove to other people how these things are false.

So, he might not be convinced by these Shubuhat or these misconceptions that people bring to him with regards to Shirk, but at the same time we fear for him. We fear for the person who doesn’t have enough knowledge, he might not be able to convince others so he’ll get himself in a situation where he might look like he doesn’t know what he’s talking about or he might look like what he’s calling to is incorrect because he doesn’t really know how to speak on behalf of Islam the way he should. So, these are two ways that we would fear for someone who doesn’t have enough knowledge.

The next point that the author says is he says:
“And Allah has given us a virtue in His Book as He’s made it a clarification for everything, and a guidance and a Mercy and a clear call or giving of glad-tidings for Muslimin, and that no person of falsehood with come with a proof, except that in the Qur’an we find something that would negate it and show that it’s something false as Allah said, “And no example or similitude that they bring but we reveal to you the truth and a better explanation thereof.” [25:33]”

And then he said:
“And some of the scholars of Tafsir have said this verse is general with regards to every argument or proof that someone of falsehood comes with until the Day of Resurrection.”

So, here the author is saying that the Qur’an contains evidence to refute everything that a person of falsehood comes with. So, if we know that in general, Tawhid is correct, regardless of any argument someone brings, whether they try to bring it from the Qur’an or from the Sunnah or from the statement of the Sahabah and their actions, or anything after, if they try to bring something to show that a matter of Shirk is correct. We know for a fact that in the Qur’an we’ll find something that will refute this and show it’s incorrect. Likewise, whether it’s with regards to Shirk or whether it’s with regards to kufr, or whether it’s with regards to something against the Sunnah, anything that’s wrong, in the Qur’an will find something that will be an argument against this and a proof to show that it’s actually wrong.

So, this is what the author said next, after this he goes into the second part of the book. So, as we talked about when we first started this book, it’s divided into a number of categories or a number of sections. The first was a general introduction to the book and to why it’s being discussed and some of the points that need to be known before he goes into the actual crux of the book. The second part is mentioning the misconceptions and the doubts that people bring about Islam, particularly by the people of Shirk, to mention what they say as argument and then to refute them, so this is the second part of the book which we’re starting now.

This we can say is also two parts, so the first is a general refutation, so the author will give us some arguments and some evidence from the Qur’an and the Sunnah that gives us a proof and gives us strength to able to look at any argument that’s bought, that is calling to Shirk and anything else that’s false, it gives us enough proof to refute this in general.

So, we might not be able to use it to look at every evidence that they bring and say, “This evidence is wrong because of this and this.” He will give us some general rules for us to say if we hear something that’s against Islam, we can use this general rule to refute it. The second part of this section, he brings specific evidence that they use from the Qur’an and shows how each one of these evidences is something that’s wrong. So, we won’t get through all this section today, we’ll start with part of it.

So, the first is the general refutation or the general ‘Radd against some of these misconceptions. So, the author says:
“And I’ll mention some of these things to you that Allah mentioned in His Book as a refutation or an answer to the words which are used as evidence by the people of Shirk or the Mushrikun in our time. So, we say that answering the people of falsehood, there’s two ways to do so. First is general and the second is specific. As for the general rule or the general answer we give them, then this is the great matter and the important benefit to those who can understand it. And that is His statement: “It is He Who sent down to you the Book, in it are Verses that are entirely clear, they are the foundations of the Book, and others not entirely clear...”

And then He continues,
“So as for those in whose hearts there is a deviation, they follow that which is not entirely clear, seeking fitnah, and seeking its hidden meanings.”’ [3:7]

Then he continues and says:
“That it’s authentic from the Prophet (saws) that he said, “If you see those who follow that which isn’t clear from it [meaning from the Qur’an], then those are the ones who Allah has mentioned or has labelled so beware of them.” An example of this is, some of the Mushrikin say, “No doubt, indeed the awliya or the allies of Allah, no fear shall come to them, nor shall they grieve.” [10:62]”

So, he says that if we look at this Verse from Surah Ali-‘Imran, then we understand that Allah revealed two types of Ayat in the Qur’an.

So, the first, is that which is clear and there’s no way of anyone misinterpreting it, and there’s no doubt about what it means, and the second types which aren’t entirely clear, and that someone can try to use this Verse as an argument for something that’s false. Allah told us that there’ll be people who follow these unclear Verses, or Verses that might have some ways of misinterpreting them and they follow these ones, or they follow these Verses as a means to make fitnah and they try to use these Verses to say, this is from Islam, this is what the Qur’an says, this is something correct and they’ll bring a Verse that really doesn’t prove what they’re saying but someone could interpret it that way, or someone might look at it and say “I could see how it could mean that.”

Then he mentioned that the Prophet (saws) said that if you see the people who do this, then these are who Allah warned us about so beware of them, so meaning stay away from them. Then he gave an example of this, the Verse when Allah said, which means that the allies of Allah, there’s no fear upon them and they’ll never grieve.

So, this is where we are at this point so then they say:
Meaning the Mushrikin will say that the Shafa’a or the intercession, meaning when someone intercedes on our behalf to Allah, this is something that’s correct, and it’s done by the Anbiya, and its done by the Shuhada, and it’s done by the Salihin and so on.

So, if we know this and we know that there’s no fear for them, then according to them, they say it only makes sense for us to then make du’a to these people and ask them for Shafa’a for us, because why would we ask Allah ourselves when we’re very low, and we don’t have knowledge, and we’re not very pious. But these people were and the Anbiya received Wahi from Allah, or revelation and they were protected from major sins, and they were protected from making mistakes in regards to da’wah, and for example, the Prophet (saws), we know that all of his sins were forgiven, and we know that all the rewards that Allah has promised him, so why would we ask Allah for something. Let’s ask the Prophet (saws) to then ask Allah for us, because if Allah loves the Prophet (saws) more than us, he’ll more likely have his du’a answered than us, and they’ll say Allah said this, isn’t this correct.

So, they’ll bring things like this that each of them in and of themselves are correct, but if we put it together, it’s a completely false concept. So, the author says that this is an example of this, that they’ll bring this verse. He mentions that what we first need to know is that this is something that the people of falsehood will do, they’ll bring things that aren’t clear, and they’ll try to prove something that is completely against Islam, and he said that even someone who doesn’t know the specific answer to this, or how to answer this verse, if they know a general rule, and they know a general concept in Islam, this will be sufficient for them to refute this.

Then he gave the example when Allah said,
“and they worship besides Allah, things that hurt them not nor profit them, and they say, “These are interceders with Allah.” Say: “Do you inform Allah of that which He knows not in the Heavens and in the Earth.” Glorified is He above all that which they associate partners with Him.” [10:18] 

So, the author continues and says:

“This is something that’s very clear, and no one can change its meaning, and that which you mention to me O you Mushrik [he’s giving us how to argue with someone who calls to shirk], that which you mention to me from the Qur’an or the statement of the Prophet (saws), I don’t know what it means, but I know that the words of Allah do not contradict each other, and that the words of the Prophet (saws) do no contradict the words of Allah. This is a very good answer, but most people will not understand it, except those who Allah has given tawfiq to, or success too, so do not take it as something light, as He has said, “But none is granted it, except those who are patient, and none is granted it except the owner of a great portion.” [41:35] 

So, here he’s saying that if we understand this general argument which is that, if we look at what the Mushrikin did at the time of the Prophet (saws), the claim that those who they were worshipping were at a higher status than them, so they would make du’a to them, to make du’a to Allah.

So, now when a mushrik comes to you, whether he claims Islam or not, whether he’s from a sect within Islam, or whether he’s from a sect outside of Islam, he tries to claim that this is something correct, and they’ll say that, this person will make Shafa’a or that we’re making du’a to this person, that if we know that Allah at the time of the Prophet (saws) called these people Mushrikin and he judged them as being disbelievers because they did this same act, then we know that whatever proof you bring to us to try to validate this, to make it to be something that’s correct, we know that it’s wrong.Doesn’t matter what evidence you bring us, even if I don’t know how to answer this specific evidence, I know that it was wrong in the time of the Prophet (saws) so it’s wrong now. Even if I don’t understand, maybe you bring me a hadith that’s weak, if I don’t know that it’s weak, it doesn’t matter because I know that it’s incorrect because it was incorrect at the time of the Prophet (saws).

So, this is where the author stops with regards to the general answer, so insha’Allah we’ll stop there, next week I’ll comment a bit about the general answer, and next week we’ll get into the specific doubts or misconceptions some of the mushrikin use to try to justify their Shirk from the Qur’an, and then we’ll talk about how to refute those insha’Allah. Wallahul A’lam. 

Kashf ash-Shubuhat fit-Tawhid #7 [Transcribed] - By Shaykh Haytham Sayfaddeen

TO BE CONTINUED INSHA'ALLAH...

TO READ MORE, CLICK:

• Kashf ash-Shubuhat fit-Tawhid, PART-1
• Kashf ash-Shubuhat fit-Tawhid, PART-2
• Kashf ash-Shubuhat fit-Tawhid, PART-3
• Kashf ash-Shubuhat fit-Tawhid, PART-4
• Kashf ash-Shubuhat fit-Tawhid, PART-5
• Kashf ash-Shubuhat fit-Tawhid, PART-6
• Kashf ash-Shubuhat fit-Tawhid, PART-8
• Kashf ash-Shubuhat fit-Tawhid, PART-9
• Kashf ash-Shubuhat fit-Tawhid, PART-10
• Kashf ash-Shubuhat fit-Tawhid, PART-11
• Kashf ash-Shubuhat fit-Tawhid, PART-12 
• Kashf ash-Shubuhat fit-Tawhid, PART-13 
• Kashf ash-Shubuhat fit-Tawhid, PART-14
• Kashf ash-Shubuhat fit-Tawhid, PART-15
• Kashf ash-Shubuhat fit-Tawhid, PART-16
• Kashf ash-Shubuhat fit-Tawhid, PART-17
• Kashf ash-Shubuhat fit-Tawhid, PART-18
• Kashf ash-Shubuhat fit-Tawhid, PART-19 (LAST)