For children, - Sincerity (Ikhlas) in Islam: Three Persons in a Cave(Sincere Faith and Worship)

Share

Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) has related: "Three persons from the tribe of Bani Israel got together and started out on a journey. On the way, clouds gathered above them and it started to pour with rain and so they sought shelter in a nearby cave.
Suddenly, a large boulder slipped and blocked the entrance to the cave, trapping the three inside and transforming the day into a dark night for them. They had no other alternative except to turn to Allahn (SWT) for help.
"Let us use our sincere deeds as a means to obtain deliverance from this predicament," suggested one of them. All the others agreed with the suggestion.
One of them said, "O' Lord! You are aware that I have an extremely attractive cousin and that I was infatuated and obsessed with her. One day, finding her alone, I took hold of her and wanted to satisfy my carnal desires, when she spoke out to me saying: O' My cousin! Fear Allah (SWT) and do not harm my chastity. Hearing this, I crushed my lustful tendencies and decided against the evil act. O' Lord! If that deed of mine had been out of absolute sincerity and only for the purpose of acquiring Your pleasure, deliver us from grief and perdition."
Suddenly they witnessed that the huge boulder had moved away a little, faintly brightening up the interior of the cave.
The second person spoke out, "O' Lord! You know that I had a father and a mother, so old that their bodies had bent over due to their excessive age, and that I used to tend to them regularly. One night, having brought them their food, I observed that both of them were asleep. I passed the entire night near them, the food in hand, without waking them up for fear of disturbing them. O' Lord! If this deed of mine had been only for the sake of Your pleasure and happiness, open up a way for us and grant us salvation."
As he completed his speech, the group noticed that the boulder had moved aside a little more.
The third person supplicated, "O' Knower of every hidden and manifest! You know Yourself that I had a worker who used to work for me. When his term had reached its termination, I handed over to him his wages, but he was not pleased and desired more and, in a state of dissatisfaction and displeasure, he went away. I used his wage to purchase a goat, which I looked after separately and very soon I had a flock in my possession. After a period of time, the worker again approached me for his wage and I pointed towards the flock of sheep. Initially, he thought I was ridiculing him, but later, realizing my seriousness, took the entire flock and left. O' Lord! If this act had been prompted by sincerity and had only been for Your pleasure, deliver us from this quandary."
At this point the entire boulder moved aside from the mouth of the cave and all three emerged from it, joyous and ecstatic, and continued their journey.

Share

For children, - Sincerity (Ikhlas) in Islam: Three Persons in a Cave(Sincere Faith and Worship)

Share

Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) has related: "Three persons from the tribe of Bani Israel got together and started out on a journey. On the way, clouds gathered above them and it started to pour with rain and so they sought shelter in a nearby cave.
Suddenly, a large boulder slipped and blocked the entrance to the cave, trapping the three inside and transforming the day into a dark night for them. They had no other alternative except to turn to Allahn (SWT) for help.
"Let us use our sincere deeds as a means to obtain deliverance from this predicament," suggested one of them. All the others agreed with the suggestion.
One of them said, "O' Lord! You are aware that I have an extremely attractive cousin and that I was infatuated and obsessed with her. One day, finding her alone, I took hold of her and wanted to satisfy my carnal desires, when she spoke out to me saying: O' My cousin! Fear Allah (SWT) and do not harm my chastity. Hearing this, I crushed my lustful tendencies and decided against the evil act. O' Lord! If that deed of mine had been out of absolute sincerity and only for the purpose of acquiring Your pleasure, deliver us from grief and perdition."
Suddenly they witnessed that the huge boulder had moved away a little, faintly brightening up the interior of the cave.
The second person spoke out, "O' Lord! You know that I had a father and a mother, so old that their bodies had bent over due to their excessive age, and that I used to tend to them regularly. One night, having brought them their food, I observed that both of them were asleep. I passed the entire night near them, the food in hand, without waking them up for fear of disturbing them. O' Lord! If this deed of mine had been only for the sake of Your pleasure and happiness, open up a way for us and grant us salvation."
As he completed his speech, the group noticed that the boulder had moved aside a little more.
The third person supplicated, "O' Knower of every hidden and manifest! You know Yourself that I had a worker who used to work for me. When his term had reached its termination, I handed over to him his wages, but he was not pleased and desired more and, in a state of dissatisfaction and displeasure, he went away. I used his wage to purchase a goat, which I looked after separately and very soon I had a flock in my possession. After a period of time, the worker again approached me for his wage and I pointed towards the flock of sheep. Initially, he thought I was ridiculing him, but later, realizing my seriousness, took the entire flock and left. O' Lord! If this act had been prompted by sincerity and had only been for Your pleasure, deliver us from this quandary."
At this point the entire boulder moved aside from the mouth of the cave and all three emerged from it, joyous and ecstatic, and continued their journey.

Share

Sacrifices, Dought & clear, - * Is it permissible forthe one who wants to offer an udhiyah to comb her hair using a hairdryer?

Share

Is it permissible for the one who wants to offer an udhiyah to comb her hair using a hairdryer, seeing that some of her hair will inevitably fall out when using it?
Praise be to Allah.
It is not permissible for the one who wants to offer an udhiyah to remove anything from his hair, nails or skin, once the month of Dhu’l-Hijjah begins, until he has offered his udhiyah, because the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “When the ten (days of Dhu’l-Hijjah) begin, and one of you wants to offer a sacrifice, let nothing touch his hair or skin.”
Narrated by Muslim (1977).
With regard to combing the hair, if he combs it gently without deliberately causing hair to fall out, then that is permissible and there is nothing wrong with it, especially for women, because their need to wash and comb their hair is greater.
But if dealing with the hair will cause hair to break or fall out, then it is not permissible, because that comes under the ruling on removing some of it, and the one who wants to offer an udhiyah is forbidden to remove anything of the hair; in that regard he is like the pilgrim in ihram.
It says inal-Mawsoo‘ah al-Fiqhiyyah(11/179): If the pilgrim in ihram is certain that hair will fall out as a result of combing it, then there is no difference of opinion among the fuqaha’ that doing so is haraam in that case. End quote.
Al-‘Iraqi said inTarh at-Tathreeb(5/33): Undoing the hair and combing it are permissible when in ihram, if that will not lead to hair falling out. End quote.
The scholars of the Standing Committee said: The one who wants to offer an udhiyah should not remove anything from his hair, nails or skin once the month of Dhu’l-Hijjah begins, until he has offered his sacrifice. As for combing the hair without cutting it, there is nothing wrong with that.
End quote fromFataawa al-Lajnah ad-Daa’imah(11/428)
Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked: I decided to offer an udhiyah but a few days after the beginning of Dhu’l-Hijjah I combed my beard and some hairs fell out when I combed it; should I comb it or not?
He replied: If any hairs fall out of the beard when combing it, without you doing that deliberately, that is pardoned, because they are regarded as dead hairs. The same applies if any hair falls from the head or beard of the pilgrim in ihram when he does wudoo’ or ghusl, without him doing that deliberately; it is pardoned because it is dead hair. The same ruling applies to the one who decides to offer an udhiyah after the first ten days have begun. What is prohibited is deliberately cutting something of that after entering ihram or after the first ten days of Dhu’l-Hijjah have begun, for the one who intends to offer an udhiyah.
End quote fromFataawa Islamiyyah(2/713)
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked: What is the ruling on combing the hair during the month of Dhu’l-Hijjah, before offering the udhiyah, for one who is not doing Hajj?
He replied:
When the first ten days of Dhu’l-Hijjah begin, if a person intends to offer an udhiyah, then he is not allowed to remove anything of his hair, nails or skin. But if a woman needs to comb her hair during these days, and she intends to offer an udhiyah, there is nothing wrong with her combing her hair, but she should do so gently. Then if any hair falls out without intending it to, there is no sin on her, because she did not comb her hair for the purpose of making it fall out; rather it was for the purpose of making it neat, and the hair fell out without her intending it to.
End quote fromNoor ‘ala ad-Darb(9/5 8)
To sum up:
Combing the hair is not haraam for the one who wants to offer an udhiyah. A woman should comb her hair gently, and if any dead hairs fall out, there is no blame on her. The same applies if any of her hairs break without intending them to; there is no blame on her.
But if a person deliberately cuts the hair, or knows or thinks it most likely that combing will make some hair that is not dead fall out, then he should not do that.
If the hairdryer helps with combing and tidying the hair, and will not cause any but dead hair to fall out, then there is nothing wrong with using it.
But if it is known that using it will lead to breakage of the hair and causing it to fall out, then it is not permissible.
And Allah knows best.

Share

Sacrifices, Dought & clear, - * Is it permissible to offer a pregnant animal as an udhiyah?

Share

Is it permissible for us to offer a pregnant animal as an udhiyah? If that is permissible, then what should we do with the foetus?
Praise be to Allah.
Firstly:
The udhiyah is one of the rituals of Islam that is prescribed by the Book of Allah, may He be exalted, and the Sunnah of His Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), and by the consensus of the Muslims. This has been discussed in fatwa no. 36432.
For information on the conditions of the udhiyah, please see fatwa no. 36755.
Secondly:
The scholars differed as to whether it is permissible to offer a pregnant livestock animal as an udhiyah. The majority are of the view that it is permissible to offer it as an udhiyah, and they did not mention pregnancy among the faults or defects that render an animal unacceptable as an udhiyah.
The Shaafa‘is differed from that, and were of the view that a pregnant animal should not be offered as an udhiyah.
It says inal-Mawsoo‘ah al-Fiqhiyyah al-Kuwaitiyyah(16/281):
The majority of fuqaha’ did not mention pregnancy as a defect with regard to the udhiyah, apart from the Shaafa‘is, who stated clearly that a pregnant animal is not acceptable as an udhiyah, because pregnancy affects the meat. End quote.
It says inHaashiyat al-Bujayrami ‘ala al-Khateeb(4/335), which is a Shaafa‘i book:
The pregnant animal is not acceptable, and this is the view of our madhhab, because pregnancy affects the meat. Rather it is regarded as acceptable in the case of zakaah, because what is sought in that case is the offspring, not the quality of the meat. End quote.
The correct view is that a pregnant livestock animal is acceptable as an udhiyah, if there is no other defect in it. Shaykh Muhammad ibn Ibraaheem (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
It is acceptable to sacrifice a pregnant sheep, if it is free of the defects mentioned in conjunction with sacrificial animals.
End quote fromFataawa wa Rasaa’il ash-Shaykh Muhammad ibn Ibraaheem(6/146)
Thirdly:
If the foetus is extracted alive, then it should be slaughtered in the prescribed manner and may be eaten.
Ibn Qudaamah said inal-Mughni(9/321):
If it is extracted alive and in stable condition, and it could be slaughtered, but it is not slaughtered until it dies, then it is not regarded as having been slaughtered in the prescribed manner. Ahmad said: If it is extracted alive, then it must be slaughtered in the prescribed manner, because it is a separate soul. End quote.
If it is extracted dead, then the majority of scholars are of the view that it may also be eaten, because it is as if it was slaughtered when its mother was slaughtered in the prescribed manner.
Abu Dawood (2828), at-Tirmidhi (1476 – and he classed it as saheeh), Ibn Maajah (3199) and Ahmad (10950) narrated from Abu Sa‘eed that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “The foetus is slaughtered when its mother is slaughtered (in the prescribed manner).” Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani inSaheeh al-Jaami‘(3431).
This – as we have mentioned – is the view of the majority of scholars, with the exception of the Hanafis.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said inMajmoo‘ al-Fataawa(26/307):
Sacrificing a pregnant animal as an udhiyah is permissible. If the foetus is extracted dead, then its slaughter was the slaughter of its mother, according to ash-Shaafa‘i, Ahmad and others, regardless of whether it had any hair or not. If it was extracted alive, then it should be slaughtered.
The view of Maalik is that is if it had hair, it is permissible, otherwise it is not.
According Abu Haneefah, it is not permissible unless it is slaughtered in the prescribed manner after it is extracted. End quote.
This issue has previously been discussed in detail, and we noted that some of the scholars regarded it preferable not to eat the foetus from a medical point of view.
And Allah knows best.

Share

Sacrifices, Dought & clear, - * Can an unmarried woman offer the udhiyah (sacrifice) on her own behalf?

Share

Can an unmarried woman offer the udhiyah (sacrifice) on her own behalf?
Praise be to Allah.
Offering the udhiyah is a confirmed Sunnah for the one who is able to do so, whether man or woman. That has been discussed previously in question no. 36432. It makes no difference whether the woman is married or not.
Ibn Hazm (may Allah have mercy on him) said inal-Muhalla(6/37): The udhiyah (may be offered by) the traveller as is also the case for one who is not travelling, and it makes no difference. The same applies to women, because Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):“and do good” [al-Hajj 22:77], and offering the udhiyah is a good deed. All the people we have mentioned need to do good deeds and are encouraged to do so. We also quoted the words of the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) concerning offering the udhiyah, and he did not single out the Bedouin to the exclusion of the town dweller, or the traveller to the exclusion of the resident, or the male to the exclusion of the female. So singling out any of these categories is invalid and is not permissible. End quote.
If a woman wants to offer an udhiyah on her own behalf or on behalf of the members of her household, then she comes under the same injunctions as men, which means that she should not remove anything from her hair, nails or skin, because of the report narrated by Muslim (1977) from Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her), according to which the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “When you see the new moon of Dhu’l-Hijjah, and one of you wants to offer a sacrifice, let him leave his hair and nails alone.” According to another version: “When the ten (days of Dhu’l-Hijjah) begin, and one of you wants to offer a sacrifice, let nothing touch his hair or skin.”
And Allah knows best.

Share