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Instead of offering salaat al-istikhaarah, some people open the Holy Qur’an randomly, then they look for anything in the page that they have chosen of the Mushaf to give them a hint to help them make their decision. For example, there is a married daughter who came to live with her parents, because her husband is not giving her her rights, and she wants to get divorced. Her mother opened the Mushaf (at random) and there was the story of Moosa (peace be upon him) and his mother, (where Allah said to her): “but when you fear for him, then cast him into the river” [al-Qasas 28:7]. From this story, she understood that her daughter should go back to her husband. Can you explain this matter to me?
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Praise be to Allah.
Salaat al-istikhaarah is a confirmed Sunnah that is proven in reports from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), and it cannot be replaced by what you have mentioned about seeking auspicious omens in the Qur’an. Rather this seeking omens in the Mushaf is haraam according to a number of scholars, because it comes under the same heading as divination with arrows.
Al-Qarraafi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: With regard to the haraam pursuit of auspicious omens, at-Tartooshi said in his commentary that looking for auspicious omens in the Mushaf, geomancy, drawing lots, throwing grains of barley (and interpreting the patterns in which they fall), and all such things are haraam, because they come under the same heading as divination with arrows. During the Jaahiliyyah, they had arrows or pieces of wood, on one of which was written “Do it”; on other arrows were written the words “Do not do it” and “Not clear (or try again)”. A person would draw one of them, and if he found the words “Do it” he would go ahead with what he was thinking of doing; if he found the words “Do not do it”, he would turn away from what he wanted to do and think that it was bad; if he found the word “Not clear (or try again),” he would try again. Thus he was seeking his share of the unseen by means of these arrows, so that if it was good he would pursue it and if it was bad he would forget about it. The same applies to one who looks for auspicious omens in the Mushaf or elsewhere; the one who does that thinks that if he sees something good he will pursue it or if he sees something bad he will try to avoid it. This is exactly what is meant by divination with arrows which the Qur’an states is haraam. End quote fromal-Furooq, 4/240
Al-Nafraawi said: The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) liked good omens, which refers to anything that makes one feel at ease, such as a good word. Inas-Saheehit says: “There is no tiyarah (superstitious belief in bad omens), and the best of it is a good omen.” It was said: O Messenger of Allah, what is a good omen? He said: “A good word that one of you hears.” According to another report, he said: “But I like good omens.” An example of that is if a person sets out on a journey or to go and visit a sick person and he hears the wordsYaa saalim(O safe one),yaa ghaanim(O winner) oryaa ‘aafiyah(O healthy one). This applies if he was not seeking such an omen (and heard that by coincidence); but if he was seeking an omen so that he could act upon whatever he heard, whether it was good or bad, then it is not permissible, because it is like the haraam divination with arrows that they used to do during the Jaahiliyyah. A similar practice, which is also not permissible, is looking for omens in the Mushaf, because this also comes under the same heading as divination with arrows, because he may find something in the Qur’an that appears to point to something he does not like, and that may lead him to regard the Qur’an as “unlucky”. If a person wants to do something then hears something that upsets him, he should not change his plans; rather he should say: “O Allah, no one brings good except You and no one brings evil or wards off evil except You.”
End quote fromal-Fawaakih ad-Dawaani, 2/342
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked about looking for good omens in the Mushaf. He replied: With regard to looking for good omens in the Mushaf, there is no report of that from the early generations, and the later generations disputed concerning it. Al-Qaadi Abu Ya‘la mentioned a dispute concerning it. He narrated from Ibn Battah that he did it and said that someone else disliked it. But this is not the kind of good omen that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) liked; he liked good omens and disliked superstitious belief in bad omens. The kind of good omen that he liked is when a person does something or decides to do something, putting his trust in Allah, then he hears a good word that makes him happy, such as if he hears the wordsYaa najeeh(O successful one),Yaa muflih(O prosperous one),Ya sa‘eed(O happy one),Yaa mansoor(O victorious one) and so on. For example, during his hijrah (migration to Madinah) he met a man en route and said to him: “What is your name?” He said: Yazeed (meaning increase). He said: “O Abu Bakr,yazeed amruna(our matter will increase in good).” As for superstitious belief in bad omens, if a person has done something, putting his trust in Allah, or he has decided to do something, then he hears a word that he dislikes, such as “it will not reach its goal” or “he will not prosper” and so on, and he takes it as a bad omen and gives up his plans, this is forbidden. It is narrated inas-Saheehthat Mu‘aawiyah ibn al-Hakam as-Sulami said: I said: O Messenger of Allah, among us are some people who superstitiously believe in bad omens. He said: “That is something that one of you feels in his heart; do not let it prevent you from going ahead.” Thus the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) forbade letting superstition prevent one from doing what one intended to do. In both cases, even though he liked good omens and disliked superstitious belief in bad omens, he would still pray istikhaarah (seeking Allah’s help in making a decision), put his trust in Allah and go ahead on the basis of what is prescribed of taking appropriate measures. In the case of a good omen, he did not make it a reason or motive for going ahead, and he did not let a bad omen prevent him from going ahead. Rather it was the people of the Jaahiliyyah who based their decision whether to go ahead or not on that, for which they would use arrows for divination. Allah forbade using arrows for divination in two verses of the Qur’an; when they (the people of the Jaahiliyyah) wanted to make a decision, they would bring sticks like arrows or pebbles or something else on which they had made marks to indicate “good”, “bad” or “unclear (or try again).” If they picked up the one that said “good,” they would go ahead with their plans; if they picked up the one that said “bad”, they would refrain; and if they picked up the one that said “unclear”, they would try again. And there are other actions that could come under the same heading, such as throwing pebbles or barley grains (and “reading” the patterns in which they fall), or using boards, pieces of wood or pieces of paper on which were written Arabic letters, verses of poetry and the like, by means of which a person would decide whether to go ahead with his plans or not. All of these are forbidden because they come under the same heading as seeking divination with arrows. Rather it is Sunnah to pray istikhaarah, seeking guidance from the Creator, and to consult other people and find out on the basis of shar‘i evidence what Allah likes and is pleased with and what He dislikes and forbids. These superstitious practices are sometimes intended to find out whether what a person wants to do is good or bad, and sometimes they are intended to find out about its usefulness, in the past or in the future. In either case it is not allowed or prescribed. And Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, knows best.
End quote fromMajmoo‘ al-Fataawa, 23/66
Thus it is clear that seeking good omens from the Mushaf by opening it and looking at the page, then basing one’s decision on that, is haraam and is the same as seeking divination with arrows. This is in contrast to good omens that come immediately after one has taken a decision, when hearing a good word by coincidence, when not looking for that.
What is mentioned in the question about the wife who is not being given her rights by her husband indicates that the method mentioned is not correct, because one may say: Rather the verse mentioned indicates that she should separate from him and stay away, even if she fears the consequences thereof, as the mother of Moosa threw her son into the river, but the consequences were good for her.
In such cases it is essential to examine the problem and its causes and ways of dealing with it in the appropriate shar‘i manner, such as offering sincere advice, and looking for arbitrators from the husband’s family and the wife’s family, and so on.
And Allah knows best.
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There is a hadeeth which says that a blind man came to the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and said: O Messenger of Allah, pray to Allah to give me sight. He said: “Go and do wudoo’, then pray two rak‘ahs, then say: ‘O Allah, I ask of You and I turn to you by virtue of our Prophet Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), the Prophet of mercy. O Muhammad, I have turned by virtue of you to my Lord so that He might fulfil my need.’” How sound is this hadeeth, and what does it mean?
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Praise be to Allah
The scholars differed concerning the soundness of this hadeeth. Some of them said that it is da‘eef and others said that it is hasan, but it is to be interpreted in a manner other than what may first come to the reader’s mind. The meaning of this hadeeth is that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) instructed this blind man to do wudoo’ and pray two rak ‘ahs so that he would be sincere in seeking the intercession of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) for him, and so that his wudoo’ and prayer would be indicative of his desire to draw closer to Allah by virtue of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and to turn to Allah (to meet his need), may He be glorified and exalted, by virtue of him. Hence if his intention was sincere and sound, and his resolve was strong, then the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) would intercede for him with Allah, may He be glorified and exalted; in other words, the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) would offer supplication for him, because du‘aa’ (supplication) is a kind of intercession. This is proven in the saheeh hadeeth in which the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “There is no Muslim man who dies, and forty men who do not associate anything with Allah offer the funeral prayer for him but Allah will accept their intercession for him.”
So what this hadeeth means is that this blind man asked the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) to pray to Allah for him, because this du‘aa’ would be a kind of intercession. But now, after the death of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), such a thing is not possible; it is not possible for the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) to pray for anyone after his death. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “When a person dies, all his good deeds come to an end except three: ongoing charity (sadaqah jaariyah), beneficial knowledge or a righteous son who will pray for him.” Du‘aa’ (supplication) is undoubtedly one of the deeds that come to an end when a person dies. Indeed, du‘aa’ is an act of worship, as Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And your Lord said: "Invoke Me, (i.e. believe in My Oneness (Islamic Monotheism)) (and ask Me for anything) I will respond to your (invocation).”
[Ghaafir 40:60].
Hence at times of hardship and need, the Sahaabah (may Allah be pleased with them) did not resort to asking the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) to pray to Allah for them; rather, ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab said, when there was a drought and no rain fell: O Allah, we used to seek to have our needs met by You, by virtue of our Prophet, and You would grant us rain; now we seek to to have our needs met by You, by virtue of the paternal uncle of our Prophet, so grant us rain. And they were granted rain. And he asked al-‘Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with him) to call upon Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, to grant them rain; he did so and they were granted rain. This indicates that it is not possible to ask the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), after his death, to pray for anyone, as that is not possible because his deeds came to an end with his death. Because it is not possible for anyone to ask the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) to pray for him after the death of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), it is more apt to say that it is not possible for anyone to call upon the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) himself to ask him to meet his needs. This comes under the heading of major shirk which Allah does not forgive, and He has forbidden Paradise to anyone who does such a thing. Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And invoke not besides Allah, any that will neither profit you, nor hurt you, but if (in case) you did so, you shall certainly be one of the Zalimoon (polytheists and wrong-doers)”
[Yoonus 10:106]
“So invoke not with Allah another ilah (god) lest you be among those who receive punishment”
[ash-Shu‘ara’ 26:213]
“And whoever invokes (or worships), besides Allah, any other ilah (god), of whom he has no proof, then his reckoning is only with his Lord. Surely! Al-Kafiroon (the disbelievers in Allah and in the Oneness of Allah, polytheists, pagans, idolaters, etc.) will not be successful”
[al-Mu’minoon 23:117]
“Surely, they have disbelieved who say: "Allah is the Messiah (Iesa (Jesus)), son of Maryam (Mary)." But the Messiah (Iesa (Jesus)) said: "O Children of Israel! Worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord." Verily, whosoever sets up partners in worship with Allah, then Allah has forbidden Paradise for him, and the Fire will be his abode. And for the Zalimoon (polytheists and wrongdoers) there are no helpers”
[al-Maa’idah 5:72].
The point is that whoever calls upon the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) after his death, or anyone else among the dead, asking him to ward off harm or bring some benefit is a mushrik in the sense of major shirk (associating someone else with Allah) that puts one beyond the pale of Islam; he must repent to Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, and direct his du‘aa’ only to the Most High, the Almighty, Who responds to the distressed one, when he calls Him, and Who removes the evil. (cf. an-Naml 27:62).
I am astounded by people who go to the grave of so and so and call upon him to relieve their distress and bring them good things, when they know that when this man was alive he could not do that, so how can he do it after his death, and after he has become a corpse and maybe even dust, having being consumed by the earth. They go and call upon him and they fail to call upon Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, Who is the only One who wards off harm and brings benefits and good, even though Allah, may He be exalted, has commanded them and urged them to do that, as He says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And your Lord said: "Invoke Me, (i.e. believe in My Oneness (Islamic Monotheism)) (and ask Me for anything) I will respond to your (invocation).”
[Ghaafir 40:60]
“And when My slaves ask you (O Muhammad SAW) concerning Me, then (answer them), I am indeed near (to them by My Knowledge). I respond to the invocations of the supplicant when he calls on Me (without any mediator or intercessor). So let them obey Me and believe in Me, so that they may be led aright”
[al-Baqarah 2:186].
And Allah, may He be exalted, says, denouncing those who call upon anyone other than Him (interpretation of the meaning):
“Is not He (better than your gods) Who responds to the distressed one, when he calls Him, and Who removes the evil, and makes you inheritors of the earth, generations after generations. Is there any ilah (god) with Allah?”
[an-Naml 27:62].
I ask Allah, may He be exalted, to guide us all to His straight path.
End quote fromMajmoo‘ Fataawa wa Rasdaa’il ash-Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 2/274
The hadeeth does not indicate that it is permissible to seek to have one’s needs met by virtue of the status of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), as some people suggest; rather the hadeeth indicates that this man sought to have his needs met by virtue of the supplication of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) when he said: “O Allah, I ask of You and I turn to you by virtue of our Prophet Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him),” that is, by virtue of the supplication of our Prophet Muhammad, and when he said “O Muhammad, I have turned by virtue of you to my Lord”, i.e., by virtue of your supplication.
This is indicated by the following:
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this man came to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and asked him to offer supplication for him; if what he wanted was to have his need met by virtue of the status of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), he would have stayed at home and said: O Allah, I ask to have my need met and I ask of You by virtue of the status of Muhammad.
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Among the supplication that the Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) taught him was to say: “O Allah, accept his intercession for me and accept my intercession for him,” i.e., accept the intercession of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) for me, and intercession is a kind of supplication. Thus it implies that the Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) offered supplication for him.
The words “And accept my intercession for him” mean: accept my supplication asking You to accept his supplication.
Al-Albaani (may Allah have mercy on him) said inKitaab at-Tawassul(73, 74):
One of the things that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) taught the blind man was: to say “and accept my intercession for him” i.e., accept my supplication asking You to accept his (the Prophet’s) intercession, i.e., his supplication to restore my sight. Nothing other than this can be understood from this sentence.
Hence you see those who ignore this part of the hadeeth ignoring it and not paying any attention to it whatsoever, because it would pull the rug out from under their feet and destroy all their arguments. If they hear it, you will see them looking at you like one who is extreme distress. That is because the intercession of the Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) for the blind man is something understandable, but as for the intercession of the blind man for the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), how can that be? They have no answer for that at all. Another thing which highlights their feeling that this sentence invalidates their misinterpretations is that you never see one of them using it and saying in his supplication: O Allah, accept the intercession of Your Prophet for me and accept my intercession for him.
End quote.
For a detailed discussion on this hadeeth, please seeat-Tawassul, p. 68-92
And Allah knows best.
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