Hope – the Most Sublime Rank for the Followers

In this article, we will talk about hoping for Allah's mercy. The
believers' relationship with their Lord is characterized both by fear
and hope, such that the former deters them from sins and disobedience,
whereas the latter drives them towards good deeds.
Ibn Al-Qayyimsaid:
"Hoping for the reward of Allah is one of the most supreme and
honorable ranks of one who pursues the right path. Allah The Almighty
praises those ]who do that[, when He Says )what means(:}There has
certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allah an excellent pattern
for anyone whose hope is in Allah and the Last Day and ]who[ remembers
Allah often.{]Quran 33:21[ It was also narrated in a Hadeeth Qudsi,
that Allah The Almighty Says: 'O son of Adam, If you supplicate to Me,
expecting My forgiveness, I will forgive you however great or many
your sins may be.' When a person has hope, it means that he or she is
bound and attached to these names of his or her Lord: "The Benevolent,
The Beneficent". The more one knows Allah The Almighty, His names,
attributes and the dominance of His mercy over His wrath, the more his
or her hope increases ]in Him[. Had it not been for hope, the
servitude of the heart and organs ]to Allah[ would have ceased, and
monasteries, churches, synagogues and mosques, where the name of Allah
is frequently mentioned, would have been demolished. If not for the
spirit of hope, ]our[ limbs would not have performed acts of
obedience, and neither would the ships of good deeds have sailed in
the seas of will without its pleasant breeze."
Similarly, the Prophetsaid:"If a believer ]truly[ knew of the
punishment of Allah, no one would expect His Paradise. Equally, were a
disbeliever to know of the ]actual[ mercy of Allah, none would despair
of His Paradise."'Abdullaah ibn Mas'ood, may Allah be pleased with
him, remarked, "The most encouraging verse in the Quran is in the
Chapter Az-Zumar )The Groups(; Allah The Almighty Says )what
means(,}Say, "O My servants who have transgressed against themselves
]by sinning[, do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah
forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the
Merciful."{]Quran 39:53["
One of those who visited Maalik ibn Anasduring the night in which he
died, asked him, "O Abu 'Abdullaah, how do you find yourself?"
Heanswered, "I do not know what to say to you except that you will
soon see ]aspects[ of the clemency of Allah that you have never
expected."
Glory be to Allah The Almighty! If those who turn away from Him only
know how He waits for their return and how Merciful He is to them,
they will long for Him enormously. Indeed, if this is His will towards
such people, how will He be to those who draw near to Him? 'Abdullaah
ibn Al-Mubaarak approached Sufyaan Ath-Thawriboth, on the night of
]standing in[ 'Arafah, and found him kneeling ]in prayer[, as his eyes
overflowed with tears; he asked, "Who is the worst person in this
gathering ]in the plains of 'Arafah[?' Sufyaan Ath-Thawrireplied:
"Whoever thinks that Allah will not forgive their sins ]i.e., of the
people who are present[.'"
On a similar night, Al-Fudhayl ibn 'Iyaadhobserved people's
glorification ]of Allah The Almighty[ and their crying, so he asked
those around him: "If those people went to a man and requested
one-sixth of a dirham from him, would he let them return
empty-handed?" When they replied in the negative, he commented: "By
Allah, pardoning is easier for Allah than ]that[." Therefore, I
implore Allah The Almighty, seeking His forgiveness, knowing fully
that He absolves and forgives; even if people's sins are great, they
are minor in comparison to His mercy.
Hence, a slave should have much hope in Him, especially when he or she
is on the verge of death. Allah The Almighty Says, as narrated in a
Hadeeth: "I am ]to him or her[ as My slave thinks of Me." That is why,
perhaps, when Waathilah ibn Al-Asqa', may Allah be pleased with him,
went to see Yazeed ibn Al-Aswadas he lay dying, he asked him, "What is
your expectation about Allah?" The latter replied: "My sins have
brought me to the brink of ruin, but I hope for the mercy of Allah."
So, Waathilah, may Allah be pleased with him, ]happily[ exclaimed
"Allah is The Greatest", and then said, "I heard the Messenger of
Allahsay:'Allah The Almighty Says: 'I am as My slave thinks of Me, so
let him think of Me what he wants'.'"For the same reason, when
Sulaymaan At-Taymiwas dying, he instructed his son: "O Mu'tamir, talk
to me about exemptions ]in Islam[, so that I may meet Allah while
having good expectations of Him."
Hope prompts one to do good deeds
It is witnessed as a reality in life that many neglect good deeds and
dare to commit evil and sins, claiming that they trust in the mercy
and forgiveness of Allah The Almighty. Undoubtedly, this is a
misunderstanding of the true meaning of hope. The words of Al-Hasan
Al-Basriare applicable to such people mentioned above; he says: "There
are people whose confidence in forgiveness diverts them from doing
what is moral, so much so that they die with no virtues. They
proclaim: 'we have good expectation of Allah'. Surely, they are liars,
for if they had hope ]in Him[, they would have done good ]to support
their claim[."
Allah The Almighty is indeed the most Forgiving, Ever Merciful;
however, I would like to draw your attention, dear reader, to the
subtle meaning embedded in the verse )which means(:}Indeed, those who
have believed and those who have emigrated and fought in the cause of
Allah - those expect the mercy of Allah. And Allah is Forgiving and
Merciful.{]Quran 2:218[. Contemplate how this verse alludes to these
people hoping for the mercy of Allah The Almighty alongside doing
those great noble deeds.
Dear Muslim, let us, then, do good and repent from our sins and evil
which we have committed. Let us repeat the words of Mahmood
Al-Warraaq: "O Allah, I have much hope in Your forgiveness and You
]alone[ manage my affairs. I have concealed my secrets from my
relatives and others; You are the only One to Whom I disclose them as
I am confident that You will veil them. O Allah! Do not fail me on the
Day of Resurrection when all hidden matters will be exposed. O Allah,
do not reveal my secrets before people; Your protection will provide
me with an argument ]for my forgiveness[, even though I have no basis
for contention or a real excuse."

Dought & clear, - (Abandoning or Neglecting Salaat) ,- His wife does not pray and she disobeys him in a lot of things. What is the ruling concerning her? How should he dealwith her?.

My wife disobeys me about many matters: about bringing our children
up, education, our relationships with relatives, and about many
marital matters. What should I do with her? I asked her to pray and
read Quran, but she did not listen. Please make du'a that Allah guides
her.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
Happy homes are those which are built on mutual understanding and love
and consolidated with affection and compassion between spouses. None
of this can be achieved without the spouses doing the duties that are
specific to them. For example, the husband is obliged to spend on his
wife and children, and the wife is obliged to obey her husband. If the
wife wants to deny her husband the right of qawwaamah (being in charge
of the household) or to be wilfully defiant and refuse to obey him,
then she is destroying her home by her own hand, and she will be the
cause of her children being lost and neglected because of her bad
actions.
Wives in general have to understand that obedience to their husbands
is an Islamic duty that is required of them. The husband should do a
good job of being in charge of his wife and family, by guiding them to
that which is in their best interests and will bring them happiness.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Men are the protectors and maintainers of women, because Allaah has
made one of them to excel the other, and because they spend (to
support them) from their means"
[al-Nisa' 4:34]
Wives should ponder the following ahaadeeth:
1-
It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet(peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) said: "If I were to command anyone to prostrate
to anyone else, I would have commanded women to prostrate to their
husbands."
Narrated and classed as hasan by al-Tirmidhi (1159); classed as saheeh
by al-Albaani inSaheeh al-Tirmidhi.
2-
It was narrated that Abu Umaamah said: The Messenger of Allaah(peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "There are three whose
prayer goes no further than their ears: the runaway slave until he
returns, a wife whose husband remains angry with her overnight, and a
imam who leads the people in prayer when they object to him doing so."
Narrated and classed as hasan by al-Tirmidhi (360).
3-
It was narrated from Mu'aadh ibn Jabal that the Prophet(peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "No woman offends her husband
in this world but his wife among the hoor al-iyn says, 'Do not offend
him, may Allaah kill you, for he is only with you for a short time and
soon he will leave you and come to us.'" Narrated by al-Tirmidhi
(1174) and classed as saheeh by al-Albaani inSaheeh al-Tirmidhi.
4-
It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him)
that the Messenger of Allaah(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: "It is not permissible for a woman to fast when her husband
is present except with his permission, or to allow anyone to enter his
house without his permission."
Narrated by al-Bukhaari (4899) and Muslim (1026).
Shaykh al-Albaani (may Allaah have mercy on him) said, commenting on
this hadeeth:
As a woman is obliged to obey her husband and satisfy his desire, so
it is more appropriate that she is required to obey him with regard to
things that are more important than that, such as the upbringing of
their children, the well being of the family, and other rights and
duties.
Al-Haafiz said inal-Fath: This hadeeth shows that the husband's rights
over the wife are more important than doing voluntary good deeds,
because fulfilling his rights is obligatory, and that which is
obligatory takes precedence over voluntary acts.
Adaab al-Zafaaf(p. 210).
Secondly:
The husband has to look for the causes of his wife's wilful defiance
and find out the ways in which he can treat her sickness and lead her
to the way of guidance and salvation, so that she will be protected
from the wrath and punishment of Allaah. These causes may include the
husband! Yes, you may be one of the causes of her wilful defiance,
either because of sins that you are committing - as one of the salaf
said: "I see the effect of my sins in my mount and my wife", in her
bad attitude or refusal to obey him - or the husband may have a bad
attitude towards his wife so her behaviour is a reaction against the
way he deals with her.
Other causes may include her family, relatives, neighbours or friends
who share a role with the shaytaan in causing separation between man
and wife.
If the cause has to do with her - due to the weakness of her faith and
her ignorance of the rulings of sharee'ah - then he should remind her
of Allaah and play a role in strengthening her faith and teaching her
what she does not know about the rights that her husband has over her.
If that does not work, then he may hit her in a way that is not severe
and that does not cause injury, and if that does not work, then he may
forsake her in her bed.
If his efforts do not succeed and she does not respond to good advice
from him or from someone else, then he may divorce her once (one
talaaq). This may serve as a reminder and "wake up call". But if she
persists in her defiance and disobedience, then there is nothing good
in her and Allaah may give him someone better than her.
The basic principle for this gradual approach in setting things
straight is to be found in the verse in which Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):
"As to those women on whose part you see ill-conduct, admonish them
(first), (next) refuse to share their beds, (and last) beat them
(lightly, if it is useful); but if they return to obedience, seek not
against them means (of annoyance). Surely, Allaah is Ever Most High,
Most Great"
[al-Nisa' 4:34]
Shaykh 'Abd al-Rahmaan al-Sa'di (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
"As to those women on whose part you see ill-conduct" means: who
refuse to obey their husbands in word or in deed; he may discipline
her by using the lightest means then the next lightest.
"admonish them" means: explain the ruling of Allaah with regard to
obeying and disobeying the husband, and encourage her to be obedient,
and warn her against disobedience. If that produces the desired
results, all well and good, otherwise the husband should refuse to
share her bed, by not sleeping with her or being intimate with her, to
whatever extent will produce the desired result. Otherwise he may hit
her in a way that is not severe and that does not cause injury. If one
of these methods produces the desired result, then
"seek not against them means (of annoyance)" i.e., you have got what
you wanted, so stop pursuing rebuking her for what is past and seeking
out faults mention of which will cause harm and provoke evil.
Tafseer al-Sa'di(p. 142).
Whatever the case, the husband is the one who knows his wife best. If
he knows that the reason for her wilful defiance is something that he
can remedy, then he should do that. If he cannot deal with her, then
he should appoint someone else from among his family or hers to
undertake this mission. Someone else may have a stronger influence
over her than him.
Thirdly:
What we have said above is general in meaning and applies to any
husband who is suffering because of his wife's wilful defiance. It
would also include the wife asked about here, if she was one of those
who pray. But as she does not pray, what we have said does not apply
to her, because dealing with her is different. By not praying she is a
kaafir woman and it is not permissible for him to be close to her or
have intercourse with her, unless she prays.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"But if they repent [by rejecting Shirk (polytheism) and accept
Islamic Monotheism], perform As-Salaah (Iqaamat-as-Salaah) and give
Zakaah, then they are your brethren in religion"
[al-Tawbah 9:11]
And the Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
"Between a man and shirk and kufr there stands his giving up prayer."
Narrated by Muslim (116).
And he said: "The covenant that distinguishes between us and them is
prayer; whoever does not pray is a kaafir."
Narrated and classed as saheeh by al-Tirmidhi (2621); al-Nasaa'i
(463); Ibn Majaah (1079); classed as saheeh by al-Albaani inSaheeh
al-Tirmidhi.
Hence you have to start with this important matter and try by whatever
means are available to you to remind her of the ruling on prayer, and
that not praying is major kufr, and that your marriage contract with
her will be rendered invalid if she persists in this grave sin. If she
responds, then praise be to Allaah, and you can go on to do the things
that we have mentioned above. If she does not respond, then do not try
to deal with her wilful defiance, and do not ask about her
shortcomings in raising the children, because it is not permissible
for you to remain married to her. Warn her before her marriage is
annulled - and annulment may be by your divorcing her, because most
courts do not regard not praying as a reason for annulling a marriage.
Give her another chance; perhaps Allaah will guide her and open her
heart to the truth.
See also the answer to question no. 47425which describes the best way
to call one who does not pray.
See also the answers to questions no. 12828and 91963.
We ask Allaah to guide her and help her to pray regularly, and to
guide her to all that is good, and to guide her hearing, sight and
physical faculties, and to enable her to give thanks for the blessings
that Allaah has bestowed on her.
And Allaah knows best.

Dought & clear, - (Abandoning or Neglecting Salaat) ,- Should she do Hajj and give charity onbehalf of her mother who did not pray?.

Is it permissible for a daughter to do Hajj and give charity on behalf
of her deceased mother, knowing that the mother did not pray when she
was alive?.
Praise be to Allaah.
The one who does not pray because he denies that it is obligatory is a
kaafir according to scholarly consensus. The one who does not pray out
of negligence and laziness is a kaafir according to the more correct
of the two scholarly opinions, because the Prophet(peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) said: "The covenant that stands between us and
them is prayer; whoever gives it up is a kaafir." And there is other
evidence to that effect from the Qur'aan and Sunnah. Based on that, it
is not permissible to do Hajj or give charity on behalf of someone who
has died and did not pray, just as it is not permissible to do Hajj
and give charity on behalf of any other kaafir.
And Allaah is the Source of strength. May Allaah send blessings and
peace upon our Prophet Muhammad and his family and companions. End
quote.
Standing Committee for Academic Research and Issuing Fatwas
Shaykh 'Abd al-'Azeez ibn Baaz, Shaykh 'Abd al-Razzaaq 'Afeefi, Shaykh
'Abd-Allaah ibn Qa'ood.
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah li'l-Buhooth al-'Ilmiyyah wa'l-Ifta (11/113.

Dought & clear, - (Abandoning or Neglecting Salaat) ,- Is the person who prays Friday prayeronly not a kaafir?.

Is it correct that who prays Friday prayer only is not considered
kaafir? I read that sheikh Ben Uthaimeen, may Allah have mercy on him,
said: whoever prays Friday prayer is not a kaafir; because he never
neglects it, because the prophet, peace be upon him, said (the prayer)
not (prayer). Is it true that ibn Uthaimeen and ibn Taymiyah said
this?.
Praise be to Allaah.
There is a difference of opinion among those who say that the one who
does not pray is a kaafir, with regard to the exact definition of the
omission of prayer which makes him a kaafir. Most of them are of the
view that he becomes a kaafir if he omits one obligatory prayer or two
obligatory prayers.
Some of them are of the view that the one who does not pray does not
become a kaafir unless he gives up prayer altogether.
The former opinion was narrated by Ishaaq ibn Raahawayh (may Allaah
have mercy on him) from the Sahaabah and Taabi'een. Imam Muhammad ibn
Nasr al-Maroozi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: I heard Ishaaq
say: it is narrated in a saheeh report from the Messenger of Allaah
(blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) that the one who does not
pray is a kaafir, and this was the opinion of the scholars from the
time of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) until
our own time, that the one who deliberately does not pray without any
excuse until the time for the prayer is over is a kaafir.
The ending of the time means delaying Zuhr until sunset and delaying
Maghrib until the sun rises.
The end of the times for prayer was set as described above because the
Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) joined prayers at
'Arafah and Muzdalifah and when travelling, so he prayed one of them
at the time of the other. Because the Prophet (blessings and peace of
Allaah be upon him) offered the first prayer at the time of the second
in some cases, and the second prayer at the time of the first in other
cases, the time for both became one time in cases where one has an
excuse, just as the menstruating woman, if she becomes pure before
sunset, is commanded to pray both Zuhr and 'Asr, and if she becomes
pure at the end of the night, she is commanded to pray both Maghrib
and 'Isha'. End quote fromTa'zeem Qadr al-Salaah(2/929).
Muhammad ibn Nasr (Allaah have mercy on him) narrated that Imam Ahmad
said: No one becomes a kaafir because of sin except the one who
deliberately does not pray. If he does not pray until the time for the
next prayer begins, he must be asked to repent three times. End quote.
It was narrated that Ibn al-Mubaarak said: Whoever deliberately does
not pray with no excuse until the time is over, is a kaafir. Ta'zeem
Qadr al-Salaah (2/297).
Ibn Hazm said:
We narrated from 'Umar ibn al-Khattaab (me Allaah be pleased with
him), Mu'aadh ibn Jabal, Ibn Mas'ood and a number of the Sahaabah
(may Allaah be pleased with them), and from Ibn al-Mubaarak, Ahmad ibn
Hanbal, Ishaaq ibn Raahawayh (may Allaah have mercy on them), and from
17 of the Sahaabah in total (may Allaah be pleased with them) that the
one who deliberately and consciously does not offer an obligatory
prayer until the time for it ends is a kaafir and an apostate. This is
also the view of 'Abd-Allaah ibn al-Maajishoon, the companion of
Maalik. And it was the view of 'Abd al-Malik ibn Habeeb al-Andalusi
and others. End quote fromal-Fasl fi'l-Milal wa'l-Ahwa' wa'l-Nihal,
3/128.
He (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: And it was narrated from
'Umar, 'Abd al-Rahmaan ibn 'Awf, Mu'aadh ibn Jabal, Abu Hurayrah and
others among the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them) that the
one who deliberately does not offer one obligatory prayer until the
time for it ends is a kaafir and an apostate. End quote from
al-Muhalla (2/15).
This view was also expressed in fatwas by the Standing Committee for
Issuing Fatwas, led by Shaykh 'Abd al-'Azeez ibn Baaz (may Allaah have
mercy on him).
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah(6/50, 40)
Some of the scholars quoted as evidence for this opinion the words of
the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him): "Whoever does
not pray 'Asr, all his good deeds are cancelled out." Narrated by
al-Bukhaari (528), because cancellation of good deeds can only happen
as a result of becoming a kaafir, and because of what has been quoted
above from the Sahaabah who narrated these hadeeths.
With regard to the second opinion, which is that the one who does not
pray does not become a kaafir unless he gives up prayer altogether,
this is the view of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have
mercy on him), although he also ruled to be a kaafir the one who
misses some prayers and is called by the ruler to pray but does not
pray. He also stated that the one who prays sometimes and does not
pray sometimes, if he resolves in his heart to give up prayer
altogether, then he is inwardly a kaafir, i.e., it is between him and
Allaah, may He be exalted.
See:Majmoo' al-Fataawa, 22/49, 7/715;Sharh al-'Umdah, 2/94.
This was also the view of Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen (may Allaah be pleased
with him) who said: What appears to be the case from the evidence is
that he does not become a kaafir unless he gives up prayer all the
time, in the sense that he has decided not to pray, so he does not
pray Zuhr, 'Asr, Maghrib, 'Isha' or Fajr. This is the one who is a
kaafir. But if he prays one or two obligatory prayers, then he is not
a kaafir and he cannot truly be described as having given up prayer.
The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) said: "Between
a man and shirk and kufr stands his giving up prayer (al-salaah)" and
he did not say "salaah (a prayer)". End quote
fromal-Sharhal-Mumti'(2/26).
We could not find any written comment of his concerning one who only
offers Friday prayer, but we asked him about that verbally and he
replied that it seems that he does become a kaafir because Friday
prayer is one of 35 prayers in the week, so the one who only prays
Friday prayer can be described as giving up prayer altogether so he
could become a kaafir as a result.
And Allaah knows best.