For children, - Ethical Stories: Everything happens for a reason(African king Story or Ethics in Islam)

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Once upon a time an African king who had a close friend that he grew with. The friend had a habit to face each situation that happened in its life (positive or negative) saying: "That is good! Almighty Allah knows more".
The king and his friend one day left for a hunt. The friend loaded and prepared the weapons for the king. Apparently, the friend had made something missed in the preparation of one of the weapons, the king shot and it took his thumb away. When examining the situation, the friend observed as always: "That is good! Almighty Allah knows more". The king answered, "No, this is not good", he commanded the soldiers who arrested his friend and put him in the prison. After one year, the king was hunting in a region where, cannibals appeared, and captured the king and took him to their village. They tied his hands, and piled up the firewood. When the cannibals came closer to the fire they noticed that the king did not have the thumb. As they were superstitious, they never ate who had a part of his body missing.
Thus, after setting the king free, they banished him from the village. When the king arrived at its palace, remembered the incident about his thumb and felt remorse for the treatment given to his friend. Immediately, he pays a visit to the prisoner to speak with his friend. "You were right", said the king. "It was good that I lost my thumb". The king started to tell his friend everything that happened to him. "I am sorry that I have ordered you to prison for such a long period. It was a great mistake". "No", the friend said, "That was the good decision, because Almighty Allah knows more". "What do you mean by that? How it can be good decision? I ordered my best friend to prison?" The friend answered: "Remember that Almighty Allah knows more and if I was not in the prison certainly I would be with you in the hunt". Then you know what would have happened with me?
"He knows what is before them and what is behind them and to Allah are all affairs turned back". Noble Qur'an, Surah Al Hajj (22:76)
Do not judge the facts or events for the immediate results! Almighty Allah, the Highest, the Omniscient and the Wise, knows more.
When we faced by circumstances that are no good, we react quickly, "This is not good." but, perhaps we did not know the reason behind it. It can become a good thing also. Hence, from next time onward, when we face any type of situation. Let us not jump into any conclusion, always remember. This life is a test. The good and the bad, nothing happen without any reason. Our mind is not prepared to understand the reason.

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Dought & clear, - Is the son sinning if he refuses to let his mother travel to visit him because he is concerned about her husband and family?

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My 45 year old brother lives in Europe, and he is married and has two children from a foreign woman. The problem is that he refuses to do the paper work for my mother to stay there, because when she went to stay for one month with him she ended up staying for nine months, and she left her children and husband back home. When he asked her to go back to her home and husband, she started swearing at him in front of his wife and children, and when she came back he refused to get the visa for her so as to avoid problems with her, especially since she is bad-tempered and she gets angry for the slightest reason, which led to him taking drugs. He is asking whether he will be a sinner if he refuses to let her come.
Praise be to Allaah.
Honouring one's parents, which Allaah has enjoined in His Book and that His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) also encouraged, means that one should hasten to serve one's parents and make them happy and please them, by all available permissible means, and at every possible opportunity.
One of the best ways in which a person can honour his parents is by striving to ensure the success of their married life, and creating love and compassion between them. Wise children can bring about love between their parents in ways that no one else can, and they are often able to deal with anything that may cause trouble in the family.
I think that your brother’s keenness for his mother to stay with her children and husband is a sign of his wisdom, especially if the family will be harmed by the mother’s frequent absences, as is usually the case.
But he should deal kindly with her and choose the best ways of overcoming this conflict of interests, the conflict between his wanting to keep his mother with her family and home, and the mother’s wanting to visit him overseas and stay with him.
He will definitely find a good answer to this problem, in sha Allah. If he can renew the visa for his mother to visit for one month, then that is good, and he can apologize to his mother when the month ends by saying that the visa has expired and she must go back. An even better solution would be if he could accommodate the whole family and get visas for all of them to visit, so that they can be with their mother wherever she goes.
If he can advise his mother in a kind way and explain clearly to her that she is obliged to obey and serve her husband – especially if the husband does not agree to her being away for this length of time – then he should try to do that, and he should not feel too shy or give up, and it will not matter if his mother accuses him of disobeying her or not liking her to visit, because Allaah knows what is in his heart and He knows his real intentions.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Your Lord knows best what is in your inner‑selves. If you are righteous, then, verily, He is Ever Most Forgiving to those who turn unto Him again and again in obedience, and in repentance”
[al-Isra’ 23:25]
Imam Ibn Jareer al-Tabari (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
Allaah, may He be exalted, says: “Your Lord”, O mankind, “knows best” i.e., better than you, “what is in your inner‑selves” of respect, honour and kindness towards your fathers and mothers, and what is in them of disregarding their rights and disobeying them, and other things that are hidden in your hearts. Nothing of that is hidden from Him, and He will reward or punish you for good or bad deeds, so beware of ill feelings towards them or disobedience towards them.
The words “If you are righteous” mean: if you ensure that your intentions towards them are correct and you obey Allaah in what He has enjoined upon you of honouring them and fulfilling the rights they have over you, after you make any mistake or fall short in your duties towards them, and also doing other duties that have been enjoined upon you, then “He is Ever Most Forgiving to those who turn unto Him again and again in obedience, and in repentance” who turn to Him after slipping and erring.
Tafseer al-Tabari(17/421, 422).
This verse is a sincere call to your brother to purify his heart and rectify his intention, so that his motive for not getting a visa for his mother to visit will be his concern for the wellbeing of her household and her family by staying with them, and not helping her with the sin that she would be committing if she disobeyed her husband and travelled without his consent.
But if his real motive is because he dislikes his mother and does not want to welcome her, host her and serve her, then he is sinning in that case, and he is committing the major sin of disobedience to parents, because one of the greatest rights that parents have over their children is that they should take care of them when they grow old and serve them.
If your brother cannot control his mother’s visit in an appropriate and proper manner, then he should make up for that by going to visit her as often as he can, and not staying away from her for too long. And he should strive to uphold ties with her and treat her kindly by sending gifts and the like, especially things that she likes.
With regard to what you say about your brother taking drugs, if what you mean is tranquillizers that are taken by those who suffer from panic, anger and anxiety, then the basic principle is that these pills are not permissible because of the addiction they cause, which is forbidden in sharee’ah. But if that is because of need as determined by a specialist doctor, then it is permissible for him to take them in that case, under the supervision of a doctor only, because that is a case of necessity.
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked:
What is the ruling on taking sleeping pills or tranquillizers? Do they come under the heading of drugs or not? Are they permissible if there is a need for them or if a doctor tells one to take them?
He replied:
It is not permissible to use these pills except in the case of need, so long as that is with the permission of a proficient doctor, because there is some risk involved, and they have an effect on the brain. If a person uses them, he may calm down for a little while, but they more cause more harm later on. The point is that it is permissible to use them in cases of need, so long as that is under the supervision of a doctor and with his permission.
Fataawa Noor ‘ala al-Darb(tape no. 82/side1).
If these pills cause the body to relax then they come under the same ruling as haraam drugs.
The scholars of the Standing Committee were asked:
What is the ruling on tranquillizers that are used to treat some nervous diseases etc, and which come under the category of relaxants?
They replied:
It is not permissible to use for medical purposes that which has been forbidden by Allaah. One of the things that is forbidden is taking relaxants.
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah(25/32).
But if what you mean is haraam drugs – Allaah forbid – which addicts take in response to their cravings, then this a grave sin, and you must advise your brother about it and strive to make him give it up, by consulting specialist doctors who can supervise treatment in such cases. We have previously stated on this site that these substances are haraam because of the great harm that they cause to individuals and societies.
See also the answer to questions no. 6540, 32466and 66227.
We ask Allaah to protect and guide you and your brother.
And Allaah knows best.

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Dought & clear, - Defining a set number of times to send blessings on the Prophet

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My question is regarding Sufism. As I mixed with a group of them before I knew their reality. After I heard to Sheikh Munajjid -may Allah bless him- in his series of the Correct Aqeedah (beliefs), I knew some of their extremists’ beliefs. I started to doubt them, and I would like to know the truth. All praise be to Allah for the knowledge He blessed you with.
My questions are:
1- This group sends salaah and salaam upon prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) 3000 or 4000 times a day. They say: “the more you send salaah and salaam upon the prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), the more you love him and the more you become closer to him. And the more you do this, the greater your chance becomes to see him in your dream” is what they are claiming correct? Is it permissible? Is it included in the Zikr (mentioning Allah) generally? Are there any evidences for it?
2- How can we understand the difference between what the prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said about great reward of mentioning Allah a lot like saying Subhan Allah wa behamdih (Exalted be Allah, Allah praise be to Him) hundred times, and the other Hadeeth of Ibn Masood (may Allah be pleased with him) when he entered the mosque and found a group of people counting Zikr by stones. Then he ordered them to count –by doing that innovation- their sins. May Allah reward you!.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
Sending blessings on the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is one of the greatest acts of worship. Allaah has enjoined it and praised those who do it, and He has made it a cause of forgiveness of sins and meeting one's needs.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Allaah sends His Salaah (Graces, Honours, Blessings, Mercy) on the Prophet (Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم), and also His angels (ask Allaah to bless and forgive him). O you who believe! end your Salaahon (ask Allaah to bless) him (Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم), and (you should) greet (salute) him with the Islamic way of greeting (salutation, i.e. As‑Salaamu ‘Alaykum)”
[al-Ahzaab 33:56]
And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “whoever sends blessings upon me, Allaah will send blessings upon him tenfold.” Narrated by Muslim (384).
It was narrated that Ubayy ibn Ka’b (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: When two-thirds of the night had passed, the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) would say: “O people, remember Allaah, remember Allaah. The first Trumpet is about to sound, and will soon be followed by the second; death has come with all that it entails, death has come with all that it entails.” Ubayy said: I said: O Messenger of Allaah, I send blessings upon you a great deal; how much of my prayer (du’aa’) should be for you? He said: “Whatever you wish.”
I said: One quarter? He said: “Whatever you wish, and if you do more it is better for you.”
I said: Half? He said: “Whatever you wish, and if you do more it is better for you.”
I said: Two thirds? He said: “Whatever you wish, and if you do more it is better for you.”
I said: Should I make all my du’aa’ for you? He said: “Then your concerns will be taken care of and your sins will be forgiven.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi (2457); classed as hasan by al-Albaani inSaheeh al-Tirmidhi.
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said inJala’ al-Afhaam(79): Our Shaykh Abu ‘Abbaas (i.e., Ibn Taymiyah) was asked about the meaning of this hadeeth. He said: Ubayy ibn Ka’b had a du’aa’ that he used to say for himself, and he asked the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) whether he should make one-quarter of it sending blessings on him, and he said … because whoever sends blessings on the Prophet, Allaah will send blessings on him tenfold, and if Allaah sends blessings on a person He will take care of his concerns and forgive him his sins.
It says inTuhfat al-Ahwadhi: “how much of my prayer (du’aa’) should be for you?” means: how much instead of my du’aa’ for myself. This was stated by al-Qaari. Al-Mundhiri said inal-Targheeb: What it means is: I say a lot of du’aa’; how much of my du’aa’ should I make sending blessings on you? I said: Should I make all my du’aa’ for you? i.e., should I devote all the time that I used to spend in saying du’aa’ for myself to sending blessings on you?
“Then your concerns will be taken care of and your sins will be forgiven” – concerns means everything that a person seeks in this world and in the Hereafter. What it means is: if you spend all the time of du’aa’ in sending blessings on me, you will be given what you hope for in this world and in the Hereafter. End quote.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said inal-Radd ‘ala al-Bakri(1/133): This is the ultimate that a person can say in du’aa’ for himself to bring good things and ward off harmful things, for du’aa’ involves attaining what one wants and warding off what one fears.
One of the commentators onal-Masaabeehsaid: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not impose a set limit on that for him, lest that close the door to doing more. So he still left the choice up to him, whilst encouraging him to do more, until he said: Should I make all my du’aa’ for you? He said: “Then your concerns will be taken care of”, meaning all your concerns, whether they have to do with religious or worldly affairs, because sending blessings on him includes remembering Allaah and venerating the Messenger, (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), which is similar to saying du’aa’ for himself. Quoted by al-Sakhaawi inal-Qawl al-Badee’(133).
Al-Tirmidhi (484) narrated from ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Mas’ood that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The closest of people to me on the Day of Resurrection will be those who send the most blessings on me.” Classed as hasan by al-Albaani inSaheeh al-Targheeb wa’l-Tarheeb.
It says inTuhfat al-Ahwadhi: “The closest of people to me” means the nearest to me or those who are most entitled to my intercession” because sending a lot of blessings is based on veneration, which in turn stems from complete love, and that results in Allaah loving that person. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):“Say (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم to mankind): “If you (really) love Allaah, then follow me (i.e. accept Islamic Monotheism, follow the Qur’aan and the Sunnah), Allaah will love you and forgive you your sins” [Aal ‘Imraan 3:31].
No one doubts the virtue of sending blessings on the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
The saying of those whom you mention that “the more you send blessings on him the more you love the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and the closer you become to him” is correct, for the more one mentions a thing the more he loves it.
Their saying that “the more you send blessings on him the greater your chances become of seeing him in a dream” may also be correct in real terms but there is no evidence to prove that. What really matters is not seeing the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in a dream, but rather following his Sunnah and walking in his footsteps, and giving love of him precedence over oneself and precious things. Many people saw him in real life but they were among the most opposed to him and his way.
If sending blessings on the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is a prescribed act of worship, as stated above, then it is not permissible to stipulate a set number of times for it, because no such number has been narrated in sharee’ah, whether it is one thousand or three thousand or whatever number is fabricated by the Sufis. Stipulating such numbers is blameworthy innovation (bid’ah) because it is adding something to Islam that is not part of it. The scholars have stated that acts of worship must be prescribed in sharee’ah in terms of their principle, description, number, manner, place and time, in the sense that it is not permissible to limit it to a place, time or manner that is not narrated in sharee’ah.
It should be noted that every bid’ah is misguidance, even if people think it is good. Innovation is dearer to Iblees than sin, because there is no repentance from it. Maalik (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Whoever introduces an innovation into Islam and thinks it is good is claiming that Muhammad betrayed the message.
It should be said to those who stipulate sending blessings three thousand times: What made you choose this number, and what is so special about it? Whatever good he mentions about it may be answered by saying: Did the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) fail to guide his ummah to this goodness, when he was the one who cared most for them and was the most compassionate towards them? Why did he not tell Ubayy ibn Ka’b – as in the hadeeth quoted above – about this particular number?
In fact when choosing these numbers, many of the Sufis rely on dreams or mere myths, and they tell their mureeds (followers) that they are not fit to do more than that, and that doing more depends on the permission of the Shaykh who knows what he is doing and even knows his secrets, and other kinds of falsehood by means of which they control their followers.
There is the fear that the good deeds of this innovator may be lost, or that his hasanaat may be lost, and he will not attain anything good from his worship, especially if he does that in spite of the knowledge that he has. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever introduces anything into this matter of ours that is not part of it will have it rejected.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari (2697) and Muslim 91718).
Hence you see that in many cases, their dhikr has no effect on them and how they interact with others, and they also neglect the adhkaar that are prescribed in sharee’ah and for which the Lawgiver has given a set number, such as sayingSubhaan Allaah wa bi hamdih(Glory and praise be to Allaah) one hundred times, morning and evening.
See also the answer to question no. 11938
Secondly:
The hadeeth of Ibn Mas’ood referred to above is that which was narrated by al-Daarimi (204) from ‘Amr ibn Salamah who said: We were sitting at the door of ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Mas’ood before Fajr prayer, when he came out. We walked with him to the mosque, then Abu Moosa al-Ash’ari came to us and said: Has Abu ‘Abd al-Rahmaan come out to you yet? We said: No. So he sat with us until he came out, and when he came out we all stood up. Abu Moosa said to him: O Abu ‘Abd al-Rahmaan, just now I saw something in the mosque that I have never seen before, but I do not think it was anything but good. He said: What was it? He said: If you live, you will see it. He said: In the mosque I saw some people sitting in circles waiting for the prayer. In every circle there was a man, and in their hands they had pebbles. He would say: SayAllaahu akbar(Allaah is Most Great) one hundred times, and they would say Allaahu akbar one hundred times. He would say: SayLaa ilaaha ill-Allaah(there is no god but Allaah) one hundred times, and they would say Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah one hundred times. He would say: SaySubhaan-Allaah(Glory be to Allaah) one hundred times, and they would saySubhaan-Allaahone hundred times. He said: What did you say to them? He said: I did not say anything to them; I was waiting to see what you think and I waited for your command. He said: Why did you not tell them to count their bad deeds and guarantee to them that their good deeds would not be wasted? Then he moved on and we moved on with him until he came to one of those circles, and he stood over them and said: What is this that I see you doing? They said: O Abu ‘Abd al-Rahmaan, these are stones with which we count the takbeers (‘Allaahu akbar’), tahleel (‘Laa ilaaha illa-Allaah’) and tasbeeh (‘Subhaan-Allaah’). He said: Count your bad deeds, for I guarantee to you that none of your good deeds will be lost. Woe to you, O ummah of Muhammad! How quickly you have become doomed! His companions are still alive and his cloak has not worn out, and his vessel is not yet broken. By the One in Whose hand is my soul, you are either following a way that is more guided that the way of Muhammad or you are opening the door to misguidance. They said: By Allaah, O Abu ‘Abd al-Rahmaan, we intended nothing but good. He said: How many of those who intended good did not achieve it. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told us that some people would recite the Qur’aan and it would not go any further than their collarbones. By Allaah, I do not know, perhaps most of them are from among you. Then he turned away from them and ‘Amr ibn Salamah said: I saw most of those circles on the side of the Khawaarij fighting us on the day of al-Nahrawaan.
This does not contradict the reports in the Sunnah that stipulate a set number for some adhkaar, because what is regarded as blameworthy is two things:
Specifying a set number which is not narrated in sharee’ah
Or adhering to a specific manner or a specific time with no evidence, like these people who were denounced by Ibn Mas’ood (may Allaah be pleased with him). Using pebbles and having a person who says “Say Allaahu akbar one hundred times, and saySubhaan-Allaah(Glory be to Allaah) one hundred times,” describes a manner that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not do.
Al-Shaatibi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Bid’ah (innovation) refers to something that is newly invented in matters of religion that appears similar to that which prescribed, by which people intend to go to extremes in worshipping Allaah.
This includes adhering to certain ways and manners of worship, such as reciting dhikr in unison, or taking the birthday of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) as an Eid, and so on.
It also includes doing certain acts of worship at certain times for which there is no basis in sharee’ah, such as always fasting on the fifteenth of Sha’baan (yawm al-nusf min Sha’baan) and spending that night in prayer.
End quote fromal-I’tisaam(1/37-39).
This story of Ibn Mas’ood indicates that what the Sufis do in the hadrahs, where they adhere to a specific number for dhikr, and are directed by their Shaykh, in addition to the fabricated manners such as standing, sitting and the ritualistic movements that they make, is false.
But the matter is more serious than that; the wrong actions are not limited to these innovations, rather they go beyond that and include forms of shirk in belief and action, such as calling upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and believing that the awliya’ (“saints” or close friends of Allaah) and righteous people possess the power to bring benefits or cause harm.
We ask Allaah to guide those Muslims who have gone astray, and to help us and you to obey Him and attain His pleasure.
And Allaah knows best.

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Dought & clear, - Making du’aa’ after theobligatory prayers is bid’ah

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After fard salat (i.e. after saying salam), some people make Dua while others say only Tasbih Fatmi. Some people are adament that making Dua after salat is Bidat. This is causing some restraint in the cummunity speacially those who follow Imam Abu Hanifa or Shafai.
Can we make dua'a after salat.
Can we make dua'a with the imama after salat alltogether.
Praise be to Allaah.
It says inFatawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah:
Making du’aa’ after the obligatory prayers is not Sunnah if it is done by raising the hands, whether that is done by the imam alone or a member of the congregation alone, or it is done by them both together. Rather that is bid’ah, because it was not narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or any of his companions (may Allaah be pleased with them) did that. With regard to making du’aa’ without doing that (raising the hands etc.), there is nothing wrong with it, because there are some ahaadeeth concerning that.
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 7/103
The Committee was asked about raising the hands for du’aa’ after the five daily prayers – is it proven that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) raised his hands or not? If it is not proven, is it permissible to raise the hands after the five daily prayers or not?
They replied: It is not proven that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) raised his hands in du’aa’ after the obligatory prayers as far as we know, so raising them after the salaam of an obligatory prayer is contrary to the Sunnah.
Fataawa al-Lajnah, 7/104
The Committee also stated that saying du’aa’ out loud after the five daily prayers or regular Sunnah prayers, or reciting du’aa’ in unison as a regular practice is a reprehensible innovation (bid’ah), because it was not proven that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or his companions (may Allaah be pleased with them) did anything like that. Whoever makes du’aa’ after the obligatory or regular Sunnah prayers in unison is going against the way of Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa’ah, and for those people to accuse those who disagree with them of being kaafirs and not belonging to Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa’ah, is misguidance, ignorance and a distortion of the facts.
Fataawa Islamiyyah, 1/319
And Allaah knows best.

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