Engagment, - Dought & clear, - * Reciting al-Faatihah when getting engaged

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- PUBLISHERNajimudeeN M. MD, IRI (Managing Director, Islamic Research Institution)

I am a young Muslim man who is about to get married. In the country where I am going to do the marriage contract, they do something that they call “Reciting al-Faatihah.” When a man wants to get married in our country, they recite al-Faatihah, and they invite some of the male relatives to that, and they offer them some sweets and drinks. Is reciting al-Faatihah part of the Sunnah, and if that is the case, what are the consequences of doing that?
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Praise be to Allah.
Reciting al-Faatihah at the time of the marriage contract or engagement has nothing to do with the Sunnah; rather it is an innovation (bid‘ah). It is not permissible to single out any part of the Qur’an for any actions except on the basis of evidence.
Abu Shaamah al-Maqdisi said inal-Baa‘ith ‘ala Inkaar al-Bida‘ wa’l-Hawaadith(165):
It is not appropriate to single out times for acts of worship that were not singled out for such acts in Islamic teachings. People have no authority decide such matters; rather that is the prerogative of the Lawgiver. End quote.
The scholars of the Standing Committee for Issuing Fatwas were asked:
Is reciting al-Faatihah at the time when a man gets engaged to a woman an innovation (bid ‘ah)?
They replied:
Reciting al-Faatihah at the time of a man's proposal to a woman or at the time of his marriage contract with her is an innovation. End quote.
None of the rulings of the marriage contract come into effect as a consequence of reciting al-Faatihah. Reciting al-Faatihah does not mean that the marriage contract has been completed; rather what matters is the proposal and acceptance with the wali (woman’s guardian) and witnesses.
The Sunnah is to recite khutbat al-haajah at the time of the marriage contract.
It was narrated that ‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ood (may Allaah be pleased with him) said:
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) taught us Khutbat al-Haajah, (to be said) at weddings and on other occasions:
“Inna al-hamda Lillaahi nasta’eenahu wa nastaghfiruhu, wa na’oodhu bihi min shuroori anfusinaa. Man yahdih Illaahu falaa mudilla lahu wa man yudlil falaa haadiya lahu. Wa ashhadu an laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan ‘abduhu wa rasooluhu(Verily, all praise is to Allah, we seek His help and His forgiveness. We seek refuge with Him from the evil of our own souls. Whomsoever Allah guides will never be led astray, and whomsoever Allah leaves astray, no one can guide. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger).
‘ Yaa ayyuha’n-naas uttaqu rabbakum alladhi khalaqakum min nafsin waahidatin wa khalaqa minhaa zawjahaa wa baththa minhumaa rijaalan katheeran wa nisaa’an wa’ttaqu-Llaah alladhi tasaa’aloona bihi wa’l-arhaama inna Allaaha kaana ‘alaykum raqeeban(O mankind! Be dutiful to your Lord, Who created you from a single person, and from him He created his wife, and from them both He created many men and women, and fear Allah through Whom you demand your mutual (rights), and (do not cut the relations of) the wombs (kinship) Surely, Allah is Ever an All-Watcher over you).’ [al-Nisaa’ 4:1]
‘Yaa ayyuha’lladheena aamanu-ttaqu’Llaaha haqqa tuqaatihi wa laa tamootunna illaa wa antum muslimoon(O you who believe! Fear Allah as He should be feared, and die not except in a state of Islam (as Muslims) with complete submission to Allah.)’ [Aal ‘Imraan 3:102]
‘Yaa ayyahu’lladheena aamanu-ttaqu’Llaaha wa qooloo qawlan sadeedan yuslih lakum a’maalakum wa yaghfir lakum dhunoobakum wa man yuti’ Allaaha wa rasoolahu fa qad faaza fawzan ‘azeeman(O you who believe! Keep your duty to Allah and fear Him, and speak (always) the truth). He will direct you to do righteous good deeds and will forgive you your sins. And whosoever obeys Allah and His Messenger, he has indeed achieved a great achievement (i.e. he will be saved from the Hell‑fire and will be admitted to Paradise)’ [al-Ahzaab 33:70, 71].”
Narrated by Abu Dawood (2118) and classed as saheeh by al-Albaani inSaheeh Abi Dawood.
The people have turned away from this Sunnah and adhered to this bid ‘ah. We ask Allah, may He be exalted, to bring the Muslims back to their religion in the best way.
And Allah knows best.

Da'eef (weak) hadeeths, Dought & clear, - * A fabricated hadeeth: “The sleep of the scholar is better than the worship of the ignorant”

Is this hadeeth (narration) saheeh (authentic):? "The sleep of the
scholar is better than the worship of the ignorant".

Praise be to Allah
Firstly:
This saying, "The sleep of the scholar is better than the worship of
the ignorant", is not a hadeeth from the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allah be upon him) and it is not a report from any of the Sahabah
(Companions) or Tabi'een (Successors). It is not known in the books of
Sunnah (prophetic traditions) and hadeeth, and we have not come across
it in any of the recognized books of Sunnah, even after extensive
searching.
Rather we found it among the books of the Shi'ah which are full of
fabrications and lies, in a book called Man la yahduruhu al-Faqeeh
(4/352-367) by ash-Shaykh as-Sadooq (d. 381 AH), where it says:
"It was narrated from Hammad ibn 'Amr and Anas ibn Muhammad from his
father, and they both – meaning Hammad and Muhammad the father of Anas
– narrated from Ja'far ibn Muhammad, from his father, from his
grandfather, from 'Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him),
from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) that he
said to him: – and he mentioned a very lengthy hadeeth, in which he
said: 'O 'Ali! The sleep of the scholar is better than the worship of
the worshipper.'"
From this book it was picked up by many of the books of the Shi'ah,
such as Makarim al-Akhlaq by at-Tubrusi (d. 548 AH), p. 441; Bihar
al-Anwar by al-Majlisi, 2/25; and elsewhere.
The indication of falsehood is clear in this hadeeth. Hammad ibn 'Amr
and Muhammad the father of Anas are both majhool (unknown) and are not
known to have been narrated from Ja'far as-Sadiq. There is no mention
of him in the books of the Sunnis or even in the books of the Shi'ah,
to such an extent that the commentator on the book Man la yahduruhu
Faqeeh (1/536) said, when Shaykh as-Sadooq attributed its isnad (chain
of narration) to Hammad ibn 'Amr and Anas: "Hammad ibn 'Amr, perhaps
he is from the city of Naseebiyyeen, and is not mentioned, and the
same applies to Anas ibn Muhammad. In the isnad going back to them
there are unknown narrators, and it is as if they are from among the
regular masses"– meaning Ahl as-Sunnah!
When Abu'l-Qasim al-Kho'i gave a biography of him in Mu'jam Rijal
al-Hadeeth, 7/235, he did not narrate from anyone that they regarded
him as trustworthy. Rather he also said: "as-Sadooq's isnad going back
to him about the will (wasiyyah) of the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allah be upon him and his family) to Ameer al-Mu'mineen ['Ali]
(peace be upon him) is da'eef (weak), and includes a number of unknown
narrators." End quote.
It is sufficient for you to know that hundreds of hadeeths that are
attributed to Ja'far as-Sadiq were only narrated with this isnad going
back to him, which even some of the Shi 'ah admit includes some
unknown narrators, and the unknown narrator is used as a means to tell
lies about the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him).
Similar to this is another saying, "The sleep of the scholar is
worship." These are not the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allah be upon him) either. Mullah 'Ali al-Qari (may Allah have
mercy on him) said: It has no basis in any marfoo' report (one that
has an isnad going back to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah
be upon him)).
End quote from al-Asrar al-Marfoo'ah fi'l-Akhbar al-Mawdoo'ah, p.374
And Allah knows best.

Da'eef (weak) hadeeths, Dought & clear, - * Is it proven that ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) wrote a letter to the Nile in Egypt so that its water would flow by Allah’s leave?

I want to know the authenticity of the story about Umar (may Allah be
pleased with him) writing a letter to the River Nile. It seems to me
as illogical, for the Qur'aan and the Saheeh saheeh Sunnah (authentic
prophetic traditions) do not teach such a thing. Also, that for
droughts, Salah Salat Ul al Istisqa is authentically established.

Praise be to Allah
Ibn Katheer (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
It was narrated to us via Ibn Luhay'ah from Qays ibn al-Hajjaj from
someone who told him: When Egypt was conquered, its people came to
'Amr ibn al-'As (may Allah be pleased with him) and said to him: O
Ameer, this Nile of ours is used to something and cannot flow unless
it is done. He said: What is that? They said: On the twelfth night of
this month, we take a young girl from her parents, and we placate her
parents, then we dress her in jewellery and the finest garments there
can be, then we throw her into this Nile.
'Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) said to them: This is something
that cannot happen in Islam; Islam erases that which came before it
(of bad customs).
So they stayed for a while, during which the Nile did not flow at all,
neither a little nor a lot, until they thought of leaving. Then 'Amr
(may Allah be pleased with him) wrote to 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may
Allah be pleased with him), telling him about this. He wrote to him,
saying: You did the right thing. I am sending you a piece of paper
with my letter; throw it into the Nile.
When his letter came, 'Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) took the
piece of paper on which was written:
"From the slave of Allah 'Umar, Ameer al-Mumineen, to the Nile of the
people of Egypt.
To proceed: If you only flow on your own initiative, then do not flow,
for we have no need of you. But if you only flow on the command of
Allah, the One, the Subduer, and He is the One Who causes you to flow,
then we ask Allah, may He be exalted, to make you flow."
He threw the paper in the Nile and by Saturday morning, Allah had
caused the Nile to flow (to a depth or width of) sixteen cubits in one
night, and Allah put an end to this particular custom of the people of
Egypt until today.
End quote from al-Bidayah wa'n-Nihayah, 7/114-115
Similar reports were also narrated by Ibn 'Abd al-Hakam in Futooh
Misr, p. 165; al-Lalkai in Sharh I'tiqad Ahl as-Sunnah, 6/463; Ibn
'Asakir in Tareekh Dimashq, 44/336; Abu'sh-Shaykh in al-'Azamah,
4/1424, via Ibn Luhay'ah.
This is a da'eef isnad (weak chain of narration) that is not saheeh,
and this report cannot be proven with such an isnad. Ibn Luhay'ah –
whose full name was 'Abdullah ibn Luhay'ah ibn 'Uqbah – is da 'eef as
he used to get mixed up, and in addition to that he is mudallis (one
who narrates from someone he met something he did not hear). See
at-Tahdheeb, 5/327-33; Mizan al-I'tidaal, 2/475-484
Qays ibn al-Hajjaj is sadooq (trustworthy), from the sixth level of
hadeeth narrators (tabaqah) according to al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar; they are
the ones who it is not proven that they met any of the
Sahabah/Companions (may Allah be pleased with them). See: Taqreeb
at-Tahdheeb, 1/25
Sometimes he narrated it as a mursal (the link between the Successor
and the Prophet is missing) report and sometimes he narrated it from
the one who told him, but the one who told him is majhool and not
known.
So the report is da'eef (weak) and is not saheeh (sound)
If this story were true, everyone would know about it and it would be
well known, and it would have been widely narrated through confirmed
isnads, because it is an important and significant event, the like of
which should not be ignored; rather an incident less significant than
this would not be overlooked by historians and narrators.
And Allah knows best.

Islamic General Articles, Dought & clear, - * Commentary on the hadith of Ibn ‘Umar, “Whoever says following every prayer and when he goes to bed, ‘Allahu akbar ‘adad ash-shaf‘i wa’l-witr…’”

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- PUBLISHERNajimudeeN M. MD, IRI (Managing Director, Islamic Research Institution)

How sound is the following hadeeth? Can you explain further?
Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said; ” Whoever says at end of every prayer, and when he lies down to sleep: Allah is Most Great, with the even and odd number of Allah’s perfect beautiful blessed words. There is absolutely no deity worthy of worship, but Allah “(( Allahu Akbar Kabeer, addadash Shafi wal witr wa kalamatillahi tammat At Tayyibatil Mubarak La illaha ilallahu)) three times, then these words will be a light in his grave, they will be a light on the bridge and a light for him when passing over Hell until they enter him into Jannah or He enters Jannah.
Collected by Ibn Abee Shaybah (10/229)
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Praise be to Allah
Firstly:
Ibn Abi Shaybah (may Allah have mercy on him) narrated in hisMusannaf(29256) with a saheeh isnaad from Ibn ‘Umar that he said: Whoever says following every prayer and when he goes to bed, ‘Allahu akbar kabeera‘adad ash-shaf‘i wa’l-witr, wa kalimaat Allah at-taammaati at-tayyibaati al-mubaarakaat(Allah is Most Great the number of the even and the odd, and the blessed, pure, perfect words of Allah)’ three times, and ‘Laa ilaaha ill-Allah(there is no god but Allah) the same number of times, they will be light for him in his grave, and light on the jisr (bridge), and light on the siraat (bridge over Hell), until they admit him to Paradise, or until he enters Paradise.
See question no. 228406
What is meant by following every prayer is every obligatory prayer, because that is what is meant when prayer is mentioned in general terms. That is stated in more than one hadith that was narrated about the adhkaar to be recited following the prayers.
Al-Bukhaari (844) narrated from al-Mugheerah ibn Shu‘bah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to say, following every obligatory prayer: “Laa ilaaha ill-Allah wahdahu laa shareeka lah, lahu’l-mulk wa lahu’l-hamd wa huwa ‘ala kulli shay’in qadeer, Allaahumma laa maani’ lima a’tayta wa laa mu’ti lima mana’ta wa la yanfa’ dhaa’l-jadd minka al-jadd(There is no god except Allah alone with no partner or associate, His is the sovereignty and to Him be praise and He is able to do all things. O Allah, none can withhold what You give and none can give what You withhold, and no wealth or majesty can benefit anyone for from You is all wealth and majesty).”
And Muslim (596) narrated from Ka‘b ibn ‘Ujrah that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Dhikrs after the prayer, the one who says them or does them after each obligatory prayer will not be disappointed: thirty-three tasbeehahs, thirty-three tahmeedahs and thirty-four takbeerahs.”
Al-Haafiz (may Allah have mercy on him) said in his commentary on the first hadith:
The apparent meaning of the words “every prayer” includes both obligatory and voluntary prayers, but most of the scholars interpreted it as referring to the obligatory prayers. In the hadith of Ka‘b ibn ‘Ujrah that was narrated by Muslim it specifies that what is meant is the obligatory prayers. It is as if they interpreted general references to prayer as referring to them (the obligatory prayer). End quote.
Fath al-Baari(2/328)
Ahmad (6498) narrated that ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘Aas said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “There are two qualities, whoever adheres to them they will admit him to Paradise. They are simple but those who do them are few.” They said: What are they, O Messenger of Allah? He said: “To praise Allah, magnify Him and glorify Him following every obligatory prayer, ten times each; and when you go to bed, glorify Allah and magnify Him and praise Him one hundred times each. (That will be) two hundred and fifty on the tongue and two thousand five hundred in the Balance.
It was classed as hasan by the commentators onal-Musnad.
The words in this hadith, “following every obligatory prayer … and when you go to bed” are like the words in the hadith of Ibn ‘Umar, “Whoever says following every prayer and when he goes to bed”.
What is referred to in both cases is the obligatory prayers.
The words “and when he goes to bed” refer to the adhkaar of going to sleep. The scholars differed concerning the adhkaar of going to sleep: are they to be said when going to sleep at night only, or can they be said when going to sleep during the day too?
This has been discussed in fatwa no. 221734
What is meant by the words “‘Laa ilaaha ill-Allah (there is no god but Allah)’ the same number of times” is saying “Laa ilaaha ill-Allah‘adad ash-shaf ‘i wa’l-witr, wa kalimaat Allah at-taammati at-tayyibaati al-mubaarakaat(There is no god but Allah, the number of the even and the odd, and the blessed, pure, perfect words of Allah)’” three times, as one did with the phrase beginning with takbeer (‘Allahu akbar’).
What is meant by the even and the odd is all of creation, some of which is even and some is odd.
Al-Qaasimi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
The even and the odd means the creation and the Creator. The even refers to all of creation, because of the pairs that are in it, as in the verse in which Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):“And of everything We have created pairs, that you may remember (the Grace of Allah)” [adh-Dhaariyaat 51:49]. Mujaahid said: Everything that Allah has created is even numbered (in pairs): heaven and earth, land and sea.
Jinn and man, sun and moon, disbelief and faith, happiness and misery, guidance and misguidance, night and day.
The odd numbered (Witr) is Allah, may He be exalted, because it is one of His names, and conveys the same meaning as His names al-Waahid, al-Ahad (the One). Thus Allah swore by His Essence and His creation. [“And by the even and the odd” [al-Fajr 89:3]].
And it was said that what is meant by the even and the odd is everything that exists of essences and concepts, because they can only be either even or odd.
End quote fromMahaasin at-Ta’weel(9/456)
See also:at-Tibyaan fi Aqsaam al-Qur’anby Ibn al-Qayyim (21).
What is meant by the blessed, perfect words of Allah is His decrees, both religious and universal (divine will and decree).
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
The perfect words of Allah are those that include both justice and truth, as in the verse in which Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):“The Word of your Lord is perfect in truth and justice” [al-An‘aam 6:115].
Words here may be understood as referring to universal divine decrees and religious decrees. A person may seek refuge in the religious decrees and words of Allah, such as by reciting Qur’an, for example, such as seeking refuge by reciting Soorat al-Falaq and Soorat an-Naas, or he may seek refuge in the universal decrees, which means that Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, protects him by means of His universal decrees from the accursed Shaytaan. End quote.
Liqa’ al-Baab al-Maftooh(8/14)
With regard to the words “light on the jisr (bridge)”, the well-known view is that the jisr is the siraat, as in the hadith which was narrated by Muslim (183): “…Then the bridge will be set up over Hell, and intercession will be permitted.”
An-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
The jisr is the siraat. End quote.
Sharh an-Nawawi ‘ala Muslim(3/29)
Al-Bukhaari (may Allah have mercy on him) said in hisSaheeh(8/117);
Chapter: The siraat is the bridge over Hell. End quote.
But the words in the hadith of Ibn ‘Umar, “light over the siraat” rule out the interpretation of the jisr as referring to the siraat, otherwise it would be repetition.
What appears to be the case – and Allah knows best – is that what is meant by the jisr here is the bridge between Paradise and Hell, as the believers will settle the scores that arose among them in this world, as al-Bukhaari (2440) narrated from Abu Sa‘eed al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “When the believers have been saved from the Fire, they will be detained at a bridge between Paradise and Hell, and they will settle the scores that arose among them in this world until, when they have been purified and cleansed, permission will be given to them to enter Paradise.”
With regard to the light on the siraat, it is the light that will be given to the believer and withheld from the hypocrite. Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“the Day that Allah will not disgrace the Prophet (Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)) and those who believe with him, their Light will run forward before them and with (their Records Books of deeds) in their right hands they will say: ‘Our Lord! Keep perfect our Light for us (and do not put it off till we cross over the Sirat (a slippery bridge over the Hell) safely) and grant us forgiveness. Verily, You are Able to do all things’”
[at-Tahreem 66:8]
“On the Day when the hypocrites men and women will say to the believers: ‘Wait for us! Let us get something from your light!’ It will be said: ‘Go back to your rear! Then seek a light!’ So a wall will be put up between them, with a gate therein. Inside it will be mercy, and outside it will be torment”
[al-Hadeed 57:13].
And Allah knows best.