General, Dought & clear, - * If a Muslim has doubts, will it harm him to ask about the truthfulness of some miracle?

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

If a Muslim has some doubts about Islam and the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), and he seeks to put his mind at rest regarding these doubts that are troubling him, so he asks about the soundness of reports that speak of a miracle that occurred at the hands of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), does this put him beyond the pale of Islam? Will Allah forgive such sins?
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Praise be to Allah
The Muslim should praise Allah, may He be exalted, and thank Him for the blessing of Islam and right guidance, for it is the greatest of blessings, as Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Is he who was dead (without Faith by ignorance and disbelief) and We gave him life (by knowledge and Faith) and set for him a light (of Belief) whereby he can walk amongst men, like him who is in the darkness (of disbelief, polytheism and hypocrisy) from which he can never come out? Thus it is made fair-seeming to the disbelievers that which they used to do”
[al-An‘aam 6:122]
“Is he whose heart Allah has opened to Islam, so that he is in light from His Lord (as he who is non-Muslim)? So, woe to those whose hearts are hardened against remembrance of Allah! They are in plain error!”
[az-Zumar 39:22]
“And had it not been for the Grace of Allah and His Mercy on you, not one of you would ever have been pure from sins. But Allah purifies (guides to Islam) whom He wills”
[an-Noor 24:21].
If this Muslim looks at the world around him and reflects upon what the people of polytheism and idolatry, such as the Christians and others, follow, he will realise the greatness of the blessing that Allah has bestowed upon him.
Yet despite that, the Muslim may experience some doubts, because of his lack of knowledge or weakness of faith, or because there is someone who tries to make him doubt. In that case, he has to dispel the doubt by asking people of knowledge, and reflecting upon the words of Allah, may He be exalted, and the words of His Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), and by studying the Seerah (Prophet’s biography) and signs and miracles, for these are things that will increase his faith and bring him peace of mind and reassurance.
There is nothing wrong with asking about a miracle and how sound it is, so as to increase one’s certainty and steadfastness. Asking such questions is not regarded as going beyond the bounds of Islam, but he should beware of persisting in doubts or stopping good deeds, such as giving up prayer – Allah forbid – because giving up prayer constitutes disbelief (and puts a person beyond the bounds of Islam), according to the more sound of the two scholarly opinions.
The Muslim should understand that no matter what sins he may commit, if he then repents and seeks forgiveness, Allah, may He be exalted, will forgive him no matter what his sins are. Allah, may He be exalted, turned in mercy to people who had lived all their lives in disbelief, polytheism and barring people from the path of Allah, then they became leaders of guidance, lights that illuminated the darkness and beacons on the path of truth and righteousness. Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Know they not that Allah accepts repentance from His slaves and takes the Sadaqat (alms, charities) and that Allah Alone is the One Who forgives and accepts repentance, Most Merciful?”
[at-Tawbah 9:104]
“And He it is Who accepts repentance from His slaves, and forgives sins, and He knows what you do”
[ash-Shoora 42:25].
No matter how great the sin, Allah’s mercy, forgiveness and generosity are greater.
The poet spoke well who said:
O Lord, although my sins are great and many, I know that Your forgiveness is greater
If it be the case that only doers of good can hope for Your grace, then who could the sinner turn to for mercy?
Our advice to the one who is faced with doubts is that he should turn to the Book of Allah, may He be exalted, for it is a remedy and a healing, as Allah, may He be glorified, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And We send down from the Quran that which is a healing and a mercy to those who believe (in Islamic Monotheism and act on it), and it increases the Zalimoon (polytheists and wrong-doers) nothing but loss”
[al-Isra’ 17:82].
So let him turn to Allah, calling upon Him and hoping that He will remove his worry, relieve his distress, illuminate his heart and free him from the tricks of the Shaytaan.
If his doubt is based on a particular specious argument, let him ask the scholars about it, for the religion of Islam is so great and strong that no specious argument can stand up to it or resist it.
If what he is dealing with is a kind of waswasah (whispers from the Shaytaan) that is not based on a particular argument, then the remedy for that is remembering Allah (dhikr), doing acts of obedience and worship, seeking refuge with Allah, keeping busy and ignoring it.
We ask Allah to help us all to do that which He loves and which pleases Him.
And Allah knows best.

General, Dought & clear, - * Can she ask for a divorce if her husband takes a second wife?

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

Can I divorce (talaaq) my husband, because he is trying to take a second wife, but he cannot even take care of me and our children?
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Praise be to Allah
Firstly:
A woman does not have the power to divorce (talaaq) her husband; rather divorce is in the hand of the man, because the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “(The right of divorce) belongs to the one who takes hold of the calf [i.e., her husband].” Classed as hasan by al-Albaani inSaheeh Ibn Maajah
The calf referred to here is the calf of the wife; this is a metaphor for intercourse. Hence the one who has the right of divorce (talaaq) is the one who has the right of intercourse.
The Standing Committee was asked: If a woman divorces (talaaq) her husband, does she have to offer expiation, and what is that expiation?
They replied: If a woman divorces her husband, it does not count as such and she does not have to offer any expiation, but she should ask Allah for forgiveness and repent to Him, because her issuing a divorce to her husband is contrary to the shar‘i evidence, which indicates that divorce is in the hand of the husband or whoever is acting on his behalf according to sharee‘ah.
End quote fromFataawa al-Lajnah ad-Daa’imah(vol. 1 – 20/11).
For more information, please see the answer to question no. 111881
Secondly:
The husband is not obliged to seek the permission or approval of his wife if he wants to take a second wife, but part of good treatment is to console her by taking measures to reduce the distress that women naturally feel in such situations. For more information, please see the answer to question no. 12544.
Our advice to the woman whose husband takes a second wife is to be patient, seek reward with Allah and accept what Allah has decreed for her. No one knows where goodness lies. Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“…it may be that you dislike a thing which is good for you and that you like a thing which is bad for you. Allah knows but you do not know”
[al-Baqarah 2:216].
But if it so happens that a woman cannot put up with that and the fears that she will not be able to fulfil her husband’s rights over her if he takes a second wife, then she may request khula‘ and return the mahr to the husband, because of the report narrated by al-Bukhaari (48677) from Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with him), according to which the wife of Thaabit ibn Qays came to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) “O Messenger of Allah, I do not find any fault with Thaabit ibn Qays in his character or his religious commitment, but I do not want to commit any act of kufr after becoming a Muslim.” The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to her, “Will you give back his garden?” Because he had given her a garden as her mahr. She said, “Yes.” The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to Thaabit: “Take back your garden, and divorce her.”.
Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) said: The words “but I do not want to commit any act of kufr after becoming a Muslim” mean: If I stay with him, I would hate to fall into anything that constitutes kufr. It is as if she was indicating that her intense dislike of him might prompt her to make an outward display of kufr so that her marriage to him would be annulled. She knew that that was haraam, but she feared that intense hatred might push her to do that. Or it may be that what she meant by kufr was ingratitude to her husband, which refers to the wife falling short in fulfilling the rights of the husband.
End quote fromFath al-Baari(9/399).
But if the husband is not well off and cannot afford to spend on his wife’s maintenance and do what he is obliged to do of taking care of her, then she may refer the matter to the Islamic judge (qaadi) and request an annulment of the marriage.
And Allah knows best.

Da'eef (weak) hadeeths, Dought & clear, - * Reciting Surahal-Qadr After Finishing Wudoo

I just got told by a friend that by reciting Surah al-Qadr the sins
of 40 years will be forgiven? Also it should be read after the
completion of wudoo (ablution)? I am aware that we should recite
bismillah before starting wudoo and after finishing it we should
recite the kalimah shahadat (testimony of faith).
Please clear away this doubt for me since I am not sure if any of this
is backed by authentic hadeeth or not.
-
Praise be to Allah
There is no shar'i (religious) basis for this idea, and there is
nothing in the Sunnah (teachings) of the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allah be upon him) to suggest this.
Al-Sakhkhawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Reciting the Surah
"Inna anzalnahu" [i.e., Surah al-Qadr] after finishing wudoo is
something for which there is no basis and this is not the Sunnah. End
quote.
Al-'Amiri al-Ghazzi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
Reciting Surah al-Qadr after finishing wudoo is something for which
there is no basis.
Al-Jadd al-Hatheeth fi Bayan ma laysa bi Hadeeth (p.234).
Al-Albani (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned in al-Da'eefah
(1449) a hadeeth (narration) about this and he said concerning it: It
is fabricated (mawdoo').
There are proven du'as and athkar (words of remembrance) in the
Prophet's (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) Sunnah which may
be recited straight after doing wudoo. The Muslim should be keen to
recite them and not add anything to them.
And Allah knows best.

Da'eef (weak) hadeeths, Dought & clear, - * Remembering Allah Out Loud in Unison

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

I have a question since I have been involved in some discussions with some brothers and we can’t determine who is right. The question is about making thikr (remembering Allah) in a loud voice in groups like some people do. Is this considered bid’ah (innovation)? They quote as evidence this hadeeth (report) from Sahih Muslim which says: “The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) went out to a circle of his Companions and asked: "What made you sit here?" They said: "We are sitting here in order to remember /mention Allah (nathkurullaha) and to glorify Him (wa nahmaduhu) because He guided us to the path of Islam and he conferred favours upon us." They say this hadeeth is evidence that the Companions also did thikr in a loud voice in a group. Please give me a detailed answer with evidence because I am confused. And also, is it right that there are differences of opinion among the 'ulama (scholars) regarding this issue?
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Praise be to Allah.
Firstly:
Thikr in general, if it involves raising the voice and reciting in unison, is a bid‘ah (innovation) that has been introduced into the religion and was not the practice of the righteous early generations.
Ash-Shatibi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
If there is a text that encourages people to recite particular phrases of thikr, and some people commit themselves to gathering to recite thikr in unison, or at a certain time that is singled out from all other times, then we should note that although these phrases were referred to in a shar‘i (religious) text by way of encouraging people to say them, there is nothing in that to indicate this particular way and time of doing it. Rather in that text there may be something to indicate the contrary, because adhering to something that is not binding in Islam may give the impression that this is part of the religion, especially if it is done by leading figures who are regarded as setting examples in places where people gather, such as the mosque.
Therefore, the early generation did not commit to doing such things and it would have been more appropriate for them to have done these actions if they were prescribed in Islam. But thikr in general is something that is Islamically prescribed in many situations, unlike other acts of worship, and this du‘a (supplication) is thikr or remembrance of Allah, yet the salaf (pious predecessors) did not adhere to a particular manner of doing it or limit it to specific times, such that this thikr is connected to particular times, unless there is evidence for a particular time, such as the morning or evening. And they did not say it out loud unless the shar‘i text indicated that it should be said out loud, such as the thikr on the two ‘Eids (festivals) and the like. With regard to thikrs other than that, they persisted in hiding it and said it privately (not out loud). Hence when the Sahabah (Companions) raised their voices in du‘a, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to them: “Be easy with yourselves (and lower your voices), for you are not calling on One Who is deaf or absent,” and so on. And they did not recite out loud or in unison.
Everyone who goes against this principle has gone against the fact that the text is general in meaning and does not restrict it to a particular time, because the one who does that has restricted it on the basis of his own opinion and has gone against those who had better knowledge of Islam than him, namely the righteous early generations (the Salaf – may Allah be pleased with them). End quote. Al-I‘tisam.
Shaykh al-Islam (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked about a man who established a waqf (endowment) and in some of his conditions he stipulated that they should recite whatever they are able to (of the Quran) and recite Subhan-Allah (Glory be to Allah), La ilaha ill-Allah (there is no God but Allah) and Allahu akbar (Allah is most great), and send blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) after Fajr (early morning) until sunrise. Is it better to do this aloud or quietly?
He replied:
Praise be to Allah. Rather it is better to recite thikr and du‘a (supplication) – such as sending blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) – quietly, unless there is a reason to do so otherwise. At this particular time it is especially preferable (to recite it quietly), because Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And remember your Lord by your tongue and within yourself, humbly and with fear without loudness in words in the mornings.” [7:205]
And in as-Saheeh it is narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) that when he saw the Sahabah (may Allah be pleased with them) raising their voices in thikr, he said: “O people, be easy with yourselves (and lower your voices), for you are not calling on One Who is deaf or absent; rather you are calling upon One Who is All-Hearing and Close. The One upon Whom you are calling is closer to one of you than the neck of his mount.”
End quote from al-Fatawa al-Kubra.
The scholars of the Standing Committee said:
Thikr in unison is an innovation (bid‘ah) because it is something that has been introduced into the religion. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever introduces something into this matter of ours that is not part of it will have it rejected.” And he (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Every newly invented matter is an innovation, and every innovation is going astray.” What is prescribed is to remember Allah, may He be exalted, without reciting in unison.
End quote. Fatawa al-Lajnah ad-Daimah.
Secondly:
It is more makrooh (disliked) to raise the voice in reciting thikr and du‘a, and to recite in unison, if this might annoy other people who are praying or offering du‘a or remembering Allah (thikr).
It was narrated from ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) observed i‘tikaf (seclusion in the mosque) and addressed the people, saying: “When one of you stands to pray, he is conversing with his Lord, so let each of you think of what he is saying to his Lord, and no one among you should raise his voice over anyone else when reciting in the prayer.” [Ahmad]
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: No one should raise his voice in recitation in such a way that he annoys others, such as other worshippers.
End quote. Majmoo‘ al-Fatawa.
Thirdly:
With regard to the report narrated by Muslim from Mu‘awiyah ibn Abi Sufyan (may Allah be pleased with him), according to which the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) came out to a circle of his Companions and said: “Why are you sitting here?” They said: We are sitting to remember Allah and praise Him for having guided us to Islam and blessed us with it. He said: “By Allah, are you only sitting for that purpose?” They said: By Allah, we are only sitting for that purpose. He said: “I did not ask you to swear because I am accusing you, but Jibreel came to me and told me that Allah was boasting of you to the angels.”
And the report also narrated by Muslim from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “No people gather in one of the houses of Allah, reciting the Book of Allah and studying it together, but tranquility will descend upon them, mercy will overshadow them, the angels will surround them and Allah will mention them to those who are with Him.”
– There is nothing in these reports to suggest that thikr should be recited in unison.
Al-Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
The correct view concerning this matter is that the two hadeeths (reports) refer to those who study the Book of Allah together and recite it. Similarly, with regard to people who are remembering Allah, it is general in meaning and should be understood in the light of other, specific reports that describe the way in which thikr was done at the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and his Companions. It was not known among them that they would remember Allah, may He be exalted, by reciting thikr in unison or that they read or recited the Quran in unison. The phrase “studying it together” indicates that this studying together is done one after another. Either one reads, and when he has finished the next one reads the same text, and so on; or each one of them reads one part, and the next one reads from where the first one stopped. This is the apparent meaning of the hadeeth. With regard to the other hadeeth in which it says that they remembered Allah, we say the same thing: it is general in meaning and should be understood in the light of the texts that speak of the specific way in which thikr was done at the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and his Companions. It was not known among them that they would get together and recite thikr in unison.
End quote. Fatawa Noor ‘ala ad-Darb by Ibn ‘Uthaymeen.
And Allah knows best.