Usool al-Fiqh, - * How can we know which hadiths were abrogated and which abrogated others? Isn’t this a source of confusion?

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I have a question regarding abrogations in Islam during the time of prophet Muhammad(PBUH). My question is that how can we be sure that the sahih ahadith we have today were not abrogated afterwards(i.e., sometime after that but before the demise of prophet Muhammad) and there was a new ruling on the matter?...there are many matters in which there were abrogations, matters that we know of so I am thinking that may be there were matters that were abrogated and that which we dont know of?...so how can we follow the sahih and hassan ahadith without knowing for sure that they were not abrogated later in time?
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Praise be to Allah
What is meant by abrogation is when the Lawgiver cancelled out a previous, earlier ruling by means of another ruling that also comes from the Lawgiver, but it came later than the first ruling.
Abrogation may be known in several ways:
1. when the Lawgiver stated that something was abrogated
2. when the Sahaabi stated something to that effect
3. when the ummah is unanimously agreed that a hadith is abrogated
4. when two hadiths contradict one another, and it is not possible to reconcile between them in any way, and it is known which one came earlier and which came later; in that case the earlier hadith is abrogated.
An-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: With regard to abrogation, it is when the Lawgiver cancelled out an earlier ruling by means of a later ruling.
This is the favoured view concerning the definition of abrogation…
Abrogation may be known from several things, including the following:
· A clear statement to that effect from the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), such as when he said: “I used to forbid you to visit graves, but now visit them.” Narrated by Muslim (977).
· The words of the Sahaabi, such as: The last of the two commands was not to do wudoo’ after eating anything that had been touched by fire.
· That which is known from chronological order.
· That which is known from consensus, such as executing the drinker of alcohol after a fourth offence. This is abrogated, and the fact of its abrogation is known from consensus.
Consensus in and of itself does not abrogate and is not subject to abrogation, but it is indicative of the presence of something that abrogates a ruling. And Allah knows best.
But if two hadiths appear to contradict one another, then it is essential to reconcile between them or to determine which of them outweighs the other.
But that is usually undertaken by leading scholars who combine knowledge of hadith and fiqh, or scholars of usool who are prominent in that field, who are well-versed in subtle meanings. One who meets this description will not have a problem with such matters except rarely, in some cases.
Moreover such cases of contradiction are of two types, the first of which is where it is possible to reconcile between them, in which case that is what must be done, and it is obligatory to accept and comply with both hadiths.
Whenever it is possible to interpret the words of the Lawgiver in a manner that is of greater benefit, then that interpretation should be adopted.
And we should not decide that one report abrogates the other when it is possible to reconcile between them, because abrogation means deeming one of the hadiths to be something that is not to be acted upon.
An example of reconciling between reports is the reconciliation of the hadith “There is no ‘adwa (contagion)” and the hadith “No healthy person should be exposed to a sick person.”
The way to reconcile between them is to note that diseases are not contagious by nature, but Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, has made exposure to them a cause of infection. The first hadith denies what the people of the Jaahiliyyah used to believe, that diseases were contagious by nature. The second hadith tells people to avoid that which usually cases harm upon exposure to it, and that harm could only happen by the will and decree of Allah.
The second type is reports in which there is a contradiction in such a way that it is not possible to reconcile between them in any way.
If we know that one of them abrogates the other, we should give it precedence.
Otherwise, we should act upon the one that appears more likely to be sound. In order to know which is more likely to be sound, we need to know which one has been narrated by a greater number of narrators and their status, and other factors that could help us to determine which is more likely to be sound. There are approximately fifty factors, which were compiled by al-Haafiz Abu Bakr al-Haazimi at the beginning of his bookan-Naasikh wa’l-Mansookh. I have compiled them in abbreviated form, but there is no need to mention them here for fear of making this discussion too lengthy.
End quote fromSharh Muslim(1/60-61]
Al-Haazimi (may Allah have mercy on him) said, discussing ways of working out which report abrogates and which is abrogated:
That may be known from a number of indicators, including the following:
· The words of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) clearly indicate that, such as when he (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “I used to forbid you to visit graves, but now visit them.”
· Or the wording of the Sahaabi states that, such as the hadith of ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib (may Allah be pleased with him): The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to instruct us to stand up for funerals, then he would remain seated after that, and he instructed us to remain seated.
· Where the date is known, such as the report of Ubayy ibn Ka‘b (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: I said: O Messenger of Allah, what if one of us has intercourse with his wife but does not ejaculate? The Prophet said: “Let him wash whatsoever part of his body touched the woman, then let him do wudoo’, then let him pray.”
This hadith indicates that no ghusl is required if one does not ejaculate, and that what makes ghusl obligatory is ejaculation.
When we examine the isnaads of this hadith, some of the isnaads show us that this was at the beginning of Islam, and it remained in effect until some time after the hijrah.
Then we find that az-Zuhri asked ‘Urwah about that, and ‘Urwah replied that ‘Aa’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) had told him that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to do that, and he did not do ghusl; that was before the conquest of Makkah, then after that he would do ghusl (in this situation) and he instructed the people to do ghusl too.
· Where the ummah is unanimously agreed that something is abrogated. This is the strongest sign of abrogation.
If it is not possible to differentiate between them, because the date is unknown, and there is nothing in the wording of the report to indicate that, and it is not possible to reconcile between them, then in that case we should go through the process of finding out which one is more likely to be sound.
The ways of doing so are many; I will mention most of them…
End quote fromal-I‘tibaar fi’n-Naasikh wa’l-Mansookh min al-Athaar(p. 8), by Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Moosa ibn ‘Uthmaan al-Haazimi al-Hamdaani (d. 584 AH). His book is one of the most useful books on this topic.
Thus it will be clear to you that the matter is not difficult. Most of the proven hadiths are not abrogated, and the issue of abrogation only arises in the case of hadiths that contradict one another when it is not possible to reconcile between them. In that case the Lawgiver may state that they are abrogated, or the Sahaabi may say something to that effect, or there may be consensus that the hadith concerning it is abrogated, or the fact that it is abrogated may be known from chronological order.
The scholars of hadith and the commentators on the Sunnah have not omitted any such matter without explaining it, praise be to Allah. So there is no need to confusion and doubts.
And Allah knows best.
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Usool al-Fiqh, - * Reasons for the difference of opinion among the fuqaha’ about reciting behind the imam

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I have read your answer to the question "reciting surah fatiha behind the imam" but i have a confusion in it.
What Ive heard is that imam Maalik lived his life in madinah and learnt religion from there, then why does he suggest that surah fatiha should not be recited when imam recites out loud?
He was born in 93 AH and was the closest in all the imam such as imam Shafi and imam Hunbal to the time of Prophet (peace and mercy be upon him). Then why is there a difference in his teachings and the teachings of the others?
A similar difference is on keeping the hands by ones sides while qiyaam.
Please explain and if possible please give references from mauta imam malik as well.
I understand that imam abu hanifa was the closest to the time of Prophet (peace and mercy be upon him) but since he was in iraq his teachings are different in many matters. But is this true that his students corrected many hhadees when they came to madinah? Like I've heard that one of his students Abu Abdullah corrected nearly 3000 ahadees he learnt from imam abu hanifa when he came to Madinah.
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Praise be to Allah
Firstly:
Reciting al-Faatihah behind the imam in a prayer in which recitation is done out loud is a matter that is subject to ijtihad. What each imam said concerning it is the conclusion to which his ijtihad led him. We mentioned the evidence supporting the view that it is obligatory to recite it, and the evidence quoted by those scholars who disallowed that. Please see the answers to questions no. 66742and 10995.
You may also refer to the books of the Maalikis for more information concerning that.
Secondly:
The matter has nothing to do with Imam Maalik (may Allah have mercy on him) having lived in Madinah or having lived close to the time of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). This could be relevant with regard to the issue of whether the hadith reached him or not, but the deciding factor in this issue mostly has to do with the scholars examining and understanding the relevant text. Inal-Muwatta’(193), Imam Maalik quoted as evidence the hadith of Abu Hurayrah, according to which the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) completed a prayer in which he recited out loud, then he said: “Was one of you reciting with me just now?” A man said: Yes, O Messenger of Allah. He said: “I was saying to myself, what is wrong with me that someone is fighting to wrest the Qur’an from me?” So the people stopped reciting with the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) in prayers in which the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) recited out loud, when they heard that from the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him).
This indicates that he thought that reciting (behind the imam in a prayer in which recitation is done out loud) was initially allowed, then it was prohibited.
Among contemporary scholars, a similar view was held by Shaykh al-Albaani (may Allah have mercy on him), who thought that reciting behind the imam in a prayer in which recitation is done out loud was abrogated. We responded to the claims that it was abrogated and explained that the words “So the people stopped reciting…” were not the words of Abu Hurayrah; rather they are the words of Ibn Shihaab az-Zuhri, so they cannot be quoted as evidence. Please see the answer to question no. 231217.
Maalik (may Allah have mercy on him) quoted as evidence the command (in the Qur’an) to listen attentively when the Quran is recited, this hadith, and the practice of the people of Medina.
Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr (may Allah have mercy on him) said: How could anyone suggest anything that is different from the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), the clear meaning of the Book of Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, and the practice of the people of Medina? Do you not see what Ibn Shihaab said: So the people stopped reciting with the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) in prayers in which the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) recited out loud, when they heard him say, “what is wrong with me that someone is fighting to wrest the Qur’an from me”?
Maalik said: In our view, no one should recite with the imam in a prayer in which recitation is done out loud. So this indicates that this was an inherited practice in Medina.
End quote fromat-Tamheed, 11/34
Al-Baaji said: The words “So the people stopped reciting with the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) in prayers in which the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) recited out loud, when they heard that” mean: They responded to his objection to their reciting the Quran in prayers in which the imam recites out loud by giving up what he told them not to do and by refraining from what he objected to them doing. This hadith is the foundation of the view of Maalik (may Allah have mercy on him), that the one who is praying behind an imam should not recite behind him in a prayer in which recitation is done out loud, because of the reason explained in the hadith for which the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) told people behind him not to recite when he was reciting out loud. So it seems that reciting out loud was the reason for that ruling.
The evidence for the soundness of Maalik’s view is the verse in which Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“So, when the Quran is recited, listen to it, and be silent”
[al-A‘raaf 7:204].
This implies that all types of recitation and all types of talk are disallowed (when Quran is recited), and everyone should listen attentively when any reciter is reciting, unless there is any evidence for some exception.
Our evidence from the Sunnah is the report narrated by Abu Saalih from Abu Hurayrah, who said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “The imam is only appointed to be followed. So when he says takbeer, then say takbeer, and when he recites then listen attentively.” This is a command, and a command implies that something is obligatory.
Our evidence on the basis of analogy is that this is a case where others are following the imam, therefore the recitation is waived in the case of one who is following the imam.
End quote fromal-Muntaqa Sharh al-Muwatta’(1/161)
Our aim here is not to discuss all the views on this issue; rather our aim is to explain that Maalik and other leading scholars reached their conclusions after examining the religious texts; thus it became clear to them that a specific view was the correct view, while other scholars thought that another view was the correct view.
Ash-Shaafa‘i was of the view that it is obligatory for the one who is praying behind an imam to recite in all cases. Think about it. The hadith of Abu Hurayrah tells us that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “what is wrong with me that someone is fighting to wrest the Qur’an from me?” And in the hadith of ‘Ubaadah ibn as-Saamit, it says: We were behind the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) in Fajr prayer, and the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) recited Qur’an and stumbled in his recitation. When he finished he said, “Perhaps you recite behind your imam?” We said, Yes. He said, “Do not do that, except for the Opening of the Book (al-Faaithah), for there is no prayer for the one who does not recite it.” Narrated by Abu Dawood (823).
This clearly indicates that it is not allowed to recite behind the imam in a prayer in which recitation is done out loud, except for al-Faatihah; it is excluded from the general instruction to listen attentively, because of the general meaning of the Prophet’s words: ““Whoever offers a prayer in which he does not recite the Essence of the Qur’an (al-Faatihah), it is deficient,” three times, “not complete.” Narrated by Muslim (395).
As for the practice of the people of Medina, that is subject to further discussion. Many of the Sahaabah in Madinah narrated that they recited behind the imam. An-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: The practice of the majority of the Muslims is to recite behind the imam in prayers in which recitation is done silently and those in which recitation is done out loud. Al-Bayhaqi said: This is the most sound and prudent view. Then he narrated the hadiths about that, then he narrated that with numerous isnaads from ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab, ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib, ‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ood, Ubayy ibn Ka‘b, Mu‘aadh ibn Jabal, Ibn ‘Umar, Ibn ‘Abbaas, Abu’d-Darda’, Anas ibn Maalik, Jaabir ibn ‘Abdillah, Abu Sa‘eed al-Khudri, ‘Ubaadah ibn as-Saamit, Abu Hurayrah, Hishaam ibn ‘Aamir, ‘Imraan, ‘Abdullah ibn Mughaffil, and ‘Aa’ishah (may Allah be pleased with them all). He said: We narrated it from a number of the Taabi‘een. And he narrated it from ‘Urwah ibn az-Zubayr, Mak-hool, ash-Shu‘bi, Sa‘eed ibn Jubayr and al-Hasan al-Basri (may Allah have mercy on them).
End quote fromal-Majmoo‘(3/365)
Thirdly:
What was said about this issue may be said about other controversial issues, such as holding the hands (on the chest) when standing in prayer. Indeed there is a report from Maalik which suggests that his view is the same as that of the majority.
Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar said: Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr said: There is no report from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) contrary to that, and it is the view of the majority of the Sahaabah and Taabi‘een. This is what Maalik narrated inal- Muwatta’, and Ibn al-Mundhir and others never narrated anything other than that from Maalik.
Ibn al-Qaasim narrated from Maalik that he used to hold his arms by his sides (when praying), and most of his followers adopted that view.
And it was narrated from Maalik that he differentiated between obligatory and naafil prayers (regarding the position of the hands when praying).
Some of them regarded it as disliked to hold the hands on the chest (when praying). Ibn al-Haajib narrated that this refers to when the worshipper holds his hands and leans on them in order to rest.
End quote fromFath al-Baari, 2/224
Fourthly:
Imam Abu Haneefah (may Allah have mercy on him) was one of the foremost scholars, and in terms of fiqh the scholars depend on his knowledge, as ash-Shaafa‘i (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
He had the utmost respect for the Qur’an and Sunnah, and did not say anything except on the basis of the conclusion he reached after examining the religious texts. So he will receive either a double or single reward (depending on whether his ijtihad was correct or not – the scholar is rewarded for his effort even if his conclusion is mistaken), in sha Allah. Perhaps he missed out on some reports of the Sunnah because he lived far away from Madinah; hence his two companions and his students may have differed from him regarding some issues, if they found out about some report of the Sunnah that did not reach him, and they may have differed from him when their examining of the religious texts led them to a conclusion different to his. We have not come across what you mentioned about one of his students regarding as saheeh the number of hadiths mentioned, etc.
Our advice to you is to seek knowledge, and do not be distracted by differences of opinion among the leading scholars, for all of them are mujtahids who will be rewarded. Examining differences of opinion and the evidence on which views are based can only come after one has become well-versed in knowledge and attained a great deal of knowledge and prominence in many fields, such as Arabic language and usool al-fiqh.
We ask Allah to bless and guide us and you.
And Allah knows best.

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Enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil, * He looks for bad sites to send them to the centre which will block them. Is this good or bad?

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Is it permissible to refrain from denouncing some people with regard to some disliked (makrooh) actions, in order to soften their hearts?.
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Praise be to Allaah.
This does not apply only to makrooh actions but also to some sins. For example, a man may be committing some sins and not others. So he should start with those which are more serious then move on to those that are less serious. For example, if there is a person who does not pray, and he disobeys his parents or there is the suspicion that he drinks alcohol, or some other sin. The one who wants to advise him should start with the issue of prayer, and explain to him how important it is and that not praying is kufr. If he starts to pray, then the one who wants to offer advice should explain about the other wrongful actions, if he thinks that there is some benefit in doing so. If he thinks that denouncing all of them will not affect the goal and he hopes that Allaah will guide him with regard to all of them, then there is nothing wrong with doing that, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“So keep your duty to Allaah and fear Him as much as you can”
[al-Taghaabun 64:16]
Hence the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) called people to Islam and called them to give up shirk before he denounced the evil actions less serious than shirk that they were committing.
Majmoo’ Fataawa Ibn Baaz, 9/418.

Enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil, * He looks for bad sites to send them to the centre which will block them. Is this good or bad?

I was searching the web hunting down the unethical sites and sind them
to king abdulaziz city of sciences and technology to block them not to
be seen . is this work for me or against me as a moslem ?.
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Praise be to Allaah.
This brother is to be commended for his protective jealousy regarding
haraam things and for his hatred of sin and desire to combat it and
rid the people of its evils. But we do not advise him to look for bad
sites in order to tell the centre to block them. That is for many
reasons, including the following:
1 – the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) has
informed us of and warned us against the temptation (fitnah) of women.
Undoubtedly the fitnah of naked women in different poses is very
great.
It was narrated that Usaamah ibn Zayd (may Allaah be pleased with him)
said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: "I have not left behind me any fitnah that is more harmful
to men than women." Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 4808; Muslim, 2740.
2 – The Muslim is commanded to keep away from places of fitnah and to
flee from places where it is present and shun its people. Undoubtedly
seeking out these sites goes against all of that.
It was narrated that 'Imraan ibn Husayn (may Allaah be pleased with
him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said: "Whoever hears of the Dajjaal, let him flee from him,
for by Allaah, a man may come to him thinking that he is a believer,
then follow him because of the specious arguments that he presents."
Narrated by Abu Dawood, 4319; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani inSaheeh
al-Jaami', 6301.
Ibn al-Jawzi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
Beware – may Allaah have mercy on you – of exposing yourself to the
causes of calamity, for it is unlikely that those who approach fitnah
will be safe from it. Just as caution leads to being safe, so too
exposing oneself to fitnah leads to doom, and it is rare that one
remains safe from fitnah when approaching it; even those who are safe
from fitnah when they approach it will not be safe from thinking about
it or being influenced by it.
Dhamm al-Hawa, p. 126
3– The Muslim is commanded to lower his gaze and avoid looking at
haraam things; checking on these permissive websites and what is in
them goes against this command.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Tell the believing men to lower their gaze (from looking at forbidden
things), and protect their private parts (from illegal sexual acts).
That is purer for them. Verily, Allaah is All‑Aware of what they do"
[al-Noor 24:30]
Ibn Katheer (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
This is a command from Allaah to His believing slaves to lower their
gaze and avoid looking at that which is forbidden to them, so they
should not look at anything except that which Allaah has permitted
them to look at. If their gaze happens to fall upon something haraam,
then it is unanimously agreed (among the scholars) that if a person's
gaze falls upon something haraam unintentionally, then he should look
away immediately. It was narrated by Muslim in hisSaheehthat Jareer
ibn 'Abd-Allaah al-Bajali (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: I
asked the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) about an
accidental glance, and he told me to look away.
Tafseer Ibn Katheer, 3/282
4 - The saheeh text states that it is forbidden for a man to look at
the 'awrah of another man, so what about a man looking at the 'awrah
of a woman?
It was narrated from Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri that the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "No man should look
at the 'awrah of another man, and no woman should look at the 'awrah
of another woman."
Narrated by Muslim, 338.
5 – The Muslim is forgiven the first glance, but repeatedly looking at
corrupt sites goes against that.
It was narrated that Buraydah ibn al-Husayb said: The Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to 'Ali: "O
'Ali, do not follow one glance with another; you are forgiven the
first but not the second." Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 2777; Abu Dawood,
2149. classed as hasan by Shaykh al-Albaani inSaheeh al-Targheeb,
1903.
It was narrated that Jareer ibn 'Abd-Allaah said: I asked the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) about
an accidental glance, and he told me to look away. Narrated by Muslim,
2159.
Al-Nawawi said:
What is meant by an accidental glace is if one's gaze falls upon a
non-mahram woman accidentally; there is no sin in that initially, but
he must look away immediately. If he looks away immediately, there is
no sin on him, but if he persists in looking, then he has sinned,
because of this hadeeth, for the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) commanded him to look away. And Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):
"Tell the believing men to lower their gaze (from looking at forbidden
things), and protect their private parts (from illegal sexual acts)…"
[al-Noor 24:30]
Men must lower their gaze and avoid looking at women at all times,
except for sound and legitimate purposes, namely testimony, medical
treatment, proposing marriage, buying a slave girl, buying and
selling, etc. In these cases it is permitted to look only as much as
is necessary and no more. And Allaah knows best.
Sharh Muslim, 14/139
6 – The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) called a
forbidden glance the "adultery of the eye". In addition to it being
haraam in the sense of transgressing the limits with regard to
looking, it is also an act of ingratitude for the gift of sight that
Allaah has bestowed upon the Muslim.
It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Allaah has decreed for the son
of Adam his share of zina (adultery), which will inevitably happen.
The zina of the eyes is looking, the zina of the tongue is speaking;
the heart hopes and wishes for that and the private parts confirm it
or deny it." Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5899; Muslim, 2657.
Al-Nawawi said:
What this hadeeth means is that a share of zina is decreed for the son
of Adam; in some cases zina will be in a real sense, namely unlawful
sexual relations; in other cases it will be zina in a metaphorical
sense, by looking at haraam things, or listening to stories of zina
and things that have to do with it, or by touching a non-mahram woman
with his hand or kissing her, or by walking to zina, or looking, or
touching, or speaking in haraam ways with a non-mahram woman, and so
on, or by thinking of it in one's heart. All these are metaphorical
kinds of zina.
"The private parts confirm that or deny it" means, zina with the
private parts may or may not take place even though a person may have
been approaching that. And Allaah knows best.
Sharh Muslim, 16/206
7 – There are an estimated 8 billion permissive websites, up from
approximately half a billion in 1998. So how about now? If you were to
give each website a quick glance, how would your heart end up? How
much time would you waste in seeking them out? Undoubtedly doing that
would destroy one's heart and body, and would be a waste of time.
8 – Continually looking at these evil and provocative sites may cause
one to become attached to them, so his heart would be filled with
forbidden love and become corrupted. Thus he will have exposed himself
to fitnah and doom after having been sound and healthy.
Ibn al-Jawzi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
A person may be exposed to the causes of love so he falls in love, and
he may see a person and this first glance does not create love, but
repeatedly looking at that person and mixing with him or her may lead
to what was unthinkable. Some people may look at a person and that
creates some kind of love, but then they keep away and the love
disappears, because continual looking may cause love to grow, like a
garden planted with seeds which, if it is neglected, will shrivel and
die, but if it is watered it will flourish.
Dhamm al-Hawa, p. 237
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
The more looks follow one another, the more the heart becomes
attached, like water with which a tree is irrigated. If too much water
is given the tree is damaged. Similarly if glances are repeated that
undoubtedly corrupts the heart. If the heart is exposed to this
problem, it will turn away from what it has been commanded and the
person will be faced with problems which will inevitably lead him to
commit forbidden actions, and his heart will be destroyed. The reason
for that is that the one who looks enjoys looking the first time, then
he wants to look again, like eating delicious food, when he takes the
first bite. But if he had lowered his gaze from the outset, his heart
would be at peace.
Rawdat al-Muhibbeen, p. 94, 95
And he said:
Letting one's gaze wander leads to becoming heedless about Allaah and
the Hereafter, and will make him intoxicated with love, as Allaah says
concerning the lovers of images (interpretation of the meaning):
"Verily, by your life (O Muhammad), in their wild intoxication, they
were wandering blindly"
[al-Hijr 15:72]
Looking is like a glass of wine, and love is the intoxication that
results from that. The drunkenness of love is worse than the
drunkenness caused by wine, for the drunkenness caused by wine will
pass, but the drunkenness of love rarely passes until one is in the
throes of death.
Rawdat al-Muhibbeen, p. 104
9 – Repeatedly looking at those evil sites may lead a person to commit
haraam actions, or to imitate the things he sees. So it starts with
looking, and ends with committing haraam deeds.
Ibn al-Qayyim said:
Looking is the origin of most of the problems that befall man, because
looking generates thoughts, then thoughts generate ideas, and ideas
generate desires, and desires generate will, which then becomes
stronger and becomes firm resolve, in which case the deed will
inevitably be done unless there is something to prevent it. Hence it
was said that patience in lowering the gaze is easier than patience in
bearing the pain that comes afterwards.
Al-Jawaab al-Kaafi, p. 106
10 – Repeatedly looking at those evil sites causes other kinds of harm
too, such as desensitization, and after a while you will never regard
that thing as evil and you will get used to looking. This is a sign
that the heart has died and lost the shar'i sensitivity towards sin.
Another effect is that you expose yourself to suspicion, if someone
sees you going to these sites or if others see that on your computer.
Finally,
What you should keep away from is looking at these sites, even if the
purpose is to inform the authorities of them, for the Shayatan may
make you go to these sites on this basis and then lead you to worse
sins after that.
There are technical means available which mean that the Muslims does
not need to seek out these sites, and there are specialized committees
in some government departments and companies who block these sites.
Undoubtedly when a committee in a work place views such things, that
is not like a person viewing these sites alone at home, because the
person who is doing that alone is more likely to fall into the trap of
these sites.
We are not speaking of something imaginary or something that is
impossible or unlikely. We often hear stories of righteous young men
who have been tempted by these sites; they start with a glance, then
they waste their time with them.
You have no need of all that; protect your capital and do not take
risks. We ask Allaah to write your reward in full and to make you
steadfast in adhering to truth and guidance.
And Allaah knows best.