The chaining up of the devils in Ramadaan

We know that in Ramadaan the devils (we seek refuge with Allaah from
them) are chained up. And I would like to know whether the
practitioners of sihr (magic, witchcraft) – may the curse of Allaah be
upon them – practise their craft in this month?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Yes, the devils may whisper to man in Ramadaan, and the practitioners
of witchcraft may practise their craft during Ramadaan, but that
undoubtedly happens to a lesser extentthan at times other than
Ramadaan.
It was proven that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: "When Ramadaan begins, the gates of Paradise are opened,
and the gates of Hell are closed, and the devils are chained up."
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3277; Muslim, 1079. According to al-Nasaa'i:
"The most evil jinn are chained up."
This does not mean that the devils have no influence at all, rather it
indicates that they become weaker in Ramadaan and are not able to do
what they are able to do at times other than Ramadaan.
It may be interpreted as meaning that the ones who are chained up are
the most evil devils, not all of them.
Al-Qurtubi said: If it is said, how come we see many evil actions and
sinsbeing committed in Ramadaan, for if the devils were chained up,
that would not happen?
The answer is that (evil actions) are reduced on the part of those who
fastmeeting all the conditionsof fasting and paying attention to the
etiquette of fasting.
Or some of the devils – namely the most evil ones– are chained up, not
all of them, as previously mentioned in some reports.
Or it may mean that evil actions are reduced in Ramadaan, which is
something that we can see. Even though evil actions happen in
Ramadaan, they are less than at other times. Even if all of the devils
were to be chained up, that does not mean that no evil action would
happen, because there are other causes of evil action besides the
devils, such asevil souls, bad habits and the human devils.
From Fath al-Baari.
And Allaah knows best.

Will the person who dies in Ramadan enter Paradise without being brought to account?

The Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: "When
Ramadan comes, the gates of Paradise are opened and the gates of Hell
are closed and the devils are chained up." Does this mean that the one
who dies in Ramadanwill enter Paradise without being brought to
account?.
Praise be to Allaah.
That is not the case. Rather what this means isthat the gates of
Paradise are opened to encourage people to strive hard, so that they
can enter it, andthat the gates of Hell are closed, so as to
encouragethe believers to refrain from sin, so that they will not go
through these gates. That does not mean that the one who dies in
Ramadan will enter Paradise without being brought to account;rather
those who will enter Paradise without being brought to account are
those whom the Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)
described when he said: "They are the ones who do not ask others to
perform ruqyah for them, or believe in omens, or use cautery, and they
put their trust in their Lord", in addition to their doing the
righteous deeds that are enjoined upon them. End quote.
Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-'Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy onhim).

Is it permissible to say, “By Allah, I shall certainly disciplineyou, O nafs”?

I have come up with a campaigncalled "By Allah, I shall certainly
discipline you, O nafs". This is a campaign that promotes
self-development and jihad an-nafs. I am going to set up programs for
purifying the soul,softening the heart and reminding one of death, and
I want to post lectures by trustworthy shaykhs.
Is there anything wrong with saying I shall certainly discipline the
nafs that was created by Allah?
Does the fact that this title contains an oath mean that other members
are compelled tojoin the campaign? Please note that I said that
whoever posts a comment on this topic will be regarded as having
joined us in this campaign.
Praise be to Allah.
There is nothing wrong with a person saying to himself, "I
shallcertainly discipline you, O nafs" if he is disciplining himself
in accordance with the teachings of Islam. Even though Allah created
the nafs, the main purpose for which Allah has prescribed religion is
to discipline the nafs, purify it, and instruct it to do acts of
worship and obedience. To Allah belong the creation and the
commandment.
Imam al-Aajurri (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
If someone were to say: what evidence is there for discipliningthe
nafs? The answer is: The Qur'aan, the Sunnah and the words of the
Muslim scholars. End quote from Adab an-Nufoos, p. 9
He also said (p. 17):
How bad is the situation of the one who neglects to discipline his
nafs and train it on the basis of knowledge; and how good is the
situation of the one who pays attention to disciplining hisnafs and
knows what Allah has enjoined upon him and what He has forbidden to
him, and is patient in going against the whims and desires of his
nafs, and seeks the help of Allah the Almighty in doing so. End quote.
And he narrated in his book (p. 13) that ar-Rabee' ibn Anas said,
concerning the verse "Ward off from yourselves and your families a
Fire (Hell)" [at-Tahreem 66:6]: Discipline and train yourselves and
your families to adhere to the commands of Allah, may He be glorified
and exalted.
And he narrated (p. 14) that Sa'eed ibn Jubayr said: that is: proper
etiquette and manners.
Then he (may Allah have mercy on him) said (p. 15): Do you not see,
may Allah have mercy on you, that your Lord Most Generous is urging
you to discipline yourself and your families. Pay heed to Allah and
make yourselves adhere to that. End quote.
Based on that: there is nothing wrong with the phrase mentioned and
there is nothing wrong with giving the group the title mentioned, even
if this phrase was not narrated in this way from some of the Salaf, so
long as it is Islamically acceptable in and of itself and does not
include anything that is not appropriate according to Islam.
If you choose a title that is similar in meaning, such as
"Self-discipline" or "Training the nafs" and so on, that is also good.
Such words were used as book titles by some of the Salaf.
The oath mentioned is not regarded as compelling anyone to join the
group; rather he is a member if he accepts the conditions stipulated
in the group.
And Allah knows best.
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Can he give zakaat al-fitr to the poor in the form of cash if they will not accept food?

Is it permissible to give the poorzakaat al-fitr in the form of cash
instead of food, if they will not accept food?
Praise be to Allah.
Zakaat al-fitr must be given in the form of food, and it is not
permissible to give it in the formof cash.
But, if the poor will not accept food and ask for cash, it is
permissible to give it in the formof cash in that case, and in that
case one will be excused for notgiving it in the form of food.
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
With regard to one who knows that it must be in the form of food, but
he gives it in the form of cash because it is easier for him, that is
not acceptable. But in the example mentioned by the questioner, if we
cannot find anyone who will accept food, i.e., there is no one who
will accept the rice or dates or wheat, and they will not accept
anything but cash, in that case we may give it in the form of cash. So
we should work out thecash value of a saa' of average quality food and
give it to them.
End quote from Fataawa Noor 'ala al-Darb
And Allah knows best.
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