He entered ihram for ‘umrah at the end of Sha’baan and performedit in Ramadan; will he have the reward of ‘Umrah in Ramadaan?

A man entered ihram for'umrah before the adhaan for Maghrib on the
last day of Sha'baan, and after Maghrib it wasannounced that Ramadan
had begun. Will his 'Umrah be counted for him as being in Ramadan or
not? In other words, he formed the intention to enter ihraam before
Maghrib, and he did 'Umrah that night, i.e., the first night of
Ramadan.
Praise be to Allaah.
'Umrah in Ramadan brings a great reward, which is the reward of Hajj.
It was narrated from Ibn 'Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with him) that
the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said
to a woman of the Ansaar: "What kept you from performing Hajj with
us?" She said: We only have two camels and the father of her sonand
her son had gone for Hajj on one camel, and he left us the other camel
so that we could carry water on it. He said: "When Ramadaan comes, go
for 'Umrah, for 'Umrah in (that month) is equivalent to Hajj."
Narrated by al-Bukhaari (1782) and Muslim (1256).
In order for the Muslim to attain that great reward, he has to enter
ihram for 'umrah and perform the rituals in the month of Ramadan. He
cannot enter ihram for it on the last day of Sha'baan, even if he
performs its rituals in Ramadan, and he cannotenter ihram for it in
Ramadan and perform the rituals in Shawwaal.
There are two ways of performing 'umrah that do not bring the reward of Hajj:
1 – Entering ihram for 'umrah at the end of the month of Sha'baan and
performing the rituals after the month of Ramadan begins.
2 – Entering ihram for 'umrah before the sun sets on the last day of
Ramadan and performing the rituals on the night before Eid.
Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-'Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
For the person who does'umrah in Ramadan it is essential that his
'umrah -- from entering ihram until the end of it -- should be in
Ramadan. Based on that, let us lookat another example:
If a man reaches the miqaat in the last hour of Sha'baan and enters
ihram for 'umrah, then the sun sets and Ramadan begins with the
setting of the sun, then he comes to Makkah and does tawaafand saa'i
and cuts his hair, can it be said that he did 'umrah in Ramadan?
The answer is: No, because he started his 'umrah before the month of
Ramadan began.
A third example: A man entered ihram for 'umrah before the sun set on
the last day of Ramadan, and he did tawaaf and saa'i for 'umrah on the
night before Eid. Can it be said that he did 'umrah in Ramadan?
The answer is: No, because he did not do 'Umrah in Ramadan, as part of
his 'umrah was done outside of Ramadan. 'Umrah in Ramadan is that
which lasts from the start of ihram to the end (in Ramadan). End
quote.
Majmoo' Fataawa al-Shaykh al-'Uthaymeen, 21/352, 353
And Allah knows best.

The reason why it is prescribed for Muslims to perform Hajj once in alifetime

Why should Muslims atleast visit mecca once in their life time?
Praise be to Allaah.
We Muslims feel honoured and proud to be the slaves of Allaah, the
One, the Self-Sufficient Master, Who begets not nor was He begotten,
and there is none co-equal or comparable unto Him; He is our Lord and
we have no Lord besides Him. Hence we respond to the commands of our
Lord with the utmost humility and submit to His commands, for we know
that He is the All-Wise and no wisdom is greater than His. We know
that He is the Most-Merciful and there is none more merciful than Him,
may He be glorified and praised. Hence we love Him in a way that
demands that we obey His commands even if that is somewhat difficult
for us. We feel proud, happy and content when we do that which He
commands us to do.
For if a human loves another person, he lovesto serve him and that may
make him happy. Sowhat do you think aboutthe Almighty Lord Who created
us and grants us provision, and everything that we have is a blessing
from Him? And His is the highest description. We owe everything to our
Lord, so we must hasten to do all that He commands us to do, so that
we might give back some small thanks for His great blessings. We can
never thank Him enough, but by His grace Allaah the Most Generous
accepts our small efforts and rewards us for them greatly.
For example, Hajj or pilgrimage. If a Muslim does Hajj in the manner
required by his Lord, then Allaah has promised to forgive him his sins
and admit him toParadise, on condition that he does not spoil this
action by committing any major action that would invalidate it and
earn the anger of Allaah.
One of the great mercies that Allaah has bestowedupon this ummah
(nation, i.e., the Muslims), is that Allaah has made obedience to His
commands and the commands of His Messenger (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) subject to thecondition that one be able to do
them. So long as a person is able to do them, then it is obligatory
for him to do what is required of him, otherwise he is not obliged to
do so and he is excused. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Allaah burdens not a person beyond his scope"
[al-Baqarah 2:286] – i.e., He does not ask him to do more than he can bear.
Concerning Hajj in particular, Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And Hajj (pilgrimage to Makkah) to the House (Ka'bah) is a duty that
mankind owes to Allaah, those who can afford the expenses (for one's
conveyance, provision and residence)"
[Aal 'Imraan 3:97]
By His mercy He has enjoined this upon His slaves once in a lifetime,
so that it will not be too difficult for them, but Heurges those who
are able to do Hajj and 'Umrah more than once to do so. The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Keep on doing Hajj
and 'Umrah, for theytake away poverty and sins as the bellows takes
away the impurity from iron." (Narrated by al-Nasaa'i, 2/4; this is a
saheeh hadeeth as was stated by al-Albaani in al-Silsilat al-Saheehah,
1200).
This great act of worshipwas prescribed by Allaahso that we might
praise Him and glorify Him, andthank Him for His great blessings and
bounty. The purpose of Tawaaf around the Ka'bah is notsimply to go
around these stones! No, rather the reason is that Allaah has
commanded us to goaround it seven times and we obey Allaah by going
around it seven times, no more and no less; rather we do what He has
commanded us and we feel that we are His slaves, humbling ourselves
before Him and praising Him and thanking Him for choosing us to be His
slaves out of all of mankind who worship various gods, and may even
worship themselves or their own desires.
The same applies to all the rituals of Hajj, and indeed to all the
acts of worship that Allaah has prescribed for us. Praise be to
Allaah, Who has honoured us with this great religion.
Moreover, your interest in asking about the Hajj at your young age
indicates that you are keen to learn and find out. We advise you to
learn more about Islam and to read about it, andto find out for
yourself that it is the religion thatsuits the natural inclinations of
man. This will set you on the path towards pleasing your Almighty
Lord, Who created you and Who provides for you, and Who deserves that
you should worship Him alone and none other.
Perhaps you know that our prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) toldus that his fellow-Prophet 'Eesa (Jesus –
peace be upon him) will come down at the end of time and will perform
pilgrimage to this House,and he will declare his belief in Allah alone
(Tawheed). We believe that this will happen as the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) told us, just aswe believe that the
sun rises in the morning. TheProphet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said: "By the One in Whose hand is mysoul, the son of Maryam
(the son of Mary, i.e. Jesus) will certainly pronounce the Talbiyah
for Hajj or for 'Umrah, orfor both in the valley of Rawha." (Narrated
by Muslim, 1252). The valleyof Rawha' is a place between Makkah and
Madeenah.
[Translator's note: The Talbiyah is a prayer recited by pilgrims going
to Makkah. It may be translated as follows: "Here I am at your
service, O Allaah, here I am. Here I am at Your Service, You have no
partner, here I am. All praise and blessings are Yours, and all
dominion. You have no partner."]
We ask Allaah to open your heart to true guidance… Ameen.

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Pilgrim in ihraam for Hajj or ‘Umrah drinking coffee containing saffron

We were in ihraam, and on our way to Makkah we drank tea and
coffee,and there was saffron in the coffee. Do we have to do
anything?.
Praise be to Allaah.
If that was due to ignorance on your part, then you do not have to do
anything. If you werenot sure whether it was saffron or not, then you
do not have to do anything. If you were certain that it was saffron
and you knew that it is not permissible for the muhrim to drink coffee
in which there is saffron, then if there was a fragrance, then hedid
something wrong, but if there was nothing but the colour, then there
is no sin on him for that.
Shaykh Muhammad ibn 'Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him)
http://www.ibnothaimeen.com/all/noor/article_6040.shtml
Shaykh 'Abd al-'Azeez ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him) was
asked: A woman who was in ihraam for 'Umrah drank coffee with saffron
before completing 'Umrah. Is saffron a type of perfume? Did it spoil
the 'Umrah or not?
He replied:
The muhrim who drinks coffee containing saffron is doing wrong,
because saffron is a kindof perfume and should not be used in coffee
by the muhrim, just as he should not use it on his clothes or body
when heis in ihraam. If the man or woman in ihraam does that out of
ignorance or by mistake,then they do not have todo anything, but if
they do that deliberately, knowing that he is in ihraam, then it is
not permissible. He (the muhrim) should give charity, feeding six poor
persons, giving each onehalf a saa' of dates or wheat, or fast for
three days, or sacrifice a sheep.

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He weeps when he hears Qur’aan but he does the secret habit and mistreats his parents. Is he a hypocrite?

I read on a website about the characteristicsof the beloved prophet ,
and this made me cry. I also cry sometimes whilepraying in the masjid,
especially if the imam has a passionate voice. Despite this, I fall in
sins like masturbation, and talking loudly to my father. I read on
your website about the reasons of such sins and how to stop doing
them.My question is: Am I considered hypocrite by committing such
sins?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
We think that your asking whether you are a hypocrite or not is a sign
of much goodness in you in sha Allaah, because when a Muslim fears
that he may fall into hypocrisy, this indicates that his heart
is(spiritually) alive and that he is keen to protect his faith.
Ibraaheem al-Taymi said:Whenever I examine my words against my deeds,I
fear that I am insincere.Al-Hasan al-Basri said of hypocrisy: No one
fears it but a believer, and no one feels safe from it buta hypocrite.
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
The more faith and knowledge a person has,the more he will fear that
he may be among this class of people (i.e., hypocrites), hence the
leaders and earliest generations of this ummah were so afraid that
they might be among them. 'Umar usedto say to Hudhayfah: I adjure you
by Allaah, didthe Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) mention me along with the people (i.e., the hypocrites)?
He said: No, but I would not praise anyone after you, meaning; I would
not praise people (by saying that they are not mentioned among the
hypocrites). It does not mean that 'Umar was theonly one who was free
of hypocrisy.
Tareeq al-Hijratayn (p. 604)
The greatest of the awliya' (close friends of Allaah) feared this for
themselves.
1 – Ibn Abi Mulaykah said: I met thirty of the companions of the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), all of whom
feared being hypocrites, and none of them ever said that he had faith
equivalent to that of Jibreel and Mikaa'eel.
Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
The most prominent among Sahaabah whom Ibn Abi Mulaykah met were:
'Aa'ishah, her sister Asma', Umm Salamah, the four 'Abd-Allaahs, Abu
Hurayrah, 'Uqbah ibn al-Haarith and al-Miswar ibn Makhramah. These are
among those from whom he heard hadeeth. He also met other more
prominent Sahaabah than these, such as 'Ali ibn Abi Taaliband Sa'd ibn
Abi Waqqaas, and he confirmed that they were afraid of hypocrisy in
their actions and nothing to the contrary was narrated from any of the
Sahaabah, so it is as if there was consensus on this matter. That is
because the believers' deeds maybecome contaminated with elements that
undermine ikhlaas (sincerity towards Allaah). The fact that they
feared it does not mean that they fell into it, rather it means that
they were extremely cautious and pious, may Allaah be pleased with
them.
Fath al-Baari by Ibn Hajar (1/110,111).
2 – al-Haafiz Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
al-Ja'd Abu 'Uthmaan said: I said to Abu Raja' al-'Attaaridi: Did you
meet anyone whom I met of the companions of the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) who feared falling into hypocrisy? He
said: Yes. Praise be to Allaah I met some of the prominent ones among
them, and they used to fear it a great deal. And he had met 'Umar.
3 – and he (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
Among those of the Sahaabah who used to seek refuge with Allaah from
falling into hypocrisy were: Hudhayfah, Abu'l-Darda' and Abu Ayyoob
al-Ansaari. Among the Taabi'een there were many who did that. Ibn
Sireen said: There is nothing I fear more thanthis verse
(interpretationof the meaning): "And ofmankind, there are
some(hypocrites) who say: 'We believe in Allaah andthe Last Day,'
while in fact they believe not" [al-Baqarah 2:8]. Ayyoob said: Every
verse in the Qur'aan which mentions hypocrisy I fear lest it apply to
me. Mu'aawiyahibn Qurrah said: 'Umar used to fear it, so how I can
feel safe from it? al-Hasan spoke a great deal concerning this matter,
as did the imamsof Islam after them.
According to a report narrated by Ibn Haani', Imam Ahmad was asked:
What do you say about one who does not fear hypocrisy for himself?
Hesaid: Who can feel safe from hypocrisy?
Fath al-Baari by Ibn Rajab (1/178, 179).
Pay attention to two important matters:
1 – The hypocrisy that was feared by those imams among the Sahaabah
and those who came after them was hypocrisy in deeds, which leads to
hypocrisyin the heart, which leadsone to Hell – we seek refuge with
Allaah – this is the kind of hypocrisy which is mentioned in a number
of ahaadeeth which warn the Muslim against acquiring its
characteristics, such as the following:
It was narrated that 'Abd-Allaah ibn 'Amr said: The Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "There are
four characteristics, whoever has them all is a pure hypocrite, and
whoever has one of them has one of the characteristics of hypocrisy,
until he gives it up: when he speaks helies, when he makes a covenant
he betrays it, when he makes a promise he breaks it, and when he
disputes he resorts to obscene speech."
Narrated by al-Bukhaari (34) and Muslim (58).
It was also narrated (2632) by al-Tirmidhi (may Allaah have mercy on
him) who said after it:
What this means according to the scholarsis hypocrisy of action. It
was the hypocrisy of disbelieving at the time of the Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Something similar
was narrated from al-Hasan al-Basri when he said: Hypocrisy is of two
types: hypocrisy of action and hypocrisy of disbelief.
End quote.
Al-Haafiz Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
This goes back to what we mentioned above: that hypocrisy may be minor
or major. Minor hypocrisy is hypocrisy of action, which is what these
people feared for themselves. It leads to major hypocrisy which
isfeared for the one who is overcome by minor hypocrisy to such an
extent that it robs him offaith altogether, as Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):
"when they turned away(from the path of Allaah), Allaah turned their
hearts away (from the Right Path)"
[al-Saff 61:5]
"And We shall turn their hearts and their eyes away (from guidance),
as they refused to believe therein for the first time"
[al-An'aam 6:110]
Fath al-Baari by Ibn Rajab (1/179).
Imam al-Nawawi commented on this hadeeth … See his Sharh Muslim (2/46-48).
2 – These prominent figures were the most righteous of people in
heart, and they were those who most respected the sacred limits and
were least likely to transgress them,but because of their great
awareness of theirLord and their fear of Hiswrath, they would regard a
minor sin – if they fell into it – as a major sin. Some of them feared
showing off, and others feared falling short in their deeds lest their
actions contradict their words, and others thought that being
distracted by permissibleinteractions in their homes with their wives
and families even though they focused properly in gatherings of dhikr
was a kind of hypocrisy.
It was narrated that Hanzalah al-Usaydi said: Abu Bakr met me and
said: How are you, O Hanzalah? I said: Hanzalah has become a
hypocrite. He said: Subhaan Allaah! What are you saying? I said: When
we are with the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) he reminds us of the Fire and the Garden until it isas if we
are seeing them with our own eyes, but when we depart from the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), we
attend to our wives and children and businesses, and we forget a great
deal. Abu Bakr said: By Allaah, we experience something similar. Abu
Bakr and I went and entered upon the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him), andI said: Hanzalah has become a
hypocrite, O Messenger of Allaah. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Why is that?" I said: O
Messenger of Allaah, when we are with you, you remind us of the Fire
and the Garden until it is as if weare seeing them with our own eyes,
but when we depart from you, we attend to our wives and children and
businesses, and we forget a great deal. The Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "By the One in Whose hand
is mysoul, if you continued as you are when you are with me, and
continued to remember (Paradise and Hell), the angels would shake
hands with you in your homes and on the streets. But, O Hanzalah,
there is a time for this and a time for that" (he said it) three
times.
Narrated by Muslim (2750).
Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
With regard to the words "we attend to ourwives and children and businesses",
Al-Harawi and others said: What this means is that we get absorbed
with that and get busy with it.
"businesses" refers how a man earns a living.
"Hanzalah has become a hypocrite" means: he was afraid that he had
become a hypocrite, because he felt the fear of Allaah when he was
sitting with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him),
andthat was manifested in the way he focused on remembrance of Allaah
and thinking of the Hereafter, but when he departed he became
distracted by his wife and children and earning a living in this
world, and the basic meaning of hypocrisy is showing the opposite of
what one conceals of evil, so he was afraid that he was a hypocrite
because of that. But the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) told him that this was not hypocrisy, and that they were not
expected to be like that all the time. "There is a time for this and a
time for that."
Sharh Muslim (17/66, 67)
Al-Haafiz Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
When it became clear to the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them)
that hypocrisy meant a difference between one's inner thoughts and
outward appearance, some of them feared that if they lost the focus
and presence of mind they attained when they listened to reminders,
after they returned to worldly matters and were distracted by their
families and children and wealth, that this was hypocrisy, as was
narrated in Saheeh Muslim from Hanzalah al-Asadi … and he quoted the
hadeeth –
Fath al-Baari by Ibn Rajab (1/111).
With regard to your situation, you have to fear more than those pure
awliya' (close friends of Allaah) amongthe Sahaabah, Taabi'eenand
subsequent generations did, because you are disobeying Allaah by doing
the secret habit and by mistreating your parents. Your saying thatyou
sometimes raise your voice somewhat to your father will not excuse you
from the warning of punishment. You are forbidden to sayeven "uff" (a
mild word of objection) to your parents, so how about if you raise
your voice and speak loudly to them? What you must do is beware lest
your sins lead you to a bad end.
Al-Bukhaari (may Allaah have mercy on him) gave a chapter heading to
the report he narrated from Ibraaheem al-Taymi, Ibn Abi Mulaykah and
al-Hasan al-Basri – whichwe have quoted above –saying: Chapter on the
believer's fear that his deeds may be cancelled out without him
realizing.
And he ended this chapter by saying:
And there is fear for the one who persists in hypocrisy and sin
without repenting, because Allaah says (interpretation of the
meaning): "and do not persist in what (wrong) they have done, while
they know" [Aal 'Imraan 3:135].
End quote.
Al-Haafiz Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
What the words of al-Bukhaari (may Allaah have mercy on him) – And
there is fear for the one who persists in hypocrisy and sin without
repenting, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): "and
do not persist in what (wrong) they have done, while they know" [Aal
'Imraan 3:135] – mean is that if one persists in sin and the various
types of hypocrisy without repenting there is the fear that the one
who does that may be punished by having his faith taken away
altogether, so that he becomes a complete hypocrite and meets a bad
end – we seek refuge with Allaah from that – as it is said that sinis
the way to kufr.
Fath al-Baari by Ibn Rajab (1/181).
Secondly:
We encourage you to continue softening your heart and weeping when you
hear Qur'aan, and listening to exhortations, and at the same time we
encourage you to repentfrom sinful actions and to refrain from doing
the secret habit, and to refrain from mistreating your parents. We
encourage you to hastento apologize to them and to honour them
andtreat them kindly in word and deed. Beware of continuing to sin
without repenting, and remember that the one who truly fears Allaah is
not the one who weeps and sheds tears, rather he is the one who gives
up something for which he fears he may be punished.
What we have quoted toyou of warnings about that is sufficient, in sha
Allaah, to make you hasten to repent and turn to Allaah.
And Allaah knows best.

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