A Crocodile Testifies

It is related that an Arab who was a huntsman had caught a
land-crocodile, which hewas carrying to his house as food for his
family and children. While he was on the way, he suddenly perceived a
large gathering of people and asked for the cause of it. The people
replied"Muhammad, the son of 'Abdullah (Sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam)
is hereand claims to be a prophet." The Arab forcibly entered the
crowd, went up to Muhammad, and said"Ya Muhammad, I shall not believe
you until thiscrocodile believes," and threw the land-crocodileat
Rasulullah's feet; but itwanted to run away; therefore his holy and
prophetic lordship (Sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) exclaimed"Lizard,
approach." The animal obeyed, replying in eloquent and distinct
language "I await your commands with pleasure." His lordship asked
"Whom worshippest thou?" The animal replied "I worship Allah, whose
throne is in heaven whose dominion is on earth, whose power is inthe
sea, whose mercy is in paradise, and whose punishment is in hell."
Rasulullah asked, "Who am I?" The animal said,"You are the Rasul of
theLord of both worlds and the seal of Prophets; blessings be on you!
Whoever believes you will be saved, and whoever accuses you of
falsehood will be damned." When the huntsman heard these words of the
crocodile he took the finger of astonishment between the teeth of
meditation, and said "After this I wish for no other proof of your
veracity. I testify that there is no god but Allah, and I testify that
you are His servant and his Rasul. This professionI now make
externally and internally. I swear by Allah that when I first
approached you, there was no man on the face of the earth whom I hated
more than you' now, however, I love you more than my own eyes, ears,
father, mother, and children. Hisholy and prophetic lordship
(Sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) replied, "Thanks and praises be to
Allah, who has shown you the right way."

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And Allah Knows the Best!

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Published by :->
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Stipulating a condition [about exiting ihram] in Hajj and ‘Umrah for one who is afraid that her menses may come

A woman wants to do 'Umrah but there is the possibility that her
period may come after she enters ihram and before she does tawaaf. Can
she stipulate a condition [about exiting ihram] because she is afraid
that she may hold her family up?.
Praise be to Allaah.
If a woman wants to do 'Umrah but is afraid her menses may come before
she completes it, she may stipulate a condition [about exiting ihram],
then if she gets her menses she can exit ihram and will not have to do
anything.
The basic principle about it being permissible to stipulate such a
condition is the report narrated by al-Bukhaari (5089) and Muslim
(1207) from 'Aa'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) who said: The
Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) entered
upon Dubaa'ah bint az-Zubayr and said to her: "Perhaps you want to
doHajj?" She said: By Allah, I am always in pain. He said to her: "Go
for Hajj but stipulate a conditionand say: O Allaah, I will exit ihram
from the point where You have prevented me (from continuing, if some
problem should arise)."
If a person is afraid of illness or if a woman fears that her menses
may come, she may stipulate this condition.
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked: With
regard to stipulating a condition [about exiting ihram] in Hajj, are
there any specific cases in which the pilgrim shouldstipulate this
condition and say: "If something prevents me (from continuing), I will
exit ihram from the point where You have prevented me (from
continuing)"?
He replied: Stipulating a condition in Hajj means saying, when
entering ihram: "If something prevents me (from continuing), I will
exit ihram from the point where You have prevented me (from
continuing)."
Stipulating this condition is not prescribed unless there is some fear
of sickness, or if a woman fears that her menses may come, or if a
person is delayed and fears that he may miss Hajj. In these cases he
or she should stipulate this condition. If he stipulates this
condition and something happens that prevents him from completing the
rituals, then he may exit ihram and leave, and does not have to do
anything.
But if he is not afraid (of any of these things happening), the Sunnah
is not to stipulate a condition; rather he should be firm in his
resolve, put his trust in Allah and think positively of Allah, may He
be glorified and exalted.
End quote from Liqa' al-Baab al-Maftooh, 25/18
And Allah knows best.

If the people around him are reciting the Talbiyah in unison, should he remain silent?

My question is about reciting the Talbiyah in unison. I have read your
fatwa and the commentsof Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy
on him). I would like to know: What should a person doif he is on the
bus and it is difficult for them to recite the Talbiyah individually,
and even if they start to do that, they end up reciting it together.
The Sahaabah (may Allah be pleased with them) did not travel
altogether in the same group; they may have been far from one another.
So do the pilgrims have a reason for doing that, i.e., reciting the
Talbiyah in unison? Especially because of the fitnah that may result
for the one who acts differently from the people, most ofwhom think it
is permissible to do that. I also want to ask: is it better for a
person to remain silent because hecannot help reciting with them
otherwise, or should he recite it with them? May Allah bless you for
explaining this important matter.
Praise be to Allaah.
Reciting the Talbiyah in unison was not related from the Prophet
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) or from his Companions.
Hence a number of scholars stated that this is an innovation (bid'ah).
It says in Fataawa al-Lajnah ad-Daa'imah (11/358): What is the ruling
on pilgrims reciting the Talbiyah together, whereby one person says it
and the others follow?
Answer: It is not permissible to do that because it was not narrated
from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) or from
the Rightly Guided Caliphs who succeeded him (may Allah be pleased
with them). Rather it is an innovation. End quote.
This applies to those who deliberately recite the Talbiyah in unison.
As for the one who is reciting the Talbiyah with other people nearby,
and their voices coincide unintentionally,there is no blame on him.
What usually happens when people are together, reciting the Tabliyah
out loud, is thattheir voices will coincidesometimes. If the people
around you are reciting the Talbiyah in unison, you should not keep
quiet; rather you should recite the Talbiyah out loud too.
If you are afraid that thismay result in negative consequences, if the
people around you notice that you are reciting the Talbiyah on your
own, then recite in a quiet voice, But remaining silent is not
appropriate, because the Talbiyah is a righteous deed and a beneficial
act of worship.
An-Nasaa'i (2753), at-Tirmidhi (829), Abu Dawood (1814) and Ibn Maajah
(2923) narrated from as-Saa'ib ibn Khallaad that the Messenger of
Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: "Jibreel came
to me and said: 'O Muhammad! Tell your companions to raise their
voices when reciting the Talbiyah.'" Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani
in Saheeh an-Nasaa'i.
A version narrated by Ibn Maajah says: "Let them raise their voices
when reciting the Talbiyah, for it is one of the symbols of Hajj."
At-Tirmidhi (827) and Ibn Maajah (2896) narrated from Abu Bakr
as-Siddeeq that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)
was asked: Which (actions of) Hajj are best? He said: "Raising the
voice in Talbiyah andslaughtering the sacrificial animal."
Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh at-Tirmidhi.
And Allah knows best.

After performing Hajj, is the Muslim guaranteed forgiveness of his sins orshould he still feel worried and anxious?

There is a hadith that states if you make haj properly its as if youve
returned sinless as a child( loose translation) and alhamdulillah i
havemade hajj and inshallah it was proper, but from time to time
during my prayer i remember a sin i have made before haj and i feel
tremendous remorse and i ask for forgiveness. should i be so
remorseful or should ibe more hopeful that i have forgiven and not try
to remember my sins.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him)
said: I heard the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)
say: "Whoever performs Hajj for the sake of Allah and does not utter
any obscene speech or do any evil deed, will go back (free of sin) as
his mother bore him."
Narrated by al-Bukhaari,1449; Muslim, 1350.
Here we should draw attention to two things:
1.
That this is the reward for an accepted Hajj. Whoever does Hajj
usingharaam money, or whose Hajj is not sincerely for the sake of
Allah, may He be exalted,or who utters any obscene speech or does any
evil deeds, his Hajj will not be accepted andhe will not go back as
onthe day his mother bore him.
Ibn 'Abd al-Barr (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
With regard to the accepted Hajj, it was saidthat it is that in which
there is no showing off or seeking reputation, and in which there is
no obscene speech or evil deeds, and it is done with halaal wealth.
Al-Tamheed lima fi'l-Muwatta' min al-Ma'aani wa'l-Asaaneed, 22/39
Some of the scholars said that the Hajj mabroor is that which is
accepted, and the sign of its acceptance is that the person does not
go back to disobeying his Lord, may He be exalted, and that he
restores rights to those who are entitled to them.
See the answer to question no. 26242
2.
Hajj does not mean that obligations such as expiation (kafaarah)
anddebts are waived, as has been explained previously in the answerto
question no. 138630
Secondly:
The Muslim whom his Lord, may He be exalted, honours by enabling him
to perform the rituals of Hajj should be concerned lest his Hajj has
not been accepted from him. This does not mean that he should despair
of his Lord's mercy; rather it is so thathe will not take it for
granted, and so that he will turn to his Lord, mayHe be exalted, with
sincere du'aa', asking that it be accepted from him, and so that he
will focus on doing righteous deeds that willincrease his balance of
good deeds on the Day when he meets his Lord, may He be exalted.
Allah,may He be glorified and exalted, says, describing the believers
(interpretation of the meaning):
"and those who give (their wealth and other possession) whatever they
gave, in a state thattheir hearts are overwhelmed (with the belief)
that they are to be those who return to their Nourisher-Sustainer —
It is these who race for the good deeds, and they are foremost in them
(e.g. offering the compulsory Salat (prayers) in their (early) stated,
fixed times and so on)"
[al-Mu'minoon 23:60-61].
It was narrated that 'Aa'isha, the wife of the Prophet (blessings and
peace of Allah be upon him) said: I asked the Messenger of Allah
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) about this verse: "and
those who give (their wealth and other possession) whatever they gave,
in a state thattheir hearts are overwhelmed" [al-Mu'minoon 23:60].
'Aa'ishah said: Are they those who drink alcohol and steal? He said:
No, O daughter of as-Siddeeq; rather they are those who fast, pray and
give charity, fearing that it will not be accepted from them. Those
are the ones who race for the good deeds.
Narrated by at-Tirmidhi, 3175; Ibn Maajah, 4198; classed as saheeh by
al-Albaani in Saheeh at-Tirmidhi
This fear of these believers does not make them despair of the mercy
of their Lord; rather they combine with it hope and positive thinking
of theirLord, may He be glorified and exalted, the hope that He will
reward them and honour them. Two things motivate those believing close
friends ofAllah to fear lest their good deeds not be accepted:
thinking negatively of themselveslest they have not done well, and
their great love for their Lord, may He be glorified and exalted.
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
If he – i.e. the believer – is afraid, then it is more appropriate for
him to fear that he is not doing good enough and what makes him feel
that he isnot doing good enough is two things:
(i) Seeing his failings and shortcomings
(ii) The sincerity of his love (for Allah), forthe one
who loves sincerely draws close to his Beloved as much as he can,
whilst feeling that he is not doing enough and that he is too
embarrassed to meetHim with his deeds when he feels that He deserves
much more.
Madaarij as-Saalikeen, 2/325
To sum up:
What you have to do is combine two things and do not omit either of them:
1.
Do not think of your sins as being too great in comparison to the
forgiveness and mercy of Allah, may He be exalted. Rather what
thebeliever fears is his shortcomings in repentance and his
shortcomings in doing acts of obedience that expiate sins. So let this
fear of yours motivate you to do more acts of worship and to ask
Allah,may He be glorified and exalted, sincerely to accept your deeds
and make you among those who are close to Him. Beware of despairing of
the mercy of your Lord, may He be glorified and exalted.
2.
Think positively of Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, and hope
for Hisforgiveness, blessing, kindness and mercy that encompasses all
things. So long as you persist in obeying your Lord's commands,
respecting His laws and hastening to obey Him, you should also persist
in thinking positively of Him and that He will accept it from you and
make you steadfast in doing so.
Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) said, commenting on
the hadeeth qudsi, "Allah, may He be exalted, says: 'I am as My slave
thinks I am'" (agreed upon):
Al-Qurtubi said in al-Mufhim: It was said that what is meant by "as My
slave thinks I am" is thinking that one will receive a response
whenoffering du'aa' (supplication), and thinking that it will be
accepted when one repents, and thinking that one will be forgivenwhen
asking for forgiveness, and thinking that one will berewarded when
doing acts of worship, fulfillingall their conditions and believing
sincerely in Hispromise. He said: that is supported by what he said in
another hadeeth:"Call upon Allah when you are certain of receiving a
response." Hence one should strive hard in praying qiyaam with the
certainty that Allah will accept it and forgive one, because He has
promised that and He does not break His promises. If he believes or
thinks that Allah will not accept it and that it is of no benefit,
this is despairing of the mercy of Allah, which is a majorsin. If a
person dies in such a state, he will be left to what he thought, as it
says in some narrations of the hadeeth quoted above: "Let My slave
think of Meas he wishes." As for thinking that one will beforgiven
whilst persisting in sin, that is pure ignorance and delusion, and
leads to the view of the Murji'ah.
Fath al-Baari, 13/386
We ask Allah to accept your righteous deeds from you, and to make your
Hajj accepted, and to grant you the best and greatest reward.
And Allah knows best.

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And Allah Knows the Best!

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Published by :->
M NajimudeeN Bsc- INDIA

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