Frightening dreams.

I am a young sister who got married recently to aman with very good
character and deen, masha-Allah. Since I havegot married, I
frequentlyhave very frightening dreams about my husband and others I
love.
Before marriage I never had frightening dreams as I always make my
adhkaar at bedtime. Sometimes I see that there are jinns inside other
people and I am trying to fight them by reciting ayatul-Kursi, butthey
are stopping me from doing so. I cannot sleep at night and wake up
several times. One good sister suggested to me that it may be the evil
eye brought on by others who are jealous. If that is the case, then
please could you guide me as to what I can do about this problem as it
is very distressing.
May Allah Reward you greatly for your advice.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
Undoubtedly the frightening dreams that this sister sees are from the
accursed Shaytaan who is trying his hardestto prevent people from
following the true religion and keep them away from their Lord Whom
they worship, and he wants to cause grief to the believers. But his
plots against the pious close friends of Allaah are weak and
insignificant, especially against those who fortify themselves with
ruqya as prescribed in sharee'ah day and night.
Secondly:
You should note that thebest way in which the Muslim can protect
himself against the Shaytaan is to rememberAllaah. According to the
hadeeth narrated by al-Tirmidhi (2863), Allaahcommanded Yahya ibn
Zakariyya (peace be upon him) to tell the Children of Israel to do
five things, including thefollowing:
"I command you to remember Allaah, for thelikeness of that is that of
a man who enemy comes after him, until hecomes to a strong fortress
where he protects himself from him. Similarly, a person cannot protect
himself against the Shaytaan except by remembering Allaah." Classed as
saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmdihi.
If the Muslim fears Allaahin all his affairs, and adheres to that
which Allaah has commanded and avoids that which He has forbidden, and
he constantly remembers Allaah, praying and fasting and other kinds of
worship, and he fortifies himself by reading Qur'aan night and day,
out loud and silently, and he regularly recites the wirds and dhikrs
prescribed in Islam for the morning and evening, and when eating,
drinking, gettingdressed and going to sleep, then the Shaytaan will go
away from him, blameworthy and defeated, and will have no power to do
anything to him. How can it be otherwise when Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):
"Those who believe, fight in the Cause of Allaah, and those who
disbelieve, fight in the cause of Taaghoot (Satan). So fight you
against the friends of Shaytaan (Satan); ever feeble indeed is the
plot of Shaytaan (Satan)"
[al-Nisa' 4:76]?
The Shaytaan only comesclose to those who are far away from their
religion and Qur'aan. The Shaytaan may try to divert the righteous
from the straight path, in order to ruin their lives and religious
commitment and worldly interests. But protection may be sought against
him in the manner described above. You can also referto the books of
dhikr such as al-Adhkaar by al-Nawawi; 'Aml al-Yawm wa'l-Laylah by
al-Nasaa'i; 'Aml al-Yawm wa'l-Laylah by Ibn al-Sunni; and other books
of dhikr that deal with this topic, or books of Sunan in general. If
you do that we hope that your situation will improve and you will find
peace of mind, and Allaah will change your situation to a better one.
Among the dhikrs with which we advise you to recite regularly are the following:
1 – Adhkaar for morning and evening.
(a) Reciting every evening the words, "A'oodhu bi kalimaat Allaah
il-taammah min sharri ma khalaqa (I seekrefuge in the perfect words of
Allaah from theevil of that which He has created)."
It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: A man came to the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said, "O Messenger of
Allaah, I am suffering because of a scorpion that stung me yesterday."
He said, "If you had said in the evening, A'oodhu bi kalimaat Allaah
il-taammah min sharri ma khalaqa (I seek refuge in the perfect words
of Allaah from theevil of that which He has created),' it would not
have harmed you.
Narrated by Muslim.
Indeed, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
encouraged us to say that in every place where we stop (when
travelling).
It was narrated that Khawlah bint Hakeem al-Salamiyyah said: I heard
the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
say: "Whoever makes a stop in some place, then says, 'A'oodhu bi
kalimaat Allaah il-taammah min sharri ma khalaqa (I seekrefuge in the
perfect words of Allaah from theevil of that which He has created),'
nothing will harm him until he moveson from that place."
Narrated by Muslim, 2708.
(b) It was narrated that'Uthmaan ibn 'Affaan (may Allaah be pleased
with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) said: "There is no personwho says in the morningand
evening of each day, 'Bismillaah illaahi laa yadurru ma'a ismihi
shay'un fi'l-ard wa la fi'l-sama' wa huwa al-samee' ul-'aleem (In the
name of Allaah with Whose name nothing is harmed on earth nor in
heaven, and He is the All-Hearing, All-Knowing)' three times, but
nothing will harm him."
Narrated and classed as saheeh by al-Tirmidhi, 3388; also narrated by
Ibn Maajah, 3869. Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Ibn
Maajah.
(c) Reciting Aayat al-Kursiy and al-Mu'awwidhaat beforegoing to sleep.
It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: "The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) put me in charge of
guarding the zakaah of Ramadaan. Someone came to me and started
grabbing handfuls of thefood. I took hold of him and said, 'I will
take you to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him).' He said, 'I will teach you some words by means of which
Allaah will benefityou.' I said, 'What are they?' He said, 'When you
go to your bed, recite this aayah (interpretation of the meaning):
"Allaah! Laa ilaaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but
He), Al-Hayyul-Qayyoom (the Ever Living, the One Whosustains and
protects all that exists)…" [al-Baqarah 2:255] – until he completed
the aayah. Then Allaah will appoint a guard for you who will stay with
you and no shaytaan (devil) will come near you until morning.' The
Messengerof Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) asked
me, 'What did your prisoner do last night?' I said, 'O Messenger of
Allaah, he taught me something, and claimed that Allaah would benefit
me by it.' He said, 'What was it?' I said, 'He taught me to recite
Aayat al-Kursiy when I go to bed, and said that no shaytaan would come
near me until morning, and that Allaah would appoint a guard for me
who would stay with me.' TheProphet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said, 'He told you the truth, although he is an inveterate
liar. That was the Shaytaan.'"
Narrated by al-Bukhaari,3101; Muslim, 505.
There are many such dhikrs; we do not have room to mention them all here.
Thirdly:
With regard to the hasad(envy) and the evil eye of which you speak, it
may be that this harm has come to you throughhasad. Protection against
that is to be sought by reciting the dhikrs prescribed in sharee'ah.
It was narrated that Ibn 'Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with them
both)said: "The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
used to seek refuge withAllaah for al-Hasan and al-Husayn. He said:
'Your father [i.e., Ibraaheem] used to seek refuge withAllaah for
Ismaa'eel and Ishaaq with these words:A'oodhu bi kalimaat Allaah
al-taammah min kulli shaytaanin wa haammah wa min kulli 'aynin laammah
(I seek refuge in the perfect words of Allaah, from every devil and
every poisonous reptile, and from every bad eye).'"
Narrated by al-Bukhaari,3191.
With regard to the remedy:
It was narrated from Ibn 'Abbaas that the Prophet(peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) said: "The evil eye is real,and if anything
were to overtake the divine decree (al-qadar) it would be the evil
eye. When you are asked to take a bath (to provide acure) from the
influence of the evil eye, you should take a bath"
Narrated by Muslim, 2188.
If you know that the evil eye has been put on you by a certain person,
thenyou should ask him to doghusl and wudoo', then you should pour the
water of his ghusl or wudoo' over yourself. The way in which this
should be done has beenexplained by Ibn al-Qayyim, who said:
In Sunan Abi Dawood it is narrated that 'Aa'ishah(may Allaah be
pleased with her) said: The 'aa'in(the one who put the evil eye on
another) would be ordered to do wudoo', then the ma'een (the one on
whom he had put the evil eye) would do ghusl with that water.
In al-Saheehayn it is narrated that 'Aa'ishah said: "The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) commanded me or he
commanded us to recite ruqyah for protection against the evil eye."
Al-Tirmidhi narrated from Sufyaan ibn 'Uyayanah from 'Amr ibnDinaar
from 'Urwah ibn 'Aamir from 'Ubayd ibn Rafaa'ah al-Sarqi that Asma'
bint Umays said: "O Messenger of Allaah, the children of Ja'far have
been afflicted by the evil eye, shall we recite ruqyah for them?"He
said, "Yes, for if anything were to overtake the divine decree it
would be the evil eye." Al-Tirmidhi said: a saheeh hasan hadeeth. Then
he mentioned the hadeeth which described how 'Aamir ibn Rabee'ah
afflicted Sahl ibn Hunayf with his eye, and the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) commanded 'Aamir to do ghusl.
So he washed his face, hands, forearms, knees and the sides of his
feet, and inside his izaar (lower garment) in the vessel. Then that
water was poured over him, and a man poured it over his head and back
from behind. He did thatto him, then Sahl got up and joined the
people.
Al-Tibb al-Nabawi, p. 127-129.

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Determined prayer is the key to destiny

There are various elements in life you come face to face with every
day and that you imagine you know and understand very well; so much so
that you imagine it would be impossible to understand the majority of
them any better than you do already. But that is not always true.
Sometimes you may heara different account or witness something that
leads to a brand new door, a new horizon youhad never contemplated
before, opening up on a subject you thought you knew so well. Your
whole perspective changes, not only momentarily but fundamentally. You
acquire a new perspective on that long familiar subject, as if youwere
encountering it forthe first time.
One of these subjects about which one constantly acquires a new and
more profoundconception during the various stages of one's life is
'prayer.' A believer knows that Allah will heed all prayers, and
trusts in that truth with all his heart. But the more a person's
closeness to Allah, depth of faith and understanding of destiny grow,
the more his perspective toward prayer deepens and is perfected.
Although he knows the verses of the Qur'an very well, the spiritual
power that Allah instills in his heart through those verses constantly
increases whenever he reads themagain. And for someone who is
determined in faith, this situation is repeated constantly untilthe
end of his life.
One piece of knowledge regarding prayer that will again be
instrumental in the opening of his heart when he hears it is that
prayer 'is the key to destiny.' This is part of the law of Allah. When
Muslims beseech Allah with love and passion, by His leave, what they
desire will come about.
This is a secret mystery of Allah that very few people are aware of.
When one prays, Allah's destiny goes into motion. Mass prayer
especially has a particular power; when Muslims request something
determinedlyand en masse , and whenthey embrace natural causes, then
by Allah's leave, something that people thought would never happen
does in fact come to pass. Allah has created the world bythat law.
Allah is He Who heeds every prayer
Allah has cited many examples in the Qur'an so that people can
understand this secret ofdestiny: the Prophet Jonah (pbuh) frequently
prayed to Allah from inside the stomach of the whale, and Allah
rescued him in an incomparable manner. When the Prophet Moses(pbuh)
and his people were trapped between Pharaoh's army and the sea, the
Prophet Moses (pbuh) prayed to Allah infull submission, and Allah
created a miraculous escape for him and his people. Rasulullah (saas)
placed all his trust in the infinite might of Allah when he and a
friend were in the cave, and Allah spared him from the traps of the
unbelievers and grantedhim victory. In the same way, when the Prophet
Joseph (pbuh) was thrown down the well, Allah in His infinite mercy
sent him help. Allah again manifested His infinite mercy when the
Prophet Abraham (pbuh) was about to be cast into the flames, and made
them cool for him. The Prophet Zechariah (pbuh) prayed to Allah, and
despite their advanced age, he and his wife were blessed by Allah with
the birth of the Prophet John (pbuh).
Some of the verses of the Qur'an that reveal how Allah heeds the
sincere calls of His prophets are as follows:
Jonah too was one of the messengers. When he ran away to the fully
laden shipand cast lots and lost. Then the fish devoured him and he
was to blame. Had it not been that he was a man who glorified Allah,
he would have remained inside its belly until the Day they are raised
again. So We cast him uponto the beach and he was sick; and We caused
a gourd tree to grow over him. We sent him toa hundred thousand or
even more. They believed and so We gavethem enjoyment for a time.
(Surat as-Saffat, 139-148)
And when the two hosts came into sight of one another Moses'
companions said, "We will surely be overtaken!" He said, "Never! My
Lord is with me and He will guide me." So We revealed to Moses,
"Strike the sea with your staff." And it split in two, each part like
a towering cliff. And We brought the others right up to it. We rescued
Moses and all those who were with him. Then We drowned the rest. There
is certainly a sign in that yet most of them are notbelievers. (Surat
ash-Shu'ara', 61-67)
If you do not help him, Allah did help him when the unbelievers drove
him out and there were two of them in the Cave. He said to his
companion, "Do not be despondent, Allah is with us." Then Allah sent
down His serenity upon him and reinforced him with troops you could
not see. He made the word of the unbelievers undermost. It is the
wordof Allah which is uppermost. Allah is Almighty, All-Wise.
(Suratat-Tawba, 40)
When they declared, "Why! Joseph and his brother are dearer to our
father than we are although we constitute apowerful group. Our father
is clearly making a mistake. Kill Joseph or expel him to some land so
that your father will look to you alone and then you can be people who
do right." (Surah Yusuf, 8-9)
But when, in fact, they did go out with him and gathered all together
and agreed to put him atthe bottom of the well, We then revealed to
himthat: "You will inform them of this deed they perpetrate at a time
when they are totally unaware." (Surah Yusuf, 15)
Some travelers came that way and then dispatched their water-drawer
who let his bucket down. He said, "Good news for me, I've found a
boy!" They then hid him away among their goods. Allah knew very well
what they were doing. They sold him for a pittance, a fewsmall coins,
considering him to be of little worth. (Surah Yusuf, 19-20)
The Egyptian who had bought him told his wife, "Look after him with
honor and respect. It's possible he will be of use to us or perhaps we
might adopt him as a son." And thus We established Joseph in theland
to teach him the true meaning of events. Allah is in control of His
affair. However, most of mankind do not know. And then when he became
a full-grown man, We gave him knowledge and right judgement too. That
is how We reward all doers of good. (Surah Yusuf, 21-22)
They said, "Who has done this to our gods? He is definitely one of the
wrongdoers!" They said, "We heard a young man mentioning them. They
call him Abraham." They said, "Bring him before the people's eyes so
they can be witnesses." (Surat al- Anbiya', 59-61)
They said, "Burn him andsupport your gods if youare resolved to do
something." We said, "Fire, be coolness and peace for Abraham!" They
desired to trap him but We made them the losers. (Surat al- Anbiya',
68-70)
And Zechariah when he called out to his Lord, "My Lord, do not leave
me on my own, though You are the Best of Inheritors." We responded to
him and gave him John, restoringfor him his wife's fertility. They
outdid oneanother in good actions,calling out to Us in yearning and in
awe, and humbling themselves to Us. (Surat al- Anbiya', 89-90)
Then and there Zechariah called on his Lord and said, "O Lord, grant
me by Your favor an upright child. You arethe Hearer of Prayer." The
angels called out to him while he was standing in prayer in theUpper
Room: "Allah givesyou the good news of John, who will come to confirm
a Word from Allah, and will be a leader and a celibate, a Prophet and
one of the righteous." He said, "My Lord, how can I possibly have a
son when I have reached old age and my wife is barren?" He said, "It
will be so. Allah does whatever He wills." (Surah Al 'Imran, 38-40)
Some people who encounter similar situations to these cited in the
Qur'an in their own lives fall into the error of thinking that "it is
impossible" for their prevailing circumstancesto ever change. Since
their attitude is essentially one of despair and lack of faith,they
fail to properly appreciate the might of Allah and do not pray to Him
with a genuine and absolute submission to Him. And this stems from
these people being unaware of the secret ofdetermined prayer, and
being unaware that prayer is the key to destiny.
Yet if Allah so wishes He can immediately make those things that
people mistakenly think of as "impossible" a reality. In the same way
that Allah sent His help to messengers and true believers in the past,
andthat situations regarded as "impossible" were made a reality, so
this also applies to the lives of everyone today.
Praying with absolute faith
Everyone may face situations wherein they may truly want from Allah
but that look impossible to happen. But people must never be deceived
under thesecircumstances. It is very important not to forget that
prayer is the key to destiny and that when one prays, so Allah's
destiny goes into motion, and thus to beseech Allah with an absolute
faith. In the same way that our Lord smoothed the way for the Prophet
Moses (pbuh) and helped the prophets Jonah (pbuh), Abraham (pbuh) and
Zechariah (pbuh), so all sincere Muslims hope for Him to respond to
their prayers with mercy.
Of course, however, a believer who really wants something to happen
must frequently call on Allah, just like theProphet Jonah (pbuh) and
must, just like our Prophet Muhammad (saas) and the Prophet Moses
(pbuh), say "Of course, our Lord is with us," without losing
heartunder even the most difficult of conditions; he must trust in
Allah's might with a powerful faith, feeling no doubts at all. And
then the secret in prayer will come about and, by Allah's leave,
destiny willbegin to work in the desired direction.
The great Islamic scholarImam Rabbani reminds believers of this great
and certain truth in the following passage:
"To ask for something is to obtain it; because Almighty Allah will not
allow His servant to uttera prayer that He will not heed." (Imam
Rabbani)

Hujjat al-Islam al-Ghazali

Al-Ghazali, the great Islamic scholar who lived10 centuries ago, was a
great example to all believers with his good moral values and his
exemplary life. He trained many students and done great services to
the Islamic world. Al Ghazali was born in Tus, Iran in 1058 when there
were serious conflicts in the Islamic world and the Andalusian Empire
was in a period of decline . In such challenging times, through his
books and lectures, he was the means for the enlightening of the
Islamic world.
Because he had such deep and profound knowledge, he was also known as
'Hujjat al-Islam" and ' Zauniddin ' which means the 'evidence of
Islam, proofthat Islam is the true religion'. Hujjat al-Islam also
means the person who memorized three hundred thousand hadiths with the
names of the reporting people. When he was still young,he went to
Baghdad upon the invitation of the then Seljuk vizier Nizam al-Mulk.
The scholars in the court were amazed to see the depth of knowledge
andeloquence in explaining matters. Nizam al-Mulk appointed him to the
Nizamiye Madrassah to act as the master, a position equivalent to
today's university rectors. During his tenure , Al Ghazali trained
many students and selected three hundred of the best and taught them
allthe necessary knowledge. His students included prominent Islamic
scholars such as Muhammad ibn Asad al-Tusi, Abu Mansur Muhammad, Abu
Abd Allah Jumart al-Hussaini, and Abu al-Hasan al-Balansi.
Al Ghazali is recognized for his vast knowledge not only by the
Islamic world, but also by Westerners as well. The knowledge of Al
Ghazali was advanced in every aspect compared to the European
scholars of his time. For instance, at a time when the Europeans
commonly believed that the earth was flat, Al Ghazali asserted that
the earth was round, that liver cleansed the blood of toxins and
microbes and the ratio of substances in the blood were vital to keep
it healthy, the latter two being facts included in today's physiology
books.
Not only this;, Al Ghazali wrote about many othersubjects in his
books, which are around 1,000. His books deal with Islam, Islamic
moral values and science in a way that can be clearly understood by
people ofevery age and of every education level. Some of his most
famous books are as follows: Ihya Ulum al-Din (The Revival of the
Religious Sciences), Kimya al-Saadat (The Alchemy of the Happiness),
Jawahir al-Qur'an (The Jewels of the Qur'an), Mizan al-Amal (Balance
of Action), Durrat al- Fakhira (The Exquisite Pearl) , Ayyuh-al-Walad
(O my son!), Qistas al- Mustaqim(The Correct Balance) .
Europeans studied the books of Al Ghazali's in a very detailed
manner,. and in 1959, upon reading the books of Al Ghazali and being
fascinated by Islam religion, four Professors Ordinarius translated
thebooks of Al Ghazali into German and then converted to Islam.
AL GHAZALI CALLED ATTENTION TO THE SIGNIFICANCE OF MUSLIMS BEING
UNITED AND LIVING IN A BROTHERLY MANNER:
Another point Al Ghazali paid attention to was the brotherhood,
friendship and love between the Muslims. In his famous book, Ihya Ulum
al-Din , he explains in the light of the verses of the Qur'an and the
hadith, why the brotherhood of Muslims is very important as follows:
The Prophet Mohammed (saas) explains: "Muslims are siblings, they do
not hurt, wrong or afflict one another." (Bukhari and Muslim)
Don't get jealous of eachother, don't hold a grudge against each
other, don't say bad things to each other, don't turn your backs to
each other, don't gossip about each other. Servants of Allah, be
brothers. (Bukhari and Muslim; Hujjat al-Islam Al Ghazali, Ihya
al-Ulum al-Din, vol. 3, p. 315)
The great scholar Al Ghazali explains how thebelievers should approach
each other in these wise words:
... You should always approach them with the compassion that they
expect from you. You should see their good sides and ignore the
badones. When they come to you and talk to you, you should not turn
youreyes away from them. (Ihya al-Ulum al-Din, p. 431)
Some of the sage advice of Al Ghazali …
"Don't forget that Almighty Allah knows everything you think and say.
People see only the outside of each other, but Almighty Allahsees both
the inside and the outside of all. Those who know that will be careful
with their thoughts and actions. "
"O my lower self, if you are saying 'I'll repent and do good things
later', remember that death can come before that and you can only
regret. If you think repenting tomorrow is easier than it is today,
you are mistaken".
Al Ghazali gave the goodnews of the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (as)
In his works Hujjat al-Islam Al Ghazali explained in detail the
qualities of Hazrat Mahdi(as) who is to come in the End Times based on
the hadith of the Prophet Muhammad (saas) and heralded Muslims with
the comingof Hazrat Mahdi (as).

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Accusing chaste women of adultery

Allaah Almighty Says in the Noble Quran (what means):
"The [Unmarried] woman or [unmarried] man found guilty of sexual
intercourse— lash each one of them with a hundred lashes, and do not
be taken by pity for them in the religion [i.e. law] of Allaah, if you
should believe in Allaah and the Last Day.And let a group of the
believers witness their punishment. The fornicator does not marry
except a [female] fornicator or polytheist, and none marries her
except a fornicator or a polytheist, and that [i.e. marriageto such
persons] has been made unlawful to the believers. And those who accuse
chaste women (of adultery) and then do not produce four witnesses —
lash them with eighty lashes and do not accept from them testimony
ever after. And those are the defiantly disobedient. Except for those
who repent thereafter and reform, for indeed Allaah is Forgiving and
Merciful." [Quran 24: 2-5]
Islamic law (Sharee'ah) prescribes a very heavy penalty for adultery.
However, Islam does not legislate such a penalty without first putting
in place sufficient legislation that protects people against falling
in sin. It also ensures that the punishment is not enforced except in
cases where there is certainty about the offence and its perpetrators.
Islam is a complete code of living that is not based on punishment.
Its basis is toprovide all that promotesa clean and morally pure life.
If some individuals then abandon such a clean and easy life in order
to deliberately submerge themselves into filth, they incur such heavy
penalty.
In the case of adultery, Islam requires four witnesses to testify that
they have seen the offence, or else, a clear and confirmed confession
by the perpetrators.
It may be suggested, then, that the punishment is unreal
andunenforceable, which renders it ineffective as adeterrent.
Punishment is not the basis of the Islamic approach; its basis is
prevention, education and cultivatingpeople's finer feelings and
consciences so that they refrain from even contemplating this offence.
Imaam Maalik narrated that a man confessed to fornication in the time
of the Messenger of Allaah . The Messenger of Allaah called for a
whip, and he was brought a brokenwhip. He said: "Above this," and he
was broughta new whip whose knots had not been cut yet. He said:
"Below this," and he was brought a whip which had been used and made
flexible. The Messenger of Allaah gave the order and hewas flogged.
Then he said: "O people! Observe the limits of Allaah. Whoever has
committed any of these ugly things (adultery or fornication) should
cover them up with the veil of Allaah. Whoever reveals to us hiswrong
action, we shall perform what is in the Book of Allaah against him
(i.e. the prescribed penalty)." [Maalik]
Prescribing a very harsh punishment for adultery is not sufficient, on
its own, to protect the Muslim community and ensure the purity of its
atmosphere. Therefore, asupplementary order is given to isolate the
adulterers from the rest of the Muslim community.It goes further to
remove the air of the offence from the Muslim community, prescribing
aheavy punishment for those who accuse chaste women of adultery
without providing firm evidence in support of their accusation. Allaah
Almighty Says in the Quran (what means):
"And those who accuse chaste women of adultery and then do not produce
four witnesses — lash them with eighty lashes and do not accept from
them testimony ever after. And those are the defiantly disobedient.
Except for those who repent thereafter and reform, for indeedAllaah is
Forgiving and Merciful"." [Quran 24: 2-5]
Allowing people to accuse chaste women, whether married or not,
without a clear proof means that people could always make up such
accusation, fearing no repercussion. This means that the Muslim
community finds itself with a stained reputation. Every individual is
threatened with false accusation. Every man suspects his wife, and
every wife suspects her husband, and people doubt their legitimacy. In
such an intolerable state of doubtand suspicion, every family is
undermined. Moreover, when such accusations are frequently made, those
who steer themselves away from adultery will begin to think that the
crime is common in society. Thus, people begin to think about adultery
in a different spirit, with its ghastly nature sounding less ghastly
as a result of its frequent mention. Those who would not have
contemplated it at all may begin to think of doing so, feeling that
many others are doing it.
Thus, in order to protect people's honor and their suffering from
suspicion as a result of uncorroborated accusations, the Quran
prescribes for false accusation a punishment that comes close to that
of adultery. The punishment is flogging with 80 stripes, rejecting
their testimony in any case or situation, and giving them the label of
transgressors. The first part of the punishment isphysical, while the
second is moral. It is sufficient that the accuser is deprived of
theright to testify, and considered deceitful. The third part of the
punishment is a religious one. The one guilty of false accusation is
following a line that deviates from that of faith. The only way to
protect himself from suchpunishments is that the accuser should
provide four witnesses who have seen the offence being committed, or
three alongside him if he himself has seen it.
It is agreed upon by Muslim scholars that for adultery (or
fornication) case to be authentically proven, four witnesses must
simultaneously see, by their own eyes, the man's sexual organ inserted
in the woman's sexual organ. Only when these four witnesses givesuch
testimony is the accusation proved and the punishment of adultery (or
fornication) is enforced on the perpetrators.
Such restrictions are set forth by Sharee'ah in order to limit to the
least minimum the possibility of falsely accusing chaste women of
adultery (or fornication), which leads to social and psychological
troubles for the accused women. Even when such a sin –adultery (or
fornication)- is committed, such restrictions laid by Sharee'ah will
guarantee the suppression of the crime and prevents its spread among
the people, which contaminates the morallypure Muslim community.