Dought & clear - , Ruling on imitating thekuffaar, and the meaning of the phrase, “What the Muslims think is good is good before Allaah” .

What is the Islamic ruling on the issue of imitating the kuffaar in
their customs and dealings? What are the guidelines concerning that in
Islamic sharee'ah? Is every imitation of the actions of the kuffaar
regarded as a haraam kind of imitation – knowing thatthere are many
things that the kaafirs do that are not haraam and are not condemned
by sharee'ah, where the one who does them does not do them merelyto
imitate the kuffaar, but because he thinks those things are good, as
Ibn Mas'ood (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: "What the Muslims
think is good is good before Allaah"?
Please advise us, may Allaah honour you, and please give me a detailed
answer and explain to me the guidelines on this matter.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
The Muslims have no need to imitate any of the other nations in
matters of religious rituals and acts of worship, for Allaah has
perfected His religion and completed His Favour, and chosen for us
Islam as our religion, as He says (interpretation of the meaning):
"This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My Favour
upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion"
[al-Maa'idah 5:3]
Islam forbids the Muslimsto imitate the kuffaar, especially the Jews
and Christians, but this prohibition does not apply to all their
affairs, rather it applies to matters of their religion and things
that are unique to them, by which they are known.
It was narrated from AbuSa'eed al-Khudri (may Allaah be pleased with
him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: "You will certainly follow the ways of those who came before you
hand span by hand span,cubit by cubit, to the extent that if they
entered the hole of a lizard, you will enter it too." We said: "O
Messenger of Allaah, (do you mean) the Jews and the Christians?" He
said: "Who else?" Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1397; Muslim, 4822.
This hadeeth indicates that it is haraam to imitate the Jews and the
Christians, and that those who follow them and tread the same path as
them are criticized. Islam has reinforced this prohibition, by
describing those who imitate the kuffaar as being of them.
It was narrated that 'Abd-Allaah ibn 'Umar said: The Prophet (peaceand
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever imitates a people is
one of them." Narrated by Abu Dawood, 3512; classed assaheeh by
al-Albaani in Irwa' al-Ghaleel, 2691.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
This at the very least indicates that it is haraam to imitate them,
although the apparent meaning is that the one who imitates them is a
kaafir.
Iqtida' al-Siraat al-Mustaqeem, 237.
The one who imitates the kuffaar feels that inferior and defeated,
sohe hastens to make up for his feelings of inadequacy by imitating
those whom he admires.If these people were to ponder the greatness of
Islamic sharee'ah and understand how corruptis that civilization they
are running after, they would realize that they are doing wrong and
that they have forsaken something that is perfectand true for
something that is imperfect and corrupt.
Secondly:
The types of imitation which are forbidden to us are many.
Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzaan said:
The things in which the kuffaar are imitated include acts of worship,
such as imitating them in matters of shirk, such as building
(structures) over graves, building shrines and exaggerating about
them. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
"May the curse of Allaah be upon the Jews and the Christians, for they
took the graves of their Prophets as places of worship." Al-Bukhaari,
425; Muslim,531. And he told us that when a righteous man among them
died, they would build a place of worship over his grave, and install
images therein, and that they were the most evil of mankind.
Al-Bukhaari, 417; Muslim, 528. Nowadays there are instances of major
shirk because of exaggerationconcerning graves, as is well known to
scholars and ordinary folk alike. The cause of that is imitation of
the Jews and Christians.
Another example is their imitation of the festivals of shirk and
bid'ah, such as birthday celebrations,whether it is the birthday of
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or the
birthdays of presidents and kings. Or these festivals of bid'ah and
shirk may be namedafter days or weeks, such as a country's national
day or independence day, or Mother's Day, or hygieneweek, and other
days or weeks that are celebrated. All of these have come to the
Muslims from the kuffaar, for Islam has only two festivals: Eid
al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. Anything else is bid'ah and an imitation of
the kuffaar.
From a khutbah entitled al-Hathth 'ala Mukhaalafat al-Kuffaar
(Exhortation to be distinct from the kuffaar)
In the answer to question no. 47060 we have stated that it is
forbidden to imitate the kuffaar in the clothing that is unique to
them and in the customs that are unique to them, suchas imitating them
by shaving the beard.
Thirdly:
The prohibition on imitating the kuffaar applies to their acts of
worship and the customsthat are unique to them and by which they are
distinguished, not the things that they do and invent from which we
may benefit. There is no sin on the Muslims if they share in that,
ratherthe Muslims should be in the forefront of such things.
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen said:
With regard to the phrase "imitation of the kuffaar", that does not
mean that we should notuse anything that they have manufactured. No
one says such a thing. At the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) and afterwards the people used to wear clothes
made by the kuffaar anduse vessels made by them.
Imitation of the kuffaar means imitating their clothing and
appearance, and the customs that are unique to them. It does not mean
that we should notride what they ride or wear what they wear. But if
they ride in a specific way that is unique to them, then weshould not
ride in that way. If they tailor their clothes in a certain fashion
that is unique to them, we should not do likewise. But if we have cars
that are similar to theirs and fabric that is similar to theirs, there
is nothing wrong with that.
Majmoo' Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen, 12, question 177.
And he said:
The definition of imitating is when the imitator does somethingthat is
unique to those whom he is imitating. Imitation of the kuffaar refers
to when a Muslim does something that is one of their unique
characteristics. With regard to that which hasbecome widespread among
the Muslims and is no longer something by which the kuffaar
aredistinguished, then this is not imitation of the kuffaar, and it is
not haraam because it is an imitation, unless it is haraam for some
other reason. What we have said is what is indicated by the meaning of
the word tashabbuh (imitation).
Majmoo' Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen, 12, question 198.
In the answer to question no. 21694 you will find a detailed
discussion of the ruling on imitating the kuffaar.See question no.
43160 for further details.
Fourthly:
There are both beneficial things and harmful things in non-Muslim
civilization. We should not ignore the good things and take the
harmful things. This attitude was summed up by Shaykh al-Shanqeeti
(may Allaahhave mercy on him) whosaid:
Our attitude towards western civilization may be one of four things,
and there is no fifth:
1- Ignoring this civilization, good points and bad alike.
2- Adopting it in whole, good points and bad.
3- Adopting the bad things and not the good.
4- Adopting the good things and not the bad.
The first three are undoubtedly wrong and only one of them is
undoubtedly good, which is the last one.
Adwa' al-Bayaan, 4/382.
Fifthly:
With regard to the words of 'Abd-Allaah ibn Mas'ood (may Allaah be
pleased with him), "What the Muslims think is good is good before
Allaah", this does not refer to things that go against sharee'ah but
which may be deemed good on the basis of rational thinking. Imam
al-Shaafa'i (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:"Whoever thinks
something is good issuing a ruling." It does not refer to when one
person thinks a thing is good but the majority ofpeople do not. Rather
this phrase may be interpreted in one of two ways, both of whichare
sound:
1 – That what is meant istraditions and customs that do not go against sharee'ah
2 – That what is meant isthe proof of scholarly consensus, for the
Muslims are unanimouslyagreed that thinking a thing is good is
consensus which counts as evidence. So this thing must be good before
Allaah as well. This is what is indicated by the words, "What the
Muslims think is good."
See al-Mabsoot by al-Sarkhasi, 12/138' al-Faroosiyyah by Ibn al-Qayyim, p. 298.
These interpretations mentioned above are applicable if we take
thewords of Ibn Mas'ood (may Allaah be pleased with him) as applying
to all the Muslims in general. But from the context it seems that he
is referring to the companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) only, and not others. What Ibn Mas'ood said was:
"Allaah looked into the hearts of His slaves and found that the heart
of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was the best
of all His slaves' hearts. So He chose him for Himself and sent him
with His Message. Then He looked into the hearts of all His slaves
after the heart of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) and He found that the hearts of his companions were the best of
all His slaves' hearts, so He made them the helpers of His Prophet,
fighting for thesake of his religion. So what the Muslims think is
good is good before Allaah and whatever the Muslims think is bad is
bad before Allaah."
Narrated by Ahmad, 3418; classed as saheeh by Shaykh al-Albaani in
Takhreej al-Tahhaawiyyah, 530.
Whatever the case, it is not correct to quote the words of Ibn Mas'ood
(may Allaah be pleased with him) as evidence for thinking as good that
which is forbidden in Islam, such as imitating the mushrikeen.
And Allaah knows best.

Dought & clear - , What is narrated about the virtue of sponsoring orphans, and the relationship of the orphan girl to the one who adopted her after she reaches puberty

If a man adopts an orphan girl, and she has no ties of kinship with
him, is this girl obliged when she grows up to observe hijab in front
of this man? What are the matters that he must bear in mind with
regard to the issue of adoption, taking into consideration the fact
that he did not give her his name? All the man wants is to attain the
reward mentioned in the hadeeth of the Prophet (blessings and peace of
Allah be upon him): "Whoever raise two girls until they reachpuberty
and get married, he and I will be like these two on the Day of
Resurrection" andhe held together two of his fingers. Narrated by
Muslim and at-Tirmidhi.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)
said: "Whoever takes care of two girls until they reachpuberty, he and
I will come like this on the Dayof Resurrection" – and he held his two
fingers together.
Narrated by Muslim (2631). According to a report narrated by
at-Tirmidhi (1914): "Whoever takes care of two girls, he and I will
enter Paradise like thesetwo" and he gestured with his two fingers.
The commentators interpreted the virtue mentioned in the two hadeeths
as referring to daughters and sisters. Imam Muslim narrated inthe
previous hadeeth, "Whoever takes care of two girls…" in the chapter on
"The virtue of treating daughters with kindness." And Imam at-Tirmidhi
narrated it in the chapter on "What was narrated about spending on
daughters and sisters."
The one who takes care of his daughters and sisters properly will
attain the virtue mentioned in these hadeeths, which is beingwith the
Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) in Paradise.
But with regard to the virtue of sponsoring orphans and the great
reward for that, Muslim (2983) narrated that AbuHurayrah (may Allah be
pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of
Allah be upon him) said: "The one who sponsors an orphan, whether it
is a relative of his or not, he and I will be like these two in
Paradise," and Maalik pointed with his forefinger and middle finger.
An-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:With regard to the words
"whether it is a relative of his or not", the one who is a relativeof
his is one who is related to him such as his grandfather,
mother,grandmother, brother, sister, paternal uncle, maternal uncle,
maternalaunt, paternal aunt, and other relatives. And the one who is
not a relativeis one with whom he hasno blood ties. End quote from
Sharh Muslim by an-Nawawi.
It is proven in at-Tirmidhi (1918) that Sahl ibn Sa'd (may Allah be
pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of
Allah be upon him) said: "I and the onewho sponsors an orphanwill be
in Paradise like these two," and he gestured with his two fingers,
meaning the forefinger and the middle finger. Classed as saheeh by
Shaykh al-Albaani in Saheeh Sunan at-Tirmidhi.
Secondly:
In the answer to question no. 126003 we discussed the issue of
adoption and said that itis of two types, permissible and forbidden.
With regard to the permissible type, it means looking after the orphan
and taking care of his affairs, without attributing the orphan to the
one who adopts.
In that answer, we also stated that when the girlreaches puberty, her
sponsor is regarded as a non-mahram to her, so itis not permissible
for herto uncover her face in front of him or to be alone with him,
but she may uphold ties with him by greeting him andasking him how he
is, in return for his kindness and generosity towards her when she was
small.
It says in Fataawa al-Lajnah ad-Daa'imah: Itis not permissible for you
to stay with this man who adopted you, and it is not permissible for
you to uncover your face in front of him, because he is a non-mahram
to you and adoption does not meanthat you are related. … But there is
nothing wrong with greeting him verbally without shaking hands,
praying for him and thanking him for his kindness.
End quote from Fataawa al-Lajnah ad-Daa'imah, 20/363-364
And Allah knows best.

Islamic Stories - , No choice but to regret

Once, a group of people were travelling on rocks at night. A voice
came from the sky that whosoever picks up the rocks will regret and
whosoever doesn't pick up the rocks will regret. Now, the people were
confused. How can this be? Whether you pick upthe rocks or not, you
willregret! Anyway, some people picked up the rocks and some didn't.
Inthe morning when they reached their homes, they saw that the rocks
turned into diamonds. Now, those people who didn't pick up the rocks
started regretting saying"If only we had picked up some rocks." Those
people who did pick some rocks also started regretting saying "Why
didn't we pick up more rocks?" Both sides endedup regretting. Dear
Muslims, this same incident will take place with us on the Day of
Judgement. Those people who spent their time in useless things will
start regretting by looking at those who achieved a great position in
Paradise by spending their time in the way of Allah. Now, those who
did achieve a position in Paradise will start regretting by looking at
those who did more than them and are higher in status."Alas! If we had
only done more to please Allah."

Islamic Stories - , I feel clean for the first time

Once a pious Muslim brother got a job in a restaurant. He took with
himself a container for water so that he can use it for toilet
purposes. So, everytime he goes to thetoilet, he fills the container
with water and takes it with him. One day, a Christian man,who also
works there, saw him taking water and asked him about thereason for
it. The Muslim brother told him that after releasing the dirty
materials, we should clean that place and thatcleanliness is a major
part of Islam. The man said that why not use the toilet papers? The
brother asked him that ifsuch dirty thing touched his hands, would he
use a toilet paper to wipe it off or use water? The man understood and
said that he would use water. The next day, the Christian man brought
a container for himself and used it during relieving himself. When he
came out of the toilet, he was crying andtears were rolling down his
cheeks. The Muslim brother asked him aboutwhy he is crying. The
Christian man said that"For the first time in my life, I feel
completely clean." Thereafter, he accepted Islam and became a devouted
Muslim.