Hypocrites say that family ties are what matter, but Allah reveals in the Qur'an that it is the ties of faith that matter

Allah reveals in the Qur'an that believers should be respectful,
affectionate and loving toward their parents, and commands them to be
protective toward and watch over their relatives. A pure believeris
kind, affectionate and full of love in respect of his family and
everyone, expecting no reward for being so. However, in the event that
any one of his family or his relatives tries to prevent him having
faith in Allah,following the Prophet (saas) or living by religious
moral values, then of course he will obey Allah's command and turn his
back on the person seeking to divert him from Allah's path. It is
revealed in one verse that:
Say: "If your fathers or your sons or your brothers or your wives or
your tribe, or any wealth you have acquired, or any business you fear
may slump, or any house which pleases you, are dearer to you than
Allah and His Messenger and striving in His Way, then wait until Allah
brings about His command. Allah does not guide people who are
deviators." (Surat at-Tawba, 24)
As revealed in the verse, nothing is finer and more valuable for a
pure believer than Allah, His Messenger (saas) andstriving on Allah's
path.
But hypocrites' criteria and values are based on self-interest, rather
than the Qur'an. This comes out in their familial relations, as in
their relations with everyone else. The family is not a holy and
sacred concept for the hypocrite, but somewhere that will help him
survive, provide him with opportunities and make material means
available. To put it another way, it is a gateway to income.
Therefore, the reason why hypocrites regard family ties as important,
in their own eyes, is self-interest. They imagine that their brothers,
spouses, parents or other relatives among believers will regard
thisbond as important. The fact is, however, that Allah has revealed
that the important bond for believers and His approval is that of
faith.
In concentrating on family ties, hypocrites dothis not because they
really love their families, would be prepared to make sacrifices for
them or would watch over and protect them, but out of self-interest.
When there is no hope of personal gain, they never think of their
familial ties, brothers or parents. Indeed, it is revealed in the
Qur'an that when faced with the torment of the Hereafter they will
willingly give up their children, parents and all they love in order
to save themselves.
The bonds between believers and their families are honestly based on
love of Allah and His approval. The believer is warm, full of love,
protective, loyal and altruistic toward his family, as he is toward
all those who have faith.A devout believer will never even say "ugh"
to his parents. In addition, as required by Allah's command, if one of
the members of his family tries to turn him from Allah's path or
pressurizes him to engage in idolatry, he will never heed that person,
even if it is his mother or father.
Indeed, by citing examples from the lives of the prophets, it is
revealed in the Qur'an that throughout the course of history true
believers have always left their spouses, children or parents for not
believing in Allah, for not living by the moral values of the deen,
for engaging in denial or for being hypocrites. For example;
The Prophet Abraham (as) Who Fell out with His Father:
Abraham would not have asked forgiveness for his father but for a
promise he made to him,and WHEN IT BECAME CLEAR TO HIM THAT HE WAS AN
ENEMY OF ALLAH, HE RENOUNCED HIM . Abraham was tender-hearted and
forbearing. (Surat at-Tawba, 114)
He said, "Do you forsake my gods, Abraham? If you do not stop, I will
stone you. Keep away from me for a good longtime." He said, "Peace
beupon you. I will ask my Lord to forgive you. He has always honored
me. I WILL SEPARATE MYSELF FROM YOU AND ALL YOU CALL UPON BEDISES
ALLAH and I will call upon my Lord. It may well be that,in calling on
my Lord, I will not be disappointed.' (Surah Maryam, 46-48)
The Prophet Noah (as) Falls out With His Son:
Noah called out to his Lord and said, "My Lord, my son is one of my
family and Your promise is surely the truth and You are the Justest of
Judges." (Surah Hud, 45)
He said, " NOAH, HE IS DEFINITELY NOT OF YOUR FAMILY. He is someone
whose action was not righteous. Do not, therefore, ask Me for
something about which you have no knowledge.I admonish you lest you
should be among the ignorant." (Surah Hud, 46)
The Prophets Noah (as) and Lot (as) Fall out withTheir Wives:
ALLAH HAS MADE AN EXAMPLE FOR THOSE WHO ARE UNBELIEVERS: THE WIFE OF
NOAH AND THE WIFE OF LOT. They were married to two of Our servants who
were righteous but they betrayed them and werenot helped at all
against Allah.They were told, "Enter the Fire along with all who enter
it." (Surat at-Tahrim, 10)
Allah Commands People in the Qur'an Not to TakeThose Who Seek to Turn
Them from Allah's Path As Guides and to Turn away from Them, Even If
They Are Their Parents, Brothers of Children:
We have instructed man to honor his parents, BUTIF THEY ENDEAVOR TO
MAKE YOU ASSOCIATE WITH ME SOMETHING ABOUT WHICH YOU HAVE NO
KNOWLEDGE, DO NOT OBEY THEM. It is to Me youwill return and I will
inform you about the things you did. (Surat al-'Ankabut, 8)
You who believe, DO NOT BEFRIEND YOUR FATHERS AND BROTHERS IF THEY
PREFER DISBELIEF TO FAITH. Those among you who do befriend them are
wrongdoers. (Surat at-Tawba, 23)
You who believe! SOME OF YOUR WIVES AND CHILDREN ARE AN ENEMY TO YOU ,
so be wary of them. (Surat at-Taghabun, 14)
You will not find people who believe in Allah andthe Last Day having
love for anyone who opposesAllah and His Messenger, THOUGH THEY BE
THEIR FATHERS, THEIR SONS, THEIR BROTHERS OR THEIR CLAN. (Surat
al-Mujadala, 22)

Using Food for Cosmetic Purposes

Allaah The Almighty has created man in the best shape and form; He
says (what means):
· } He Created the heavens and earth in truth and Formed you and
perfected your forms; and to Him is the [final] destination. { [Quran
64:3]
· } Who Created you, Proportionedyou, and Balanced you? { [Quran 82:7]
Allaah The Exalted created everything in the universe to suit the
nature of man as well as to be in harmony with the way Allaah
assembled him. Allaah The Almighty made everything on earth able to
meet the needs of man that vary and differ according to time and
place.
Hence, man lives in an environment and climate suitablefor him. Allaah
The Almighty Says (what means): } Do you not see that Allaah Has Made
subject to you whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth
and amply Bestowed upon you His favors, [both] apparent and
unapparent? { [Quran 31:20]
One of the most important aspects of this life is food, which helps
man survive and obtain various benefits. It is the source of energy
and growth for the body and it resists diseases that weaken it. It was
proven throughmedicine and experimentation conducted throughout the
course of time that some kinds offood increase beauty and adornment
and help to remove defects that may afflict the body and affect its
beauty, or hide it.
There are two aspects of types of food that are involved in beauty:
The basic purpose for using themis treatment, and then other
beneficial uses evolved from this.
Examples of this are the following:
· Using honey to remove freckles that appear on the face.
· Using black seed to treat Alopecia and leprosy.
· Using lemon juice to remove thespots that surround the eyes, or any
spots on the face.
There is no doubt that this kind of treatment is lawful as long as it
is within the limits of Sharee'ah as these types of food are used as a
kind of treatment. The Prophet, , said: "Allaah has sent down both
disease and cure and appointed a cure for every disease. So treat
yourselves medically, but use nothing that isprohibited." [Abu
Daawood]
The second aspect is to use thesetypes of food for the sake of
beautification. Examples of these uses are the following:
· Using cucumbers to remove rough skin and wrinkles.
· Using parsley to help in purifyingthe skin and the face.
· Activating the skin by using strawberry.
This category is included in the general benefits that Allaah The
Almighty made lawful. This is according to the Fatwa that was issued
by the Permanent Committee for Islamic Research and Issuing of Fatwas,
as proven by the following:
First: Allaah The Almighty created everything on earth and made them
subject to us in all forms, whether for a necessary or a complementary
benefit, or a benefit that man uses to relax and renew his activity
and power for the best of this worldly life and the Hereafter.
There is no doubt that using these permissible types of food inseeking
beauty and adornment isone of the benefits that Allaah The Almighty
has created for us; He Says (what means):
· } It is He who Created for you all of that which is on the earth.
Then He Directed Himself to the heaven, [His being above all
creation], and Made them seven heavens, and He Is Knowing of
allthings. { [Quran 2:29]
· } Do you not see that Allaah has Subjected to you whatever is on the
earth and the ships which run through the sea by His command? And He
Restrains the sky from falling upon the earth, unless by His
permission. Indeed Allaah, to the people, is Kind and Merciful. {
[Quran 22:65]
Whoever contemplates upon these verses will find that this creation
and subjugation are not restricted to a certain aspect or one creature
alone, but they are general as they include everything that is of
benefit, as is indicated in the phrase which means } to you { .
Second: Beautification and adornment are among man's basic instincts
and are innate in the sons of Aadam. Thus, it is oneof the needs that
man seeks to fulfill. The Prophet, said: "The one who has in his heart
the weight of a mustard seed of pride will not enter Paradise." A man
said, "O Messenger of Allaah,everyone of us likes that his dressshould
be fine, and that his shoesshould be fine." The Prophet, , responded:
"Indeed, Allaah is Beautiful and He loves beauty." [Muslim]
The Prophet, , liked wearing perfume and had a bottle of perfume that
he would use. He would say: "Three things are rendered beloved to me
in the present life: women and perfume- and the coolness of my eyes
lies in performing prayer." [Ahmad]
The Prophet, , also had a Kohl (antimony) container for his eyes. He
used to oil his head and beard and comb them. He also used to have
certain clothes for meeting prominent persons and the chiefs of the
tribes. This is also required under Sharee'ah within the limits that
Allaah has set. Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): } And it is He
who Subjected the sea for you to eat from it tender meat and to
extract from it ornaments which you wear. And you see the ships
plowing through it, and [He Subjected it] that you may seek ofHis
bounty; and perhaps you will be grateful. { [Quran 16:14]
Moreover, Allaah The Almighty has disapproved of prohibiting anything
of this without evidence; He says (what means): } Say, 'Who has
forbidden the adornment of Allaah which He has Produced for His
servants andthe good [lawful] things of provision?' Say, 'They are for
those who believe during the worldly life [but] exclusively for them
on the Day of Resurrection.'Thus do We Detail the verses for apeople
who know. { [Quran 7:32]
At the same time, however, the following should be borne in mind:
· Using these things should be according to the need that achieves
what is needed. A person should not be extravagant while using them as
Allaah The Almighty has forbidden this.
· It is better to use other means that are, by default, used for
cosmetic purposes, as these types of food were not originally created
for cosmetic purposes. This is so as to not indulge in wastefulness.
Beautification and Adornment
The Sharee'ah has approved of this as indicated by the following:
· Advising man to look after his body and cleanliness, which is
considered one of the aspects of adornment. The Prophet, , said: "Five
acts are from Fitrah[natural disposition]: circumcision, shaving the
pubic hair, clipping the nails, plucking the hair under the armpits
and cutting the moustache short." [Muslim]
· The Prophet, , forbade the traveler who returns at night from
surprising his wife, so as not to see her in a bad condition. The
Prophet, , said in this regard: "[Do not return] until the woman
removes the pubic hair and combs her hair." [Muslim]
· The Prophet, , urged us to purify ourselves and made this
purification a reason for being forgiven by Allaah The Almighty in
some cases. For instance, the Prophet, , said: "Whoever takes a bath
on Friday, purifies himself as much as he can, then uses his [hair]
oil or perfumes himself, then proceeds [for the Friday prayer] and
does not separate two persons who are sitting together [in the
mosque], then prays as much as he can according to what was
predetermined by Allaah and remains silent while the Imam is
delivering the Khutbah, his sins between the present and the past
Friday would be forgiven." [Al-Bukhaari]
Third: The basic rule for adornment and beautification is
permissibility unless something that is prohibited under Sharee'ah is
used like impurities and alcohol that is part of the perfume industry
with a high percentage. Also, gold and silk for men and the use of
perfume for women at a time that she willpass by non- Mahram men.

The significance of Hijaab

It often occurs to me that many of our sisters in Islam are not
correctly enlightened or encouraged once they begin to observe the
requirements of Hijaab (Islamic women's dress). It may be that a
sister hasbeen obliged to wear theHijaab without truly pondering over
its superiority and uniqueness .
Perhaps she has reached the age of puberty and her parents have
instructed her to wear it. Perhaps she has recently accepted Islam and
her close companions have told her of its obligation, or perhaps her
husband has commanded her to wear it .
A sister who does not truly know the superiority of Hijaab will always
remain envious ofdisbelieving women. Why? Because they observe these
misguided disbelievers attempting to look beautiful for all tosee.
Hence, the Muslim woman then compares herself to that woman, which
causes her to feel ashamed of her own Hijaab.
Therefore, what follows is a reminder for my sisters in Islam. It is a
reminder of the true status of these so-called beautiful women. It is
a reminder of the excellence of the women who wear Hijaab.
Excellent Qualities of Those who Wear Hijaab :
It is well known that the Muslim woman is a creature of modesty.
Allaah loves for our Muslim women to be shielded by their Hijaab. It
is their outer protection from the decadence of this life. Allaah's
Messenger said: "Allaah is modest and covering. He loves modesty and
privacy." [Ahmad and Others]
Thus, as modesty is a quality that is loved by Allaah, our sisters
must take comfort in knowing that they are modest and not like those
women who show themselves offto the world. Such women will not be
shielded from Allaah's wrath. Allaah's Messenger said: "Any woman
whotakes off her clothes in other than her husband'shome, has broken
Allaah's shield upon her." [Abu Daawood and At-Tirmithi ]
Therefore, we see that the Hijaab of the Muslim woman is indeed part
of modesty. Modesty accompanies Eemaan (faith); this is why the
Messenger of Allaah said: "Modesty is part of Eemaan and Eemaan is in
Paradise." [At-Tirmithi] Also: "Modesty and Eemaan are (intimate)
companions: when one departs, so does the other." [Al-Haakim and
Others]
The Muslim woman must know that the disbelieving women whobeautify
themselves for the whole world to see possess no modesty; thus,they
are void of any Eemaan. Instead of looking to the latest fashion
models for guidance, she should look to the wives of the Prophet .
Look at the regard for modesty that our mother,'Aa'ishah possessed,
even in the presence of the deceased; she said : "Iused to enter the
room where the Messenger of Allaah and my father, Abu Bakr, were
buried without wearing my (outer) garment, saying that it was only my
husband and my father. But when 'Umar bin Al-Khattaab was later buried
(in the same place), I did not enter theroom except that I had my
outer garment on, due to being shy of 'Umar ."
It could be quite difficult for the Muslim woman to go out wearing
Hijaab in a society that mocks and torments her. She would certainly
feel strange andincongruous. However, if she realises the status of
those who are mocked by the disbelievers, then she would continue to
wear her Hijaab with dignity.
Allaah Says in His Book (what means): "Indeed, those who committed
crimes used to laugh at those who believed. And when they passed by
them, they would exchange derisive glances. And when they returned to
their people, they would return jesting. And when they saw them, they
would say: 'Indeed, those are truly lost.' But they have not been sent
as guardians over them. So Today [i.e., the Day of Judgement] those
who believed are laughing at the disbelievers, on adorned couches,
observing. Have the disbelievers [not] been rewarded [this Day] for
what they used to do?" [Quran: 83:29-36]
These words of Allaah should serve as a supportfor you, my dear
sister. Also, take comfort in being a stranger among these lewd and
sinful women. Allaah's Messenger said: "Islam began as something
strange, and it will revertto (its old position of) being strange, so
good news is for the strangers." [Muslim]
The Characteristic of the Exposed :
Instead of wearing the Hijaab (covering), the disbelieving women
expose themselves, making a dazzling display of themselves for others.
Such a display is an attribute of ignorance. Allaah Says in His Book
(what means): "And abide in your houses and do not display yourselves
as [was] the display of the former times of ignorance…" [Quran 33:33]
Allaah's Messenger said: "The best of your women are the affectionate,
the fertile, the comforting, and the agreeable – if they fear Allaah.
The most evil of your women are those who expose and display
themselves, and those who strut (to show off), and they are the
hypocrites. Those who enter Paradise are like the red beaked crow."
[Al-Bayhaqi] The mentioning of this kind of crow is to highlight that
those who enter Paradise will be as rare as this kind of crow .
We see from the above verse and Hadeeth (prophetic statement) that it
is certainly unlawful for a Muslim woman to make a displayof herself.
Further, it is a quality of the most evil ofwomen. Therefore, do not
be envious of the disbelieving women. They only have this life
toenjoy, while the believing women will have Paradise. There is
nothing in your Hijaab tobe ashamed of as it is thegarment of the
righteousand pious female worshippers of Allaah .
In order to truly show how evil those women who expose themselves are,
let us ponder over the following statement of Allaah's Messenger : "Of
the people of Hell, there are two types that Ihave never seen; the
first are those holding whips like the tail of an ox with which they
flog people. The second are women who would be naked despite being
dressed (i.e. either partly dressed or wearing translucent clothes),
who are seduced and who seduce others. Their hair is high like the
humps of a camel. These women will not enter Paradise, nor will they
smell its fragrance, although its fragrance can be smelled from such
and such a (very far) distance." [Muslim]
These women who expose themselves are common among us today. These are
women that even the Prophet did not see! Look aroundyou and you will
see those women who are clothed but naked! Look at the hair styles of
the women who expose themselves – are they nothigh like a camel's hump
?
Perhaps we are the first generation since the timeof Aadam to witness
such women. If one ponders over photographs taken thirtyto fifty years
ago, he will see that the disbelieving women did not expose themselves
in the mannerthat their offspring do today! These women are among the
people of the Fire! Thus, how can you envy them ?
Therefore, the Muslim men should not let the people of the Fire affect
the modesty of their wives, daughters and sisters. Such lewd womenwill
not even smell the fragrance of Paradise, so our women must avoid
their path .
Another lesson from the above Hadeeth is that it confirms that what
the Prophet came with is indeed the truth! This is aprophecy that has
come to pass in front of our very eyes. Hence, will we continue to
envy these evil women, or should we be grateful to our Lord for the
Hijaab, which brings modesty which leads to Paradise ?
On the whole, the Muslim woman should abandon all of the ways of the
exposed, and adopt the ways of those who are modest through their love
and practice of the proper Islamic Hijaab .

Improper dress for women and intermingling between sexes

The greatest and most important of all the favors and blessings
bestowed by Allaah is Islaam and the honorableIslamic law, which is
derived from the Book ofAllaah and the Prophetic Sunnah. This Law has
outlined all that which is beneficial for mankind inthis life and the
Hereafter.
One of the virtues of this Law is that its rules and regulations have
clearly laid out preventions of allevil and immorality, and all the
roads that lead to it which is a protection ofthe truth and morality.
There are many issues forwhich this Law has laid out preventative
measures so that people will not fall into evil, for example on some
of the issues of faith, acts of worship and transactions.
However, the most obvious of all of these preventative measures are
those related to women and the limits that Allaah has defined for them
not to exceed. Islaam has clearly laid theguidelines for the
Muslimwoman to adhere to so that her personality remains distinct and
her safety, purity, and good conduct are assured.
The correct dress and covering for women and the prohibition of them
intermixing with men arethe two most important interconnected
preventative measures that Islaam has laid out. Muslims must submit to
the rulings which oblige women to properly coverin order to protect
their chastity and purity, maintain shyness and protect them from
being harassed or bothered, as Allaah Says (what means): "O Prophet!
Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to
bring down over themselves [part] of their outer garments. That is
more suitable that they will be known [as chaste believing women] and
not be abused. And ever is AllaahForgiving and Merciful" [Quran 33:
59].
In this verse, Allaah addressed the wives of the Prophet , who were
the furthest from immorality and evil actions; they were purestand
most pious women ever and were honored by the virtue of being married
to the Prophet .
Muslims must also adhereand submit to the rulings which prohibit
intermixing mixing between men and women. There are many Islamic texts
in this regard, such as the Hadeeth which is narrated by 'Uqbah Ibn
'Aamir that the Prophet , said: "Do not enter into the presence of
women." A man from the Ansaar then retorted: 'What about our in-laws'
- referring to the relatives of a woman's husband such as his
brothers, cousins, and their children, so the Prophet , replied: "The
in-laws are death" [Al-Bukhaari & Muslim] which means that they are
more harmful to women than death is to the soul. The previous evidence
came from the Prophet , whose words were nothing but revelation. So
how could anybody ever accept anyone else's opinion over this?
Why is it that the Prophet lined up the rows of men for prayers in the
mosque separate from the women, and described the rows, as narrated by
Abu Hurayrah by saying: "The best rows [in the mosque] are the first
rows, and the worst are the last, and the best rows [inthe mosque] for
women are last the rows, and the worst are the first." [Muslim]. This
affirmsthe obligation of separating men from women, and keeping them
far apart. If this is the way believing men and women should be during
an act of worship inside the mosque, then how much more so is it
necessary in places outside the mosques, where gatherings might
include evil and sinful people along with the good people?
The Muslim nation must not slight these texts because the evil
consequences which these texts are aiming to prevent society from
still very much exist, and there is nothing that would prevent such
evils from occurring in our time which did not exist at the time of
the Prophet
Moreover, the people whom the Prophet addressed in these narrations
were the best generation of the Muslim nation according to his own
testimony, as was mentioned in many narrations. So, has the need for
such texts and their warnings vanished in our time? Is it not a clear
fact that in fact we need these texts and warnings even more than that
generation did? This is especially so because of the dangers of evil
in our time becoming more widespread and its means being more diverse.
It is usually the case that people honor any set of laws which they
perceiveas being beneficial to them, especially when these laws
prevent evil orharm from befalling them when applied; moreover, people
do not mind if these laws include certain restrictions on their
freedom and impose penalties for those who disobey or transgress the
defined limits. Why is it the case that some of those who believe in
Allaah and His Messenger deal with Islamic Law with suspicion and
uncertainty. Some of these people even go as far as to demand that it
should be abolished, despite the fact that this Law includes all that
which is beneficial to mankind and prevents, or at least reduces, all
that which brings harm?
It is not permitted for anyone to discuss and pass judgment
regardingthis issue without having the proper Islamic knowledge to be
able to do so. Nor should they base their discussion and opinion on
unfounded claims with no evidence, or simply argue on the basis of
their base desires. Rather, one should be sincere and free themselves
from their base desires which will divert them far away from the
truth. In addition, one must have a broad knowledge of Islam and
possess the ability to differentiate between authentic and weak
evidences, possess a clear understanding of the relevant evidences as
well as the ability to properly extract Islamic rulings from these
evidences; only then can a person become eligible to discuss this
issue.
The outcome of what we say or write is the matter which we must fear
the most, and are extremely wary of its consequence, as the Prophet ,
clarified to Mu'aath Ibn Jabal after he had asked with
astonishment:"Will we be held responsible for all that we say?" The
Prophet , replied: "What do you think makes people land on their faces
or noses into the Hellfire more than the product of their tongues?"
[Ahmad, Abu Daawood & At-Tirmithi].