The Virtue of Nurturing Girls - I

This article in its two parts, Allaah willing, will be about a
righteous good deed, and whoever performs it perfectly, according to
its required conditions, will attain three things:
First : he will be veiled from Hell and never enter it.
Second : on the Day of the Greatest Terror, (i.e. the Day of
Judgment), he will be gathered inthe company of the Prophet .
Third : Paradise will be guaranteed for him, where he will be in the
company of the Prophet .
What an excellent and great reward this is! This great reward, O
believers, requires that certain conditions be fulfilled perfectly.
What is this deed and what are its conditions?
I say, seeking the help of Allaah The Exalted, that it is to take
careof girls, being in charge of them and looking after their affairs
andinterests. That is the position of our religion with the woman whom
it honors, maintains, and guards; it encourages men to enter Paradise
and receive great rewards should they take care of her and guard her.
How great the favors of Allaah The Almighty are on the daughters of
Eve and how sad that some people show ingratitude and deny them!
The Prophet said in an authentic Hadeeth on the authority of the
Mother of the Believers 'Aa'ishah : "Whichever (people) are tried by
any of them (girls), and he treats them kindly, they will screen him
from the fire (of Hell)." [Al-Bukhaari and Muslim]
He further said: "Whoever has three girls and is patient with them and
clothes them from what he has, they will veil him from the fire (of
Hell)."
That is the first reward that you, O slave of Allaah, would receive
for that work, which is to be screened and veiled from the fire of
Hell, and whoever is drawn away from the fire and admitted to Paradise
has indeed attained his desire.
May Allaah make us all among those who attain that reward!
Concerning the second reward, which is to be gathered in the company
of the Prophet it was narrated on the authority of Anas that he said,
"The Messenger of Allaah said: 'Whoever looks after two girls until
they attain the age of maturity, would come on the Dayof Judgment with
me and him being (as close to each other) as these (and he joined his
fingers).'" [Muslim]
As for the third reward, then consider the following texts:
It was narrated on the authority of Jaabir that the Prophet said:
"'Whoever has three daughters whom he gives refuge to, provides for
and shows mercyto, Paradise is certainly guaranteed for him." A man
asked, "And (for) two, O Messenger of Allaah?" He replied: "And also
(for the one who has) two (daughters)." [Ahmad] [Al-Bukhaari in
Al-Adab Al-Mufrad]
It was narrated on the authority of Abu Sa'eed that the Prophet said:
"No one has three or two daughters or sisters, and he fears Allaah
regarding them and is kind to them, except that he will enter
Paradise."
It was narrated on the authority of Anas that he said, "The Messenger
of Allaah said: 'Whoever has two daughters or sisters to whom he is
kind as long as they are with him, he andI will be in Paradise (as
close to each other) as these (and then heput two of his fingers
together).'"
What a great reward this is! And, what an excellent position this is!
However, such great rewards have heavy qualifications and various
objectives that must be realized by great striving and patience.
What are these conditions and restrictions?
All the conditions are included in his (the Prophet's ) saying: "And
he is kind to them."
To be kind to girls in such a way as to befit the Sharee'ah is the
all-inclusive condition and the greatest qualification. The narrations
previously mentioned came to explicate and clarify in detail this
general reference. The Prophet said: "…Whom he gives refuge to,
provides for and shows mercy to."
Al-Haafith said, "All these terms are included under the term "Ihsaan"
(to be kind)."
What is the meaning of giving refuge to them? What is intendedby
providing for them? And, how should we show mercy to them?
Giving refuge has three facets:
First: Giving her refuge with a good righteous mother, to be an
example for her to follow. The first stage of giving refuge to girls
is to keep them with a righteous pious chaste mother tomaintain and
guard them. Have you not heard the advice of the Prophet : "Then,
succeed (by choosing) the religious woman lest you would lose (good)"?
Second: Giving her refuge in her boudoir, inside her house, which is
to teach her to abide in her house and not to come out unless there is
a necessity, an urgent need or an act of worship.In other words: "To
attend the goodness and supplications of Muslims."
That is the significance of the statement of Allaah The Almighty(which
means): {And abide in your houses.} [Quran 33:33]
Allaah The Almighty commands women to abide in their houses, for it is
more suitable to screen them and guard their lives.
(To be continued)

Children's Names: Between Destruction andConstruction

Islam greatly cares for the Muslim child and the creation of the units
of sound upbringing from which he grows and is nurtured and which
contain all the factors of righteousness which helpthe child to be
righteous and pious as Allaah The Almighty ordered His slaves. Such
care encompasses everything that contributes to the righteousness of
the child, starting from choosing a righteous mother to the other
aspects of upbringing and guidance.
The rights of the child, the fulfillment of which was asserted by the
Prophet, , include choosing a good name for him/her. This is stressed
for important reasons:
1- Choosing a good nameis the child's right over his father
The Prophet, , said: "The child's right over hisfather includes
choosing a good name for him andbringing him up well." One day, a
father complained to the Commander of the Believers 'Umar ibn
Al-Khattaab about the undutifulness of his son. 'Umar asked the son,
"What makes you undutiful to your father?" The son said, "O Commander
of the Believers, what are the child's rights over his father?" He
said, "To choose a good name and a good mother for him and to teach
him the Quran." The son said, "O Commander of the Believers, my father
did not do anything of that." 'Umar turned to the father and said,
"You were undutiful to your son before he became undutiful to you."
Shaykh Bakr Abu Zayd ( ) highlighted the danger of neglecting thisright, saying,
I have pondered on the majority of sins and misdeeds and concluded
that repentance eliminates them and wipes out their effect
immediately. However, there is a sin that persiststhroughout the
offspringand its shame affects the grandchildren because ofthe
grandfathers. This sinbecomes a silly joke played among men, children
and women. Repentance of that sin needs a tough long journey because
it is registered in the birth certificate, ID card,
schoolcertificates, driving license and official documents. It is the
nameof the baby which the father failed to choose. He failed to choose
one that is approved by the Sharee'ah (Islamic legislation) and that
which is appropriate in the Arabic language and inspired by the sound
innate disposition. Muslims in general must care about choosing the
names of their children and choose a name which neither contradictsthe
Sharee'ah nor the Arabic language.
2- The name's impact on formulating the child's personality
The child is psychologically affected by his name and nickname and his
view ofhimself is affected by thatas well. We find some children
suffering from their names because their names carry bad or awkward
meanings, causing great embarrassment to them whenever they
introducethemselves to others. Some are surprised; others ridicule;
and a third group blames the child for something that he has not done
as if he was the one who named himself. On the contrary, if the
parents choose a beautiful and meaningfulname for their child, this
would make him pleased and happy whenever he introduces himself to
someone and whenever anyone praises or shows admiration for the name.
Imaam Ibn Al-Qayyim emphasized that there is a relationship and
connection between the person and his name, and that names
influencethose who bear them, and vice versa. He mentioned a very
important aspect of upbringing in choosing the name. That is the good
name of the personencourages and urges him to do commendable acts out
of shyness of his name which contains good meanings. It is noted that
the lowly and elite people usually choose the names that suit them and
agree withtheir conditions.
3- Man's name reflects hisidentity
A name with Islamic features confirms that the bearer of the name
isnot only a Muslim, but also a Muslim who is proud of Islam and his
Muslim identity. Thus, theProphet, , guided us tothe best of names. He
said: "Name yourselves after the prophets. The dearest names to Allaah
are 'Abdullaah and 'Abdul-Rahmaan; the most truthful names are Haarith
and Hammaam; and the ugliest of names are Harb (fight) and Murrah
(bitterness)." ] Saheeh [
The dearest names to Allaah The Almighty are the names whose meaning
signifies that the person is a slave of Allaah The Almighty, and thus,
the person will remain all the time recalling the meanings ofworship
and submission to his Lord The Almighty. Also, the prophets' names,
may Allaah exalt their mention, help their bearers remember the life
of the Prophet whom he was named after as well as remember his effort
and work for the sake of delivering the divine message and making the
word of truthand religion reign supreme.
There are some names which reflect a clear flaw in the parents' pride
in Islam and their Muslim identity. Those parents did not approve any
names save the names of artists and football players to give to their
children. The child remains influenced throughout his life by theowner
of that name, male or female, he imitates and emulates him/her and
takes him/her as a role model.
4- The Prophet's utmost care for choosing good names
The Prophet, , was very annoyed by the bad names which were given to
people, places, tribes and mountains. One day he was walking between
two mountains. He asked about their names, and when he was told that
their names were Faadhih (i.e. shameful) and Mukhzi (i.e.
disgraceful), he changed his direction and did not pass between them.
The Prophet, , prevented the one whosename was Murrah (i.e.
bitterness) or Harb (i.e. war) from milking a ewe.It was narrated
that:
The Messenger of Allaah asked for someone to milk a dairy she-camel,
saying: "'Who milks this?' A man stood up. The Messenger of Allaah
said: 'What is your name?' The man said, 'Murrah (bitterness).'The
Messenger of Allaah said to him: 'Sit down.' Then he said: 'Who milks
this camel?' A man stood up and the Messenger of Allaah said: 'What is
your name?' He said, 'Harb (war).' The Messenger of Allaah said: 'Sit
down.' Then he said: 'Who milks this camel?' A man stood up, and the
Messenger of Allaah said to him: 'What is your name?' The man said,
''Ya'eesh (he lives).' The Messenger of Allaah said to him: 'Milk
it!'" [Maalik]
The Prophet, , forbade giving ugly and bad names, stating the
reasonfor this in the following Hadeeth (narration): It was narrated
on the authority of Samurah that the Prophet, , said: "Do not name
your child Yasaar (affluence), Rabaah (winning), Najeeh (successful)
or Aflah (prosperous), because if you would once ask, 'Is Yasaar
(affluence) here? Or 'Is Rabaah (winning) here?',while he is not
there, then the reply would be, 'No (winning or affluencehere).'" ]
Saheeh [
Al-Khattaabi said,
The Prophet, , explained the reason for disapproval and prohibition of
giving these names because the Arabs used these names with their
embedded meanings for seeking blessings through them or seeing good
omens in their beautiful nuances. Thus, the Prophet, , forbade them
from doingso lest what they sought from these names would change to
the opposite. Put differently, if they asked whether the man with such
of these nameswas there and the reply was in the negative, they would
consider it an evil omen and despair of affluence and success. The
Prophet, , forbade them from any means which would make them think ill
of Allaah The Almighty and despair of His goodness.
The Prophet, , liked the names with good meanings and supplicated for
their bearers
· The Prophet, , said concerning some Arab tribes: "May Allaah forgive
the tribe of Aslam! May Allaah forgivethe tribe of Ghifaar! The tribe
of 'Usayyah disobeyed Allaah and His Messenger." [Al-Bukhaari]
· He said to Suhayl (diminutive of Sahl wich mean easy) ibn 'Amr when
he arrived on the Day of Al-Hudaybiyah peace treaty: "Your matter has
become easy."
· He said to Buraydah when he asked him about his name and he replied
that his name was Buraydah (diminutive of Bard meaning coolness):
"'Abu Bakr, our matter has become peaceful.' He then asked: 'What
tribe are you from?' Buraydah replied, 'From the tribe ofAslam
(safer).' He said to Abu Bakr : 'We are safe.' Then he asked: 'What
clan are you from?' Buraydah replied, 'From Sahm.' He said: 'May your
Sahm (lot) win!'"
· The Prophet, , considered this matter in the interpretation of
dreams. He said: "I saw in my dream as if we were in the house 'Uqbah
ibn Raafi' and we were givenripe dates from those of Ibn Taab. I
interpreted it to mean that a good end and glory will be for us inthis
world, and that our religion has become ripe."
Let the names of our children be like the prophets' names, names
implying worship of Allaah The Almighty, names of the noble Companions
who are the best of mankind after theProphet, , and every name which
carries noble meanings that urge doing every good deed and bar from
bad behavior and misdeeds. By doing so, all meaningsof goodness and
glory will be instilled in their souls.

Important questionsabout the beliefs of Ahl as-Sunnah concerning the names and attributesof Allah.

Names and Attributes of Allah,- Are all the attributes of Allah
similar to one another or are there several different attributes, each
of one isdifferent from another? Similarly, do His names have the same
meaning or similar meanings, or does each name have a meaning that is
differentto others? Is it permissible to say that the attributes of
Allah are infinite, and so are His names, or are they finite and
limited, and that Allah knows them?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
There is no doubt that the attributes of Allah are different with
regard to their meanings. The attribute of power is not the sameas the
attribute of might,which is not the same as the attribute of
knowledge. No rational person would say that they are similar to one
another in terms of meanings. We will explain that further below.
Secondly:
The belief of Ahl as-Sunnah wa'l-Jamaa'ah concerning the names ofAllah
is that they are the same in that they refer to His Essence, may He
beglorified and exalted, and are different with regard to their
meanings.
To explain that further, we say: His names al-Qadeer (the Powerful),
al-'Aleem (TheAll-Knowing), al-'Azeez (the Almighty), al-Hakeem (the
Wise) – for example – all point toone Essence, which is theholy
Essence of Allah. So in this regard they are the same and not
different. But at the same time, the attributesof power, knowledge,
might and wisdom differfrom one another. So in this sense they differ
from one another.
So the beautiful names of Allah are synonymous in that they refer to
one Essence, but the attributes referred to in those names differ from
one another.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
Allah, may He be glorified, has told us thatHe is All-Knowing,
Powerful, All-Hearing, All-Seeing, Forgiving, Most Merciful, and other
names and attributes. We understand the meaning of that, and wecan
differentiate between knowledge and power, between mercy and hearing
and vision; we know that all the names agree in that they refer to the
Essence of Allah. Even though they have different meanings, they are
in agreement and are the same with regard to His Essence, different
with regard to His Attributes.
Majmoo' al-Fataawa, 3/59
Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-'Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
The names and attributes of Allah, may He be exalted, are namesin that
they refer to His Essence and they are attributes with regard tothe
meanings contained in these words. In the first regard they are the
same because they refer to one Essence, namely Allah, may He be
exalted and glorified, and in the second regard they are different
because each one has a different meaning.
So al-Hayy (the Ever-Living), al-'Aleem (the All-Knowing), al-Qadeer
(the Powerful), as-Samee' (the All-Hearing), al-Baseer (the
All-Seeing), ar-Rahmaan (the Most Merciful), ar-Raheem (the Most
Compassionate), al-'Azeez (the Almighty), al-Hakeem (the All Wise) are
all names of one named entity, who is Allah, may He be exalted,but the
meaning of al-Hayy (the Ever-Living) is different from the meaning of
al-'Aleem (the All-Knowing), and the meaning of al-'Aleem(the
All-Knowing) is different from the meaning of al-Qadeer (the
Powerful), and so on.
Rather we say that they are names and attributesbecause the Qur'aan
refers to that, as Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of
the meaning):
"And He is the Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful"
[Yoonus 10: 10]
"And your Lord is Most Forgiving, Owner of Mercy"
[al-Kahf 18:58].
The second verse indicates that the Most Merciful is the One Who has
the characteristic of mercy. There is consensus among linguists and
the way people understand the language that no one can be called
'aleem (knowing) except one who has knowledge; no one can be called
samee'(hearing) except one who has hearing; no onecan be called baseer
(seeing) except one whohas sight. This matter is too clear to need any
proof.
Al-Qawaa'id al-Mathla fi Sifaat Allah wa Asma'ihi al-Husna, p. 8
The same may be said about the names of the Qur'aan, the names of the
Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and the names of
the Last Day. Ineach case they all refer to one thing – the Qur'aan or
the Messenger or the Last Day – but at the same time they differ in
that each of these names refers to an attribute that is different from
others, so the names carry different meanings.
Thirdly:
The belief of Ahl as-Sunnah wa'l-Jamaa'ah concerning the
beautifulnames of Allah – according to the correct view – is that they
are not limited to a specific number and the same may be said
concerning His attributes. Allah, may He be exalted, has namesthat He
has kept to Himself in the knowledge of the unseen with Him, and these
names refer to attributes. So His names and attributes are not limited
to a specific number.
Among the evidence for this belief is the following:
-1-
It was narrated that 'Abd-Allaah ibn Mas'ood said: The Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "There
isno-one who is afflicted by distress and grief, and says: 'Allaahumma
inni 'abduka ibn 'abdika ibn amatija naasyati bi yadika, maada fiyya
hukmuka, 'adlun fiyya qadaa'uka. As'aluka bi kulli ismin huwa laka
sammayta bihi nafsaka aw anzaltahu fi kitaabika aw 'allamtahu ahadan
min khalqika awista'tharta bihi fi 'ilm il-ghayb 'indaka an
taj'alal-Qur'aana rabee' qalbi wa noor sadri wa jalaa' huzni wa
dhihaab hammi (O Allaah, I am Your slave, son of Your slave, son of
Your maidservant; my forelock is in Your hand, Your command over me is
forever executed and Your decree over me is just. I ask You by every
name belonging to You which You have named Yourself with, or revealed
in Your Book, or You taught to any of Your creation, or You have
preserved in the knowledge of the Unseen with You, that You make the
Qur'aan the life of my heart and the light of my breast, and a
departure for my sorrow and a release for my anxiety),' but Allaah
will take away his distress and grief, and replace it with joy." He
was asked: "O Messengerof Allaah, should we learn this?" He said: "Of
course; everyone who hears it should learn it."
Narrated by Ahmad, 3704; classed as saheeh by Shaykh al-Albaani in
as-Silsilah al-Saheehah, 199.
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
The beautiful names of Allah are not limited andare innumerable.
Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, has names and attributes that
He has kept to Himself in the knowledge of the unseen with Him. They
are not known to any Angel who is close to him or any Prophet who was
sent, as it says in thesaheeh hadeeth: "…. I ask You by every name
belonging to You which You have named Yourself with, or revealed in
Your Book, or You taught to any of Your creation, or You have
preserved in the knowledge of the Unseen with You…"
So His names may be divided into three types:
(i) Those by which he called Himself and taught them to
whomever He willed of His Angels or others, but He did not reveal them
in His Book.
(ii) Those that He revealed in His Book andtaught them to
His slaves.
(iii) Those that He kept to Himself in the knowledge of the
unseen, so none of His creation knows them. Hence the du'aa' says:
"You have preserved" i.e., only You know them; it does not mean that
He is the only one who is called by them, because the names that are
proven to be only forHim include names that Allah revealed in His
Book.
Badaa'i' al-Fawaa'id, 1/174-176
Ibn Katheer (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
It should be noted that the beautiful names of Allah are not limited
to ninety-nine.
Tafseer Ibn Katheer, 2/328
See also Majmoo' al-Fataawa by Ibn Taymiyah, 22/482-486
-2-
It was narrated that 'Aa'ishah said: I noticed that the Messenger of
Allaah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was not in the bed
one night, so I looked for him, and my hand fell on the sole of his
foot. He was in the mosque, with his feet held upright, and he
wassaying, "O Allaah, I seek refuge in Your pleasure from Your wrath,
in Yourforgiveness from Your punishment. I seek refuge in You from
You. Icannot praise You enough; You are as You have praised Yourself."
Narrated by Muslim, 486
The attributes – as we have mentioned – are connected to the names.
Every name that is proven to be a name of Allah refers to an attribute
as befits His Majesty, may He be glorified and exalted.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
He (the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) stated that
praise of Allah cannot be limited; if he knew all His names he would
know all His attributes and thus be able to praise Him sufficiently,
because His attributes are only expressed through His names.
Dar' Ta'aarud al-'Aql wa'n-Naql, 3/332, 333
Some of them thought that the names of Allah, may He be exalted, were
limited to a specific number, which is ninety-nine! An-Nawawi (may
Allah have mercy on him) narrated that the scholars are unanimously
agreed that the names of Allah are not limited to this number. In the
answer to question no. 41003 we have quoted the evidence to show that
they are not limited to this number, as well as quoting the opinions
of the scholars in refutation of those who thought that the names of
Allah, may He be exalted, were limited to this number.
To sum up: the names, attributes and actions of Allah, may He be
exalted,have no limit. No one will doubt this who studies the evidence
of the Qur'aan and Sunnah,examines the belief of Ahl as-Sunnah
wa'l-Jamaa'ah, and bases his belief in the names and attributes of
Allah on proper rules and guidelines.
And Allah knows best.

Is there any proven report that attributes a knee to Allah, may He be glorified and exalted?.

Names and Attributes of Allah,- I read in the book Naqd 'Uthmaan ibn
Sa'eed 'alaBishr al-Muraysi the following report from Mujaahid:
"Dawood will say on the Day of Resurrection: 'Bring me closer.' It
will be said to him: 'Come closer." So hewill come closer until he
touches His knee.'"
Do Ahl as-Sunnah wa'l-Jamaa'ah believe that Allah has a knee? Did
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah or Ibn Baaz or Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen (may
Allah have mercy on them all) say that? Is this report attributed to
the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)?.
Praise be to Allaah.
What the questioner has mentioned about the report of Mujaahid was
narrated by ad-Daarimi (may Allah have mercy on him) in his book
an-Naqd (p. 463) via Sufyaan ibn 'Uyaynah from Humayd al-A'raj from
Mujaahid.
In the commentary of Shaykh Mansoor as-Saamiri on an-Naqd, it says
that this report was narrated by 'Abdullah ibn Ahmad ibn Hanbal in his
book as-Sunnah (hadeeth 1085, 1181) from Mujaahid from 'Ubayd ibn
'Umayr, without any mention of touching the knee, and he classed it as
saheeh from him.
There are other narrations and versions of the report from Mujaahid,
'Ubayd ibn 'Umayr, Sa'eed ibn Jubayr and others, with isnaads some of
which are saheeh and some areda'eef. All of these narrators are among
thesenior Taabi'een. Even if these people were narrating from the
Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), these reports
would be classed as mursal and da'eef, but they did not narrate
thatfrom the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him);
perhaps they narrated it from the books of the Children of Israel.
Whatever the case, the basic principle of Ahl as-Sunnah (may Allah
have mercy on them) was not to ascribe any attribute to Allah, may He
be exalted, on the basis of the words of anyof the Sahaabah or
Taabi'een; rather attributes can only be ascribed to Allah, may Hebe
exalted, on the basis of the texts of the Qur'aan and saheeh Sunnah.
The attributes of Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, are
tawqeefi, which means that nothing of that nature can be ascribed to
Him except that which Allah ascribed to Himself or that His Messenger
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him ascribed to Him, becauseno
one is more knowledgeable about Allah than He Himself, and no created
being is more knowledgeable about his Creator than the Messenger of
Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him).
At the same time, Ahl as-Sunnah do not deny any attribute for Allah,
may He be exalted, except that which Allah Himself negated or that His
Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) negate.
Seeing as the "knee" is not proven in any verse or saheeh hadeeth, we
do not ascribe it to Allah,may He be exalted, because it is not
proven. But we do not deny it either, because there is no text of the
Qur'aan orSunnah to that effect. If this attribute was proven in the
texts of the Qur'aan or Sunnah, then our attitude towards it would be
the same as our attitude towards all the other divine attributes that
areproven in the Qur'aan and Sunnah, which is to affirm it and to
believe in it without any distortion, denial, likening Him to His
creation or discussing how.
See the answer to question no. 145804
We have not seen this attribute affirmed in the books of Shaykh
al-IslamIbn Taymiyah or Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on them),
and it has not been confirmed by our two contemporary shaykhs, Ibn
Baaz and al-'Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on them).
And Allah knows best.