Dought & clear, - Using elastic hair ties that have coloured hairs.

There are hair ties that are made of elastic and contain coloured
hairs or hair that is all the same colour. What is the ruling on that?
Praise be to Allah.
It is not permissible for awoman to attach other hair to her hair
(hair extensions) because of the warning against hairextensions.
Al-Bukhaari (5937) and Muslim (2122) narrated from Ibn 'Umar (may
Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and
peace of Allah be upon him) said: "May Allah curse the one who adds
hair extensions and the one who has them added, the one who does
tattoos and the onewho has them done."
Muslim (2126) narrated that Jaabir ibn 'Abdullah (may Allah be pleased
with him) said: The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)
forbade women to attach anything to their head.
This is general in meaning and applies to anything that may be
attached to the head. Hence some of the scholars are of the view that
it is haraam to attach string, fabric and the like to the hair; others
are of the opinion that what is haraam is attaching hair to it.
An-Nawawi said in SharhMuslim: al-Qaadi 'Iyaad said: The scholars
differed concerning this issue. Maalik, at-Tabari and many or most of
the scholars said that attaching anything is prohibited, whether it is
hair, wool, or cloth. Theyquoted as evidence for that the hadeeth of
Jaabir which was narrated by Muslim, according to which the Prophet
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) forbade women to attach
anything to their head.
Al-Layth ibn Sa'd said: The prohibition applies specifically to
attaching hair; there is nothing wrong with attaching wool, cloth and
so on. Others said: All of that is permissible. This is narrated from
'Aa'ishah, but it is not narrated from her in a saheeh report; rather
the saheeh report from her is in accordance with theview of the
majority.
Al-Qaadi said: With regard to tying strings ofcoloured silk and the
like which does not resemble hair, that is notprohibited because it
does not come under theheading of attaching hair extensions and it
does not serve the same purpose as hair extensions; rather it is done
for the purpose of beautification and adornment. In the hadeeth it
states that doing hair extensions is a major sin for which the one who
does it is cursed; it also shows thatthe one who helps in doing
something haraam has a share of the burden of sin with the one who
does it, justas the one who helps in an act of obedience has a share
of the reward. End quote.
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) issued a fatwa
forbidding doing hair extensions with artificialhair.
He (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked: How sound is this hadeeth
and what is meant by it: May Allah curse the one who adds hair
extensions and the one who has them added…"? Does it refer to hair
that is made fromhair that has fallen out (i.e., natural hair), or
hair that is manufactured from fibres and other artificialmaterials?
He (may Allah have mercy on him) replied: The one who does hair
extensions is the one who attaches them to the head of another woman,
and the woman who has them added is the one who asks for that to be
done to her. Attaching hair to the hair of the head (hair extensions)
is haraam; indeed it is a major sin, because the Prophet (blessings
and peace of Allah be upon him) cursed the one who does that.
The scholars differed concerning attaching something other than hair
to the hair. Some of them said that it is not permissible, because the
Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) forbade women to
attach anything to their hair, and the word anything is general in
meaning and includes hair and other things.
Based on that, it is not permissible to attach to the natural hair
artificialhair that resembles the hair created by Allah, may He be
glorified and exalted; rather that is included in this hadeeth.This
hadeeth contains a stern warning to the onewho does that, because the
Messenger (blessingsand peace of Allah be upon him) said: May Allah
curse the one who adds hair extensions andthe one who has them added."
What is meant by being cursed is being excluded and banished far away
from the mercyof Allah. The scholars have stated that every sin for
which Allah, may He be exalted, has decreed the punishment of being
cursed is a major sin.
End quote from Fataawa Noor 'ala ad-Darb.
If the hair ties asked about here include hair that is mixed with the
hair on the head so that it appears to be attachedto it, then it comes
under the heading of hair extensions which are haraam.
And Allah knows best.

Dought & clear, - They stipulated that he should lead a communal du‘aa’ and not place onehand over the other; should he lead them in prayer or leave them?.

I was asked to be an imam and Jumu'ah khateeb in the town in which I
live, but they stipulated that I should recite du'aa' out loud after
every prayer, and that I should not place one hand over the other in
the prayer. Please note that I am the only one who is studying Islamic
sciences in this town. Should I accept or refuse?
Praise be to Allah.
Firstly:
We appreciate your keenness to do good, follow the Sunnah and avoid
that which is contrary to it; we ask Allah, may He be exalted,to
enable you to do that which pleases Him.
Secondly:
We should differentiate between that on which the scholars are
unanimously agreed that it is a reprehensible innovation (bid'ah) and
that concerning which the scholars have differed, such as about
placing one hand over the other when standingin the prayer, du'aa'
following prayer, Qunoot in Fajr prayer every day, and so on.
So we should be more strict in objecting to the first type (that
concerning which there is scholarly consensus that it is an
innovation); objections to the second type (that concerning which the
scholars differed as to whether it is innovation) should be of a
lesser degree. In fact, one may refrain from objecting altogether and
keep quiet about it because there is such a difference of opinion
concerning it.
See the answer to question no. 70491 for information on
differentiating between issues concerning which the one who acts
differently should be denounced and those concerning which he should
not be denounced.
We should also note thatIslam came to achieve and complete that
whichis in people's best interests and to ward offand reduce that
which isharmful to their best interests.
In the event of a conflict between achieving something good and
warding off something bad, we should see which of the two is
moreimportant and then give it precedence.
Based on that, the Sunnah confirms that the hands should be placed on
the chest when standing in prayer, and the Sunnah is to recite dhikr
audibly following the obligatory prayer; each worshippershould recite
it audibly on his own, then if he offers supplication (du'aa') after
reciting this dhikr, he should do so quietly on his own.
What they are calling you to do is not good and is contrary to the Sunnah.
But should you refuse to lead them in prayer so that you will not end
up doing something that is contrary to the Sunnah and committing this
wrong practice, or should you agree?
The answer to that is as follows:
If your refusing to lead them in prayer will result in their bringing
an imam who is more able than you to make these people follow the
Sunnah and teach it to them, and he will not end up going against the
Sunnah, then you should refuse.
But if your refusal meansthat they will bring an ignorant imam who
will do these actions that arecontrary to the Sunnah and add many more
to them, and he will not teach the people the Sunnah or adhere to it;
rather he may oppose the Sunnah and those who follow it, out of
ignorance on his part or because he is following his whims and
desires, then in that case you should not hesitate to agree to be an
imam for these people, even if they make you do these actions that are
contraryto the Sunnah, because that will lead to less negative
consequences than if you refuse.
We stated above that Islam came to ward off and reduce wrong
practices. Moreover, if you develop a close connection with them later
on, then you can try to teach them the Sunnah and lead them towards it
little by little.
You can also tell them about the views of some scholars whom they
respect who spoke against what you want to denounce of innovations, so
long as you do that gradually so as not to alienate the people.
There follow the views of some scholars about the imam refraining from
some things that he thinks are Sunnah and mustahabb, so as to soften
the hearts of the congregation.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
If the imam thinks that something is mustahabb and the congregation
does not think that it is mustahabb, and he refrains from doing it for
the sake of unity andharmony, then he has done something good. An
example of that is Witr, concerning which there are three scholarly
opinions, one of which is that it can only be three continuous
rak'ahs, like Maghrib, as is the view of some of the Iraqi scholars.
The second view is that it can only be one rak'ah that is prayed
separatelyfrom whatever comes before it, as is the view of some of the
Hijazi scholars. The third view is that both are permissible, as is
the prevalent view of the Shaafa'i madhhab, Ahmad and others, and this
is the correct view, however they favoured the view that it should be
separate from what comes before it. If the imam thinks that it should
be separate but the congregation favours the view that Witr prayer
should be done like Maghrib, and he goes along with that so as to
soften their hearts, then he has donewell, as the Prophet (blessings
and peace of Allah be upon him) said to 'Aa'ishah: "Were it notthat
your people have only recently left Jaahiliyyah behind, I would have
demolished (and rebuilt) the Ka'bah and made its door level with the
ground, and I would have given it two doors, one through which the
people could enter and one through which they could exit." But he
refrained from doing that which was better in his view lest he
alienate the people.
Similarly, if a man thinksthat the Basmalah ("Bismillah ir-Rahmaan
ir-Raheem") should be recited out loud but he is leading in prayer
people who do not thinkthat doing so is mustahabb, or vice versa, and
he goes alongwith them, then he has done well. End quote.
Majmoo' al-Fataawa, 22/268
Shaykh 'Abd al-'Azeez ibn Baaz (may Allah havemercy on him) was asked:
Is it permissible to refrain from saying Ameen out loud in the prayer
and not to raise the hands?
He replied:
Yes, if he is among people who do not raise their hands or do not
sayAmeen out loud, then it is better not to do that, so as to soften
their hearts and be able to callthem to what is good, and so that he
can teach them and guide them, and so that he will be able to teach
them the right way. That is because if he differs from them they will
find that objectionable, because they think that this is the Islamic
way, and they think that not raising the hands, apart from the opening
takbeer, is the Islamic way, and they have beenused to that all their
lives. The same applies to not saying Ameen out loud, which is the
subject of a well-known difference of opinion among the scholars; some
of them say that it should be said out loud and some of them say that
Ameen should not be said out loud. According to the hadeeth, the
Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) raised his voice,
and according to other hadeeths he said it quietly. Even though the
correct view is that Ameen should be said out loud and it is something
mustahabb, and he will be omitting something mustahabb inthis case,
the believer should not do somethingmustahabb if it will lead to
division, dispute and fitnah; rather the believer should refrain from
doing that which ismustahabb in that case. For the one who is calling
people to Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, if his refraining
from something will serve a greater interest, then he should do so. An
example of that is when the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be
upon him) refrained from demolishing the Ka'bah and rebuilding it on
the foundations of Ibraaheem. He said: "Quraysh have only recently
left kufr behind," and it is for that reason that he left itas it was
and did not change it, in the public interest. End quote.
Fataawa Shaykh Ibn Baaz, 29/274, 275
And Allah knows best.

The light of guidance - Islamic Stories

I was coming back from a long journey, and Allaah decreed that my seat
in the airplane should be beside a group of carefree youngmen whose
loud laughter and voices were too much, and the air was filled with
cloudsof smoke from their cigarettes. By the wisdom of Allaah, the
plane was completely full and I could not change my seat.
I tried to escape from the problem by sleeping,but it was impossible�
When I got fed up of their noise, I took out my Mus-haf (copy of the
Qur�aan), and started to read what I could of the Qur�aan in a soft
voice. Soon after that these young men started to quieten down. Some
of them started to read newspapers, and some of them fell asleep.
Suddenly one of them said in a loud voice, even though he was sitting
right next to me, �Enough! Enough!�
I thought that I had disturbed him because my voice was too loud, so I
apologized to him and carried on reading in a whisper that only I
could hear. I saw him holding his head in his hands, then fidgeting in
his seat, moving a lot. Then he raised his head and said to me
angrily, �Please, stop it, I can�t stand it!!�
Then he got up from his seat and went away for a while, then he came
back, greeted me with salaams, and apologized.He fell silent, and I
did not know what was going on. But after a while he turned to me with
his eyes full of tearsand said to me in a whisper, �For three years or
more I have not put my forehead on the ground, and I have not read
even one aayah!
For a whole month I have been on this trip, and there is no evil
action that I did not indulge in. Then I saw you reading Qur�aan, and
my world turned black and my heart was filled with despair. I felt as
if someone was strangling me� I felt every aayah that you read coming
down on my body like a whip .
I said to myself, for how long will this negligence go on? Where will
this path lead you? What willhappen after all this foolish play? Then
I wentto the washroom, do you know why?
I had the strong urge to weep, and I could not find anywhere else to
hide from the people�s sight!�
I spoke to him in generalterms about tawbah (repentance) and turning
back to Allaah, then he fell silent.
When the plane landed, he stopped me, and it seemed that he wanted to
keep away from his companions. He asked me, with a serious expression
on his face, �Do you think that Allaahwill accept my repentance?� I
said, �If you are sincere and serious in your repentance, then Allaah
will forgive all your sins.�
He said, �But I have doneterrible things, very terrible.�
I said, �Have you not heard what Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
�Say: O �Ibaadi (My slaves) who have transgressed against themselves
(by committing evil deeds and sins)! Despair not of the Mercy of
Allaah, verily, Allaah forgives all sins. Truly, He is Oft Forgiving,
Most Merciful�[al-Zumar 39:53]?�
I saw him smiling with joy, with his eyes filled with tears, then he
bade me farewell and left. Subhaan Allaah al-�Azeem!
No matter how great a man's evil and sin, in his heart there is a seed
of goodness. If only we canreach it and make it grow, it will bear
fruit, in sha Allaah.
This seed of goodness is always fighting in man's heart, even when it
is covered by layers of whims and desires. When Allaah wills good for
His slave, He causes the light of guidance to shine in his heart and
guides him to the path of those who are guided. Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):
�And whomsoever Allaahwills to guide, He opens his breast to Islam;
and whomsoever He wills to send astray, He makes his breast closed and
constricted, as if he is climbing up to the sky� [al-An�aam 6:125]
Ahmad ibn �Abd al-Rahmaan al-Swiyaan
From al-Bayaan magazine, issue # 152, Rabee� al-Aakhir 1421, pp. 66-67

Giving it away,- Islamic Stories

Uqbah (RA) has narrated that he offered his 'Asr' salah with
Rasulullah (SAW). At the end of salah Rasulullah (SAW) hastily got up
and, stepping over the shoulders of the people, went to the houses of
one of his wives. People,not knowing what the necessity was, were
perplexed over his haste.On his return he perceived the people's
anxiety and explained that he had suddenly remembered leaving behind a
piece of gold inthe house and he was afraid (lest his death should
take place while he owned a piece of gold; which would become
objectionable for him on the Day of Judgement). So, he had hurried
home to tell them to distribute it immediately. Source: Bukhari and
Mishkaat.