Caution against apathy - I

All praise be to Allaah The Almighty, Who created and proportioned,
Who destined and guided; and may prayers and peace be upon the Prophet
of guidance,, and those who are guided by him.
Success is the goal of those who work hard; and, Allaah The Almighty
has made it contingent on purifying, disciplining and refining the
soul, as He Says (what means):
·{He has certainly succeeded whopurifies himself.}[Quran 87:14]
·{He has succeeded who purifies it, and he has failed who instills
it[with corruption].}[Quran 91:9-10]
Furthermore, Allaah The Almightysent His Prophet,, as a teacher and a
mentor, as He Says (what means):{It is He Who Has Sent among the
unlettered a Messenger from themselves reciting to them His verses and
purifying them and teaching them the Book and wisdom - although they
were before in clear error.}[Quran 62:2] Hence, the Prophet,, was
careful to elevate and cleanse the souls of his Companions.
And such is the practice of all those who seek to draw close to Allaah
The Almighty. The Prophets, may Allaah exalt their mention, and their
followers, all reformed and purified their souls.The Prophet,, endured
much hardship in calling his people to Allaah The Almighty. Every
night, he used to stand before his Lord, bowing and prostrating,
supplicating to Him and seeking His help, in full submission and
humility to Him. And so, for an entire year, this practice became
obligatory on all Muslims becauseof its great effect in reforming
their hearts, motivating them and keeping them steadfast. Therefore,
even today, though it is no longer mandatory, praying at night is
indispensable.
Thus, all Muslims, particularly those who seek religious knowledge and
those who call others to Allaah The Almighty, are required to
prioritize the reform and discipline of their souls, maintain their
relationship with Allaah The Almighty and take care of their manners
toward others. This should be the starting point for inviting other
people toward the faith and rectifying them.
Purification, beautification and striving
Among the most important guidelines in reforming the soul, is to
purify it from following its desires, which bring about countless
diseases. Since the source of an illness can only be treated by
countering its effects, the heart can be cured by acting in a way that
contradicts one's whims. Allaah The Almighty concisely mentioned this,
when He Said (what means),{But as for he who feared the position of
his Lord and prevented the soul from[unlawful] inclination, Then
indeed, Paradise will be [his] refuge.}[Quran 79:40-41]
The other requisite to the rectification of the self, is to truly
struggle for it, to be among those Allaah The Almighty mentions, when
He Says (what means):{And those who strive forUs - We will surely
guide them to Our ways. And indeed, Allaah is with the doers of
good.}[Quran 29:69] An important aspect of striving is to be resolute;
so, when one forsakes a certain desire and Allaah The Almighty tests
him or her by facilitating its causes, he or she must be patientand
determined. Otherwise, if thesoul is irresolute, it will become
accustomed to being that way and be prone to corruption.
The third step in reforming the soul is to beautify it, by instructing
it to do righteous deeds until it gets used to them and doing them
becomes an inherent characteristic. The Prophet,, said:"Knowledge and
forbearance are obtained by training for, and perseverance in
attaining, them. The one who earnestly seeks goodness will be granted
it and the one who avoids evil, will be protected against it."There is
no doubt thatone's deeds have a correlation to the heart. Every
quality that is in the heart is reflected on one's body; equally,
every deed that is performed by the limbs, influences the heart. This
is only one aspect that showcases the wonderful link between the
heartand the body.
Caution against apathy
When the soul is purified from following its base desires and is
beautified by its righteous deeds and virtues, a person is required to
then shift his or her focus to the manner of his or her performance of
religious duties and favorable acts, and refrainingfrom prohibitions
and disliked deeds.
Thus, even when a person is doing what is permissible, it is essential
to ensure having a pure intention, because laziness and negligence are
part of human nature. The Prophet,, said:"Every act of worship and
obedience witnesses a primary surge followed by a state of slackness.
A person who remains within the boundaries of my Sunnah, even at times
of slackness, will prosper. Otherwise, he [or she] would be on the
path towards ruin."
In his book,Madaarij As-Saalikeen, Ibn Al-Qayyimsaid:"It is inevitable
that worshippers become dispassionate. Yet, even during such a phase,
if a man adheres to what is right and remains steadfast without
neglecting obligations or committing unlawful acts, he is expected to
eventually return to a state that is perhaps even better than his
former one."
Degrees of apathy
Based on the above, it is inevitable that everyone will experience a
period of listlessness and apathy. However,it may be of either of
these types:
1.General: this impacts all acts of worship and instills an intense
dislike toward them; it is the most dangerous kind and is a state of
the hypocrites.
2.Specific: this is characterized bya sense of lassitude regarding
certain acts of obedience, along with undesirability, but not hatred;
such is what many immoral Muslims are mired in.
3.Physical: sometimes, there is a desire to perform good deeds, but
there is a feeling of weariness and disinterest; and this is how many
Muslims are. The danger here lies in the fact that one's time passes
by, and hisor her life is wasted without having done anything
beneficial. What is even more dangerous is if he or she deteriorates
to a worse level and ends up being like the hypocrites in their
neglect of obligations and other good deeds.
Hence, even the Prophet,, used to seek refuge with Allaah The Almighty
from weakness andlaziness every morning and evening, and teach his
Companionsto do the same. Moreover, when the believers were slow in
their response to the call forJihaad(fighting or struggling), Allaah
The Almighty reproached them for it and urgedthem to race each other
and hasten in doing righteous deeds, and motivated them by describing
the reward of such forerunners in faith.
Apathy and the caller to Islam
Listlessness is a disease that afflicts everyone, regardless of their
degrees of faith. However, itis particularly alarming if it affects
the callers to Allaah The Almighty and those who seek knowledge.
Therefore, it is necessary to evade it by all meansand immediately
treat it if one does fall prey to it.
Since prevention is better than cure, one should make a habit of being
attentive so as to steer clear of any symptoms of apathy that may
gradually lead to ruin. Ifthat happens, the remedy and cure would be
very difficult. The diseases of the heart are like a plant, easy to
uproot in its early stages; however, if it grows and becomes firm in
the earth, removing it requires strong men and tools.
Moreover, an ill heart presents with simple symptoms, but, if left
untreated, will choke a person in its grip and turn into a chronic and
incurable problem. Therefore, as callers to Allaah TheAlmighty, we are
required to examine ourselves and ponder our condition. If there is
any sign of apathy, we are immediately obliged to look for the cause
and seek treatment.
Aspects of apathy
Apathy manifests itself in many ways, some of which are as follows:
·Sense of lethargy and disinterestin performing acts of obedience
·NeglectingThikr(remembrance of Allaah The Almighty) and recitation of the Quran
·Hardness of the heart, such that it is not moved by Quranic verses or sermons
·Indifference toward committingacts of disobedience and letting that
become a habit
·Lack of responsibility and realization of being entrusted with a great trust
·Lack of eagerness in performingDa'wah(propagation to Islam)
·Weakness of the bonds of brotherhood among those who should love each
other for the sake of Allaah The Almighty
·An intense concern with this worldly life and indulging oneselfin its
pleasures at the expense of doing righteous deeds
·Idle talk, increasingly engaging in disputes and self-praise
·Creating problems
·Bothering oneself with petty issues and neglecting serious
andbeneficial work that serves the Ummah
·Weakness of faith and an indifference toward violations of the
commands of Allaah The Almighty
·Wasting time
·Exhibiting no readiness to handle responsibility and avoiding serious
work, instead indulging in actions with no objectives
·Demonstrating a chaotic demeanor in one's work
·Criticizing every positive act
·Postponing good deeds
·Possessing excessive wishes.

The believer does not curse

When the Prophet,, guided the one who was seeking salvation to control
his tongue, this was an indication of the grave dangers of the tongue,
particularly when one gives it free rein. Getting used to abusingand
cursing is one of the greatestdangers of the tongue. Many people think
too lightly of this and therefore curse their children,
transportation, those who contradict their views, and even those with
whom they are joking. Hence, we will state someof what was reported in
warning against the dangers of cursing and making a habit of this.
The Meaning and Dangers of Cursing
Cursing means the deprivation and exclusion of goodness or of the
Mercy of Allaah The Almighty, and this can never be the habit ofthe
believers. The Prophet,, said,"The believer does not slander, curse,
or speak in an obscene or foul manner."In aHadeethon the authority of
Abu Hurayrahthe Prophet,, said:"It does not befit a man of truth to be
a curser."
Cursing a Believer is a Great Crime
Cursing a believer is a great crimethat a Muslim should never dare to
commit. To illustrate the enormity of this crime, it is enough to
mention theHadeethwhere the Prophet,, said:"Cursing a believer is like
killing him."Commenting on thisHadeeth, An-Nawawisaid,"According to
the apparent meaning of the Hadeeth, both killing and cursing are
equal in prohibition, however, killing is graver."Other scholars
said,"Cursing a believer is like killing him with respect to
prohibition, guilt and deprivation. This is because cursing is
deprivation of the mercy of Allaah The Almighty,and killing is
deprivation of life."
Beware of the Rebounding of the Curse!
When a person curses somethingthat does not deserve to be cursed, the
curse rebounds and comes back onto him, even if that which is cursed
is the subjugated wind. In aHadeethonthe authority of 'Abdullaah Ibn
'Abbaasit was mentioned that the wind blew away a man'souter garment
and, thereupon, he cursed the wind. The Prophet,, said to him:"Do not
curse the wind because it is commanded [by Allaah to blow]. Whoever
curses something and itdoes not deserve the curse, the curse will turn
back upon him."
Do Not Curse an Animal or a Mount
People often think of this as something trivial and they curse animals
as well as their means of transport. Such people are heedless of the
fact that doing so, they themselves mix with cursed things. It was
narrated that the Prophet,, was on a journey on which there was also a
woman from theAnsaarriding a she-camel. The she-camel annoyed her and
so she cursed it.Having heard her, the Messenger of Allaah,,
said:"Take off the load on its back and set it free because it is
cursed."'
Cursing a Specific Person
According to the consensus of the scholars, cursing is prohibited.
Imaam An-Nawawisaid,
There is a consensus among the scholars that cursing is prohibited.
Linguistically, cursing means to deprive or expel. In the Sharee'ah,
it means deprivation of the Mercy of Allaah The Exalted. For a person
whose status and end are not decisively known, it is not permissible
to deprive him of the Mercy of AllaahThe Almighty. Therefore, they
[the scholars] have said, 'It is not permissible to curse a specific
person, whether he is a Muslim or a disbeliever, unless there is a
Sharee'ah text that tells us that a specific person died or will die
as a disbeliever, like Abu Jahl and Satan; and it is impermissible to
curse a mount. However, cursing by general description is permitted
such as cursing women who artificially lengthen their hair or those
who have theirhair artificially lengthened for them, women who tattoo
or have themselves tattooed, the two parties of a Riba [interest]
transaction, those who produce images, evildoers, oppressors,
disbelievers and those who misappropriate the limits of theirland.
This is general cursing that does not specify someone in particular.
Cursing is from the Gravest of theGrave Major Sins
The MuslimUmmah(nation) has been afflicted by some of its youth who
joke with each other only by sending curses and abuse, as they
recklessly curse fathers and mothers. They do thisdespite the fact
that this is one ofthe grave major sins as the Prophet,, said:"One of
the gravest of grave major sins is when a person abuses his
parents."It was then asked,"O Messenger of Allaah, is it possiblethat
one could abuse his own parents?"The Prophet,, replied:"Yes, when he
abuses thefather or mother of another person and the latter returns
the insult."
Parents are the cause behind one's existence in this life and so they
should not be harmed, even by as little as being shown the signs of
tedium and annoyance infront of them by using the word "uff".
Therefore, what about those who curse their parents? These people are
in fact committing a grave major sin and deserve the supplication of
the Prophet,, against them as in theHadeethwhere he said,"May Allaah
curse the one who slaughters for the sake of anything other than
Allaah, the one who shelters a man who causes mischief upon the earth,
and the one who curses his parents."
Purify Your Tongue from Cursing
If cursing is dangerous, obscene and offensive to that extent, thenthe
believer, who seeks salvation on the Day when neither wealth nor
children will be of benefit to him, must refine and purify his tongue
from this disaster. He should recall the prohibition of the Prophet,,
in theHadeethwhere he said:"Do not curse one another invoking the
curse of Allaah, the wrath of Allaah, or thefire of Hell."
We ask Allaah The Almighty to purify our tongues, hearts and bodies
from everything that stirs His wrath.

- Names and Attributes of Allaah - Ruling on using the name ‘Abd al-Ilaah.

What is the ruling on using the name 'Abd al-Ilaah? Is this (al-Ilaah
= the God) one of the names and attributes of Allaah? I hope you will
give a detailed answer.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly: One of the things that is liked in giving names is to choose
a name that indicates servitude to Allaah i.e., 'Abd [slave] plus one
of the names of Allaah, whether that is 'Abd-Allaah [slave of Allaah]
or the word 'Abd plus any of the beautiful names of Allaah. The most
beloved of such names to Allaah are the names 'Abd-Allaah and 'Abd
al-Rahmaan (slave of the Most Merciful].
Secondly: It is haraam to give such names that indicate servitude to
anyone or anything other than Allaah, such as 'Abd al-Rasool [slave of
the Messenger] or 'Abd al-Nabi (slave of theProphet] and so on. See
also the answer to question no. 7180.
Thirdly: al-Ilaah in Arabicmeans "the One Who is worshipped" or "the
OneWho deserves to be adored and worshipped". The idols were called
aalihah (gods) because the mushrikeen worshipped them instead of
Allaah, and claimed that they were deserving of that. See Ishtiqaaq
Asma' Allaah by Abu'l-Qaasim al-Zujaaji, p. 30; Lisaan al-'Arab, entry
for aliha. Some scholars said that the word "Allaah" is derived from
the word "al-Ilaah" (the God). This is the view favoured by Ibn
al-Qayyim and other scholars, and the initial alif of the word ilaah
was elided.
Fourthly: is al-Ilaah one of the names of Allaah, and is it
permissible to use it in a name signifying servitude to Him, or not?
The name al-Ilaah is included among the beautiful names of Allaah
which are listed insome versions of the hadeeth, "Allaah has
ninety-nine names…", as we see it narrated by al-Bayhaqi in al-Asma'
wa'l-Sifaat, and by al-Haakim. But the list of names in this hadeeth
is not the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him), according to the scholars who are well-versed in hadeeth, as was
mentioned by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah, Ibn Katheer, Ibn Hajar and
other scholars. See Asma' Allaah al-Husna by 'Abd-Allaah ibn Saalih
al-Ghusn, p. 170-173
Because the reports which list the names of Allaah are not reliable,
many scholars have triedto find these names in the Qur'aan and
Sunnah.Among those who included the name al-Ilaah in their lists of
the beautiful names of Allaah are: Ibn Mandah, Ibn Hazm, Ibn Hajar,
Ibn al-Wazeer and Ibn 'Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on them). See
op. cit., 352.
Based on that, it is permissible to use the name 'Abd al-Ilah, and
there is nothing wrong with that, in sha Allah. However, it seems that
this name was not known in the past."
We do not find this name among the Sahaabah, based on what we see in
al-Isaabah by Ibn Hajar. We do not find it among the names mentioned
in biographies by various authors, such as Fahaarisal-Siyar by
al-Dhahabi, Tabaqaat al-Shaafa'iyyah by Ibn al-Subki, Wafiyaat by
IbnKhalkaan, al-Tahdheeb by Ibn Hajar, and others. The first usage of
this name that we have come across is 'Abd al-Ilaah ibn 'Ali ibn
al-Husayn al-Haashimi, who was born in 1331 AH and died in 1377, as
mentioned by al-Zarkali in al-A'laam. This is obviously very recent.

- Names and Attributes of Allaah - Ruling on Reciting the Names of Allaah in certain combinations.

Number of people tell me if you say so-and-so X amount of times then
you will get such and such reward e.g. reciting the 99 names ofAllah
in certain combnations and quantities will do certainthings .
Praise be to Allaah.
This question was answered for us by Shaykh 'Abd-Allaah ibn Munayyi', who said:
"This is not permissible, and if he believes in it, itis bid'ah."
Every dhikr that involves reciting a certain number of times, or in a
certain place, or at a certain time, or in a certain manner, that is
not prescribed in sharee'ah, is bid'ah. With regard to the Most
Beautiful Names of Allaah, the way to use these in worship is to call
upon Allaah by theseNames, as He says (interpretation of the meaning),
"And (all) the Most Beautiful Names belong to Allaah, so call on Him
by them…" [al-A'raaf 7:180]. Merely reciting them in certain
combinations is not a prescribed form of worship. And Allaah knows
best.