Islamic banking in the digital age

Islamic banking refers to a system of banking activities that is
consistent with the Sharee'ah )Islamic law( and guided by Islamic
economics. Thus, bankingprocedures including payment of Ribaa )usury
or interest( is Haraam)Islamically prohibited(. Islamic law also
prohibits trading in financial risk)which is seen as a form
ofgambling(, investing in businesses that include alcohol or pork, or
businesses that produce anti-Islamic media, etc. Inthe late 20th
century, a number of Islamic banks were created, to cater to this
particular banking market.
The first modern experiment with Islamic banking was undertaken in
Egypt under cover without projecting an Islamic image for
politicalreasons. The pioneering effort, led by Ahmad El-Najjaar, took
the form of a savings bank based on profit-sharing in the Egyptian
town of Mit Ghamr in 1963. This experiment lasted until 1967, by which
time there were nine such banks in the country.
Islamic banking has the same purpose as conventional banking except
that it operates in accordance with the Islamic rules, known as Fiqh
Al-Mu'aamalaat)Islamic rules on transactions(. The basic principle of
Islamic banking is the sharing of profit and loss and the prohibition
of Ribaa. Amongst the common Islamic concepts used in Islamic banking
are profit sharing)Mudhaarabah(, safekeeping )Wadee'ah(, joint
venture)Mushaarakah(, cost plus)Muraabahah(, and leasing)Ijaarah(.
In an Islamic mortgage transaction, instead of loaning the buyer
moneyto purchase the item, a bank might buy the item itself from the
seller, and re-sell it to the buyer at a profit, while allowing
thebuyer to pay the bank in installments. However, the fact that it is
profit cannot be made explicit and therefore there are no additional
penalties for late payment. In order to protect itself against
default, the bank asks for strict collateral. The goods or land is
registered to the name ofthe buyer from the start of the transaction.
This arrangement is called Muraabahah. Another approach is Al-Ijaarah
wal- Iqtinaa', which is similar to real-estate leasing.
Islamic banks handle vehicles' trade in a similar way )selling the
vehicle at a higher-than-market price to the debtor and then retaining
ownership of the vehicle until the loan is paid(.
There are several other approaches used in business deals. Islamic
banks lend their money to companies by issuing floating rate interest
loans. The floating rate ofinterest is pegged to the company's
individual rate of return. Thus the bank's profit on the loan is equal
to a certain percentage of the company's profits. Once the principal
amount of the loan is repaid, the profit-sharing arrangement is
concluded. This practice is called Mushaarakah. Further, Mudhaarabah
is venture capital funding of an entrepreneur who provides labor while
financing is provided by the bank so that both profit and risk are
shared.
Such participatory arrangements between capital and labor reflect the
Islamic view that the borrower must not bear all the risk/cost of a
failure, resulting in a balanced distribution of income and not
allowing lender to monopolize theeconomy.
Islamic banks have grown recently in the Muslim world but are a very
small share of the global banking system. Micro-lending institutions
such as Grameen Bank use conventional lending practices, and are
popular in some Muslim nations, but are clearly not Islamic banking.
]1[
Today, there are about seventy five )75( Islamic equity funds
worldwide based in Muslim countries and targeted atinstitutional
investors in the Middle East. The growth of the middle class in the
Muslim world is driving the advent of a 'new economic order.'
Some years ago, Dow Jones unveiled the first global stock benchmark
for Islamically conscientious investors. The Islamic market index
follows six hundred and sixty )660( Sharee'ah-compliant companies in
34 countries, including Microsoft, Coca-Cola etc. Brown Brothers
Harriman& Co. and a dozen other banks are introducing funds tracking
the index. Barclays of Britain and Commerz Bank AG of Germany are
nurturing new portfolios for Muslims. In November 1999, Financial
Times)FTSE( International in London introduced its own Islamic
indices.
Islamic scholars are open to creative solutions for the problems
raised by modern finance. Any respectable Islamic fund or financial
institutions has a board of scholars screening its investments and
practices. "Nearly all the scholars now agree, for example that it is
ok for Muslims to buy equities or stocks which are commitments to
responsible ownership", says Virginia-based Islamic scholar and fund
adviser Yusuf Talal Delorenzo. This approval of the scholars is
conditioned to such equities of stocks being Islamically lawful
themselves.
The Dow Jones index excludes hotel chains andairlines which serve
alcohol and pork, but theIslamic funds managed by Saturna capital
corp. do not. A. Rushdi Siddiq, Director of Dow Jones Islamic Index
Group, says:"Sharee'ah Boards are de-facto fund managers".
The strong middle class Muslims in Malaysia helped in producing some
recent innovations in Islamic finance. IslamQ.com will be launched in
Kuala Lumpur to become the first web site to offer online Islamic
stock trading. It is a virtual bazaar providing many services.
Surfers can check prayer times, plan pilgrimage to Makkah or 'Ask the
scholars' about how to handle finance under the Sharee'ah.
IslamiQ.com hopes to broaden what is possible for Muslim investors
within the bounds of what is Halaal, or permissible under Islamiclaw.
The Western style of banking is shunned by hundreds of millions of
observant Muslims around the world. They were left to invest in real
estate, trade financing, or small business; and to accumulate a pool
of cash that IslamiQ now estimates at US$ 150 billion and growing by
30% a year. "There is a lot of money that has been hidden under the
people's mattresses", saysHasnita Hashim, the Malaysian banker and
IslamiQ CEO and co-founder. IslamiQ.comwill have offices in New
York, London and Malaysia.
As investors' choices grow, Islamic finance is no longer the exclusive
domain of Muslims. Ms Hashim, who ran Islamic funds in her native
country )Malaysia( beforestarting IslamQ.com, saysthat more than half
of her investors were non-Muslims.

The Night Prayer )Qiyaamal-Layl(

What is Qiyaam al-Layl?
Qiyaam' means 'standing' and 'Qiyaam al-Layl' means 'standing in
night.' In the Islamic terminology, both terms refer to 'the voluntary
night prayer, whose time extends from after 'Ishaa' )evening( prayer
until dawn.' Qiyaam al-Layl is also known as Tahajjud.
A widespread misconception is that Tahajjud is a different night
prayer than Qiyaam. The true is that there is only one voluntary night
prayer known by different names.
The excellence of night prayer:
Numerous Prophetic narrations and Quranic verses mention the
excellence of night prayer and the merit of those who perform it
regularly. Allaah The Almighty, Says )what means(:"O you who wraps
himself ]in clothing[, arise]to pray[ the night, except for a
little–half of it – or subtract from it a littleor add to it, and
recite the Quran with measured recitation."]Quran 73: 1-4[
It is reported that the Messenger of Allaahsaid:"Allaah, Our Lord,
descends )in a manner befitting His Majesty( to the nearest heaven to
us of this universe during the last third of the night and says: 'Is
there anyone to call upon Me so that I shall respond to him )fulfill
his prayer(. Is there anyone to ask of Me that I may grant his
request. Is there anyone to seek My forgiveness so that I shall
pardonhim )and forgive his sins('."]Al-Bukhaari and Muslim[
Aa'ishahreported that the Prophetsaid:"The most beloved deeds to
Allaah are the most constant, even if they were little"]Al-Bukhaari
and Muslim[, and shesaid in another narration:"Do not ever stop
praying Qiyaam. The Prophetnever ceased praying it. When hewas sick or
weak, he prayed sitting."]Al-Bukhaari and Muslim[
The Messenger of Allaahin another Hadeeth, said:"Theclosest onecan
beto Allaah The Almighty, is during the last third ofthenight. If one
can remember Allaah TheAlmighty, at this time let him do
so."]At-Tirmithi, An-Nasaa'i and Al-Haaqim[
The Prophetalso said:"You should pray Qiyaam al-Layl, for it is the
habit of the righteous people who came before you, and it will bring
you closer to your Lord, expiate for bad deeds, prevent sin, and expel
disease from the body."]At-Tirmithi and Ahmad[
Mu'ath Ibn Jabalnarrated that the Prophetsaid to him:"May I show you
the gates of goodness?' )They are( "Fasting is screen from Hell,
charity extinguishes the sins as water extinguishes fire, standing in
prayer by a slave of Allaah during the last third part of a
night."Then the Prophetrecited this verse )what means(:"They arise
from ]their[ beds; they supplicatetheir Lord in fear and
aspiration…")Quran 32: 16( ]Abu Daawood and At-Tirmithi[
Abu Hurayrahreported that the Messenger of Allaahsaid:"The best of
prayer after those prescribed )i.e. obligatory prayer( is that in the
depth of night."]Muslim[
Abu Hurayrahalso reported that the Messenger of Allaahsaid:"May Allaah
have mercy on aman who wakes up at night, prays, and wakes his wife to
pray;and if she refuses, he sprinkles water on her face. And may
Allaah have mercy on a woman who wakes up at night, prays, and wakes
her husband to pray; and if he refuses, she sprinkles water on his
face."]Abu Daawood[
Abdullaah Ibn BashrreportedAllaah's Messengersaying:"Whoever prays
night prayer reciting ten verses, he will not be recorded among the
negligent. Whoever prays night prayer reciting one hundred verses, he
will be recorded among the devout. And whoever prays night prayer
reciting one thousand verses, he will be recorded among those with a
multitude ofgood deeds."]Abu Daawood[
Again, the Prophetsaid:"Verily,there is onehour during the )entire(
night when any Muslim )submittingto theWill of Allaahthe Almighty( may
call upon Allaah and request anything of Him, regardless ofwhetherthe
matter be worldly or of the hereafter. Allaah, theAlmightywill grant
and fulfill the request. This isthecase every night."]Muslim[
Those who regularly perform the night prayers are the righteous and
are more deserving of Allaah's bounty and mercy. AllaahSays )what
means(:"Indeed, the righteous will be among gardens and
springs,accepting what their Lord has given them. Indeed, they were
before that doers of good.They used to sleep but littleof the
night,and in the hours before dawn they would ask forgiveness."]Quran
51: 15-18[
Allaah Says that those who do not possess these qualities cannot be
treated as equal to those who possess them. He The Almighty Says )what
means(:"Is one who is devoutly obedient during periods of the night,
prostrating and standing ]in prayer[, fearing the Hereafter andhoping
for the mercy of his Lord,]like one who does not[? Say, "Arethose who
know equal to those who do not know?" Only they willremember ]who are[
people of understanding.'']Quran 39: 9[
Etiquettes of night prayer:
The following acts are Sunnah)recommended( for the one who wishes to
perform the night prayers. Upon going to sleep, oneshould make the
intention to perform the prayers. Abu Ad-Dardaa'related that the
Prophetsaid:"Whoever goes to his bed with the intention of getting up
and praying during the night, and sleep overcomes him until the
morning comes, he will have recorded for him what he had intended, and
his sleep will be a charity for him from his Lord."]An-Nasaa'i and Ibn
Maajah[
Upon waking, one should wipe one's face, use a Miswaak)toothstick(,
and make this supplication:"There is no god butYou, Glory be to You, I
seek forgiveness from You for my sins,and I ask for Your mercy. O
Allaah, increase my knowledge and let my heart not swerve afterYou
have guided me, and bestow mercy upon me from Yourself. Allpraise be
to Allaah who has givenus back life after our death and unto Him is
the resurrection."
Then, one should recite the last ten verses of chapter
'Al-'Imraan',then one should say,"O Allaah, toYou belongs the praise.
You are the Light of the heavens and the earth and what is therein.
And to You belongs the praise. You are the truth and Your promise is
true. And the meeting with You istrue. And the paradise is true. And
the Fire is true. And the prophets are true. And Muhammad is true. And
the Hour is true. O Allaah, to You have I submitted. And in You have I
believed. And in You have I put my trust. And to You have I turned.
And by You I argue. And to You do I turn for my decisions.Forgive me
of my former and latter sins, and those done in private and those done
in public. You are Allaah, there is no god besides You."
One should begin the night prayer with two quick Rak'ahs and then may
pray whatever he wishes after that. 'Aa'ishahsaid: "When the
Prophetprayed during the late-night, he would begin his prayers with
twoquick Rak'ahs." ]Muslim[
The recommended time for nightprayer:
The night prayer may be performed in the early part of thenight, the
middle part of the night, or the latter part of the night, but after
the obligatory 'Ishaa' )evening( prayer.
Anasdescribed the prayer of the Prophetas:"If we wantedto see him
praying during the night, we could see him praying. If we wanted to
see him sleepingduring the night, we could see him sleeping. And
sometimes hewould fast for so many days that we thought hewould not
leave fasting throughout thatmonth. And sometimes hewould not fast
)for so many days( that we thought hewould not fast during that
month."]Al-Bukhaari, Ahmad andAn-Nasaa' i[
Commenting on this subject, Ibn Hajarsaid:"There was no specific time
in which the Prophetwould perform his night prayer, but hewould
dowhatever was easiest for him."
Best time for night prayer:
It is best to delay this prayer to the last third portion of the
night. Abu Hurayrahreportedthat the Prophetsaid:"Our Lord descends to
the lowest heaven during the last third of the night, inquiring:'Who
will callon Me so that I may respond to him? Who is asking something
ofMe so I may give it to him? Who is asking for My forgiveness so I
may forgive him?"'
'Amr Ibn Abasahreported that he heard the Prophetsay:"The closest that
a slave comes to his Lord is during the middle of the latter portion
of the night. If you can be among those who remember Allaah, the
Exalted One, at that time then do so."]Al-Haakim, At-Tirmithi and
An-Nasaa'i[
The number of Rak'ahs )units of prayer( to be performed during night prayer:
The night prayer does not entail aspecific number of Rak'ahs whichmust
be performed nor is there any maximum limit which has to be performed.
It would be fulfilled even if one just prayed one Rak'ah of Witr after
the obligatory night prayer.
Samurah Ibn Jundubsaid:"The Messenger of Allaah ordered us to pray
during the night, a little or a lot, and to make the last of the
prayer the Witr prayer." ]At-Tabaraani and Al-Bazzaar[
It is preferable to pray eleven or thirteen Rak'ahs for night prayer:
One may choose between prayingthem all together or to separate them.
'Aa'ishahsaid: "The Messenger of Allaahnever prayed more than eleven
Rak'ahs,during Ramadan or otherwise. Hewould pray four Rak'ahs, and
don't ask about how excellent they were or how lengthy they were.
Then, hewould pray four Rak'ahs, and don't ask abouthow excellent they
were or how lengthy they were. Then, hewould pray three Rak'ahs. I
asked: 'O Messenger of Allaah, do you sleep before praying Witr?'
Hereplied: 'O 'Aa'ishah, my eyes sleep but my heart does not sleep."'
]Al-Bukhaari and Muslim[
'Aa'ishahsaid: "The prayer of the Messenger of Allaah during the night
would be ten Rak'ahs and then hewould make Witrwith one Rak'ah."

The story of Prophet Ayyoob -I

His Lineage
Imaam Ibn Is-haaqstated that Prophet Ayyoob's full name was Ayyoob,
Ibn )son of( Mose, Ibn Razeh, Ibn Esau, Ibn Isaac )Is-haaq(, Ibn
Abraham)Ibraaheem(, may Allaah exalt the mention of them all. Others
stated that he was Ayyoob, Ibn Mose, Ibn Rimil, Ibn Esau, Ibn Isaac
)Is-haaq, Ibn Jacob )Ya'qoob(all. There have also been other
statements on his lineage. Imaam Ibn 'Asaakirnarrated that Prophet
Ayyoob's motherwas a daughter ofLot. It was said also that Prophet
Ayyoob's father was one who believed in Ibraaheemwhen he was cast into
the fire.
The first opinion is the most plausible, because Prophet Ayyoobwas
adescendant of Ibraaheem's offspring, asAllaah Almighty declares in
the Quran )what means(:"And that was Our]conclusive[ argument which we
gave Ibraaheem against his people. We raise by degrees whom We will.
Indeed, your Lord is Wise and Knowing. And We gave to him ]i.e.,
Ibraaheem[ Is-haaq ]Isaac[ and Ya'qoob]Jacob[ – all ]of them[ We
guided. And Nooh ]Noah[, We guided before; and among his descendants,
Daawood ]David[ and Sulaymaan ]Solomon[ and Ayyoob ]Job[ and Yoosuf
]Joseph[ and Moosaa ]Moses[ and Haaroon]Aaron[. Thus do We reward the
doers of good."]Quran 6:83-84[
Allaah Praises Him
Allaah the Almighty praised His worshipper Ayyoobin His GloriousQuran,
Saying )what means(:"…Indeed, We found him patient, an excellent
servant.Indeed, he was one who repeatedly turned back ]to
Allaah[."]Quran 38:44[
Ayyoobwas repentant, remembering Allaah with thankfulness, patience,
and steadfastness. This was the cause of his rescue and the secret of
Allaah's praising him.
A group of angels were discussing Allaah's other human creatures, how
those who were humble earned Allaah's pleasure, while those who were
arrogant incurred His displeasure. One of the angels remarked: "The
best creature on earth today is Ayyoob, a man ofnoble character who
displays great patience and always remembers his Generous Lord. He is
an excellent model for the worshippers of Allaah. In return, his Lord
has blessed him with a long life and plenty of servants, as well as
the needy and the poor sharing in his good fortune; he feeds and
clothes the poor and buys slaves to set them free. He makes those
whoreceive his charity feel as if they are favouring him,so kind and
gentle is he."
Satan's Envy of Him
Iblees )Satan( overhearing all of this, became annoyed. He planned to
entice Ayyoobto corruption and disbelief, so he hastened to him. He
tried to distract Ayyoob from his prayers by whispering to him about
the good things in life, but Ayyoob was a true believer and would not
let evil thoughts tempt him. This disturbed Iblees even more; thus he
began to hate Ayyoob with even greater fervour.
Iblees complained to Allaah about Ayyoob. He said that although he was
continuously glorifying Allaah, he was not doing so out of his
sincerity but to satisfy Allaah so that his wealth should not be taken
away. It was all a show, all out of greed. "If You remove his wealth,
then You will find that his tongue will no longer mention Your name
and his praying will stop," he said to Allaah.
Allaah told Iblees that Ayyoobwas one of Hismost sincere devotees.
Hedid not worship Him because of the favours; his worship stemmed from
his heart and had nothing to do with material things. But to prove to
Iblees the depth of Ayyoob's sincerity and patience, Allaah allowed
him to do whatever he and his helpers wished with Ayyoob's wealth.
Iblees was ecstatic. He gathered his helpers and set about destroying
Ayyoob's cattle, servants and farms until he was left with no
possessions. Rubbing his hands in glee, Iblees appeared before
Ayyoobin the guise of a wise old man and said to him: "All your wealth
is lost; some people say that it is because you gave too much in
charity and that you are wasting your time with your continuous
prayers to Allaah. Others say that Allaah has brought this upon you in
order to please your enemies. If Allaah had the capacity toprevent
harm, then He would have protected your wealth."
True to his belief, Ayyoobreplied: "What Allaah has taken away from me
belongs to Him. I was only its trustee for a while. He gives to whom
He wills and withholds from whom He wills." With these words,
Ayyoobagain prostrated to his Lord.
When Iblees saw this, he felt frustrated, so he again addressed
Allaah:"I have stripped Ayyoob of all his possessions, but he still
remains grateful to You. However he is only hiding his disappointment,
for he places great store by his many children. The real test of a
parent is through his children. Youwill see how Ayyoob will reject
You."
Allaah again granted Iblees authority, but warned him that it wouldnot
reduce Ayyoob's faithin His Lord nor his patience.
Iblees again gathered hishelpers and set about his evil deeds. He
shook the fountain of the house in which Ayyoob's children were living
and sent the building crashing, killing all of them. Then he wentto
Ayyoobdisguised as a man who had come to sympathise with him. In a
comforting tone he said to Ayyoob: "The circumstances under which your
children died were sad. Surely, your Lord is not rewarding you
properly for all your prayers." Having said this, Iblees waited
anxiously, hoping Ayyoobwas now ready to reject Allaah.
But again Ayyoobdisappointed him by replying: "Allaah sometimes gives
and sometimes takes. He is sometimes pleased and sometimes displeased
with our deeds. Whether a thing is beneficial or harmful to me, I will
remain firm in my belief and remain thankful to my Creator." Then
Ayyoobprostrated to his Lord. At this, Iblees was extremely vexed.

Dought & clear - Critique of the book Fadaa’il al-A‘maal by Muhammad Zakariyya al-Kandahlawi

Is it true that the book Fadaa'il al-A'maal by Muhammad Zakariyya
al-Kandahlawi contains a number of things that imply shirk?
Praise be to Allah.
The bookFadaa'il al-A'maal– the original title of which was Tableeghi
Nisaab– by Muhammad Zakariyya al-Kandahlawi is a collection of
chapters about various virtuous deeds. It was written by the author to
be a reference for the group Jamaa'at al-Tableegh. This book became of
great importance for them, which they read intheir gatherings and
study in their schools and mosques. It is written in Urdu, which iswhy
it did not become widespread in the Arab countries; rather it is
widely known in the countries in which Jamaa'at al-Tableegh is
widespread, such as India, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Shaykh Hammood at-Tuwaijri said inal-Qawl al-Baleegh(p. 11):
The most important book among the Tableeghis is Tableeghi Nisaab (also
known asFadaa'il al-A'maal), which was written by one of their leaders
whose name is Muhammad Zakariyya al-Kandahlawi. They pay a great deal
of attention to this book, which they respect as Ahl as-Sunnah
respectas-Saheehaynand other books of hadeeth.
The Tableeghis have made this book the mostimportant reference work
for the Indians andother non-Arabs who follow them. It contains a
great deal of matters of shirk, innovation (bid'ah), myths, and
fabricated (mawdoo') and weak (da'eef) hadeeths. In fact it is a book
of evil, misguidance and confusion (fitnah). End quote.
Shaykh Shams ad-Deen al-Afghaani said in his bookJuhood 'Ulama'
al-Hanafiyyah fi Ibtaal 'Aqaa'id al-Qubooriyyah(2/776):
The leading imams of the Deobandis have books which are venerated by
the Deobandis, but they are filled with the myths of grave-worshippers
and Sufi idolatry, such as – and he mentioned a number of books,
including Tableeghi Nisaab, i.e., Nisaab at-Tableegh, and
Manhajat-Tableegh. These Deobandis did not openly disavow these books
or warn against them, and they did not put a stop to the printing and
sale of these books. The markets of India and Pakistan and elsewhere
are full of them. End quote.
It says inFataawa al-Lajnah ad-Daa'imah(vol 2, 2/97):
Question: I am a Muslim man living in Britain, and I want to follow
the path of Ahl as-Sunnah wa'l-Jamaa'ah in all aspects of my life. On
that basis I am trying to read religious books in Urdu. Whilst reading
some religious books written by the famous and prominent Indian
scholar who belongs to the Deobandi Jamaa'at at-Tableegh, whose name
is Shaykh Muhammad Zakariyya Kandahlawi, the shaykh of hadeeth, I
found in his bookTableeghi Nisaab(p. 113), in Chapter 5, a story
quotedby the author from a book entitledRawnaq al-Majaalis. This is
the story of a merchant who died and his estate was shared between his
two sons. In addition to a great deal of wealth, thedeceased had left
behind a hair from the head of the Prophet (blessings and peace of
Allah be upon him). The younger son kept the hair from the head of the
Messenger (blessingsand peace of Allah be upon him) and gave up the
wealth to which he was entitled from his father's estate, giving it to
his older brother. What happened was that the one who took the wealth
soon became bankrupt, whilst the onewho took the hair became rich.
After the death of the younger brother, in whose possession was the
hair from the head of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be
upon him), one of the righteous saw the Prophet (blessings and peace
of Allah be upon him) in his dream, and the Prophet (blessings and
peace of Allah be upon him) said to him: "Whoever has any need should
go to the grave of this younger brother and call upon Allah, may He be
glorified and exalted, at his graveside so that He might answer his
prayer." This is quoted from the bookTableeghi Nisaab.
I also read another bookcalledTareekh Mashaayikh Juththatby the same
author, ShaykhMuhammad Zakariyya Kandahlawi. On p. 232, he mentions
Shaykh HajiImdaadullah Muhaajir Makki, when he was in his final
illness and was visited by one of his followers who was grieved by his
state. The shaykh realised that he was feeling sad for him and he
said: "Do not grieve, for the ascetic (zaahid) worshipper does not
die; rather he moves from one place toanother, and he meets people's
needs when he is in his grave as he usedto meet their needs when he
was alive." Thisis quoted from the bookTareekh Mashaayikh Juththat.
I would like to hear yourwise opinions about the above and also about
the following matters:
(a)Is he – the author – and the one who narrated this story still a
Muslim in the light of this belief which is reflected in his books and
his words? Please explain to us with evidence from the Qur'an and
Sunnah.
(b)If he is no longer a Muslim, what is the evidence from the Qur'an
and Sunnah that he is beyond the pale of Islam?
The answer was:
What is quoted in these books, such as the example mentioned in the
question, comes under the heading of reprehensible innovation and
myths that are not based on any sound Islamic principle and have no
basis in the Book of Allahor the Sunnah of His Prophet (blessings and
peace of Allah be upon him). No one says or believes this except one
who is confused and blinded to the truth, andhas gone astray from
thestraight path.
The claim that a hair of the Prophet still exists, and brings riches
to the one who keeps it, and the claim to have seen the Prophet
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) in a dream telling people
to offer supplication at the graveof this man – all of that islies and
fabrications for which there is no evidence. It is narrated in a
saheeh report that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon
him) said: "The Shaytaan cannot appear in my form." Agreed upon. So
how could the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)
instruct people to call upon Allah at gravesides when he forbade such
actions during his lifetime and warned against it in the strongest
terms, and he forbade exaggerating about the Prophets and righteous
people and seeking to draw close to Allah (tawassul) by virtueof them
after their death? He (blessings andpeace of Allah be upon him) did
not die until Allah had perfected His religion by means of him(the
Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)) and completed His
favour or blessings. So nothing can be added to or taken away from
what He prescribed. The beliefthat supplications offered at gravesides
will be answered is an innovation for which there is no basis in
Islam,and it may lead a personto major shirk if he calls upon the
occupant of the grave instead of Allah or alongside Him, or if he
believes that the occupant of the grave has the power to bring benefit
or cause harm, because the only One Who can bring benefit or cause
harm is Allah, may He be glorified.
Similarly, the belief that the ascetic (zaahid) worshipper does not
die, rather he moves from one place to another, and that he canmeet
people's needs from his grave as he used to meet their needswhen he
was alive, is also a false belief; it is one of the beliefs of the
deviant Sufis. There is nobasis for that; rather what is indicated by
the verses and saheeh hadeeths is that every person in this world will
die. Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Verily, you (O Muhammad SAW) will die and verily, they (too)will die"
[az-Zumar 39:30]
"And We granted not to any human being immortality before you (O
Muhammad SAW), then if you die, would they live forever?"
[al-Anbiya' 21:34]
"Everyone is going to taste death, and We shallmake a trial of you
with evil and with good, and to Us you will be returned."
[al-Anbiya' 21:35].
The saheeh hadeeths also indicate that when a person dies, all his
deeds come to an end except three: beneficial knowledge, a righteous
son who will pray for him, or ongoing charity (sadaqah jaariyah). The
deceased in his grave has no power to harm orbenefit himself, and it
is more apt to say that one who is in this state has no power to do
that for anyone else. It is not permissible to seek to have one's
needs met by anyone except Allah alone with regard to that over which
no one has any control except Allah; seeking such needs from the dead
is major shirk. Anyone whobelieves anything other than that has
disbelieved in the sense of major kufr and has gone beyond the pale
ofIslam – Allah forbid – because of his rejecting the proven evidence
to that effect from the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Prophet
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). He has to repent sincerely
from that, resolve not to go back to that evil deed, and to follow the
path of the righteous early generations of Ahl as-Sunnah wa'l-Jamaa'ah
in order to attain the pleasure of Allah and His Paradise, and to be
safe from His punishment. End quote.
It says inal-Mawsoo'ah al-Muyassarah fi'l-Adyaan wa'l-Madhaahib
wa'l-Ahzaab al-Mu'aasirah(1/322):
In their gatherings in Arab countries they – i.e., Jamaa'at
at-Tableegh – focus on reading fromRiyadh as-Saaliheen, but in
non-Arab countries they focus on reading fromHayat
as-SahaabahandTableeghi Nisaab; the latter book is full of myths and
da'eef (weak)hadeeths. End quote.
To sum up, the scholars continue to warn against the bookTableeghi
Nisaab, otherwise known asFadaa'il al-A'maal. It is not permissible
for any Muslim to read it; rather they should focus on the books of
the saheeh Sunnah, books whose authors follow the path of Ahl
as-Sunnah wa'l-Jamaa'ah. As for books that contain myths and lies,
they should not have any place in the heart or mind of the Muslim.
And Allah knows best.