Dought & clear, - Does a good intention intercede for one?.

Does a good intention intercede for one? Or are there other
considerations with regard that?.
Praise be to Allaah.
No act of worship will be accepted from a Muslim unless it meets two
basic conditions:
1 – Sincerity of intentiontowards Allaah, may He be exalted. This
means that the aims of the person in his words and deeds, both outward
and inward, should be to seek the Countenance of Allaah alone.
2 – It should be in accordance with the ways in which Allaah
hasordained that He be worshipped only. That is achieved by following
the Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and what he
taught, and shunning anything that goes against that, and not
introducing any new acts or forms of worship that have not been
narrated in proven reports from him(peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him).
The evidence for these two conditions is the verse in which Allaah
says (interpretation of the meaning):
" So whoever hopes for the Meeting with his Lord, let him work
righteousness and associate none as a partner in the worship of his
Lord"
[al-Kahf 18:110]
Ibn Katheer (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
"So whoever hopes for the Meeting with his Lord" – means His reward
"let him work righteousness" – means, that is in accordance with the
laws of Allaah.
"and associate none as apartner in the worship of his Lord" – means
the deed by which is sought the Countenance of Allaah alone, with no
partner or associate. These are the two features of the deed thatis
acceptable: it must be sincerely for the sake of Allaah alone, and it
must be in accordance with the sharee'ah of the Messenger of
Allaah(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Endquote.
Tafseer Ibn Katheer, 4/108
Hence Allaah says in the greatest soorah in the Qur'aan (interpretation):
" You (Alone) we worship, and You (Alone) we ask for help (for each
and everything)"
[al-Faatihah 1:5], to indicate that Tawheed and sincerity are
essential in order for a deed to be valid.
The second condition comes immediately afterthat:
"Guide us to the StraightWay"
[al-Faatihah 1:6]
No act of worship is valid unless it is in accordance with the right
way, the straight path, which Allaah has enjoined, by following His
Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Inal-Saheehit is
narrated from 'Aa'ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) that the
Messenger of Allaah(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
"Whoever does anyaction that is not in accordance with this matter of
ours will have it rejected." Narrated by Muslim, 1718. i.e., his deed
will be thrown back at him and not accepted from him. If anyone goes
against these two conditions (sincerity towards Allaahalone and
following His laws) in any action, then he will not benefit from it.
The one who seeks goodness and wants to please his Lord, let him
worship Him and draw near to Him by the means that He has ordained.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Say (O Muhammad to mankind): If you (really) love Allaah, then follow
me (i.e. accept Islamic Monotheism,follow the Qur'aan and the Sunnah),
Allaah will love you and forgive you your sins. And Allaah is
Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful"
[Aal 'Imraan 3:31]
So it is not sufficient to have a good intention, and it will not
intercede for him if he goes against sharee'ah and worships Allaah by
means of any kind of bid'ah (innovation). Many of those who invent
innovations – because of their ignorance – invent theseinnovations in
order to draw closer to Allaah.
Hence when Ibn Mas'ood(may Allaah be pleased with him) denounced those
who gathered to remember Allaah (dhikr),they gave the excuse that
their intention was good and that they did not mean anything but good,
and he said to them: "How many of those who intend good do not attain
it!" Narrated by al-Daarimi, 204. So it is not sufficientto have a
good intentionin order to do good and attain the reward and draw
closer to Allaah. Rather it is essential to also act in accordance
with sharee'ah and avoid bid'ah.
A good intention may intercede for a person intwo cases:
1 – Turning habits into acts of worship
A good intention may turn a habit into an act of worship for which a
person will be rewarded. So by eating and drinking he may intend to
strengthen himself to obey Allaah, and by getting married he may
intend to keep himself and his wife chaste, and so on.
2 – Earning reward without doing any deed,if the Muslim is definite in
his intention.
A Muslim may form a definite intention to do acts that are prescribed
in sharee'ah, then something prevents him from doing that – but hewill
still be rewarded forit. There are a number ofahaadeeth concerning
that, such as the following:
1 – It was narrated that Jaabir (may Allaah be pleased with him) said:
We were with the Propheton a campaign and he said: "You did not travel
any distance or cross any valley but inMadeenah there are men who were
with you, but they were kept behind by sickness." According to another
version: "… but they shared the reward with you." Narrated by Muslim,
1911.
2 – It was narrated from Abu'l-Darda' (may Allaah be pleased with him)
that the Prophetsaid:"Whoever goes to his bedintending to get up and
pray at night, then his eyes overwhelm him and(he sleeps) until
morning, the (reward for) that which he intended will be written for
him, and his sleep is a charity for him given by his Lord, may He be
glorified and exalted." Narrated by al-Nasaa'i, 1787; Ibn Maajah,
1344; classed as saheeh by Shaykh al-Albaani inSaheeh al-Targheeb,
601.
3 – It was narrated from Sahl ibn Haneef that the Prophetsaid:
"Whoever sincerely asks Allaah for martyrdom will attain the status of
the martyrs even if he dies in his bed." Narrated by Muslim, 1909.
And there are many other such reports, all of which indicate that
whoever forms a sincere, definite intention to do good or obey Allaah,
then is prevented from doing that deed, Allaah will decree the reward
for him.
So this is the case where a sincere intention will intercede for a
person until he is rewarded for it.
And Allaah knows best..

Dought & clear, - Is it permissible to pray for forgiveness for all theMuslims even though we know that some of them will be punished?.

I am asking about some du'aa's, such as "O Allah, forgive the Muslims,
men and women" and "O Allah, forgive us all." Is it permissible to say
such du'aa's when the fulfilment thereof is contrary to the will of
Allah? How can we respond to the one whodoubts such du'aa's when they
are said at the times when du'aa's are answered?
Praise be to Allah.
Firstly:
There is nothing wrong with praying for forgiveness for the Muslims,
men and women, in general terms. There is evidence to the effect that
it is permissible, such as the following:
1.
The verse in which Allah,may He be exalted, says (interpretation of
the meaning):
"So know (O MuhammadSAW) that La ilaha ill-Allah (none has the right
to be worshipped but Allah), and ask forgiveness for your sin, and
also for (the sin of) believing men and believing women"
[Muhammad 47:19].
It was narrated from 'Aasim al-Ahwal that 'Abdullah ibn Sarjis said: I
saw the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and I ate
bread and meat withhim – or he said:thareed. He (the narrator) said: I
said to him: Did the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon
him) pray for forgiveness for you? He said: Yes, and for you. Then he
recited this verse:"and ask forgiveness for your sin, and also for
(the sin of) believing men and believing women" [Muhammad 47:19].
Narrated by Muslim, 2346.
There are several opinions concerning the tasfeer of the phrase "and
ask forgiveness for your sin". One of these opinions is that this
shows that it is obligatory to pay for forgiveness for all the
Muslims.
Al-Qurtubi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
It was said that this is addressed to him (the Prophet (blessings and
peace of Allah be upon him)), but is meant for the ummah. According to
this opinion, this verse obliges the individual to pray for
forgiveness for all of the Muslims.
Tafseer al-Qurtubi, 16/242
It was narrated that Ibn Jurayj said: I said to 'Ata':Should I pray
for forgiveness for the believing men and women? He said: Yes. The
Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was commanded to do
that, so that is obligatory on all the people. Allah said to His
Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him):"and ask
forgiveness for your sin, and also for (the sin of) believing men and
believing women" [Muhammad 47:19]. I said: Do you say that
supplication in the obligatory prayer? He said: No. I said: With whom
do you start, withyourself or with the believers? He said: With
myself, as Allah says:"and ask forgiveness for your sin, and also for
(the sin of) believing men and believing women" [Muhammad 47:19].
2.
It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: The Messenger of Allah
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) offered the funeral prayer
and said: "O Allah,forgive our living and our dead, our young ones and
our old ones, our males and our females, those of us whoare present
and those who are absent. O Allah, whomever You keep alive, keep him
alive with faith and whomever you cause to die, cause him to die in
Islam. Do not deprive us of the reward and do not cause us to go
astrayafter this."
Narrated by at-Tirmidhi, 1024; Abu Dawood, 3201; an-Nasaa'i, 1986.
Ibn 'Allaan as-Siddeeqi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
"O Allah, forgive our living and our dead" means all of our living
ones and dead ones, all the Muslims.
Daleel al-Faaliheen li Turuq Riyadh as-Saaliheen, 6/240
3.
This is the action of the angels (peace be upon them), as Allah says
concerning them (interpretation of the meaning):
"and the angels glorify the praises of their Lord, and ask for
forgiveness for those on the earth"
[ash-Shoora 42:5].
4.
It is the action of the Prophets, the Sahaabah, the Taabi'een and all
thescholars of the earlier and later times.
(a)
Nooh (peace be upon him) said (interpretationof the meaning):"My Lord!
Forgive me, and my parents, and him who enters my home as a believer,
and all the believing men and women" [Nooh 71:28].
(b)
Ibraaheem (peace be upon him) said (interpretation of the
meaning):"Our Lord! Forgive me and my parents, and (all) the believers
on the Day when the reckoning will be established" [Ibraaheem 14:41].
(c)
It is what 'Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allah be pleased with him) did:
'Abd ar-Razzaaq narrated inal-Musannaf(3/111) that Ibn Jurayj said:
'Ata' told me that he heard 'Ubayd ibn 'Umayr narrate from 'Umar ibn
al-Khattaab concerning Qunoot that he used to say: "O Allah, forgive
the believing men and women and the Muslim men and women, reconcile
between their hearts and set their affairs straight between them…"
Narrated by al-Bayhaqi inas-Sunan al-Kubra(2/210); he said: (It is)
saheeh mawsool.
Tuhfat al-Muhtaaj ila adillat al-Minhaaj, 1/410
(d)
It was the last instructions of Ibn 'Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with him):
InFadl as-Salaah 'ala an-Nabiyby Ismaa'eel al-Qaadi (p. 63) it says in
a report that was classedas saheeh by Shaykh al-Albaani:
It was narrated from Ibn 'Abbaas that he said: Do not send blessings
upon anyone except upon the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be
upon him); however, one should offer supplication(du'aa') for
forgiveness for the Muslims, male and female.
(e)
It is what is said by all the believers, as Allah tells us about them
in the verse (interpretationof the meaning):
"And those who came after them say: 'Our Lord! Forgive us and our
brethren who have preceded us in Faith, and put not in our hearts any
hatred against those who have believed. Our Lord! You are indeed full
of kindness, Most Merciful'"
[al-Hashr 59:10].
In the answer to question no. 104460there is a statement that this
du'aa' is permissible – in fact it is encouraged. This was stated by
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah and his student Ibn al-Qayyim. In the
same answer several da'eef marfoo' hadeeths on thistopic have been
quoted.
Secondly:
With regard to the opinion of those who object to this supplication on
the grounds that Allah, may He be exalted, has decreed that there will
not be forgiveness for allof the Muslims and that there is no doubt
that some of them will enter the Fire, this is an objection that is
not valid, because it is confusing the divine willand decree (qadr))
withthe laws prescribed by Allah (shar'). According to the divinely
prescribed laws, we are commanded – or encouraged– to pray for
forgiveness for all of the Muslims. That does not contradict that
which has nothing to do with us of what Allah, may He be exalted, has
decreed for some of the Muslims. One indication of that is found in
the fact that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)
taught us du'aa's (supplications) toask for forgiveness and he
instructed the Muslims to recite them and say them. We know that it
will not be accepted from some of those who say it. What we have
mentioned above of evidence also confirms that those who say that this
du'aa' is notright are mistaken, and it confirms that praying for
forgiveness for all the Muslims, male and female, is something valid.
The earliest we have come across of those who objected to this du'aa'
was Abu'l-'Abbaas al-Qarraafi(d. 684), who regarded offering
supplication forthat as something haraam! He said inal-Furooq ma'a
Hawaashihi(4/463):
"The fifth category of haraam things that do not constitute kufr is
when the one who is offering supplication asks Allah for something
contrary to what aahaadreports state going to happen. Why I mention
"aahaad reports", as opposed to mutawaatir reports, is because asking
Allah for something not to happen in that case (i.e., when there are
mutawaatir reports that state it will happen) is akin to kufr, as
stated above. There follow some examples of that:
(i)
When he says "O Allah, forgive the Muslims all their sins," although
the saheeh hadeeths indicate that a group of the Muslims will
inevitably enter Hell and be brought forth from it,with or without
intercession. Their entering Hell will only bebecause of their sins.
If all of the Muslims were forgiven all of their sins, no one would
enter Hell.So this supplication implies rejection of those saheeh
hadeeths! So it (this du'aa') is an act of disobedience, but it is not
kufr (disbelief) because you are rejecting aahaad reports, and
labelling something an act of kufronly applies to denying something
that is well established in Islam or known from mutawaatirreports.
With regard to the angels praying for forgiveness for the believer by
saying"so forgive those who repent" [Ghaafir 40:7]and "and [they] ask
for forgiveness for those on the earth"[ash-Shoora 42:5], these words
are not general in meaning, and do not apply to all people. Even if we
were to assume that they are general in meaning, then we should
understand them as meaning that what they meant was that it was
exclusively for some people (and not for all).
Al-Furooq ma'a Hawaamishihi, 4/463-465
Abu'l-Qaasim ibn al-Shaat al-Maaliki (may Allah have mercy on him – d.
723 AH) refuted this argument by saying, as itsays inHaamish al-Furooq
al-Musamma Idraar ash-Shurooq(4/488):
What he said about these and similar du'aa'sconstituting sin is a
mereclaim. Why should it be that one should only offer supplication
for that which is possible to happen? I do not know of any proof or
evidencefor that.
Why is it not possible that Allah should enjoin people to ask for
forgiveness for the sins of every believer, even though He has decreed
that some of them will not be forgiven?
Moreover, what he said about these two verses –"so forgive those who
repent" [Ghaafir 40:7]and "and [they] ask for forgiveness for those on
the earth"[ash-Shoora 42:5]– not being generalin meaning is a grievous
mistake.
To sum up, the argumentof this man (al-Qarraafi) is far-fetched, his
claim has no proof and there is no need for it; he was confused and
mistaken.
End quote.
Shaykh 'Abd al-Kareem al-Khudayr (may Allah preserve him) was asked:
What do you think of theview that du'aa' against the kaafirs is a kind
of transgression because Allah knew that they would exist until the
Dayof Resurrection?
He replied:
The Muslim is required to adhere to the teachings of Islam. With
regard to the divine will and decree, it has nothing to do with him.
One may say: Why do you pray for all of the Muslims when Allah knows
that some of them will die whilst committing major sin? Yes, there are
some scholars who say that this is not allowed and that it is not
permissible to pray for all of the Muslims. There are some who
disallow praying for all of the Muslims because according to Allah's
knowledge, thereare some who will die whilst persisting in major sin,
and this supplication is contrary to the divine will and decree. So
based on that(flawed argument), you should not pray for yourself,
because you donot know how your life will end! And you shouldnot pray
for your child, because Allah knows best how he will be! Rather we
say: you are commanded to offer supplication, and this what Allah has
prescribed; as for the divine will and decree, itbelongs to Allah and
has nothing to do with you.
Sharh al-Muwatta', Kitaab al-Janaa'iz, Baab an-Nahy 'an al-Buka' 'alaal-Mayyit.
And Allah knows best.

Quran Stories for Children: Who will take the Noble Qur'an?

A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had
everything in their collection, from Picasso (Spanish artist who lived
in France) to Raphael (Italian painter). They would often sit together
and admire the great works of art.
When the Vietnam conflict broke out, the son went to war. He was very
courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The
father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son.
About a month later, just before Eid ul-Fitr, there was a knock at the
door. A young man stood at thedoor with a large package in his hands.
He said, "Sir, you don't know me, but I am the soldier for whom your
son gave his life. He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying
me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died
instantly. He often talked about you, and your love for art."
The young man held out this package. "I know this isn't much. I'm not
really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to
havethis."
The father opened the package. It was a portraitof his son, painted by
theyoung man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the
personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the
eyesthat his own eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the young man
and offered to pay him for the picture. "Oh, no sir, I could never
repay what your son did for me. It's a gift."
The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came
to his home he took themto see the portrait of his son before he
showed them any of the other great works he had collected.
The man died a few months later. There was to be a great auction of
his paintings Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing
the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one for
their collection.
On the platform sat the painting of the son. The auctioneer pounded
his gavel. "We will start the bidding with this picture of the son.
Who will bid for this picture?"
There was silence. Then avoice in the back of the room shouted, "We
want to see the famous paintings! Skip this one."
But the auctioneer persisted. "Will somebody bid for this painting.
Who will start the bidding? $100,$200?"
Another voice angrily,"We didn't come to see this painting. We came
tosee the Van Goghs (Dutch painter), the Rembrandts (Dutch artist).
Get on withthe real bids!"
But still the auctioneer continued. "The son! The son! Who'll take the
son?" Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the
longtime gardener of theman and his son. 'I'll give$10 for the
painting.' Being a poor man, it was all he could afford.
We have $10, who will bid $20? Give it to him for$10. "Let's see the
masters...." $10 is the bid,won't someone bid $20?
The crowd was becomingangry. They didn't want the picture of the son.
They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections.
The auctioneer pounded the gavel. "Going once, twice, SOLD for $10!"
A man sitting on the second row shouted,"Now let's get on with the collection!"
The auctioneer laid downhis gavel. "I'm sorry, the auction is over."
"What about the great paintings?"
I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a
secret stipulation in the will. I was not allowed to reveal that
stipulation until this time. Only the painting of the son would be
auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire
estate, including the paintings. The man who took the son gets
everything!
Allah (SWT) gave His Noble Qur'an hundreds ofyears ago to guide us.
Much like the auctioneer,His message today is:"The Noble Qur'an, the
Noble Qur'an, who'll take the Noble Qur'an? Because whoever takes the
Noble Qur'an gets everything."

Time in Islam: Time is very precious utilize reading Noble Quran

Since last night my youngson has been unwell. When I got back from
work this evening I decided to take him to hospital despite my
exhaustion. There were many waiting; perhaps we will be delayed by
more than an hour. I took my number and sat down in the waiting room.
There were many faces, young and old, but all silent.
Some brothers made use of the many booklets available in the waiting
room. Some of those waiting had their eyes closed, while others
werelooking around. Most were bored. Once in a while the long silence
was broken by a nurse calling out a number. Happiness appears on
theone whose turn it is, and he gets up quickly; then silence returns.
A young man grabbed myattention. He was reading a pocket-sized Noble
Qur'an continuously; not raising his head even once. At first I did
not think much about him. However, after one hour of waitingmy casual
glances turned into a deep reflection about his lifestyle and how he
utilizes his time. One hour of life wasted! Instead of making benefit
of that hour, it was just a boring wait. Then the call for prayer was
made. We went to prayer in the hospital's Masjid (Mosque). I tried to
pray close to the man who was reading the Noble Qur'an earlier in the
waiting room.
After the prayer I walked with him. I informed him of how impressed I
was of him and how he tries to benefit from his time.
He told me that most of our time is wasted without any benefit. These
are days that go from our lives without being conscious of them or
regretting their waste.He said that he started carrying the
pocket-sizedNoble Qur'an around when a friend encouraged him to make
full use of his time. He told me that in the time other people waste
he gets to read much more of the Noble Qur'an than he gets to read
either at home or in the mosque. Moreover, besides the reward of
reading the Noble Qur'an, this habit saves him from boredom and
stress.
He added that he has now been waiting for one and a half hours. Then
he asked, when willyou find one and a half hours to read the Noble
Qur'an? I reflected; how much time do we waste? How many moments of
our lives pass by, and yet we do not account for how they passed by?
Indeed, how many months pass by and we do not read the Noble Qur'an? I
came to respect my companion, and I discovered that I am to stand for
account and that time is not in my hand; so what am I waiting for? My
thoughts were interrupted by the nurse calling out my number; I went
to the doctor.
But I want to achieve something now. After I left the hospital I
quickly went to the bookshop and bought a pocket-sized Noble Qur'an. I
decided to be mindful of how I spend the time.