In the Quran, Allaah, Almighty, Says )what means(:"And your Lord
inspired the bees, saying: 'Take you habitations in the mountains and
in the trees and in what they erect. Then, eat of all fruits, and
follow the ways of your Lord made easy ]for you[.' There comes forth
from their bellies, a drink of varying color wherein is healing for
men. Verily, in this is indeed a sign for people who think."]Quran 16:
68-69[
I am the doctor; I am the handcrafter of medicine. You come to me to
take your medicine from my pharmacy, the one that I prepare myself to
heal you, Allaah willing, from your diseases. The medicine I make
never tastes bitter to annoy whoever takes it; on the contrary,it is
sweet and delicious and everyone likes it. In fact, it has many colors
and many odors; it smells like roses in the garden, flowers and basil,
or even jasmine. The colors of my medicine are pure and beautiful:
pure white, red, or yellow.
Its healing power is guaranteed, and the patient does not need a
medical check by the physician; furthermore, whoever takes it will not
have any side effects or complications because it heals and
strengthens, it is always useful and never useless.
None of the whole creation can make such medicine because it is my
secret and no one else can have it. In fact, no creature taught me
this secret; moreover, I never went to school and never studied at any
university. However, I am excellent at manufacturing this healing
medicine.
Do not wonder at this speech, and do not say: "How should we believe?
These are just dreams." In fact, I am not dreaming or lying; I am
telling the truth and nothing but the truth.
Do you want to know who taught me my secret? He is the Great Creator,
Allaah, Almighty, Who created me and taught me the right path and
guided me by His inspiration and simplified thisability for me.
Allaah, Almighty, created a great factory in my tiny body, in which
there are very minute instruments that make this medicine. After that,
He permitted me to go and extract materials from fruits and roses'
nectar that would never harm the rose; then I mix that nectar inmy
body to let my instruments work with the Aid of the All-Powerful
Allaah to extract an excellent medicine, pure and veryuseful. Do you
know now who I am?
Yes, I guess you know that I am the BEE, and the medicine I make is
honey. I am a very tiny hyperactive creature that never tires or
becomes lazy or even sick. I usually do my work with determination and
never feel bored, but rather I spend my whole life making honey.
Allaah, Almighty, inspired me to build my well-organized shelter, so I
build it in a hexagonal shape,strongly fixed from its ends; thenHe let
me fly easily using my tiny wings in order to reach the valleys and
the green fields extracting flowers' nectar and tasting many fruits
before I return home. When I return, I empty all that I collected,
then store it. Then I go out again, and so on, feeling neither fatigue
nor boredom.
As a matter of fact, I do not ask any recompense from you for my
effort except to consider my existence and respect my living space.
Therefore, I do not like anyone to threaten my life or assault me
because we, bees, do not like aggression and we love to live safely.
However, if anyone attempts to endanger our lives, we are very brave
and our weapons are our stinging lances. Our soldiers sacrifice their
lives for the defense of our kingdom and they are fierce in battle for
a sting would certainly cost a bee its life.That is because its
stinging lance is attached to its vital organs, and when it impales
its victim its bowels exit its body and it dies horribly as you see.
Allaah, Almighty, has honored us in His Book )Quran( and featured us
by giving one chapter of His Book our name and has granted us the
honor of His inspiration. Not only that, but He, Almighty, predestined
our lives and guided us to the way of our work. If you want to know
something about our kingdom or the organization of our government,
then our kingdom does not differ much from yours, and our government
resembles yours to a great extent.
We have a Queen who rules us and whom we obey and guard. The work is
divided among us: some make wax, others work in honey and another team
builds the shelters, while still others bring water. We usually arise
veryearly in the morning, and our drone's example has led to people
saying: "he wakes as earlyas a drone."
Some of our hive members keep flapping their wings to refresh the air
of the cell, and some are the soldiers and yet some others are just
males. We shall return now, dear friends, to my medicine.
Honey has been mentioned in theQuran, and Allaah, Almighty, described
it as a cure for what ails people. It is a sterilized medicine in
which no microbe or insect can live. If you want to be sure of this
power take some honey and put an insect in it and you will find that
it will be dead in a few seconds.
Honey is a cure for so many diseases, and it is the medicine
recommended by our Prophet Muhammadwho said:"You have the two cures:
Honey and the Quran."]Ibn Maajah[
Moreover, honey is mentioned in the Quran when Allaah,
Almighty,speaking about the rivers of Paradise, Says )what
means(:"Thedescription of Paradise which thepious have been promised
]is that[ in it are rivers of water, the taste and smell of which are
not changed, rivers of milk of which the taste never changes, rivers
of wine delicious to those who drink, and rivers of clarified honey
]clear and pure[..."]Quran 47: 15[
A man came to the Prophetand said:"My brother has some abdominal
trouble." The Prophetsaid to him: "Let him drink honey," - the man
came for the second time and the Prophetsaid to him "Let him drink
honey." - He came for the third time and the Prophetsaid,"Let him
drink honey." - He returned again and said, "I have done that." The
Prophetthen said, "Allaah has said the truth, but your brother's
abdomen has told a lie. Let him drink honey." So he made him drink
honey and he was cured at last."
Some doctors said that the patient mentioned in the Hadeeth had the
following situation: That man had some harmful wastes gathered in his
abdomen. So when he drank honey for the first time, the wastes
disintegrated and left his body gradually. The wastes were discharged
from the patient's body and he was cured by the Power of Allaah,
Almighty.
Now have you been acquainted with my whole life, dear friends? I guess
you love me now and you are not afraid of me anymore, because as you
see I harm no oneexcept the one who harms me, since my sting costs me
my life.
So be my good friends and allow me to do the work that Allaah,
Almighty, has inspired and taught me to do. Peace be with you.
"GENERAL ARTICLES"
- Tamil -- Urdu -- Kannada -- Telugu --*-
Share
"BISMILLA HIRRAHMAAN NIRRAHEEM"
WELCOME! - AS'SALAMU ALAIKUM!!
******** *****
*****
[All] praise is [due] to Allah, Lord of the worlds; -
Guide us to the straight path
*- -*
* * In this Blog; More Than Ten Thousand(10,000) {Masha Allah} - Most Usefull Articles!, In Various Topics!! :- Read And All Articles & Get Benifite!
* Visit :-
"INDIA "- Time in New Delhi -
*- WHAT ISLAM SAYS -*
-
Islam is a religion of Mercy, Peace and Blessing. Its teachings emphasize kind hear tedness, help, sympathy, forgiveness, sacrifice, love and care.Qur’an, the Shari’ah and the life of our beloved Prophet (SAW) mirrors this attribute, and it should be reflected in the conduct of a Momin.Islam appreciates those who are kind to their fellow being,and dislikes them who are hard hearted, curt, and hypocrite.Recall that historical moment, when Prophet (SAW) entered Makkah as a conqueror. There was before him a multitude of surrendered enemies, former oppressors and persecutors, who had evicted the Muslims from their homes, deprived them of their belongings, humiliated and intimidated Prophet (SAW) hatched schemes for his murder and tortured and killed his companions. But Prophet (SAW) displayed his usual magnanimity, generosity, and kind heartedness by forgiving all of them and declaring general amnesty...Subhanallah. May Allah help us tailor our life according to the teachings of Islam. (Aameen)./-
''HASBUNALLAHU WA NI'MAL WAKEEL''
-
''Allah is Sufficient for us'' + '' All praise is due to Allah. May peace and blessings beupon the Messenger, his household and companions '' (Aameen) | | |
| | |
|
Share
Follow Me | |
**
Share
-
-*- *: ::->
*
Sunday, September 1, 2013
Doctor Bee
The disastrous Asian quake & Tsunami: who made it and why?
Much has been said, up to the moment, about thelate deadly earthquake
that hitSumatrawith devastating effects whichextended far to the East
African coast, distributingdifferent degrees of damage to nearly 10
countries. This much talk is, no doubt, justified andworth listening
to to some extent. Economists discuss this great event from an
economic perspective, the extent ofloss the quake and its concomitant
'Tsunamis' cost the inflicted countries, how much the reconstruction
of those damaged houses, buildings, green fields and tourist resorts
cost, the potential financial repercussions due to the loss of tourism
on which some countries depend as a source of national income, etc.
Geologists, for their part, highlight the scientific explanations for
such seismic events, focusing on the physical interactions that occur
within the Earth or on its surface that result in earthquakes,
volcanic eruptions and other phenomena that take place on land and in
sea.
Ordinary people, watching TV tearful scenes of floating corpses,
injured women and children, crying people who lost their shelters,
relatives, express their deep sympathy for them and may pray for the
salvation of their humans.
Mass media alert their armies of journalists and correspondents to
spot any late-breaking bits of news on such events, giving the chance
to all of the aforementioned kinds of people )both theinflicted and
the spectators( to express their reactions to the disastrous incidence
being witnessed. Viewersand listeners, worldwide and round the clock,
are now brought to the scene of the Asian tidal wave and its effects,
and informed in each news bulletin about the latest count of death and
injury.
International relief agencies and charitable organizations take their
responsibilities and makearrangements to extend a helping hand to the
afflicted areas with food, medicine, blankets, tents and other
essential relief items that are means to preserve their life, blood
and tears.
To sum up the whole issue, there are two kindsof witnesses on the
stageof the event: first, the people )or the real actors( who are
exposed to the earthquake and tsunami )including the surviving, dead,
and injured people( and second, the people outside the frame of the
disaster, who are spectators )journalists, media viewers/listeners,
analysts and commentators on different aspects of the event, such as
geologists, economists, and politicians, etc.(.
We are informed about the quake through the media, with the physical
reasons being explained by geologists, the financial losses
estimatedby economists, relief plans and procedures by relief agencies
and charitable individuals, and lastly, the heartfelt sorrow and pity
of ordinary people.
But is that all? Is it merelya land or marine slide or volcanic
eruption that caused all these disasters? Is it just an angry reaction
while in a bad temper on the part of 'Mother Nature', a mythical
non-entity? What about the Creator of the universe and all that it
contains: mankind,animals, seas, trees, air, fire, etc?! Does He not
have any say on those matters? Why do people look at nature as Master,
whereas the Real and True Master )Allaah Almighty( is forgotten or
made to rule supreme only in the confines of the Mosque, the church or
the Synagogue?
Yes, it is right to say that volcanoes, quakes, tsunamis, floods,
hurricanes and other catastrophes are caused by certain topographic
orgeologic factors )causes(, but what about the Causer? Why did the
Causer cause this or that catastrophe? Why does a same catastrophe
repeatedly happen in a same place? Why do they rarely take place in
certain places such asArabia, for example?
The Quran, the Muslim's Holy Book, provides answers to these questions
and addresses such disasters from different angles which are never
approached by almost all classes of people mentioned above when
commenting on such disasters in the media )regrettably, including
Muslims(.
The Noble Quran conveys to people the messages and points of wisdom
behind the different disasters that Allaah Almighty inflicts upon
people throughout human history. Volcanoes, hurricanes, earthquakes,
tsunamis, etc, according to the Quran, are soldiers sent by Allaah
Almighty to carry out one of the following duties )to mention only
some of them(:
1-Punishing sinful people:
This is applicable to the people of old who rejected the Divine
message brought to themby Prophets Nooh )Noah(,Luut )Lot(,
Moosa)Moses(, and other Prophets. The Quran states )what means(:"So We
)i.e. Allaah Almighty( punished each )of them- sinful people( for his
sins; of them weresome on whom We sent a violentwind with shower of
stones ]as on the people of Lût )Lot([, and ofthem were some who were
overtaken by an awful cry ]by Angel Jibreel )Gabriel( as a torment[,
and of them were some whom We caused the earthto swallow ]as Qaaroon
)Korah([, and of them were some whom We drowned ]as the people of Nooh
)Noah(, or Fir'awn)Pharaoh( and his people[. It was not Allaah Who
wronged them, but it was they who wronged themselves."]Quran 29:40[
Let us consider the placeswhere those disastrous events take place;
are there not sinful practices in public, especially on seashores and
in tourist resorts?
1-To remind people of the Hereafter so as to be heedful:
Allaah Almighty says in the Quran )what means(:
"And We sent not the signs)volcanoes, hurricanes, earthquakes,
tsunamis, etc,( except to )warn people and( make them afraid )of
destruction(."]Quran 17:59[
2- To show Allaah's Omnipotence and Supremacy:
This is stated in the following Quranic verse)which means(:"Say )O
Muhammad(: "He )Allaah( has power to send torment on you from above
)heavy devastating rain, winds, thunderbolts, etc.( orfrom under your
feet )volcanoes, earthquakes, etc.(, or to cover you with confusion in
party strife,and make you to taste the violence of one another." See
how variously We explain the signs, so that they may
understand."]Quran 6:65[
And the verse )which means(:"So their Lord destroyed them because of
their sin, and made them equal in destruction )i.e. all grades of
people, rich and poor, strong andweak(! And He )Allaah( feared not the
consequences thereof."]Quran 91:14, 15[
Allaah's irresistible Omnipotence is embodied through the vain
attempts by the most advanced countries to curb or evade the
fataleffects of hurricanes, earthquakes and other natural hazards by
alarm systems. What is worth pondering is that while man-made
instruments proved almost helpless inpredicting earthquakes, the case
is completely different with Allaah-made creatures. Many studies have
stated that some animals show unusual behavior before an earthquake
takes place. Studying this behavior, based on manypractical examples,
the researchers came up withthe "Animal Behavior Theory" which assumes
that some animals predict earthquakes.
"The animal-behavior theory for "predicting" earthquakes assumes that
pets leave their homes, places normally secure and comforting, inorder
to escape a disturbance or danger in their surroundings just before an
earthquake. In practice the theory is based on the assumption that
more pets run away from home at such times than at any other time. The
hypothesis states that when quantities of missing pets increase
extraordinarily, there is amarked increase in the probability of a
forthcoming earthquake)Maryanski, 1985; Allstetter, 1986(.
There are reports that turtles, eels, snakes, and catfish display
premonitory anomalous behavior before earthquakes )Quammen, 1985(. The
problem of identifying the actual stimulus of this behavior remains
unsolved, although ultrasonic and electromagnetic phenomena are
suspected )Simon, 1976(. Homing pigeons and geese are now known to
navigate by earth's magnetic field using tiny crystals of magnetite
incorporated in sense organs in their heads)Cooke, 1984(.
Magnetotactic bacteria, tuna, and salmon also contain similar
magnetitecrystals )Kirschvink and others, 1985(. The animal-behavior
theory tested in this study is based on the postulate that dogs and
cats can detect precursory magnetic disturbances from seven to ten
days before earthquakes)Allstetter, 1986(."
Here is a quotation from a report exactly related to this latest Asian Tsunami:
"YALA NATIONAL PARK,Sri Lanka-- Wildlife officials inSri
Lankaexpressed surpriseWednesday that they found no evidence of
large-scale animal deaths from the weekend's massive tsunami -
indicating that animals may have sensed the wave coming and fled to
higher ground.
An Associated Press photographer who flew over Sri Lanka's Yala
National Park in an air force helicopter saw abundant wildlife,
including elephants, buffalo, deer, and not a single animal corpse.
…
'This is very interesting. I am finding bodies of humans, but I have
yet tosee a dead animal,' said Wijeyeratne, whose hotelin the park was
totally destroyed in Sunday's tidal surge. 'Maybe what we think is
true, that animals have a sixth sense,' Wijeyeratne said."
From the Islamic point of view, animals or human beings should not be
saidto "predict" future events, as the knowledgeof the Unseen is
exclusiveto Allaah Alone. Most likely, in such cases, animals sense
something using their extraordinaryAllaah-given senses of smelling,
hearing, tasting, seeing or feeling.
Subhaan Allaah )praised be Allaah( who made those animals behave
likewise to save themselves and to act as alarm systems for their
masters )human beings(!
3- To test the believers:
Allaah, the Exalted, may also inflict some hardships on His
worshippers to test their faith and patience, purifytheir souls and
forgive their sins. He, the Almighty, says in the Noble Quran )what
means(:
"… and certainly, We shall test you with something of fear, hunger,
loss of wealth, lives and fruits, but give glad tidings to
thepatient"]Quran 2:155[.
Last, the question mentioned above: 'Why do they )the natural
disasters( rarely take place in certain places such as Makkah
)inArabia(?' has to be answered, but by whom? It is answered by
Allaah, the Creator, not a geologist. The Quran, the Word of Allaah
Says )what means(:"And )remember( when Ibraaheem )Abraham( said, "My
Lord, make this city )Makkah( a place of security and provide its
people with fruits, such of them as believe in Allaah and the Last
Day." He )Allaah( answered: "As for him who disbelieves, I shall leave
him in contentment for a while, then I shall compel him to the torment
of the Fire, and worst indeed is that destination!"]Quran 2:126[
The history, both old and modern, give evidence that the bliss Allaah
showered on Makkah)security and welfare( hasspread out to encompass
the whole Arabian Peninsula )and almost most of the Islamic world(,
because of the relatively religious commitment and good Islamic spirit
of its inhabitants, which is, at the end, due to the mercy of Allaah.
This comparison can be realized through the scientific assumptions
that nearly one million quakes take place the world over every year.
To conclude, people, believers and non-believers, have to keep in mind
that all the above mentioned 'natural' disasters are acts of Allaah
Almighty, the Creator, not 'Mother Nature', to convey a message to
people. WhenMuslims discuss such matters, they have to approach them
Islamicly, i.e. in the light of the Holy Quran and the Sunnah
)Prophet's tradition(, and not only scientifically, economically, or
socially. Muslim scholars have to have a say, actually the say, on
these matters, so as to make people fully aware of their )disasters(
denotations and indications, and educate them to tackle matters
spiritually and not only physically.
that hitSumatrawith devastating effects whichextended far to the East
African coast, distributingdifferent degrees of damage to nearly 10
countries. This much talk is, no doubt, justified andworth listening
to to some extent. Economists discuss this great event from an
economic perspective, the extent ofloss the quake and its concomitant
'Tsunamis' cost the inflicted countries, how much the reconstruction
of those damaged houses, buildings, green fields and tourist resorts
cost, the potential financial repercussions due to the loss of tourism
on which some countries depend as a source of national income, etc.
Geologists, for their part, highlight the scientific explanations for
such seismic events, focusing on the physical interactions that occur
within the Earth or on its surface that result in earthquakes,
volcanic eruptions and other phenomena that take place on land and in
sea.
Ordinary people, watching TV tearful scenes of floating corpses,
injured women and children, crying people who lost their shelters,
relatives, express their deep sympathy for them and may pray for the
salvation of their humans.
Mass media alert their armies of journalists and correspondents to
spot any late-breaking bits of news on such events, giving the chance
to all of the aforementioned kinds of people )both theinflicted and
the spectators( to express their reactions to the disastrous incidence
being witnessed. Viewersand listeners, worldwide and round the clock,
are now brought to the scene of the Asian tidal wave and its effects,
and informed in each news bulletin about the latest count of death and
injury.
International relief agencies and charitable organizations take their
responsibilities and makearrangements to extend a helping hand to the
afflicted areas with food, medicine, blankets, tents and other
essential relief items that are means to preserve their life, blood
and tears.
To sum up the whole issue, there are two kindsof witnesses on the
stageof the event: first, the people )or the real actors( who are
exposed to the earthquake and tsunami )including the surviving, dead,
and injured people( and second, the people outside the frame of the
disaster, who are spectators )journalists, media viewers/listeners,
analysts and commentators on different aspects of the event, such as
geologists, economists, and politicians, etc.(.
We are informed about the quake through the media, with the physical
reasons being explained by geologists, the financial losses
estimatedby economists, relief plans and procedures by relief agencies
and charitable individuals, and lastly, the heartfelt sorrow and pity
of ordinary people.
But is that all? Is it merelya land or marine slide or volcanic
eruption that caused all these disasters? Is it just an angry reaction
while in a bad temper on the part of 'Mother Nature', a mythical
non-entity? What about the Creator of the universe and all that it
contains: mankind,animals, seas, trees, air, fire, etc?! Does He not
have any say on those matters? Why do people look at nature as Master,
whereas the Real and True Master )Allaah Almighty( is forgotten or
made to rule supreme only in the confines of the Mosque, the church or
the Synagogue?
Yes, it is right to say that volcanoes, quakes, tsunamis, floods,
hurricanes and other catastrophes are caused by certain topographic
orgeologic factors )causes(, but what about the Causer? Why did the
Causer cause this or that catastrophe? Why does a same catastrophe
repeatedly happen in a same place? Why do they rarely take place in
certain places such asArabia, for example?
The Quran, the Muslim's Holy Book, provides answers to these questions
and addresses such disasters from different angles which are never
approached by almost all classes of people mentioned above when
commenting on such disasters in the media )regrettably, including
Muslims(.
The Noble Quran conveys to people the messages and points of wisdom
behind the different disasters that Allaah Almighty inflicts upon
people throughout human history. Volcanoes, hurricanes, earthquakes,
tsunamis, etc, according to the Quran, are soldiers sent by Allaah
Almighty to carry out one of the following duties )to mention only
some of them(:
1-Punishing sinful people:
This is applicable to the people of old who rejected the Divine
message brought to themby Prophets Nooh )Noah(,Luut )Lot(,
Moosa)Moses(, and other Prophets. The Quran states )what means(:"So We
)i.e. Allaah Almighty( punished each )of them- sinful people( for his
sins; of them weresome on whom We sent a violentwind with shower of
stones ]as on the people of Lût )Lot([, and ofthem were some who were
overtaken by an awful cry ]by Angel Jibreel )Gabriel( as a torment[,
and of them were some whom We caused the earthto swallow ]as Qaaroon
)Korah([, and of them were some whom We drowned ]as the people of Nooh
)Noah(, or Fir'awn)Pharaoh( and his people[. It was not Allaah Who
wronged them, but it was they who wronged themselves."]Quran 29:40[
Let us consider the placeswhere those disastrous events take place;
are there not sinful practices in public, especially on seashores and
in tourist resorts?
1-To remind people of the Hereafter so as to be heedful:
Allaah Almighty says in the Quran )what means(:
"And We sent not the signs)volcanoes, hurricanes, earthquakes,
tsunamis, etc,( except to )warn people and( make them afraid )of
destruction(."]Quran 17:59[
2- To show Allaah's Omnipotence and Supremacy:
This is stated in the following Quranic verse)which means(:"Say )O
Muhammad(: "He )Allaah( has power to send torment on you from above
)heavy devastating rain, winds, thunderbolts, etc.( orfrom under your
feet )volcanoes, earthquakes, etc.(, or to cover you with confusion in
party strife,and make you to taste the violence of one another." See
how variously We explain the signs, so that they may
understand."]Quran 6:65[
And the verse )which means(:"So their Lord destroyed them because of
their sin, and made them equal in destruction )i.e. all grades of
people, rich and poor, strong andweak(! And He )Allaah( feared not the
consequences thereof."]Quran 91:14, 15[
Allaah's irresistible Omnipotence is embodied through the vain
attempts by the most advanced countries to curb or evade the
fataleffects of hurricanes, earthquakes and other natural hazards by
alarm systems. What is worth pondering is that while man-made
instruments proved almost helpless inpredicting earthquakes, the case
is completely different with Allaah-made creatures. Many studies have
stated that some animals show unusual behavior before an earthquake
takes place. Studying this behavior, based on manypractical examples,
the researchers came up withthe "Animal Behavior Theory" which assumes
that some animals predict earthquakes.
"The animal-behavior theory for "predicting" earthquakes assumes that
pets leave their homes, places normally secure and comforting, inorder
to escape a disturbance or danger in their surroundings just before an
earthquake. In practice the theory is based on the assumption that
more pets run away from home at such times than at any other time. The
hypothesis states that when quantities of missing pets increase
extraordinarily, there is amarked increase in the probability of a
forthcoming earthquake)Maryanski, 1985; Allstetter, 1986(.
There are reports that turtles, eels, snakes, and catfish display
premonitory anomalous behavior before earthquakes )Quammen, 1985(. The
problem of identifying the actual stimulus of this behavior remains
unsolved, although ultrasonic and electromagnetic phenomena are
suspected )Simon, 1976(. Homing pigeons and geese are now known to
navigate by earth's magnetic field using tiny crystals of magnetite
incorporated in sense organs in their heads)Cooke, 1984(.
Magnetotactic bacteria, tuna, and salmon also contain similar
magnetitecrystals )Kirschvink and others, 1985(. The animal-behavior
theory tested in this study is based on the postulate that dogs and
cats can detect precursory magnetic disturbances from seven to ten
days before earthquakes)Allstetter, 1986(."
Here is a quotation from a report exactly related to this latest Asian Tsunami:
"YALA NATIONAL PARK,Sri Lanka-- Wildlife officials inSri
Lankaexpressed surpriseWednesday that they found no evidence of
large-scale animal deaths from the weekend's massive tsunami -
indicating that animals may have sensed the wave coming and fled to
higher ground.
An Associated Press photographer who flew over Sri Lanka's Yala
National Park in an air force helicopter saw abundant wildlife,
including elephants, buffalo, deer, and not a single animal corpse.
…
'This is very interesting. I am finding bodies of humans, but I have
yet tosee a dead animal,' said Wijeyeratne, whose hotelin the park was
totally destroyed in Sunday's tidal surge. 'Maybe what we think is
true, that animals have a sixth sense,' Wijeyeratne said."
From the Islamic point of view, animals or human beings should not be
saidto "predict" future events, as the knowledgeof the Unseen is
exclusiveto Allaah Alone. Most likely, in such cases, animals sense
something using their extraordinaryAllaah-given senses of smelling,
hearing, tasting, seeing or feeling.
Subhaan Allaah )praised be Allaah( who made those animals behave
likewise to save themselves and to act as alarm systems for their
masters )human beings(!
3- To test the believers:
Allaah, the Exalted, may also inflict some hardships on His
worshippers to test their faith and patience, purifytheir souls and
forgive their sins. He, the Almighty, says in the Noble Quran )what
means(:
"… and certainly, We shall test you with something of fear, hunger,
loss of wealth, lives and fruits, but give glad tidings to
thepatient"]Quran 2:155[.
Last, the question mentioned above: 'Why do they )the natural
disasters( rarely take place in certain places such as Makkah
)inArabia(?' has to be answered, but by whom? It is answered by
Allaah, the Creator, not a geologist. The Quran, the Word of Allaah
Says )what means(:"And )remember( when Ibraaheem )Abraham( said, "My
Lord, make this city )Makkah( a place of security and provide its
people with fruits, such of them as believe in Allaah and the Last
Day." He )Allaah( answered: "As for him who disbelieves, I shall leave
him in contentment for a while, then I shall compel him to the torment
of the Fire, and worst indeed is that destination!"]Quran 2:126[
The history, both old and modern, give evidence that the bliss Allaah
showered on Makkah)security and welfare( hasspread out to encompass
the whole Arabian Peninsula )and almost most of the Islamic world(,
because of the relatively religious commitment and good Islamic spirit
of its inhabitants, which is, at the end, due to the mercy of Allaah.
This comparison can be realized through the scientific assumptions
that nearly one million quakes take place the world over every year.
To conclude, people, believers and non-believers, have to keep in mind
that all the above mentioned 'natural' disasters are acts of Allaah
Almighty, the Creator, not 'Mother Nature', to convey a message to
people. WhenMuslims discuss such matters, they have to approach them
Islamicly, i.e. in the light of the Holy Quran and the Sunnah
)Prophet's tradition(, and not only scientifically, economically, or
socially. Muslim scholars have to have a say, actually the say, on
these matters, so as to make people fully aware of their )disasters(
denotations and indications, and educate them to tackle matters
spiritually and not only physically.
They are denouncing him for applying the Sunnah and saying that it divides the Muslims.
The imam of our mosque said in a Friday khutbah that we should not be
strict in following the Sunnah ofthe Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) because the Sunnah divides Muslims and we must be
united. He quoted as evidence the fact that a Bedouin came to the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and
said: O Messenger of Allaah, tell me of an action which, if I do it, I
will enter Paradise. He said: Worship Allaah and do not associate
anything with Him, establish the prescribed prayers, pay the
obligatory zakaah and fast Ramadaan." He said: By the One in Whose
hand is my soul, Ishall never do anything more or less than that. When
he turned to leave, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: "Whoever would like to look upon a man who is one of the
people of Paradise, let him look upon this man."
Is this correct? Please note that we are followers of the Sunnah, and
he calls the one whofollows the Sunnah an extremist.
Please advise us, may Allaah bless you.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
Your imam has said something that is wrongand false. What he should
have done was fear Allaah his Lord and refrain from speaking words
that involved sin.
The Prophetic Sunnah is the guidance of the Prophet(peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) and his wordsand deeds. How can the
Sunnah be dividing the Muslims?! What can unite them if the
Sunnahdivides them?
If this imam was sincere he would have said that the Sunnah is what
unites people, and brings them together.
Imam Abu'l-Muzaffar al-Sam'aani (may Allaah have mercy on him)
said:The reason why ahl al-hadeeth were united is that they learned
theirreligion from the Qur'aan and Sunnah andsound reports, which
united them and brought them together, whereas the followers
ofinnovation learned theirreligion by means of reasoning, which
divided them and made them differ.Al-Intisaar li Ahl al-Hadeeth(p.
47),
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
The cause of unity and harmony is accepting the religion as a whole
and following all of it, which is worshipping Allaah alone with no
partner or associate, as He enjoined, both inwardly and outwardly.The
cause of division is failing to do some of that which is enjoined upon
a person, and transgression among different groups.
The result of unity is mercy from Allaah, His pleasure and blessings,
happiness in this world and in the Hereafter andbrightness of the
face, whereas the result of division is the punishment and curse
ofAllaah, darkness of the face and the disavowal of the Messenger.
Majmoo' al-Fataawa(1/17).
He (may Allaah have mercy on him) also said:
Accepting sound reports from the Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) brings harmony, as was narrated from Maalik (may Allaah
have mercy on him) who said: When knowledge decreases harshness will
prevail and when there is little knowledge of hadeeth then whims and
desires will prevail.
Dar' al-Ta'aarud (1/149)
How can the follower of the Sunnah be called an extremist when the
Muslim is enjoined to follow it and take the guidance of the
Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) as his example?
What would this imam say about the deeds of the Sahaabah (may Allaah
bepleased with them) when they followed the Sunnah of their
Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) so closely? What
would he say about this event?
It was narrated that Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri (may Allaah be pleased with
him) said: Whilst the Messenger of Allaah(peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) wasleading his companions in prayer, he took off
hissandals and placed themto his left. When the people saw that, they
took off their sandals too. When the Messenger of Allaah(peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) finished the prayer he said: What
made you take off your sandals? They said: We saw you take off your
sandals so we took ours off too. The Messenger of Allaah(peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: Jibreel(peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) came to me and told me that there was some dirt on
them. and he said: When one of you comes to the mosque, let him look
and if he sees any dirt (impurity) on his shoes, let him wipe it off
and pray in them."
Narrated by Abu Dawood (650); classed assaheeh by al-Albaani.
These companions of theProphet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) took off their shoes whilst praying simply because they saw their
Prophet(peace andblessings of Allaah be upon him) take off his shoes.
So what if it was aSunnah narrated from him or it was something that
he taught?
Secondly:
Criticizing the followers of the Sunnah of the Prophet(peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) and accusing them of being
extremistsor fanatics is offensive and is slander. Allaah hasissued a
warning to the one who does that, let alone the fact that it is an
imitation of the mushrikeen who did thisbefore him.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And those who annoy believing men and women undeservedly, they bear
(on themselves) the crime of slander and plain sin"
[al-Ahzaab 33:58]
"Verily, (during the worldly life) those who committed crimes used to
laugh at those who believed.
30. And, whenever they passed by them, used to wink one to another (in mockery).
31. And when they returned to their own people, they would return jesting;
32. And when they saw them, they said: 'Verily, these have indeed gone astray'"
[al-Mutaffifeen 83:29-32]
Shaykh al-'Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
"And when they saw them" means, when the sinners saw the believers, they said:
"Verily, these have indeed gone astray" i.e.,gone astray from the
right path, and they are backward and narrow-minded and extreme, and
other such labels. Those people have their successors in our own
times. Some people say of good people that theyare regressive and
backward, and they say of the one who is religiously committed that he
is extremist and narrow-minded. Even worse than all of that, they said
of the Messengers that they were sorcerers or madmen. Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):"Likewise, no Messenger came to
thosebefore them but they said: 'A sorcerer or a madman!'"
[al-Dhaariyaat 51:52]. The heirs of the Messengers, who are
thescholars and those who are religiously committed encounter the same
from the enemies of the Messengers as the Messengers encountered, of
offensive labels and mockery, and so on. Among these accusationsthat
the followers of innovation and those who deny the attributes of
Allaah gave to those of the early generation who affirmed His
attributes was that they thought of Allaah as a physical being, and
other such negative accusations which put people off from the
rightway.
Liqaa'aat al-Baab il-Maftooh(no. 30).
Thirdly:
The kind of strictness in religious adherence which is to be
criticized is that which regards mustahabb things as obligatory and
makrooh things as haraam. The Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) warned against going to extremes in religion, andhe also
warned against undue strictness. Extremism and strictness does not
mean applying the Sunnah, rather it means changing its rulings and
being too strict with regard to commands and prohibitions when that is
not the case.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said – commenting on the hadeeth, "Do not
be too strict with yourselves, for some people were strict on
themselves and Allaah was strict on them, and we see the remnants of
that in theirhermitages and monasteries." - :
Here the Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade
being strict in religion by going beyond what isprescribed. Strictness
may sometimes means taking what is not obligatory or mustahabband
making it obligatoryor mustahabb with regard to acts of worship, and
sometimes it may mean taking something that is not haraam or makrooh
and making it haraam or makrooh with regard to things that are good.
The reason for that is that Allaah was very strict on those among the
Christians who were too strict on themselves, until it ended up in the
innovation of monasticism.
Thus it may be noted that the Prophet dislikedsuch things that the
Christians did, such as innovation of monasticism, even though many
devoted Muslims have fallen into the same trap on the basis of their
interpretation for which they may be excused, or they fell into this
trap with no justification.
It may also be noted thatbeing too strict with oneself in the
beginningmay lead to further strictness imposed by Allaah, either
through laws or through His decree. As for laws, this is what the
Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) feared during his
own time, of an increase in obligations or prohibitions such as
thatwhich he feared when they gathered to pay Taraweeh with him, and
when they asked about things that had not beenforbidden, and such as
the fact that when a person vows to do an actof worship it becomes
obligatory for him to do it even though he is forbidden to make
vows,and similarly expiations which become obligatory for specific
reasons.
As for the divine decree, we have often seen and heard that those who
goto extremes in some issues, will be caused to suffer in ways that
lead to things becoming more strict on him with regard to what is
obligatory and what is haraam, such as many ofthose who are affected
with waswaas about purification. When they do more than is prescribed,
they will endup suffering from things that lead to something that may
cause more hardship and harm to them.
Iqtida' al-Siraat al-Mustaqeem(103, 104).
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said, commenting
on the hadeeth of the Messenger(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him): "O people, beware of going to extremes in religious matters for
those who came before you were doomed because of going to extremes in
religious matters." Narrated by al-Nasaa'i (3059) and Ibn Maajah
(3029); classed as saheehby al-Albaani inSaheeh al-Nasaa'i:
In this hadeeth the Messenger(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) warned his ummah against going toextremes and proved that going
to extremes isa cause of doom, because it is contrary to sharee'ah,
and because it led to the downfall of previous nations. So it may be
understood fromthis that going to extremes is haraam for two reasons:
1 –He(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) warned against it,
and a warning is a prohibition and more.
2 –It is the cause of nations' downfall as those who came before us
were destroyed, and whatever is the cause of doom is haraam.
With regard to worship, people may go to one of two extremes or be
moderate. Some are negligent, some exaggerate and some are moderate.
The proper way (as prescribed by Islam) is the middle way betweengoing
to extremes and being negligent. Being moderate and not inclining
towards either extreme is what is required. It is not permissible to
exaggerate and go to extremes in religious matters, or to be
carelessand not pay any heed. Rather we should tread a middle path
between both.
Majmoo' Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen(9/367, 368).
Fourthly:
The hadeeth which your imam quoted as evidence was narrated by
al-Bukhaari (1333) and Muslim (14), and there is no dispute as to its
soundness, but he hasmisunderstood it. If he had studied its
narrations and what the scholars said, he would not have quoted it as
evidence in this manner.According to a report narrated by al-Bukhaari,
it says, "and taught him the laws of Islam." This wording includes all
other obligatory duties, and things that are recommended.
Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
The words "he was asking about Islam" mean, about the laws of Islam.
It may be understood that he asked about the realties of Islam. He did
not mention the Shahaadah to him because he knew that he already knew
it, or he knew that he was asking about practical laws, or he
mentioned it but the narrator did not transmit it because it is so
well known. And he did not mention Hajj either because it had notbeen
enjoined yet or because the narrator had shortened the report. This
second view is supported by the report narrated by the compiler –
i.e., al-Bukhaari – concerning fasting via Ismaa'eel ibn Ja'far from
Abu Suhayl in this hadeeth. He said: The Messenger of Allaah(peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) toldhim of the laws of Islam, and he
included all obligatory and recommended deeds in that.
"And the Messenger of Allaah(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) mentioned zakaah" – in the report of Ismaa'eel ibn Ja'far it
says: He told me of what Allaah had enjoined upon me of zakaah. He
said: The Messenger of Allaah(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) told him of the laws of Islam. This report shows that there were
things in the story that were told in brief form, such as explaining
the minimum thresholds for paying zakaah, which are not explained in
these two reports, and neither are the names of the prayers. It seems
that the reason for that is that these things were well known among
them, or that the purpose of the story wasto show that the one who
adheres to the obligatory duties will be saved even if he does not do
naafil actions.
With regard to him succeeding when he does not fall short in that,
this is clear, but how can he succeed if he does not add anything to
it? Al-Nawawi answered by saying that the hadeeth confirms that he
will succeed because he has done what he is required to do, and there
is nothing to suggest that if he does more than that he will not be
successful, because if he succeeds by doing what is obligatory, he is
more likely to succeed if he does recommended actions as well as
obligatory deeds.
Fath al-Baari(1/108)
We hope that the imam will think about the phrase "and he taught him
the laws of Islam", and we hope that he willthink about the last words
that we have quoted from al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar, in which he approved of
the words of Imam al-Nawawi, thatsuccess is more likely for the one
who does the obligatory duties and adds to them the recommended deeds.
Fifthly:
We advise you to adhereto the commands of Allaah, may He be exalted,
and His Messenger(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and we
also advise you to adhere to the Sunnah and kept doing mustahabb
deeds,without going to extremes or exaggerating, and teach that to
people with wisdom and good methods. It is not permissible for you to
put people off by being too strict in matters that are broad in scope,
or bymaking mustahabb things obligatory, or by going to extremes in
denouncing people, especially the elite such as the imam of the mosque
or the mufti or one who holds a similar status in people's eyes.
Listen to this comprehensive advice from a great scholar:
Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzaan (may Allaah preserve him) said:
You must adhere to the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allaah(peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) and stick to it, and not pay any
attention to the criticism of those who criticize you or blame you for
that. If your parents criticize you for adhering to the Sunnah and
they want you to be heedless about that, then do not obey them with
regard to that, especially if these sunnahs are obligatory duties that
must be adhered to, and they arenot just mustahabb, so long as it does
not reach the level of being exaggeration. But if it means that you
are exaggerating, then that is not appropriate, rather you should be
balanced and moderate in applying the Sunnah and acting upon it,
without going to extremes or exaggerating, and without being careless
or heedless. This is what you should do. Whateverthe case, you will be
rewarded – in sha Allaah– and you must adhere to the Sunnah of the
Messenger of Allaah(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and try
to convince those who are criticizing you about that, especially your
parents. You shouldencourage them to follow the Sunnah and explain to
them the reward and goodness that there is in that. Perhaps they will
drop these objections, and maybe this deed will cause them to also
adhere to the Sunnah, and you will be the one who called them to
Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted. Undoubtedly the one who wants
to call peopleto Allaah is obliged to begin with his relatives and the
closest of peopleto him, and one's parents are among the closest of
people to a person.
Whatever the case, if your adherence to the Sunnah does not go to
extremes of exaggeration, then it is something praiseworthy, and you
must continue in it, and call your parents and others to it. And
Allaah knows best.
Al-Muntaqa min Fataawaal-Shaykh al-Fawzaan(2/301, 302)
Finally: Just as it is blameworthy exaggeration to make mustahabb
things like obligatory deeds or makrooh things like haraam deeds, or
to oblige ourselves to do things that Allaah has not made obligatory
upon us, it is also ignorance of the basic principles of sharee'ah to
ignore the important general principle which is that harmony and
loveamong Muslims are essential, and we must be united in adhering
toIslam and protect the honour of the Muslim from criticism and shame,
let alone aggression and harm. It is ignorance to neglect all of that
just because someone adheres to something that is mustahabb but others
do not see it as such, or to something that he does not adhere to, and
respond by transgressing against the Muslim's honour or rights because
he neglects something that others adhere to. It is by such means that
the accursed enemy attains his goal among the believers, and it is
even worse when it happens in a foreign land where others see us as
representatives of Islam.
Imam Muslim narrated inhisSaheeh(2812) that Jaabir ibn 'Abd-Allaah
(may Allaah be pleased with him) said: I heard the Prophet(peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: "The Shaytaan has despaired of
being worshipped in the Arabian Peninsula, but he will sow seeds of
discord among them."
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
As for the description of prayer, one of its issues is the Basmalah
(saying Bismillaah…), and the people differ as to whether it is a
verse of the Qur'aan or not, and whether it is to be recited or
not.Both sideshave written books that show a great deal of ignorance
and wrongdoing, even though the issues is not that serious. Adhering
blindly to one's view in these and similar matters is one of the signs
of division and dissent which is forbidden for us. The reason for
discussing these controversial minor issues is to find out which view
is more sound, as these issues are among the least serious
controversial issues, but the shaytaan may play a role in creating
divisions among Muslims because of these minor issues.
Then he said: It is mustahabb for a man to try to reconcile people by
refraining from these mustahabb deeds, because the interests served by
reconciling people in Islam is greater than the interestserved by
doing such things. Similarly, the Prophet(peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) decided not to change the structure of the Ka'bah,
because leaving it as it was would reconcile people, and Ibn Mas'ood
criticized 'Uthmaan for offering prayers in full whilst travelling,
but he still prayed behind him when he offered the prayer in full, and
said: Dissent is evil.
Majmoo' al-Fataawa(22/405-407).
And Allaah knows best.
strict in following the Sunnah ofthe Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) because the Sunnah divides Muslims and we must be
united. He quoted as evidence the fact that a Bedouin came to the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and
said: O Messenger of Allaah, tell me of an action which, if I do it, I
will enter Paradise. He said: Worship Allaah and do not associate
anything with Him, establish the prescribed prayers, pay the
obligatory zakaah and fast Ramadaan." He said: By the One in Whose
hand is my soul, Ishall never do anything more or less than that. When
he turned to leave, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: "Whoever would like to look upon a man who is one of the
people of Paradise, let him look upon this man."
Is this correct? Please note that we are followers of the Sunnah, and
he calls the one whofollows the Sunnah an extremist.
Please advise us, may Allaah bless you.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
Your imam has said something that is wrongand false. What he should
have done was fear Allaah his Lord and refrain from speaking words
that involved sin.
The Prophetic Sunnah is the guidance of the Prophet(peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) and his wordsand deeds. How can the
Sunnah be dividing the Muslims?! What can unite them if the
Sunnahdivides them?
If this imam was sincere he would have said that the Sunnah is what
unites people, and brings them together.
Imam Abu'l-Muzaffar al-Sam'aani (may Allaah have mercy on him)
said:The reason why ahl al-hadeeth were united is that they learned
theirreligion from the Qur'aan and Sunnah andsound reports, which
united them and brought them together, whereas the followers
ofinnovation learned theirreligion by means of reasoning, which
divided them and made them differ.Al-Intisaar li Ahl al-Hadeeth(p.
47),
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
The cause of unity and harmony is accepting the religion as a whole
and following all of it, which is worshipping Allaah alone with no
partner or associate, as He enjoined, both inwardly and outwardly.The
cause of division is failing to do some of that which is enjoined upon
a person, and transgression among different groups.
The result of unity is mercy from Allaah, His pleasure and blessings,
happiness in this world and in the Hereafter andbrightness of the
face, whereas the result of division is the punishment and curse
ofAllaah, darkness of the face and the disavowal of the Messenger.
Majmoo' al-Fataawa(1/17).
He (may Allaah have mercy on him) also said:
Accepting sound reports from the Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) brings harmony, as was narrated from Maalik (may Allaah
have mercy on him) who said: When knowledge decreases harshness will
prevail and when there is little knowledge of hadeeth then whims and
desires will prevail.
Dar' al-Ta'aarud (1/149)
How can the follower of the Sunnah be called an extremist when the
Muslim is enjoined to follow it and take the guidance of the
Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) as his example?
What would this imam say about the deeds of the Sahaabah (may Allaah
bepleased with them) when they followed the Sunnah of their
Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) so closely? What
would he say about this event?
It was narrated that Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri (may Allaah be pleased with
him) said: Whilst the Messenger of Allaah(peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) wasleading his companions in prayer, he took off
hissandals and placed themto his left. When the people saw that, they
took off their sandals too. When the Messenger of Allaah(peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) finished the prayer he said: What
made you take off your sandals? They said: We saw you take off your
sandals so we took ours off too. The Messenger of Allaah(peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: Jibreel(peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) came to me and told me that there was some dirt on
them. and he said: When one of you comes to the mosque, let him look
and if he sees any dirt (impurity) on his shoes, let him wipe it off
and pray in them."
Narrated by Abu Dawood (650); classed assaheeh by al-Albaani.
These companions of theProphet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) took off their shoes whilst praying simply because they saw their
Prophet(peace andblessings of Allaah be upon him) take off his shoes.
So what if it was aSunnah narrated from him or it was something that
he taught?
Secondly:
Criticizing the followers of the Sunnah of the Prophet(peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) and accusing them of being
extremistsor fanatics is offensive and is slander. Allaah hasissued a
warning to the one who does that, let alone the fact that it is an
imitation of the mushrikeen who did thisbefore him.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And those who annoy believing men and women undeservedly, they bear
(on themselves) the crime of slander and plain sin"
[al-Ahzaab 33:58]
"Verily, (during the worldly life) those who committed crimes used to
laugh at those who believed.
30. And, whenever they passed by them, used to wink one to another (in mockery).
31. And when they returned to their own people, they would return jesting;
32. And when they saw them, they said: 'Verily, these have indeed gone astray'"
[al-Mutaffifeen 83:29-32]
Shaykh al-'Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
"And when they saw them" means, when the sinners saw the believers, they said:
"Verily, these have indeed gone astray" i.e.,gone astray from the
right path, and they are backward and narrow-minded and extreme, and
other such labels. Those people have their successors in our own
times. Some people say of good people that theyare regressive and
backward, and they say of the one who is religiously committed that he
is extremist and narrow-minded. Even worse than all of that, they said
of the Messengers that they were sorcerers or madmen. Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):"Likewise, no Messenger came to
thosebefore them but they said: 'A sorcerer or a madman!'"
[al-Dhaariyaat 51:52]. The heirs of the Messengers, who are
thescholars and those who are religiously committed encounter the same
from the enemies of the Messengers as the Messengers encountered, of
offensive labels and mockery, and so on. Among these accusationsthat
the followers of innovation and those who deny the attributes of
Allaah gave to those of the early generation who affirmed His
attributes was that they thought of Allaah as a physical being, and
other such negative accusations which put people off from the
rightway.
Liqaa'aat al-Baab il-Maftooh(no. 30).
Thirdly:
The kind of strictness in religious adherence which is to be
criticized is that which regards mustahabb things as obligatory and
makrooh things as haraam. The Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) warned against going to extremes in religion, andhe also
warned against undue strictness. Extremism and strictness does not
mean applying the Sunnah, rather it means changing its rulings and
being too strict with regard to commands and prohibitions when that is
not the case.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said – commenting on the hadeeth, "Do not
be too strict with yourselves, for some people were strict on
themselves and Allaah was strict on them, and we see the remnants of
that in theirhermitages and monasteries." - :
Here the Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade
being strict in religion by going beyond what isprescribed. Strictness
may sometimes means taking what is not obligatory or mustahabband
making it obligatoryor mustahabb with regard to acts of worship, and
sometimes it may mean taking something that is not haraam or makrooh
and making it haraam or makrooh with regard to things that are good.
The reason for that is that Allaah was very strict on those among the
Christians who were too strict on themselves, until it ended up in the
innovation of monasticism.
Thus it may be noted that the Prophet dislikedsuch things that the
Christians did, such as innovation of monasticism, even though many
devoted Muslims have fallen into the same trap on the basis of their
interpretation for which they may be excused, or they fell into this
trap with no justification.
It may also be noted thatbeing too strict with oneself in the
beginningmay lead to further strictness imposed by Allaah, either
through laws or through His decree. As for laws, this is what the
Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) feared during his
own time, of an increase in obligations or prohibitions such as
thatwhich he feared when they gathered to pay Taraweeh with him, and
when they asked about things that had not beenforbidden, and such as
the fact that when a person vows to do an actof worship it becomes
obligatory for him to do it even though he is forbidden to make
vows,and similarly expiations which become obligatory for specific
reasons.
As for the divine decree, we have often seen and heard that those who
goto extremes in some issues, will be caused to suffer in ways that
lead to things becoming more strict on him with regard to what is
obligatory and what is haraam, such as many ofthose who are affected
with waswaas about purification. When they do more than is prescribed,
they will endup suffering from things that lead to something that may
cause more hardship and harm to them.
Iqtida' al-Siraat al-Mustaqeem(103, 104).
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said, commenting
on the hadeeth of the Messenger(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him): "O people, beware of going to extremes in religious matters for
those who came before you were doomed because of going to extremes in
religious matters." Narrated by al-Nasaa'i (3059) and Ibn Maajah
(3029); classed as saheehby al-Albaani inSaheeh al-Nasaa'i:
In this hadeeth the Messenger(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) warned his ummah against going toextremes and proved that going
to extremes isa cause of doom, because it is contrary to sharee'ah,
and because it led to the downfall of previous nations. So it may be
understood fromthis that going to extremes is haraam for two reasons:
1 –He(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) warned against it,
and a warning is a prohibition and more.
2 –It is the cause of nations' downfall as those who came before us
were destroyed, and whatever is the cause of doom is haraam.
With regard to worship, people may go to one of two extremes or be
moderate. Some are negligent, some exaggerate and some are moderate.
The proper way (as prescribed by Islam) is the middle way betweengoing
to extremes and being negligent. Being moderate and not inclining
towards either extreme is what is required. It is not permissible to
exaggerate and go to extremes in religious matters, or to be
carelessand not pay any heed. Rather we should tread a middle path
between both.
Majmoo' Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen(9/367, 368).
Fourthly:
The hadeeth which your imam quoted as evidence was narrated by
al-Bukhaari (1333) and Muslim (14), and there is no dispute as to its
soundness, but he hasmisunderstood it. If he had studied its
narrations and what the scholars said, he would not have quoted it as
evidence in this manner.According to a report narrated by al-Bukhaari,
it says, "and taught him the laws of Islam." This wording includes all
other obligatory duties, and things that are recommended.
Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
The words "he was asking about Islam" mean, about the laws of Islam.
It may be understood that he asked about the realties of Islam. He did
not mention the Shahaadah to him because he knew that he already knew
it, or he knew that he was asking about practical laws, or he
mentioned it but the narrator did not transmit it because it is so
well known. And he did not mention Hajj either because it had notbeen
enjoined yet or because the narrator had shortened the report. This
second view is supported by the report narrated by the compiler –
i.e., al-Bukhaari – concerning fasting via Ismaa'eel ibn Ja'far from
Abu Suhayl in this hadeeth. He said: The Messenger of Allaah(peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) toldhim of the laws of Islam, and he
included all obligatory and recommended deeds in that.
"And the Messenger of Allaah(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) mentioned zakaah" – in the report of Ismaa'eel ibn Ja'far it
says: He told me of what Allaah had enjoined upon me of zakaah. He
said: The Messenger of Allaah(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) told him of the laws of Islam. This report shows that there were
things in the story that were told in brief form, such as explaining
the minimum thresholds for paying zakaah, which are not explained in
these two reports, and neither are the names of the prayers. It seems
that the reason for that is that these things were well known among
them, or that the purpose of the story wasto show that the one who
adheres to the obligatory duties will be saved even if he does not do
naafil actions.
With regard to him succeeding when he does not fall short in that,
this is clear, but how can he succeed if he does not add anything to
it? Al-Nawawi answered by saying that the hadeeth confirms that he
will succeed because he has done what he is required to do, and there
is nothing to suggest that if he does more than that he will not be
successful, because if he succeeds by doing what is obligatory, he is
more likely to succeed if he does recommended actions as well as
obligatory deeds.
Fath al-Baari(1/108)
We hope that the imam will think about the phrase "and he taught him
the laws of Islam", and we hope that he willthink about the last words
that we have quoted from al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar, in which he approved of
the words of Imam al-Nawawi, thatsuccess is more likely for the one
who does the obligatory duties and adds to them the recommended deeds.
Fifthly:
We advise you to adhereto the commands of Allaah, may He be exalted,
and His Messenger(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and we
also advise you to adhere to the Sunnah and kept doing mustahabb
deeds,without going to extremes or exaggerating, and teach that to
people with wisdom and good methods. It is not permissible for you to
put people off by being too strict in matters that are broad in scope,
or bymaking mustahabb things obligatory, or by going to extremes in
denouncing people, especially the elite such as the imam of the mosque
or the mufti or one who holds a similar status in people's eyes.
Listen to this comprehensive advice from a great scholar:
Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzaan (may Allaah preserve him) said:
You must adhere to the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allaah(peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) and stick to it, and not pay any
attention to the criticism of those who criticize you or blame you for
that. If your parents criticize you for adhering to the Sunnah and
they want you to be heedless about that, then do not obey them with
regard to that, especially if these sunnahs are obligatory duties that
must be adhered to, and they arenot just mustahabb, so long as it does
not reach the level of being exaggeration. But if it means that you
are exaggerating, then that is not appropriate, rather you should be
balanced and moderate in applying the Sunnah and acting upon it,
without going to extremes or exaggerating, and without being careless
or heedless. This is what you should do. Whateverthe case, you will be
rewarded – in sha Allaah– and you must adhere to the Sunnah of the
Messenger of Allaah(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and try
to convince those who are criticizing you about that, especially your
parents. You shouldencourage them to follow the Sunnah and explain to
them the reward and goodness that there is in that. Perhaps they will
drop these objections, and maybe this deed will cause them to also
adhere to the Sunnah, and you will be the one who called them to
Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted. Undoubtedly the one who wants
to call peopleto Allaah is obliged to begin with his relatives and the
closest of peopleto him, and one's parents are among the closest of
people to a person.
Whatever the case, if your adherence to the Sunnah does not go to
extremes of exaggeration, then it is something praiseworthy, and you
must continue in it, and call your parents and others to it. And
Allaah knows best.
Al-Muntaqa min Fataawaal-Shaykh al-Fawzaan(2/301, 302)
Finally: Just as it is blameworthy exaggeration to make mustahabb
things like obligatory deeds or makrooh things like haraam deeds, or
to oblige ourselves to do things that Allaah has not made obligatory
upon us, it is also ignorance of the basic principles of sharee'ah to
ignore the important general principle which is that harmony and
loveamong Muslims are essential, and we must be united in adhering
toIslam and protect the honour of the Muslim from criticism and shame,
let alone aggression and harm. It is ignorance to neglect all of that
just because someone adheres to something that is mustahabb but others
do not see it as such, or to something that he does not adhere to, and
respond by transgressing against the Muslim's honour or rights because
he neglects something that others adhere to. It is by such means that
the accursed enemy attains his goal among the believers, and it is
even worse when it happens in a foreign land where others see us as
representatives of Islam.
Imam Muslim narrated inhisSaheeh(2812) that Jaabir ibn 'Abd-Allaah
(may Allaah be pleased with him) said: I heard the Prophet(peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: "The Shaytaan has despaired of
being worshipped in the Arabian Peninsula, but he will sow seeds of
discord among them."
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
As for the description of prayer, one of its issues is the Basmalah
(saying Bismillaah…), and the people differ as to whether it is a
verse of the Qur'aan or not, and whether it is to be recited or
not.Both sideshave written books that show a great deal of ignorance
and wrongdoing, even though the issues is not that serious. Adhering
blindly to one's view in these and similar matters is one of the signs
of division and dissent which is forbidden for us. The reason for
discussing these controversial minor issues is to find out which view
is more sound, as these issues are among the least serious
controversial issues, but the shaytaan may play a role in creating
divisions among Muslims because of these minor issues.
Then he said: It is mustahabb for a man to try to reconcile people by
refraining from these mustahabb deeds, because the interests served by
reconciling people in Islam is greater than the interestserved by
doing such things. Similarly, the Prophet(peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) decided not to change the structure of the Ka'bah,
because leaving it as it was would reconcile people, and Ibn Mas'ood
criticized 'Uthmaan for offering prayers in full whilst travelling,
but he still prayed behind him when he offered the prayer in full, and
said: Dissent is evil.
Majmoo' al-Fataawa(22/405-407).
And Allaah knows best.
Dought & clear - Differing from the mushrikeen with regard to the beard.
I know that we are supposed to let our beards grow in order to be
different from the mushrikeen, but nowadays they let their beards grow
too. What is your opinion?
Praise be to Allaah.
It is waajib (obligatory) to let the beard grow, and shaving it is
haraam (forbidden). Imaam Ahmad, al-Bukhaari, Muslim and others
narrated from Ibn 'Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him and his
father) that the Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: "Be different from the mushrikeen: let your beards grow and trim
your moutsaches." Ahmad and Muslim reported from Abu Hurayrah (may
Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet(peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: "Cut your moustaches and let your beards
grow: be different from the Magians." Persisting in shaving one's
beard is a major sin (kabeerah); the one who does this should be
advised against it, and his action should be denounced, especially if
he is in a position of religious leadership.
The idea of being different from the Magians and other mushrikeen does
not mean being different from them in every single thing, particularly
if they happen to be doing something righteous or good in accordance
with the fitrah (natural inclinations of man). What is meant is that
weshould be different fromthem in matters where they have gone astray
and deviated from the truth and the dictates of the fitrah, and gone
against the way of the Prophets and Messengers by shaving their
beards. We should differ from them in this case by letting our beards
grow and cuttingour moustaches, following the guidance of the Prophets
and Messengers, and in accordance with the fitrah. It is proven that
the Messenger of Allaah(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: "Ten things are part of the fitrah: cuttingthe moustache,
letting the beard grow, cleaning the teeth with a siwaak, rinsing the
nose with water, cuttingone's nails, washing between the
finger-joints, plucking the armpit hairs, shaving thepubic hair and
cleaning one's private parts with water." (Reported by Ahmad, Muslim
and the four authors ofSunan, from the hadeeth of 'Aa'ishah, may
Allaah be pleased with her).Even ifthe kaafiroon start letting their
beards grow, this does not mean that the Muslims are allowed to shave
theirs, because as we have stated above, the idea is not to be
different from them in everything, only in the things in which they
have deviated from the truth and from the fitrah.
different from the mushrikeen, but nowadays they let their beards grow
too. What is your opinion?
Praise be to Allaah.
It is waajib (obligatory) to let the beard grow, and shaving it is
haraam (forbidden). Imaam Ahmad, al-Bukhaari, Muslim and others
narrated from Ibn 'Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him and his
father) that the Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: "Be different from the mushrikeen: let your beards grow and trim
your moutsaches." Ahmad and Muslim reported from Abu Hurayrah (may
Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet(peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: "Cut your moustaches and let your beards
grow: be different from the Magians." Persisting in shaving one's
beard is a major sin (kabeerah); the one who does this should be
advised against it, and his action should be denounced, especially if
he is in a position of religious leadership.
The idea of being different from the Magians and other mushrikeen does
not mean being different from them in every single thing, particularly
if they happen to be doing something righteous or good in accordance
with the fitrah (natural inclinations of man). What is meant is that
weshould be different fromthem in matters where they have gone astray
and deviated from the truth and the dictates of the fitrah, and gone
against the way of the Prophets and Messengers by shaving their
beards. We should differ from them in this case by letting our beards
grow and cuttingour moustaches, following the guidance of the Prophets
and Messengers, and in accordance with the fitrah. It is proven that
the Messenger of Allaah(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: "Ten things are part of the fitrah: cuttingthe moustache,
letting the beard grow, cleaning the teeth with a siwaak, rinsing the
nose with water, cuttingone's nails, washing between the
finger-joints, plucking the armpit hairs, shaving thepubic hair and
cleaning one's private parts with water." (Reported by Ahmad, Muslim
and the four authors ofSunan, from the hadeeth of 'Aa'ishah, may
Allaah be pleased with her).Even ifthe kaafiroon start letting their
beards grow, this does not mean that the Muslims are allowed to shave
theirs, because as we have stated above, the idea is not to be
different from them in everything, only in the things in which they
have deviated from the truth and from the fitrah.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)