Dought & clear, - sacrifice, - What should the one who wants to offer a sacrifice refrain from doing?

With regard to a Muslim who is not performing Hajj, what should he do
during the first ten days of Dhu'l-Hijjah? Is cutting the nails and
hair not permissible? Is putting on henna or wearing new clothes not
permitted until after the sacrifice has been slaughtered?.
Praise be to Allaah.
If the onset of Dhu'l-Hijjah has been proven and a person wants to
offer a sacrifice, it is haraam for him to remove anything from the
hair on his body or to cut his nails or any part of his skin. It is
not forbidden for him to wear new clothes or to put on henna or
perfume, or to be intimate with his wife or have intercourse with her.
This ruling applies only to the one who is going to offer the
sacrifice, and not to the rest of his family, and not to the one whom
he appoints to slaughter the sacrifice on his behalf. None of these
things are forbidden for his wife or children, or for his deputy.
No differentiation is made between men and women with regard to this
ruling. If a woman wants to offer a sacrifice on her own behalf,
whether she is married or not, then she should refrain from removing
any hair from her body or cutting her nails, because of the general
meaning of the texts which state that that is not allowed.
This is not called ihraam, because there is no ihraam except during
the rituals of Hajj and 'Umrah, and the one who is in ihraam wears the
ihraam garments and refrains from wearing perfume, having intercourse,
and hunting, but all of these things are permissible for the one who
wants to offer a sacrifice after the month of Dhu'l-Hijjah begins. He
is not forbidden to do anything except cut his hair, trim his nails or
remove anything from his skin.
It was narrated from Umm Salamah (may Allaah be pleased with her) that
the Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "When you
see the new moon of Dhu'l-Hijjah, and one of you wants to offer a
sacrifice, let him refrain from (removing anything) from his hair or
nails." Narrated by Muslim, 1977. According to another version: "Let
him not remove anything of his hair or skin."
The scholars of the Standing Committee said:
It is prescribed for the one who wants to offer a sacrifice, when the
month of Dhu'l-Hijjah begins, that he should not remove anything from
his hair, nails or skin until he has offered the sacrifice, because of
the report narrated by the group apart from al-Bukhaari (may Allaah
have mercy on them), from Umm Salamah (may Allaah be pleased with
her), that the Messenger of Allaah(peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said: "When you see the new moon of Dhu'l-Hijjah, and one
of you wants to offer a sacrifice, let him refrain from (removing
anything) from his hair or nails." According to a version narrated by
Abu Dawood, Muslim and al-Nasaa'i: "Whoever has a sacrifice to offer,
when the new moon of Dhu'l-Hijjah begins, let him not remove anything
from his hair or nails until he has offered the sacrifice" – whether
he is going to slaughter the sacrifice himself or has asked someone
else to slaughter it on his behalf. As for the one on whose behalf the
sacrifice is being offered, that is not prescribed in his case,
because there is no report to that effect. That is not called ihraam,
rather ihraam refers to the one who enters ihraam for Hajj or 'Umrah
or both. End quote.
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah, 11/397, 398
The scholars of the Standing Committee were asked:
In the hadeeth it says, "Whoever wants to offer a sacrifice or appoint
some else to slaughter the sacrifice for him, from the beginning of
the month of Dhu'l-Hijjah, let him not remove anything from his hair,
skin or nails, until he has offered the sacrifice." Does this
prohibition apply to all the members of a household, old and young, or
does it apply to the adults only and not the children?
They replied:
We do not know of a version of the hadeeth which appears as mentioned
in the question. The version which we know is narrated from the
Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), as reported by the
group apart from al-Bukhaari from Umm Salamah (may Allaah be pleased
with her), according to which the Messenger of Allaah(peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "When you see the new moon of
Dhu'l-Hijjah, and one of you wants to offer a sacrifice, let him
refrain from (removing anything) from his hair or nails." According to
a version narrated by Abu Dawood – which was also narrated by Muslim
and al-Nasaa'i – "Whoever has a sacrifice to offer, when the new moon
of Dhu'l-Hijjah begins, let him not remove anything from his hair or
nails until he has offered the sacrifice." This hadeeth indicates that
it is not allowed to remove anything from the hair or nails after the
first ten days of Dhu'l-Hijjah begin, for the one who wants to offer a
sacrifice. The first report includes a command to refrain, which
basically implies that refraining is obligatory, and we do not know of
any reason to interpret it otherwise. The second report includes the
prohibition on removing anything, which basically implies that it is
haraam, and we do not know of any reason to interpret it otherwise.
Thus it is clear that this hadeeth applies only to the one who wants
to offer the sacrifice. As for the one on whose behalf the sacrifice
is being offered, whether he is old or young he is not forbidden to
remove anything from his hair, skin or nails, based on the basic
principle, which is that these actions are permitted. We do not know
of any evidence to the contrary. End quote.
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-'Daa'imah, 11/426, 427
Secondly:
None of these things are haraam for the one who does not intend to
offer a sacrifice because he is unable to. Whoever removes anything
from his hair or nails although he plans to offer a sacrifice does not
have to offer any fidyah (ransom), but he has to repent and seek
forgiveness.
Ibn Hazm (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
Whoever wants to offer a sacrifice, it is obligatory for him, once the
month of Dhu'l-Hijjah begins, not to remove anything from his hair or
nails until he has offered the sacrifice, whether that is by shaving,
trimming or any other means. Whoever does not plan to offer a
sacrifice is not obliged to adhere to that.
Al-Muhallah, 6/3
Ibn Qudaamah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
Once this is established, then he should forego cutting his hair or
clipping his nails. If he does that, he should ask Allaah for
forgiveness, but he does not have to offer any fidyah, according to
scholarly consensus, whether he did that deliberately or out of
forgetfulness.
Al-Mughni, 9/346
Note:
Al-Shawkaani said:
The reason behind this prohibition is so that all parts will remain to
be ransomed from the Fire, or it was said that it is so that he will
resemble the one who is in ihraam. Both views were narrated by
al-Nawawi, but he narrated from the companions of al-Shaafa'i that the
second view is a mistake, because (the person who wants to offer a
sacrifice) does not keep away from women or stop putting on perfume or
wearing regular clothes, and other things which the person in ihraam
refrains from.
Nayl al-Awtaar, 5/133
And Allaah knows best.

PRACTICE OF THE PROPHET (SAAS)

One of the most important characteristics, frequently mentioned with
regards to the Prophet (saas) in the Qur'an, is that he only practiced
what Allah revealed and asked of him, with no concern about what
others might think. Important figures and members of other religions
at the time wanted him to impose rules that would benefit them.
Although these people were more numerous and powerful, the Prophet
(saas) was punctilious about abiding by Allah's commandments and the
Qur'an. Allah tells us the following in one verse:
When Our Clear Signs are recited to them, those who do not expect to
meet Us say, "Bring a Qur'an other than this one or change it." Say:
"It is not for me to change it of my own accord. I follow nothing
except what is revealed to me. I fear, were I to disobey my Lord, the
punishment of a Dreadful Day." Say: "Had Allah so wished, I would not
have recited it to you nor would He have made it known to you. I lived
among you for many years before it came. Will you not use your
intellect?" (Surah Yunus: 15-16)
In a number of verses of the Qur'an, Allah warned the Prophet (saas)
about the conduct of his people. For instance:
And We have sent down the Book to you [Muhammad] with truth,
confirming and conserving the previous Books. So judge between them by
what Allah has sent down and do not follow their whims and desires
deviating from the Truth that has come to you. We have appointed a law
and a practice for every one of you. Had Allah willed, He would have
made you a single community, but He wanted to test you regarding what
has come to you. So compete with each other in doing good. Every one
of you will return to Allah and He will inform you regarding the
things about which you differed. Judge between them by what Allah has
sent down and do not follow their whims and desires. And beware of
them lest they lure you away from some of what Allah has sent down to
you. If they turn their backs, then know that Allah wants to afflict
them with some of their wrong actions. Many of mankind are deviators.
(Surat al-Ma'ida: 48-49)
The Prophet (saas) told people repeatedly and determinedly to do
nothing but that which Allah had revealed to him. One verse concerning
this superior morality of the Prophet (saas) reads:
Say: "I do not say to you that I possess the treasuries of Allah, nor
do I know the Unseen, nor do I say to you that I am an angel. I only
follow what has been revealed to me." Say: "Are the blind the same as
those who can see? So will you not reflect?" (Surat al-An'am: 50)
Alongside that determination and constancy in the way of Allah, the
Prophet (saas) told people about the true religion in the best and
most pleasing manner. Comparing the Prophet (saas) to the great
majority of people will be very helpful in understanding his superior
qualities. Most people, now as in the past, are consumed with desires,
longings and passions. Although the great majority believe in
religion, they are unable to overcome those obsessions. Instead of
giving up those desires, they make concessions when it comes to their
religious obligations. They fail to carry out some of those
obligations out of concern, for instance, over what their spouses,
relatives or friends might say. Or, they are unable to give up habits
that are unacceptable to the religion. They therefore interpret
religion according to their own interests, accept those rules which
suit them, and reject those which do not.
The Prophet (saas) never made any concessions to what such people
wanted. He conveyed the Qur'an to mankind with no alteration to what
Allah had revealed, taking no one's personal interests into account,
and did so simply in the spirit of fear of Allah. Allah speaks of the
Prophet (saas)'s godliness (taqwa) in the Qur'an:
By the star when it descends, your companion is not misguided or
misled; nor does he speak from whim. It is nothing but Revelation
revealed, taught him by one immensely strong, possessing power and
splendour [i.e., Gabriel]...(Surat an-Najm: 1-6)
Know that the Messenger of Allah is among you. If he were to obey you
in many things, you would suffer for it.However, Allah has given you
love of faith and made it pleasing to your hearts, and has made
disbelief, deviance and disobedience hateful to you. People such as
these are rightly guided. (Surat al-Hujurat: 7)

THE BELIEF (I'TIQAD) AND ESSENTIALS OF THE AHL AL-SUNNAH

No school of thought (madhhab) was needed during the Age of Happiness
and the time of the Four Rightly Guided Caliphs, because people
learned the faith directly from Prophet Muhammad (saas) and his
Companions.
As heretical movements and divisions based on un-Islamic ideas and
practices (bid`ah) gradually emerged, devout scholars still following
the path of the Prophet (saas) and his companions began to identify
various measures in his beliefs and deeds. They presented people with
a purified form of Islam by distinguishing between truth and error.
One outgrowth of this effort was the Ahl al-Sunnahmadhhab.
Several elements separate the Ahl al-Sunnah from heretical movements,
some of which attracted gullible persons by opposing the Ahl
al-Sunnah's criteria. Therefore, those who follow our Prophet's (saas)
path must always be on our guard against such types of corruption. The
first thing we need to do is to learn about and bear in mind the
essence of the Ahl al-Sunnah's belief (i`tiqad).
Matters upon Which the Ahl al-Sunnah Agree
1) Belief in Allah (swt)
Believing in Allah's (swt) names, as referred to in the Qur'an and the
Sunnah, is Islam's basic tenet. It is impossible to bestow titles
befitting human beings on Allah (swt), for He cannot be compared with
His own creation. Each of His names has been mentioned in the Qur'an.
Great care must be taken here, and no credence should be given to
heretical views.
So long as people consider themselves Muslim, they must harbor no
doubts about Islam and must not regard themselves as unbelievers due
to any deficiencies they may have, so long as they have faith in their
hearts. Having such a misguided perspective as regards their own faith
is very harmful in terms of our belief. Indeed, our Lord reveals the
following in the Qur'an:
Who could say anything better than someone who calls to Allah, acts
rightly, and says: éI am a Muslim"? (Surah Fussilat: 33)
2) The Ahl al-Sunnah's Belief in the Qur'an
The Qur'an is the word of Allah (swt). It came from Allah's (swt)
presence and will return to Him. It is the last and final Divine book,
and the only book of truth that will remain valid until the Day of
Judgment. Certain heretical movements have other ideas on this
subject.
You receive the Qur'an directly from One who is All-Wise, All-Knowing.
(Surat al-Naml: 6)
3) Allah Cannot Be Seen in This World
Nowhere does Prophet Muhammad (saas) say that he actually saw Allah
(swt). One hadith, which some people claim implies this, has been
unanimously rejected by Islamic scholars. According to the Ahl
al-Sunnah, anyone claiming to have seen Allah (swt) before they die is
a liar. In one hadith, our Prophet (saas) states: éNone of you will
see our Lord before he dies" (Muslim).
4) Believers Will See Our Lord in Paradise
Books of trustworthy hadiths refer to people seeing Allah (swt) after
Day of Judgment with the eye of the Hereafter. However, the Jahmiyya,
Mu'tazila, and Rafida schools maintained the opposite.
Allah (swt) is not in any one space or on the Throne. Rather, He (swt)
is exalted far above all space. The Karramiyya school holds some views
on this matter that are incompatible with those of the Ahl al-Sunnah.
5) What Happens after Death?
The Ahl al-Sunnah believe in the Prophet's (saas) literal words
concerning the Hereafter and that punishment that will be meted out in
the grave. The Mu'tazila, on the other hand, do not believe this.
According to the Ahl al-Sunnah, the grave is the garden of Paradise
for the believers and one of the deepest pits of Hell for the
unbelievers.
Questioning by Munkir and Nakir, the two angels who will question each
Muslim in the grave, is also a fact. Members of the Qadariyya school
deny this questioning. Anyone who does not turn to Allah (swt),
recognize the Prophet (saas), abide by his Sunnah, or act according to
the Qur'an will experience great difficulties when called to account
in the grave.
The soul is restored to the body on the Day of Judgment, at which time
the unbelievers will not be asked about their good and evil deeds.
Rather, their actions will be counted and calculated. Once they admit
their sins, they will be punished.
Whoever safely crosses al-Sirat, a bridge that has been built over
Hell, will enter Paradise. After doing this, they will stop on a
bridge between Paradise and Hell. Here, their mutual rights in this
world will be considered and the rights will be returned to their
owners. If they are saved from here and forgiven, they will be allowed
to enter Paradise.
6) The Intercession (Shafaat) of the Prophet (saas)
On the Day of Judgment, the Messenger of Allah (saas) will have three
separate intercession (shafaat). He will perform the first one for all
the people gathered on the Day of Judgment, the second one so that the
people of Paradise may enter it, and the third for those who have
earned Hellfire. He will also performshafaatso that some people who
have entered Hell may leave it due to some of the deeds that did while
alive. The prayers and alms of the living will also benefit deceased
believers.
Members of the Wahabbi school in particular have produced various
ideas concerning the Prophet's (saas)shafaatthat are incompatible with
those of the Ahl al-Sunnah.
7) Belief in Destiny
The Ahl al-Sunnah believe in the good and evil of destiny. There are
two degrees of belief in destiny:
The first degree is that Allah (swt) is fully aware of what every
member of creation has done and will do. He knows their obedience and
their rebellion before they ever take place. Almighty Allah (swt) has
written the destiny of all that exists on al-Lawh al-Mahfuz (the
Preserved Tablet). A person's destiny is brought to him by an angel
while he is still in an embryonic form, before his soul has been
breathed into him. Some members of the Qadarriya school have adopted
several mistaken suppositions here. Muslims must be on their guard on
this highly sensitive issue.
The second one is that Allah's (swt) will is superior to that of human
beings. No one can be a believer or an unbeliever unless Allah (swt)
wills it to be so. The Qadariyya school rejects this aspect of
destiny.
8) Faith Consists of Words and Deeds; Therefore, It Increases and Decreases
This is a basic tenet of the Ahl al-Sunnah. Faith rises according to
the level of one's obedience and declines according to one's sins. All
good works fall under the scope of religion and faith.
9) The People of the Qibla Cannot Be Excommunicated (Takfir) Due to Sinning
Someone adhering to the Ahl al-Sunnah's convictions does not
excommunicate another believer who prays in the same direction (qibla)
as he does or claim that such a person is an unbeliever. His faith may
not, perhaps, be absolute. Kharijism, Islam's first heretical
movement, produced its first corruption (fitna) on this very subject.
No matter how many good works someone who has lapsed into denial may
perform, he will not benefit from them. Similarly, no matter how many
sins a Muslim may commit, he cannot be considered a denier until he
says that what is allowed is actually prohibited and that what is
prohibited is actually allowed.
10) The Miracles of theAwliyaof Allah (swt) Are Accurate
Belief in the miracles (karamah) of theAwliyaof Allah (swt), the
extraordinary states to which Allah (swt) gives rise by their hand,
and the discoveries they make in various spheres of knowledge are
among the essence of the Ahl al-Sunnah's convictions.
11) The Prophet's (saas) Miraculous Journey
According to the Qur'an and the hadiths, our Prophet (saas) ascended
to a world beyond the heavens in both body and soul. Anyone who
rejects this miraculous journey is considered to have fallen into
denial. The Qur'an reveals that our Prophet's (saas) going to Bayt
al-Maqdis (Jerusalem) is an absolute truth, and reliable hadiths
confirm that he rose to the skies.
Glory be to Him Who took His servant on a night journey from the
Masjid al-Haram [in Makkah] to the Masjid al-Aqsa [in Jerusalem],
whose surroundings We have blessed, in order to show him some of Our
signs. He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing. (Surat al-Isra', 1)
In order to create corruption, the deniers and hypocrites, who did not
believe in this miracle, dared to mock it. This corruption soon spread
all over Makkah, for they told everyone that they met about it. One of
them asked Abu Bakr (ra):éMuhammad (saas) claims to have gone from
Makkah to Jerusalem in a single night. What do you say?"With his usual
exemplary trust and submission, Abu Bakr (ra) ended this spreading
corruption by replying:éIf he says so, then it is true."
12) Acknowledging Allah (swt)
Those who refuse to accept Allah (swt) in their words, despite knowing
Him in their hearts, are unbelievers. Those who refuse to recognize
Allah (swt) in their hearts, despite accepting Him in their words, are
hypocrites. However, it is not appropriate to accuse anyone of
hypocrisy in the absence of outright denial or any solid evidence of
hypocrisy.
13) The Day of Judgment
The Day of Judgment is the final day of life for the universe, as
predetermined by Allah (swt). Everyone will be called to account on
the Day of Judgment. No one will return to Earth in a second body, for
all of the bodies of everyone who has ever lived, from the time of
Prophet Adam (as) right up until the Day of Judgment, were created
beforehand. No soul will return to Earth with a different body.
14) Appreciating Those Given the Glad Tidings of Paradise
Any inappropriate word spoken against a Companion of the Prophet
(saas) who received the glad tidings of Paradise is not in line with
the respect due to them and is a great sin toward those great
individuals. These Companions are:
Abu Bakr (ra)
Umar (ra)
Uthman (ra)
Ali (ra)
Talha (ra)
Zubayr ibn Awwam (ra)
Sa`d ibn Abi Waqqas (ra)
Said ibn Zayd (ra)
Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf (ra), and
Abu Ubaydah ibn Jarrah (ra).
The history of Islam's early days is full of these superior
individuals' heroism. Rasulullah (saas) praised them in his hadiths
and even stated that, after himself, some of them were worthy of the
rank of prophethood. For that reason, any slander uttered against them
is regarded as being uttered against the Prophet (saas) himself.
A common feature of heretical movements is the way they adopt a tone
of opposition to some of the Companions whom have been given the glad
tidings of Paradise. There is absolutely no room for such views among
the Ahl al-Sunnah.
15) None Other than the Messengers Is Protected from Imperfection
Allah (swt) protects all of His messengers' words. The importance of
complying with the words spoken and/or written by the great Islamic
scholars who follow the line of the Ahl al-Sunnah is also critical for
believers. However, contrary to what some extremist movements claim,
no one is obliged to abide by these.
16) The Sources of Reference in Islam
Anything that is incompatible with the Qur'an and the sunnah is
unacceptable. This is the most important distinguishing feature
between the Ahl al-Sunnah wa'l-Jama'ah and other groups. Indeed,
Rasulullah (saas) tells us that when we cannot agree on a particular
matter, we must first look to the Qur'an and then to the sunnah. The
Ahl al-Sunnah believe that seeking to depict something that is not
part of the Qur'an and the sunnah as part of Islam is to be avoided at
all costs.
17) To Make No Interpretation of the Qur'an and the Sunnah
Reason and analogy are not to be used to interpret the Qur'an and the
sunnah, because the Companions and the scholars of our school learned
their knowledge directly from the Qur'an and the sunnah. Believers
accept everything that is compatible with the Qur'an and the sunnah
and reject everything that violates them. The main feature
distinguishing the Ahl al-Sunnah wa'l-Jama'ah from other groups is how
they regard these two sources as the essential sources of all
knowledge. They interpret all matters in light of them, instead of
following their presumption, whims, and desires. Nobody has the right
to cast any doubt on the Qur'an and the sunnah.

Story, - Father of my unborn child

After my SSC exam,I wanted to have a boy friend...just 4 fun...but
there was none suitable.Suddenly one day a friend came to my house n
said that a boy(let his name be A.T)has a crush on me...A.T was my
friend's friend but I didn't know A.T though he knew me well.
That day I asked my friend to call A.T so that I can talk to him...my
friend called A.T from her mobile n then I talked to A.T.I took A.T's
number then started to talk to him regularly.One day A.T proposed me n
I said yes.As I wanted a boy friend for fun so I accepted A.T.Our
relation was going on well.I knew some of A.T's friend and some of
them became my friends too.One day while I was talking to A.T,he told
me that one of his friends(my n A.T's mutual friend,let his name be
Z.S)Z.S has a crush on me.A.T told me not to talk to Z.S but I didn't
listen to A.T.I talked to Z.S n remained his friend.A.T knew this but
he didn't have any objection!!After a few months I broke up wid
A.T.coz I found out that he still loves his ex-girl friend.
I n Z.S were attending the same coaching class.From that time intimacy
was growing between us.We became good friends.Z.S n I ,sometimes,used
to go out together by bunking off class...Suddenly I started to feel
something 4 Z.S...I didn't know what that was...I always thought about
him,in class I stared at him.I didn't share my feelings wid
anybody.But soon I realized that um in love with Z.S.
One day Z.S proposed me but I didn't say yes instantly.Z.S was a play
boy n I knew this,so I didn't want to have an affair wid him as I was
afraid that he might break my heart but still I said yes...I don't
know why I was sooo afraid of losing him!
Our relation was going on well.At that time sometimes I felt vomitting
n I shared this with Z.S n out of fun he told me that um pregnant n
called me"Mother of his unborn child"n I also called him "Father of my
unborn child"...by calling each other in this way we used to crack
jokes out of this matter.After a few months,one day Z.S told me that
he didn't love me n he wanna break up.No sooner had he told me this
than tears rolled down my cheeks.Finally we broke up.
Today Z.S has another girl friend but um alone.I still love Z.S.I
really don't know whether he has remembered me or not...I am still
waiting for him