Fiqh, - Fornication and Adultery:Major Sins in Islam

Chastity is defined as "controlling oneself from forbidden desires due
to the love of Allaah The Almighty in response to His command, as well
as for seeking His reward in return."
Islam has always been keen to establish chastity in the Muslim
community and has thus legislated many laws that reduce the strong
impact of these desires and control them; it has also encouraged
remaining on the straight path and warned against transgressing the
defined boundaries by following these base desires.
Islam has preserved people's honor and protected lineages from being
mixed. Therefore, fornication and adultery are forbidden and
classified as major and destructive sins. Islam has even forbidden
everything that could lead to these sins, such as immoral exchange of
looks between the two sexes, depraved words, seductive moves, a man
and a woman being in seclusion in a room, and anything else which
could lead to this awful sin. Allaah The Almighty Says )what
means(:}"And come not near to unlawful sex. Verily, it is a great sin,
and an evil way )that leads one to Hell unless Allaah forgives
him(."{]Quran, 17: 32[
Islam does not have laws which contradict one another as is the case
with man-made legislation which has set penal laws for adultery and
fornication but has facilitated every means that lead to it. Moreover,
there are some societies that see no harm in allowing fornication and
adultery and have set no penal laws for those who commit them. Other
societies differentiate between committing this act in the marital
home and outside of it; they only consider committing it the marital
home as a crime and not if it is committed away from it! Islam, on the
other hand, comprehensively forbids fornication and adultery and
everything that leads to it.
Allaah The Almighty commanded His Messengerto take a pledge from women
who entered Islam to refrain from fornication and adultery. Allaah The
Almighty Says )what means(:}"O Prophet! When believing women come to
you to give you the Bai`ah )pledge(, that they will not associate
anything in worship with Allaah, that they will not steal, that they
will not commit illegal sexual intercourse, that they will not kill
their children… then accept their pledge."{]Quran, 60: 12[
Allaah The Almighty made the punishment for these sins vary from
lashing to stoning to death, along with the humiliation which results
from informing the community of the perpetrators of this sin. Allaah
The Almighty Says )what means(:}"The fornicatress and the fornicator,
flog each of them with a hundred stripes. Let not pity withhold you in
their case, in a punishment prescribed by Allaah, if you believe in
Allaah and the Last Day. And let a party of the believers witness
their punishment. ]This is for unmarried persons, but if married, the
punishment is to stone them to death[."{]Quran, 24: 2[
The Prophetset the penalty for adultery and fornication as follows:"If
the parties )committing fornication( are unmarried, they should
receive a hundred lashes and be put into exile for a year. If they
commit adultery after they are married, they should receive a hundred
lashes and then be stoned to death."]Muslim[
Since Islam has comprehensively forbidden fornication and adultery, it
has also blocked all ways that lead to it. It does not have laws which
contradict one another as is the case with man-made legislation which
has set penal laws for adultery and fornication but has facilitated
every means that lead to it. Moreover, there are some societies that
see no harm in allowing fornication and adultery and have set no penal
laws for those who commit them. Other societies differentiate between
committing this act in the marital home and outside of it; they only
consider committing it the marital home as a crime and not if it is
committed away from it! Islam, on the other hand, comprehensively
forbids fornication and adultery and everything that leads to it.
The evil consequences of fornication and adultery
Imaam Ibn Al-Qayyimsaid,
"Fornication and adultery combine all evils; weakness in commitment to
the religion, lack of piety, corruption of manhood and the decrease of
praiseworthy jealousy. You will never find an adulterer or fornicator
who is pious, fulfils his promises, is truthful in his speech,
maintains friendship or has jealousy over his wife; he will be
characterised by lies, deception, betrayal, accepting prohibitions and
not being mindful of Allaah." All these characteristics are
consequences of fornication and adultery.
There are also other consequences such as:
• Incurring the wrath of Allaah The Almighty.
• Corruption of one's wife and children.
• Poverty and gloominess of the face, which will be apparent to people.
• Darkness of the heart.
• Becoming insignificant in the eyes of people and in the sight of
Allaah The Almighty.
• Loss of the characteristics of chastity and righteousness and
becoming known as a sinful, betraying adulterer or fornicator.
• Not being classified as a believer in general.
• Being decried as an evil person.

Fiqh, - The ruling of theft in Islam

Theft is Haraam )forbidden( according to the Quran, Sunnah ]sayings of
Prophet Muhammad[ and Ijmaa' )scholarly consensus(. Allaah, the Most
Exalted, has condemned this action and decreed an appropriate
punishment for it. The Hadd ]i.e. the legal punishment prescribed by
the Sharee'ah )Islamic law([ for a thief is to cut off the thief's
hand. Allaah Almighty Says in the Noble Quran )what means(:
"]As for[ the thief, the male and the female, amputate their hands in
recompense for what they earned ]i.e. committed[ as a deterrent
]punishment[ from Allaah. And Allaah is Exalted in Might and
Wise."]Quran 5:38[
The Prophetsaid:
"The hand )of the thief( should be cut off for )the theft of( a
quarter of a Dinar or more."]Al-Bukhaari[
The Prophetcursed the thief because he is a corrupt element in
society, and if he is left unpunished, his corruption will spread and
infect the body of the Ummah )Muslim community(. Hesaid:
"May Allaah curse the thief who steals an egg and has his hand cut
off, or steals a rope and has his hand cut off."]Al-Bukhaari[
What indicates that this ruling is definitive is the fact that a
Makhzoomi noblewoman )from the tribe of Makhzoom( stole at the time of
the Prophetand Usaamah Ibn Zaydwanted to intercede for her. The
Prophetbecame angry and said:
"Do you intercede concerning one of the Hadd set by Allaah? Those who
came before you were destroyed because if a rich man among them stole,
they would let him off, but if a lowly person stole, they would carry
out the punishment on him. By Allaah, if Faatimah Bint )daughter of(
Muhammad were to steal, I would cut off her hand."]Al-Bukhaari[
This is the ruling of Allaah concerning theft; that the hand should be
cut off from the wrist joint.
Al-Nawawisaid in his commentary on Saheeh Muslim )Hadeeth collection(:
Al-Shaafa'i, Abu Haneefah, Maalik and the majority )of scholars(said:
"The hand should be cut off from the wrist, where the hand meets the
forearm." Al-Qurtubisaid: "All the scholars said: The hand should be
cut off from the wrist, not as some of the innovators do when they cut
off the fingers and leave the thumb."
Because cutting off the hand is a serious matter, it should not be
done for just any case of theft. A combination of conditions must be
fulfilled before the hand of a thief is cut off. These conditions are
as follows:
1- The thing should have been taken by stealth; if it was not taken by
stealth, then the hand should not be cut off, such as when property
has been seized by force in front of other people, because in this
case the owner of the property could have asked for help to stop the
thief.
2- The stolen property should be something of worth, because that
which is of no worth has no sanctity, such as musical instruments,
wine and pigs.
2- The value of the stolen property should be above a certain limit,
which is three Islamic Dirhams or a quarter of an Islamic Dinar, or
their equivalent in other currencies.
3- The stolen property should have been taken from a place where it
had been put away, i.e., a place where people usually put their
property, such as a cupboard, for example.
4- The theft itself has to be proven, either by the testimony of two
qualified witnesses or by the confession of the thief twice.
5- The person from whom the property was stolen has to ask for it
back; if he does not, then )the thief's( hand does not have to be cut
off.
If these conditions are fulfilled, then the hand must be cut off. If
this ruling was applied in the societies which are content with
man-made laws and which have cast aside the Sharee'ah of Allaah and
replaced it with human laws, this would be the most beneficial
treatment for this phenomenon. But the matter is as Allaah Says )what
means(:
"Then is it the judgement of ]the time of[ ignorance they desire? But
who is better than Allaah in judgement for a people who are certain
]in faith[."]Quran 5:50[

Fiqh, - Associating partners withAllaah )Shirk( -Ihttp://aydnajimudeen2.blogspot.com

First: Major Shik
One of the most important things Muslims must know and pay attention
to is the issue of Shirk )Associating partners with Allaah in
worship(, its seriousness and its different types, so that our Tawheed
)belief in the Oneness of Allaah( and our Islam may be complete, and
our faith may be sound.
The word Shirk in Arabic means taking a partner, i.e., regarding
someone as the partner of another. It is used in Arabic when one
wishes to express that he regards two people as equal in status; or
that two people are involved in it.
In terms of Sharee'ha or Islamic terminology, Shirk means ascribing a
partner or rival to Allaah in Lordship )Ruboobiyyah(, worship
)Uloohiyyah( or in His Names and Attributes.
A rival is a peer or counterpart. Hence Allaah forbids setting up
rivals with Him and He condemns those who take them )rivals( as gods
instead of or besides Allaah in many verses of the Quran. Allaah Says
)what means(:"Then do not set up rivals to Allaah )in worship( while
you know )that He Alone has the right to be worshipped(."]Quran 2:222[
And )what means(:"And they set up rivals to Allaah, to mislead
)people( from His path! Say )O Muhammad, to the polytheists(: 'Enjoy
)your brief life(! But certainly, your destination is the
Fire!'"]Quran 14:30[
Prophet Muhammad sallallaahu alahyi wa sallam said: "Whoever dies
claiming that Allaah has a rival, will enter Hell." ]Al-Bukhaari[
The types of Shirk:
The texts of the Quran and Sunnah )narrations of the Prophets
sallallaahu alahyi wa sallam( indicate that Shirk sometimes puts a
person beyond the pale of Islam and sometimes does not. Hence, the
scholars divided Shirk into two types: major Shirk and minor Shirk.
Following is a brief description of each type:
1 – Major Shirk
This means ascribing to someone other than Allaah something that
belongs only to Allaah, such as Lordship )Ruboobiyyah(, Worship
)Uloohiyyah( and the Divine Names or Attributes )Al-Asmaa'
Was-Sifaat(.
This kind of Shirk may sometimes be outwardly, such as the Shirk of
those who worship idols and graves, or the dead or even living people.
Other times, it may be hidden, such as those who put their trust in
other than Allaah, or the Shirk of the hypocrites. For even though
their )hypocrites'( Shirk puts them beyond the pale of Islam and means
that they will abide forever in Hell, it is a hidden Shirk, because
they make an outward display of Islam and conceal their disbelief and
Shirk, so they are inwardly Polytheists but not outwardly.
Shirk in the form of beliefs, such as:
- The belief that there is someone else who creates, gives life and
death, reigns or controls the affairs of the universe along with
Allaah.
- The belief that there is someone else who must be obeyed absolutely
besides Allaah.
- Associating others with Allaah in love and veneration, by loving a
created being as loving Allaah. This is the kind of Shirk that Allaah
does not forgive, and it is the Shirk about which Allaah Says )what
means(:
"And of mankind are some who take )for worship( others besides Allaah
as rivals. They love them as they love Allaah."]Quran 2:165[
- The belief that there are those who know the Unseen that only Allaah
Knows. This is very common among some of the deviant sects.
- The belief that there is someone who bestows mercy in a manner that
is befitting only for Allaah, so he shows mercy as Allaah does and
forgives sins and overlooks the bad deeds of his 'worshippers'.
Shirk in the form of words:
Such as those who supplicate to someone other than Allaah, or seek his
help or seek refuge with him with regard to matters over which no one
has control except Allaah, whether the person called upon is a
Prophet, a Wali )righteous person(, an angel or a jinn, or some other
created being. This is a kind of major Shirk which puts one beyond the
pale of Islam.
Also, those who make fun of religion or who liken Allaah to His
creation, or say that there is another creator, provider or controller
besides Allaah are included in this type of Shirk. All of these fall
under major Shirk and are grave sins that are not forgiven.
Shirk in the form of actions:
Such as one who sacrifices, prays or prostrates to something other
than Allaah, or who promulgates laws to replace the rulings of Allaah
and makes such laws the reference which people are obliged to refer to
for judgement; or one who supports the disbelievers and helps them
against the believers, and other acts that go against the basic
meaning of faith and put the one who does them beyond the pale of
Islam.

Dought & clear, - Holding two jumu'ahprayersin one place

Can we organize two Friday prayers!? We do not have a mosque until
now inside the campus--we ask you fordoa'a... May Allaah help us to
gain a permanent room. Due to different schedules of the university,
students can not attend Friday Prayer which is scheduled at 1:00 p.m.
Currently new Muslim brothers are asking if we can hold a second
Friday arrangement on campus. Is it correct to host two Friday prayers
in the same campus or same place!?
I personally am afraid [the reality is that it is]madhhabexcuses, and
different groups favour one time to another.I urge you to answer this
question fast
may Allaah reward you.
All Praise be to Allaah.
After discussing the question you raised with the learned sheikh
Abdul-Aziz bin Abdullaah bin Baz, he has indicated that Islamic
shari'ah does not legislate holding two jumu'ah prayers in one place.
You should choose the most convenient time--and its timing extends
until the 'asr prayer--and urge and enjoin all the Muslims to attend.
Note that it is mandatory to stop all work (including attending
classes) for the jumu'ah prayer. Whoever misses it would pray the
dhuhr prayer.
May Allaah grant you all success in obeying Him and pleasing Him and
may He ease your affairs wherever you may be.