Islamic Articles, - The Vast Mercy of Allah The Almight..2

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Mercy is one of the attributes of Allah The Almighty. It is from the mercy of Allah The Almighty that calamities and trials expiate one's sins, and a believer is rewarded for showing patience through these calamities. Another aspect that manifests the mercy of Allah The Almighty is that He conceals our sins and faults in this life and forgives them in the Hereafter.
The vastness of the mercy of Allah The Almighty:
One of the Names of Allah is, the Most Merciful and the ever Merciful. Allah The Almighty created mercy in one hundred parts, but only sent down one part amongst mankind and kept the rest for the pious slaves in the Hereafter. Abu Hurayrah, may Allaah be pleased with him, reported that the Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, said:“Allah has divided mercy into one hundred parts; and He retained with Him ninety-nine parts, and sent down to earth one part. Through this one part creatures deal with one another with compassion, so much so that an animal lifts its hoof over its young lest it should hurt it”.]Al-Bukhaari and Muslim[ In another narration, the Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, said:“Allah created one hundred units of mercy on the Day He created the heavens and the earth. Each one of them can contain all that is between the heaven and the earth. Of them, he put one on earth, through which a mother has compassion for her children and animals and birds have compassion for one another. On the Day of Resurrection, He will perfect and complete His mercy". )That is He will use all the hundred units of mercy for his slaves on that Day(.”
Moreover, Abu Hurayrah, may Allaah be pleased with him, reported that the Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, said:“Were an infidel to know the mercy Allah has, none would despair of His Paradise.”]Muslim[
The mercy of Allah The Almighty far exceeds that of the mother for her child. `Umar ibn Al-Khattaab, may Allaah be pleased with him, reported, “Some prisoners were brought to the Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, amongst whom there was a woman who was running )searching for her child(. When she saw a child among the captives, she took hold of it, pressed it against her belly and breastfed it. The Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, said:'Do you think this woman would ever throw her child into fire?'We said, 'By Allah, she would never throw the child into fire.' Thereupon the Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, said:'Allah is more kind to his slave than this woman is to her child'.]Al-Bukhaari and Muslim[
Abu Hurayrah, may Allaah be pleased with him, reported, “I heard the Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, saying:'When Allah created the creatures, He wrote in the Book, which is with Him over His Throne: `Verily, My Mercy prevailed over My Wrath.']Al-Bukhaari and Muslim[ This is the mercy that the believer’s soul resorts to after death, as the Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, indicated to the Companions, may Allaah be pleased with them.
Allah The Almighty extends His mercy to his disobedient slaves whenever they repent and turn to Him for forgiveness. Allah The Almighty bestows on him His mercy and forgives their sins and conceals them for him. Ibn ‘Abbaas, may Allaah be pleased with him, reported,
“Once a group of the disbelievers came to Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, who had killed many people and committed adultery excessively. They came to him, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, and said, 'What you are saying and calling people to is a good thing, but is there a way to expiate for what we have committed in the past?' Then the following verse was revealed )which means(:}And those who do not invoke with Allah another deity or kill the soul which Allah has forbidden ]to be killed[, except by right, and do not commit unlawful sexual intercourse. And whoever should do that will meet a penalty. Multiplied for him is the punishment on the Day of Resurrection, and he will abide therein humiliated. Except for those who repent, believe and do righteous work. For them Allah will replace their evil deeds with good. And ever is Allah Forgiving and Merciful{]Quran, 25: 68-70[.”
No one can limit this vast mercy of Allah The Almighty nor prevent it from reaching the people. With His mercy, Allah The Almighty guides people, forgives their sins, accepts their good deeds and overlooks their wrongdoings.








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Islamic Articles, - The Vast Mercy of Allah The Almight..1

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Concealing sins and forgiving them in the Hereafter:
Ibn `Umar, may Allaah be pleased with him, reported,
“I heard the Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, saying:'Allah The Almighty will bring a believer close to him on the Day of Resurrection, enveloping him in His Mercy and shielding him from the people. Allah will make him confess his sins by saying: `Do you remember )doing( this sin and this sin on such and such a day?' He will reply: `My Lord, I remember.` The slave will think that he is destroyed, but then Allah will say: `I covered it up for you in the worldly life, and I forgive it for you today.` Then the record of his good deeds will be handed to him.”']Al-Bukhari and Muslim[
Overlooking mistakes or actions done out of forgetfulness:
The Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, said:“My nation will not be held accountable for that which they do erroneously, forgetfully or forcefully”.
Trials and disasters are a form of the mercy of Allah The Almighty:
Allah The Almighty sends down His support according to the need of the slave. He sends down patience to coincide with the affliction of the slave, as the Prophet, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, said. One wonders when he sees some people who are greatly afflicted, yet they live their lives normally. This is because Allah The Almighty supports them to the extent they need.
Anas, may Allaah be pleased with him, reported that the Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, said:“Any Muslim who loses three children before they reach the age of maturity, will be granted Paradise by Allah, The Exalted, out of His Mercy for them.”]Al-Bukhari and Muslim[
`Aa’ishah, may Allaah be pleased with her, reported, “I asked the Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, about pestilence and he said:'It is a punishment which Allah sends upon whomsoever He wills, but Allah has made it as a mercy to the believers. Anyone who remains in a town which is plagued with pestilence maintaining patience expecting the reward from Allah, and knowing that nothing will befall him other than what Allah has foreordained for him, he would receive a reward of a martyr.'"]Al-Bukhari[
The mercy of Allah The Almighty in the form of accepting the repentance of His slave:
On the Day of Resurrection, Allah The Almighty will overlook and forgive some sins which He alone is aware of. Many stories inform us that Allah The Almighty will forgive people and individuals despite them committing great sins as in the following narration. Abu Sa`eed Al-Khudri, may Allaah be pleased with him, reported that the Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, said,
“There was a man from among a nation before you who killed ninety-nine people and then made an inquiry about the most learned person on the earth. He was directed to a monk. He came to him and told him that he had killed ninety-nine people and asked him if there was any chance for his repentance to be accepted. He replied in the negative and the man killed him also completing one hundred.
"He then asked about the most learned man in the earth. He was directed to a scholar. He told him that he had killed one hundred people and asked him if there was any chance for his repentance to be accepted. He replied in the affirmative and asked, 'Who stands between you and repentance? Go to such and such land; there )you will find( people devoted to prayer and worship of Allah, join them in worship, and do not come back to your land because it is an evil place.' So he went away and hardly had he covered half the distance when death overtook him; and there was a dispute between the angels of mercy and the angels of torment. The angels of mercy pleaded, 'This man has come with a repenting heart to Allah,' and the angels of punishment argued, 'He never did a virtuous deed in his life.'
"Then there appeared another angel in the form of a human being and the contending angels agreed to make him arbiter between them. He said, `Measure the distance between the two lands. He will be considered belonging to the land to which he is nearer.` They measured and found him closer to the land )of piety( where he intended to go, and so the angels of mercy collected his soul.”]Al-Bukhari and Muslim[
Note that this man did not perform any good deed after having killed one hundred souls, yet Allah The Almighty forgave him, how can we despair of His Mercy?









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Dought & clear, - Ruling on spending zakaah funds on starting an Islamic satellite channel

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Is it permissible to give zakaah to a non-profit Islamic satellite channel, where the money will be used to set up this channel?
Praise be to Allah
The fuqaha’ are unanimously agreed that jihad in Allah’s cause (fi sabeel-Allah) using force and weapons is one of the things on which zakaah funds may be spent, as mentioned in Soorat at-Tawbah, where Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“As-Sadaqat (here it means Zakat) are only for the Fuqara (poor), and Al-Masakin (the poor) and those employed to collect (the funds); and for to attract the hearts of those who have been inclined (towards Islam); and to free the captives; and for those in debt; and for Allah’s Cause [fi sabeel-Allah] (i.e. for Mujahidoon - those fighting in the holy wars), and for the wayfarer (a traveller who is cut off from everything); a duty imposed by Allah. And Allah is All-Knower, All-Wise.”
[at-Tawbah 9:60].
But they differed as to whether jihad other than with the sword is included in the general meaning of the words of Allah “and for Allah’s Cause”, based on the difference of opinion as to whether the phrase should be understood according to its broader linguistic meaning or the specific shar‘i understanding of the concept of “Allah’s cause”.
There are three different interpretations, starting with one that is very specific and gradually broadening the meaning:
1.
The first view is that the meaning of “Allah’s cause” is so specific that it does not include anything other than jihad by the sword and spear. This is the view of the majority of Hanafi, Maaliki and Shaafa‘i fuqaha’, and of Ibn Qudaamah among the Hanbalis. It is also regarded as more correct by the Council of Senior Scholars in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Seeal-Buhooth al-‘Ilmiyyah, 1/73.
Ibn Qudaamah (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
This is the view of Maalik, Abu Haneefah, ath-Thawri, ash-Shaafa‘i, Abu Thawr, and Ibn al-Mundhir, and this is more correct, because the phrase “Allah’s cause” in general terms only refers to jihad. Every time “Allah’s cause” is mentioned in the Qur’an, what is meant by it is jihad, except in a few cases. So what is mentioned in this verse should be understood in accordance with that, because that is what the apparent meaning indicates.
End quote fromal-Mughni, 6/484. See alsoal-Majmoo‘, 6/198-199
2.
It may also include some specific good deeds, because of the general meaning of spending “in Allah’s cause”.
Such as adding only Hajj and ‘Umrah (to the meaning of “Allah’s cause”), as is the view of the Hanbalis, and Muhammad ibn al-Hasan among the Hanafis, as it says inTabyeen al-Haqaa’iq, 1/298;Radd al-Muhtaar, 2/343
Al-Bahooti (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
Hajj comes under the heading of “Allah’s cause”, on the basis of textual evidence. This was narrated from Ibn ‘Abbaas and Ibn ‘Umar. Abu Dawood narrated that a man donated a she-camel for the sake of Allah, and his wife wanted to do Hajj, so the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Ride it, for Hajj is for the cause of Allah.” So it may be understood that a poor person may be given from the zakaah funds that which will enable him to perform the obligatory Hajj or ‘Umrah, or help him to do so.
End quote fromKashshaaf al-Qinaa‘, 2/283
It may also include da‘wah or calling people to Allah (verbal jihad), as was stated by the Islamic Fiqh Council of the Muslim World League.
See the answer to question no. 121551
Or it may include giving zakaah to seekers of knowledge, as was narrated by some of the Hanafis. It says inRadd al-Muhtaar(2/343):
It was said (that zakaah may be given) to seekers of knowledge, as was stated by the Zaheeris and Murgheenaanis. This was regarded as unlikely by as-Sarooji because at the time when the verse was revealed, there were no people who were called seekers of knowledge. It says inash-Sharbilaaliyyah:
Ruling it out is not appropriate, because seeking knowledge means nothing more than trying to understand the rulings of Islam, and the one who is seeking these rulings is like one who stayed close to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) in order to learn the rulings from him, like Ahl as-Suffah. Hence including the seeker of knowledge among those who may be given zakaah is appropriate, especially since it says inal-Badaa’i‘: The phrase “in Allah’s cause” includes everything by means of which a person seeks to draw closer to Allah. That includes anyone who strives to obey Allah, and to do all kinds of righteous deeds, if the person is in need. End quote
That which he quoted from al-Kaasaani’sal-Badaa’i‘(2/45) may be understood as referring to the linguistic meaning, not that Imam al-Kaasaani stated that. This is exactly like what al-‘Ayni said inal-Binaayah Sharh al-Hidaayah(3/454): Because “Allah’s cause” is a phrase that refers to all means by which a person seeks to draw closer to Allah, but when used in general terms it refers to jihad.
3.
The concept of “Allah’s cause” includes all good deeds in general, and all means by which a person seeks to draw closer to Allah, and all acts of obedience. This view was narrated from some of the fuqaha’ and was attributed, as stated above, to al-Kaasaani al-Hanafi inBadaa’i‘ as-Sanaa’i‘. This view was favoured by many contemporary scholars such as Shaykh Muhammad Rasheed Rida inTafseer al-Manaar(10/504); Shaykh Mahmoud Shaltoot inal-Islam ‘Aqeedah wa Sharee‘ah(p. 124); and others.
Imam ar-Raazi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
It should be noted that the apparent meaning of the wording in the phrase “and for Allah’s Cause” should not be limited only to military campaigns. al-Qaffaal narrated in hisTafseerthat some of the fuqaha’ regarded it as permissible to give zakaah to all kinds of good or charitable causes, such as shrouding the dead, building fortresses, and maintaining and renovating mosques, because the words “and for Allah’s Cause” are general in meaning and include all things.
End quote fromMafaateeh al-Ghayb, 16/87
The issue is very deep and requires detailed discussion; many contemporary studies have been devoted to it, such as the bookMasraf “wa fee sabeel-Allah” bayna al-‘Umoom wa’l-Khusoosby Dr. Sa‘ood al-Funaysaan; and a paper entitledMashmoolaat Masraf “fi sabeel-Allah” bi Nazrah Mu‘aasirah hasba al-I‘tibaaraat al-Mukhtalifahby Dr. ‘Umar Sulaymaan al-Ashqar (may Allah have mercy on him), which was published in the bookAbhaath Fiqhiyyah fi Qadaayaa az-Zakaah al-Mu‘aasirah, approx. 100 pages long (2/767-856);Nawaazil az-Zakaahby Dr. al-Ghufayli (431-443). On our website, in fatwa no. 121551, we have favoured the moderate view, which includes jihad in the form of da‘wah within the broad concept of jihad that is referred to in the verse in the phrase “and for Allah’s Cause”. There we quoted the evidence for this choice; please refer to the fatwa for further details.
Dr. ‘Umar al-Ashqar (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
This study, which we carried out on all the Qur’anic texts in which the phrase “and for Allah’s Cause” appears and on a number of saheeh hadeeths of the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), prove the validity of the conclusions reached by the majority of scholars who limited spending“for Allah’s cause”in the verse on zakaah to jihad, because the phrasefor Allah’s cause”, when mentioned in general terms in the Qur’an and Sunnah, refers to jihad,
But it should be noted that the definition of jihad is not limited only to fighting; rather it includes all areas of conflict between the Muslims and the disbelievers. Supporting Islam is not limited only to combating the disbelievers and mushrikeen and their plots; rather it goes beyond that and includes combating the supporters of falsehood in Muslim lands if this falsehood targets Islam itself, such as if those who support falsehood want to change Islamic sharee‘ah or abolish the Islamic caliphate in the Muslim lands, or permit things which are haraam or allow evil things.
We can mention many activities on which we may spend zakaah, because they come under the heading of “and for Allah’s Cause”… – Among which he [the author] mentioned setting up broadcast stations and printing books and other publications intended for the enemies of Islam, to tell them about Islam and call them to it, and to alert them to the misguidance that they are following.
End quote fromAbhaath Fiqhiyyah fi Qadaayaa az-Zakaah al-Mu‘aasirah, 2/849-856
Dr al-Ghufayli (may Allah guide him) says:
The aims that can be achieved by engaging in jihad and by supporting Islam through da‘wah are many and varied, such as setting up Islamic satellite channels that call people to Allah, and supporting them in fulfilling the aim for which they were established. This is one of the greatest kinds of jihad by means of media, and explaining Islam to people, because it has a great impact due to its power to attract and influence people, which is inherent in such media. Invasions of other nations by means of satellite campaigns is more effective than military campaigns, because satellite TV focuses on influencing minds, unlike military campaigns, which only capture tangible things whilst minds and hearts may be difficult to change, even if there is military success.
End quote fromNawaazil az-Zakaah, p. 446
Dr ‘Abd ar-Rahmaan al-Barraak (may Allah guide him) says:
Purely Islamic satellite channels that focus primarily on spreading Islam, explaining its fundamentals and and combatting bid‘ah (innovation) are like community da‘wah centres, and may be more effective. The one who follows that fatwa with regard to giving zakaah to da‘wah centres may follow it with regard to Islamic TV channels. End quote.
Then
Based on a arab network, we do not think there is anything wrong with giving zakaah for starting up an Islamic satellite channel or spending on it so that it can spread its influence among the people, teaching them the proper understanding of Islam and giving them a clear vision, on condition that the giver of zakaah pays attention to some important matters, so that he will not waste his wealth on something that is not of great benefit. These matters are as follows:
1.
He should make sure that the channel’s board of directors are people who are skilled and have a good understanding of Islam; they should also be competent in managing the channel, be able to handle competitors, to establish a long-term project, and to supersede the many other channels.
2.
He should make sure that there is a committee of trustworthy Islamic scholars who are keen to offer sincere advice to the channel and work to evaluate its programming so as to achieve the hoped-for aims without any over exaggeration or carelessness. This committee should include specialists in Islamic knowledge as well as specialists in other important fields, especially education, media and social issues.
3.
He should make sure that there is strict financial transparency in the organisation, so as to guarantee that the money will be spent appropriately and that he will not fall victim to the trickery of some bandits who take advantage of people’s sympathy towards every activity that supports Islam, and take it as a means to get rich and accumulate wealth.
4.
Finally, the one who is in charge of disbursing the zakaah funds must ensure that he tells the giver of how his money is being spent, and keep him informed about all other areas in which there is a difference of scholarly opinion as to whether zakaah money may be spent in those areas, so that he can find out from the giver whether or not he agrees to his zakaah being spent on these areas that are subject to a difference of opinion among the fuqaha’. In this manner we will be able to avoid many contemporary problems and dispel any doubts or accusations that may be stirred up concerning this matter (i.e., how the money is spent).
And Allah knows best.







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