Fathwa, - I am impatient and awaiting to perform umrah.

Question:
I am currently a 19-year old girl, and compared to many people still
very young.For 2 years now I have been waiting to go to Saudi Arabia
and wanting to perform umrah.
But I have not been able to. I was born a Muslim and a follow Islam
from my own heart. However, I am currently a practicing Muslim and
have been praying namaz everyday for 2 years now. I started wearingthe
hijaab 1 year ago.
I have not had a great upbringing and I have not always been perfect.
However, eachand everyday when I make duaa, I pray I go to do umrah. I
am nowfinancially stable, and Ihave not committed any sins and I
believe I am the best I can be at this moment of this life as a
Muslim.
A question that approaches my mind is I ask to be called to Makkah but
have not yet been. Many keep saying you will be called when it is your
time, but I have never wanted anything more. I was meant to come with
someone but he won't take me as he only wants to take his own wife and
child.
Every time I think about umrah I start crying. I had my hopes up and
thought I would go this Ramadan. I currently have no mehram and so no
plans.
I don't know what to do, because I keep getting upset and thinking if
I am being a good Muslim why is my duaa to come to Makkah not being
fulfilled. I do not know if I am being selfish and asking for this.
ButI do not know what to do or who to talk to. I find it hard to talk
to family members aboutthis, as I don't think anyone understands me.
Answer:
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
Praise be to Allah. May Allah's peace and blessings bestow upon our
beloved Prophet, his family, and companions.
Dear Sister,
I pray this finds you in good health and spirits.
I completely sympathize with your desire to visit the House of Allah.
My advice to you about dua is to remember the following:
Dua or supplication is a very powerful means of communicating your
needs and desires to Allah Most High. Don't despair that your
prayershaven't been answered. We cannot guarantee the outcome of our
prayers. Rather, we pray sincerely, take the necessary steps to
achieve our goals, and leave the rest to Allah.
If He has decreed that you will visit His House, then nothing can
prevent you from going. Likewise, if He has decreed that you will
notmake umrah, no earthly power can change this.
One of the most important aspects of iman is being contented with
Allah's qadr, or divine decree. If you are not able to make umrah,
then you will not be heldresponsible. It's important to have the
intention to do umrah because, as the Prophet (peace be upon him)
said, "Actions are according to intentions."
As a young woman, you have to consider the practical aspects of
traveling. The general consensus of the four Sunni schools of law is
that it is impermissible for a woman to undertake a long journey
without a husband or mahram. TheShafi'i and Maliki Schoolsdo allow a
special dispensation for a woman who performs anobligatory hajj (her
first hajj) with a group of upright people.
Umrah is not obligatory for Hanafis, but is an emphasized Sunna. If I
may suggest, it may be better to focus your energies on Hajj. A lot of
people put off Hajj, thinking they'll make it when they're older. The
only problem is they've accumulated so much debt by that time that
they still can't go!
Don't lose hope. You're still young. Focus your energies on
establishing your deen, learning about your religion, and bringing
your life into accord with what the Prophet (peace be upon him) gave
us. Allah willing, this will open up the doors of tawfiq, or true
success.
Allah Most High hears your prayers. He responds in many different ways.

Fathwa, - Married but liking another man

Question:
i am in need of serioushelp!!! i have been married for about 10 months
now. our marriage is good, and he is a good man, and ilove him with
all my heart. i do care for himmuch. though this maybe, i am really
liking another man! i do not know what is going on, at first i didn't,
but then after some thingsi started liking him. we have talked about
it because we both know what is going on. he knows i am married, (also
non-muslim) but he said he likes me and can't help his feelings. he
says he don't expectanything from me, andwouldn't step into anything
unless i will as well. he says- if all stays as is and nothinggoes
further and we choose to go seperate ways he will still think of me
because we still see each other from time to time considering our
work. astagfurlillah- i want to rid of my feelings for him, and rid of
all of this. but then it is like i do not want to rid of them. it is
like- i do not want to hurt myself and my islam and my husband and his
islam our marriagebut i want to indulge in this. not sex, me or him is
meaning- but talking to each other more. i know that what leads to sin
is sin, so if i would indulge merely in talking- this is helping the
situation not against it- and can lead to dangerous grounds. i do not
wantto be in dangerous grounds!!!!!! YA ALLAH-I do not want tobe in
dangerous grounds!!! but i am liking him soo much. i already know
anywho-that me and him would not work out cause he not even muslim.
but it seems for me in my liking him i am looking this over.
maybe he has more things than my husband that is havingme to be
attracted to him as this. sincere dua is needed but i feel distant
from Allah!Things r starting to cloud my head a little bit, although,
i do know what is right, and it is Allah who is keeping me strong.
what can i do?
Answer:
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
Praise be to Allah.
May the peace and blessings of Allah showerupon our beloved Messenger,
his family, companions, and those who follow them.
Dear Sister,
I will not mince any words.
Stop talking to this man IMMEDIATELY if you care about Allah, your
Akhira, and your husband.
This is nothing but Satan trying to lead you astray.He vowed that he
would come at us from every direction. Didn't Allah Most High warn us
in the Qur'an of Satan's promise that, "'I will mislead them, and I
will create in them false desires; I will order them to slit the ears
of cattle, and to deface the (fair) nature created by Allah.' Whoever,
forsaking Allah, takes satan for a friend, hath of a surety suffered a
loss that is manifest. Satan makes them promises, and creates in them
false desires; but satan's promises are nothing butdeception. They
(his dupes) will have their dwelling in Hell, and from it they will
find no way of escape." [Al-Nisa, 4:119-121]
Allah Most High also warns us time and time again, "Verily Satan is an
enemy to you: so treat him as an enemy. He onlyinvites his adherents,
that they may become Companions of the Blazing Fire." [Fatir, 35:6]
Dear sister, please leave this man alone! Make it emphatically clear
that you will not talk to him any longer. You made a serious error
talking to him in the first place. Repent to Allah from this,seek
refuge in Allah fromSatan the accursed, and immerse yourself in
constant istighfar (seeking forgiveness) and dhikrullah (remembrance
of Allah.)
There is a reason why Islam places severe limitations on interactions
with the opposite sex. This is particularly important for married
people. Oncewe enter into this relationship before Allah Most High, we
are giving our word of honor that we will not violate the trust Allah
has given us inthe person of our spouse. Consider the impact this will
have on your marriage. Will your husband ever trust you again? Will he
ever love you again? Are you reallywilling to risk your marriage for a
foolish fantasy? These thoughts alone should deter you from pursuing
this illicit relationship any further.
You need to take all possible means to stay away from this man,
including stopping all contact, and even getting a transfer if needbe.
You also need to rekindleyour relationship with your husband. This
person has come between you two, just asSatan promises to come between
husband and wife. You need to consider why you fell in love with your
husband in the first place. Why did you choose him to beyour life
partner in your journey to Allah? Take every opportunity to connect
with your husband. All your energies should be devoted toward
nurturing your marriage.It's only 10 months old! Please give it a
chance.
I believe that with much earnest supplication and prayer, your heart
will incline toward your husband and all desire for this illicit
relationshipwill be removed, Allah willing.
I strongly urge you to seek the counsel of a qualified scholar who can
further advise you.
May Allah Most High bring you and your husband together for Hissake,
bless and protect you both, and keep you on the Straight Path.

History of the Sunnah -II: The era of the Companions and their followers

Most scholars group the main aspects of the methodology of the
Companionsin preserving the Sunnah into the following seven
categories: prudence in narrating the hadeeths, verification and
substantiation of the hadeeths before accepting them, critique,
discussions and assessment of the narration, traveling for search and
confirmation of the hadeeths, memorization, practice and writing of
the hadeeths. Some scholars refer to these aspects as 'rulings',
'methods' or 'ways' instead of methodology.
1- Prudence in narrating the Hadeeth:
Because of the fact that the Sunnah is a revelation and a sacred
Source for this religion, the Companionswere very careful when
narrating what the Prophet, sallallaahu alayhi sallam, said or did.
This vigilance was illustrated in:
· Avoiding narration unless they had to. 'Abdur-Rahmaan Ibn Abi
Laylasaid:"I have metwith 120 Companionsfrom the Ansaar)supporters of
the Prophet(, none of whom would narrate a hadeeth or answer a
question of fatwa unless he absolutely had no choice but to do it. One
would have to go and ask another instead of him, so much so you would
keep going from one to the other until you get back to the first one
you asked."Theyunderstood that they were conveying the message brought
to themby the Prophetand that people see it as such,thus everyone
wanted the other to do that because they may know it better. This,
however, should not be construed to mean they avoided spreading the
message or teaching Islam to others. This prudence indicates they were
fully aware of their role and its significance. They would rather let
others, who may be more knowledgeable, do the job, but once they had
to do, they did it in the best way possible.
· Limiting or discouraging the narration. This attitude was
adopted for the purpose of protecting the Sunnah because it minimizes
the possibility of mistakes or forgetfulness that may otherwise cause
people to doubt the Sunnah or mistrust the narrators. This trend was
strongly encouraged by Caliphs Abu Bakr and 'Umar Ibn Al-Khattaaband
was accepted and practiced by the Companions. This attitude is founded
on the famous hadeeth narrated by many Companions:"It is sufficient
—for one to tumble into lying - to narrate or repeat everything he/she
hears."]Al-Bukhaari and others[
· Encouraging narration from knowledgeable Companions. To
strikea necessary balance between being cautious and insuring the
transmission of the religion and the spreading of its teachings, the
Companionswho had a great deal of knowledge—like those recommended by
the Prophet—never hesitated to narrate, write or teach the Sunnah.
There are hundreds of narrations that encourage such practice so long
as it is done in the right manner.
· Opting for verbatim narration. Guided with instruction in the
Hadeeth, "May Allaah bless the person who hears a statement from me
and conveys it as he/she heard it," the Companionsdid all that was
humanly possible to keep their narration verbatim of what they
actually heard from the Prophet. There are many reported incidents,
which testify tothis fact. Having such natural mastery of the Arabic –
that was common among them—and the fact that theysaw and heard the
Prophetsay, do and explain to them his teachings repeatedly, as well
as their understanding of the need for verbatim transmission of
narrations, all combined to make it easy for them not to cause changes
as they narrate any Hadeeth.
2- Verification of the Hadeeth before accepting it
This is an important tool that the Companionsestablished to safeguard
the Sunnah against any foreign material interference and accidental or
deliberate mistakes. This was a common prac­tice amongst all of the
Companionswhen receiving or narrating the Sunnah. Imaam
Ath-Thahabimentioned this practice, in one of his great
books,addressing the issue of Hadeeth Memorizers. Hesaid that it was
one of the ways used by of the four Caliphsto protect the Hadeeth. For
example, Abu Bakrwas asked to rule in the case of a grandmother who
came asking for her right in inheritance, hesaid that he knew of no
amount due to her neither in the Book of Allaah )i.e., Quran( nor the
Sunnah of the Prophet. But when Al-Mugheerahtold that he has
wit­nessed the Prophetgive one-sixth of the total amount of the
inheritance, heasked him if he had witness to substantiate this claim.
And when Muhammad Ibn Maslamahwitnessed to the truth of that figure,
Abu Bakraccepted it and gave the grandmother exactly that.
In the case of 'Umar Ibn Al-KhattaabAth-Thahabimentioned many
incidents that testify to the fact that healwaysascertained the
narrationwhen it was necessary to do so. Henarrated that Maalik Ibn
Awsheard 'Umarsay to 'Abdur-Rahmaan Ibn 'Awf, Talhah Ibn Az-Zubayr and
Sa'd Ibn Abi Waqqaas:"I ask byAllaah, Who maintains the Heaven and
Earth! Did you hear the Prophetsay: 'I am not to be inherited,
whatever I leave is to be given in charity'? They said:`Yes, Allaah is
our witness."]Ahmad[
After narrating the aboveincidents among others, Imaam
Ath-Thahabirepeatedly asserted that the verifications were not meant
to doubt the truthfulness of any of theCompanionsrather they were
necessary to establish a standard of care and respect for whatthe
Prophet, sallallaahu alay­hi wa sallam, said or did. Theydid that for
themselves and to institute a tradition to befol­lowed and honored
byall who come after them.
In summary, it is essential to note the following about this method:
- The purpose was to protect the Sunnah, not to doubt one another. All
of the Companionsaretrustworthy as clearly stated in the Quran, and
doubting their trustworthiness can certainly damage one's faith.
- The purpose, also, was to establish a method and set an example to
be followed by the rest of the Muslim nation. The truth, however,
remains that Companionsused to accept narration conveyed by any one of
them. Their request of witnesses or that the narrator gives an oath
that he is saying the truthwas to establish the methodology, so that
people would not take narrating a Hadeeth lightly. This fact may
further be supported when considering that:
- Sometimes theyrequired a witness while at others they had the
narrator give oath or reminded him of how serious it is to lie against
the Prophet. This variation indicates that the purpose was actually to
establish awareness ofthe significance of narrating the Hadeeth rather
than set up a requirement of having more than one narrator as a
condition for its authenticity.
- There are a very large number of narrations, which indicate that in
many cases the Companionshad actually accepted Hadeeth from one
narrator without seekingany substantiation or verification.

The effects of using weakHadeeth

The term "weak hadeeth" refers to any narration which does notfulfill
the conditions of authenticity. The scholarsof Hadeethagree that a
"weak hadeeth" must not be attributed tothe Prophetby saying: "The
Prophetsaid …".
Applying weak hadeeth in excellent deeds.
Very often when you point to the weakness of a Hadeeth you hear being
cited, someone willimmediately say: "But this Hadeeth is talking about
)the reward of( excellent deeds, and it is alright to refer to
unauthentic Hadeeth when talking about excellent deeds."
It has become a norm amongst the majority of a good number of scholars
and students of Islamic learning that it is alright to use weak
Hadeeth when it refers tothe reward of excellent deeds. They consider
it a fully accepted rule that should not be argued. They also would
quote the words of great scholars to support their point.
Before going into detail to refute the arguments of these people, let
me point out that they have, in general, misunderstood the sayings of
the great scholars of Islam they quote, relative to weak Hadeeth and
how it should be used.
This serious misunderstanding has led to the great epidemicof freely
using weak narrations; which certainly may involve lying against the
Messenger of Allaah.
Refutation of the claim:
First, we should mention that the rule cited earlier)that weak Hadeeth
can be used in excellent deeds( is not accepted byall the scholars of
Hadeeth. For instance, Abu Bakr Ibn 'Arabisaid: "The weak Hadeeth
should be absolutely avoided and not dealt with."
Second, we should know that the scholars of Hadeeth who permitted the
use of weak Hadeeth have set very strict rules applying to their use.
Al-Haafith Ibn Hajar Al-'Asqalaani
said: "There are three conditions that must be fulfilled in order to
use the weak Hadeeth:
a. It is well accepted that the weakness should onlybe slight. This
will help toexclude Hadeeth reported by liars or accused reporters )of
lying( who are known to commit big mistakes.
b. The weak Hadeeth should be used under already well-established
principles and should notbring in ideas of its own.
c. When a weak Hadeeth is used )after it fulfills theabove two
conditions(, it should not be believed tobe said by the Messenger of
Allaah; to do so we would be crediting him with that which he did not
say.
For the above conditions to be satisfied, people planning to use the
weakHadeeth should have the ability to:
1. Distinguish between the weak and the authentic Hadeeth in order to
fulfill condition)c( above, otherwise they may fall into lying about
the Messenger.
2. Distinguish between the slightly weak Hadeeth and those whichare
very weak or fabricated, in order to fulfill condition )a( above.
What should be very clear to Muslims is that the ability to make the
above two distinctions is not possessed except by avery small category
of thescholars of Hadeeth )whocan be counted on the fingers(.
In particular with reference to item )2( above, only a few of the
scholars of Hadeeth in all of the history of Islam have dealt with it.
Someone might justifiably ask: "Why are we so strict in this matter)of
using weak Hadeeth(, when some scholars of Hadeeth have permitted it?"
The answer to this question was given by a great scholar of Hadeeth,
Muhammad Naassir Ad-Deen Al-Albaaniwho said:
"The earlier scholars usedto mention the Hadeeth with their full
Isnaad)chain of Narrators(, so that any other scholar reading their
treatise could know from the chain of Narrators the degree of
authenticity of the Hadeeth."
We pray that this small introduction to the subject of weak Hadeeth
and using it as proof has helped in clarifying how dangerous this is.