Welcome to Islam, - The light of the truth andthe fire of misconception

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world. We encounter waves upon waves of darkness. One who searches for the truth will struggle to see it, except for he upon whom Allaah bestows His mercy and guides to it.
There are a multitude of television channels that people are exposed to today, to the extent that the average university graduate watches six hundred )600( hours of television annually. Eighty percent )80%( of teenagers consider television as their main source of information, to say nothing of the effects of the internet. This is how great the effect of this device is on them, to the point that one of those surveyed stated that he flips between fifty two )52( television channels daily.
Add to this other means, whether, text, audio or video, that influence people's minds, and we come to realise that there is an immense negative effect.
It is a common tool that has always been used by the enemies of Islam. They do not touch upon any aspect of our religion except that they arouse misconceptions regarding it, and this represents a round in the battle between the followers of the truth and the followers of falsehood.
Man’s natural disposition is to follow Islam as Allaah Says )what means(:“So direct your face ]i.e., self[ toward the religion, inclining to truth. ]Adhere to[ the Fitrah ]i.e., natural disposition[ of Allaah upon which He has created ]all[ people…”]Quran 30: 30[ This is what the enemies of Islam have launched a war against, in an attempt to divert people from our religion. In a Sacred Hadeeth, the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam narrated that Allaah Says:“Ihave created people upon natural disposition )Islam(, but the devils then divert them from their religion and deem lawful for them what I have prohibited and command them to associate with Me that for which I have not sent down authority.”
The situation has stemmed into people being divided into two groups: those who believe and those who disbelieve. This is the wisdom of Allaah, as He Says )what means(:“And if your Lord had willed, He could have made mankind one community; but they will not cease to differ.”]Quran 11: 118[ A group of people will go to Hell and a group will go to Paradise. This is based on His ultimate wisdom. Hell will be filled, as Allaah Says )what means(:“…And the word of your Lord is to be fulfilled that: 'I will surely fill Hell with jinn and men all together.'”]Quran 11: 119[ Allaah has addressed both Hell and Paradise and informed them that He will admit into each enough inhabitants to fill them.
Allaah has distinguished the people of the truth from those of falsehood saying )what means(:“Not equal are the blind and the seeing. Nor are the darkness and the light. Nor are the shade and the heat. And not equal are the living and the dead. Indeed, Allaah causes to hear whom he wills, but you cannot make hear those in the graves. You ]O Muhammad[ are not but a warner.”]Quran 35: 19-23[
This propagation of misconceptions through satellite television channels, radio stations, magazines and newspapers is such a dangerous development that it could lead to mass confusion and disorder; it may thereby kill people’s hearts so that they may no longer possess the ability to distinguish the truth.
It is the will of Allaah that he established proof against mankind by revealing His books and sending His messengers, the Quran being the last and final proof against His creation. Allaah Says )what means(:“And thus We have revealed to you an inspiration of Our command ]i.e., the Quran[. You did not know what is the Book or ]what is[ faith, but We have made it a light by which We guide whom We will of Our slaves...”]Quran 26: 52[
It is the light of guidance and the rescue for those who are exposed to such misconceptions. Allaah Says )what means(:“Allaah is the Light ]i.e., the source and bestower of light and enlightenment[ of the heavens and the earth. The example of His light ]i.e., guidance[ is like a niche within which is a lamp. The lamp is within glass, the glass as if it were a pearly ]white[ star lit from ]the oil of[ a blessed olive tree, neither of the east nor of the west, whose oil would almost glow even if untouched by fire…”]Quran 24: 35[
These misconceptions and falsehoods which the disbelievers propagate are described by Allaah as )what means(:“But the disbelievers – their deeds are like a mirage in a lowland which a thirsty one thinks is water until, when he comes to it, he finds it nothing but finds Allaah before him, and He will pay him in full his due; and Allaah is Swift in Account. Or ]they are[ like darknesses within a deep sea which is covered by waves, upon which are waves, over which are clouds – darknesses, some of them upon others. When one puts out his hand ]therein[, he can hardly see it. And for he for whom Allaah has not granted light – for him there is no light.”]Quran 24: 39-40[
Some people are deafened to hearing the truth and blinded from seeing it, they can never be guided to it. There are, however, others for whom Allaah opened their hearts and guided to the truth; these people acknowledged and accepted this and are alert to what Allaah has revealed. Such people can clearly see the truth and easily recognise it, and this is the light that Allaah addressed in the abovementioned )thirty-fifth( verse of chapter An-Noor.
Imaam Ibn Al-Qayyim, may Allaah have mercy upon him, stated: “Belief is complete light, and produces light, and the abode of this light is the slave's heart and soul; disbelief is utter darkness and leads to darkness, the place of which is also in the heart and soul… When one whose heart is filled with light reads the Quran, he feels as if its meanings were written in his heart.”
One of the ways of Allaah is His decree that conflict would always exist between the followers of the truth and those of falsehood, as He Says )what means(:“…And if it were not for Allaah checking ]some[ people by means of others, the earth would have been corrupted…”]Quran 2: 251[ This is something that is continuous, but the final victory and good end will be in favour of the believers, as Allaah Says )what means(:“Allaah has written ]i.e., decreed[: 'I will surely overcome, I and My messengers' …”]Quran 58: 21[
Allaah willing, nobody can mislead with a misconception one whose heart is pure and upon the sound nature on which he was created. When a misconception presents itself to a believer whose heart is filled with light that he derives from the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of the Messenger sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, such a believer will strike truth upon the falsehood and it destroys it, causing it to vanish.
True happiness and guidance lies in following the way of the Messenger sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, and real misery is the fruit of differing from his way. Imaam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allaah have mercy upon him, said: “The message )of Muhammad sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam( is light and life for the universe, and is the way to its reformation. If life and light are missing, life becomes dark and cursed, except for the parts of it on which the message was revealed. Likewise is the case for the slave: unless the light of the message has risen in his heart and has affected him, he will live in darkness until death.”
The door of misconception was closed during the time of the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, and during the caliphate of Abu Bakr, may Allaah be pleased with him, but it was burst open by the assassination of ‘Umar, may Allaah be pleased with him. It was then that religious innovations began to appear, and the companions of the Messenger sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam who had remained resisted them resiliently. Things have continued to deteriorate from that time until misconceptions have prevailed.
Allaah with His comprehensive Knowledge knew that such misconceptions would appear, which is why He has instilled refutations for them in the Quran. For example, a man once approached one of the Companions, may Allaah be pleased with him, holding a bone of a dead person and then crushed it in front of him, asking: “Can your Lord revive this after what I have just done to it?” Allaah then revealed the following verses )which mean(:“Does man not consider that We created him from a ]mere[ sperm-drop – then at once he is a clear adversary. And he presents for Us an example and forgets his ]own[ creation. He says: 'Who will give life to bones while they are disintegrated?' Say: 'He will give them life who produced them the first time; and He is, of all creation, Knowing.'”]Quran 36: 77-79[
Also, the disbelievers claimed that the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam was receiving and relating the Quran from a non-Arab carpenter in Makkah, so Allaah revealed the following verse )which means(:“And We certainly know that they say: 'It is only a human being who teaches him ]i.e., the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam[.' The tongue of the one they refer to is foreign, and this ]recitation, i.e., Quran[ is in a clear Arabic language.”]Quran 16: 103[
The enemies of Islam have not left a single field except that they have aroused misconceptions regarding it, even when it comes to Allaah, an example of which is the claim of the Christians that Allaah is one of three )i.e., the concept of trinity(.
An important contemporary example of mass misconception is globalisation, and this is something that we must all combat. Under the pretext of this, everything is allowed, including television channels that propagate Christianity and attack Islam, the Quran and the Messenger sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, and some of these attacks are claimed, deceitfully of course, to be based on authentic prophetic narrations from Al-Bukhaari. People therefore watch this and complain of thereby becoming confused.
It is important, therefore, that a Muslim distances himself from misconceptions and refuses to expose himself to them; he must leave the matter of refuting misconceptions and debating with those who propagate them to the scholars. How can a Muslim who believes in Allaah and the Last Day attend gatherings or locations in which misconceptions are discussed and expose his eyes to the prohibited matters that occur in them and then complain of being confused? When one watches any of the multitudes of satellite television channels that propagate misconception, he is committing a prohibition, because Allaah Says )what means(:“And when you see those who engage in ]offensive[ discourse concerning Our verses, then turn away from them until they enter into another conversation. And if Satan should cause you to forget, then do not remain after the reminder with the wrongdoing people.”]Quran 6: 68[
Imaam Ash-Shawkaani, may Allaah have mercy upon him, said: “This verse includes a stern reminder to those who undermine sitting with innovators who play with the words found in the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah and who distort the correct usage of words. The very least that one is required to do regarding such people is to abandon sitting with them, which is an effortless action.”
We have seen some of these cursed gatherings, refuted falsehood and supported the truth on many occasions to the best of our ability, but even those who are well founded upon knowledge have problems when they sit with the people who propagate such filth. Therefore, if a common man allows such people to talk and sits and listens to them, he will certainly become confused.

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Dought & clear, - Should he fast on the fifteenth of Sha’baan even if the hadeeth is da'eef?

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Is it permissible, even after finding out that a hadeeth is da’eef (weak), to follow it, by way of doing righteous deeds? The hadeeth says: “When it is halfway through Sha’baan, spend that night in prayer and fast on that day.” The fast is observed as a voluntary act of devotion to Allaah, as is spending that night in prayer (qiyaam al-layl).
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
What is narrated concerning the virtue of praying, fasting and worshipping on the fifteenth of Sha’baan (al-nusf min Sha’baan) does not come under the heading of da’eef (weak), rather it comes under the heading of mawdoo’ (fabricated) and baatil (false). So it is not permissible to follow it or to act upon it, whether that is in doing righteous deeds or otherwise.
A number of scholars ruled that the reports concerning that were false, such as Ibn al-Jawzi in his bookal-Mawdoo’aat, 2/440-445; Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah inal-Manaar al-Muneef, no. 174- 177; Abu Shaamah al-Shaafa’i inal-Baa’ith ‘ala Inkaar al-Bida’ wa’l-Hawaadith, 124-137; al-‘Iraaqi inTakhreej Ihyaa’ ‘Uloom il-Deen, no. 582. Shaykh al-Islam [Ibn Taymiyah] narrated that there was consensus on the fact that they are false, inMajmoo’ al-Fataawa, 28/138.
Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him) said inHukm al-Ihtifaal bi Laylat al-Nusf min Sha’baan(Ruling on celebrating the fifteenth of Sha’baan):
Celebrating the night of the fifteenth of Sha’baan (Laylat al-Nusf min Sha’baan) by praying etc, or singling out this day for fasting, is a reprehensible bid’ah (innovation) according to the majority of scholars, and there is no basis for this in sharee’ah.
And he (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
There is no saheeh hadeeth concerning the night of the fifteenth of Sha’baan (Laylat al-Nusf min Sha’baan). All the ahaadeeth that have been narrated concerning that are mawdoo’ (fabricated) and da’eef (weak), and have no basis. There is nothing special about this night, and no recitation of Qur’aan or prayer, whether alone or in congregation, is specified for this night. What some of the scholars have said about it being special is a weak opinion. It is not permissible to single it out for any special actions. This is the correct view. And Allaah is the Source of strength.
Fataawa Islamiyyah, 4/511.
See also question no. 8907.
Secondly:
Even if we assume that the hadeeth is da’eef (weak) and not mawdoo’ (fabricated), the correct scholarly view is that weak ahaadeeth should not be followed at all, even if they speak of righteous deeds or of targheeb and tarheeb (promises and warnings). The saheeh reports are sufficient and the Muslim has no need to follow the da’eef reports. Nothing is known in Islam to suggest that this night or day is special, either from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or from his companions.
The scholar Ahmad Shaakir said: There is no difference between rulings or righteous deeds; we do not take any of them from da’eef reports, rather no one hast he right to use any report as evidence unless it is proven to be soundly narrated from the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in a saheeh or hasan hadeeth.
Al-Baa’ith al-Hatheeth, 1/278.
For more information, see:al-Qawl al-Muneef fi Hukm al-‘Aml bi’l-Hadeeth al-Da’eef.
And Allaah knows best.

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Dought & clear, - Celebrating a child’s first fast

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In my country, the family celebrates the first day that their son or daughter fasts, by making food on that occasion and inviting the family to come and eat at the time of iftaar (breaking the fast). This event is called a “celebration of the first fast.” I would like to know the following:
1. What is the Islamic ruling on celebrating this event; is it permissible to attend if I am invited, and to eat this food?
2. What is your view on parties to celebrate the iftaar by inviting the people to come and have iftaar in a particular place?
3. In most of the mosques, the Qur’an is completed on the night of the twenty-seventh and sweets are handed out in the mosque; what is the Islamic ruling on that?
May Allah reward you with good for your efforts for His sake.
Praise be to Allah.
Firstly:
There is nothing wrong, in sha Allah, with the family celebrating the first time a boy or girl fasts, so long as it is limited to this occasion only, and will not become something that is repeated. There is nothing wrong with expressing happiness when the child reaches the age to observe this act of worship, or to encourage him and help him understand that this is an important event in his life. It is also a blessing for which thanks should be given to Allah. Some of the scholars regard it as mustahabb to make food for every happy occasion, and they specifically mentioned making food when a child completes the Qur’an.
See the answer to question no. 89705
Secondly:
If the reason for meeting to have iftaar is to spread love and harmony among those who gather, especially if they are relatives or if they are in a foreign land, and to encourage them to uphold ties with one another and show compassion towards one another, and to strengthen the bonds between Muslim families and their children, or that is done to help feed people and give iftaar to those who are fasting, and other valid purposes, then there is nothing wrong with it. In fact it is something praiseworthy that should be encouraged according to the purpose for which it is done, so long as it is not regarded as a Sunnah and is not taken by the participants as a regular “eid” other than the Eids prescribed in Islam, such that they gather on a particular day or in a particular manner, thinking that doing so has a particular virtue in Islamic terms.
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked:
I announce in one of the mosques that there will be an iftaar for everyone who wants to fast every Thursday. What is the ruling on that?
He replied: There is nothing wrong with making this announcement, because it is an announcement that is calling to good and the aim of it is not to buy or sell. What is haraam is to make announcements having to do with buying and selling, or renting and hiring, which are purposes for which the mosques were not built. As for calling people to good, feeding people and giving charity, there is nothing wrong with that.
With regard to its nature, and whether it is a gathering to perform a kind of worship, in fact they did not announce a communal fast; rather they announced iftaar only, so there is nothing wrong with that. And Allah knows best. End quote.
Thirdly:
The night of the twenty seventh of Ramadan is one of the odd-numbered nights among the last ten, on which Laylat al-Qadr may occur, according to the saheeh report narrated from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). But Laylat al-Qadr is not necessarily on this particular night according to the correct view; rather it may be on this night or on some other of the last ten nights, although this night is the most likely of those nights.
Based on that, it is not correct to be certain that it is always Laylat al-Qadr or to believe that. But if a person increases his prayers or strives harder in that, on the basis that it is the most likely of the last ten nights, there is nothing wrong with that, in sha Allah. As for singling it out for completing the Qur’an on that night, that is something that should not be done, lest it be believed for certain that it is Laylat al-Qadr. We know of no basis for doing that from the practice of the early generations.
With regard to distributing sweets on that night, we do not know of any basis for that. It seems that this is a kind of taking that night as an Eid. It is not prescribed to single out that night for that purpose; rather it is not prescribed to do that deliberately on that night or any of the other nights on the basis of its virtue. However, if the purpose of giving out these sweets is to be kind to small children and do something nice for them, it should not be done only on that night; rather if it is done every time there is a need for it, that is Islamically acceptable.
And Allah knows best.

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Dought & clear, - Ruling on one who misinterprets the attributes of Allah, may He be exalted

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I want to ask about the one who denies the attributes of Allah: is he a Muslim or not? Such as the one who says that what is meant by the “hand of Allah” is the power of Allah, and they misinterpret other attributes of Allah. Is it the case that these people who deny the divine attributes are not of Ahl as-Sunnah, or are they beyond the pale of Islam altogether?
Praise be to Allah.
Firstly:
The teaching of Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa‘ah with regard to the Tawheed (Oneness) of the Divine names and attributes is that they believe in what it says in the Book of Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, and in that which is proven from the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), without any misinterpretation(interpreting them in a way other than they appear to mean) or likening Him to His creation, and without distorting the meaning or denying the Divine names and attributes. So they ascribe to Allah, may He be exalted, that which He has ascribed to Himself and that which His Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) has ascribed to Him.
Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
Ahl as-Sunnah unanimously agreed on affirming and believing in all the divine attributes mentioned in the Qur’an and Sunnah, and understanding them in a true sense (as they appear to be), not as being metaphorical. But they do not discuss how any of them are. As for the innovators, Jahamis and Mu‘tazilah, and the Khaarijis, all of them deny them and do not understand any of them in a true sense (as they appear to be).
End quote fromat-Tamheed, 7/145
Secondly:
The one who denies the names and attributes of Allah altogether and does not ascribe them to Allah, may He be exalted, as is the case with the baatinis (esoteric sects) and the extreme Jahamis, is a kaafir who is beyond the pale of Islam, disbelieves in the Qur’an and Sunnah, and goes against the consensus (ijmaa‘) of the ummah.
The same applies to anyone who denies any of the names or attributes of Allah that Allah, may He be exalted, has affirmed in His Book; he is a disbeliever, because what is implied by his denial is that he rejects the Qur’an.
With regard to the one who misinterprets any of the attributes of Allah and distorts its meaning, such as those who misinterpret the attribute of the hand as referring to His power, and they say that istiwa’ (rising over the Throne) means taking control of it, and so on, he is mistaken in interpreting it in a manner other than the apparent meaning, and he is an innovator in so far as what he believes is contrary to the Sunnah, and he has strayed from the path of Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa‘ah. But he is not a disbeliever just because of this misinterpretation, and he may be excused for his efforts to understand, depending on his level of knowledge and faith. Rather the measuring stick in that regard is the extent to which he sought to learn what the Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) taught and the extent of his keenness to follow him.
Ibn Baaz (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
It is not permissible to misinterpret the divine attributes or to understand them in any way other than their apparent meaning in a manner that is befitting to Allah, or to say that knowledge of what is meant belongs only to Allah. Rather all of that comes under the heading of the beliefs of the innovators. As for Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa‘ah, they do not misinterpret the verses and hadeeths that speak of the divine attributes, and they do not understand them in a way other than the apparent meaning, and they do not say that knowledge of what is meant belongs only to Allah. Rather they believe that every meaning (of these attributes) that may be indicated is true in a manner that is befitting to Allah, may He be exalted, without likening Him to His creation.
End quote fromMajmoo‘ Fataawa Ibn Baaz, 2/106-107
He was also asked (may Allah have mercy on him):
Are the Ash‘aris among Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa‘ah or not? Do we regard them as being fellow Sunnis or as being disbelievers?
He replied:
The Ash‘aris are among Ahl as-Sunnah with regard to most matters, but they are not among them with regard to interpretation of the divine attributes, but they are not disbelievers either. Rather among them are some leading scholars and good people, but they erred in their interpretation of some of the divine attributes.
They differed from Ahl as-Sunnah in some issues, such as the interpretation of most of the divine attributes, in which they were mistaken. The view of Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa‘ah is to accept the verses and hadeeths that speak of the divine attributes as they came, without interpreting them (in a way other than the apparent meaning), denying them, distorting the meaning or likening Allah to His creation.
End quote fromMajmoo‘ Fataawa Ibn Baaz, 28/256
Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ar-Raajihi was asked:
If it is proven that the Ash‘aris have misinterpreted one of the divine attributes, are they to be regarded as disbelievers?
He replied: No, the one who misinterprets and misunderstands some (of the divine attributes) is not to be regarded as a disbeliever; the one who denies one of the names of Allah becomes a disbeliever. Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):“while they disbelieve in the Most Beneficent (Allah)” [ar-Ra ‘d13:30]. If he denies one of the names or attributes of Allah without misinterpreting it, then he becomes a disbeliever. And Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):“The Most Beneficent (Allah) Istawa (rose over) the (Mighty) Throne (in a manner that suits His Majesty)” [Ta-Ha 20:5]. If he denies this verse, he becomes a disbeliever, but if he misinterprets it as referring to taking control, then in that case he is confused, therefore we cannot say that he is a disbeliever. End quote.
www.ar.islam way.net
For information on the conditions of labelling a specific individual as a disbeliever, please see the answer to question no. 107105
Thirdly:
The Khaarijis are one of the misguided sects who have gone beyond the pale of Islam. And Allah knows best.

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