** Innovations during the Month of Rajab

** Allaah Almighty bestows favors and grants bounties upon His slaves,
during all times, to help expiate their sins, elevate their ranks and
make up for their shortcomings. Allaah Almighty legislated for us a
month during which we observe fasting, another which we perform
pilgrimage in, and one or two extra days to fast during the remaining
months. He also legislated prayer during the nightand the Witr prayer,
the Ud'hiyah ('Eed sacrifice), and the 'Aqeeqah,(birth sacrifice) and
many other virtuous deeds. All of these are ways of opening different
channels for righteous deeds andmethods to energize us by shifting
from one form of worship to another, and therefore, not become weary,
butcontinue to worship Allaah Almighty. This is indeed a great favor
from Allaah upon us.
Moreover, we find that any act of worship which causes the peopleto
come closer to Allaah Almightyis mentioned in His Book or in theSunnah
of His Prophet . The problem is in those people who try to come close
to Allaah and gain His reward by looking outside these two sources,
and thus, divert from the right path.
The Prophet sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam said during his farewell
pilgrimage, "I have left with you that, which if you adhere to, you
will never go astray, the Book of Allaah".
And Allaah Says (what means): "…And whatever the Messenger has given
you – take; and what he has forbidden you – refrain from. And fear
Allaah; indeed, Allaah is severe in penalty." [Quran: 59:7]
Allaah Almighty dispraised the Arabs during the pre-Islamic period
because they interfered in that which they had no right in, and
started changing what is lawful to unlawful, and what is unlawful to
lawful, and recommending that which AllaahAlmighty did not. They used
to shift around the times of the sacred months and change the names of
the months because they did not want to wait for thislong period to
finish.
Ibn Katheer said, "Dealing with the legislations of Allaah with one's
corrupt mind and reasoning, and changing the rulings of Allaah
according to their desires, and deeming lawfulwhat is unlawful, were
some of the things for which Allaah dispraised the disbelievers."
The Arabs had also forbidden upon themselves slaughtering certain
animals, by setting some laws which Allaah Almighty did not legislate,
so Allaah Almighty dispraised them for that. Thus we know that
worshipping Allaah Almighty is something which is not permitted except
through that which He The Most High has legislated Himself and through
His messenger . Anyone who wants to draw closer to Allaah and gain His
reward, love and pleasure through other channels, will get the
contrary result, because Allaah Almighty does not accept from people
except that which He legislated for them.
During the month of Rajab, whichis one of the sacred months, some
Muslims make some wrongpractices through which they intend to come
closer to Allaah Almighty and gain His forgiveness, love and pleasure.
But they seek that through acts of worship which He did not permit nor
legislate, and although they are seeking something good, they do not
achieve it.
The point is not only in having a sincere and good intention, but the
deed itself must be legitimate, or else it will be rejected. Who dare
say that a deed is rejected by Allaah Almighty? Who told him that the
deed is rejected? The one who told us this is the truthful Prophet
Muhammad who said: "He who introduces any deed into our matter (Islam)
which is not from it then it is rejected." [Al-Bukhaari and Muslim]
'Aa'ishah narrated that the Prophet said: "He who performs any deed
which is not according to what we are upon (i.e., the Prophet and his
Companions) then it is rejected." [Muslim] Therefore, any deed which
is not in accordance with what Islam has come with is rejected.
One of the practices during the month of Rajab which was done during
the pre-Islamic period, is to offer sacrifices and call it 'Far'aand
'Ateerah. The Muslims scholars said Islam voided this practice. Abu
Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet said: "No Fara'. No 'Ateerah."
[Al-Bukhaari and Muslim]
Ar-Raghaa'ib prayer is another thing which people innovated which was
never legislated by Allaah nor His Messenger . Thescholars said,
"There is no authentic Hadith regarding a special prayer during the
month of Rajab, and all the narrations concerning Ar-Raghaa'ib prayer
are fabricated lies." They also said, "This prayer was innovated after
the fourth century and was never known before that, and no one from
the scholars during the first virtuous generations ever mentioned it."
People fast all the month of Rajabalthough there is no authentic
Hadeeth in this regard and so thispractice should be abandoned. On the
other hand, those who arein the habit of fasting regularly, even in
during other months, may fast. Moreover, the Prophet never fasted any
month in fullother than Ramadhaan, as narrated by 'Aa'ishah 'The
Prophet used to fast so much until we would think that he always
fasts, and would stop fasting until we would think that he never
fasts. I never saw the Prophet fast a full month except during
Ramadhaan, and he never fasted more than fasting during the month of
Sha'baan.' [Al-Bukhaari and Muslim]
It was narrated that 'Umar used to hit men's hands until they would
start using them to eat during the month of Rajab, and he would say,
'What is the virtue of Rajab? It is a month which the people during
the pre-Islamic period used to honor,but when Islam came, people gave
this up.'
Abu Bakrah, may Allah be pleasedwith him, saw his household preparing
during the month of Rajab, and said to them, 'Did you make Rajab like
Ramadhaan?'. Then he threw the baskets and broke the cups.
Another innovation is what they call the Rajabiyyah, which is an
'Umrah during Rajab which has no evidence proving it. As a matter of
fact, the only month during which 'Umrah would have a certain
prescribed reward is themonth of Ramadhan. The Prophet said: "'Umrah
during Ramadhaan equals performing Hajj" , in another narration he
said, "Equals Hajj with me."
Therefore, anyone who performs 'Umrah during Rajab for the sake of
Rajab has committed a mistake. Moreover, the Prophet never performed
'Umrah during Rajab even though he has performed 'Umrah four times.
A Muslim should know that if he seeks the pleasure of Allaah, and
wants to adhere to obedience, hewould find many acts to perform,so
there is no need to add to what the Prophet instructed us to do; let
us perform what he taught us, and he who does that, is guaranteed to
succeed and prosper in this life and the Hereafter.
Ibn Mas'oud said, 'Imitate and do not innovate (in
religion)'.Therefore, we should not add anything to the religion
baselessly, and we should adhereto the Sunnah of the Prophet . Some of
the scholars said, 'Sunnah is like to Noah's Ark, anyone who sticks to
it would be rescued.'- - [Thursday, May 23, 2013
Rajab 13, 1434]

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Fathwa - Marriage and Engagement, - The Ruling on Giving a Daughter in Marriage to One Who Does Not Pray

Question:
One of my kin has proposed to my daughter and I am under an obligation
to him, (for example, for having lent him money, or shown some
kindnessto him etc.) but he is addicted to alcohol and he keeps
company with bad people and prays little, or does not pray atall. He
is also addicted to watching videos and television and other
time-wasting devices and I am in difficulty regarding him. I request
clarification of the rulingof Islam in the matter.
Answer:
If the person proposing to your daughter is as you have described him,
then it is not permissiblefor you to give her in marriage to him,
because she is a trust in your hands, so it is incumbent for you to
choose for her the most righteous man in his religion and his
character.
It is not permissible for aperson who does not pray to be married to a
Muslim woman who does pray, since he is nota suitable match for her,
because abandoning theprayer is an act of major disbelief, according
to the saying of the Prophet sallallaahu alayhi was salam:
'Between a man and polytheism and disbelief is the abandonment of
prayer.' (muslim no.82)
And the saying of the Prophet sallallaahu alayhi was salam:
'The covenant between us and them is prayer; whoever abandons it has
committed an act of disbelief.' (At-tirmithi no.2621)
Narrated by Imam Ahmad and the compilers of the Sunan, with an
authentic chain of narrators.
There are many other evidences in the Book (of Allaah) and the Sunnah
which prove the disbelief of one who abandons the prayer, even if he
does not reject its obligation, according to the most correct of two
opinions held by the scholars. However, if he rejects its obligation
or mocked it, then he is guilty of major disbelief according to the
consensus of the Muslims.
As for the one who drinks alcohol but prays, he is not guilty of
disbelief by doing this, as long as he does not claim that it is
permissible, but he has committed a major sin and he has gone astray
thereby. Therefore, it is lawful for you not to give her in marriage
to him, even if he prays, due to his sin and because he might lead his
wife and children to this great crime.
We ask Allaah to improve the situation of the Muslims and guide them
to His Straight Path, and to preserve us and them from obeying vain
desires and Satan, for verily, He is Most Generous, Most Noble. - -
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Fathwa - Marriage and Engagement, - The Disbelieving FatherMay Not be a Guardian ofHis Daughter in Marriage

Question:
A young Muslim man wants to marry a Muslim girl, but her father, who
is a habitual drinker, and an apostate always refuses. Is it
permissable for this father to contract the marriage of his daughter?
Answer:
If she is a Muslim, then there is no objection to the young Muslim man
marrying her. But her father may not be her guardian if he is a
disbeliever; instead, her brother may give her in marriage, if she has
a good brother, or her paternal uncle, or her paternal cousin, or her
brother's son - if she has paternal Muslim relatives- then the nearest
of them may give her in marriage. And if there is no one besides the
disbelieving father, the Judge may give her in marriage. - - ▓███▓
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Fathwa - Marriage and Engagement, - The Suitable Age For Marriage

Question:
What is the suitable age for marriage for men and women, because some
young women do not accept marriage from those who are older than them?
Likewise, some men do not marry women who are older than them. We
request a response and may Allaah reward you with goodness.
Answer:
I advise young women not to refuse marriage from a man due to his age,
such as being ten, twenty or thirty years older than her. This is not
a reason, because the Prophet, sallallaahu alayhi was salam, married
'A'ishah, may Allaah be pleased with her, when he was fifty-three
years old and she was a girl of nine years old. So being older does
not harm. There is no sinin the woman being older, nor any sin in the
man being older, because the Prophet, sallallaahu alayhi was salam,
married Khadijah,may Allaah be pleased with her, when she was forty
years old and he was twenty-five years old, before the Revelation came
to him, sallallaahu alayhi was salam; that is, she, may Allaah be
pleased with her, was fifteen years older than him. Then he married
'A'ishah, may Allaah be pleased with her, when she was small - six or
seven years old and he was fifty-three years old.
Many of those who speak on the radio or television deter people from
marriage between men and women of differing ages - this is all wrong &
saying such things is not permissablefor them. It is obligatory for a
woman to look at the (prospective) husband, and if he is righteous and
suitable, she should agree, even ifhe is older than her. Similarly, a
man should devote himself to finding a righteous, religious woman,
even ifshe is older than him, if she is still young and stillfertile.
In short, the age should not be an excuse and it should not be
considered something shameful, as long as the man is righteous and
thewoman is righteous. MayAllaah reform the situation of us all.

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Fathwa - Complaints of a second wife

Question
Salam alaykoum, ive been married for 10 months now as a second wife
(in a non-muslim country). my husband is often abroad, but when he is
in the country, he lives with his 1. wife and their children in a
house, in another city, then he comes to me (but its very seldom, in
these 10 months we only spent 7 weeks together). he asked me if i
would moveto their house as there is one floor, which is free
(separate entrance). i rejected, as i dont want to be forced to be in
contact with the 1. wife - i dont feel confident withpolygamy - i
tolerate it, as long as im not faced with the 1. wife and theirlife
together. it would be no problem for my husband to rent or even to buy
a flat for us, he is wealthy enough, but he says im disobedient to him
and since weve beenmarried, he refuses to provide means of sustenance
to me. he alsouses condoms - against my will - so i cant get pregnant,
but he claims he wants to have children with me. few days ago he told
me, we could have children, if i say "yes" to the next wife, he is
going to take. what do you think about all this situation? im pretty
confused. i consider to ask him for khul, because in my eyes, he
doesnt give me my rights (maintenance & children) - am i right or
wrong? his mahr for me was omra. what should i give him back? jazak
Allahu Kheir salam alaykoum
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify
that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad
isHis slave and Messenger.
If your husband is not just between you and his other wife with regard
tostaying overnight equallywith each of you, then heis wrong and is
against the order of the Sharee'ah because a husband is obligated to
be just between his wives even if they are in different countries as
stated by the jurists . For more benefit, please refer to Fatwa 90663
.
The wife has the right upon her husband for a separate residence and
for him to spend on her as we clarified in Fataawa 85012 and 84608 .
Therefore, if the house which your husband asked you to move into has
separate facilities, then it is an obligation on you to obey him,
because it is an obligation on the wife to obey her husband in what is
permissible and reside with him wherever he resides. If you refuse,
then you are disobedient and being disobedient makes you lose your
right upon him in spending on you and being just with you and his
other wife in regard to staying overnight withyou.
However, if he refuses to spend on you without a sound reason, and you
find any money of his, then it is permissible for you to take from it
(according to your need) without his knowledge. If you are not able to
do so, you are permitted to take the matter to the authorities that
are specialized in dealing with the personal matters of the Muslims,
such as Islamic Centers, sothat they would oblige him to spend on you
or oblige him to divorce youif he refuses to spend on you while you
want divorce.
On the other hand, your husband is not permittedto prevent you from
having children without a sound excuse as havingchildren is the right
of both spouses. Besides, heis not permitted to use a condom without
your consent as, in this case, he is preventing you from having
children andfrom full enjoyment. For more benefit, please refer to
Fataawa 163651 and 195927 .
As regards him marrying a third wife in case he is able to be just
between all of you (i.e. his wives), then this is permissible for him
and it does not depend on your permission for him to marry.
Accordingly, he has no right to make your consent to his third
marriage a condition for having children with you,because having
children is your right as a wife as we have already mentioned.
For more benefit on the wisdom and conditions of polygamy, please
referto Fataawa 81469 , 90132 and 86818 .
Finally, if a wife is harmed by staying with her husband, she has the
right to seek divorce or Khul'; the compensation for Khul' could be
any money that is agreed upon by both spouses and it does not
necessarily have to be (returning) the dowry. - - ▓███▓
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Fathwa - Who pays burial expenses of a Muslim?

Question
How can I insure that I will receive a proper Muslim burial that will
bepaid for in the event of my death without the aidof life insurance?
My mother will respect my wishes but she is not a Muslim so she has no
knowledge nor does she have the funds.
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify
that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad
, is His Slave and Messenger.
Expenses of preparing the deceased for burial should be paid from his
estate before dividing it. This takes precedence over all other rights
such as paying off his debts, executing his will and theright of
heirs.
If the deceased does not have any wealth, then preparing him for
burial is the duty of the one who is obligated to spend on him (such
as the father and the like), and if that one does not have enough
money, then it must be done by the Muslim community as a whole.
What you can do is write a will so that the Islamic teachings
regarding burying you should be followed and this is to beentrusted to
Muslims in your country. In this way,you would be free from liability,
Allaah willing. Punishment will befall the one who goes against that
will. For more benefit, kindly refer to Fatwa 85432 .
We would like to note that insurance on one's life, if it is done by a
commercial insurance company - as the question implies - then it is
not permissible. Whoever participated in that form of insurance should
repent to Allaah The Almighty and withdraw that subscription if
possible and not take any money except the premiums thathe/she had
paid to the insurance company. - - ▓███▓ Translator:->
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Fathwa - Conditions of the validity of Khul’

Question
Assalamualailum, I have few doubts in regards to Khula
-Talaq-Marriage. My friend married a girl 3years back. This was
against both the parents wish and knowledge. They both dint tell at
their homes regarding their marriage and stayed in their respective
parents homes. When theparents came to know about their marriage , the
girls father asked his daughter to take the khula which was against
her wish and also asked the boy to accept it. Neither the girl nor the
boy wanted to get divorced. After few months when the boy rejected the
khula request, the girls father involved police and forced the boy to
take the khula in the police station. During this time , nor even
after the khula which was happened, the boy and the girl never stayed
together. I've few questions relating to this topic. 1.Is forced khula
taken into account?As khula is valid only with the consent of husband
and wife.And also khula can only be requested on valid grounds by the
wife. 2.According to Behashti Zewar English translation,it states that
ifkhula is requested at onepoint in time and it was not accepted by
the husband and after a timeperiod it was accepeted then that khula is
not valid.Is this true ? 3.If neither the husband , northe wife wanted
to take the khula but it was forced by external factors, then is this
khula valid or not? 4.Also there was no contact between the husband
and wife, not even after their nikah, nor even after the forced khula
they were in touch with each other so that they could rejoin or
revoke.Is this valid ? Please Advise.
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify
that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad
isHis slave and Messenger.
First of all, if this marriage took place without the consent of the
Wali (the woman's guardian), then this is a void marriage because the
consent of the Wali is a condition for the validity of the marriage
according to the most preponderant opinion of the scholars as we
clarified in Fatwa 83629 .
Therefore, this girl is not Islamically considered a wife to that man,
and theseparation in such a marriage can either be by the husband
issuing divorce to his wife, or, if he refuses, the judge invalidates
his marriage. For more benefit, please refer to Fatwa 92478 .
With regard to the questions which you asked about a forced Khul',
then the answer in general will be as follows:
The consent of both spouses is a necessary condition for the validity
of Khul', and if Khul' takes place under compulsion, the Khul' is not
valid. The compulsionthat should be taken intoaccount is the
compulsion that makes the person do what he is forced to do, and this
kind of compulsion comes from a person who could execute it, while one
predominantlythinks that it will be carried out if he does notrespond
to such a threat; also the person is to be threatened by somethingby
which he will be greatly harmed, like being killed, beaten or
imprisoned for a long time...etc.
It should be mentioned here that the wife is not permitted to ask for
Khul'except for a sound Islamic reason, but if she asks for Khul'
without a sound reason and the husband accepted it withhis own free
will, then Khul' takes place and it is valid. This is the answer for
your first and third questions.
As regards the second question, what you have read is correct, as
there should be a continuation [i.e. no interruption] between the
request of Khul' and accepting it; as the jurists, when speaking about
the wording of Khul', stated that it is a condition that no irrelevant
words should be said between requesting the Khul' and accepting it.
As regards the fourth question, it is not clear tous. In any case,
what we can say is to confirm what we have already mentioned that
Khul' when being forced does not take place. The fact that there was
no sexual intercourse does not affect the validity of Khul'if it had
taken place in a valid manner, nor does it affect its invalidity if it
was void.
Allaah Knows best.

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The essential pillars of marital life

Marital happiness is a dream that all husbands and wives have had
sincethe beginning of time and many spouses are still trying to
fulfill this dream through all possible means. Nevertheless, being
awayfrom the true teachings of Islam and sound prophetic guidance has
led them to confusion between the different means: Western and
Eastern. However, when one returns to the Sunnah of the Prophet he
will inevitably reach his goal. Allaah The Almighty has granted
success to one of the callers to Allaah to compile the pillars of the
marital life, which are:
First: good intention:
This means that the spouses should begin their marital life with a
sincere intention to obtain the pleasure of Allaah The Almighty. This
would be displayed in the following matters:
1 – Maintaining ones' chastity, guarding the private parts against
committing sin, lowering the gaze and fulfilling each spouse's
responsibility towards the other.
2 – Establishing the Muslim home in concordance with the methodology
of Allaah The Almighty.
3 – Producing righteous offspring who affirm thatthere is nothing
worthy of worship except Allaah and who worship Him as He should be
worshipped.
Second: Cooperation withone another in obeying Allaah The Almighty.
Third: Establishing a Muslim home and family.
Fourth: Building the marital relationship on love, mercy and kind association.
Before talking about marital happiness, there is a set of rules that a
wife should comprehend and be fully aware of:
First: a human being has three levels:
This is specific to mental and cognitive aspects.
Second: a woman must distinguish between two things:
This is specific to instinctsand desires (the abdomen and sexual organs).
2 - Good association (affection and mercy), and this also has its components.
Satisfying the husband's needs according to his age as well as his
economic status are components of stability. The woman should knowthe
man's needs and the manner in which he thinks.
A righteous woman can achieve her husband's essential needs in terms
of security and efficiency,as stated in Maslow's hierarchy of needs.
This includes the basic needs:
Through maintaining his wealth and honor, in addition to patience,
chastity, and so on.
Through satisfying basic needs, sexual desires etc.
He is looking for a lovingwife and a friend. Add-ons:
Third, a pious woman never asks until she gives:
Such a woman gives first and then asks. A Bedouin woman offered her
daughter the following advice on her wedding day, "Be an earth for him
and he will be your sky; be a bondmaid for him and he will be your
slave."
This is an indispensable introduction that should be known before
discussing marital happiness and its components in detail.
Sufficiency:
Security:
3 - The lower level:
1 – The stability of the home, and this has its components.
2 – The middle level:
1 - The highest level:
This is specific to feelings and emotions (heart and sentiment).
Fifth: Forgiveness and pardoning.
Sixth: Calmness at times of anger. - - ▓███▓ Translator:->
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Let Those who have DeadHearts Rejoice - I

I can no longer feel it.
It is certainly inside me, but I have not felt it for so long now. In
fact, I do not know when, where or even how it happened. What I know
now is that I do not feel it. I have lost it. It was inside me. I
truly felt it. Nevertheless, it has died.
I remember when it was alive and energetic. I felt then that I was
alive. Whenever I came to do an act of obedience, my living heart was
full of joy and happiness. However, now it is completely darkened by
acts of disobedience and covered with drapes that never allow light to
penetrate it.
Ibn Al-Qayyim said,
The sick heart is a heart with both life and illness. The former
sustains it at one moment, the latter atanother, and it follows
whichever of the two that manages to dominate it. It has love for
Allaah, belief in Him, sincerity towards Him and reliance upon Him and
these are what give it life. It also has a craving for desires,
preferring them and striving to experience them. It is full of envy,
arrogance, self-conceit, love of superiority and tendency to cause
corruption on earth which can lead to its owndestruction. It is
motivated by two callers: one calling it to Allaah, His Prophet and
the Last Day; and the other calling it to this worldly life. It
responds to whichever of the two that happens to be closer. That sick
heart wavers between its safety and its ruin.
Nevertheless, I did not surrender. I did not feel comfortable with my
heart wavering between light and darkness. I do not know whether my
self loves darkness or is fond of light. Wavering between these two
can make a person feel mad. Once he reaches the highest degree of
obedience and closeness to Allaah. As such he feels as if everything
is all right and that he will remain straight. Nevertheless, darkness
soon calls him and drags him to its circle. As such one can not flee
from thecustody of darkness. In fact, he falls into the traps of
disobedience and moves down to the deepest degrees in challenging
Allaah The Almighty. Then he regains consciousness after having been
dumbfounded by the horrible fall and gravity of being away from Allaah
The Almighty. Therefore, he quickly moves to Allaah The Almighty
asking Him to save him from darkness.
While one wavers between this and that, hegives free hand to himself
leaving it to drag him to darkness. Meanwhile, his reason calls him to
stand up, to wake up before it is too late! But he does nothingto save
himself. Rather, he keeps on falling and falling and falling…
When he reaches the bottom, it is as if he does not feel his heart. He
killed it by his own hand. He no longer feels the pain of disobedience
or the sweetness of obedience. He lost the ability to feel anything
around him. He even lost the taste of life itself.
My heart died
He shouted loudly with a cry that echoed around the place, "My heart
died.It no longer feels anything. Can the dead come to life again? Can
it come back? How can it, when it is lifeless? How can it, when I have
killed it by my own hand?"
Ibn Al-Qayyim said,
The opposite of the healthy heart is the dead heart. It neither knows
its Lord nor worships Himaccording to what He commands, loves and
approves. It clings instead to its lusts and desires, even if these
are likely to incur the displeasure of Allaah and His wrath. It is
enslaved to other than Allaah The Almighty in terms of love,fear,
hope, satisfaction, dissatisfaction, exaltationand humbleness.
He loves, hates, gives andwithholds motivated by his personal desires.
His personal desires are preferable and dearer to him than the
satisfaction of Allaah. He is led by passion, motivated by lust,
driven by ignorance and carried by heedlessness. His heart is immersed
in its concern with worldly objectives. His heart is drunk with itsown
fancies and love for this worldly life. It is called to Allaah The
Almighty and the Last Dayfrom a distance but it does not respond to
advice, and instead it follows any scheming, cunning devil. Life
angersand pleases it, and passion makes it deaf and blind to anything
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Let Those who have DeadHearts Rejoice - II

Reflect on the meaning of the following Hadeeth (narration). The
Prophet, , said:
"There was among the people who came before you a man who killed
ninety-nine persons. Then he asked about the most knowledgeable person
on earth, and wasdirected to a monk, so hewent to him, told him that
he had killed ninety-nine people and asked if his repentance could be
accepted. The monk said, 'No.' So, he killed him and completed one
hundred. Then he asked about the most knowledgeable person on earth
and he was directed to a scholar. He told him that he had killed one
hundred people and asked whether his repentance could be accepted. The
scholar said, 'Yes, what could possibly come between you and
repentance? Go to such-and-such land, for in it there are people who
worship Allaah. Go and worship Allaah with them, and do not go backto
your own land, for it isa bad place.'
So, the man set out, but when he was halfway there, the angel of death
came to him, and the angels of mercy and the angels of torment began
to argue over him. The angels of mercy said, 'He had repented and
headed wholeheartedly to Allaah.' The angels of torment said, 'He
never did any good thing.' An angel in human form came to them and
they asked him to decide the matter. He said, 'Measure the distance
between thetwo lands (his home town and the town he was heading for),
and to whichever of the two he is closer is the one to which he
belongs.' So they measured the distance and found that he was closer
to the townfor which he was heading, so the angels of mercy took him."
Qataadah said, "Al-Hasan mentioned that the man, while dying, turned
his chest towards that village(where he had hoped his repentance would
be accepted)." [Al-Bukhaari and Muslim]
Scholars mentioned many benefits in this noble Hadeeth . The following
points show these benefits:
1- He killed ninety-nine persons:
Do you think that such a person had a healthy or sick heart? He killed
the monk to whom he came to ask about repentance. He was
pathologically bent upon killing. After killing the monk, he did not
experience the least feeling of regret for his action. Strangely, he
killed the monk and then went out asking about the most knowledgeable
person on earth. He was still looking for repentance. He took a
decisive decision to revive his heart. His decision was subject to
neither delay nor changewhatever the reason maybe. He was determined
torevive his dead heart.
Do you not wonder how he did not even stop for a moment after killing
the monk to say to himself, "You have been disobedient (to Allaah)
again. You have done what you used to do. Youwill never repent and
Allaah will not accept you!" He did not utter these frustrated
remarks. Rather, he moved forward looking for his goal, which was
repentance.
2- Repentance wipes out even the gravest of majorsins:
This story stands as great evidence that Allaah The Almighty accepts
repentance from a wrongdoer, even if his sins are grave. Having a
sincere intention to repent is the crucial factor here.
This is also supported by evidence from the Quran and the Sunnah .
Allaah The Almighty says (what means): } Say, "O My servants who have
transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the
Mercy of Allaah. Indeed, Allaah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He
who is theForgiving, the Merciful." { [Quran 39: 53]
Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Messenger of Allaah, , said: "By the
One in whose Hand my soul is, i fyou were not to commit sins Allaah
would remove you and replace you with people who would commit sins and
then ask for forgiveness, and He would grant them forgiveness."
[Muslim]
3- The vastness of the Mercy of Allaah and the danger of despairing of it:
The story with its several narrations indicates that the Mercy of
Allaah is vastand that it overcomes His wrath. It also indicates that
when the slave of Allaah sincerely repents to Him, not only does
Allaah The Almighty accept his repentance but He also grants him
success and guidance to the straight path. The other narrations of the
story indicate that Divine Care played a role which signifies the
vastness of the Mercy of Allaah and His Bounty on the repentant slave.
Another narration reads: "Allaah ordered the land (towards which he
was going) to come closer to him, and ordered the land (from whence he
had come), to go far away, and then He ordered the angels to measure
the distances between his body and the two towns. He was found to be
one span closer to the village (he was going to). So he was forgiven."
[Al-Bukhaari and Muslim]
Ordering the town (towards which he was going) to come closer and
ordering the town (whence he had come) togo far away indicates that
Allaah The Almighty not only accepts repentance from His slaves, but
He also gives them of His bounty.
In a Hadeeth Qudsi (sacred narration), Abu Hurayrah narrated that the
Prophet, , quoted Allaah The Almighty as saying: "I am just as My
slave believes Me to be, and I am with him when He remembers Me. So if
he remembers Me within himself, I too remember him within Myself. If
he remembers Me in a group of people then I remember him in agroup
that is better than them. If he comes one span nearer to Me then I go
one cubit nearer to him; if he comes one cubit nearer to Me then I go
a distance of two outstretched arms nearerto him; and if he comes to
Me walking then I go to him running." [Al-Bukhaari and Muslim]
Commenting on the verse, Ibn 'Abbaas said,
Allaah invites all to His Forgiveness; those who claim that the Christ
is Allaah, those who claim that the Christ is the son of Allaah, those
who claim that 'Uzayr is the son of Allaah, those who claim that
Allaah is poor, those who claim that the Hand of Allaah is tied up,
and those who say that Allaah is the third of three (Trinity). Allaah
saysto all of these (what means): } So will they not repent to Allaah
and seekHis Forgiveness? And Allaah is Forgiving and Merciful. {
[Quran 5: 74] He calls to repentance theone who says something even
worse than that, theone who says (what means): } "I am your most
exalted lord." { [Quran 79:24] and (what means): } I have not known
you to have a god other than me. { [Quran 28: 38]
Ibn 'Abbaas added, "Anyone who makes the slaves of Allaah despair
ofHis Mercy after this has rejected the Book of Allaah." ] Tafseer Ibn
Katheer [
If you think that your heart is dead and that it will never revive,
then what about the hearts of the disbelievers and atheists which are
destroyed with denial of the existence of Allaah The Almighty?
Let us try to revive our dead hearts.

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Dought & clear, - How can a seeker of knowledge make a schedule to organise his time?.

Can you advise me as to how a seeker of knowledge can make a schedule
to organise his time?
Praise be to Allah.
Firstly:
The status of the seeker of Islamic knowledge is great in Islam.
Allah, mayHe be blessed and exalted, has praised knowledge and those
who seek it, as He says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Say: Are those who know equal to those who know not?' It is only men
of understanding who will remember (i.e. get a lesson from Allahs
Signs and Verses)"
[az-Zumar 39:9]
"It is only those who have knowledge among His slaves that fear Allah"
[Faatir 35:28].
It was narrated that Humayd ibn 'Abd ar-Rahmaan said: I
heardMu'aawiyah say, when he was delivering a khutbah: I heard the
Messenger of Allaah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) say:
"When Allaah wills good for a person, He deepenshis knowledge of
Islam.
Narrated by al-Bukhaari (71) and Muslim (1037).
It was narrated that 'Abu'd-Darda' said: I heard the Messenger of
Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) say: "Whoever follows
a path in the pursuit of knowledge, Allaah will make easy forhim a
path to Paradise. The angels lower their wings in approval of the
seeker of knowledge, and everyone in the heavens and on earth prays
for forgiveness for the seeker of knowledge, even the fish in the sea.
The superiority of the scholar over the worshipper is like the
superiority of the moon over all other heavenly bodies. The scholars
are the heirs of the Prophets, for the Prophets did not leave behind
dinars or dirhams, rather they left behind knowledge, so whoever takes
it has taken a great share."
Narrated by at-Tirmidhi (2682), Abu Dawood (3541) and Ibn Maajah
(223); classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh at-Targheeb, 1/17
Islamic knowledge brings a person the good of this world and of the
Hereafter; it takes precedence over all other branches of knowledge,
especially if one's intention is pure.
See the answer to question no. 10471
Secondly:
The best thing you can spend your time on when beginning to seek
knowledge is memorising the Book of Allah, may He be glorified and
exalted. This is the best thing in which people may compete and
strive, and it is the best thing on which the seeker of knowledge may
focus his efforts.
See the answer to question no. 14035 for information on the advantages
of memorising the Book of Allah.
See the answers to questions no. 7966 and 11561 for information on the
basic principles ofmemorising the Book of Allah.
Thirdly:
One of the things that will make things easier for the seeker of
knowledge is to have many shaykhs and scholars from whom he can learn.
The quickest way to seek knowledge and the best way to attain the goal
is if Allah makes it easy for him to find one shaykh or scholar among
the scholars of the Sunnah, from whom he may acquire knowledge
directly. See the answer to question no. 22037 .
Fourthly:
With regard to organising your time, it may be as follows.
(a)
Have fixed times for regular things every day,such as a time for
sleeping, a time for meals, a time for visits, a time for gatherings,
a time for revision.
(b)
One of the things that will help you make the most of your time and
save time is to put a stopto time wasters such as sleeping, eating and
drinking too much, or meeting people except for Islamically beneficial
purposes. You should also avoid time wasters such as means of
entertainment like TV shows, soap operas, newspapers, magazines,
games, sports matches and competitions.
Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-'Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
The seeker of knowledge must make the most of his time and avoid
wasting time. Wasting time may take the following forms:
1. Failing to review and revise what he reads
2. Sitting with his friends and engaging in idle talk in which is no benefit
3. The most harmful time waster for the seeker of knowledge is
when he has no interest except finding out aboutpeople, what they are
saying and what they are doing, with regard to a matter that does
notconcern him. This undoubtedly stems from a weakness of commitment
to Islam, because the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon
him) said: "Part of a person's beinga good Muslim is leaving alone
that which does not concern him." Narrated by at-Tirmidhi, 2318;
classed as saheeh by al-Albaani.
Focusing on who said what and asking a lot of questions is a waste of
time. In fact it is a kind of sickness which if it affects a person –
we askAllah to keep us safe andsound – will become his main focus and
concern and he may end up showing a hostile attitude towards one who
does not deserve enmity, or he may be friendly towards one who does
not deserve friendship, because of his interest in these matters that
are distracting him from seeking knowledge, on the grounds that this
is part of supporting the truth. But that is not the case; rather this
comes under the heading of being distracted by that which does not
concern one. But if news comes to you without you seeking it or
looking for it, everyone receives news but you should notbe
preoccupied with it or focus on it, because this causes distraction
for the seeker of knowledge and may confuse him, and it opens the door
to partisanship and division amongst the ummah.
Kitaab al-'Ilm, p. 143-144
(c)
Another matter that is detrimental to the issue of organising one's
time and making the most of it is procrastination. Procrastination is
a severe disease that deprives one of many good things in this world
and in the Hereafter.
(d)
One of the best ways of succeeding in this world is to keep yourself
busy at all times with that which is best for you and most beneficial
for you in the Hereafter, as Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on
him) said:The best act of worship is to strive to please the Lord at
all times by doing that which is mostappropriate and is expected at
any particular time.
Madaarij as-Saalikeen, 1/88
(e)
Investing one's time as much as one can and notwasting a single moment
in anything thatis not an act of obedience or worship. Our early
generations (may Allah have mercy on them) set an amazingexample of
making the most of their time. All seekers of Qur'anic knowledge were
keen to study under Abu Na'eem al-Asfahaani (d. 430) and every day one
of them would have his turn and he would studywhatever he wanted with
the Shaykh until just before Zuhr. Then when he got up to go home,
another student might recite a juz' to himon the way (for him to
listen and correct), and he never showed any impatience.
Saleem ar-Raazi was a Shaafa'i. One day he went home and came back,
and he said: I recited a juz' on my way.Al-Haafiz adh-Dhahabi (may
Allah have mercy on him) said in his biography of al-Khateeb
al-Baghdaadi: The khateeb used to walk with a juz' in his hand, which
he would study.
For forty years, Ibn 'Asaakir (may Allah have mercy on him) – as his
son said – did not focus on anything except matters of knowledge, even
during his free time or when he was alone. He always had with him
books of knowledge and the Qur'an, which he would read and memorise.
They were always keen to make the most of their time by doing more
than one thing at the same time. If the penbecame blunt and he needed
to sharpen it, one of them would move his lips with remembrance of
Allah whilst fixing his pen, or he would review things that he had
memorised lest any time pass without him doing something useful.
Abu'l-Wafa' 'Ali ibn 'Aqeel (may Allah have mercy on him) said: I do
not allow myself to waste even one hour of my life; even when I am not
reading anything or reciting anything, I would think whilst I am
resting of some issues of knowledge and I will notget up until I have
come up with something I can write down.
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said:I know someone who
fell sick with a headacheand fever, and his book was beside his head.
When he was awake he would read, and when he fell asleep he would put
it down.
(f)
With regard to making aschedule and organisingone's time, that may be
done as follows:
1.
The program of the seeker of knowledge begins at dawn, which isthe
time for memorisation of Qur'an and hadeeth. The best time for
memorising – especially memorising Qur'an – is the time just before
dawn and after Fajr prayer, when the mind is clear and it is easier to
memorise. So the seeker of knowledgeprays in the mosque andremains
there until sunrise or afterwards, memorising and reviewing what he
has memorised. When he has finished that, he begins to memorise
textsof knowledge – the textsof hadeeth, fiqh, usool and Arabic
language.
2.
If he has a job or is in school, he goes to it. Otherwise he spends
the rest of the morning memorising and revisinguntil Zuhr, then he
takes a siesta and rests a little.
3.
As for the afternoon, it isfor studying and reading, or studying with
others, or discussion and reviewing issues of knowledge with others.
4.
After Maghrib, he attends study circles and after 'Isha' he reviews
what he has learnt or he may read a new book.
It should be noted that what we have mentioned here comes under the
heading of organising time in general terms. Each student should
organise his time according to his circumstances, whether he is
working or not, whether he is married orsingle, whether he devotes all
his time to Islamic knowledge or he has some other preoccupations, and
so on. What matters with regard to organising time is that there
should be some hours of the day and night in which he makes himself
memorise and read. People tend to want to rest and like to be somewhat
lazy, so he should train himself to work hard and be active,and he
should make himself get used to being organised and adhere to doing
acts of worship and obedience. Otherwise he will have wasted his day
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Dought & clear, - After becoming Muslim,should she ask those who were her friends in the past to remove pictures of her that they have on Network?.

A woman became Muslim and her previous non-Muslim friends (including
men) have many photos of her on Facebook. The photos are from before
she became Muslim and when she was around 15-16.
Does she need to contactall the 'owners' of the photos and explain
that she became Muslim and ask them to take the photos down? Or is it
part of what is forgiven from jahiliyah?
If she needs to try and have them taken down, should she also request
it for certain photos posted by men many years ago. If she asks them
to remove the photo, they will then revisit the photo and seeher
without hijab/jilbab..and she doesn't think that they look at those
photos anymore.
Praise be to Allah.
Firstly:
You should understand that Islam erases everything that came before it
of sins and thatrepentance erases that which came before it.
Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Say to those who have disbelieved, if they cease(from disbelief)
their past will be forgiven"
[al-Anfaal 8:38].
Ibn Katheer (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
Allah, may He be exalted,says to His Prophet (blessings and peace of
Allah be upon him): Tell those who have disbelieved that if they give
up what they are following of disbelief, dissent and stubbornness, and
they enter Islam, obey Allah and repent, He will forgive them what is
in the past, i.e., their disbelief, sins and mistakes. End quote.
Tafseer Ibn Katheer, 4/48
Al-Bukhaari (6921) and Muslim (120) narrated that Ibn Mas'ood (may
Allah be pleased with him) said: A man said: O Messenger of Allaah,
will we be held accountable for what we did during the Jaahiliyyah? He
said: "Whoever does good deeds in Islam will not be held accountable
for what he did during the Jaahiliyyah, but whoeverdoes evil in Islam
will be held accountable for the former and the latter."
An-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:What is meant by doing
good here is entering Islam both outwardly and inwardly and becoming a
Muslim in the true sense. The one who does that will be forgiven for
what he didpreviously when he was a disbeliever, according to the text
of the Holy Qur'an and the saheeh hadeeth, "Islam erases that which
came before it" (narrated by Muslim, 121), as well as according to the
consensus of the Muslims. End quote.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
Just as Islam erases whatcame before it, repentance also erases what
came before it. Endquote.
Majmoo' al-Fataawa, 22/12
Secondly:
The one who becomes Muslim or repents from sin is only required to set
straight the consequences of previous actions that he is able to set
straight. With regard to these old pictures, the person in them will
not be brought to account for them now, in sha Allah, so long as she
has given up that haraam action. Rather all she has to do is remove
whatever she is able to remove herself.As for contacting those who
were her friends before she became Muslim and asking them to remove
the pictures, that depends on whatever will best serve the purpose and
what she thinks is most likely to be the case. If she knows that any
of them would respond to that request and respect her privacy, then
she may ask them to do that. As for those who she thinkswill most
likely not respect it or may become more stubborn or more interested
in her pictures, she should not ask them for that.
If she thinks it most likely – according to what she knows about them
– that they will not care about her pictures after she has left them,
and they will not pay any attention to them, then it is better for her
to keep quiet and let them forget about her.

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Hadees - 1399 hadith found in ' The Book of Prayers (Kitab Al-Salat) ' of Sahih Muslim.

0735
Ibn Umar reported: Whenthe Muslims came to Medina, they gathered and
sought to know the time of prayer but no one summoned them. One day
they discussed the matter, and some of them said: Use somethinglike
the bell of the Christians and some of them said: Use horn like that
of the Jews. Umar said: Why may not a be appointed who should call
(people) to prayer? The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon
him)said: O Bilal, get up and summon (the people) to prayer.
0736
Anas reported: Bilal was commanded (by the Apostle of Allah) to repeat
(the phrases of) Adhan twice and once in Iqama. The narrator said:I
made a men- tion of it before Ayyub who said: Except for saying:
Qamat-is-Salat [the time for prayer has come].
0737
Anas b. Malik reported: They (the Companions) discussed that they
should know the timings of prayer by means of something recognized
byall. Some of them said that fire should be lighted or a bell should
be rung. But Bilal was ordered to repeat the phrases twice in Adhan,
and once in Iqama.
0735
Ibn Umar reported: Whenthe Muslims came to Medina, they gathered and
sought to know the time of prayer but no one summoned them. One day
they discussed the matter, and some of them said: Use somethinglike
the bell of the Christians and some of them said: Use horn like that
of the Jews. Umar said: Why may not a be appointed who should call
(people) to prayer? The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon
him)said: O Bilal, get up and summon (the people) to prayer.
0736
Anas reported: Bilal was commanded (by the Apostle of Allah) to repeat
(the phrases of) Adhan twice and once in Iqama. The narrator said:I
made a men- tion of it before Ayyub who said: Except for saying:
Qamat-is-Salat [the time for prayer has come].
0737
Anas b. Malik reported: They (the Companions) discussed that they
should know the timings of prayer by means of something recognized
byall. Some of them said that fire should be lighted or a bell should
be rung. But Bilal was ordered to repeat the phrases twice in Adhan,
and once in Iqama.


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