Avoiding sarcasm

A sarcastic attitude is quite widespread among that segment of
people who live their lives far from the Qur'an. Among ignorant
people, some may ridicule others' shortcomings, mistakes, physical
abnormalities, clothing, lack of material possessions,
carelessness, behaviour, the way they talk, and in short, almost
everything about them. To make fun of someone, they use certain
words and gestures or mimic certain facial expressions. For the
person making fun, it is not important that he may hurt the other
person's feelings, make them sad, annoyed, upset or anxious. The
important thing is to feed their own pride and to humiliate the
object of their ridicule.
In the Qur'an, Allah definitely forbids people ridiculing others:
You who believe! People should not ridicule others who may be better
than themselves; nor should any women ridicule other women who may
be better than themselves. And do not find fault with one another
or insult each other with derogatory nicknames. How evil it is to
have a name for evil conduct after coming to faith! Those people who
do not turn from it are wrongdoers. (Surat al-Hujurat: 11)
In another verse, our Lord warns, "Woe to every faultfinding
backbiter" (Surat al-Humaza: 1) and warns people who behave in this
ugly way; who do not live according to the teachings of the Qur'an
and who do not think about the account they will render in the
afterlife.
No form of ridicule is allowed among believers. Believers know that
it is our Lord Who has given to everyone their wealth, beauty,
intelligence, talents and other qualities. They take delight in the
fine qualities they see in others and, because they seek Allah's
approval and not to satisfy their own egos, they have none of the
arrogance and jealousy that characterise ignorant society. For this
reason believers are always tolerant, positive and modest towards
one another.
At the same time believers realise that the defects they see in one
another are tests from Allah. For this reason they don't call
attention to these defects, but compensate for them by acting
positively. They carefully avoid the slightest action, facial
expression or word that would suggest ridicule.

Not forgetting one's own conduct when warning others

An intelligent and experienced person well acquainted with the
Qur'an can detect the minor faults and weaknesses in the faith of
people and advise them.
This is a praiseworthy quality, yet that does not mean he himself is
free of mistakes. On contrary, he must strive to avoid committing
the same errors; otherwise, he may earn Allah's disapproval rather
than reward for his advice.
It is unlikely that someone able to recognize a fault in others
will fail to recognize it in his own soul. Undoubtedly, he is also
aware of his own wrongdoings and sins.
For instance, it would be hypocritical for a liar to call people to
truth and sincerity, or for someone who does not pray to call others
to regular prayer. An advisor who fears Allah would surely be the
first one to avoid committing sins.
In the Qur'an Allah reveals this fact as:
Do you order people to devoutness and forget yourselves, when you
recite the Book? Will you not use your intellect? (Surat al-Baqara;
44)
The conclusion to the verse above, "Will you not use your
intellect?" makes it clear that people should practice what they
preach.
Deviant attitudes such as the desire to control others, have one's
word respected or be influential underlie hypocritical behavior
that lies outside Qur'anic morality.
When someone counsels and advises only to attain status, respect and
esteem, the manipulation of faith- related issues for personal
benefit will only lead to great disappointment in the Hereafter.
When a believer sees another committing an error that he himself is
guilty of, he can let him know that he too is trying to correct that
same mistake. Then the two can encourage one another toward
improvement and by doing so, earn the pleasure of Allah.

Not losing hope for Allah's mercy

In many verses of the Qur'an, Allah mentions that Muslims—even
those with the most fear of Allah—– may make mistakes. In one verse,
Allah reveals;
Say [from Me]: 'My servants, you who have transgressed against
yourselves, do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Truly Allah
forgives all wrong actions. He is the Ever-Forgiving, the Most
Merciful.' " (Surat az-Zumar; 53)
It surely brings relief to their hearts, for a believer who errs
could feel great regret, sorrow and guilt.
Allah has made the scope for error so wide in human beings that He
has promised to forgive a person's errors without exception, if
that person is sorry and repents of what he has done.
But despite of the many consolations in the Qur'an that refresh the
spirit and give hope, many human beings do not admit that they make
mistakes. In spite of the glad tidings announced in the Qur'an,
after making a mistake they become wrapped in despair and become
anxious and downhearted.
An individual who refuses to acknowledge errors he has committed
out of pride and arrogance is greatly saddened by what he has done.
He has trouble accepting that he is a creature prone to making
mistakes and faulty decisions, and whose actions and words may be
wrong.
He does not consider that perfection and freedom from error belong
only to Allah. He wants to be perfect himself. But he cannot, and
the fact that some of his attitudes are wrong (despite his desire
that they not be), draws him into despair.
A believer experiences deep peace by accepting his imperfections and
helplessness in relation to Allah and never claims to be free from
error.
It should be remembered that the tendency to err and sin—even
though one may be a firm believer —makes him more aware of Allah's
perfection. One can conceive of perfection only when he had
experienced imperfection.
Consciousness of his own failures and weaknesses lets him better
appreciate the absolute perfection of Allah.

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Fathwa, - What is the proper way for a woman to sit in sajdah?

Question:
What is the proper way for a woman to sitin sajdah?
Answer:
Assalamu Alaykum wa Rahmatullah,
In sajdah, women shouldkeep their stomachs close to their thighs and
their arms close to their sides. Elbows should be placed on the
ground, and toes should not be upright. (Heavenly Ornaments)
Wassalam

Fathwa, - Is women’s Friday prayer valid?

Question:
Is women�s Friday prayer valid?
Answer:
Walaikum assalam,
There is scholarly consensus (ijma`) that:
a) the Friday prayer is not obligatory for women; and
b) if a woman performs the Friday prayer, it is valid. [Nawawi,
al-Majmu`, 4.350, quoting Ibn al-Mundhir and others]
Imam Sarakhsi explains in his Mabsut that there is a difference between:
a) conditions of obligation (i.e. those conditions that make an action
obligatory to perform); and
b) conditions of validity (i.e. those conditions thatmake an action
valid, if fulfilled). [Sarakhsi, al-Mabsut, 2.23]
The reason why it is not obligatory for women to perform the Friday
prayer is because of the hardship and possible harm entailed in them
doing so�especially in the case of mothers and others. However, if a
woman goes ahead and attends the Friday prayer, it counts because she
bore the hardship entailed. [Sarakhsi, al-Mabsut; Nawawi, al-Majmu`]
Imam Nawawi mentions that it has been established by a large body of
authentic hadiths that women usedto pray behind the Prophet (Allah
bless him and give him peace) at his mosque, and women�s interaction
with men is not haram when there isn�t seclusion (or any other harm)
entailed. [Nawawi,al-Majmu`, 3.350]
And Allah alone gives success.

Fathwa, - Menstruation Started Before She Prayed…

Question:
If a sister is expecting her period anytime... she is doing housework,
or helpingaround the house and time for Salah enters, but she is still
occupied in doing something as useless as watching TV or doing
something important as housework/helping parents etc. so she keeps the
niyah about making her salah before it is Qadah, but eventually when
she goes to make her salahshe finds that she has gotten her period.
Henceforth she cannot make that salah anymore...is this a sin upon
her?...because she could have done it but yet she was occupied... and
she did make the niyah to make the salah before it became Qadah... if
this is a sin depending on what she was doing please explain that as
well
Answer:
Assalamu alaykum
There is no sin upon this lady and she is not expected to make the
prayer up. This is because in menstruation we look to the end of
theprayer time. If she menstruated any time before the end of a
particular prayer time, even if only moments before the beginning of
the next prayer time, then she is not responsible for offering that
particular prayer. It would be just as if she was menstruating for
that entire prayer time. (Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar, 1:292, 'Ilmiyya)
This is a great mercy from Allah Most High otherwise ladies in such
situations would have to hasten to pray as soon asa prayer time enters
which could clearly be awkward. Conversely thissame principle applies
when a lady's menstruation draws to a close. If the bleeding stops
before the end of aprayer time then one is responsible for offering
that prayer as long as it leaves one with enough time to perform the
ritual bath and to start the obligatory prayer. This means that one
mustbe careful to check before the end of a prayer time for the
cessation of bleeding if one is expecting the bleeding to end so that
one may hasten to pray before the end of a prayer time.
And Allah knows best.

The caliphate of ‘Uthmaan -II

The Conquest of Africa, 26 AH
'Abdullaah bin Sa'dsought permission from 'Uthmaan bin 'Affaanto
invadeAfrica. Africa was then considered a country that included the
area stretching betweenTripoliand Tangiers. Moreover, Africa was then
considered a conglomeration of the countries which make up the
northern partof the African continent --Tripoli,Algiers,Tunis,
andMorocco. 'Uthmaan bin 'Affaanallowedhim to do what he wanted. He
marched towards his destination at the head of an army of 10,000 men.
First, he subdued the chiefs of Barqah and they agreed to pay Jizyah.
The Muslim commander then advanced towardsTripolicapturing the
territories falling on the way. At this stage the Caliph dispatched
fresh reinforcements from Al-Madeenah to help 'Abdullaah's army.
When the detachment reached Barqah viaEgypt, 'Abdullaah bin Sa'd
welcomed it and they jointly proceeded towardsTripoli. The Romans
tried to put up resistance but were repulsed. After the fall
ofTripoli, the Muslim troops marched ahead. Gregory, the King of
Africa was the vassal of Caesar. When he came to know of the march of
the Muslim army, he mobilized one 120,000 men and came face to face
with the Muslim forces. 'Abdullaah bin Sa'd first invited Gregory to
accept Islam. When Gregory flatly refused, he asked him to pay the
Jizyah )head-tax imposed by Islam on the people of the Book(. When he
rejected that also, the Muslim army drew up ranks and a fierce battle
brokeout, which remained indecisive. Fresh Muslim reinforcements
joined the battle and the Muslim army called out Allaahu Akbar)Allaah
is the Greatest(.
When Gregory inquired about thecries raised by the Muslims, he was
told that a fresh detachmenthad arrived and joined the Muslim forces.
Both the armies fought enthusiastically but the battle remained
inconclusive. When night set in, consultations were held for adopting
a new strategy. 'Abdullaah bin Zubayrsuggested that half of the troops
should go to the battlefield and the rest remain inside the camp. When
the two armies, exhausted by the daylongfighting were to leave the
battlefield for camp, the fresh half of the Muslim army should attack
the retreating Romans. The counsel received general acceptance. This
strategy was putto practice on the third day of thebattle. When the
two armies separated in the afternoon, 'Abdullaah bin Zubayrrushed out
from the camp with the freshdetachment and charged the Romans. They
could not withstand the attack and fled to their camp, but could not
save themselves because the Muslim force surrounded the camp and the
Romans were either killed or captured. Gregory also fought against the
Muslims and was put to the sword by 'Abdullaah bin Zubayr.
The next day, the Muslim army moved ahead and reached Sabitalah, the
headquarters of)northern(Africawhich was also conquered in a couple of
days, and an immense amount of spoils fell into the hands of the
Muslims. The Muslims marched further and laid siege around the fort of
Jam, which was very strong and fortified. However, they could not
stand the Muslim onslaught and yielded on the condition of paying one
million as Jizyah. 'Abdullaah bin Zubayr set out to Al-Madeenah with
the glad tidings of the African conquest and one-fifth of the spoils.
'Abdullaah bin Sa'dreturned toEgyptfromAfricaafter an absence of one
year and three months.
Conquest ofCyprusandRhodes
'Abdullaah bin Sa'dcame back toEgyptfrom the other parts of
northernAfrica.Constantineagain rose to make military preparations for
a fresh battle. In 28 AH, he dispatched a part of his navy
towardsAfrica, which reached the African coast and demanded tribute
for Caesar.But the Africans flatly refused, because Caesar had lent no
help when they were under the Muslim attack and so they no longer held
him as their ruler. This refusal led to fighting between the Africans
and the Roman army, which resulted in the defeat of Africans. The
Romans then advanced towardsAlexandria. 'Abdullaah bin Naafi' was
ready to fight them. In the meantime Caesar himself set off to
conquerAlexandriaat the headof a fleet of 600 boats. The Roman forces
proceeded toAlexandriafrom both sides. A fierce fight took place,
which ended with the destruction of the Romans. They escaped toCyprus,
which they used as their naval headquarters and an arsenal for their
weapons.
During the last days of 'Umar's Caliphate, Mu'aawiyahhad sought
permission to invadeCyprusfrom the Syrian coast. However, 'Umarhad
hesitated in giving permission forsuch a campaign and the matter
remained undecided until he passed away. 'Uthmaan bin 'Affaanpermitted
the naval attack on condition that nobody was forced to take part in
the adventure. Inspired by the effortsof Mu'aawiyah, a party agreed to
invadeCyprus. The party includedAbu Tharr Al-Ghifaari, Abud-Dardaa',
Shaddaad bin 'Aws, 'Ubaadah bin As-Saamit andhis wife Umm Haraam bint
Milhan. 'Abdullaah bin Qayswas made the commander of the detachment,
which left forCyprusby boat. WhenConstantineescaped fromAlexandria, he
had taken refuge inCyprus. An Islamic naval force chased him byboats
fromEgyptand reachedCyprus. And this, a fresh naval detachment
fromSyriaalso descended on the coast ofCyprus.Constantinecould not
withstandthe attack and fled toConstantinoplewith great difficulty,
and finally succumbed to death.
However, according to other sources, frustrated by his successive
defeats, some people killed him in his bathroom. ThusCypruseasily fell
to the Muslims. Mu'aawiyahalso arrived inCypruswith a detachment.
After finishing his job inCyprushe sailed toRhodes. The conquests
ofCyprusand Rhodes opened the door for Muslim campaigns
againstConstantinopleand other countries of the region. These events
took place at the end of 28AH or at the beginning of 29 AH.
Circulation of the Quran
When Huthayfah bin Al-Yamaanreached Al-Madeenah on route to Basrah,
Koofah, Rey andSyria, he expressed amazement over the fact that the
people ofIraq,Syria, Basrah and Koofah, andPersiahad their own way of
reciting the Noble Quran which was quite different from each other. He
thought it would be better if one and all were brought to the same way
of recitation. 'Uthmaan bin 'Affaan convened a meeting of the
distinguished Companions and placed the suggestion for their
deliberations and decisions. All ofthem endorsed the opinion of
Huthayfah. Then, 'Uthmaan bin 'Affaanhad them bring the copy of the
Quran that was with Hafsahwhich was compiled by Zayd bin Thaabit
andother Companions during the Caliphate of Abu Bakr As-Siddeeqand
which had been kept with 'Umar and then with his daughter Hafsahafter
'Umar's death. The Caliph deputed a number of qualified people to
prepare a number of copies. He then sent a copy of theQuran to each
city with the order that the Quran be copied accordingly and all the
old copies be set on fire. When the fresh copy reached Koofah, the
Companions expressed their joy over it, but 'Abdullaah bin
Mas'oodremained firm on hisown recitation.
Yezdgird killed
ThePersian Empirewas destroyedduring the Caliphate of 'Umar. The rest
of the cities and frontier provinces were conquered during the
Caliphate of 'Uthmaan bin 'Affaan. Nevertheless, Yezdgird, the Emperor
of Persia was still running from place to place for safety. Sometimes
he was in Rey and sometimes inBalkh, Marw,Isfahan, Istakhar, Turkistan
andChinaand back again toPersia. A party of several thousand
soldiersremained with him through thickand thin in the hope that one
daytheir past glory and grandeur might be restored. This was the
reason why the Persian provinces, districts and cities would so often
rise against the Muslim rule even though they were instantly put down
by the Muslim forces. In 31 AH, Yezdgird reached the suburbs ofBalkhat
the head of a party fromChinaandTurkistanand captured somecities for a
short period. His misfortunes compelled him to flee and take refuge at
the dwelling of a windmill owner. He was in deep sleep when the owner
of the house, out of greed for his costly garments, killed him and
threw his dead body into water after stripping him of his clothes,
ornaments and weapons. This event took place insuburb of Marw onAugust
23, 651CE. Yezdgird passed four yearsof his life in luxury, sixteen
years in affliction and vagrancy and the last ten years out of
sixteen, he passed as a fugitive. The Persian troubles came to an end
after Yezdgird was killed.

The caliphate of 'Uthmaan -III

Abdullaah bin Saba
'Abdullaah bin Saba`, known as Ibn Sauda' was a Jew from
San'aa)Yemen(. He announced his acceptance of Islam during the
Caliphate of 'Uthmaan bin 'Affaanwith the intention of taking
advantage of the progress and prosperity of the Muslims. He settled in
Al-Madeenah to go deep into the internal affairs and weaknesses of the
Muslims to take advantage thereof. He set out from Al-Madeenah,
reached Basrah and stayed with Haakim bin Jabalah, a man from Basrah
who used to commit highway robbery with a band of criminals. There he
established close and cordial relations with Haakim bin Jabalah and
his friends. Afterwards, he set himself to creating doubts and
mischievous thoughts in the minds of the people around him, after
cleverly presenting himself as a well-wisher of Muslims and the family
of the Prophet,, . After gaining the confidence of many Muslims, he
began to carry out his nefarious plan. He first raised the question
that if 'Eesaa )Jesus(could come back to this world, why not
Muhammad,?
In order to fortify his plea, he began to misinterpret the meaning of
the verse )which means(:"Verily, He Who imposedupon you the Quran will
take you back to a place of return."]Quran 28:85[
He proposed thereby that the lastProphet,must come back to this world.
Following this, he began to bring the people round to another point
that every Prophet had a Caliph )successor( and executor, and that of
Muhammad,, was 'Ali. Encouraged by the favorable response from
gullible Muslims, he came out to openly propagatehis evil intentions
of removing the Caliph and replacing him by 'Ali.
'Abdullaah binSabaleft Basrah and came to another military base at
Koofah after issuing secret instructions to his followers. In Koofah
he found a section already working against the office of the Caliphate
and its governor. Thus, 'Abdullaah binSabafound this land more fertile
and the atmosphere more favorable and encouraging for hisevil plans.
'Abdullaah binSabawas antagonistic to Islam on one hand and was
hostile to 'Uthmaan bin 'Affaan on the other. He was, therefore,
restless to take his revenge on the Caliph. In Koofah, he first
established himself as a pious and God-fearing man and was very soon
held in high esteem. When 'Abdullaah's mischievous activities came to
the notice of the governor, Sa'eed bin Al-'Aashe called him and took
him to task. As a result, 'Abdullaah binSababecame suspect in
everyone's eyes. Finding the atmosphere unfavorable, he left Koofah
and went toSyria.
Like Basrah he left behind a strong lobby in Koofah who wereready to
carry on his dirty business. Maalik Al-Ashtar and hisfriends and
relatives were the main figures to lend support to his plan.
AtDamascus, inSyria, his nefarious plans could not make any headway
and he had toleave the city after being there only a short time. His
next target wasEgyptwhere he moved very cautiously in the light of his
past experiences. He showed love for the Prophet's family and support
of 'Alithe main plank of his propaganda. In order to expeditehis plan
in an organized way he set up a secret society. He easily gained
ground inEgyptbecause the Egyptians and the Arabs livingthere already
had complaints against 'Abdullaah bin Sa'd, the governor ofEgypt.
'Abdullaah binSa'd was too preoccupied with the problems created by
the African Berbers and the Caesar of Constantinople to pay attention
to these internal affairs.
'Abdullaah binSabacommunicated with his friends inBasrah and Koofah by
letters, his group instituted a letter writing campaign with the
result that letters containing complaints were constantly being sent
against the governors to the people of Al-Madeenah fromEgypt, Koofah
and Basrah with charges of atrocities and malpractice brought against
them. Similar letters were dispatched from Basrah and Koofah
toEgyptand fromBasrah,EgyptandDamascusto Koofah. Since no one was made
the subject of atrocities, in each city they thought that this news
was referring to other provinces, which might be having victims of
these malpractices. All these accusing letters were directed against
'Uthmaan bin 'Affaanthe Caliph who was charged withfavoring repressive
governors and refusing their dismissal. In view of the letters of
complaint coming in torrents, 'Uthmaan bin'Affaan sent 'Ammaar bin
Yaasir and Muhammad bin Maslamahto Egypt and Koofah respectively, to
make inquiries into the affairs and inform the office of the Caliphate
with the facts.
When 'Ammaar bin Yaasirreached Egypt, both the sections growing angry
with the governorand the followers of 'Abdullaah bin Saba brought
'Ammaar to their own way of thinking. They held him back from
returning to Al-Madeenah, ostensibly to avoid supporting "the
atrocious ways" of 'Uthmaan bin 'Affaan. Muhammad bin Maslamah wrote
to the Caliph from Koofah that both the common people and thenoblemen
were openly speaking against the Caliphate and showing signs of
discontent. About the same time Al-Ash'ath bin Qays, Sa'eed bin Qays,
Saa'ib bin Al-Aqra', Maalik bin Habeeb, Haakim bin Salamah, Jareer bin
'Abdullaah, and Salmaan bin Rabee'ah who were wealthy, influential and
courageous supporters of the Islamic Caliphate left Koofah for other
places. In view of the public protest and uproar prevailing over a
vast area, Sa'eed bin Al-'Aas appointed Al-Qa'qaa' bin 'Amr,his deputy
and left for Al-Madeenah, to personally meet the Caliph and give an
account of the new developments in Koofah.With his departure, the
people of Koofah wrote to Maalik Al-Ashtar,who was then staying in
Hims, that there was a complete vacuum in Koofah and they should come
back without delay. In the absence of a strict governor, the
antagonistic elements came out in open criticism and challenged the
authority of the Caliph. Gradually they mustered enough courage to
send a party of the disgruntledelements under the leadership of Yazeed
bin Qays to reach Al-Madeenah to dislodge 'Uthmaan bin 'Affaan from
powerby force. However, Al-Qa'qaa' bin `Amrstood in the way and
arrested Yazeed.
Yazeed implored Al-Qa'qaa' to forgive him because he had nothing more
than some complaints against Sa'eed bin Al-'Aas, and his mission was
simply to seek the deposition of the governor. Al-Qa'qaa' set Yazeed
free. However, shortly after that Maalik Al-Ashtar reached Koofah with
his party from Hims. His arrival generated anew zeal into the
subversive people and he declared his support to Yazeed bin Qays and
his decision to join the forces of Yazeed. Al-Qa'qaa' could not stop
the joint forces of Yazeed and Maalik. They marched out of Koofah and
arrived at Jara'ah near Qaadisiyah.
Events of 34 AH
'Uthmaan bin 'Affaan, the Caliph of Islam issued orders to all the
governors to meet him in Al-Madeenah after Hajj for important
consultations. In addition to these governors, the Caliph invited some
men of soundjudgement from Al-Madeenah. The Caliph put before them the
issue of the prevailing anger and dissatisfaction against him and
sought their advice. 'Abdullaah bin 'Amr put forward his suggestion
that the unruly elements should be engaged in Jihaad to fill their
idle hours and charged them with disruptive activities and uprisings.
Sa'eed bin Al-'Aas submitted the suggestion that the leaders of the
troublemakers be dealt with a heavy hand, so that their punishments
would scare away their followers. Even though the Caliph showed his
agreement with this suggestion, he thought that this was a difficult
task. Mu'aawiyah came with the suggestion that governors of each
province should uphold their responsibilities and clear the province
off the existence of those troublemakers. 'Abdullaah bin Sa'd
suggested the point thatthey were all greedy and could, therefore, be
subdued by the power of the purse.
When the real causes leading to the riots and disruptions were
inquired into, it came to light that they were all far-fetched
andunfounded. Some of them raised the point that each one of the
mischief-mongers and rioters should be put to death without showing
any restraint. 'Uthmaan bin 'Affaan disagreed and said that he could
only punish people according to the limits set by the Quran. Thus, the
session came to an end without anything concrete being decided.
The people attached to 'Abdullaah binSabaand those harboring hostile
feelings against'Uthmaan bin 'Affaan set about complaining against the
governors and officers appointed by the Caliph. They began to write
letters to the influential people of Al-Madeenah to create suspicion
in their minds about 'Uthmaan bin 'Affaan. In response to the
complaints, the people of Al-Madeenah became angry with the governors
and officials and pressed the Caliph for their dismissal. However,
when they would come out faultless after inquiries, the Caliph
refrained from taking any action against them. They grew suspicious of
the fair dealings of the Caliph. Men like Abu 'Usayd Sa'eedi, Ka'b bin
Maalik and Hassaan bin Thaabitrose to stop the disgruntled section
fromspeaking against the Caliph, but to no avail.
When letters of complaint came pouring into Al-Madeenah from almost
every province and city under the Muslim rule, some distinguished
persons of Al-Madeenah called on the Caliph and drew his attention to
the prevailing anger and dissatisfaction against the governors
appointed by him. 'Uthmaan bin 'Affaan then selected some reliable
persons and sent them to each province to look into the situation and
come back with a complete report. Thus, Muhammad bin Maslamah was sent
to Koofah and Usaamah bin Zayd and 'Abdullaah bin 'Umarwere sent to
Basrah andSyriarespectively. In this way, each large or small province
and territory was given one official to report the state of affairs to
the Caliph.
All the investigators returned with reports that none of the governors
were found guilty of any evil act or excesses, and all ofthem were
carrying out their duties within the bounds of Sharee'ah. Besides, no
man of understanding and wisdom was found against any governor or the
Caliph. The people of Al-Madeenah received the reportswith
satisfaction. However, very soon the situation took a disturbing turn.
The Hajj season was at hand and taking advantage of the opportunity,
the Caliph proclaimed among the citizens of every city and
town:"Reports are pouring into Al-Madeenah highlighting the excesses
of the governors of various provinces. So, I have sent orders to all
the governors to be present at Hajj. Anybody bearing complaints
against anyone's governance should come and lodge it in my presence
and get his rights either from me or fromthe governor after the
verification of the facts."

The caliphate of 'Uthmaan -IV

Edict of Uthmaan, 34 AH
On the occasion of Hajj, 'Uthmaanbin 'Affaanannounced his readiness to
listen to complaints among the governors. Thus, following his orders,
all the governors reached Makkah. In accordance with 'Abdullaah
binSaba's scheme, his followers too set out from every province and
center but arrived in Al-Madeenahinstead of Makkah. At this point
'Uthmaan bin 'Affaanaddressed them and said:"Trouble is bound to
appear in the near future, but I don't like tobe blamed for it, for
whatever I have done, it was solely for the welfare of the people."
This utterance of the Caliph silenced them all.
'Uthmaancame back to Al-Madeenah after performing the Hajj. He then
assembled thosefrom outside and also invited 'Ali,Talhah and
Az-Zubayr. 'Uthmaan bin 'Affaan rose to address them and said: "Abu
Bakrand 'Umarafter becoming Caliph, practiced caution concerning their
relatives with aneye on accountability, although the Prophet,, took
care of hisrelatives and extended help to them. My relatives are poor
and so I do the needful for them. I amready to do away with my
practice if you prove it invalid andunlawful."
Objections:
'Uthmaan bin 'Affaanhad barely spoken this, when a man got up and
raised the objection:"You unlawfully gave away wealthand property to
your relatives; forinstance, you once gave the entire booty to
'Abdullaah bin Sa'd." 'Uthmaanreplied: "I have given him one-fifth
from theone-fifth of the booty. And we have such examples during the
Caliphates of Abu Bakr and 'Umar."
Another person said: "You have conferred power and rule on
yourrelatives; for instance, you have appointed Mu'aawiyah bin Abu
Sufyaan governor of the entireSyria. You made 'Abdullaah bin 'Amr
governor of Basrah by deposing Abu Moosaa Al-Ash'ari; you installed
Waleed bin 'Uqbah and then Sa'eed bin Al-'Aas governors of Koofah by
removingAl-Mugheerah bin Shu'bah." 'Uthmaan bin 'Affaanreplied:"Those
governors are not my relatives and they have the abilityto manage the
affairs well. However, if they do not deserve the post, I am always
ready to change them for others. Thus I have already put Abu Moosaa
Al-Ash'ari as the governor of Koofah by removing Sa'eed bin Al-'Aas."
Yet another person got up and said: "You love your family members the
most and you give them extravagant gifts." 'Uthmaanreplied: "Love of
the family members is not a sin. And I give them gifts from my own
possessions, not from the public treasury. How can I give them
anything from the public treasury when I myself do not take a single
dirham from there? I am at liberty to give away anything to anybody
from my personal property."
In short, objections of this naturewere raised and 'Uthmaan bin
'Affaan answered them fully and thoroughly. At the end of the
assembly, the people left silently.
Events of 35 AH
The governors of various provinces began to leave Al-Madeenah. When
Mu'aawiyahthe governor ofSyriadecided to depart, he came to 'Uthmaan
bin 'Affaanand said: "I anticipate an attack on you and you may not be
able to resist it. Itis better for you to accompany me toSyria, for
the Syrians are loyal and lend their full support to me."
'Uthmaan bin 'Affaanreplied:"On no account shall I abandon the
proximity and neighborhood of the Prophet,." Having heard this
Mu'aawiyah said: "Let me send you an army fromSyriato guard you
against any eventuality." 'Uthmaan said: "I am not in favor of putting
my neighbors into trouble." Hearing this Mu'aawiyahsaid: "You are
bound to be deceived." In reply to this 'Uthmaan bin 'Affaansaid:
"Allaah is enough for me and what an Excellent Supporter He is." After
which he remained silent.
Mu'aawiyahthen left the place and came to 'Ali, Talhah and Az-Zubayr.
He asked them to provide protection to 'Uthmaan bin 'Affaan, then he
setoff forSyria.
Conspiracy of 'Abdullaah binSaba
'Abdullaah bin Saba had already finalized his nefarious plan during
his stay inEgypt. He had won over Companions like 'Ammaar bin Yaasir
and Warqah bin Raafi'to his side. However, none besides the small
group of his followers were aware of his real game. His love for 'Ali
and the family of the Prophet,was nothing more than a maneuver for
inciting people against the Caliphate. A considerable number of Muslim
soldiers had joined his party. Gradually, 'Abdullaah binSabawon the
hearts of enough peopleto challenge the authority of 'Uthmaan bin
'Affaan and bring about his deposition or do away with him. However,
the issue of 'Uthmaan's successor was still the bone of contention.
Gradually, his party was divided in three groups each supporting its
own candidate from among 'Ali, Talhah and Az-Zubayr. Since 'Abdullaah
binSabahad no interest in the unity and strengthof Islam, he held back
his supportfrom 'Aliand left the matter to the contenders. His main
issue was the liquidation of 'Uthmaan'sCaliphate.
Departure of the Caravan of Mischief-Mongers
At first, a group of 1000 people was sent in advance pretending to be
a Hajj mission. The party consisted of Abdur-Rahmaan bin 'Udays,
Kinaanah bin Bishr Al-Laythi, andSudanbin Humraan and was headed by
Al-Ghaafiqi bin Harb. It was decided that the entire party should not
proceed at one time fromEgypt. The party was thus divided into four
groups to leaveEgyptseparately and then to meet after several stages.
Another party of 1000 men left Koofah and another of the same number
marched from Basrah. All these parties left their cities in the month
of Shawwaal 35 AH, under the pretext of goingto Hajj. However, their
goal was to get rid of the Caliph either by deposing or by killing
him. At the appointed time, the parties coming from different
directions joined one another and proceeded to Al-Madeenah.
Threestages from Al-Madeenah, the party divided itself into three
separate groups each supporting its own candidate for the Caliphate.
It is worth mentioning here that the followers of 'Abdullaah bin Saba
in Al-Madeenah had written forged letters in the names of 'Ali,
Talhah, Az-Zubayr, and the Mothers of the Believersto their followers
in Koofah, Basrah and Egypt who were against 'Abdullaah bin Saba and
his group. The letters emphasized that 'Uthmaan bin 'Affaanwas no
longer able to shoulder the heavy burden of the Caliphate. Therefore
the matter should be brought to its end in the month of Thul-Hijjah.
Encouraged by these forged letters, the rioters found it easy to
indulge in acts of plunder and massacre in order to do away with the
Caliphate. Otherwise, they could not have mustered thecourage to plan
an invasion of Al-Madeenah, the city of the Prophet,where even a
strongarmy of the disbelievers failed to make inroads during
theBattleofthe Trench.
All the distinguished persons rejected their nefarious plan outright,
but they found no preparations of any kind whatsoever in Al-Madeenah.
They went back to the rioters and assembled their chiefs and
representatives for an emergencyconsultation. Allaying fears of
anydefensive preparations in Al-Madeenah from their minds, they placed
before them a suggestion that the parties belonging toEgypt, Basrah
and Koofah should contact 'Ali, Talhah and Az-Zubayrrespectively. They
should make an attempt during separate meetings to express to them
their viewpoint saying that at no cost did they like the Caliphate of
'Uthmaan bin 'Affaan.
Accordingly, they offered their allegiance to them. But each of them
rejected their offer. Thereupon the party fromEgyptsaid to 'Ali:
"Since 'Abdullaah bin Sa'd, the governor of our province is cruel, we
cannot leaveAl-Madeenah without getting himdeposed." With an eye on
their obstinacy and nerve, 'Ali and some other Companions called on
the Caliph and advised him to fulfill their demand to stop the trouble
and depose 'Abdullaah bin Sa'd as the governor ofEgypt. 'Uthmaan bin
'Affaan asked:"Who will then be appointed the governor ofEgypt?" .
Ali intercedes
'Aliand other Companions took the name of Muhammad binAbu Bakr who
happened to be the supporter of 'Ali. Therefore, the Caliph issued an
edict appointing Muhammad bin Abu Bakr, governor ofEgypt. After this
'Ali sent the rioters out. However, on the third or fourth day, all
the parties joined together and came into Al-Madeenah crying Takbeer
)i.e. uttering Allaahu Akbar( with the utmost fervor and cordoned off
the house of the Caliph. 'Alisaw them and said: "You had already left
this place, what madeyou come back?" They said: "The Caliph has sent a
letter to 'Abdullaah bin Sa'd through his slave to kill us as soon as
we reach there. We have seized the letter and have come here with
itand along with the parties fromEgyptand Koofah who want to share our
problem." 'Ali said: "By Allaah this is an act of conspiracy and you
are ill-intentioned." They replied: "Whatever be the case, we have
decided to kill the Caliph,and we seek your assistance in the task."
'Aliangrily said:"How can I help you?" Hearing thisthey said: "Why had
you then written about this?" 'Ali firmly replied: "I have never
written youanything." Hearing this they looked towards each other with
amazement. 'Alithen left Al-Madeenah to stay in Ahjaar-uz-Zayt and the
rioters surrounded the house of 'Uthmaan bin 'Affaan. Until then, they
had followed the Caliph in prayers, but now they gave it up and began
to hold others back from standing in prayer behind him.
Witnessing the lurking danger around him, the Caliph wrote letters to
various provinces and sought their help, and in some cases the news
reached those places on its own. However, virtuous men and the
Companions persuaded the people inEgypt,Syria, Koofah and Basrah to
rush to the help of the Caliph. The mosque was under siege and after
that, the rioters prevented 'Uthmaan bin 'Affaanfrom coming out of his
home and cut off the supply of water too. Although 'Uthmaan bin
'Affaan persistently tried to convince the rioters that the letter was
not written by him and asked them to produce any witness, but they
ignored his plea.
Summarized from: The History of Islam, by: Akbar Shah Najeebadi
To Be concluded

The caliphate of 'Uthmaan -V

Abu 'Ayyoob Al-Ansaari leads the Prayer
In the wake of his inability to come to the mosque, the Caliph
appointed Abu 'Ayyoob Al-Ansaarito do the job. However, after a few
days, Al-Ghaafiqi bin Harb, the chief of the rioters, started leading
the prayers. Like Muhammad bin Abu Bakr, the governor ofEgypt,
Muhammad bin Huthayfah was also working against the Caliph. When
'Abdur-Rahmaan bin 'Udays marched towards Al-Madeenah fromEgypt,
Muhammad bin Abu Bakr had also accompanied them to Al-Madeenah, but
Muhammad binHuthayfah had stayed back inEgypt.
When the rioters made a commotion, 'Alisent both hissons Al-Hasan and
Al-Husaynto stand at the door of 'Uthmaan bin 'Affaanwith locked arms
to stop the entry of the rioters into his house. Talhah and
Az-Zubayralso sent their sonsand they stopped their movements. The
rioters knew well that any harm done to them meant bearing the brunt
of Banu Haashim's fury as a whole. However, the rioters were also in a
hurry, because the arrival of official forces from the provinces could
foil their plan. Thus, they broke into an adjoining house and entered
the Caliph's house byscaling its walls
Martyrdom of Uthmaan bin Affaan
When the rioters showed the letter written on his behalf, 'Uthmaan bin
'Affaandeclared it a forgery. 'Abdur-Rahmaan bin 'Udays, the
ringleader of the rioters rejected it saying: "If you are a liar, you
are not fit to remain as a Caliph. In case you are true in your
claim,then such a weak Caliph should not be left to rule if he is not
ableto keep control over his administration and lets anybody write
anything on his behalf." At last, 'Abdur-Rahmaan bin 'Udays asked
'Uthmaan bin 'Affaan to quit the Caliphate. However, he said: "I can't
put off the garment that Allaah has caused me to put on." That is, he
refused to give upthe post of the Caliph.
When the intensity of the siege increased and even the supply of water
was stopped, 'Uthmaan bin 'Affaan went to the roof of his house and
reminded them of his sacrifices for Islam and the position he held
after embracing Islam. A section of the rioters seemed to forgive him
but Maalikbin Al-Ashtar intervened to keep them firm in their plan.
Moreover,when the rioters were convinced of the arrival of rescue
forces from the provinces, they determined to do away with the Caliph.
During these days, 'Aa'ishahdecided to go on Hajj. She sent for
Muhammad bin Abu Bakr to accompany her on the journey to Makkah. But
he refused to do so, because he was involved with therioters.
Hanthalahthe scribe of the Revelations, said to him:"You refuse to
accompany the Mother of the Believers and instead follow the fools
ofArabia." Muhammad bin Abu Bakr gave no reply. Talhah and
Az-Zubayrhad closed their doors and would neither go anywhere nor meet
anybody. Ibn 'Abbaasfaced the rioters at the door of 'Uthmaan bin
'Affaan and stopped them from drawing near. However, the Caliph
insistedthat he would lead the Hajj caravan, although he said that
waging Jihaad against the rioterswas to him better than performing the
Hajj. Al-Hasan bin 'Ali, 'Abdullaah bin Az-Zubayr, Muhammad bin Talhah
and Sa'eed bin Al-'Aasstopped the rioters from opening the door and
fought to push them back.
However, 'Uthmaan bin 'Affaanprevented them from doing so on oath and
called them in. When the rioters set fire to the doors, they fought
and drove them out once again. 'Uthmaan bin 'Affaan was then reciting
the Quran. When he reached the verse )which means(:"Those to whom
people )i.e. hypocrites( said: 'Indeed, the people have gathered
against you, so fear them.' But it )merely( increased them in faith,
and they said: ' Sufficient for us is Allaah, and )He is( the best
Disposer of affairs.'"]Quran 3:173[
Hesaid addressing those present: "The Messenger of Allaah,has taken a
pledge from me and I firmly keep it, so hold yourselves back from
fighting the rioters." He also asked Al-Hasan bin 'Alito go back to
his father, but he declined the advice and kept at the door.
Al-Mugheerah bin Al-Akhnascould not bear the situation, attacked the
rioters along with some of his companions and wasmartyred. In the same
way, Abu Hurayrahlaunched an assaulton the rioters reciting the
verse)which means(:"And O my people, how is it that I invite you to
salvation while you invite me to the Fire?"]Quran 40:41[
When 'Uthmaancame to know of it, he insistently called him back.
Meanwhile, 'Abdullaah bin Salaamcame and did all he could to pacify
the rioters, but in vain. Among those present with 'Uthmaan bin
'Affaan, some were upstairs watching the movements of the rioters
while others were at the gate stopping their entry. 'Uthmaan bin
'Affaan and his wife Naa'ilah, the daughter of Al-Furafisahwereinside.
The rioters scaled the walls, entered the house of 'Uthmaan bin
'Affaan, and made an assault on him. First of all Muhammad bin Abu
Bakr came near 'Uthmaan bin 'Affaanand said catching hold of his
beard:"O long-bearded one, may Allaah put you to disgrace."
'Uthmaanreplied: "I am not a long-bearded man, but 'Uthmaan, the Chief
of the Believers." Thereupon Muhammad bin Abu Bakr angrily said: "You
covet the Caliphate even in your old age." 'Uthmaansaid: "Had your
father been alive, he would have valued my old age." At this Muhammad
bin Abu Bakr got ashamed and left. Followed by his retreat a group of
criminals came down scaling the wall. The group included
'Abdur-Rahmaan bin 'Udays, 'Amrbin Hamiq, 'Umayr binJannabi,Sudanbin
Humraan, Al-Ghaafiqi and Kinaanah bin Bishr, who first struck
'Uthmaanwith a sword. His wife Naa'ilah came forward and stretched her
hand to stop the stroke, with the result that her fingers were cut off
and thrown away. However, he struck 'Uthmaana second time, which led
to his martyrdom. It so happened when'Uthmaanwas reciting the Quran,
his blood dropped on the verse )which means(:"…. and Allaah will be
sufficient for you against them. And He is the Hearing, the
Knowing."]Quran 2:137[
'Amr bin Hamiq gave him nine wounds with his spear. 'Umayr bin Jannabi
moved forward and kicked him violently more than once, so that his
ribs were broken. At every kick he would say: "It was you who had
imprisoned my father and the poor man died in captivity." Naa'ilah
called out to those upstairs who were unaware of what was happening in
the house. The rioters had completedtheir evil act before those
upstairs arrived. The criminals fled and the slaves of 'Uthmaan killed
a few of them.
Nobody was needed now to guard the door. The rioters then made a
forced entry into the house and plundered all the articles that they
found. The news of this tragedy spread like lightning. This
soul-shattering incident came to pass on Friday, Thul-Hijjah 18, 35
AH. The dead body of 'Uthmaan laid unshrouded and unburied for three
days. At last Haakim bin Hizaam and Jubayr bin Mut'imwent to 'Aliand
he gave permission for him to be buried. The body was buried between
Maghrib and Isha' prayers. Az-Zubayr, Hasan, Abu Jahm bin Huthayfah,
and Marwaanaccompanied the bier. The rioterstried to obstruct the
burial service but held back on the intervention of 'Ali. Jubayr bin
Mut'im led the funeral prayers. Hewas then buried without bath and
coffin.
'Uthmaan bin 'Affaandied at the age of 82 after passing 12 years as a
Caliph. He was buried in Jannat-ul-Baqi' leaving behind eleven sons
and six daughters.
Rioter's Rule in Al-Madeenah
From the day the rioters put a ban on the exit of 'Uthmaan bin
'Affaanfrom his house and his attendance at the mosque, Al-Madeenah
had virtually come under their rule. After 'Uthmaan'smartyrdom,
Al-Ghaafiqi bin Harb, the chief of the rioters, held the powers of the
Caliphate for abouta week and set about issuing all orders, including
the appointment of someone to lead the prayers.
However, the wiser section of them wanted to put a respectable man as
Caliph. They argued that in the absence of a reputable man as Caliph,
their successful efforts would be takenas a mere uprising and rioting.
Thus they decided not to leave Al-Madeenah without electing a Caliph.
'Abdullaah binSabarushed to Al-Madeenah in disguise and joined his
party. He also favored the election of a Caliph. Thus theymet 'Ali,
Talhah and Az-Zubayrseparately and requested each of them to accept
the responsibility of the Caliphate. However, each of them refused the
offer point-blank and they had to return empty-handed and frustrated.
At last, 'Abdullaah binSabainstilled in their mind a workable plan
according to which it was announced throughout Al-Madeenah: "It is the
people of Al-Madeenah who have always played the pivotal role of
electinga Caliph, and the Muslim Ummah accepted it wholeheartedly. Now
we give them just two days to elect a Caliph, if they fail to elect
aCaliph, we will kill 'Ali, Talhah andAz-Zubayr."
This announcement sent terror into the hearts of the people of
Al-Madeenah who came out of their houses and hurried to 'Ali and the
other two. While Talhah and Az-Zubayrflatly refused to shoulder the
burden of the Caliphate, 'Ali agreed to it after initially refusing.
Following his consent, the people came in large numbers to take
Bay'ah)oath of allegiance( at his hand.

Dought & clear - Employee compensating his company for what is owed to it by waiving some of his dues

I was working for a foreign company via theInternet. I did marketing
for this company and brought regular customers to it, and I receive
commission so long as the customers continue to buy from this company.
The problem began when I brought two customers in a way that is not
Islamically acceptable, and I continued to receive commission for
several months. After that I repented to Allah, praisebe to Allah, and
I wanted to set things straight. So I started to bring new customers
but did not register them under my name, so that the matter between me
and the company would be settled.
Is this regarded as an Islamically acceptable solution? I brought new
customers to the company to compensate for the two customers for whom
I had receivedcommission. Can I continue to receive this payment in
return for working with the company, or do I have toleave it? Please
note that I have put a great deal of effort into correcting my
mistake. In fact I am confused about my situation and I cannot tell
the people in charge because I will be dismissed.
What more can I do in order to compensate for what has passed? Is this
regarded as sufficient?
Praise be to Allah.
The money that is acquired as a result of deceit, lying or forgery
isharaam wealth, and it is not permissible to consume it or benefit
from it; rather what you must do is return it to its owner and ask for
forgiveness from him, sothat you will have discharged your duty
forsure. (This applies) whether its owner is a Muslim or not, because
the sanctity of the wealth of a non-Muslim (dhimmi or mu'aahid, i.e.,
non-Muslims living under Muslim rule, or who have a treaty with the
Muslims) is the same as the sanctity of a Muslim's wealth. Our Prophet
Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) disavowed those
who transgressed against the wealth of non-Muslims and said: "As for
the wealth… [that was seized unlawfully from a non-Muslim), I want
nothing to do with it." Narrated by al-Bukhaari (no. 2731). Al-Haafiz
ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) said: From this (hadeeth) we
learn that it is not permissible to take the wealth of the kuffaar by
treachery when they have been granted security.
End quote fromFath al-Baari, 5/341
Sincere repentance requires you to speak frankly to your company,if
that is possible, or at least to stop that haraamincome that is coming
toyou, and do not continue to take it from the company unlawfully.The
first condition of sincere repentance is giving up the sin
immediately. So long as you still receiving that haraam wealth, we
fear that you may come under the ruling on one who persists in his
sin.
With regard to what yousaid about compensating the company by bringing
some new customers and not taking the commission to which you are
entitled in return, that is appropriate if you are unable to return
the money that you had taken unlawfully to the company or tell them
what really happened sothat they can decide as they see fit.
If you cannot do that, then we hope that what you have mentioned
willcompensate for what you did of trickery to take what you are not
entitled to, and that this will be an expiation for the haraam wealth
that you took from them, by means of which you will compensate the
company and restore people's dues, on condition that the money that
which you had taken unlawfully will be equaled by the money that you
are entitled to for the customers you brought but did not register
under your name. If what you took is more than that, then you haveto
strive to return the additional amount in an acceptable manner, or by
bringing more customers for it, until the two amounts are equal and
you know that you have restored people's rights or the equivalent.
The fuqaha' (may Allah have mercy on them) have outlined numerous ways
that make it easier for the one who wants to get rid of haraam wealth
to do so. For example, Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him)
said: This is based on an important Islamic principle having to do
with the one who has taken something to which he is not entitled
according to sharee'ah, then decides to get rid of it: if the item in
question was taken without the consent of its owner and he did notgive
him something to compensate him, then he must return it to him. If he
is not able to returnit to him, then he should pay off a debt that the
person owes on his behalf. If that is not possible, then he must
return it to his heirs. If that is not possible, then he must give it
in charityon his behalf. If the rightful owner chooses to take the
reward for that charity on the Day of Resurrection, then he may do so,
but if he insists on taking from the good deeds of the one who took it
unlawfully, he will be able to do so in return for the wealth (that
was taken), and the reward for the charity will go to the one who gave
it, as was proven from the Sahaabah (may Allah be pleased with them).
If the money was paid with the consent of the giver in return for
something haraam, such as one who paid for alcohol or pork, or for
adultery or immoral deeds, in that case the money is not to be
returned to the one whopaid it, because he paid it willingly and took
something haraam in return for it. So it is not permissible for him to
have both the money and the thing he paid for, because that is helping
in sin and transgression, and making it easy for sinners to commit
sin.
What else could the adulterer or the one who commits immoral actions
want, if he knows that he will get what he wants and havehis money
back?! Sharee'ah is far above prescribing such a thing,and it makes no
sense. But the one who receives the money should not consume it;
rather it is evil and impure, as ruled by the Messenger of Allah
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). But it is evil and impure
because of the way in which it was acquired, not because of wrongdoing
to the one from whom it was taken.The way to get rid of it and
complete one's repentance is to give it in charity. If he is in need
of it, he may take as much as he needs andgive the rest in charity.
This is the ruling on all impure earnings that areimpure because of
the way in which they are acquired, whether that was in return for
something that is haraam, whether it was an item or a service. The
fact that it is deemed to be impure does not mean that it must be
returned to the one whogave it, because the Prophet (blessings and
peace of Allah be upon him) ruled that the earnings of a cupper
areimpure, but it is not obligatory to return them to the one who paid
them.
End quote fromZaad al-Ma'aad, 5/690-691
On our website, in a number of questions, wehave previously discussed
these matters. See, for example, questions no. 98723, 178442and 179432
However, what we advise you to do is follow the path of piety and
admit to the company what has reallyhappened, or, at the very least,
ask them to stop giving you this haraam commission
You should understand that honesty is the best policy. If we assume
thatwhat you fear of being dismissed happens, it may be that Allah
will replace it with something better than that for you. Allah, may He
be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
"O Prophet! Say to the captives that are in your hands: 'If Allah
knows any good in your hearts, He will give you something better than
what has been taken from you, and He will forgive you, and Allah is
Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.'
But if they intend to betray you (O Muhammad SAW), they have already
betrayed Allah before. So He gave (you) power over them. And Allah is
All-Knower, All-Wise"
[al-Anfaal 7:70-71]
"And whosoever fears Allah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a
way for him to get out (from every difficulty).
3. And He will provide him from (sources) he never could imagine"
[al-Talaaq 65:2-3].
And Allah knows best.

Dought & clear - Is it permissible to put on a “magic show” and is it permissible to attend it?

What is your opinion onchildren watching shows for children which
include "magic" and the like? Some of the brothers in our mosque put
on a show that included "magic tricks", and I did not want my children
to go, so I did not let them. What is your opinion?
Praise be to Allah.
What we understand from the question is thata show was put on in the
mosque by children, in which there was whatis called "leger de main
(sleight of hand)" or "magic tricks". If this is what happened, then
you did well by not letting your children attend that show, in which
this evil action was done. The ones whoapproved of that and helped to
make it happen have done something wrong, and this is exacerbated if
the show was in the mosqueand if it was done by children. We hope that
they will not do this again. What they should be doing is raising
Muslim children with decent morals and manners, teaching them
beneficial knowledge and instilling in them the beliefs of Ahl
as-Sunnah wa'l-Jamaa'ah, without any contamination or confusion. If
you want toadvise them and denounce what was done, then you should do
so in a gentle and kind manner.
It should be noted that the magic which Allah, may He be exalted,
condemns and against which the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah
be upon him) warned is that which may be called "the magicof
illusion". Allah, may He be exalted, mentioned it in His Holy Book,
when He said (interpretation of the meaning):"Then behold,their ropes
and their sticks, by their magic, appeared to him as though they moved
fast" [Ta-Ha 20:66]. Allah, may He be exalted, called this action of
theirs magic, and He called them magicians. Moreover, such shows may
give the impression that magic and magicians are harmless. This was an
error on the part of those who put onthese shows in the context of
educating children, in addition to the fact that it is a sin in and of
itself.
Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzaan (may Allah preserve him) was asked:
What is the ruling on watching the "magic of illusion", whether that
isin real life or on television?
He replied:
It is not permissible to watch magic, whether it is real or is just
illusions. It is not permissible because it is falsehood, and it is
not permissible to witness or watch falsehood, because by watching it
one has approved of it, unless heis watching it in order todenounce it
and strive toput an end to it. In that case there is nothing wrong
with it. But if he watches it and says nothing, or he tells others
about it, this is haraam because it is idleentertainment.
End quote from the shaykh's website: http://www.alfawzan.ws /node/4827
The shaykh (may Allah preserve him) was also asked:
Often during the summer vacation there are festivals that are held for
leisure purposes, in which thereare circuses, and they bring people
who do things like tightrope walking or pulling cars along with their
hair or eating live coals, and other such things. Some of them appear
to be righteous. What is the ruling on these actions of theirs?
He replied: This comes from the Shaytaan, and these actions are from
the Shaytaan; no one can eat live coals, or drink boiling water. How
can he eat live coals? He is lying; it appears to the people asif he
is eating live coals, but in fact the coal does not reach him and does
not even come near his body. The same applies to the car that he pulls
along (with his hair). It isnot permissible for the Muslims to approve
of these things, even if theycall it illusion or artistry, or whatever
they call it. We should not open the door to magic, witchcraft, and
trickery. This is something that is not permissible and the
authorities should prevent it. It is obligatory for them to prevent it
right now andnot to approve of it. None of the seekers of knowledge
should keep quiet about this matter.
End quote from the shaykh's website: :
http://www.alfawzan.ws /node/48273
If your question is about something other than what we have mentioned,
then we hope that you will get intouch with us again and explain
further what is meant. We appreciate your efforts to take care of your
children and give them a sound Islamic upbringing.
And Allah knows best.

Dought & clear - What is the ruling on eating beef that the country imports via smuggling and bribery?

I am from Bangladesh and the state cannot provide beef for its
inhabitants who number one hundred and forty million. On theother side
of the border,India is a huge country and they do not eat beef and
some states in India do not allow the Muslims to eat beef. Hence the
demand for cattle in Bangladesh hasled to a huge trade in smuggling
the animals, because India does not sell cattle legally. Hence some
people smuggle thousands of cattle to Bangladesh every day, and they
pay bribes at the Indian border and at the Bangladeshi border for the
purpose of smuggling.
My question is: 99% of the meat that is available – and the cows that
are slaughtered on Eid – are smuggled illegally from India.
Is it permissible for us to eat the meat of cattle that come to us by
means of bribery and smuggling?
Praise be to Allah.
There is no sin on you for buying beef in your country and eating it,
even if smuggling is widespread, for the following reasons:
Firstly:
The basic principle is that it is permissible to eat meat that is sold
in Muslim markets without asking or enquiring into its origin and
source, on the grounds that what appears to be the case is that the
meat is being sold in a permissible manner in a legitimate
marketplace; so the Muslim should not concern himself with asking
questions or examining details. The Mother of the Believers 'Aa'ishah
(may Allah be pleased with her) narrated that some people said: O
Messengerof Allah, some people bring meat to us and we do not know
whether they mentioned the name of Allah over it or not. The Messenger
of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: "Say the
nameof Allah over it and eat it."
Narrated by Muslim in hisSaheeh(2057).
Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
We learn from this that everything that is found in the markets of the
Muslims may be taken as legitimate.
End quote fromFath al-Baari(9/635).
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
(The scholars) were unanimously agreed that it is permissible to buy
meat without askingfor proof that it is halaal,being content with the
word of the slaughterer and the seller.
End quote fromI'laam al-Muwaqqi'een(2/181)
Secondly:
If we assume that there is something wrong, it only affects the one
whois doing the smuggling and breaking the law. Asfor the buyer
himself, heis not committing any sin or doing anything wrong, and he
is not helping in any sin or transgression. Allah, mayHe be glorified
and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
"No person earns any (sin) except against himself (only), and no
bearer of burdens shall bear the burden of another. Then unto your
Lord is your return, so Hewill tell you that wherein you have been
differing"
[al-An'aam 6:164].
Thirdly:
Beef that has been slaughtered properly is halaal meat according tothe
consensus of the fuqaha', and it does not become haraam if it reaches
the country by illegal means. The prohibition [on smuggling] does not
apply to the meat itself, contrary to the case if the cow is
slaughtered in a way that is not prescribed in Islam, such as if the
name of Allah is not mentioned over it orit is slaughtered in a manner
other than that used by the Muslims. In that case its meat is haraam.
As for smuggling, the prohibition does not make the meat haraam;
rather the wrongdoing in this case is limited to breaking the law of
the land.
Fourthly:
The fact that the people would suffer a great deal of hardship if a
fatwa were to be issued forbidding them to buy this meat is sufficient
evidence that it is permissible. According to what is mentioned in the
question, the vast majority of the meat that is sold in the
marketplaces comes from the smuggling mentioned. Moreover, there would
be a huge rise in prices if this source of meat was banned. The basic
shar'i principle on which thereis scholarly consensus says that
hardship makesit permissible to be lax inimplementing shar'i rules.
To sum up:
Regardless of the laws ofthese countries and whether they allow the
importing of cattle or not, and regardless of the extent to which that
serves the interests of the people or not, none of that has any impact
on the meat of these cattle, even if the consumer is certain that it
comes from smuggled cattle.
And Allah knows best.

Islam and Taking accountof oneself or Self-Appraisal (Muhasebe)

Accounting is a characteristic found in human nature, irrespective of
his country, ancestry, community or religion. Man is always
preoccupied about things that shall benefit or harm him; he is
alwaysworried about his future,his wealth, property and about other
things. His mind is always analyzing his strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities and threats.
Accounting is of various kinds. Generally, man takes an account of
thosethings that are related to this temporary world. At such times,
he forgets that there is someone else too, who is taking (his) account
and whose rewards are everlasting. He is so absorbed in the accounting
of this colourful and attractive world, that he has forgotten the
terrifying accounting that shall take place in the grave orthe
impartial accounting of the Day of Mahshar (Day of Gathering on the
Last Judgment). Man is busy in finding faults in others. He forgets to
takeaccount of himself and see how much he is immersed in sins and how
many flaws lie within his own self.
Rather, man should makehis own self so strong and powerful, that it
becomes his advisor. The 'self' of man should exhort him towards all
obligatory acts and refrain him from committing all prohibitedacts.
Today, so much timeis being wasted in backbiting, accusing others,
watching television and committing other sins. Man must realize that
everything will be accounted for. The way you trained your children,
the way you spent your money, whether you have usurped any one's
right, even if it is a material right, to the extent that even if you
have done good or evil of the size ofa mustard seed, it will be
accounted for. The Day ofJudgment is also referredto as 'The Day of
Lamenting'. As Allah (SWT) mention in Noble Qur'an: Whether you show
what is in your mind or conceal it, Allah is well aware of that and
will call you to, account therefore. (2:284)
It is for this very reason that Holy Prophet Mohammad (saw)has
narrated, "Take account (of your deeds) yourself before you are taken
account of (by Allah [SWT])". Bihar al-Anwar
In the Wasiyyah (will) of Holy Prophet Mohammad (saw) to his companion
(Sahabah)Abu Dharr al-Ghifari (ra), Holy Prophet Mohammad (saw) says:
Oh Abu Dharr! Take account of yourself before you're taken account of
so your accounting will be easier tomorrow. And weigh yourself before
you are weighed and prepare forthe great staging; the day you will be
presented, not the least of a hidden thing of you will be hidden from
Allah (SWT).
Another companion (Sahabah) Abdullah Bin Mas'ud (ra) narrated that
Holy Prophet Mohammad (saw) said, "A man shall be asked concerning
five things on the day of resurrection: concerning his life, how he
spent it; concerning his youth, how he grew old; concerning his
wealth, whence he acquired it, and in what way he spent it; and what
was it that he did with the knowledge that he had." (Tirmidhi 5197)
Take account of yourself before the weighing scale is established. And
be prepared for a great accounting. Just as man carries a watch in
order to keep track of time, in the same manner, he should assign a
watch forhimself that will keep a track of his daily activities. He
should check everyday the actions that are beneficial to him and the
actions that harm him. Every night when we lie down on the bed, we
should analyze our entireday and scrutinize each and every of our
actions. 'What did we eat?' 'What did we earn?' 'Did we commit any
sin?' At the same time we should alsoremember about the Day of Qiyamat
(day of resurrection). If we find that we have performed good actions,
then we should praise Allah (SWT) and if we find that we have
performed bad actions, then we should seek forgiveness from Him and
resolve not to repeat them.
It was asked from Imam Ali (as): How should a person take account of himself?
Imam Ali (as) replied: When a person ends his day, then he should turn
towards himself and say 'O self! This day that has passed will not
return. Allah (SWT) will ask you about how you wasted your day. He
will ask you about the actions you performed, whether you remembered
Him and praised Him? Whether you fulfilled a right of your fellow
believer? Did you remove a difficulty that befell upon a believer? Did
you protect his children in his absence? Did you safeguard his rights
afterhis death? Did you - on account of your position - prevent anyone
from backbiting your believing brother? Did you help any Muslim
throughout the day?
Thus every man should ponder over his actions that he has performed
during the day. If he finds that he has done good actions, then he
should praise Allah (SWT) for giving him the opportunity (Taufeeq).
But if he finds that he hascommitted sins, then he should seek
forgiveness from Allah (SWT) and make a firm intention that he shall
not repeat that act again.
Then let us be strict with ourselves every time we account for
ourselves, just as a master is strict with his slave, or as a partner
takes account of another partner. So account of yourself before your
account is taken which will be so severe that there shall be no scope
for rectification.

Islam and Self-Judgment and Self-Control

Ayatulla Agha Haji Mirza Mahdi Pooya says this state of cautiousness
and precaution is Taqwa, the highest form of God mindedness.
Self-Judgment is to call oneself to account every day regarding the
good deeds and wrongdoings. If the scale of acts of obedience
overweighs that of acts of disobedience, we must thank Allah (SWT),
lest wemust discipline ourselves.
Self-Control stands for protecting oneself against breach of the
obligatory religious rites and the commitment of the forbidden.
It is necessary for the rational to train himself on self-judgment and
self-control, since all human souls are susceptible to evil. If
theyare neglected, they go away from the right, but if they are
controlled by means of guidance, they shine with virtues:
"... And (I swear) by the soul and that (Power) which designed it and
inspired it with knowledge of evil and piety, those who purify their
souls will certainly have everlasting happiness and those whocorrupt
their souls will certainly be deprived of happiness." Noble Qur'an
(91:7-10)
Holy Prophet Mohammad (saw) said: "Before you do a matter that you
intend, you should investigate its end result; if it is good, you then
should keep on. If not, you should not do it."
Imam Ali (as) related: When he received the warriors that he had
appointed for a campaign, Holy Prophet Mohammad (saw) said to them:
"Welcome to the people who performed successfully the minor Jihad.
Their mission now is to perform completely the major Jihad. The major
Jihad is self-control. The best form of Jihad isto strive one's
desires and whims."
Self-Confidence that gavehim the power:
A business executive was deep in debt and could see no way out.
Creditors were closing in on him. Suppliers were demanding payment. He
sat on the Park bench, head in hands, wondering if anything could save
his company from bankruptcy.
Suddenly an old man appeared before him. "I can see that something
istroubling you," he said. After listening to the executive's woes,
the old man said, "I believe I can help you." He asked the man his
name, wrote out a check, and pushed it into his hand saying,"Take this
money. Meet me here exactly one year from today, and you can pay me
back at that time." Then he turned and disappeared as quickly as he
had come.
The business executive saw in his hand a check for $500,000, signed by
John D. Rockefeller, then one of the richest men in the world! "I can
erase my money worries in an instant!" he realized. But instead, the
executive decided to put the un-cashed check in his safe. Just knowing
it was there might give him the strength to work out a way to save his
business, he thought.
With renewed optimism, he negotiated better deals and extended termsof
payment. He closed several big sales. Within afew months, he was out
of debt and making money once again. Exactly one year later, he
returned to the park withthe un-cashed check. At the agreed-upon time,
the old man appeared. But just as the executive was about to hand back
the check and share his success story, a nurse came running up and
grabbed the old man.
"I'm so glad I caught him!" she cried. "I hope he hasn't been
botheringyou. He's always escapingfrom the rest home and telling
people he's John D. Rockefeller." And she led the old man away by the
arm. The astonished executive just stood there, stunned. All year long
he had been wheeling and dealing, buying and selling, convinced he had
half a million dollars behind him.
Suddenly, he realized that it wasn't the money, real or imagined, that
had turned his life around. It was his newfound self-confidence that
gavehim the power to achieveanything he went after.