Mutual Rights - Good Companionship - III

One day, the Prophet told'Aa'ishah the lengthy Hadeeth of Umm Zar',
which was narrated by Muslim and was explained by some scholars in
volumes due to its enormous pearls of wisdom and meanings. After the
Prophet told'Aa'ishah how Abu Zar' treated his wife Umm Zar', the
Prophet said: "I am to you likeAbu Zar' to Umm Zar'." He meant by this
that he was perfectin good companionship and intimacy, just like Abu
Zar' was with Umm Zar'.
In happy and cheerful moments, the Prophet brought happiness and cheer
to his family. It was authentically narrated that on the day of 'Eed
the Abyssinian boys arrived and played with spears in the mosque. Just
look at the perfect Sharee'ah of Islam and its sublime mission! On
that day of'Eed which is characterized by happiness, the souls need a
type of peace and affinity to remove the state of apathy and
weariness. On that day, the Abyssinians entered the mosque of the
Prophet and paraded with their spears. Just look where the parade was
held; it was held in the second most sacred House of Allaah, the
Mosque of the Prophet !
The mosque was taken as a placewhere people played with spears on the
day of 'Eed because it was a merry occasion. Islam is a religion of
perfection that gives everything its due right and estimation.'
Aa'ishah wantedto feel happy on that day. She wanted to watch the
Ethiopians parading with their spears. She asked the Prophet to let
her see the parade, so how did the Prophet reply to her? Did he tell
her that she was immature or that she was wasting her time? Did he
start reminding her that Paradise and Hell were approaching? No. The
Prophet stood up on his noble feet to allow her to watch the
Ethiopians, not for the purpose ofwatching for its own sake, but
because he knew that this standing would please Allaah TheAlmighty.
The Prophet who was the cream and most perfect of creation, kept
standing to please Allaah without the least feeling of blemish or
belittlement, because he felt that he was bringing affection, love and
happiness to his family and translating his true love and perfect
marriage by his standing. For that reason, the Prophet was the best
husband to his wife,and his behavior represents the perfect and best
guidance for theMuslim who wants to live equitably with his wife.
His wife would prepare his food and drink, and when he gathered with
his family, belovedpersons and wife under one roof,he would not say
unpleasant words to her. If he found the food delicious, he would
praise and appreciate it and thank the one who prepared it after
thanking Allaah The Almighty. If he found fault with it, he would not
dispraise or criticize it,nor would he dispraise the one who cooked
it.
Living equitably requires sacrifice,true love and mutual emotions that
indicate perfection in marriage and intimacy. Therefore, the guidance
of the Prophet is the most perfect guidance.
It was authentically narrated that'Aa'ishah said that she wouldbring
broth or milk to the Prophet and though he was the one who requested
it, he would insist that she drink before him. 'Aa'ishah was a noble
woman and daughter of a noble man, so she did not accept drinking
before the Messenger of Allaah and preserved his right. When she gave
him the drink, he would ask her to drink first, and when she
refused,he would insist by taking an oath that she would drink first.
As a result, she would take the container and drink and after that the
Prophet would put his mouth in the same spot that her mouth had been.
The Prophet did not do so without reason;rather, he wanted to let her
know her value and to show her his love and affection. That is because
just as the Prophet sought closeness to his Lord through prostration
and bowing to Him, he also sought closeness to Him through comforting
his wife's heart, bringing her happiness and making her cheerful. The
Prophet sought closeness to Allaah byteaching the Ummah (Muslim
nation) perfect manners and the best ways of treating families and
wives.
These are very important mattersthat a Muslim should pay attention to.
Sometimes the wife needs to feel happy in her home, so if the Muslim
wants to make her so he should adopt the guidance of the Prophet .
Sometimes she wants to feel happy outside the house, so we find that
the Prophet would go out with his wife to Qubaa' and race her. The
Prophet andhis wife started running, and she would beat him. Later,
when she gained weight, the Prophet raced her again and this time he
beat her, saying: "Tit for tat." All these things represent love and
kind treatment in lifestyle.
Whenever man looks at, reflects upon or studies well the guidance of
the Prophet he will surely find good companionship in its perfect
manner and best form, since he was the most perfect man in living
equitably with his family. Muslim homes will never be happy until
these warm emotions are observed. Look at the man who treats his wife
withthese true feelings and emotions and how Allaah blesses his
familyand wife. He surely leads a happy and serene life, since whoever
fears Allaah, carries out His orders and lives in kindness with his
wife, Allaah rewards him by granting them a happy life and good
companionship. The same thing applies to the woman who fears Allaah
and lives in kindness with her husband. They will only hear and see
what makes them happy. Therefore, a Muslim should abide by the Quran
and the Sunnah of the Prophet in fulfilling this great duty.
There is another very important point that we should consider, namely,
the lack of reward for not reciprocating good companionship. In other
words, it is very difficult for the husband to show affection, mercy
and kindness to his wife while the wife in return shows misbehavior,
harm, contempt or disobedience. Similarly, it is very difficult for
the wife to show warm emotions, kind feelings and good manners to her
husband, while he in return treats her with painful, harsh andhurtful
sentiments that devastateher. So, what should Muslim spouses do?
Some scholars have said that the greatest and most perfect reward for
good companionship takes place when the husband who observes good
companionship with his wife is mistreated, or when the wife who
observes good companionship with her husbandis mistreated. This is the
truest form of good companionship. One day, a man said, "O Messenger
of Allaah, I maintain kinship ties with my relatives, butthey sever
them; I give them, but they deprive me; and I pardon them, but they
are rough to me."The Prophet said: "If you are as you say, it is as if
you are feeding them hot ashes." [Muslim] This means that the man was
the winner as he had gained the reward. Allaah who does not allow the
reward of those who do good deeds to go astray.
Spouses who treat one another kindly are expecting a good reward and a
happy end from Allaah The Almighty. A husband should not wait for a
reward from his wife; he should wait for that from Allaah The
Almighty. Every Muslim who wishes to possess good and perfect manners
should not hope for reward from other people; rather, he should always
be watchful of Allaah and abide by His Laws, not to have his goodness
or kindness rewarded with a similar attitude, but to gain appreciation
from Allaah who is above the seven heavens. He should do so in order
to find his kind words, manners and good treatment written in the
record of his good deeds on a Daywhen the contents of the graves will
be scattered and that which is within the breasts exposed. If the man
adopts good manners and proves to be a kind husband while his wife is
evil and harms him, he should be patient. Perhaps Allaah will
compensate him with something better.
Talking about Zakariyya (Zachariah) Allaah Says (whatmeans): {And
amended for him his wife.} [Quran 21:90] Some scholars commented on
this verse saying that when Allaah tested Zakariyya by deprivinghim of
offspring, he earnestly turned to Allaah in supplication. Allaah Says
(what means): {[This is] a mention of the mercy of your Lord to His
servant Zechariah. When he called to his Lord a private supplication.
He said, "My Lord, indeed my bones have weakened, and my head
hasfilled with white, and never have I been in my supplication to You,
my Lord, unhappy. And indeed, I fear the successors after me, and my
wife has been barren, so give me from Yourself an heir."} [Quran
19:2-5]
Prophet Zakariyya supplicated to Allaah at the age of one hundred and
twenty without despair of His Mercy. He supplicated to Allaah at the
end of his life to grant him a child, and Allaah fulfilled his need
and more out of His Bounty. It always happens that when a person
supplicates Allaah with certainty in troubles and hardships, Allaah
answers his supplication and grants him even more than what he asked
for. Thus, Allaah says (what means): {And amended for him his wife.}
[Quran 21:90] Allaahgranted him Yahya (John) and amended his wife.
Some scholars said that his wife would insult and harm him and that
shewas ill-mannered and harsh with him; yet, he remained patient with
her until the end of his life. Accordingly, Allaah compensated him by
granting him a child and making his wife religiously observant who
lived equitably with him.
Hence, if the man lives equitably with his wife and finds good in her,
he should praise Allaah The Almighty; otherwise, he should be patient,
fully believing that Allaah does not allow the reward of the person
who does good deeds to go astray. This also applies to wives whose
good companionship is returned with ill-treatment by their husbands.
She should expect that Allaah would compensate her for her patience
and comfort her pains, and compensate her in her religion, life and
the Hereafter.

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And Allah Knows the Best!

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Published by :->
M NajimudeeN Bsc- INDIA

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The story of Heraclius’ encounter with Islam

All perfect praise is due to Allaah; I testify that there is none
worthyof worship except Allaah and that Muhammad is His Slave and
Messenger; as well as his family and all his companions.
'Abdullaah ibn 'Abbaas, narrated: "Abu Sufyaan ibn Harb informed me
that Heraclius had sent a messenger to him while he had been
accompanying a caravan from Quraysh. He was part of a delegation of
merchantsdoing business in Sham (i.e., Syria, Palestine, Lebanon and
Jordan) at the time, and this was when Allaah's Apostle had a
ceasefire with Abu Sufyaan and the rest of the Qurayshi infidels. So
Abu Sufyaan and his companions went to Heraclius at Jerusalem.
Heraclius called them into his court while having all thesenior Roman
dignitaries around him...
Note: Heraclius had received a message from the Prophet sallallaahu
'alayhi wa sallam inviting him to Islam, and so he wanted to ask his
own people about him.
... He called for his translator who, translating Heraclius's
question, said to them: 'Who amongst you is closely related to the man
who claims to be a Prophet?' Abu Sufyaan replied: 'I am the nearest
relative to him (inthe group).' Heraclius said: 'Bring him (i.e., Abu
Sufyaan) close to me and make his companions stand behind him.' Abu
Sufyaan added: 'Heraclius told his translator to tell my companions
that he wanted to ask me some questions regarding that man (i.e., the
Prophet) and that if I told a lie they (my companions) should oppose
me.'
This meant that if Abu Sufyaan lied, his companions would have
immediately indicated so.
Abu Sufyaan added: 'I swear by Allaah! Had I not been afraid of my
companions labelling me as a liar, I would not have spoken the truth
about the Prophet. The firstquestion he asked me about him was: 'What
is his family status amongst you?'
I replied: 'He belongs to a noble family amongst us.'
Heraclius asked: 'Has anybody amongst you ever claimed the same (i.e.
to be a Prophet) beforehim?'
I replied: 'No.'
He asked: 'Was anybody amongst his ancestors a king?'
I replied: 'No.'
Heraclius asked: 'Do the nobles orthe poor follow him?'
I replied: 'It is the poor who follow him.'
He asked: 'Are his followers increasing or decreasing (day by day)?'
I replied: 'They are increasing.'
He then asked: 'Does anybody amongst those who embrace his religion
become displeased and renounce the religion?'
I replied: 'No.'
Heraclius asked: 'Have you ever accused him of lying before his claim
(to be a Prophet)?'
I replied: 'No. '
Heraclius asked: 'Does he break his promises?'
I replied: 'No. We have a treaty with him but we do not know what he
will do during it.'
He was referring to the Hudaybiyyah treaty.
I added: 'I could not find opportunity to say anything against him except that.'
Note: Abu Sufyaan was looking forthe opportunity to say anything evil
about the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam but could not find
any, and so this was the onlything he could have said in a negative
manner.
Heraclius asked: 'Have you ever been at war with him?'
I replied: 'Yes.'
Then, he asked: 'What was the outcome of the battles?'
I replied: 'Sometimes he was victorious, while at other times itwas us.'
Heraclius asked: 'What does he order you to do?'
I replied: 'He tells us to worship Allaah alone and not to worship
anything along with Him, and to renounce all that our ancestors have
said. He orders us to pray, topay alms, to speak the truth, to be
chaste and to keep good relations with our kith and kin.'
Heraclius asked the translator to convey to me the following: 'I asked
you about his family and your reply was that he belonged to a very
noble family. The fact is that all messengers (of Allaah) come from
noble families amongst their respective peoples. I questioned you
whether anybody else amongst you claimed such a thing (i.e.,
prophethood), your reply was in the negative. Had the answer been in
the affirmative, I would have thought that this man (i.e., the
Prophet) was following the previous man's statements. Then I asked you
whether anyone of his ancestors was a king. Your reply was in the
negative; had it been in the affirmative, I would have thought that
this man wished to regain his ancestral kingdom.
I further asked whether he was ever accused of telling lies before he
said what he is now saying, and your reply was in the negative. I
therefore came to the conclusion that he would not refrain from lying
to people and then tell lies about Allaah. I then asked you whether
the rich or poor follow him, and you replied that it is the poor; in
fact, all the messengers have been followed by this very class of
people. Then I asked you whether his followerswere increasing or
decreasing, and your reply was that they were increasing, and this is
the characteristic of true faith, until itis complete in all respects.
I further asked you whether there was anybody, who, after embracing
his religion, became displeased and discarded it. Your reply was in
the negative, and in fact this is the sign of true faith when its
delight enters the hearts and blends completely in them. I asked you
whether he has ever betrayed. You replied in the negative, and
likewise, messengers never betray. Then I asked you what he ordered
you to do. You replied that he ordered you to worship Allaah alone and
not worship anything along with Him, and that he forbade you from
worshipping idols, and that he also ordered you to pray, to speak the
truth and to be chaste. If what you have said is true, he will very
soon occupy this territory beneath my feet. I knew it (from my
readings of the scriptures) that he was going to appear, but I did not
know that he would be from you, and if I could reach himfor sure then
I would go immediately to meet him; and if Iwere with him, I would
certainly wash his feet.' Heraclius then asked for the letter that was
sentto him by the Prophet and delivered by Dihyah to the Governor of
Busraa, who forwarded it to Heraclius to read. The contents of the
letter were as follows: "In the name of Allaahthe Beneficent, the
Merciful (This letter is) from Muhammad the slave of Allaah and His
Messenger to Heraclius the ruler of Byzantine. who follows the right
path. Furthermore, I invite you to Islam, and if you become aMuslim
you will be safe, and Allaah will double your reward, but if you
reject this invitation to Islam, you will be committing a sin by
misguiding your Arisiyeen (i.e., peasants). (then he quoted Allaah's
saying) which means: "…O people of the scripture! Come to a word that
is equitable between us and you – that we will not worship except
Allaah and not associate anythingwith Him and not take one another as
lords instead of Allaah. But if they turn away, then say: 'Bear
witness that we are Muslims [submitting to Him.]'" [Quran 3: 64]
Abu Sufyaan then added: 'When Heraclius had finished his speech and
had read the letter, there was a great cry in the Royal Court. So we
were turned out of the court. I told my companions that the question
of Ibn Abu Kabshah (i.e., Prophet Muhammad) had become so prominent
that even the King of Al-Asfar (Byzantine) was afraid of him. Then I
began being certain that he (i.e. the Prophet) would be a victorious
conqueror in the near future, until I embraced Islam (i.e. Allaah
guided me to it)."
A sub-narrator added: "Ibn An-Naathoor was the governor ofJerusalem
and Heraclius was the head of the Christians of Shaam; both of them
were Christian scholars who were well learned regarding their
religion. Ibn An-Naathoor narrated that once, while Heraclius was
visiting Jerusalem, he woke up one morning depressed and in a bad
mood. Some of his priests asked him why he was in such a mood.
Heraclius was a foreteller and an astrologer; he replied: 'At night,
when I looked at the stars, I saw that the leader of those who
practice circumcision had appeared (i.e., become conquerors). Who are
these people who practice circumcision?' The priests replied:'Nobody
except the Jews practice circumcision, so you should not be afraid of
them (the Jews). Just issue orders to kill every Jew present in the
country.'
While they were discussing this, amessenger sent by the king of
Ghassaan to convey the news of Allaah's messenger to Heraclius was
brought in. Having heard thenews, he (i.e. Heraclius) ordered the
people to go and see whether the messenger sent by Ghassaan was
circumcised. The people, after seeing him, told Heraclius that he was
indeed circumcised. Heraclius then askedhim about the Arabs in
general. The messenger replied: 'The Arabs also practice
circumcision.'
After hearing this, Heraclius remarked that sovereignty of the Arabs
had appeared. Heraclius then wrote a letter to his friend in Rome who
was as knowledgeable as Heraclius. Heraclius then left, heading
towards Hims (a town in Syria) and stayed there until he receivedthe
reply to a letter that he had sent to one of his friends inquiring
about the emergence ofthe Prophet – his friend agreed with him that
this was indeed the emergence of a true Prophet. With that, Heraclius
invited all theheads of the Byzantines to assemble in his palace at
Hims. When they assembled, he ordered that all the doors of his palace
be closed. Then, he emerged and said: 'O Byzantines! If success is
your desire and you seek the correct guidance, and wish for your
empire to remain, then give a pledge of allegiance to this Prophet
(i.e. embrace Islam).'
(On hearing the views of Heraclius) the people ran towardsthe gates of
the palace like wild beasts, but found the doors closed. Heraclius
then realised their hatred of Islam, and when he lost hope of their
embracing Islam, he ordered that they be brought back to him. (When
they returned) he said: 'What I said was only to test the strength of
your conviction about your religion, and I have seen it.' The people
then prostrated before him and were delighted by him, and so this was
the end of Heraclius's story (regarding his faith.)" ] Al-Bukhaari [
This story was also reported by Imaam Muslim, At-Tirmithi, Abu Daawood
and Ahmad , with a few variations that clarify certain matters in the
message sent from the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam to
Heraclius.
The variations in some of these narrations state that the Prophet gave
Heraclius three choices, which the latter conveyed to his priests and
army leaders: "This man is a messenger and he has sent a letter giving
you three choices: To follow his religion; or to agree to pay him
taxes in return for him allowing you to remain upon your faith; or, to
prepare for war against him". His people angrily shouted: "We will
never follow him and leave the religion of our forefathers; nor will
we pay him any taxes, but instead we will fight him." After this,
Heraclius requested to be sent a man who knew Arabic, so a man by the
man of Ibn Al-Khaytham was sent to him. Heraclius sent him with a
reply tothe Messenger . The Prophet invited the messenger of Heraclius
to Islam, but he refusedto leave the religion of his people; upon
hearing this from him, the Prophet smiled and recited the verse which
means: "Indeed, [O Muhammad], you do not guide whom you like, but
Allaah guides whom He wills…" [Quran 28: 56] This messenger of
Heraclius had gone to the Prophet whilst he was in Tabook¸ so the
Prophet said to him: "You are our guest, but you have come to us while
we are out without anything to offeryou." (This was because they were
travelling and had nothing to offer him.) 'Uthmaan, said: "I will gift
him a garment of two pieces (of cloth)." Another man from the Ansaar
offered to give him some food.
The story has more details which were reported by Imaam Al-Haakim as
was mentionedby Imaam Ibn Katheer, in theinterpretation of the saying
of Allaah which means: "Those who follow the Messenger, the unlettered
prophet, whom they find written [i.e., mentioned] in what they have of
the Torah and the Gospel, who enjoins upon them what is right and
forbids them what is wrong …" [Quran 7: 157] He said: Hishaam
Al-Amawi, narrated: "I was sent with another man to Heraclius to call
him to Islam. We headed out until we reached an area called
Al-Ghootuh, in which lived Jabalah, which was one of the sections of
the Ghassaan Christian tribe, who were allies ofthe Romans. Their
leader sent hismessenger to talk to us and inquire about what we
wanted, but we refused to talk to him andsaid: 'We swear by Allaah! We
willnever talk to a messenger, we were sent to talk to the king of
Ghassaan himself, and if the king refuses to talk to us then we will
return to our land.' The messenger of the leader returnedto him and
informed him of our request, so he granted us our wish. When we
entered into the presence of the leader, he said: 'Talk' so Hishaam
spoke to him and invited him to Islam. Hishaam had a black garment
on;the leader asked him about the garment (which looked old) to which
Hishaam answered: 'This isa garment which I swore never to take off
until we (Muslims) expel you from Shaam (i.e., ancient Syria). I swear
by Allaah! We will (Allaah willing) expel you from your position and
from yourland, and will overpower the kingdom of Ghassaan; we were
informed that we would do this by our Messenger, Muhammad .' Then he
added: 'You will not be able to face them (i.e. the Muslims) for they
fast during the days and pray during the nights."The leader then
inquired about the way they fast and so he informed him. Upon hearing
the answer, his face turned black andhe was enraged, then he told us
to leave, and sent a man with us to take us to the king of the
Ghassaan tribe. When we approached the city, the messenger who was
sent with ustold us that we were not allowedto enter it riding our own
animals and that we had to ride with them, but we refused and told him
that we would never enter except riding our own animals. The messenger
sent a message to the king seeking permission for us, and he approved.
We entered wearing our swords until we reached the hall in which the
king was, then we tied our animals in the courtyard of the hall whilst
he was watching us, and then we shouted: 'Laa Ilaaha Illallaah,
Allaahu Akbar (i.e., none has the right to be worshipped except
Allaah, Allaah is the Greatest).' I swear by Allaah that the entire
hall began shaking like a branch of a tree on a windy day'. The king
then sent a man telling us that we had no right to proclaim our
religion in his land. After that, he allowed us entry, and when we
entered we saw that hewas wearing a red garment, and that he was
surrounded by Roman priests - and everything inthe hall was red in
colour. When we came close to him, he laughed and said: 'Why don't you
greet me the way you greet each other?' So we said: 'It is prohibited
for us to greet you with the greeting we use amongst ourselves, and it
is also prohibited for us to answer you using the greeting you use
amongst yourselves.' He then asked us about the greeting we use
amongst ourselves, and we informed him that it was 'As-Salaamu
'Alaykum.' Then he asked us: 'How do you greet your king (i.e., the
Prophet )?' We told him that we say the same to him, and then he asked
us: 'How does he answer you?' We told him that we use the same
greeting to answer him as he does to us. He remarked: 'How wonderful
are your words!' Upon hearing this, we again shouted: 'Laa Ilaaha
Illallaah, Allaahu Akbar(i.e., none has the right to be worshipped
except Allaah, Allaah is The Greatest)' I swear by Allaahthat the
entire hall began shaking again. He raised his head and then addressed
us saying: 'These words that you just uttered, to which the entire
hall shook… do they shake your rooms when you say them in your land?'
We replied: 'No! The first time we have seen this happen is in your
palace." He asked this question because it was a clear indication of
the prophethood of the Prophet .
The following are some of many benefits that can be derived fromthe
abovementioned story:
1. The necessity of assuring authenticity of what one hears bymeans of
asking around, just as Heraclius requested the friends accompanying
Abu Sufyaan aboutthe Prophet .
2. Truthfulness was a praiseworthy quality even during the pre-Islamic era.
3. The weak and poor are usually the followers of the truth.
4. The outcome of the wars and conflicts between the truth and
falsehood alternate in defeat and victory for the believers.
5. The Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam was known for his
truthfulness, and even his most vicious enemies testified to this.
6. The people of the Book recognise the Prophet by his characteristics
which they find in their books, and they know that he is the awaited
messenger from Allaah.
7. Arrogance and the keenness to maintain their worldly positions
prevented the people of the Bookfrom adhering to the truth and
accepting the message of the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam .
8. Allaah grants guidance to whomever He wills.
9. As a sign of prophethood, Allaah made the Prophet aware of some of
the matters of the unknown and unseen.
10. Being hospitable is a part of the teachings of the Sunnah .
11. A Muslim must display might and pride regarding his religion,
especially whilst inviting disbelievers to Islam.
12. It is not permissible to greet disbelievers with Salaam .
13. Allaah supports the righteous with Karaamaat (i.e.
supernaturalabilities or occurrences), such as that which happened to
the hall which shook when the companions shouted: "Laa Ilaaha
Illallaah, Allaahu Akbar (i.e., none has the right to be worshipped
except Allaah, Allaah is The Greatest)."

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And Allah Knows the Best!

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Published by :->
M NajimudeeN Bsc- INDIA

¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤

Suffering From Weak Faith

I have been a religious person for several years, but for a few months
I have been feeling that my mind and heart are devoid of faith and
will power. This matter is tormenting me and I said to myself that
perhaps this is a touch from the Shaytaan or something like that, and
it will go away when Ramadaan comes. But it has not gone away and
Ifind it very difficult to pray qiyaam al-layl (night prayers). I have
tried to read more Qur'aan despite this waswaas (whispering) and the
distress it is causing me. My situationhas started to affect me
socially, at work, in the family and in my religion. Now I am livingin
torment because of this and I cannot find the faith which I feel
hasbeen taken away from me. I feel that I will have a bad end and that
my faith will never return tome and that a seal has been placed over
my heart. When I go to the mosque to pray, which I have not stopped
doing, I feel that I am not like the other worshippers and I envy them
for theirfaith. I also feel put off by religion and often I cannot
listen to the Qur'aan or hadeeth (prophetic narrations), or listen to
tapes, except with great difficulty. Thisis tormenting me because I do
not want this, and I want to be like I was, a believer who loves the
religion because it is the truth, but I feel that I cannot control my
mind or my feelings. I have started to think about my sins which I
believe are the cause of this, and I have started to remember many
sins which I had forgotten, as if they are appearing before me one
after the other. Untilnow I am living with thistorment, misery and
distress. I do not know what has happened to me and what the solution
and the remedy is. Will my faith come back to me or is this a bad end
and a punishment from Allaah?Finally, please do not forget to make
du'aa' (supplication) for me.
Praise be to Allaah.
My brother, have great hope in Allaah, and do not let the Shaytaan
cause you to despair of the vast mercy of Allaah which He has
guaranteed for His believing slaves. What you are telling yourself
about this being a sign that you will die following something other
than that which Allaah wants is only insinuating whispers (waswaas)
from the Shaytaan and his deviant ideas by means of which he wants to
tempt the slaves of Allaah and lead them away from their religion. So
he comes to a righteous slave and whispers to him that his good deeds
are of no avail, or that he is doing them not for the sake of Allaah
but to show off topeople, so that they will think he is good. All of
these are the usual ways with which the Shaytaantries to trick the
slaves ofAllaah, especially those who show signs of beingrighteous –
of whom I think that you are one, although I do not praise anyone
before Allah – to hinder their efforts. We seek refuge with Allaah
from him.
You need to increase your hope and trust in Allaah Who forgives all
sins, and who accepts the slave who seeks His protection and refuge,
for He is the Most Merciful, the Oft-Forgiving and the Most Loving.
You should increase yourgood deeds, such as reading Qur'aan, giving
charity, remembering Allaah (dhikr), upholdingthe ties of kinship,
etc. The weakness which youfeel also happens to others, for it is
something natural. How many people were examples followed by others
and had a great deal of drive and ambition, then they lost their drive
and ambitionfor a long time, then it came back to them by the grace of
Allaah. Remember the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him): "Everybody has his time of energy, and every time
of energy is followed by a time of lethargy. But if a person tries to
follow a moderate path, then I have hope for him, but ifhe becomes one
who is pointed out (in the street), then do not think anything of
him."
(Narrated by al-Tirmidhi,2453; classed as hasan (sound) by al-Albaani
in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi, 1995).
What is meant by "Everybody has his time of energy" is eagerness for a
thing, energy and the desire to do good.
What is meant by "every time of energy is followed by a time of
lethargy" is tiredness, weakness and lack of movement.
"But if a person tries to follow a moderate path"means that the one
who has energy does his deeds in moderation and avoids going to
extremes when he is feeling energetic and avoids being negligent when
he is feeling lethargic.
"Then I have hope for him" means, I have hopethat he will be
successful, for he can continue following a middle course, and the
most beloved deeds to Allaah are those which are continuous.
"but if he becomes one who is pointed out (in the street)" means, if
he strives hard and goes to extremes in doing good deeds so that he
will become famous for his worship and asceticism, and he becomes
famous and people point him out to one another,
"then do not think anything of him" means,do not think that he is one
of the righteous, because he is showing off. He did not say, "do not
have hope for him," as an indication that he has already fallen, and
he will not be able to make up for what he hasmissed out on.
[From Tuhfat al-Ahwadhi]
Think about this hadeeth, and relate it to your own situation and the
situation of others: you will see a clear similarity. This hadeeth
clearly states that man goes through a stage of incomparable eagerness
and great focus and ambition, then suddenly he becomes weak and loses
that focus and eagerness and ambition.When he reaches this stage, he
must strive even harder to do obligatory duties and avoid haraam
(impermissible) things. Ifhe does that, then there is the hope that he
will succeed and progress, but if he falls into haraam things and
stopsdoing obligatory things, he will be lost and doomed.
So you must turn to Allaah a great deal, seek His forgiveness and ask
Him to make you steadfast until death. I also advise you to keep away
from haraam things. May Allaah forgive your sins and make things
easier for you.

Her father paid her university fees, then the university returned the fees as a prize to her; does her father have theright to take them?

I am a student who is excelling at university, and the university gave
me a prize as a reward for my achievements. Myfather asked me to use
itto pay for my university fees, then he changed his mind and did not
mention the prize-money again as he had asked me to do. Then it became
clear to me that this prize-money is like the university returning to
us the money that we had paid in fees. I thought it was only honest to
tell my father, but when I told him he said that it is his money, but
I think that it is mine, because the university returned it because of
my doing well. There is also a contract between me and the university
to theeffect that this is in return for something: for every year that
they return the fees, I will work in the university orthe government,
in any job and in any location they choose. If I do not accept this,
then I have to return the money. So Ihave worked very hard to get this
prize, and I have made a commitment to the university in return for
the money. I do intend to give my father the money, but please note
that he is not in need, because he owns property worth one million
dinars, whereas Ihave no money apart from this prize, and I want to
complete my graduate studies that myfather said he will sponsor me for
until I complete them.
Praise be to Allaah.
If the matter is as you say, that your father promised to pay the
university fees, then he decided not to ask you to give him the prize
that will be given to you,then it became clear thatthe prize was no
more than returning the university fees, then this prize belongs to
you andwhat your father paid previously was a gift with no intention
of asking for it back. This is in addition to the fact that you state
that the prize is in return for future work.
But we should point out that the father has the right to take from the
wealth of his child – male or female – whatever he needs, without
harming the child, because of the hadeeth of Jaabir ibn 'Abdillah (may
Allah be pleased with him), according to which a man said: O Messenger
of Allah, I have wealth and a son, and my fatherwants to take all my
wealth. He said, "You and your wealth belong to your father."
Narratedby Ibn Maajah, 2291; Ibn Hibbaan in his Saheeh, 2/142, from
the hadeeth of Jaabir; Ahmad, 6902 from the hadeeth of 'Abdullah ibn
'Amr.
Ahmad narrated from 'Amr ibn Shu'ayb from his father that his
grandfather said: A Bedouin came to the Messenger of Allah (blessings
and peace of Allah be upon him) and said: My father wants to take all
of my wealth. He said: "You and your wealth belong to your father. The
best of what you consume is what you yourself have earned and the
wealth of your son is part of your earnings, so consume it joyfully."
It has several isnaads and corroborating evidence that makes it saheeh.
See: Fath al-Baari, 5/211;Nasab ar-Raayah, 3/337
But this is subject to conditions that were laid out by the scholars:
1. The father should not be unfair to the son or harm him, or take
anything that he needs.
2. He should not take from the wealth of one son and give it to another son.
3. The father should be in need of the wealth; it is not
permissible for him to take that which he does not need, according to
the majority of fuqaha', apart from the Hanbalis, because of the
report narrated by al-Haakim (2/284) and al-Bayhaqi (7/480) from
'Aa'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her), who said: The Messenger of
Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: "Your children
are a gift from Allah to you, 'He bestows female (offspring) upon whom
He wills, and bestows male (offspring) upon whom He wills' [ash-Shoora
42:49], so they and their wealth belong to you if you need it."
Classed as saheeh by Shaykh al-Albaani in as-Silsilah as-Saheehah,
2564
Ibn Qudaamah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: The father may take
from his son's wealth whatever he wants and it becomes his, whether
the father needs what he takes or not, and whether the child is a
minor or an adult, subject to two conditions:
1. That he is not unfairto his child and does not harm him, and he
does not take anything that his son needs
2. and that he does not take from the wealthof one son and give it
to another.
Abu Haneefah, Maalik and ash-Shaafa'i said: Hedoes not have the right
to take from the wealth of his son except as much as he needs, because
the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: "Your
blood and your wealth are sacred to oneanother, as sacred as thisday
of yours, in this month of yours." Agreed upon. And it was narrated
that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: "It
is not permissible (to take) the wealth of a Muslim unless he gives it
willingly." Narrated by ad-Daaraqutni. And because the son has full
possession of his own property, so it is not permissible to take it
from him.
End quote from al-Mughni, 5/395
You stated that your father is not in need; based on that, it is not
permissible for him to take anything from your wealth except with your
consent.
We appreciate your intention to give the money to your father, because
this comes under the heading of honouring him and treating him kindly.
We ask Allah to compensate you with good.
And Allah knows best.