Was a window opened above the Prophet’s grave for rain?.

Can you please reply in detail the hadith which sufi use the hadith of
Aishas in which she tell to open a window in Prophet's grave for rain.
Praise be to Allaah.
The hadeeth referred to was narrated by Abu'l-Jawza' Aws ibn
'Abd-Allaah who said: The people of Madeenahwere faced with a severe
drought. They complained to 'Aa'ishah who said: "Look at the grave of
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and make an
opening facing the sky so that there will be no barrier between him
and the sky." They did that, then it rained until the plants grew and
the camels grew exceedingly fat, and it was called the year of the
exceedingly fat animals.
Narrated by al-Daarimi (1/56), no. 92, in the chapter: How Allaah
honoured His Prophet after his death.
Al-Daarimi said: Abu'l-Nu'maan told us, Sa'eed ibn Zayd told us, 'Amr
ibn Maalik al-Nakri told us, Abu'l-Jawza' Aws ibn 'Abd-Allaah said: …
then he quoted the hadeeth.
This report is da'eef (weak) and is not saheeh. The scholar al-Albaani
stated that it is weak and said in his book al-Tawassul (p. 128):
This is a weak isnaad which cannot be used asevidence for three reasons:
1 – Sa'eed ibn Zayd, whowas the brother of Hammaad ibn Yazeed, has
some weakness. Al-Haafiz said concerning him in al-Taqreeb: he is
sadooq (truthful) but confused. Al-Dhahabi said in al-Mizaan: Yahya
ibn Sa'eed said: (he is) weak.Al-Sa'di said: It is not evidence; they
regard his hadeeth as weak. Al-Nasaa'i and others said: He is not
strong. Ahmad said: There is nothing wrong with him; Yahya ibn Sa'eed
did not like him.
2 – The report is mawqoof and stops at 'Aa'ishah, and it is not
attributed to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
Even if it were saheeh it would not count as evidence, because it may
be that it comes under the heading of ijtihaad of some of the Sahaabah
who may make a mistake or get it right, so we are not obliged to
follow it.
3 – Abu'l-Nu'maan is Muhammad ibn al-Fadl who is known as 'Aarim.
Although he is thiqah (trustworthy), he became confused towards the
end of his life. Al-Haafiz Burhaan al-Deen al-Halabi narrated it in
al-Ightibaat bi man rumiya bi'l-Ikhtilaat following Ibn al-Salaah who
mentioned him among the confused in his book al-Muqaddimahand said:
The ruling concerning them is that the hadeeth of those who learned
from them before they became confused may be accepted, but it may not
be accepted from those who learned from them after they became
confused or those concerning whom it is not known whether theylearned
from him beforehe became confused or after.
I (al-Albaani) say: it is notknown whether al-Daarimi heard this
report before he becameconfused or after, so it isnot acceptable and
cannot be quoted as evidence.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said, refuting al-Bakri: The report
narrated from 'Aa'ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) about the
opening of a hole towards the sky so that rain could fall (onto the
grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)) is
not saheeh, and its isnaad is not proven. Among the things which prove
that it is false is the fact that during the lifetime of 'Aa'ishah the
house did not have any opening, rather it remained as it was during
the life of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him):
some of it was roofed over and some of it was open, andthe sun used to
shine into it, as it is proven in al-Saheehayn from 'Aa'ishah that the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to pray 'Asr
with the sun shininginto her room when the shadow had not yet
appeared. The apartment remained likethat until al-Waleed ibn 'Abd
al-Malik expanded the mosque when he was governor, at which time the
apartments were added to the mosque of the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him). At that time the room in which the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is buried was
incorporatedinto the mosque and a high wall was built around the
apartment of'Aa'ishah which containsthe Prophet's grave. After that
the opening was made so that peoplecould enter it when necessary in
order to clean it. As for the opening being made during 'Aa'ishah's
lifetime, this is an obvious lie. End quote.
Secondly:
This hadeeth is not prooffor what the extreme Sufis believe about it
being permissible to seek rain by the help of the Prophet Muhammad
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Youcannot find in the
hadeeth anything whichindicates that, by any stretch of the
imagination. The most that can be said is that it shows how Allaah
honoured his Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) after
he died, as al-Daarimi described in his Musnad in the chapter heading
under which he included this hadeeth. This is the blessing of his pure
bodyand his honour before Allaah. But that does not mean that it is
permissible for the Muslims to go to him andseek his help whilst he
isin his grave. The Sahaabah (may Allaah bepleased with them) did not
do that, rather they opened a hole in the roof of his room so that it
might be directly opento the sky, but none of them asked the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) for rain, and they did not
speak to him concerningthat.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in
Iqtida' al-Siraat al-Mustaqeem (p. 338)
Going to graves to offer supplication beside them, and seeking a
response to du'aa' offered there more than du'aa's offered elsewhere,
is something that was not prescribed by Allaah or His Messenger, and
was not done by any of the Sahaabah, Taabi'een or imams of the
Muslims. It was not mentioned by any of the earlier scholars or
righteous men. Rather most of what has been narrated concerning that
comes from some of the later figures, after the second century (AH).
The companions of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) were faced with drought several times, and other
calamities befell them, but did theycome and seek rain and seek help
at the grave ofthe Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him)?
Rather 'Umar went out with al-'Abbaas and sought rain through him,
i.e. through his du'aa'; he did not pray for rain by the grave of the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
Indeed it was narrated from 'Aa'ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her)
that she uncovered he grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) so that rain might fall on it, because it (rain)
is a mercy, but she did not pray for rain there, or seek divine help
there. End quote.
Thus it is clear that thereis no evidence in this report for the Sufis
that it is permissible to seek help from the Messenger(peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) or to seek to draw closer toAllaah by
means of him or his status.
And Allaah knows best.

Praying behind someonewho writes amulets.

Is it permissible to pray behind an imam who writes amulets, which
some people believe give protection against witchcraft and the evil
eye? If it is not permissible, what shouldwe do? Please note that we
live in a village where there is only one mosque, in which the prayers
led by this imam.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
It is not permissible to wear amulets, even if they contain words
fromthe Holy Qur'an, because of the general meaning of the words of
the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him): "Whoever wears
an amulet, may Allaah never fulfil his wish and whoever wears a
seashell, may Allaah never protect him from what he fears." Narratedby
Ahmad (17440); classed as hasan by Shu'ayb al-Arna'oot in Tahqeeq
al-Musnad.
And he (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: "Whoever wears
an amulet has committed shirk (i.e., associated something with
Allah)."
Narrated by Ahmad and al-Haakim; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in
Saheeh al-Jaami', no. 6394.
If amulets contain versesfrom the Qur'an, there is a scholarly
difference of opinion concerning that,but the most correct opinion is
that they are not allowed, because of the general meaning of the
evidence, and so as to block the means that may lead to shirk, and
because that usually involves treating the verses with disrespect,
because people usually sleep wearing the amulet, or enter the washroom
with it, and so on.
It says in Fataawa al-Lajnah ad-Daa'imah (1/212): The scholars are
unanimously agreed that it is haraam to wearamulets if they contain
anything other than words from the Qur'an, but they differed if they
do contain words from the Qur'an. Some said that it is permissible to
wear them and others said that it is not permissible. The view that it
is not permitted ismore likely to be correct,because of the general
meaning of the hadeeths and so as to block the means that may lead to
shirk. End quote.
See: Question no. 10543 and 20349
Secondly:
If the amulets that are written by this imam contain any elements of
shirk, such as asking of anyone other than Allah,may He be exalted,
among the jinn or angels or righteous people, or this imam is one of
those who practice this kind of shirk, or he claims to have knowledge
of the unseen, it is not permissible to pray behind him. But if it is
free of shirk and he is one of the people of Tawheed (i.e., he
affirmsthe Oneness of Allah), then prayers offered behind him are
valid. It is essential to advise himin either case, because amulets of
all types are haraam, as stated above.
The Standing Committee for Issuing Fatwas were asked about praying
behind someone who writes amulets for people, and they replied:It is
permissible to pray behind one who writes amulets from the Qur'an and
du'aa's prescribed in Islam, but he should not write them because it
is not permissible to wear them. But if the amulets contain any
elements of shirk, one should not pray behind the one who writes that
and it is essential to explain to him that this is shirk. The one who
should advise him is the one who knows that he does that.
End quote from Fataawa al-Lajnah ad-Daa'imah, 3/65
Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzaan (may Allah preserve him) was askedabout
praying behind someone who writes amulets, and he replied:
With regard to what youhave mentioned about writing amulets,
amuletsare subject to further discussion. If these amulets contain
phrases of shirk, supplication to anyone other than Allah,may He be
glorified and exalted, and unknown names, it is not permissible to
write them or use them, according to scholarly consensus, because they
are shirk. One should notpray behind this man (who writes such
amulets). But if these amulets contain words from the Holy Qur'an,
permissible du'aa's and du'aa's narrated in reports (from the Prophet
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)), then this is a matter
concerning which there was a difference of opinion among the scholars.
Some of them regarded it as permissible and others said that it is not
allowed, and not allowing it is more on the safe side, because opening
the door to writing them and wearing them is a meansthat may lead to
haraam types of amulets, and because writing the HolyQur'an in the
form of amulets exposes it to disrespectful treatment and taking it
into places where it is not permissible to take it. But there is
nothing wrong with praying behind the one who writes them.
To sum up: if writing amulets involves phrasesof shirk, unknown names,
calling upon anyone other than Allah or seeking the help of the
devils, created beings or jinn, these are phrases of shirk, and theone
who writes them or uses them, knowing what they contain, is a mushrik.
But if they are from the Holy Qur'an, to be on the safe side it is
better to avoid them andnot use them.
End quote from al-Muntaqa min Fataawaal-Fawzaan
Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked: Is it
permissible to pray behind an imam who is a fraud and a charlatan,
knowing that some of them can recite Qur'an very well? Please advise
us, may Allah reward youwith good.
He replied:
If the imam is a fraud and claims to have knowledge of the unseen or
he follows myths and does evil actions, it is not permissible to
appoint him as an imam or to pray behind him, because the one who
claims to have knowledge of the unseen is a kaafir – we ask Allah to
keep us safe and sound. Allah, may Hebe glorified and exalted,says
(interpretation of the meaning): "Say: None in the heavens andthe
earth knows the Ghaib (unseen) except Allah" [an-Naml 27:65]. The same
applies to one who practices witchcraft; he comes under the same
rulings as the kuffaar because Allah, may He be glorified and exalted,
says (interpretation of the meaning):
"They followed what theShayatin (devils) gave out (falsely of the
magic)in the lifetime of Sulaiman (Solomon). Sulaiman did not
disbelieve, but the Shayatin (devils) disbelieved, teaching men magic
and such things that came down at Babylon to the two angels, Haroot
and Maroot, but neither of these two (angels) taught anyone (such
things) till they had said:We are only for trial, so disbelieve not
(by learning this magic fromus)."
[al-Baqarah 2:102].
But if he commits some sins but does not do any acts of kufr such as
witchcraft or claiming tohave knowledge of the unseen, then prayers
offered behind him are valid, although it is better to look for
someone else who is of good character and righteous, in order to
protect the people's religious commitment and avoid going against
those scholars who say that it is not permissible to pray behind him.
Sinners should not be taken as imams, but if they are already imams,
it is valid to pray behind them because the people may be being tested
with them, and it may be necessary to pray behind them. But inthe case
of one who callsupon anything other than Allah, or who seeks the help
of the dead, one should not pray behind him, because by doing these
things he comes under the same heading as the kuffaar, as these are
the acts of the mushrikeen whom the Prophet (blessings and peace of
Allah be upon him) fought in Makkah and elsewhere. We ask Allah to set
the affairs of the Muslims straight, to bless them with understanding
of their religion, and to appoint over them the best of them, for He
is All-Hearing, Ever Near.
End quote from Majmoo'Fataawa Ibn Baaz, 9/278
And Allah knows best.

Respect for the national anthem or flag.

What is the ruling on standing when the national anthem is played, or
when the flag is saluted?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
Playing or listening to national anthems is haraam. This has been
discussed in the answer to question no. 5000 and 20406 . It makes no
difference whether what is played is songs or the national anthem or
anything else.
Secondly:
Standing by way of humility and veneration is not befitting unless it
is done for Allaah.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And stand before Allaahwith obedience"
[al-Baqarah 2:238].
Allaah has said that because of His greatness and majesty, the
greatest of creation (the angels) will stand for Him on the Day of
Resurrection and no onewill speak until after Allaah has given him
permission. He says (interpretation of the meaning):
"The Day that Ar-Rooh [Jibreel (Gabriel) or another angel] and the
angels will stand forth inrows, they will not speakexcept him whom the
Most Gracious (Allaah) allows, and he will speakwhat is right"
[al-Naba' 78:38].
The one who claims that there is any created being for whom one should
stand out of respect have given that created being one of therights of
Allaah.
Hence the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
"Whoever likes men to stand up for him,let him take his place in
Hell." Narrated by al-Tirmidhi (2755); classed as saheeh by al-Albaani
in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi. That is because this is part of the might and
pride thatbelongs only to Allaah.
See: Tafseer al-Tahreer wa'l-Tanweer by al-Taahir ibn 'Ashoor (15/51).
The caliph al-Mahdi entered the Mosque of the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and the people all stood
up for him except Imam Ibn Abi Dhi'b. It was said to him: Stand up;
this is the Ameer al-Mu'mineen. He said: The people should only stand
up for the Lord of the Worlds.
Al-Mahdi said: Let him be, for all the hairs of myhead have stood on end.
Siyar A'laam al-Nubala' (7/144).
The scholars of the Standing Committee were asked: Is it permissible
to stand to show respect to any national anthem or flag?
They replied:
It is not permissible for the Muslim to stand out of respect for any
national anthem or flag, rather this is a reprehensible innovation
which was not known at the time ofthe Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) or at the time of the Rightly-Guided
Caliphs (may Allaah be pleased with them), and it is contrary to
perfect Tawheed and sincere veneration of Allaah alone. It is also a
means that leads to shirk and is an imitation of the kuffaar in their
reprehensible customs, and following them in their exaggeration about
their presidents and in their ceremonies. The Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade imitating them.
And Allaah is the Source of strength; may Allaah send blessings and
peace upon our Prophet Muhammad and his family and companions. End
quote.
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah (1/235).
And Allaah knows best.

Don't abandon this jewel

'Umar (RA) became unconscious after he was stabbed, and according to
Al Miswar bin Makhramah, it was said: "Nothing would wake him up
except the call to prayer, if he is stillalive." They said to him,"The
prayer has finished,O Chief of the Faithful!" He woke up and said,"The
prayer, by Allah! Verily, there is no share in Islam for whoever
abandons the prayer." He performed the prayerwhile his wound was
bleeding. [Sifat as Safwah 2/131, As Siyar 5/220]
After ar-Rabi` bin Khaytham became partially paralyzed, he used to go
to the mosque helped by two men. He was told: "O AbuYazid! You have
been given permission to prayat home." He said, "You have said the
truth, but Iheard the caller hearld, 'Hayya `ala al-Falah (Come to
success)', and I thought that whoever hears this call should answer it
even by crawling." [Hilyat al Awliya 2/113]
O Muslims! Do not leave Salah. Do not lose the value of vowing down
infront of your Lord to tell Him that nothing is greater than You, oh
Allah!