Asceticism is the Way to be Loved - II

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The Righteous Follow the Way of the Prophets
The righteous follow the way of the Prophet as he was the model
example. 'Ali said, "All goodness is for those who are ascetic in this
worldly life and those who incline to the Hereafter. They are those
who took the land as their rug, its dust as their mattress, its water
as their perfume, the Quran as their slogan, and supplication as their
garment. They completely renounced the worldly life."
Abu Ad-Dardaa' wrote a letterto some of his friends, saying, "I advise
you to fear Allaah, to be ascetic in this worldly life, and to desire
what is with Allaah. If you do so, Allaah will love you for your
desire for what is with Him, and people will love you for leaving
their worldly lives for them. As-Salaamu Alaykum."
'Urwah ibn Az-Zubayr reported that the Mother of the Believers,
'Aa'ishah once received eighty thousand Dirhams from Mu'aawiyah and by
that evening she did not have even a single Dirham left. Her maid said
to her, "Should younot have bought a Dirham's worth of meat for us?"
She replied, "If you had reminded me,I would have done."
Ibn Mas'ood said, "The worldly life is the home of those who have no
home and the wealth of those who have no wealth. The one who has no
knowledge accumulates in it."
When 'Umar reached Ash-Shaam (greater Syria), his soldiers met him
while he was wearing a lower garment, a pair of leather socks and a
turban. He was pulling along his riding animal and walking in puddles.
The soldiers said to him, "O commander of the believers, Will the
soldiers and patriarchs of Ash-Shaam meet you while you are in this
state?" He replied, "Weare people whom Allaah has honored by Islam, so
we will not seek honor in anything else."
A man visited Abu Tharr and looked around at his house and said, "O
Abu Tharr, I do not see any belongings or furniture in your house!" He
replied, "We haveanother house [i.e., his house in Paradise] to which
we send our good belongings." He added, "The owner of the house [i.e.,
Allaah] will not leave us in this house."
'Amr ibn Al-'Aas said in a sermon that he delivered in Egypt, "What a
huge difference there is between your way and the guidance of your
Prophet ! He was the most ascetic of people in this worldly life while
you are the most inclining of people towards it."
'Ali said, "I married Faatimah while we had no bedding but theskin of
a ram that we would sleep on at night and place the fodder for the
camel on it during the day. I had no one to serve mebut her, and she
would get so exhausted that her forelock would fall on the edge of the
bowl when she kneaded."
When Mu'aath ibn Jabal was about to die, he said, "O Allaah, You know
that I did not love this worldly life and longevity in it for the sake
of digging rivers or planting trees [i.e., the sustenance in this
worldly life]. Rather, [I wanted it] for the sake of fasting during
the day, performing voluntary prayers at night, and attending the
assemblies of remembering Allaah, despite them being crowded."
Imaam Ahmad ibn Hanbal mentioned that the best person from the
generation that succeeded that of the Companions of the Prophet
interms of knowledge was Sa'eed ibn Al-Musayyib but the finest in
general was 'Uways Al-Qarni . 'Uways would say, "Take death as a
pillow whenyou go to sleep and put it before your eyes when you are
awake."
Maalik ibn Dinaar said, "A person intends to marry the most beautiful
woman in the district, so she says to him. 'I want garments made of
wool', then she takes away his religion."
Many of the righteous predecessors would refuse to take lawful money
that was offered to them and would say, "We will not take it lest it
ruins our religion."
Hammaad ibn Salamah would open his shop, and if he earned just two
Dirhams, he would close it.
Sa'eed ibn Al-Musayyib wouldtrade in oil, and after his death he left
four hundred Dinaars, saying, "I left them to protect myhonor and
religion."
Sufyaan Ath-Thawri said, "Asceticism in this worldly life is to not
have the hope of a long life, rather it is to eat rough food or wear
rough clothes."
Ash-Shaafi'i also dispraised this worldly life and being attached to it.
Abu Sulaymaan Ad-Daaraani would say, "All that distracts youfrom
Allaah The Almighty, whether family, wealth or children, is a
misfortune."
People Far Better than Us were Deprived of the Pleasures of this Worldly Life
It is enough to know that being ascetic is a part of taking the
Prophet and his companions as examples. This act is perfect reliance
upon Allaah The Almighty and instills contentment in the heart, which
in turn leads to the comfort of this worldly life and the happiness of
the Hereafter. The ascetic person is loved by Allaah The Almighty and
by other people. Therefore, if you have possessions, praise Allaah The
Almighty and do not let your heart be attached to the worldly life.
Likewise, if you are poor, be patient, for people who were better than
you were deprived of the pleasures of this worldly life. Our Prophet
would sleep on amat such that its marks appearedon his body, and he
died while there was no provision on the shelf of 'Aa'ishah except a
handful of barley that she would eat from. If one were to enter
therooms of his wives, his head would touch the ceiling. 'Umar ibn
Al-Khattaab the caliph of the Muslims, once delivered a sermon wearing
a garment that had twelve patches.
These people were not deprived of the pleasures of this worldly life
because of their abasement inthe sight of Allaah The Almighty, rather
because of the abasement of the worldly life in His sight, which does
not even equal the weight of a wing of a mosquito; and the two
voluntary units of prayer before Fajr prayer are better than this
worldly life and what it contains. In order for onenot to despair over
what has eluded him, he should not exult in pride over what Allaah The
Almighty has given him. The believer does not become disappointed over
being disgraced in it nor compete with others over its glory, as he
has his own concern and they have other concerns.
Be the slave of Allaah The Almighty at times of hardship and ease, and
at times of activity and suffering. Whether the worldly life
approaches you or turns away from you, its approaching is refraining
and its turning away is approaching. Thebasic rule is that it
approaches you with what you dislike, and when it approaches you with
what you like, this is an exception.

Dought & clear, - Is it permissible for a Muslim man to give accommodation to a man who is a stranger orto host him in the marital home?.

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> Am a husband, in islam isit allow to stay with a muslim man in my
marital house under oneroof,without my wife consent and what is the
ruling regarding to that.
Praise be to Allah.
The husband is obliged to provide his wife with separate accommodation
that willshield her from people's view and protect her from cold and
heat, in which she can take care of her private affairs without anyone
disturbing her. The husband does not have the right to force his wife
to live with anyone,because that is harmful to her and impinges upon
her right to privateaccommodation which isguaranteed to her by Islam.
Al-Kaasaani (may Allah have mercy on him) said:if the husband wants
herto live with her co-wivesor with one of her in-laws such as the
husband's mother, sister,daughter from another wife or other
relatives, and she refuses to do so,then he has to provide her with
separate accommodation, because living with others may cause her
annoyance and harm, and her refusal is indicative of annoyance and
harm. Moreover, he needs to be able to be intimate with her at any
time, and that is not possible if there is a third person present with
them. But if there are several rooms in the house and he allocates one
room to her and puts a lock on the door, they said: She does not have
the right to ask himfor separate accommodation.
End quote from Badaa'i' as-Sanaa'i', 4/23
We have previously discussed the wife's right to separate
accommodation and the opinions of the scholars concerning that. Please
see fatwas no. 142998 and 167997 .
With regard to this question, the answer to that depends according to
the nature of this man's stay in the house.
If his stay is temporary, such as if he is a guest for example, then
this is the husband's right and the wife has no right to object to
that, so long as she has a place in the house when she can sleep and
her privacy is assured, without the guest being able to see her. A
woman's living with a man who is a stranger (non-mahram) to her is
permissible subject to two conditions:
1. That there be a mahram or husband present with her
2. That there be several rooms and enough space so that the
stranger cannot see the woman.
It says in al-Ghurar al-Bahiyyah fi Sharh al-Bahjah al-Wardiyyah by
Shaykh Zakariya al-Ansaari (4/364): From this the issues of living in
the same accommodation and khulwah become clear; it is known that it
is permissible for a man to be alone with a non-mahram woman if
amahram (of hers) is present, and that it is not allowed for him to
live in the same accommodation as her unless there are a number of
rooms or the house is spacious enough so that they cannot see one
another. End quote.
One of the indications that it is permissible for a man to host a
guest in his house is the report narrated by Imam Muslim in his
Saheeh, no.2084, from Jaabir ibn 'Abdillah (may Allah be pleased with
him), according to which the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace
of Allah be upon him) said: "A bed for the man, a bed for his wife, a
third for the guest, and the fourth is for the shaytaan."
This hadeeth indicates that there is nothing wrong with a man having a
bed ready for one who comes to stay with him as a guest. In Fayd
al-Qadeer Sharh al-Jaami' as-Sagheer (4/424) it says: With regard to
the bed for theguest, that is something that should be prepared by the
host, because thatis part of honouring himand giving him his due, and
because he cannot sleep with him and his family in the same bed. What
the hadeeth meansis that if a man wants to have more than one bed,
then the limit is three and the fourth is unnecessary, so it is an
extravagance. End quote.
In fatwa no. 117957 we explained that the wife does not have the right
to object to her husbandhosting a guest in his house so long as that
does not cause her direct harm.
But if this man is going to stay in the house permanently or
long-term, then in that case it is permissible for the wife to object
to that, and it is not permissible for the husband to force her to
accept it, because she will be harmed by the presence of a non-mahram
in the house. It is also contrary to her right to separate
accommodation.
With regard to the rulings on this matter, khulwah between the guest
or lodger and the wife should be avoided (i.e., they should not be
alone together), and lowering the gaze and other matters of Islamic
etiquette should be adhered to. For information on the ruling on
khulwah or being alone with a non-mahram woman, see fatwa no. 94019
With regard to the wife serving her husband's guests, this is a matter
concerning which there is a difference of opinion among the scholars.
The Maalikis and those who agreed with them are of the view that the
wife is not obliged to serve her husband's guests even insituations
where she is obliged to serve her husband.
It says in ash-Sharh al-Kabeer by Shaykh al-Dardeer and Haashiyat
ad-Dasooqi (2/511): If the wife is notable to do housework orshe is
able, and the husband is poor, then she must do basic housework such
as making dough, sweeping, tidying up and cooking for him, butnot for
his guest.
End quote.
Some scholars think that it is obligatory for the wife to serve the
guests on a reasonable basis. Al-'Ayni (may Allah have mercy on him)
said:
The child and wife are obliged to serve the guest as the head of the
household is obliged.
End quote from 'Umdat al-Qaari Sharh Saheeh al-Bukhaari, 5/101
The more correct view is that the wife is obliged to serve her
husband's guests on a reasonable basis. Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen (may
Allah have mercy on him) was asked about a woman whose husband asked
her on some nights of Ramadan to make food for his guests, but when
she did that she felt very exhausted and was not able to pray qiyaam
on those nights – is she obliged to obey him in that regard, if that
goes on for most of the nightsof Ramadan? He said: What is required is
for the wife to treat her husband in a fair and kind manner and for
theman to treat his wife in a fair and kind manner. Allah, may He be
exalted,says (interpretation of the meaning): "Live withthem in
accordance withwhat is fair and kind" [an-Nisa '4:19]. It is not part
of being fair or kindfor the man to make his wife exhausted with
serving him at such times and in such situations. But if he insists
then what his wife should do is obey him, and if she is too tired to
pray qiyaam, or it is too difficult for her, then Allah, may He be
exalted, will record for her what she intended and wanted to do,
because she only failed to do it because of the excuse of doing what
she was obliged to do ofobeying her husband.
End quote.
And Allah knows best.

Dought & clear, - Putting two prayers together when not travelling.

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I live in Britain and I pray in a mosque that is near where I live,
but the congregation in this mosque puts Maghrib and 'Isha' prayers
together at the time of Maghrib. The reason they give for that is that
the time period between'Isha' and Fajr prayer is very short and is not
sufficient for rest. Please note that the imam of the mosque gives as
evidence for that the fact that according to the report of Ibn
'Abbaas, the Prophet (blessing and peace of Allah be upon him) put
together Zuhr and 'Asr, and Maghrib and 'Isha', in Madinah with no
excuse.
Praise be to Allah.
The shar'i texts clearly indicate that it is obligatory to offer the
five daily prayers at the specified times, and that it is not
permissible to put together Zuhr and 'Asr, and Maghrib and 'Isha',
without any excuse such as sickness, travelling, rain and the like
which would make it difficult to offer each prayer at its own time.
Allah, may He be exalted,says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Verily, the prayer is enjoined on the believers at fixed hours"
[an-Nisa' 4:103], i.e., the prayer is obligatory at specific and known
times.
See: Fath al-Baari by Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali, 3/7-8
Ibn Abi Shaybah (2/346) narrated from Abu Moosa al-Ash'ari and 'Umar
ibn al-Khattaab (may Allah be pleased with them) that they said:
"Putting prayers together without any excuse is a major sin."
With regard to the report narrated by Muslim (1/489) from Ibn 'Abbaas
(may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) put together Zuhr and 'Asr,
and Maghrib and 'Isha', when there was no fear and he was not
travelling and it was not raining – this does not mean that he put
prayers together without any excuse. Rather it was said to Ibn 'Abbaas
concerning that:What made him do that?He said: He wanted not to make
things difficult for his ummah. In other words, he did not want to
cause them hardship and difficulty. This indicates that there was an
excuse for putting prayers together in this hadeeth, and were it
notfor putting the prayers together it would have caused hardship for
the people.
Al-'Allaamah Ibn Baaz (may Allah have mercy on him) said in his
comment on Fath al-Baari (2/24): The correct way to interpret the
hadeeth mentioned is that he (blessings and peace of Allah be upon
him) put together the prayers mentioned because of some difficulty
that occurred on that day, such as widespread sickness, severe cold or
mud and the like. This is indicatedby the fact that when he was asked
about this putting the prayers together, Ibn 'Abbaas said: "so that he
would not make things difficultfor his ummah." This is a clear answer
which indicates that there was an excuse. End quote.
Based on that, quoting this hadeeth as evidenceis not appropriate.
What is required is to offer each prayer at the time specified for it
in sharee'ah. If there is an excuse or reason for putting prayers
together, such as sickness or rain, then there is nothing wrong with
putting prayers together in that case.
And Allah knows best.

Face or Feet? - Islamic Stories

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Once a Muslim scholar was flying to a country with an airplane. When
the time for salah came, he went to the bathroom to make wudhu
(ablution). Since,the bathrooms in airplanes are very small, he had to
open the door to lift up his foot to the sink. An air hostess cameto
him and told him not to wash his feet in the sink because they are
dirty. The scholar calmly asked the hostess "How many times do you
washyour face?" The hostess replied "Usually once or twice." Then the
scholar replied "I wash my feet five times a day for prayers.
Therefore, my feet are cleaner than your face."
The purpose of this storyis not to get a good laugh. However, it
teaches us how regular we should be about prayers.