- Acts of Worship, - Is it permissible to offer a sacrifice in gratitude to Allaah for a specific blessing?.

Is it permissible for a person who has bought a car or a house to
offer a sacrifice in gratitude to Allaah?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
The blessings that Allaah bestows upon people are many, and His bounty
and generosity towards them are vast. Ablessing can only be responded
to by giving thanks and appreciating it. Allaah, may He be glorified
and exalted, has enjoined giving thanks to Him, for He is Appreciative
and loves those who give thanks.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"So eat of the lawful andgood food which Allaah has provided for you.
And be grateful for the Graces of Allaah, if it is He Whom you
worship"
[al-Nahl 16:144]
"seek your provision from Allaah (Alone), and worship Him (Alone), and
be grateful to Him. To Him (Alone) you will be brought back"
[al-'Ankaboot 29:17]
Part of being grateful to Allaah is seeking to drawcloser to Him by
means of different kinds of acts of worship and to endear oneself to
Him bymeans of good deeds such as prayer, zakaah, fasting and so on.
Another part of being grateful to Allaah is giving thanks to Him by
means of sacrifice rituals, which means offering a sacrifice for the
sake of Allaah.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in
his commentary on the verse "Therefore turn in prayer to your Lord and
sacrifice (to Him only)" [al-Kawthar 108:2]:
What is meant is that prayer and sacrifice are the best of the things
by means of which one maydraw closer to Allaah, and the usage of the
word fa (translated here as "therefore") points to the reason, i.e.,
doing that – prayer and sacrifice – in gratitude for that which Allaah
hasgiven him of al-Kawthar (a river in Paradise) and much goodness. So
he should give thanks to the One Who has blessedhim and worship Him,
and the two greatest types of worship are these two acts of worship;
indeed, prayer is the ultimate act of worship. It is as if He is
saying to him: We have given you al-Kawthar and a great deal of
goodness, and We have blessed you with that because you have been
doing these two acts of worship in gratitude for Our blessing to you;
these are the reasons why We have bestowed these blessings upon you,
so do these two things for Us, for prayer and sacrifice are surrounded
by blessings that come before them and after them. The best financial
act of worship is sacrifice and the best physical act of worship
isprayer, and the benefits that a slave of Allaah may gain from prayer
cannot be compared to any other type of worship, as is known bythose
whose hearts are alive and those of high aspirations. Adding to it the
benefits of offering sacrifice, which is a sign of devotion to Allaah
and thinking positively of Him, and having strong certainty and faith
about that which isin the hand of Allaah is something wonderful, if
that is accompanied by faith and sincerity. The Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) obeyed the command of his Lord and
prayed and sacrificed a great deal toHim; he even sacrificed
sixty-three camels with his own hand during theFarewell Pilgrimage,
andhe used to offer sacrifices on the Eids andat other times. End
quote.
Majmoo' al-Fataawa 916/532).
If Allaah bestows a great blessing upon a person –and all His blessing
are great – then it is mustahabb for him to give thanks to Allaah for
it by showing kindness to people, so he should offer a sacrifice and
make food and invite hisbrothers and friends, and give charity to
thosewho are in need.
It says in al-Mawsoo'ah al-Fiqhiyyah (26/180-181):
It is mustahabb to give thanks anew when new blessings come, by
speaking words of praise. Gratitude for thatmay also be expressed by
doing acts of worship, which includes offering a sacrifice or inviting
people to a meal. The fuqaha' have mentioned the kinds of meals that
may be offered when blessing are renewed, such as thewakeerah which is
madefor a new home, or naqee'ah which is made on the return of an
absent loved one, and hidhaaq which is done when a child completes a
reading of the Qur'aan.
The view of the Hanbalis,the more correct view among the Shaafa'is, is
that these meals are mustahabb.
Ibn Qudaamah said: These invitations – otherthan the wedding feast
(waleemah) and 'aqeeqah – are something good, but they are like
invitations that are given for no reason; if the person who does them
intends thereby to give thanks to Allaah for His blessing and to feed
his brothers and offer food, then he will have the reward for that in
sha Allaah. End quote.
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked:
If one of my children does well in school, is it permissible for me to
offer a sacrifice to celebrate his success, and to give thanks to
Allaah?
He replied:
There is nothing wrong with making food (waleemah) if the children or
one of them succeeds, and inviting one's loved ones and his child's
friends, to celebrate Allaah's blessing and to encourage the child.
Endquote.
Liqaa'aat al-Baab il-Maftooh (no. 161, question no. 1).
Secondly:
It is essential to beware of some beliefs which many people hold, and
say that in order to protect the new house or car it is essential to
offer a sacrifice and sprinkle it with the blood of the
slaughteredanimal, or that evil spirits will not keep away from you
unless you do that, otherwise the blessing will soon dissipate. hese
are jaahili beliefs which do not come from someone who believes in
Allaah ashis Lord Who possesses all powers to bring benefit or cause
harm, inWhose hand is the creation and the commandment, and knows that
it is not permissible to do acts of worship unless they are done for
the sake of Allaah.
The scholars of the Standing Committee were asked about the belief
held by many people, that offering a sacrifice on the threshold of the
new house before entering it is one of the most important means of
warding off the evil eye, and making the house blessed, and avoiding
calamities and undesirable events.
They replied:
If this custom – i.e., offering a sacrifice on the threshold of the
newhouse – is done in order to placate the jinn and ward off
calamities and undesirable events, thenit is a haraam custom, and is
in fact shirk. This is what seems to be the case with offering the
sacrifice before enteringthe house, and doing it on the threshold in
particular.
But if the intention is to honour one's new neighbours and get to know
them, and to give thanks to Allaah for the blessing of a new home, and
to honour one's relatives and friends on this occasion, and to show
them the house, then this is good and theone who does it is to be
praised for his action. But that is only usually done after the people
have moved into the house, and not before, and the animal or animals
should not be slaughtered on the threshold of the house or in the
entryway to thehouse. End quote.
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah (1/214)
See also the answer to question no. 26952 , which quotes two fatwas
from Shaykh 'Abdal-'Azeez ibn Baaz and Shaykh al-'Uthaymeen concerning
the same topic.
And Allaah knows best. - - ▓███▓ Translator:->
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- Acts of Worship, - I want to be a devoted slave of Allaah… ten pointers.

My question is short. I want to enter Paradise, Iwant to strive to
control my self (my nafs), I want to kiss my mother's handevery day, I
want to keep away from whims and desires and from theShaytaan, I want
Allaah to call me a devoted slave on the Day of Resurrection, in sha
Allaah, I want to love my brothers, and I want my faith to keep
increasing. What should I do?.
Praise be to Allaah.
We ask Allaah to make you steadfast in adhering to the truth, and to
make your hopes come true, and to make you one of those who turn to
Him and who know the truth, defend it and adhere to Islam.
The things you mention in your question indicate that you have a sound
and pure nature, and a great desire to achieve great things andto give
everyone his rights. These are great hopes that can be achieved
through faith, as it was narrated that Sufyaan al-Thawri said: Faith
is not wishes or pretence, rather it is what settles in the heart and
is proven by actions." So we will discuss the matter of faith and how
importantit is in becoming a devoted slave, pleasing and honouring
one's parents and achieving the victory of Paradise.
Whoever seeks to achieve great things has to stay up at night (worship).
Hence al-Fudayl said: "You hearts can never taste the sweetness of
faith until they shun worldly pleasures." And he also said, "If you
cannot pray qiyaam at night and fast during the day, then know that
you are deprived."
The sincere believer has a heart like a burning coal, hence it was
narrated by al-Haakim inhis Mustadrak and al-Tabaraani in his Mu'jam
with a saheeh isnaad that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) said, "Faith wears out in your heart as clothes wear out,
so ask Allaah to renew the faith in your hearts."
The believer's heart may sometimes feel overwhelmed by clouds of sin.
This was portrayed to us by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) when he said:"There is no heart that does not have clouds
like the clouds that coverthe moon. When the cloud covers it, it is
dark,and when the cloud moves away it shines." Narrated by
al-Tabaraaniin al-Awsat, and classed as saheeh by al-Albaani. So the
believer's heart is sometimes covered with a cloud and its light is
hidden, and it remains dark and lonely, but if he strives to increase
his store of faith and seeks the help of Allaah, that cloud goes away
and thelight in his heart starts toshine again. Hence one of the salaf
said: "It is part of a person's smartness to c heck on his faith and
be aware of what affects it." It is also part of a person's smartness
"that he recognizes how the Shaytaan whispers to him."
So he has to come back to faith. If you come back to faith and do as
itrequires, then you will achieve what you want. We will tell you of a
basic principle which will let you know when faith is present and when
it is not. Imam Ibn al-Jawzi said: "O you who are turned away, O you
who are deprived ofmeeting your loved ones, if you want to know how
you stand before the king, then look at how you are spending your time
and what work you are assigned to do. How many people stand at the
door of the king, butno one enters except theone whom he cares for.
Not every heart is fit to draw close, not every heart can be filled
with love, not every wind is like the morning breeze."
If a person want to know how he stands before Allaah and how he stands
in relation to His commands and prohibitions, let him look at himself
and see what he is preoccupied with. If he is busy with da'wah and
with saving people from the Fire, striving to attain Paradise, helping
the weak and needy, honouring his parents, then let him rejoice in the
fact that he is close to the King of kings, for Allaah does not help
anyone to do good except those whom He loves.
But if he is has no interest in da'wah, dislikes the daa'iyahs and
does not do good things, if he is preoccupied with this world and its
gains, and with gossip and asking too many questions, whilst not doing
much or following his whims and desires, let him know that he is far
from Allaah and has been deprived of that which will bring him closer
to Paradise, because Allaah says in His holy Book (interpretation of
the meaning):
"Whoever desires the quick-passing (transitoryenjoyment of this
world), We readily grant him what We will for whom We like. Then,
afterwards, We have appointed for him Hell; he will burn therein
disgraced and rejected ( far away from Allaah's Mercy).
And whoever desires theHereafter and strives for it, with the
necessary effort due for it (i.e. does righteous deeds of Allaah's
obedience) while he is a believer (in the Oneness of Allaah Islamic
Monotheism) — then such are the ones whose striving shall be
appreciated, (thanked and rewarded by Allaah)"
[al-Isra' 17:18-19]
My brother, if you want to have a high position in all kinds of good
deeds, to be a devoted slave of Allaah and to honour your parents, and
you are seeking Paradise, then you have to do the following:
1 – You have to revive the faith in your heart. Faith is what will
bring the Muslim everything he seeks in this world and in the
Hereafter. Faith is the key to all goodness and locks the door to all
evil. The means of reviving and strengthening faith in one's heart are
many and varied, including doing a lot of acts of worship and
righteous deeds.
2 – You must turn to your Lord sincerely, as it says in the report:
"If My slave turns to me inwardly and outwardly,I will turn the hearts
of My slaves to him with love and mercy."
Allaah has made worshipthe ultimate aim and loftiest purpose of man:
"And I (Allaah) created not the jinn and mankind except that they
should worship Me (Alone)"
[al-Dhaariyaat 51:56 – interpretation of the meaning)]
3 – You should always set your sights on the highest degrees, and make
your goal in life to earn the pleasure of Allaah, and strive to attain
the victory of Paradise, or to attain thehighest Firdaws. You should
strive as hard as you can to achieve theselofty aims.
4 – You should follow the example of historicalMuslim figures such as
the Sahaabah, Taabi'eenand righteous forebears (the salaf).
5 – You should make the most of every minute, every moment and
everyheartbeat to use it in such a way as to increase your faith.
6 – You should try to keep company with righteous people, because the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said,
"A man will follow the religion of his close friend, so let each one
of you look at whom he befriends." Narrated by Abu Dawood and
al-Tirmidhi with a hasan isnaad. Good friends are one of the best
means of helping you to obey Allaah and to avoid sin and error.
7 – Doing a lot of righteous deeds which will bring you happinessin
this world and in the Hereafter.
8 – Praying qiyaam al-layl, making du'aa' in the time just before
dawn. The feet of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) used to swell because of his desire to be a
thankful slave, even though Allaah had forgiven his previous and
future sins.
9 – Persisting in reading a portion of Qur'aan daily, and other dhikr
that helps you to think and ponder the meanings of the Qur'aan.
10 – Striving to spread the word and make da'wah for the sake of
Allaah, and working for Islam as much as possible.
If you want to reach the status of devoted slave for which you long,
thenbe as Allaah commandedHis Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him):
"Say (O Muhammad): Verily, my Salaah (prayer), my sacrifice, myliving,
and my dying are for Allaah, the Lord of the 'Aalameen (mankind,jinn
and all that exists)"
[al-An'aam 6:162]
Being a devoted slave of Allaah means declaring one's devotion and
belonging to the Lord, which can only be achieved by applying this
aayah, so that we are for Allaah, the Lord of the Worlds, in all our
affairs.
Being a devoted slave of Allaah can only be fully achieved in this
manner;it can only be achieved by worshipping Allaah inthe fullest
sense of the word, which means making our living and dying, and all
our movements, for Him alone. So we only speak that which is pleasing
to Allaah; we only do that which is pleasing to Allaah; we focus our
intention in these wordsand deeds only on Allaah. Worship should not
be reduced to merely raising and lowering our heads at certain times,
or giving afew pennies every once in a while, or fasting a few days
each year, or moving our lips to say a few words and dhikrs.
Hence the deeds that lead to this status – of being a devoted slave –
are innumerable and may take many shapes inall aspects of our lives
and the places where welive. This is by the bounty of Allaah towards
us and towards all people.
Just look, in every place where you find yourself and every moment
that comes to you, for that which will please Him, and what you think
He wants to see you doing, and do it. Then you will be a devoted
slave.
Finally, we ask Allaah to accept righteous deeds from us and from you,
and to gather us and you in His mercy with the Prophets, siddeeqs,
martyrs and righteous, and those are the best ofcompanions. - -
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Imam Bukhari cured from blindness

Imam Bukhari, who was one of the greatest compilers of ahadith, became
blind at a youngage. He had recourse to many famous and skilleddoctors
of his time but their treatments made no difference. His mother was a
pious worshipper and a righteous woman. She cried out for help in the
court of Allah the Almighty, for her child and begged for the
restoration of his eyesight. At last, "the river of mercy flowed over
her," and Almighty Allah accepted her invocation. One night, she
visited Ibrahim alayhis-salam in a dreamand was told, "Allah has
restored the sight of your son because of your intense and beautiful
invocations." In the morning, as Imam Bukhari got up from his bed,
glimmers of light reached out into his eyes. That is, his eyesightwas
fully restored.
Source: From the biography of Imam Bukhari (ra) located in the
beginning of Sahih Al Bukhari 9 Volume English Translation. Additional
details were provided by Shaykh al-Hadith Allama Ghulam Rasul Sa`idi.
Make use of salah and dua to solve any problem that even the best
experts of this world cannot solve. Unfortunately, the Muslims are
turning away from these deeds today when they need them the most. We
pray for Allah to give us the true understading of Islam. - -
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How a Person Could Change!

The following story was narrated to us by brother Mahmud from Preston,
England. Once, he along with a group ofMuslims were visiting a city
for inviting others toAllah. They happened to pass by a group of
youths who were Muslims by birth but became gang members. The brothers
didn't give those gang members thenegative attitude that others give
while passing by them. Rather, they went and hand-shook with them out
of brotherhood. With love and affection, the brothers invited the
youths to come to the Masjid. Not being familiar with such kindness,
the gang members were surprisedand decided to come to the Masjid for
once. These youths were so much away from Islam that they were smoking
in the Masjid and doing a lot of other disrespectful acts. However,
brother Mahmud and others were discussing with them about the
Greatness of Allah with patience and endurance.A time came when the
brothers had to return to their homes and before leaving they advised
the gang members to turn towards Allah.
After several years, brother Mahmud was attending a large gathering of
Muslims when suddenly someonecalled him from the back. There were few
people dressed in sunnah standing behind him. They asked brother
Mahmud if he recognizesthem. They told him, �We are those gang members
whom you visited few years back. We decided to go out and learn more
about Islam and eventually changed our lives.�
Dear readers, we should never underestimate certain people because of
the way they are as every individual has the capacity to become a
friend of Allah. It is only Allah who guides; we can only try with
kindness to reach out to their hearts. - - ▓███▓ Translator:->
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