Fathwa Article, - Ruling on using denatured alcohol

Question
aslm alkm i saw about denatured alcohol in ur site...actually this
denatured alcohol is that which is not consumable bcoz of the addition
of certain chemicals in ethanol which causes intoxicity...and so
denatured alcohol wonntcause any type of intoxicity....but u told that
if the denatured alcohol causes intoxicity prior to the addition of
chemicals then it is not permissible....how is that possibile....in
one way,if an alcohol undergoes changes and converts to another new
form,then itis permissible naa...i mean in cosmetics and all....plz
clarify my doubts....and do guide me tjhe right way
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify
that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad
, is His Slave and Messenger.
Our Fatwa regarding the denatured alcohol is clear, as we have
pointedout in it that if such alcohol is added while it is in its
state of causing intoxication, then its impurity still exists
according to the majorityof Muslim scholars. Mixing it with those
substances does not make it free from that description. Accordingly,
we have forbidden using it in cosmetics and the like for its impurity.
Actually, using it is more general than just drinking it.
It is worth noting that if the alcohol used has been transferred to
another substance prior to mixing it with other substances, in the
sense that its intoxicating characteristic is removed,then there will
be no harm in using what is mixed with it such as creams and the like.
Allaah Knows best.

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Zakaat (the poor due): Meaning, ruling & benefits

The literal meaning of "Zakaat" is purity. Its Islamic technical
meaning designates the annual amount of wealth, food, propertyetc.
which a Muslim with the adequate means must distribute among the
rightful beneficiaries .
Zakaat is a remarkable institutionand a major pillar of Islam. Allaah,
Almighty, Says (what means): "And establish the Prayer, and pay Zakaat
(the poor due)..." [Quran, 2:43]
Moreover, Zakaat is an obligatory act because it is one of the
pillarsof Islam: The Prophet said: "Islam was built upon five
(pillars): `The testimony that none has the right to be worshipped but
Allaah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah; the establishment
of the prayer; paying the obligatory charity (Zakaat); pilgrimage to
the House (Hajj to the Ka'bah in Makkah) and fasting (the month of)
Ramadhaan."' [Al-Bukhaari and Muslim]
Zakaat is a small portion of the Muslim's wealth that must be given to
the poor or to other specified beneficiaries. Whoever claims that
Zakaat is not obligatory and refuses to pay it, is not a Muslim, but a
Muslim who refuses to pay Zaakat due to stinginess, while affirming
its obligation, has committed a great sin for which one will be
severely punished .
Allaah, Almighty, Says (what means): "...and as for those who hoard
treasures of gold and silver, and do not spend them forthe sake of
Allaah, announce unto them a painful torment. On the Day when that
[hoarded wealth] shall be heated in the Fire of Hell and with it will
be branded their foreheads, their flanks, and their backs, (and it
will be said unto them): `This is the treasure which you hoarded for
yourselves. Now taste of whatyou used to hoard." [Quran 9: 34-35]
He, Almighty, also Says (what means): "And let not those who
covetously withhold of that which Allaah has bestowed on them of His
bounty (wealth) thinkthat it is good for them (and so they do not pay
Zakaat). No, it will be worse for them; the things which they
covetously withheld will be tied to their necks like a collar on the
Day of Resurrection..." [Quran 3:180]
There is no equivalent in any other language to the word"Zakaat" and
the meaning it conveys. It is not just a form of charity, or
alms-giving or tax or tithe. Nor, is it simply an expression of
kindness; it is all of these combined and much more. It is a duty
enjoined by Allaah anda source of purification for the individual and
society as a whole .
He, Almighty, Says (what means): "Take from their wealth 'sadaqah'
(Zakaat) in order to purify them and sanctify them with it." [Quran 9:
103]
Zakaat benefits the society in many ways. Here is an explanation of
the far-reaching effects of it :
1. Zakaat purifies the individual and his wealth. The status of his
wealth is increased with Allaah and in turn, he will be rewarded. When
a person becomes liable for paying Zakaat, a certain percentage of his
wealth should be distributed immediately in thecorrect manner, because
at that point, the wealth which is to be distributed does not belong
to him. If this wealth is retained, it spoils the status of all of his
wealth .
2. Zakaat does not only purify the property of the one who gives it,
it also purifies his heart from selfishness and greed. In return, it
purifies the heart of the recipient from envy and jealousy, and it
fosters in his heart good will and warm wishes toward thecontributor.
As a result, the rich and poor of society are bound together as a
unit, working together and helping one another .
3. Zakaat decreases the sufferingsof the needy and poor members of
society, however, those in need should not depend on it completely .
4. Zakaat is an effective means of developing the spirit of social
responsibility on the part of the well-to-do, and the feeling of
security and belonging on the part of the underprivileged .
5. Zakaat is a clear manifestation of the spiritual and humanitarian
interactions between the individual and society. It is a sound
illustration of the fact thatthough Islam does not hinder private
enterprise or condemn private possessions, it does not tolerate
selfish and greedy control of wealth and property. Itis an expression
of the general philosophy of Islam which adoptsa moderate and
effective course between the Individual and Society .
In conclusion, we mention a calling by Allaah, Almighty (what means):
"O You who believe! ShallI lead you to a bargain that will save you
from grievous suffering [in this world and in the life to come)? You
are to believe in Allaah and His Messenger and strive hard in Allaah's
cause with your possessions and your lives: this is for your own good
– if you had known it." [Qur'an, 61: 10-11]

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Terrors of the Grave - II

The Messenger of Allaah said :
" I said to them [the two angels who came to him (in a dream) and
awakened him and said to him: 'Proceed!']: 'I have seen many
wonderstonight. What does all that I have seen mean?' They replied:
'We will inform you: as for the first man you came upon whose head was
being crushed with the rock, heis the one who studies the Quran and
neither recites it nor acts on its orders, and sleeps, neglecting the
obligatoryprescribed prayers. This will be done to him until the Day
of Resurrection. As for the man you came upon, whose sides of the
mouth, nose and eyes were torn off from front to back, he is the man
who goes out of his house in the morning and tells many lies which
spread all over the world.This will be done to him until the Day of
Resurrection. As for thosenaked men and women whom you saw in an
oven-like structure, they are the adulterers and the adulteresses. And
the man whom you saw swimming in the river and who was being given a
stone to swallow,he is the one who consumes Riba (usury)."
[Al-Bukhaari]
Do you know now who these people are?
The first is he who sleeps and neglects the prescribed prayers .
The second is the liar who promulgates false rumors among people .
The (naked) men and women are the adulterers and adulteresses .
The last one is the personwho devours Riba .
I ask Allaah The Almighty not to make us among such people .
Dear reader, these are but some forms of punishment of the grave
received by the person who lives in disobedience of Allaah The
Almighty, and does not follow the way of guidance .
On the other hand, those who obey Allaah The Almighty will receive
from Him a great reward and abiding bliss .
It is narrated on the authority of Abu Sa'eed Al-Khudri that he said,
"I was one of those who took part in digging the grave of Sa'd ibn
Mu'aath at Al-Baqee' cemetery. The more we dug the earth, the more it
exudedthe scent of musk until we reached the Lahd (theburying place)."
It is narrated through Muhammad ibn Shurahbeel ibn Hasanah that he
said, "A man took a handful of the earth of the grave of Sa'd and
looked at it later and behold! It was musk." [Ibn Sa'd in his
Tabaqaat]
It is narrated on the authority of Abu Hurayrah that he said, the
Messenger of Allaah said:
" If a servant dies and is buried in the grave, two black and
blue-complexioned angels come to him, one called Munkar and the other
Nakeer, and ask him: "What did you say about the Prophet?" If heis a
faithful believer, he would say: "He is the Servant and Messenger
ofAllaah. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except for
Allaah, and that Muhammad is His Slave and Messenger." They then say
to him: "We have indeed learnt that you said (and believed in) that."
Then, his grave would be extended for him as much as seventy by
seventy cubits, and illuminated and he would be asked to sleep. He
would say: "Let me return to my family to tellthem (about my bliss)."
But he would be asked tosleep like a bridegroom whom none awakens
butthe dearest of his family to him, until Allaah The Almighty raises
him from his place of repose. However, if he is a hypocrite, he would
say in reply to them: "I do not know. I heard the people saying
something and I repeated it after them." They would say tohim: "We
have indeed learnt that you said (and believed in) that." Then, the
earth would be askedto be welded on him, andit would do accordingly so
violently that his ribs would dislocate; and he remains in punishment
until Allaah The Almighty raises him from his lying place."
[At-Tirmithi. Al-Albaani: Saheeh in As-Silsilah As-Saheehah]
Here, the point of resemblance between the believer's sleep (in the
grave) and the sleep of a bridegroom is his living in a good manner.
[Tuhfat Al-Ahwathi]
This is indeed a part of the bliss which a believerenjoys in his
grave: I ask Allaah The Almighty to make our graves a garden from the
gardens of Paradise, and not a hole from the holes of Hell-fire .

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Terrors of the Grave - I

How different, dear readers, are those who are tortured from those who
are blessed in their graves!
How different, dear readers, is he who previews the Mercy of Allaah
The Almighty, fromhim who previews His Wrath in the grave.
I want you, dear reader, to imagine these scenes and envision them
with your entire soul.
Here are some images related to us by the Messenger of Allaah, , about
the torture of the grave:
The first image:
It is narrated on the authority of Samurah ibn Jundub that he
said,"The Prophet, , very often used to ask his Companions: "Did
anyoneof you see a dream (tonight)?" Thereupon, dreams would be
narrated to him by those whom Allaah The Almighty wished to narrate.
One morning, the Prophet, , said:
"Last night, two angels came to me (in a dream) and awakened me and
said to me: 'Proceed!' I set out with them and wecame across a man
lying down, and behold, another man was standing over his head,
holding a big rock. Behold, he was throwing the rock at the man's
head, crushing it. The rock rolled away and he followed it and took it
back. By the time he reached the man, his head had returned to
thenormal state. The thrower then did the same as he had done before.
I said to my two companions, 'Subhaanallaah! Who are these two
persons?' They said: 'Proceed! Proceed!'"
Imagine the scene: a manlying down, and another man standing over his
head, holding a big rock, and throwing the rock at the head of the man
lying on the ground, crushing it and then the rock rolls away. What is
astonishing is that this man with the crushed head stands up from his
place and hastens to bring back the stone to the thrower so he can to
throw at his head once again, as if he were enjoying his torture.
Whodo you think this man is? We shall know in a little while.
The second image:
"So we proceeded and came to a man lying flat on his back and another
man standing over his head with an iron hook, and behold, he continued
to put the hook in one side of the man's mouth and tear offthat side
of his face to the back (of the neck) and similarly tear off his nose
from front to back and his eye from front to back. Then he turned to
the other side of the man's face and did just ashe had done with the
first side. He hardly completed this side whenthe other side returned
to its normal state. Then he returned to repeat what he had done
before. I said to my two companions: 'Subhaanallaah! Who are these two
persons?' They said to me: 'Proceed! Proceed!'"
This image is even more odious: it is a man lying flat on his back and
another standing over his head carrying a bent-headed sharp-edged
piece of iron, similar to a fishing hook. The man who was standing
comes to one side of the face of the man who was lying down and does
an amazing thing: he tears off his face from the edge of the mouth of
that side to the back, anddoes the same with the nose and the eye. Who
do you think this man is? We shall know a while later.
The third image:
"So we proceeded and came across something like a furnace, in which
there was a great deal of noise and voices. We looked into it and
found naked men and women, and behold, a flame of fire was reaching to
them from underneath, and when it reached them, they cried out loudly.
I asked them: 'Who are these?' They said to me: 'Proceed! Proceed!'"
This is also a very terrible image of naked men and women standing in
an oven-like place and making noisy loud voices,and then suddenly,
they are exposed to flames coming from underneaththem, causing their
voices to become louder and their pain to increase. Who do you think
these are? We shall know a while later.
The fourth image:
"So we proceeded and came across a river red like blood, and behold,
inthe river there was a manswimming, and on the bank there was a man
who had collected many stones. Behold, while the other man was
swimming, he went near him. The former opened his mouth and the latter
(on the bank) threw a stone into his mouth whereupon he started
swimming again. He returned (once again), and every time he returned
to him, he opened his mouth and the other (on the bank) threw a stone
into it. I asked my two companions: 'Who are these (two) persons?'
They replied: 'Proceed! Proceed!'"
The last image is of a man swimming in a river of blood, and another
man standing on the bank of the river, carrying many stones. Every
time the swimmer comes to him, he opens his mouth to him, as if heis
inviting him to throw astone into it, and he actually throws it into
hismouth. Then, he swims a little with the stone and returns to him to
repeat the same action once again. Who do you think this man is? We
shall know in the following article who all these people are.

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