Dought & clear, - Wearing silver rings inthe month of Rajab

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In our family we give each brother and sister silver rings, and each ring has some Arabic numbers engraved on the inside, and they are made specifically in the month of Rajab only. I would like to know whether wearing such rings is part of Islam or not?
Praise be to Allah.
It is permissible for a man to wear a silver ring, as it is also permissible for a woman to do so.
Al-Bukhaari (65) and Muslim (2092) narrated that Anas ibn Maalik (may Allah be pleased with him) said: When the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) sent a letter or wanted to send a letter (to the non-Arab rulers), it was said to him: They will not read any letter unless it has a seal on it. So he had a ring of silver made, and engraved on it Muhammad Rasool Allah (Muhammad the Messenger of Allah). It is as if I can see its brightness on his hand.
An-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) aid in al-Majmoo ‘ (4/340):
it is permissible for a woman, married or otherwise, to wear a ring of silver as it is permissible for her to wear a ring of gold. There is consensus on this point. There is nothing makrooh about that, and there is no difference of scholarly opinion concerning this matter. Al-Khattaabi said: It is makrooh for her to wear a ring of silver, because that is one of the symbols [?] of men. So if she cannot find a friend of gold, let her colour it yellow with saffron and shabaha [?]. But what he said is wrong and there is no basis for it; the correct view is that it is not makrooh.
Then he said: It is permissible for a man to wear a ring of silver, whether he holds a position of authority or otherwise. There is scholarly consensus on this point. With regard to what has been narrated from some of the earlier scholars of ash-Shaam, that it is makrooh for anyone other than a ruler to wear it, this is an odd view and is to be rejected on the basis of the texts and the consensus of the earlier generations. Al-Anbari and others narrated that there was scholarly consensus on this matter. End quote.
It is also permissible to engrave or write things on a ring, but there is no basis for doing that specifically in the month of Rajab, or for wearing the ring in the months of Rajab in the belief that it will bring one close to Allah, or that there is a particular virtue in wearing it during this month. This is an innovation and is wrong.
You should be aware of writing anything on the ring that it is claimed will bring good luck or ward off the evil eye, envy and the jinn, and so on.
To sum up:
in principle there is nothing wrong with wearing rings and engraving things of them. What is for beginners is seeking to draw closer to Allah by doing that, or singling out a specific time for wearing it, or seeking barakah (blessing) from the ring, or using it as an amulet.
And Allah knows best.

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Dought & clear, - The hadeeth “Whoever says in Rajab ‘I ask Allah for forgiveness, there is no god but He’…” is fabricated and is not saheeh

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This hadeeth came to me on my phone, and I want to know how sound it is:
it was narrated that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever says in Rajab ‘I ask Allah for forgiveness, there is no God but He alone, with no partner or associate, and I repent to Him’ one hundred times, and ends it with charity, Allah will decree for him mercy and forgiveness. And whoever says it four hundred times, Allah will decree for him the reward of one hundred martyrs.”
Praise be to Allah.
There is no basis for this hadeeth in the books of Sunnah and reports, and no narration is known for it with any of the scholars. Similarly, we could not find it in the books which deal with false and fabricated hadeeths.
Rather we found it in some of the books of the Shi‘ah that are filled with fabricated reports that are narrated without any isnaad or proof. It was mentioned by Ibn Tawoos – ‘Ali ibn Moosa ibn Ja‘far (d. 664 AH) – in his bookIqbaal al-A‘maal(3/216). But we did not find any basis for this hadeeth in any earlier book of the Shi‘ah. Ibn Tawoos mentioned it in a comment without any isnaad, and said:
Chapter on what we have mentioned about the virtue of seeking forgiveness, repeating Laa ilaaha ill-Allah and repenting in the month of Rajab. We found this narrated from the Prophet (may Allah send blessings upon him and his family), that he said: “Whoever says in Rajab ‘I ask Allah for forgiveness, there is no God but He alone, with no partner or associate, and I repent to Him’ one hundred times, and ends it with charity, Allah will decree for him mercy and forgiveness. And whoever says it four hundred times, Allah will decree for him the reward of one hundred martyrs, and when he meets Allah on the Day of Resurrection, He will say to him: You affirmed My sovereignty, so wish for whatever you want so that I may give it to you, for there is none who prevails but Me.”
It was transmitted from him in some of the other books, such asWasaa’il ash-Shi‘ah(10/484) by al-Hurr al-‘Aamili (d. 1104 AH) and others.
Thus the signs of fabrication in this hadeeth become clear:
Firstly:
The hadeeth is devoid of any isnaad.
Secondly:
It is only the books of the Raafidah that mention this hadeeth. From their books the hadeeth has become well known in some Internet chat rooms and websites. Hence it is essential to be cautious about many of the hadeeths that are quoted in chat rooms when their sources are the fabricated books of the Raafidis.
Thirdly:
The hadeeth has to do with the virtues of the month of Rajab. We must be cautious about all reports that speak of this matter, because there are so many fabricated reports concerning it that some of the scholars wrote books dealing specifically with that, such as al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) in his bookTabyeen al-‘Ajab bima wurida fi Fadl Rajab. He (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
No saheeh hadeeth that is fit to be used as evidence has been narrated concerning the virtue of the month of Rajab or of fasting that month or any specific part of it, or praying qiyaam al-layl specifically during that month. This has been stated categorically before me by Imam Abu Ismaa‘eel al-Harawi al-Haafiz, and we have narrated it from him with a saheeh isnaad as we also narrated it from others. But it is well known that the scholars are deviant in narrating hadeeths about virtues, even if they are da‘eef, so long as they are not fabricated. Nevertheless we should stipulate that the one who does that should believe that the hadeeth is da‘eef and he should not make it well-known, lest people act upon a da ‘eef hadeeth and prescribe something that is not prescribed, or lest some of the ignorant see that and think that it is a saheeh Sunnah.
End quote fromTabyeen al-‘Ajab(p. 11)
Fourthly:
Exaggeration about the reward, whereby a small deed in the month of Rajab is said to bring the reward of one hundred martyrs and more. Such as it is not narrated in the saheeh reports.
And Allah knows best.

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Dought & clear, - There is no contradiction betweenthe fact that Allah is more merciful to His slaves than a mother to her child and the fact that the disbeliever will abide in Hell for eternity

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How are we to understand the words of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), “Allah is more merciful than this woman to her child”? For the Muslim woman is merciful towards her son, even if he is a disbeliever, so will Allah show mercy to His disbelieving slave? Does the fact that Allah will never bring the disbeliever out of Hell contradict the mercy of Allah?
Praise be to Allah.
Undoubtedly Allah, may He be exalted, is the most merciful of those who show mercy; His mercy encompasses all things, and He is more merciful to His slave than a mother to her child; indeed He, may He be glorified, is more merciful to a person than he is to himself.
For more information, please see the answer to questions no. 10127and 20468.
This does not contradict the belief that the disbeliever will be punished and will be doomed to Hell for eternity on the Day of Resurrection. Discussion of this matter is based on three points:
Firstly:
Differentiation between the general mercy of Allah in this world, and His specific mercy in the Hereafter. In this world He, may He be glorified, bestows mercy in a general sense upon all His slaves, believers and disbelievers, obedient and disobedient. Thus He bestows provision upon them, gives them food and drink, heals them and grants them well-being, and other, innumerable types of mercy. Were it not for the mercy of Allah, no one would find air to breathe or water to drink, or any food or clothing. When he falls sick, were it not for Allah, he would never recover. In such terms people, in general, are equal. This is mercy in a general sense, which He grants to both His friends and His enemies.
As for His specific mercy in the Hereafter, it will be only for the believers, and the disbelievers will have no share of it.
Secondly:
The One Who made the mother merciful must inevitably be more merciful than her. Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “Allah is more merciful to His slaves than the most merciful of mothers to her child, for the One Who made her merciful must be more merciful than her.
End quote fromMajmoo‘ al-Fataawa, 16/448
Reason dictates that Allah should be more merciful than every merciful individual among His creation, no matter how great a person’s mercy may be, because He, may He be glorified, is the One Who instilled mercy in their hearts. Al-Bukhaari (6000) and Muslim (2752) narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) say: “Allah made mercy in one hundred parts; He kept ninety-nine parts with Him and He sent one part down to earth. By virtue of that part, all creatures show compassion to one another, and even the mare lifts her hooves lest she harm her foal.”
Thirdly:
There is no contradiction in the names and attributes of Allah, may He be exalted; rather they affirm one another and some imply others.
As He is merciful, He is also just. If someone were to say that He must show mercy to the disbeliever, for He is the most merciful of those who show mercy because mercy is His attribute, our response is: that would imply that He should not be just, but justice is also His attribute. Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Or do those who earn evil deeds think that We shall hold them equal with those who believe (in the Oneness of Allah Islamic Monotheism) and do righteous good deeds, in their present life and after their death? Worst is the judgement that they make”
[al-Jaathiyah 43:21]
“Shall We treat those who believe (in the Oneness of Allah Islamic Monotheism) and do righteous good deeds, as Mufsidoon (those who associate partners in worship with Allah and commit crimes) on earth? Or shall We treat the Muttaqoon (pious), as the Fujjar (criminals, disbelievers, wicked, etc)?”
[Saad 38:28]
“Shall We then treat the (submitting) Muslims like the Mujrimoon (criminals, polytheists and disbelievers, etc.)?
What is the matter with you? How judge you?”
[al-Qalam 53:35, 36].
By His perfect wisdom and justice, Allah, may He be glorified, differentiates between His friends and His enemies, those who obey Him and those who disobey Him, those who worship Him and those who worship something other than Him. Otherwise, treating all of these people as equals would come under the heading of injustice that is contrary to justice and wisdom. If people do not treat their enemies and their friends equally, and they regard that as foolishness, ignorance and injustice according to human understanding, concepts and customs, then how about in the case of Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, may He be glorified?
Allah, may He be exalted, the most merciful of those who show mercy, created mankind, granted them provision and bestowed upon them innumerable blessings, then He sent the Messengers to them, and He sent down the Books, and guided them to faith and guidance; undoubtedly this is far greater than the mercy of a mother to her child.
When the believer obeys Him and the disbeliever disobeys Him, it is impossible for Him to treat them equally, because of the dictates of His wisdom, His knowledge, His justice, His promise (of reward) and His warning (of punishment); the disbeliever puts himself beyond the bounds of deserving this mercy which is only for some in the Hereafter.
Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“He said: (As to) My Punishment I afflict therewith whom I will and My Mercy embraces all things. That (Mercy) I shall ordain for those who are the Muttaqoon (pious), and give Zakat; and those who believe in Our Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs and revelations, etc.)”
[al-A‘raaf 7:156].
“Surely, Allah’s Mercy is (ever) near unto the gooddoers”
[al-A‘raaf 7:56].
Ibn al-Jawzi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
One of the signs of the general nature of His mercy is His sending the Messengers, and giving respite to the sinners. When the disbeliever denies Him, he displays stubbornness and so he is not deserving of mercy.
With regard to the specific nature of His mercy, it is for His believing slaves; He shows kindness towards them at times of hardship and of ease, which is greater than the kindness of a mother towards her child.
End quote fromKashf al-Mushkil, 1/94
To sum up: The special mercy of Allah in the hereafter will only be for His close friends and loved ones among those who to affirmed His oneness. As for those who died in a state of disbelief, stubbornness and arrogance, they will have no share of the mercy of Allah; rather they will be subject to His justice. And the Word of your Lord has been fulfilled in truth and in justice (cf. 6:115), the disbelievers will be surrounded by the very thing that they used to deny and mock at (cf. 6:10).
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
Allah, may He be exalted, will say to them – i.e., the disbelievers – when they ask Allah to bring them forth from the Fire, and they seek to appeal to Allah, may He be exalted, by virtue of His Lordship and their admission against themselves,“Our Lord! Bring us out of this; if ever we return (to evil), then indeed we shall be Zalimoon: (polytheists, oppressors, unjust, and wrong-doers, etc.)” [al-Mu’minoon 23:107], no mercy will reach them; rather justice will catch up with them, and Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, will say to them:“Remain you in it with ignominy! And speak you not to Me!” [al-Mu’minoon 23:108].
End quote fromMajmoo‘ Fataawa wa Rasaa’il al-‘Uthaymeen, 8/28
And Allah knows best.

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For children, - Sakaratul Maut (Last Moments Before Death)

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A police officer in a Muslim country wrote the following letter to a Shaykh (Religious leader) describing the events that led to his return to Allah (SWT). He recalls:
Seeing accidents and crash victims was a normal part of my day, but one incident was different.
My partner and I had parked on the shoulder of the highway and began to chat. In a random second, the scene shattered to the hideous sound of metal bodies becoming one. We threw our heads back to see what had happened. It was a head-on collision, the result of a vehicle slipping into the lane of the oncoming traffic.
We couldn't describe the carnage. Two young men sprawled in the first car, both in critical condition. We carried them gently away from the car and rested them on the ground.
Quickly we returned to assist the owner of the second car. He was dead. Back we went to the two young men lying side by side on the pavement.
My partner began dictating the Shahadah to them. Say "Ash Hadu an La Ilaha Illallah (I bear witness that there is no god but Allah) ..."
Their tongues wouldn't acknowledge it. They started humming the hypnotic lyrics of some song. I was terrified. My partner had experience however, and he kept repeating his instruction.
I stood up watching, no movement, eyes locked. Never in my life had I seen anything similar to what was going on before me. In fact, I've never actually seen someone die, and never, in such a satanic way.
My partner continued to instruct them to say the Shahadah but there was no use. The hum of their song came to a slow silence, slowly. The first one stopped and then the other. Not a stir but Dead.
We carried them to our patrol car; my partner made no effort to speak. Not a whisper between us two as we carried the corpses to the nearest hospital.
The police officer fell back into routine, as he narrates, and started to drift away from Allah (SWT). But another event happened to him that sealed the return. He continues:
What an odd world. After some time, about six months, a strange accident took place. A young man was moving along the highway normally, but within one of the tunnels leading to the city, he got a flat tire.
To the side of the tunnel he parked and stepped to the back to remove the spare tire. The whistle of a speeding car could be heard from behind. In a second, it collided with the crippled car, with the young man in-between. He fell to the ground with critical injuries.
I rushed to the scene, myself and another partner other than the first. Together we carried the young man's body into our patrol car and phoned the hospital to prepare for his arrival.
He was a young adult in his blossom years. Religious, as you could tell from his appearance. He was mumbling when we carried him, but in our rush, we had not paid attention to what he was saying.
However, when we placed him on his back in the patrol car, we could make it out. Through the pain, his heart was reciting Noble Qur'an! He was so immersed in the recitation. Subhan Allah, you would have never said that this person was in intense pain.
Blood had soaked his clothes crimson red, his bones had clearly snapped in several places. To tell the truth, he looked like he was staring into the eyes of death.
He continued to read in his unique, tender voice, reciting each verse in proper rhythm. In my entire life, I had never heard any recitations like it. I said to myself, "I'm going to instruct him to say the Shahadah just like I saw my friend doing," especially since I had previous experience."
My partner and I listened intently to that soft voice. I felt a shiver shock my back and up my arm the hair stood.
Suddenly, the hymn ceased. I watched silently as his hand rose softly. He had his index finger pointed upward to the Heaven, saying the Shahadah (Ash Hadu an La Ilaha Illallah - I bear witness that there is no god but Allah). Then, his head slumped.
I jumped to the back seat, felt his hand, his heart, his breathing. He was dead!
I couldn't stop staring at him. A tear fell but I hid it in shame. I turned back to my partner and told him that the boy's life had ceased. He burst out loud crying. Seeing a man cry like that, I could not control myself and my partner faded away behind the fall of my own tears. The patrol car fogged from the emotions.
We arrived at the hospital. As we rushed through the corridors, we told all the doctors, nurses, and onlookers what had happened. So many people were affected by what we said, some stood there speechless and tearful.
No one wanted to lose sight of the boy, until they had been assured of the time and place he would be buried.
One of the hospital staffs phoned the boy's home. His brother picked it up and was told of the accident. His brother told us about him:
He used to go out every Monday to visit his only grandmother outside of town. Whenever he visited her, he made sure to spend time with the poor children idling on the streets, and the orphans. The town knew him; he was the one that would bring them the Islamic books and tapes. His dusty Mazda would be filled with rice and sugar and even candies - couldn't forget the candies - for those families who were in need.
He would not stand for anyone to discourage him from the long journey to that town. He would always politely reply that the long drive gave him time to review his Noble Qur'an and to listen to Islamic lectures on his cassette deck and that with every step to the town, he hoped for the reward he would find with Allah (SWT).
Rasool Allah - Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallamgave the example of a man who loses his camel in the desert and in that wasteland loses hope of life. In that state, he sits down awaiting death to come. Then, he opens his eyes and finds his camel standing beside him with all the provisions to take him home. In his extreme happiness he cries out, "O Allah, You are my servant and I am your Lord!" He says it wrong from the bliss of happiness.
Rasool Allah - Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam said that verily Allah (SWT) is more pleased with the repentance of His servant than this man is upon finding his camel!

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