Prohibitions that are taken too lightly
English Translation
Book by Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid
This is the most serious of all prohibitions, according to the hadeeth narrated by Abu Bakrah, who said: "The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: 'Shall I not tell you of the most serious of the major sins?' three times. We said, 'Of course, O Messenger of Allaah!' He said, 'Associating anything in worship with Allaah . . .'"
(Agreed upon; see al-Bukhaari, no. 2511, al-Bagha edition).
Every other sin may be forgiven by Allaah, apart from shirk, which requires specific repentance, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Verily, Allaah forgives not that partners should be set up with Him in worship, but He forgives except that (anything else) to whom He pleases . . ." [al-Nisaa' 4:48]
One of the forms of shirk which is particularly widespread in Muslim countries is:
the belief that dead awliyaa' ("saints") can fulfil one's needs or help at times of distress, and calling upon them for aid. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him . . ." [al-Israa' 17:23]
Similarly, they call upon dead Prophets, righteous people and others to intercede for them or to rescue them from some calamity, but Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Is not He (better than your gods) Who responds to the distressed one, when he calls Him, and Who removes the evil, and makes you inheritors of the earth, generations after generations? Is there any ilaah (god) with Allaah? . . ." [al-Naml 27:62]
Some of them have adopted the habit of mentioning the name of a shaykh or wali ("saint") when they stand up, or sit down, or stumble, or encounter problems or distress, so they might say "O Muhammad!" or "O 'Ali!" or "O Husayn!" or "O Badawi!" or "O Jeelaani!" or "O Shaadhili!" or "O Rifaa'i!" - or they may call upon al-'Aydaroos or Sayyidah Zaynab or Ibn 'Alwaan. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Verily those whom you call upon besides Allaah are slaves like you . . ." [al-A'raf 7:194]
Some of those who worship graves walk around them as if in Tawaaf, and acknowledge their corners, or touch them, kiss them, wipe their faces with their dust, prostrate towards them when they see them, or stand before them in fear and humility, praying for whatever they need of healing from some disease, or for a child, or for help with some difficulty. Sometimes they call upon the occupant of the grave, saying "O my master, I have come to you from far away, so do not let me down."
But Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever dies calling on someone else as a rival to Allaah, will enter Hell."
(Reported by al-Bukhaari, al-Fath, 8/176).
Some of them shave their heads at the graves, and some have books with titles like Manaasik Hajj al-Mashaahid ("The Rituals of Pilgrimage to Shrines"), mashaahid or shrines referring to graves or tombs of awliyaa'. Some of them believe that the awliyaa' are running the affairs of the universe and that they have the power to benefit or harm. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And if Allaah touches you with hurt, there is none who can remove it but He; and if He intends any good for you, there is no one who can repel His Favour . . ." [Yoonus 10:107]
It is also shirk to make a vow to any other than Allaah, as is done by those who vow to bring candles or lights for the occupants of the graves.
Another manifestation of al-shirk al-akbar is
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Therefore turn in prayer to your Lord, and sacrifice (to Him only)"
[al-Kawthar 108:2]
- i.e., sacrifice to Allaah and in the name of Allaah.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
"Allaah will curse the one who sacrifices to anything other than Allaah."
(Reported by Imaam Muslim, may Allaah have mercy on him, in his Saheeh, no. 1978, 'Abd al-Baaqi edition).
This sin combines two haraam deeds, that of sacrificing to anything other than Allaah and that of sacrificing in the name of anything other than Allaah, both of which make the meat of the animal slaughtered haraam. One of the forms of sacrificing to anything other than Allaah which was known during the first Jaahiliyyah and is still widespread nowadays is the practice of "offering a sacrifice to the jinn," whereby upon buying or constructing a house, or digging a well, people slaughter an animal at its entrance, out of fear of harm from the resident jinn. (See Tayseer al-'Azeez al-Hameed, al-Iftaa' edition, p. 158)
al-shirk al-akbar is the sin of allowing what Allaah has forbidden and forbidding what Allaah has allowed
or believing that anyone has the right to do so except Allaah, or referring matters for judgement to jaahili (non-Islamic) courts freely and by choice, and believing that this is permissible.
Allaah has mentioned this form of major kufr in the Qur'aan (interpretation of the meaning):
"They (Jews and Christians) took their rabbis and their monks to their lords besides Allaah (by obeying them in things which they made lawful or unlawful according to their own desires without being ordered by Allaah). . ." [al-Tawbah 9:31]
When 'Adiyy ibn Haatim heard the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) recite this aayah, he said, "But they were not worshipping them." The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) replied, "Yes, but they permitted things that Allaah had forbidden, and the people accepted this, and they forbade things that Allaah had allowed, and the people accepted this too, and this is a form of worshipping them."
(Reported by al-Bayhaqi in al-Sunan al-Kubraa, 10/116. See also al-Tirmidhi, no. 3095. Al-Albaani classified it as hasan in Ghaayat al-Maraam, p. 19).
Allaah described the mushrikeen
And Allaah said (interpretation of the meaning): "Say: 'Tell me, what provision Allaah has sent down to you, and you have made of it lawful and unlawful.' Say: 'Has Allaah permitted you (to do so), or do you invent a lie against Allaah?'" [Yoonus 10:59]
Other widespread forms of shirk are:
Magic (sihr) is an act of kufr, and one of the seven sins which doom a person to Hell. It causes harm but no benefit. Allaah says of the one who learns it (interpretation of the meaning):
". . . And they learn that which harms them and profits them not . . ."
[al-Baqarah 2:102]
". . . and the magician will never be successful, no matter what amount (of skill) he may attain)."
[Ta-Ha 20:69]]
". . . Sulayman did not disbelieve, but the shayaateen (devils) disbelieved, teaching men magic and such things as came down at Babylon to the two angels, Haaroot and Maaroot, but neither of these two (angels) taught anyone (such things) things till they had said, 'We are only for trial, so disbelieve not (by learning this magic from us).' . . ."
[al-Baqarah 2:102]
The prescribed punishment for the one who practices magic is death, and his income is haraam and impure. But people who are ignorant wrongdoers and weak in faith go to magicians to help them harm someone or take revenge on someone. Some people commit the sin of going to a magician to ask his help in undoing the magic of someone else, when they should turn to Allaah to help them and heal them, by reciting His words, such as the soorahs that offer protection (al-Falaq and al-Naas), and so on.
Fortune-tellers and their ilk are kaafirs who disbelieve in Allaah, because they claim knowledge of the Unseen, but no one has knowledge of the Unseen except Allaah. Many of these fortune-tellers take advantage of simple-minded people and take their money. They use many methods such as drawing lines in the sand, throwing sea-shells, reading palms, teacups (or coffee cups), crystal balls and mirrors, and so on. If they get it right one time, they get it wrong ninety-nine times, but ignorant people remember only the one time when these liars get something right. They go to them to find out about the future, whether they will be successful in marriage or business, or to help them find something they have lost, and so on.
The ruling concerning the person who visits a fortune-teller is: if he believes what he says, he is a kaafir who has left Islaam, on the basis of the hadeeth in which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever goes to a fortune-teller or a soothsayer and believes in what he says has disbelieved in what was revealed to Muhammad."
(Reported by Imaam Ahmad, 2/429; see also Saheeh al-Jaami', 5939).
If a person does not believe that they have knowledge of the Unseen, but he goes out of curiosity or whatever, he is not a kaafir, but his prayers will not be accepted for forty days, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever goes to a fortune-teller and asks him about something, his prayers will not be accepted for forty nights"
(Saheeh Muslim, 4/1751) - even though it is still obligatory to pray and to repent for this sin.
Zayd ibn Khaalid al-Juhani reported: "The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) led us in the morning prayer at al-Hudaybiyah after rain had fallen during the night. When he had finished, he turned around to face the people and said: 'Do you know what your Lord says?' They said, 'Allaah and His Messenger know best.' He said: '[Allaah says]: This morning one of My slaves became a believer in Me and one became a disbeliever. As for the one who said, "We have been given rain by the grace and mercy of Allaah," he is a believer in Me and a disbeliever in the stars; as for the one who said, "We have been given rain by such-and-such a star," he is a disbeliever in Me and a believer in the stars.'"
(Reported by al-Bukhaari; see Fath al-Baari, 2/333)
Similarly, the one who reads the horoscopes in newspapers and magazines and believes what they say about the influence of the stars and planets is a mushrik, and the one who reads them for entertainment is a sinner, because it is not permitted to entertain oneself by reading things that contain shirk, because Shaytaan will try to lead him to shirk through this.
Yet another form of shirk is
For example. some people believe in amulets and spells, or wearing certain types of pearls or seashells or metal earrings and so on, on the advice of fortune-tellers or magicians or in accordance with inherited customs. So they hang them around their own or their children's necks to ward off the evil eye - or so they claim; or they tie them onto their bodies or hang them in their cars and homes, or wear rings with special stones, thinking that these things can relieve or ward off distress.
This without a doubt is contrary to the idea of relying on Allaah, and will only result in making a person even more weak, like seeking medicine in a haraam way. These amulets obviously contain much shirk, such as seeking the help of some jinns and devils, or vague drawings and illegible writing. Some of these liars even write aayaat from the Qur'aan, or mix them with words of shirk, or write them with impure substances such as menstrual blood. Hanging up these amulets or tying them to one's body is haraam because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever hangs up an amulet is guilty of shirk."
(Reported by Ahmad, 4/156; see also Silsilat al-Saheehah, no. 492).
If the one who does this believes that these things can cause benefit or harm instead of Allaah, he is a mushrik who is guilty of al-shirk al-akbar. If he believes that they are a means of causing benefit or harm, then he is a mushrik who is guilty of al-shirk al-asghar, which includes shirk that consists of attributing causes to things other than Allaah.
among the conditions for any good deed to be acceptable are that it should be free of any kind of showing off and within the framework of the Sunnah. The person who performs acts of worship, like praying, in order to be seen by other people is a mushrik and his deed is unacceptable.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Verily, the hypocrites seek to deceive Allaah, but it is He Who deceives them. And when they stand up for prayer, they stand with laziness and to be seen of men, and they do not remember Allaah but little."
[al-Nisaa' 4:142]
Similarly, the person who does a good deed so that news of it will reach other people has also fallen into the sin of shirk. The threat of punishment for the one who does this was reported in the hadeeth narrated by Ibn 'Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him and his father), in which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever does things to be seen and heard by others, Allaah will cause him to be seen and heard as an example to others."
(Reported by Muslim, 4/2289).
Whoever does any act of worship for the sake of Allaah and other people, his deeds will be unacceptable, as is stated in the hadeeth qudsi: "I am so self-sufficient that I am in no need of having an associate. Thus he who does a deed for someone else's sake as well as Mine will have that deed renounced by Me to him who he associated with Me."
(Reported by Muslim, no. 2985).
It may happen that a person starts to do a deed for the sake of Allaah, then the urge to show off comes over him. If he resists that impulse his deed will still be acceptable, but if he submits willingly to it, then in the opinion of most of the scholars his deed will be unacceptable.
this is a form of pessimism, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"But whenever good came to them, they said, 'Ours is this.' And if evil afflicted them, they ascribed it to evil omens connected with Musa and those with him . . ."
[al-A'raaf 7:131]
Before Islam, if one of the Arabs wanted to do something like travelling, he would take hold of a bird and release it: if it flew to the right, he would take this as a good omen and proceed with his plans, but if it flew to the left, he would take it as a bad omen and cancel his plans.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) gave his verdict on this practice when he said: "Al-Tiyarah (observing birds for omens) is shirk."
(Reported by Imaam Ahmad, 1/389; see also Saheeh al-Jaami', 3955).
This kind of haraam belief that goes against Tawheed also includes the practice of regarding certain times etc., as inauspicious, such as not holding a wedding in Safar, or regarding the last Wednesday of every month as a day of evil omen and ongoing calamity, or believing that numbers such as 13, or certain names, are "unlucky." It is also haraam to believe that handicapped people are bad omens, such as going to open one's store but turning back upon seeing a one-eyed man.
All of this is haraam and is part of the shirk for which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) disowned people. 'Imraan ibn Husayn reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "He is not one of us who observes birds for omens or has someone else do this for him, or who predicts the future or asks someone else to do it for him, (and I think he said) or who practices magic or asks someone else to do it for him."
(Reported by al-Tabaraani in al-Kabeer, 18/162; see also Saheeh al-Jaami' 5435).
The expiation required from the person who commits any of these sins is reported in the hadeeth reported by Abdullaah ibn 'Amr: "The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: 'Whoever was turned away from doing something because of a bad omen is guilty of shirk.' The people asked, 'O Messenger of Allaah, what expiation is there for doing that?' He said, 'That he should say: "O Allaah, there is no goodness except Your goodness and no omen except your omen and there is no god but You."'"
(Reported by Imaam Ahmad, 2/220; al-Silsilah al-Saheehah, 1065).
Pessimism is a part of everyone's nature, to a greater or lesser extent; the best cure for it is reliance upon Allaah (tawakkul), as Ibn Mas'ood said: "There is no one among us (who will not feel pessimistic sometimes), but when we rely on Allaah, He makes that feeling go away."
(Reported by Abu Dawud, no. 3910; see also al-Silsilah al-Saheehah, 430).
Allaah may swear by whatever of His creatures He wills, but His creatures are not permitted to swear by anything other than Allaah. Many people swear all kinds of oaths by things other than Allaah, but swearing by something is like glorifying it, and it is not right to glorify anything or anyone other than Allaah.
Ibn 'Umar reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Allaah has prohibited that you should swear by your fathers. If anyone swears, let him swear by Allaah, or else remain silent."
(Reported by al-Bukhaari; see al-Fath, 11/530).
Ibn 'Umar also reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever swears by something other than Allaah is guilty of shirk."
(Reported by Imaam Ahmad, 2/125; see Saheeh al-Jaami', 6204).
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever swears by trustworthiness is not one of us."
(Reported by Abu Dawud 3253; see also al-Silsilah al-Saheehah, no. 94).
It is not permitted to swear by the Kabah, by trustworthiness, by honour, by help, by the blessing of so-and-so, by the life of so-and-so, by the virtue of the Prophet, by the virtue of a wali, by one's father and mother, by the heads of one's children, etc.
All of that is haraam, and the expiation for doing it is to say La ilaaha ill-Allaah, as is stated in the saheeh hadeeth: "Whoever swears and says 'By al-Laat' or 'By al-'Uzza,' let him say 'La ilaaha ill-Allaah (there is no god except Allaah).'"
(Reported by al-Bukhaari, al-Fath, 11/536).
There are other phrases that similarly involve shirk and are therefore forbidden, but that are often spoken by Muslims, such as: "I seek refuge with Allaah and with you," "I am depending on Allaah and on you," "This is from Allaah and from you," "I have no-one but Allaah and you," "I have Allaah in heaven and I have you on earth," "If it were not for Allaah and so-and-so," "I disown Islaam," "Time has let me down" (and every other expression which involves cursing time, like saying, "This is a bad time," "This is an unlucky time," "Time is a betrayer," etc., because cursing time is an insult to Allaah Who has created time), references to "Nature's way." Names that imply being a slave of anyone other than Allaah, such as 'Abd 'al-Maseeh, 'Abd al-Nabi, 'Abd al-Rasool and 'Abd al-Husayn, are also forbidden.
There are also modern expressions which are contrary to Tawheed and are therefore haraam, such as "Islamic socialism," "Islamic democracy," "The will of the people is the will of Allaah," "Religion is for Allaah and the land is for the people," "In the name of Arabism," "In the name of the revolution," etc.
It is also haraam to use titles such as "King of kings" or "Judge of judges" for human beings; to address munafiqeen or kuffaar with titles like "Sayyid (master)" (whether speaking Arabic or other languages), to use the words "If only..." - which imply discontent and regret, and open the way for Shaytaan, and to say "O Allaah, forgive me if You want to." (For more information, see Mu'jam al-Manahi al-Lafziyyah, Bakr or Zayd)
Many of those who do not have strong faith deliberately sit with people who are immoral and sinful. They may even sit with those who attack the Sharee'ah and make fun of Islam and the people who adhere to it strictly. There is no doubt that this is a forbidden deed, one which could undermine a person's belief.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And when you see those who engage in a false conversation about Our Verses by mocking at them, stay away from them till they turn to another topic. And if Shaytaan causes you to forget, then after the remembrance sit not in the company of those people who are the zaalimoon (polytheists and wrongdoers, etc.)"
[al-An'aam 6:68]
In that case it is not permitted to sit with them, even if they are closely-related or are very kind and good company, except for the purposes of da'wah or refuting their false talk. But accepting and remaining quiet about their conduct is not permitted. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"They (the hypocrites) swear to you (Muslims) that you may be pleased with them, but if you are pleased with them, certainly Allaah is not pleased with the people who are al-faasiqoon (rebellious, disobedient to Allaah)."
[al-Tawbah 9:96]
one of the worst forms of theft or cheating is cheating in prayer. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "The worst type of thief is the one who steals from his prayer." The people asked, "O Messenger of Allaah, how can a person steal from his prayer?" He said: "By not doing rukoo' and sujood properly."
(Reported by Imaam Ahmad, 5/310; see also Saheeh al-Jaami', 997).
This lack of composure and failure to pause in rukoo' and sujood and to stand up straight after rukoo' or sit up properly between sujoods may be observed in many of those who pray, and hardly any mosque is free of examples of people who do not have the proper composure in prayer. Correct composure is one of the pillars of prayer, without which prayer is invalid.
This is a serious matter. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "A man's prayer is not good enough until his back is straight in rukoo' and sujood."
(Reported by Abu Dawud, 1/533; see also Saheeh al-Jaami', 7224).
There is no doubt that lacking the proper composure is bad, and the person who is guilty of this deserves to be reprimanded and threatened with punishment.
Abu 'Abdullaah al-Ash'ari reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) led his Companions in prayer, then he sat with a group of them. A man came in and started to pray, but made his movements rapid like a chicken pecking the ground. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Do you see this? Whoever dies having done this has died outside of the community of Muhammad, and his prayer is like a crow pecking blood. The person who bows then pecks in his sujood is like a hungry man who eats no more than one or two dates - what good will that do him?"
(Reported by Ibn Khuzaymah in his Saheeh 1/332; see also al-Albaani, Sifat Salaat al-Nabi (The Prophet's Prayer described), 131).
Zayd ibn Wahb said: "Hudhayfah saw a man who was not performing rukoo' and sujood properly. He said: 'You have not prayed, and if you were to die, you would die on a way other than that revealed by Allaah to Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).'"
(Reported by al-Bukhaari, see al-Fath, 2/274).
Once a person is aware of this ruling, if he fails to perform prayer with the proper composure, he should repeat it and repent to Allaah for what is past; he does not need to repeat all of his previous prayers, as is indicated by the hadeeth "Repeat your prayer, for you have not prayed."
Hardly any of the people who pray are free from this problem, because they are not following the command of Allaah (interpretation of the meaning): ". . . And stand before Allaah with obedience" [al-Baqarah 2:238]; and they fail to understand the words of Allaah (interpretation of the meaning): "Successful indeed are the believers, those who offer their salaat with all solemnity and full submissiveness."
[al-Mu'minoon 23:1-2]
When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was asked about smoothing the earth before prostrating, he said, "Do not wipe it when you are praying; if you have to, then just smooth the gravel once."
(Reported by Abu Dawud, 1/581; see also Saheeh al-Jaami', 7452).
The scholars mentioned that continuous, excessive, unnecessary movement invalidates one's prayer. How can those fidgets stand before Allaah, looking at their watches, straightening their clothes, putting their fingers in their noses, looking to the right and the left and up to the sky, and not fearing that Allaah may take away their sight or Shaytaan may steal their prayer??
(when praying in congregation)
Man is hasty by nature, as it says in the Qur'aan (interpretation of the meaning): ". . . and man is ever hasty . . ."
[al-Israa' 17:11].
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Deliberation is from Allaah and haste is from Shaytaan." (
Reported by al-Bayhaqi in al-Sunan al-Kubra, 10/104; see also al-Silsilah, 1795).
One often notices, when praying in congregation, people to the left and right anticipating the imaam in rukoo', sujood and the takbeeraat that signal changes in position - one even notices it in oneself too, sometimes. People may even precede the imaam in giving salaam at the end of the prayer. This is a matter which may appear unimportant to many, but the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) issued a stern warning when he said: "Does the person who raises his head before the imaam not fear that Allaah may turn his head into the head of a donkey?"
(Reported by Muslim, 1/320-321).
If a person is required to come to the prayer with dignity and composure, how then should he be during the prayer itself? Some people are confused about this issue and seek to compensate by delaying their movements after the imaam; these people should know that the fuqahaa', may Allaah have mercy on them, have described an excellent way to control the matter, which is that the person following the imaam should only start his movements after the imaam has finished pronouncing the ra' ("r") of "Allaahu akbar"; then the person following the imaam is permitted to move, and not before or after.
The Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to be very keen to avoid anticipating his movements when he led them in prayer. One of them, al-Baraa' ibn 'Aazib (may Allaah be pleased with him) said that they used to pray behind the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): "When he raised his head from rukoo', I would never see anyone bending his back in sujood until the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) had placed his forehead on the ground, then everyone would go down in sujood behind him."
(Reported by Muslim, no. 474, 'Abd al-Baaqi edition).
When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) grew older, and became rather slow in his movements, he told the people praying behind him: "O people, I have gained weight, so do not anticipate me in performing rukoo' and sujood."
(Reported by al-Bayhaqi, 2/93 and classified as hasan in Irwaa' al-Ghaleel, 2/290).
The imaam is obliged to follow the Sunnah in making takbeer when he prays, as reported in the hadeeth narrated by Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him): "When the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) stood up to pray, he would say takbeer when he stood up and when he bowed . . . then he would say takbeer when he went down for sujood and when he raised his head, then when he went down for sujood again and when he raised his head again. Then he would repeat this throughout the whole prayer until it was finished, and he would say takbeer when he stood up after completing two rak'ahs."
(Reported by al-Bukhaari, no. 756, al-Baghaa edition).
If the imaam pronounces takbeer at the same time as he makes the movements, and the people following him strive to follow the guidelines mentioned here, then they will have performed the congregational prayer correctly.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): "O Children of Adam! Take your adornment (by wearing your clean clothes) while praying . . ."
[al-A'raaf 7:31].
Jaabir said: "The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: 'Whoever eats garlic or onions, let him keep away from us,' or 'let him keep away from our mosque and stay in his house.'"
(Reported by al-Bukhaari, see al-Fath, 2/339).
According to a report narrated by Muslim, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever eats onions or garlic or leeks, let him not come near our mosque, because the angels will be offended by what is offensive to the sons of Adam."
(Reported by Muslim, no. 1/395).
We might also include here those who come to the mosque straight from work, with unpleasant odours emanating from their armpits and socks. Even worse than these are smokers who have the habit of consuming their haraam cigarettes then coming to the mosque and disturbing the worshippers of Allaah, people and angels alike, with their smell.
One of the aims of Islamic sharee'ah is to preserve honour and lineage, so zinaa (unlawful sexual intercourse) is forbidden. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And come not near to unlawful sexual intercourse. Verily it is a faahishah (a great sin) and an evil way (that leads to Hell unless Allaah forgives)" [al-Israa' 17:32]
Shareeah blocks all the ways and means that could lead to zinaa, by enjoining hijaab and lowering the gaze, and by forbidding being alone with a non-mahram woman, etc.
The married man who commits adultery deserves the worst kind of punishment, which is stoning to death, so that he may taste the results of his deeds and so that every part of his body may suffer just as every part of his body enjoyed the illicit liaison. The fornicator who was previously unmarried is to be punished with the maximum number of lashes mentioned in sharee'ah, which is 100 lashes, in addition to the scandal of this punishment being witnessed by a group of believers, and the humiliation of being banished from his city and the scene of his crime for one full year.
In Barzakh, the punishment for men and women who were guilty of zinaa is that they will be in an oven whose top is narrow and whose bottom is wide, with a fire beneath it, and they will be naked therein. When the heat of the fire increases, they will scream and rise up until they nearly come out of the top, then when the fire decreases, they will fall back down. This will repeated over and over until the onset of the Hour.
What is even worse is when a man continues to commit adultery even when he grows old, death approaches and Allaah gives him the opportunity to repent.
Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "There are three to whom Allaah will not speak on the Day of Resurrection, nor praise, nor look at; theirs will be a painful torment: an old man who commits zinaa, a king who lies, and a poor man who is arrogant."
(Reported by Muslim, 1/102-103).
Among the worst of incomes is the earnings of a prostitute which she takes before committing zinaa, and the immoral woman who earns her living by selling herself is deprived of having her prayers answered when the gates of heaven are opened at midnight. (The hadeeth is in Saheeh al-Jaami', 2971) Being in need or being poor are not acceptable excuses for transgressing the limits set by Allaah. There is an old saying that the free woman would rather starve than eat by displaying her breasts, so how about her private parts then?
Nowadays all the doors of immorality have been opened, and Shaytaan and his supporters have made it very easy for people to commit sin. This has been followed by the spread of tabarruj (wanton display) and unveiling among women, people allowing their gazes to wander to things they should not look at, an increase in mixing between the sexes, the popularity of immoral magazines and lewd films, increased travel to corrupt countries and the establishment of a market for prostitution, an increase in the violation of honour, and an increase in the number of illegitimate births and abortions.
O Allaah, we ask you to show us Your mercy and to protect us from immorality; we ask You to purify our hearts and to keep our private parts chaste, and to place a barrier between us and what is haraam.
Sodomy, or intercourse between two males, was the crime of the people of Lut. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And (remember) Lut, when he said to his people: 'You commit al-faahishah (sodomy - the worst sin) which none has preceded you in (committing) among the 'aalameen (mankind and jinns). Verily, you commit sodomy with men, and rob the wayfarer, and practise al-munkar (disbelief, polytheism and every kind of evil deed) in your meetings.' . . ."
[al-'Ankaboot 29:29].
Because of the repulsive nature and enormity of this sin, Allaah inflicted four kinds of punishment which He had never before inflicted in combination upon any other people; they were: these people would be blinded, their city would be turned upside-down, stones of baked clay, piled up, would be rained down upon them, and an awful cry would be sent upon them.
In Islam, those guilty of this crime are to be killed by the sword, according to the soundest opinion. This punishment is to carried out on both the one who does this and the one to whom it is done, if it is done freely and by choice. Ibn 'Abbaas reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whomever you find committing the sin of the people of Lut, kill them - both the one who does it and the one to whom it is done." (Reported by Imaam Ahmad, 1/300; see also Saheeh al-Jaami', 6565). The modern-day spread of incurable diseases like the killer AIDS caused by this corruption, that were unknown to our predecessors, is an indication of the wisdom of the Sharee'ah in prescribing this severe punishment.
Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "If a man calls his wife to his bed, and she refuses, and he goes to sleep angry with her, the angels will curse her until morning." (Reported by al-Bukhaari; see al-Fath, 6/314).
Many women, when they have an argument with their husbands, "punish" them - so they think - by denying them their marital rights. This may result in major corruption if the husband is tempted to do something haraam, or it may backfire on the wife if the husband starts to think seriously of taking another wife.
A wife should hasten to respond to her husband's call if he wants her, in obedience to the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): "If a man calls his wife to his bed, let her respond, even if she is riding on the back of a camel (i.e., very busy)." (See Zawaa'id al-Bazzaar, 2/181; see also Saheeh al-Jaami', 547).
At the same time, the husband must show consideration towards his wife if she is sick, pregnant or depressed, so as to maintain harmony and prevent discontent or hatred.
Many women hasten to demand a divorce from their husbands for the least little argument, or if their husbands do not give them what they want of money. Some women may be egged on by troublemakers among their relatives or neighbours to challenge their husbands with provocative words such as: "If you were a real man, you would divorce me!" The dire results of divorce are well known: breakdown of the family and children roaming the streets. A person may come to regret divorce when it is too late.
For all these reasons and others, the Sharee'ah wisely prohibited such actions. Thawbaan (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Any woman who asks her husband for a divorce with no sound reason will be deprived of smelling the fragrance of Paradise." (Reported by Ahmad, 5.277; see also Saheeh al-Jaami', 2703).
Uqbah ibn 'Aamir (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Woman who ask for divorce and women who contend unnecessarily with their husbands are hypocrites." (Reported by al-Tabaraani in al-Kabeer, 17/339; see also Saheeh al-Jaami', 1934).
But if there is a sound reason, such as the husband abandoning prayer, drinking or taking drugs, or forcing his wife to do something haraam, or oppressing her and making her suffer by denying her the rights granted to her by Islaam, and he does not listen to advice to mend his ways, then in this case there is nothing wrong with a woman seeking divorce for her own sake and for the sake of her religion.
One of the expressions of the first Jaahiliyyah that is still widespread in this ummah is the phenomenon of zihaar, whereby a man says to his wife, "You are to me like the back of my mother," or "You are as forbidden for me as my sister," and other similarly ugly statements whose repulsive nature was confirmed by the Sharee'ah, because of the oppression of women involved.
Allaah referred to this in the Qur'aan (interpretation of the meaning):
"Those among you who make their wives unlawful to them by saying to them, 'You are like my mother's back,' they cannot be their mothers. None can be their mothers except those who gave them birth. And verily, they utter an ill word and a lie. And verily, Allaah is Oft-Pardoning, Oft-Forgiving."
[al-Mujaadilah 58:2]
The Sharee'ah has imposed a heavy penalty (kafaarah) for this crime, similar to that required for killing a person by mistake or for having intercourse during the day in Ramadaan; the person who has committed zihaar is not permitted to approach his wife until he has paid this penalty.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And those who make unlawful to them (their wives) (by zihaar), and wish to free themselves from what they uttered, (the penalty) in that case (is) the freeing of a slave before they touch each other. That is an admonition to you (so that you may not return to such an ill thing). And Allaah is All-Aware of what you do.
And he who finds not (the money for freeing a slave) must fast two successive months before they both touch each other. And for him who is unable to do so, he should feed sixty miskeen (poor). That is in order that you may have perfect Faith in Allaah and His Messenger. And for disbelievers, there is a painful torment."
[al-Mujaadilah 58:3-4]
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"They ask you concerning menstruation. Say: that is an adhaa (a harmful thing for a husband to have sexual intercourse with his wife while she is having her menses), therefore keep away from women during menses and go not unto them till they have purified (from menses and have taken a bath) . . ."
[al-Baqarah 2:222]
So a man is not permitted to approach his wife until her period has ended and she has taken a bath (ghusl).
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
". . . And when they have purified themselves, then go in unto them as Allaah has ordained for you . . . "
[al-Baqarah 2:222]
The repulsive nature of this sin is indicated by the words of the Prophet (pace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): "Whoever has intercourse with a menstruating women, or with a woman in her rectum, or goes to a fortune-teller, has disbelieved in what was revealed to Muhammad."
(Reported by al-Tirmidhi from Abu Hurayrah, 1/243; see also Saheeh al-Jaami', 5918).
Whoever does this by mistake, not deliberately, does not have to pay any penalty, but the person who does it deliberately and with full knowledge of what he is doing must pay the penalty, which according to the scholars with the soundest knowledge is one dinar or half a dinar. Some scholars say that there is a choice in the amount to be paid; others say that if a man has intercourse with his wife at the beginning of her period, when the flow of blood is heavy, he must pay one dinar, and if he does it at the end of her period when the flow is light, he must pay half a dinar.
In modern terms, a dinar is equal to 25.4 grams of gold: this or the equivalent amount of currency must be given in charity.
Some perverted people who have little faith do not hesitate to have intercourse with a woman in her rectum (the place from which excrement emerges).
This is a major sin, and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) cursed the one who does this. Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "He is cursed, the one who has intercourse with a woman in her rectum."
(Reported by Imaam Ahmad, 2/479; see also Saheeh al-Jaami', 5865).
Indeed, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever has intercourse with a menstruating women, or with a woman in her rectum, or goes to a fortune-teller, has disbelieved in what was revealed to Muhammad."
(Reported by al-Tirmidhi from Abu Hurayrah, 1/243; see also Saheeh al-Jaami', 5918).
Although there are many righteous and sensible women who refuse to do this, there are many husbands who threaten their wives with divorce if they do not comply. Some husbands even deceive their wives who my be too shy to ask a scholar about this matter; they tell them that this is halaal, and they may even misquote the Qur'aan to support their claim (interpretation of the meaning): "You wives are a tilth for you, so go to your tilth when or how you will . . ."
[al-Baqarah 2:223].
But it is well-known that the Sunnah explains the Qur'aan, and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) stated that it is permitted to have intercourse with one's wife in whatever way one wishes, approaching from the front or the back, so long as intercourse is in the place from which a child is born (the vagina); it is obvious that the anus, from which excrement is produced, is not the place from which a child is born. One of the reasons for this crime is the fact that many people enter what should be a clean and pure married life with an inheritance of dirty, haraam, jaahili, perverted practices, or memories filled with scenes from lewd movies for which they have not repented to Allaah. It is also well known that this deed is haraam even if both parties consent to it; mutual consent to a haraam deed does not make it halaal.
One of the things that Allaah has enjoined in His Book is fair treatment of co-wives. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"You will never be able to do perfect justice between wives even if it is your ardent desire, so do not incline too much to one of them (by giving her more of your time and provision) so as to leave the other hanging (i.e., neither divorced nor married). And if you do justice, and do all that is right and fear Allaah by keeping away from all that is wrong, then Allaah is Ever Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful."
[al-Nisaa' 4:129]
The justice that is required here is a fair division of nights, and the giving of each wife her rights as regards spending and clothing. This does not refer to emotions or love, because man has no control over his feelings. But some people, when they marry more than one wife, favour one and neglect the other, spending more time with one wife and spending more on her, and ignoring the other.
This is haraam, and the person who does this will come on the Day of Resurrection in the condition described by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in the hadeeth narrated by Abu Hurayrah: "Whoever has two wives and gives one of them preferential treatment, he will come on the Day of Resurrection with half of his body leaning."
(Narrated by Abu Dawud, 2/601; see also Saheeh al-Jaami', 6491).
Shaytaan is always keen to tempt people and make them commit haraam deeds. For this reason, Allaah warned us (interpretation of the meaning):
"O you who believe! Follow not the footsteps of Shaytaan. And whosoever follows the footsteps of Shaytaan, then, verily he commands al-fahshaa' (indecency) and al-munkar (evil deeds). ."
[al-Noor 24:21]
Shaytaan runs through the veins of mankind like blood, and one of the ways in which he induces people to commit indecent acts is by leading a man to be alone with a non-mahram woman.
Islaam blocks this way by forbidding such conduct, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "No man is alone with a (non-mahram) woman, but Shaytaan will be the third among them."
(Reported by al-Tirmidhi, 3/474; see also Mishkaat al-Masaabeeh, 3118).
Ibn 'Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him and his father) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "From this day on, no man should enter upon a woman house whose husband is absent unless there is another man or two with him."
(Reported by Muslim, 4/1711).
It is not permitted for a man to be alone in a house, room or car with a non-mahram woman, including his brother's wife or a servant. Similarly a female patient should not be alone with a doctor, and so on. Many people are careless about this matter, whether because they trust themselves or for some other reason, with the results that many commit indecent acts or take the steps that lead to them, which in turn results in the tragedies of confused lineage and illegitimate births.
This is one of the cases where incorrect social customs have taken precedence over the laws of Allaah, to such an extent that if you try to talk to people and show them evidence that this is wrong, they will accuse you of being backward, having a complex, trying to break family ties, doubting their good intentions, etc. Shaking hands with female cousins, brothers' wives and uncles' wives is now easier than drinking water in our society, but if we look properly we will understand the seriousness of the matter.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "If one of you were to be stabbed in the head with an iron needle it would be better for him than touching a woman whom he is not permitted to touch."
(Reported by al-Tabaraani, 20/212; see also Saheeh al-Jaami', 4921).
There is no doubt that this is an act of zinaa, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "The eyes may commit zinaa, the hands may commit zinaa, the feet may commit zinaa and the private parts may commit zinaa."
(Reported by Imaam Ahmad, 1/412; see also Saheeh al-Jaami', 4921).
Is there anyone more pure in heart than Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)?
Yet still he said, "I do not shake hands with women."
(Reported by Imaam Ahmad, 6/357; see also Saheeh al-Jaami', 7054, and al-Isaabah, 4/354, Daar al-Kitaab al-'Arabi edition).
And he said, "I do not touch the hands of women."
(Reported by al-Tabaraani in al-Kabeer, 24/342; see also Saheeh al-Jaami', 7054 and al-Isaabah, 4/354, Dar al-Kutub al-'Arabi edition).
Aa'ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) said: "No, by Allaah, the hand of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) never touched the hand of a (non-mahram) woman. He received bay'ah (pledge of allegiance) from them by word only."
(Reported by Muslim, 3/489).
Let them fear Allaah, those people who threaten their pious wives with divorce if they do not shake hands with their brothers.
We should also note that placing a barrier such as a piece of cloth is of no use; it is still haraam to shake hands with a non-mahram woman.
This practice is widespread nowadays, despite the stern warning of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), who said: "Any woman who applies perfume and then goes out among the people so that they could smell her fragrance is a zaaniyah (adulteress)."
(Reported by Imaam Ahmad, 4/418; see also Saheeh al-Jaami', 105).
Some women are very careless and take the matter too lightly, especially in front of drivers, shopkeepers, school porters, etc., even though the Sharee'ah states very strictly that the woman who wears perfume must wash herself like a person must wash when in a state of janaanah (i.e., perform ghusl), if she wants to go out to the mosque.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Any woman who wears perfume then goes out to the mosque, so that the fragrance can be discerned, her prayers will not be accepted until she performs ghusl like the ghusl to be performed when in a state of janaabah."
(Reported by Imaam Ahmad, 2/444; see also Saheeh al-Jaami', 2703).
The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "It is not permitted for the woman who believes in Allaah and the Last Day to travel one day's distance without the presence of a mahram."
(Reported by Muslim, 2/977).
When a woman travels without a mahram, this encourages corrupt people to prey on her because of her weakness; at the very least, her honour will be harmed. This prohibition applies also to a woman travelling by plane, even if - as is often claimed - one mahram sees her off at one end and another mahram meets her at the other. Who is going to sit next to her during the journey? What if technical problems divert the plane to another airport, or the flight is delayed? What if...? There are too many stories of things that went wrong. For a person to be considered a mahram, he must meet four conditions: he should be a Muslim, over the age of puberty, of sound mind, and male.
Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri said: "The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: 'No woman who believes in Allaah and the Last Day should travel a distance of three days' journey or more unless her father, son, husband, brother or other mahram is with her."
(Reported by Muslim, 2/977).
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Tell the believing men to lower their gaze (from looking at forbidden things), and to protect their private parts (from illegal sexual acts, etc.). That is purer for them. Verily, Allaah is All-Aware of what they do."
[al-Noor 24:30]
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "The adultery of the eyes is by looking" (i.e. by looking at what Allaah has forbidden).
(Reported by al-Bukhaari, see Fath al-Baari, 11/26).
Looking for a legitimate purpose is exempted from this rule, such as looking at a woman for marriage purposes, or a doctor examining a patient for medical reasons, etc. Women are equally forbidden to look at non-mahram men, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And tell the believing women to lower their gaze (from looking at forbidden things) and to protect their private parts (from illegal sexual acts, etc.) . . ."
[al-Noor 24:31]
Men are also forbidden to look with desire at a man with a hairless or beautiful face. Men are forbidden to look at the 'awrah of other men, and women are forbidden to look at the 'awrah of other women. If it is forbidden to look at something, it is forbidden to touch it, even over clothing. One of the ways in which Shaytaan deceives people is by making them think that there is nothing wrong with looking at pictures in magazines or watching movies, because what is seen is not "real," even though such images clearly cause so much damage by provoking desires.
Ibn 'Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him and his father) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "There are three whom Allaah will deprive of Paradise: the one who drinks intoxicants, the one who is disobedient to his parents, and the one who accepts immoral conduct on the part of his family."
(Reported by Imaam Ahmad, 2/69; see also Saheeh al-Jaami', 3047).
One of the many examples of this in modern times is men turning a blind eye to their daughters or wives contacting non-mahram men and chatting to them in a way that may be described as "romantic," or accepting one of the women of his household being alone with a non-mahram man, or allowing them to sit alone with a driver or other employee, or letting them go out without proper hijaab, so that everyone may look at them, or bringing home immoral magazines and movies.
According to Sharee'ah, it is not permissible for a Muslim to claim to belong to anyone other than his father, or to claim to belong to a people of whom he is not a member. Some people may do this for material gains, and may obtain documentation to "confirm" their false identity officially. Some people may do this out of hatred towards a father who abandoned them when they were children. All of this is haraam, and may lead to much chaos and corruption in a number of fields, such as knowing who is one's mahram, marriage, inheritance and so on.
Sa'd and Abu Bakrah (may Allaah be pleased with them) both reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever knowingly claims to belong to anyone other than his father, Paradise will be denied him."
(Reported by al-Bukhaari; see Fath al-Bari, 8/45).
It is also forbidden to tamper with lineages or make false claims about a person's descent. There are some people who, when they want to fight dirty in arguments with their wives, accuse them of immoral conduct and disown their children, without any proof, when the child was born "in their bed" (i.e. is the husband's child and no-one else's). Then there are some wives who betray their trust and become pregnant with another man's child, but claim that it belongs to the husband.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) issued a stern warning against such conduct. Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that when aayat al-mulaa'anah [al-Noor 24:7] was revealed, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "The woman who brings into a people someone who does not belong to them has nothing to do with Allaah, and Allaah will not admit her to His Paradise. Any man who denies his own child when he is looking at him, Allaah will conceal Himself from him and expose him before all the people."
(Reported by Abu Dawud, 2/695; see also Mishkat al-Masaabeeh, 3316).
In the Qur'aan, Allaah does not declare war on anyone except the people who deal in riba (interpretation of the meaning):
"O you who believe! Be afraid of Allaah and give up what remains (due to you) of riba (from now onward), if you are (really) believers. And if you do not do it, then take a message of war from Allaah and His Messenger."
[al-Baqarah 2:278-279]
This is sufficient to explain the abhorrence of this deed in the sight of Allaah, may He be glorified.
One may easily discern the extent of devastation, at the individual and the international level, caused by dealing with riba - such as bankruptcy, recession, economic stagnation, inability to repay loans, high unemployment, collapse of many companies and institutions, etc. Daily toil has become a never-ending struggle to pay off interest on loans and societies have become class-ridden structures in which huge wealth in concentrated in the hands of a few. Perhaps all this is a manifestation of the war threatened by Allaah to those who deal in riba.
Everyone who has something to do with riba, whether he is one of the main parties involved or is a middleman or facilitator, has been cursed by Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
Jaabir (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) cursed "the one who consumes riba, the one who gives it to others, the one who writes it down and the one who witnesses it." He said: "They are all the same."
(Reported by Muslim, 3/1219).
Based on this, it is not permitted to do work that involves writing interest-based contracts and conditions, paying or receiving riba, depositing it or guarding it. Generally speaking, it is haraam to be directly or indirectly involved with riba in any way, shape or form.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was keen to explain the ugliness of this major sin. 'Abdullaah ibn Mas'ood (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "There are seventy-three types of riba, the least of which is as abhorrent as a man having intercourse with his own mother and worst of which is [violating] a Muslim's honor and sanctity. (Reported by al-Haakim in al-Mustadrak, 2/37); see also Saheeh al-Jaami', 3533).
Abdullah ibn Hanzalah (may Allaah be pleased with him and his father) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Knowingly consuming a dirham of riba is worse for a man than committing adultery thirty-six times."
(Reported by Imaam Ahmad, 5/225; see also Saheeh al-Jaami', 3375).
The prohibition on riba does not just apply to deals between rich and poor, as some people think; it is a general prohibition that applies to every person and every situation. How many rich people and big businessmen have gone bankrupt because of riba! The least harm riba does is to destroy the blessing (barakah) of the money, even if a person's wealth is great.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Even if riba is much, it will end up being a small amount."
(Reported by al-Haakim, 2/37; see also Saheeh al-Jaami', 3542).
This does not refer to whether the ratio of interest is high or low; all riba is haraam, and the one who deals with it will be raised up on the Day of Resurrection like the one who stands beaten by Shaytaan resulting in insanity and epilepsy.
In spite of the enormity of this sin, Allaah has told us to repent from it and has explained how. Allaah says to those who deal in riba (interpretation of the meaning): ". . . but if you repent, you shall have your capital sums. Deal not unjustly (by asking more than your capital sums), and you shall not be dealt with unjustly (by receiving less than your capital sums)."
[al-Baqarah 2:279]
This is quintessential justice.
The believer must despise this major sin and feel its abhorrence, even if he puts his money in interest-based banks because he has no other choice and is afraid that his money may be lost or stolen otherwise. He should feel that he is being compelled by necessity to do this, like one who eats dead meat, or worse. At the same time, he should seek the forgiveness of Allaah and try to find an alternative if he can. He is not permitted to ask the bank for interest, and if the bank deposits it in his account, he must get rid of it in whatever way is permissible. This money cannot be counted as sadaqah (charity), because Allaah is pure and accepts only that which is pure. He cannot benefit from this money by using it to by food, drink, clothing, transportation or housing; he cannot use it to fulfil obligations such as spending on his wife, child or parents, or to pay zakaat or taxes, or to defend himself in court. Rather, he should just get rid of it, for fear of the wrath of Allaah.
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The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) once passed by a pile of food that was for sale. He put his hand in it and felt dampness, so he asked, "What is this, O seller of the food?" He said, "It was rained on, O Messenger of Allaah." The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Why don't you put it on top, so that people can see it? Whoever deceives (the people) is not one of us."
(Reported by Muslim, 1/99).
There are many traders nowadays who do not fear Allaah, and try to conceal faults by wrapping it in plastic [?], putting faulty produce in the bottom of the box, using chemicals and the like to make a product look good, or concealing noises in engines that may indicate a fault - so that when the purchaser brings a product home, it soon starts to wear out. Some traders change expiry dates, or prevent the buyer from examining or trying out a product. Many of those who sell cars or other types of equipment do not point out the product's faults.
All of this is haraam, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "The Muslim is the brother of his fellow Muslim. The Muslim is not permitted to sell to his brother anything which is faulty without pointing out the faults to him."
(Reported by Ibn Maajah, 2/754; see also Saheeh al-Jaami', 6705).
Some traders even think that their responsibility ends when they tell buyers at an auction, "I am selling a heap of metal, a heap of metal..." This is a sale in which there is no blessing, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "The two parties involved in a sale have the choice (to end it - i.e. the sale is not final) until they part. If both have been truthful and honest about any faults, the sale will be blessed, but if they have lied and concealed any faults, the blessing of the sale will be lost."
(Reported by al-Bukhaari; see al-Fath, 4/328).
This refers to the practice of artificially inflating the price with no intention of buying, in order to deceive others, thus pushing them to add more to the price they are offering.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Do not artificially inflate prices."
(Reported by al-Bukhaari, see Fath al-Baari, 10/484).
This is undoubtedly a form of deceit, and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Double-dealing and cheating will end in Hell."
(See Silsilat al-Ahaadeeth al-Saheehah, 1057).
Many salesmen at auctions and in car salesrooms are earning unclean and haraam income because of the many haraam things that they do, such as conspiring to artificially inflate prices and deceive purchasers, or to lower the price of one of their products, or conversely pretending to be customers and raising the prices at auctions to deceive and cheat.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): "O you who believe! When the call is proclaimed for the salaat (prayer) on the day of Friday (Jumu'ah prayer), come to the remembrance of Allaah and leave off business (and every other thing), that is better for you if you did but know!"
[al-Jumu'ah 62:9].
Some people continue trading in their stores and in front of the mosque even after the second call to prayer; those who buy from them also share in their guilt, even if they only buy a siwaak (natural toothbrush). According to the soundest opinion, this sale is invalid. Some owners of restaurants, bakeries and factories force their employees to work at the time of Jumu'ah prayers; even if this leads to an apparent increase in earnings, they will ultimately be losers in reality.
The employee is obliged to act in accordance with the teaching of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): "There is no obedience to a created being if it involves disobedience to Allaah."
(Reported by Imaam Ahmad, 1/129; Ahmad Shaakir said: its isnaad is saheeh, no. 1065).
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"O you who believe! Intoxicants (all kinds of alcoholic drinks), gambling, al-ansaab (stone altars for sacrifices to idols, etc.), and al-azlaam (arrows for seeking luck or decision) are an abomination of Shaytaan's handiwork. So avoid (strictly all) that abomination, in order that you may be successful."
[al-Maa'idah 5:90]
Gambling was very common during the Jaahiliyyah; in one of the most well-known forms of gambling, ten people would buy a camel, each paying an equal share, then they would throw down arrows - a form of drawing lots. Seven people would win unequal shares and three would be left empty-handed.
Nowadays there are many forms of gambling, including:
lotteries and raffles, in which people pay money to buy numbers, then numbers are drawn for first prize, second prize, and so on for a variety of prizes. This is haraam, even when it is supposedly done for charity.
Buying a product which includes something unknown, or paying for a number for a draw which will decide who gets what.
Another modern form of gambling is insurance, such as life insurance, car insurance, product insurance, insurance against fire or theft, third party insurance, comprehensive insurance, and so on. There are so many types of insurance that some singers even insure their voices!
All of the above are forms of gambling. Nowadays there are even clubs that are devoted exclusively to gambling, in which there are so-called "green tables" (roulette tables) just for people to commit this sin. Other forms of gambling include betting on horse races and other sports, fruit-machines and the like in amusement centres, and competitions in which the victors win prizes, as a group of scholars have stated.
Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): "Cut off (from the wrist joint) the (right) hand of the thief, male or female, as a recompense for that which they have committed, a punishment by way of example from Allaah. And Allaah is All-Powerful, All-Wise."
[al-Maa'idah 5:38]
One of the worst forms of this sin is theft from the pilgrims who come on Hajj and 'Umrah to the Ancient House of Allaah. This kind of thief has no respect for the limits set by Allaah in the best region on earth and around the House of Allaah.
In the report about Salaat al-Kusoof (the eclipse prayer), it is reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Hell was brought near, and that was when you saw me stepping backwards, because I feared that its heat would touch me. I saw therein the man with the crooked stick dragging his intestines in the Fire. He used to steal from the hujjaaj (pilgrims) with his crooked stick. If they spotted him, he would say 'This got caught on my stick,' and if they did not spot him, he would take whatever he had stolen . . ."
Another of the worst forms of theft is stealing from the public purse. Some of those who do this say "We are only doing what others do." They do not realize that what they are doing is effectively stealing from all the Muslims, because the public purse belongs to all the Muslims. Imitating those who do not fear Allaah is no excuse. Some people steal from the wealth of the kuffaar on the grounds that they are kuffaar, but this is wrong; the only kuffaar whose wealth we are allowed to take away are those who are actively fighting the Muslims, which does not apply to every kaafir individual or company.
Another form of theft is pick-pocketing, stealing something from a person's pocket without him realizing. Some thieves enter people's houses as visitors, and steal from them. Some steal from their guests' bags. Some - including women - go into stores and hide things in their pockets or under their clothing. Some think that the theft of small or cheap items is of little consequence, but the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Allaah has cursed the thief who steals an egg and has his hand cut off, and the thief who steals a rope and has his hand cut off." (Reported by al-Bukhaari, see Fath al-Baari, 12/81).
Everyone who steals something must first repent to Allaah then return the item to its rightful owner, whether openly or secretly, in person or via a third party. If he fails to find the rightful owner or his heirs after much effort, then he should give the property in charity, with the intention that the reward should be given to the rightful owner.
Giving a bribe to a qaadi or judge to make him turn a blind eye to the truth or to make a false claim succeed is a sin, because it leads to oppression and injustice for the person who is in the right, and it spreads corruption.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And eat up not one another's property unjustly, not give bribery to the rulers that you may knowingly eat up a part of the property of others sinfully."
[al-Baqarah 2:188]
Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Allaah has cursed those who give and accept bribes with regard to judging."
(Reported by Imaam Ahmad, 2/387; see also Saheeh al-Jaami', 5069).
However, payments made in order to reach the truth or avert injustice when there is no other way of doing so are not included in this warning.
Bribery is so widespread nowadays that it more of a source of income than the regular salary for some workers. Some companies even include bribes as a factor in their budgets, under a variety of headings, and some dealings cannot begin or end without the payment of a bribe. Much harm is caused to the poor and many safeguards are broken because of bribes. Bribery is a cause of corruption whereby employees act against their employers, and one can only get good service if one pays a bribe - the person who refuses to pay will get shoddy or late service, and people who come after him but are willing to pay will be served before him. Because of bribery, a great deal of money which is due to employers ends up in the pockets of sales representatives and those responsible for making company purchases.
It is little wonder, then that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) prayed to Allaah to deprive all those involved of His Mercy. 'Abdullah ibn 'Amr (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: "The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: 'The curse of Allaah be upon the one who gives a bribe and the one who accepts it."
(Reported by Ibn Maajah, 2313; see also Saheeh al-Jaami', 5114).
When there is no fear of Allaah, strength and cunning are a disaster because the one who possesses these qualities uses them to oppress others, such as seizing other people's possessions, including their land. The punishment for this is extremely severe.
Abdullaah ibn 'Umar reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever seizes any piece of land unlawfully, on the Day of Resurrection Allaah will make the ground swallow him up to the seventh depth of the earth." (Reported by al-Bukhaari; see al-Fath)
Ya'laa ibn Murrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Any man who seizes a hand span of land, Allaah will tell him to dig it (according to al-Tabaraani: to bring it) to the seventh depth of the earth, then it will be placed around his neck on the Day of Resurrection, until Allaah has finished judging mankind." (Reported by al-Tabaraani in al-Kabeer, 22/270; see also Saheeh al-Jaami', 9/27).
This also includes changing landmarks and boundaries in order to make one's own land bigger at the expense of a neighbour, as is indicated by the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): "Allaah has cursed the one who changes the boundary-markers of the land."
(Reported by Muslim, with commentary by al-Nawawi, 13/141).
To Be Continued Inshallah...
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