Research on bid’ah and shirk in Detailed

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Abu Sarah

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Research on bid’ah and shirk in Detailed

main points
Some Examples of bid’ah
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Abu Sarah

Allahu Akbar
Staff member
Detailed discussion of bid’ah and shirk

bid’ah (innovation) and shirk (polytheism, association of others with Allaah).

A. Bid’ah.
This issue may be divided into three topics:
1. Definition of bid’ah 2. Categories of bid’ah 3. Rulings on one who commits bid’ah – does that make him a kaafir or not?
1. Definition of bid’ah.

Shaykh Muhammad ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “According to sharee’ah, the definition is ‘Worshipping Allaah in ways that Allaah has not prescribed.’ If you wish you may say, ‘Worshipping Allaah in ways that are not those of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or his rightly guided successors (al-khulafaa’ al-raashidoon).’”

The first definition is taken from the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):

“Or have they partners with Allaah (false gods) who have instituted for them a religion which Allaah has not ordained?” [al-Shooraa 42:21]
The second definition is taken from the hadeeth of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), who said:

“I urge you to adhere to my way (Sunnah) and the way of the rightly-guided successors (al-khulafa’ al-raashidoon) who come after me. Hold fast to it and bite onto it with your eyeteeth [i.e., cling firmly to it], and beware of newly-invented matters.”

So everyone who worships Allaah in a manner that Allaah has not prescribed or in a manner that is not in accordance with the way of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or his rightly-guided successors (al-khulafa’ al-raashidoon), is an innovator, whether that innovated worship has to do with the names and attributes of Allaah, or to do with His rulings and laws.


With regard to ordinary matters of habit and custom, these are not called bid’ah (innovation) in Islam, even though they may be described as such in linguistic terms. But they are not innovations in the religious sense, and these are not the things that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was warning us against.
And there is no such thing in Islam as bid’ah hasanah (good innovation).”
(Majmoo’ Fataawa Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, vol. 2, p. 291)

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Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid said:

The root of the word bid’ah in Arabic means initiating something without any precedent. For example, Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“The Originator of the heavens and the earth…” [al-Baqarah 2:117]

In the terminology of sharee’ah, bid’ah means something that has been introduced into the religion of Allaah that has no general or specific basis to support it.

For example, the innovated adhkaar (dhikr) such as saying the name of Allaah on its own (“Allaah…Allaah… Allaah”) or the pronoun (“Hu… Hu… Hu…”, meaning “He… He… He…”). This is a new thing that has been innovated in the religion, intended as worship of Allaah, but there is no evidence for this, either specific or general… so it is bid’ah

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2. Categories of bid’ah
Bid’ah may be divided into two categories:
(i) bid’ah which constitutes kufr
(ii) bid’ah which does not constitute kufr
If you ask, what is the definition of bid’ah which constitutes kufr and that which does not constitute kufr?
The answer is:
Shaykh Haafiz al-Hukami (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “The kind of bid’ah which constitutes kufr is when one denies a matter on which there is scholarly consensus, which widely-known, and which no Muslim can have any excuse for not knowing, such as denying something that is obligatory, making something obligatory that is not obligatory, or making something haraam halaal, or making something halaal haraam; or believing some notion about Allaah, His Messenger and His Book when they are far above that, whether in terms of denial of affirmation – because that means disbelieving in the Qur’aan and in the message with which Allaah sent His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
Examples include the bid’ah of the Jahamiyyah, who denied the attributes of Allaah; or the notion that the Qur’aan was created; or the notion that some of the attributes of Allaah were created; or the bid’ah of the Qadariyyah who denied the knowledge and actions of Allaah; or the bid’ah of the Mujassimah who likened Allaah to His creation… etc.
The second category, bid’ah which does not constitute kufr, is defined as that which does not imply rejection of the Qur’aan or of anything with which Allaah sent His Messengers.
Examples include the Marwaani bid’ahs (which were denounced by the greatest Sahaabah who did not approve of them, although they did not denounce them as kaafirs or refuse to give them bay’ah because of that), such as delaying some of the prayers until the end of the due times, doing the Eid khutbah before the Eid prayer, delivering the khutbah whilst sitting down on Fridays, etc.
(Ma’aarij al-Qubool, 2/503-504)
3- The ruling on one who commits bid’ah – is he regarded as a kaafir or not?
The answer is that it depends.
If the bid’ah constitutes kufr, then the person is one of the following two types:
(i) Either it is known that his intention is to destroy the foundations of Islam and make the Muslims doubt it. Such a person is definitely a kaafir; indeed, he is a stranger to Islam and is one of the enemies of the faith.
(ii) Or he is deceived and confused; he cannot be denounced as a kaafir until proof is established against him, fair and square.
If the bid’ah does not constitute kufr, then he should not be denounced as a kaafir. Rather, he remains a Muslim, but he has done a gravely evil action.
If you ask, how should we deal with those who commit bid’ah?
The answer is:
Shaykh Muhammad ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “In both cases, we have to call these people – who claim to be Muslim but who commit acts of bid’ah which may constitute kufr or may be less than that – to the truth, by explaining the truth without being hostile or condemning what they are doing. But once we know that they are too arrogant to accept the truth – for Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning), ‘And insult not those whom they (disbelievers) worship besides Allaah, lest they insult Allaah wrongfully without knowledge.’ [al-An’aam 6:108] – if we find out that they are stubborn and arrogant, then we should point out their falsehood, because then pointing out their falsehood becomes an obligation upon us.
With regard to boycotting them, that depends upon the bid’ah. If it is a bid’ah which constitutes kufr, then it is obligatory to boycott the person who does it. If it is of a lesser degree than that, then it is essential to examine the situation further. If something may be achieved by boycotting the person, then we do it; if no purpose will be served by it, or if it will only make him more disobedient and arrogant, then we should avoid doing that, because whatever serves no purpose, it is better not to do it. And also in principle it is haraam to boycott a believer, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘It is not permissible for a man to forsake [not speak to] his brother for more than three [days].’”
(Adapted from Majmoo’ Fataawa Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, vol. 2, p. 293)
B. Shirk, its types and the definition of each
Shaykh Muhammad ibn ‘Uthaymeen said:
“Shirk is of two types, major shirk which puts a person beyond the pale of Islam, and lesser shirk.”
The first type, major shirk, is “Every type of shirk which the Lawgiver described as such and which puts a person beyond the pale of his religion” – such as devoting any kind of act of worship which should be for Allaah to someone other than Allaah, such as praying to anyone other than Allaah, fasting for anyone other than Allaah or offering a sacrifice to anyone other than Allaah. It is also a form of major shirk to offer supplication (du’aa’) to anyone other than Allaah, such as calling upon the occupant of a grave or calling upon one who is absent to help one in some way in which no one is able to help except Allaah.
The second type is minor shirk, which means every kind of speech or action that Islam describes as shirk, but it does not put a person beyond the pale of Islam – such as swearing an oath by something other than Allaah, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said that whoever swears an oath by something other than Allaah is guilty of kufr or shirk.”
The one who swears an oath by something other than Allaah but does not believe that anyone other than Allaah has the same greatness as Allah, is a mushrik who is guilty of lesser shirk, regardless of whether the one by whom he swore is venerated by people or not. It is not permissible to swear by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), or by the president, or by the Ka’bah, or by Jibreel, because this is shirk, but it is minor shirk which does not put a person beyond the pale of Islam.
Another type of minor shirk is showing off, which means that a person does something so that people will see it, not for the sake of Allaah.
The ways in which showing off may cancel out acts of worship are either of the following:
The first is when it is applies to an act of worship from the outset, i.e., the person is not doing that action for any reason other than showing off. In this case, the action is invalid and is rejected, because of the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah which was attributed to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), which says that Allaah said, “I am so self-sufficient that I am in no need of having an associate. Thus he who does an action for someone else’s sake as well as Mine will have that action renounced by Me to him whom he associated with Me.”
(Narrated by Muslim, Kitaab al-Zuhd, no. 2985)
The second is when the showing off happens later on during the act of worship, i.e., the action is originally for Allaah, then showing off creeps into it. This may be one of two cases:
The first is when the person resists it – this does not harm him.
For example, a man has prayed a rak’ah, then some people come along during his second rak’ah and it occurs to him to make the rukoo’ or sujood longer, or makes himself weep, and so on. If he resists that, it does not harm him, because he is striving against this idea. But if he goes along with that, then every action which stemmed from showing off is invalid, such as if he made his standing or prostration long, or he made himself weep – all of those actions will be cancelled out. But does this invalidation extend to the entire act of worship or not?
We say that either of the following must apply:
Either the end of his act of worship was connected to the beginning (with no pause); so if the end of it is invalidated then all of it is invalidated.
This is the case with the prayer – the last part of it cannot be invalidated without the first part also being invalidated, so the whole prayer is invalid.
Or if the beginning of the action is separate from the end of it, then the first part is valid but the latter part is not. Whatever came before the showing off is valid, and what came after it is not valid.
An example of that is a man who has a hundred riyals, and gives fifty of them in charity for the sake of Allaah with a sound intention, then he gives fifty in charity for the purpose of showing off. The first fifty are accepted, and the second fifty are not accepted, because the latter is separate from the former.”
Majmoo’ Fataawa wa Rasaa’il Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, and al-Qawl al-Mufeed Sharh Kitaab al-Tawheed, vol. 1, p. 114, 1st edition
 

Abu Sarah

Allahu Akbar
Staff member
Bid'ah Hasanah ("Good Innovations")

There is no such thing as bid’ah hasanah in Islam

Firstly, we should know what "bid'ah" means according to Islamic teaching.

It is defined as: any invented way in religion that is aimed at worshipping or drawing closer to Allaah. This means anything that is not referred to specifically in Sharee'ah, and for which there is no evidence (daleel) in the Qur'aan or Sunnah, and which was not known at the time of the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and his Companions. At the same time, it is quite obvious that this definition of religious inventions or innovations, which are condemned, does not include worldly inventions [such as cars and washing machines, etc. - Translator]

Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid saied :
There is no such thing as bid’ah hasanah in Islam for the following reasons


[1] The Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) stated repeatedly that: "Every newly-invented thing is a bid'ah (innovation), every bid'ah is a going astray, and every going astray will be in the Fire."
(Reported by al-Nisaa'i in al-Sunan, Salaat al-'Eedayn, Baab kayfa al-Khutbah).
Reports with the same meaning were narrated via Jaabir (may Allaah be pleased with him) by Ahmad, via al-'Irbaad ibn Saariyah by Abu Dawud and via Ibn Mas'ood (may Allaah be pleased with him) by Ibn Maajah.


[2] The Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to say, when beginning a khutbah (sermon): "… The best of speech is the Book of Allaah and the best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad. The worst of things are those which are newly-invented, and every innovation is a going astray…"
(reported by Muslim, no. 867)


[3] If every bid'ah is a going astray, how can some people then say that there is such a thing in Islam as "bid'ah hasanah"? By Allaah, this is an obvious contradiction of the statement and warning of the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).

The Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) stated that whoever innovates something new in the deen (religion) will have his deed rejected, and Allaah will not accept it, as is stated in the hadeeth narrated by 'Aa'ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her), who said: "The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: 'Whoever innovates something in this matter of ours that is not a part of it will have it rejected.'" (Reported by al-Bukhaari, Fath al-Baari, no. 2697).

How can anybody then say that bid'ah is acceptable and it is permitted to follow it?

When a person innovates something and adds to the deen something that does not belong to it, he is implying a number of bad things, each worse than the last, for example:

(1) That the religion is lacking, that Allaah did not complete and perfect it, and that there is room for improvement. This clearly contradicts the statement in the Qur'aan (interpretation of the meaning): "… This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion…" [al-Maa'idah 5:3]

(2) That the religion remained imperfect from the time of the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) until the time when this innovator came along and completed it with his own ideas.

(3) That the Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was "guilty" of either of two things: either he was ignorant of this "good innovation," or he knew about it but concealed it, thus letting his ummah down by not conveying it.

(4) That the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), his Companions and the righteous salaf (early generations) missed out on the reward of this "good innovation" - until this innovator came along and earned it for himself, despite the fact that he should say to himself, "If it was truly good, they would have been the first to do it."


(5) Opening the door to bid'ah leads to changing the deen (religion) and opens the way for personal whims and opinions, because every innovator implies that what he is introducing is something good, so whose opinion are we supposed to follow, and which of them should we take as a leader?

(6) Following bid'ah leads to the cancelling out of sunnah practices and the ways of the salaf. Real life bears witness that whenever a bid'ah is followed, a sunnah practice dies out; the reverse is also true.
...End Quote..

We ask Allaah to save us from the misguidance of personal whims and from all trials whether they are open or secret. And Allaah knows best
 

Abu Sarah

Allahu Akbar
Staff member
saying something that is bid’ah Doesn't make one an innovator

Question:
If a scholar says something that is bid’ah or he agrees with those who follow bid’ah concerning a particular innovation, is he one of them?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
This question was put to Shaykh Muhammad ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him), who said:

The question may be examined from two angles:

If a scholar says something which is bid’ah or follows the path of bid’ah with regard to a particular issue, is he counted as being one of them?
The answer is no, he is not counted as being one of them and is not to be described as such. If he agrees with them on one particular issue then he has agreed with them on that issue, but it is not correct to say that he is one of them in absolute terms.

For example, there may be someone who follows the madhhab of Ahmad (i.e., Hanbali) but with regard to a particular issue he follows the view of Imaam Maalik – is he to be counted as a Maaliki? No.

Similarly, if a faqeeh follows the madhhab of Abu Haneefah (i.e., Hanafi) but with regard to a particular issue he follows the madhhab of al-Shaafa’i, do we say that he is a Shaafa’i? No.

So if we see a scholar who is known to be sincere following something that is the view of the people of bid’ah, it is not correct for us to say that he is one of them or is following their way.

Rather we should say that because we know that they are following the Qur’aan and Sunnah, and that they are sincere in advising people, if they err with regard to this issue, that error stems from ijtihaad, and the mujtahid in this ummah will have two rewards if he reaches the right conclusion, and if he makes a mistake then he will have one reward.

Whoever rejects the whole truth (to which that person is calling people) because of one mistaken word is misguided, especially if the thing that he thinks is a mistake is not actually a mistake. Some people, if anyone disagrees with them, say that he is mistaken. They may describe him as being mistaken or misguided, or even as being a kaafir – Allaah forbid. This is an extremely bad way of judging people.


The one who regards people as being kaafirs for any reason or for any sin, is following a way that is even harsher than the way of the Khawaarij, because the Khawaarij used to regard the one who committed a major sin as being a kaafir, not just the one who committed any sin. So if there is anyone who regards the Muslims as kaafirs for any sin, then he is misguided and is going against the Qur’aan and Sunnah, and is more extreme than the Khawaarij whom ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib fought against. The Muslims differed as to whether they were to be regarded as kaafirs. Some described them as kaafirs (disbelievers) and some described them as evildoers and extreme wrongdoers.
Does not Allaah say (interpretation of the meaning):
“If you avoid the great sins which you are forbidden to do, We shall expiate from you your (small) sins, and admit you to a Noble Entrance (i.e. Paradise)”
[al-Nisaa’ 4:31]

By avoiding major sins, a person may be forgiven for minor sins, so long as he does not persist in those minor sins. But if he persists in them, then the scholars said that persisting in a minor sin makes that a major sin. No doubt the view of those who label people as kaafirs because of their sins is misguided, and the one who says that the Muslims should be regarded as kaafirs because of their sins should note that the Messenger :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever calls his brother a kaafir – when that is not the case – it will come back on him.”
This is what the Messenger said, so even if that person is not regarded as a kaafir in this world, he may become a kaafir in the sight of Allaah.


Al-Liqaa’ al-Shahri, 15 by Shaykh Muhammad ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him)
 

Abu Sarah

Allahu Akbar
Staff member
Mocking innovators

Mocking the kaafirs for their kufr or the innovators for their innovations (bid’ah) is permissible because they enjoy no sanctity or protection with regard to their sin and evildoing in which they regard as permissible that which Allaah and Islam have forbidden.

But this is only so long as the mocking does not go beyond the framework of dignity and truth, and it is not taken as a usual habit, and the jokes do not outweigh one's seriousness. But what we are warning against has become the habit of many people.


If one is to mock them, it should be for their going against the Sunnah, not for their different ways of dressing, walking, etc.

But is it a sin?

The correct view is that it is not a sin, rather this is something that it is permissible to talk about and joke about. The fact that the sin that we are mocking does not constitute kufr that puts a person beyond the pale of Islam makes it even more appropriate to joke about their sin, because by forsaking the truth and following falsehood, they have mocked the sanctity of Allaah.

Al-Laalkaani narrated, with isnaads, some reports from some of the salaf concerning such cases:

- He narrated from al-A’mash that Ibraaheem said:
“There is no gheebah [backbiting] concerning one who follows bid’ah.”

- He narrated that al-Hasan al-Basri said:
“There are three who have no protection from gheebah, one of whom is the one who follows bid’ah and is extreme in his bid’ah.”

- He narrated from Hishaam that al-Hasan said:
“There is no gheebah in the case of one who follows bid’ah and one who commits evil.”

- He narrated that al-Hasan said:
“There is no gheebah in the case of the people of bid’ah.”

- He narrated that Katheer Abu Sahl said:
“It is said that there is no sanctity for the people who follow their whims and desires.”
(I’tiqaad Ahl al-Sunnah, 1/140).

The example which is mentioned in the question, which is, “Oh, we don’t have to pray, it’s in your heart, remember?” is not kufr because the one who says it does not intend to mock the prayer, rather he intends to mock these words that go against sharee’ah, and to show that they are false.

The point is that making fun of something that the innovators say is not haraam and does not constitute kufr.

But we do not encourage denouncing the innovators by mocking them; rather we should debate with them in the way that is best. Your concern when debating with them should be to guide them to the Straight Path.

Allaah said to Moosa and Haroon when He sent them to Pharaoh (interpretation of the meaning):
“And speak to him mildly, perhaps he may accept admonition or fear (Allaah)”
[Ta-Ha 20:44]
And Allaah knows best.
 

Abu Sarah

Allahu Akbar
Staff member
Salaat al-Haajah

Salaat al-Haajah is mentioned in four hadeeths, two of which are fabricated. In one hadeeth Salaat al-Haajah has twelve rak’ahs and in the other it has two. The third hadeeth is da’eef jiddan (very weak) and the fourth hadeeth is da’eef (weak). In the last two hadeeths the prayer has two rak’ahs.

The first hadeeth .
It is narrated from Ibn Mas’ood (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Twelve rak’ahs that you pray by night or day and recite the tashahhud between each two rak’ahs. When you recite tashahhud at the end of the prayer, then praise Allaah and send blessings and peace upon the Prophet, and recite the Opening of the Book seven times whilst you are prostrating, and say: Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wahdahu laa shareeka lah, lahu’l-mulk wa lahu’l-hamd was huwa ‘ala kulli shay’in qadeer (There is no god but Allaah alone with no partner or associate, His is the Dominion, to Him be praise, and He has power over all things) ten times. Then say: “O Allaah, I ask You by the glory of Your Throne and the Mercy of Your Book and Your greatest name and Your highest majesty and Your perfect words,” Then ask for what you need, then raise your head and say salaam right and left. Do not teach it to the foolish for they will pray and will be answered.”
Narrated by Ibn al-Jawzi in al-Mawdoo’aat (2/63) via ‘Aamir ibn Khadaash from ‘Amr ibn Haroon al-Balkhi.
Ibn al-Jawzi narrated from Ibn Ma’een that ‘Amr al-Balkhi was a liar, and he said: It is narrated in saheeh reports that it is forbidden to recite Qur’aan when prostrating.
See: al-Mawdoo’aat (2/63) and Tadreeb al-Mawdoo’aat by al-Dhahabi (p. 167).


There is a difference of opinion among the scholars about saying the phraseI ask You by the glory of Your Throne” in du’aa’, depending on what is meant by the phrase, which is not narrated in sharee’ah. Some scholars said that it is not allowed to say this in du’aa’, such as Imam Abu Haneefah, because it is an innovated form of tawassul (seeking to draw close to Allaah). Others regarded it as permissible because they believe that it is seeking to draw close to Allaah by virtue of one of the attributes of Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted, not because it is permissible in their view to draw close to Allaah by virtue of created things.


Shaykh al-Albaani (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
I say: But the report referred to is false and is not saheeh (sound). It was narrated by Ibn al-Jawzi in al-Mawdoo’aat and he said: This is undoubtedly a fabricated (mawdoo’) hadeeth, and al-Haafiz al-Zayla’i agreed with him in Nasab al-Raayah (273). So it cannot be taken as evidence. If someone were to say: “I ask You by the glory of Your Throne”, it is seeking to draw close to Allaah by virtue of one of the attributes of Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted, so it is tawassul that is acceptable in Islam, on the basis of other evidence, so there is no need for this fabricated hadeeth.

Ibn al-Atheer (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “I ask You by the glory of Your Throne”, means, by the attributes which made it glorious, or it may mean, by the location of the glory in the Throne. The correct meaning is by the glory of Your Throne. The companions of Abu Haneefah regarded it as makrooh to use this phrase in du’aa’.
Based on the first meaning, i.e., the attributes that made the Throne glorious, it is tawassul by virtue of one of the attributes of Allaah, may He be exalted, so it is permissible. But based on the second meaning, i.e., the location of the glory in the Throne, then it is tawassul by virtue of a created thing, so it is not permissible. Whatever the case, the hadeeth does not deserve further research or interpretation because it is not proven, so the above is sufficient for us. End quote from al-Albaani.
Al-Tawassul wa Anwaa’uhu wa Ahkaamuhu (p. 48, 49)

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Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzaan (may Allaah preserve him) said:
This is a hadeeth which is somewhat strange, as the questioner noted, because it enjoins reciting al-Faatihah in a position other than standing, namely when bowing and prostrating, and doing that repeatedly, as well as saying “I ask You by the glory of Your Throne” etc. All of these are strange things. So the questioner should not act upon this hadeeth. There are sufficient saheeh ahaadeeth which are proven to be from the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and concerning which there is no confusion; these point to naafil acts of worship and prayers which are good and which are sufficient in sha Allaah. End quote.
Al-Muntaqa min Fataawa al-Shaykh al-Fawzaan (1/46).

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It is proven that the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade reciting Qur’aan whilst bowing and prostrating.
It was narrated that ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade me to recite Qur’aan when bowing or prostrating. Narrated by Muslim (480).


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The second hadeeth narrated concerning salaat al-haajah is as follows:

It was narrated that Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Jibreel (peace be upon him) came to me with some du’aa’s and said: When some worldly matter befalls you, say these words first, then ask for what you need: O Creator of the heavens and the earth, O possessor of majesty and honour, O helper of those who cry for help, O helper of those who seek help, O reliever of calamity, O most merciful of those who show mercy, O answerer of the call of the one who is in distress, O God of the universe, so You I tell my need, You know best about it so fulfil it.”
Narrated by al-Asbahaani, as stated in al-Targheeb wa’l-Tarheeb (1/275). Shaykh al-Albaani (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in Da’eef al-Targheeb (419) and al-Silsilah al-Da’eefah (5298) that it is mawdoo’ (fabricated).

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The third hadeeth is as follows:
It was narrated that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Abi Awfa said: The Messenger of Allaah :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: Whoever has a need from Allaah or from one of the sons of Adam, let him do wudoo’ and do it well, then let him pray two rak’ahs, then let him praise Allaah and send blessings and peace upon the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Then let him say: There is no god but Allaah, the Forbearing, the Most Generous. Glory be to Allaah the Lord of the Mighty Throne. Praise be to Allaah, the Lord of the Worlds. O Allaah, I ask You for the means of Your Mercy and forgiveness, the benefit of every good deed and safety from all sins. I ask You not to leave any sin of mine but You forgive it, or any distress but You relieve it, or any need that is pleasing to You but you meet it, O most Merciful of those who show mercy.”
Narrated by al-Tirmidhi (479) and Ibn Maajah (1384).
Al-Tirmidhi said: This is a ghareeb hadeeth, and there is some problem in its isnaad.
Al-Albaani (may Allaah have mercy on him) stated in Da’eef al-Targheeb (416): it is a very weak (da’eef jiddan) hadeeth.

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The fourth hadeeth is as follows:
It was narrated from Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “O ‘Ali, shall I not teach you a du’aa’ which, if some worry or distress befalls you, you may call upon your Lord with it and you will be answered by Allaah’s leave and you will be granted relief? Do wudoo’ and pray two rak’ahs, and praise and glorify Allaah, and send blessings upon your Prophet, and ask for forgiveness for yourself and the believing men and women, then say: O Allaah, You judge between Your slaves concerning that in which they differ, there is no god but Allaah, the Most High, the Almighty, there is no god but Allaah, the Forbearing the Most Generous. Glory be to Allaah, the Lord of the seven heavens and the Lord of the Mighty Throne. Praise be to Allaah the Lord of the Worlds. O Allaah, reliever of distress and worry, answerer of the call of the one who is in distress when he calls upon You, Most Compassionate and Most Merciful in this world and in the Hereafter, have mercy on me in my need and meet it, mercy that will leave me with no need of the mercy of anyone other than You.”
Narrated by al-Asbahaani, as stated in al-Targheeb wa’l-Tarheeb (1/275). It was classed as da’eef by al-Albaani (may Allaah have mercy on him) in Da’eef al-Targheeb (417). He said: Its isnaad is weak and contains narrators who are not known. See also al-Silsilah al-Da’eefah (5287).

Conclusion: There is no saheeh hadeeth about this prayer, so it is not prescribed for the Muslim to offer it. What is narrated in the saheeh Sunnah of prayers, du’aa’s and adhkaar is sufficient for him.
 

Abu Sarah

Allahu Akbar
Staff member
salaat al-raghaa’ib

Salaat al-raghaa’ib is one of the innovations (bid’ahs) that have been introduced in the month of Rajab. It is done on the night of the first Friday in Rajab, between Maghrib and ‘Isha’, and is preceded by fasting on the first Thursday of Rajab.

Salaat al-raghaa’ib was first introduced in Bayt al-Maqdis (Jerusalem) in 480 AH. There is no report that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did it, or any of his companions, or any of the best generations or imams. This alone is sufficient to prove that it is a reprehensible innovation, and it is not a praiseworthy Sunnah.
The scholars have warned against it and pointed out that it is innovation and misguidance.

Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in al-Majmoo’ (3/548)
The prayer which is known as salaat al-raghaa’ib, which is twelve rak’ahs that are offered between Maghrib and ‘Isha’ on the night of the first Friday in Rajab, and praying one hundred rak’ahs on the night of Nusf Sha’baan (halfway through Sha’baan) are both reprehensible innovations. No one should be deceived by the fact that they are mentioned in Qoot al-Quloob and Ihya’ ‘Uloom al-Deen, or by the hadeeth which is quoted in these two books, because all of that is false. No one should be deceived by some of those imams who were confused about the ruling on these prayers and wrote essays stating that they are mustahabb, for they are mistaken in that. Imam Abu Muhammad ‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Isma’eel al-Maqdisi wrote a valuable book showing that they are false, and he did well in that, may Allaah have mercy on him. End quote.


Al-Nawawi also said in Sharh Muslim:

May Allaah curse the one who fabricated and introduced that, for it is a reprehensible innovation, one of the innovations which constitute misguidance and ignorance, and it involves obvious evils. A number of imams have written valuable works explaining that those who offer this prayer and the one who invented it are misguided, and they quoted a great deal of evidence to show that it is wrong and false, and that those who do it are misguided. End quote.


Ibn ‘Aabideen said in his Haashiyah (2/26):

It says in al-Bahr: Hence we know that it is makrooh to gather for salaat al-raghaa’ib, which is done on the first Friday of Rajab, and that it is an innovation.
The scholar Noor al-Deen al-Maqdisi wrote a good essay on this topic which he called Rad’ al-Raaghib ‘an Salaat al-Raghaa’ib, in which he covered most of the comments of earlier and later scholars among the four madhhabs. End quote.

Ibn Hajr al-Haytami (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked: Is it permissible to offer salaat al-raghaa’ib in congregation or not?
He replied:

Salaat al-raghaa’ib is like the prayer that is known as laylat al-nusf min Sha’baan (half way through Sha’baan). These are two reprehensible innovations and the hadeeth which speaks of them is mawdoo’ (fabricated). It is forbidden to offer these prayers either individually or in congregation.” End quote.
Al-Fataawa al-Fiqhiyyah al-Kubra, 1/216


Ibn al-Haaj al-Maaliki said in al-Madkhal (1/294):
Among the innovations that have been introduced in this noble month (i.e., Rajab) is that on the night of the first Friday thereof, they pray salaat al-raghaa’ib in the mosques, and they gather in some mosques and do this innovation openly in the mosques with an imam and congregation, as if it is a prescribed prayer… the view of Imam Maalik (may Allaah have mercy on him) is that it is makrooh to do this prayer, because it was not done by those who came before, and all goodness is to be found in following them (may Allaah be pleased with them). End quote.



Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
As for innovating a prayer which is done regularly with a certain number of rak’ahs, with a certain recitation and at a certain time in congregation, like these prayers that are being asked about here – such as salaat al-raghaa’ib on the first Friday of Rajab, and halfway through Sha’baan, and the night of the twenty-seventh of Rajab, and so on – these are not prescribed in Islam, according to the consensus of the imams of Islam, as was stated by the reliable scholars. No one established such a thing but those who are ignorant and innovators. Things like this open the door to changing the laws and rituals of Islam and becoming like those who instituted things which Allaah has not ordained. End quote.
Al-Fataawa al-Kubra, 2/239


Shaykh al-Islam was also asked about it and he said:

This prayer was not offered by the Messenger of Allaah :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or by any of the Sahaabah or the Taabi’een or the imams of the Muslims. The Messenger of Allaah :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not enjoin it and neither did any of the salaf or imams. They did not suggest that this night has any virtue for which it should be singled out. The hadeeth which is narrated concerning that from the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is false and fabricated, according to scholarly consensus. Hence the scholars said that it is forbidden and not mustahabb. End quote.
Al-Fataawa al-Kubra, 2/262


It says in al-Mawsoo’ah al-Fiqhiyyah (22/262):
The Hanafis and Shaafa’is stated that praying salaat al-raghaa’ib on the first Friday of Rajab, or on Laylat al-nusf min Sha’baan, in a specific manner or with a specific number of rak’ahs, is a reprehensible innovation.

Abu’l-Faraj ibn al-Jawzi said: Salaat al-raghaa’ib is a fabrication that is falsely attributed to the Messenger of Allaah :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). They stated that these payers are a bid’ah and are forbidden for a number of reasons. There is no report from the Sahaabah, Taabi’een or imams about these two prayers. If they were prescribed in Islam then the salaf would not have been unaware of them. Rather they were introduced in the 400s (fifth century AH). End quote
 

Abu Sarah

Allahu Akbar
Staff member
Salaat al-Naariyah

Salaat al-Naariyah

“Allahumma salli salaatan kaamilatan wasallim salaaman taamman ‘ala sayyidina muhammadin alladhi(allathi in some prose) tan’hil bihi il uq’ad· watatafarrij bih il karb· wataq’dhi bih il hawaa’ij· wa tanaal bih ir raghaa’ib· wa hasan al khawaayitam wa yastasq il ghamaam bi wajhih il kareem wa ‘ala ‘aalihi wa sah’bihi fee kulli lamhatin wa nafs”

The above recitation is called salaat un naaria in india and recited 4444 times whenever a calamity falls in a house by bringing many students and the chief of a madhrasaa.

1. The words of this innovated prayer are clear enough, but there is nothing wrong with explaining them further.

“obstacles are removed” means, a way out is found from whatever obstacles and difficult matters one is faced with.

The phrase may also mean “by virtue of whom anger is calmed.”

“distress is relieved” means anxiety and grief are taken away.
“needs are met” means one gets what one is trying to achieve.

“desires are fulfilled and a good end may be achieved” means his wishes are fulfilled whether that is in this world or in the Hereafter, one of which is that one meets a good end.

“by virtue of whose noble face clouds may be sent” means that he is asked to pray to Allaah to send rain.


2. This so-called prayer includes things which clearly go against Islam, such as the following:

(i) It is supposed to be said at times of calamity. This is a contrived reason for an innovated act of worship.

(ii) It is supposed to be recited a set number of times, 4444 times. This is a contrived amount for an innovated act of worship.

(iii) It is supposed to be recited in a communal fashion. This is a contrived method for an innovated act of worship

(iv) It contains phrases which go against Islam, which constitute shirk and which are an exaggeration about the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). It attributes to him actions which cannot be attributed to anyone other than Allaah, such as meeting people’s needs, relieving distress, fulfilling their desires and granting a good end. Allaah commanded His Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him):
“Say: ‘It is not in my power to cause you harm, or to bring you to the Right Path’”
[al-Jinn 72:21 – interpretation of the meaning]

(v) It ignores what is taught in the sharee’ah, and makes up a contrived prayer and supplication. This implies that one is accusing the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) of failing to explain everything that the people need, and that one is trying to fill gaps in the sharee’ah.

The Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘Whoever innovates anything in this matter of ours (Islam) that is not a part of it, will have it rejected”
(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2550; Muslim, 1718).

According to a report narrated by Muslim (1718), he said: “Whoever does any action that is not in accordance with this matter of ours (Islam) will have it rejected.”

Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “This hadeeth represents one of the most important basic principles of Islam. It is like a yardstick for measuring the outward appearance of actions, just as the hadeeth ‘Actions are but by intentions’ is a yardstick for measuring the inward nature of actions. Just as actions which are not done for the sake of Allaah bring no reward to the one who does them, so too actions which are not done in accordance with the command of Allaah and His Messenger are rejected and thrown back at the one who does them. Everyone who innovates something in the religion for which Allaah and His Messenger have not granted permission, that action has nothing to do with the religion.”(Jaami’ al-‘Uloom wa’l-Hukam, 1/180)


Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “This hadeeth is one of the most important basic principles of Islam and is one of the most comprehensive sayings of the Prophet:saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). It is a clear rejection of bid’ah and innovations. The second report adds a further idea, which is that some people may persist in doing some innovated action (bid’ah) for which there is a precedent, and when the first report – ‘Whoever innovates anything…’ – is quoted as proof, such a person may say, ‘But I did not innovate anything. Then the second report – ‘Whoever does any action…’ – may be quoted, which clearly states that all innovated actions are rejected, whether the one who does them invented them or they were previously invented. This hadeeth is one of those which should be memorized and used in denouncing evil actions, and it should be propagated widely.”
(Sharh Muslim, 12/16)
 

Abu Sarah

Allahu Akbar
Staff member
Salaat al-Tasaabeeh

There are ahaadeeth concerning Salaat al-Tasaabeeh which are attributed to the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and which were classed as hasan by some of the scholars, but may scholars said that they are da’eef (weak) and that this prayer is not prescribed in Islam.

The Standing Committee was asked about Salaat al-Tasaabeeh, and they answered:

Salaat al-Tasaabeeh is a bid’ah (innovation) and the hadeeth concerning it is not proven, rather it is munkar. Some of the scholars mentioned it among the mawdoo’ (fabricated) ahaadeeth.
See Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, vol. 8, p. 163


Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen said: Salaat al-Tasaabeeh is not prescribed, because the hadeeth is da’eef (weak).

Imaam Ahmad said there is no sound evidence for it.

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said it is a fabrication, and he said that none of the imaams recommended it. He (may Allaah have mercy on him) spoke the truth, because whoever examines this prayer will find that it is odd in the way it is performed … Moreover, if it were prescribed, it would have been something that was reported in many reports because of its great virtue and reward. Since there are no such reports and none of the imaams described it as being recommended, we know that it is not proven. The oddness in the way in which it is performed is as described in the hadeeth narrated concerning it, which says that it is to be performed once every day, or once every week, or once every month, or once every year, or once in a lifetime. This indicates that these reports are not sound; if it were prescribed, it would be something to be done on a regular basis, and one would not be given such a variety of options.
On this basis, people should not do this prayer. And Allaah knows best.
Fataawa Manaar al-Islam, 1/203
 

Abu Sarah

Allahu Akbar
Staff member
uttering the intention (niyyah) in acts of worship

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah was asked about the intention when starting to do an act of worship such as praying etc., do we need to utter it verbally, such as saying, “I intend to pray, I intend to fast”?
He replied:

Praise be to Allaah.

The intention of purifying oneself by doing wudoo’ ghusl or tayammum, of praying, fasting, paying zakaah, offering kafaarah (expiation) and other acts of worship does not need to be uttered verbally, according to the consensus of the imaams of Islam. Rather the place of intention is the heart, according to the consensus among them. If a person utters something by mistake that goes against what is in his heart, then what counts is what he intended, not what he said.


No one has mentioned any difference of opinion concerning this matter, except that some of the later followers of al-Shaafa’i expressed approval of that, but some of the leaders of this madhhab said that this was wrong. But in the dispute among the scholars as to whether it is mustahabb to utter one’s intention, there are two points of view.

Some of the companions of Abu Haneefah, al-Shaafa’i and Ahmad said that it is mustahabb to utter the intention so as to make it stronger.
Some of the companions of Maalik, Ahmad and others said that it is not mustahabb to utter it, because that is a bid’ah (innovation).

It was not narrated that the Messenger of Allaah :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or his Sahaabah did it or that he commanded anyone among his ummah to utter the intention. That is not known from any of the Muslims. If that had been prescribed then the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and his companions would not have neglected it, as it has to do with worship which the ummah does every day and night.


This is the more correct view. Indeed, uttering the intention is a of irrational thinking and falling short in religious commitment. In terms of falling short in religious commitment, that is because it is bid’ah (an innovation). In terms of irrational thinking, that is because it is like a person who wants to eat some food saying, “I intend to put my hand in this vessel, take out a morsel of food, put it in my mouth and chew it, then swallow it, and eat until I have had my fill.” This is sheer foolishness and ignorance.


Intention is connected to knowledge. If a person knows what he is doing then he has obviously made an intention. It cannot be imagined, if he knows what he wants to do, that he has not formed an intention. The imaams are agreed that speaking the intention out loud and repeating it is not prescribed in Islam, rather the person who has made this a habit should be disciplined and told not to worship Allaah by following bid’ah and not to disturb others by raising his voice.
And Allaah knows best.


Al-Fataawa al-Kubra, 1/214, 215
 

Abu Sarah

Allahu Akbar
Staff member
celebrating the Prophet’s birthday (al-Mawlid al-Nabawi)

Celebrating the Prophet’s birthday (al-mawlid) is an innovation (bid’ah), and doing special acts of worship on this day such as saying tasbeeh and tahmeed, observing i’tikaaf, reading Qur’aan and fasting is an innovation for which a person will not receive any reward, for these are all rejected.

It was narrated from ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) that the Messenger of Allaah :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever introduces anything into this matter of ours that is not part of it will have it rejected.”
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2550; Muslim, 1718.

According to a version narrated by Muslim (1718) he said: “Whoever does an action that is not in accordance with this matter of ours will have it rejected.”

Al-Faakihaani (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
I do not know of any basis for this mawlid in the Qur’aan or Sunnah, and there is no report that any of the scholars of this ummah, who are examples in matters of religion and adhere to the path of those who came before, did this. Rather it is an innovation (bid’ah) which was introduced by those who have nothing better to do, and it is a means for them to have fun and eat a lot.
Al-Mawrid fi ‘Aml al-Mawlid, quoted in Rasaa’il fi Hukm al-Ihtifaal bi’l-Mawlid al-Nabawi, 1/8, 9

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Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
If celebrating the Prophet’s birthday was prescribed, then the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) would have told his ummah of that, because he is the most sincere of people and there is no Prophet after him who could explain anything he did not speak about. He :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is the Seal of the Prophets and he explained to the people what he had to explain of the truth, such as loving him and following his sharee’ah, sending blessings and salaams upon him and other rights of his that are explained in the Qur’aan and Sunnah. He did not tell his ummah that celebrating the day of his birth was something prescribed so that they would do that. He :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not do that during his lifetime and his companions :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) who were the dearest of people to him and the most knowledgeable of his rights did not celebrate that day, neither did the Rightly-Guided Caliphs or any others. Then those who followed them in truth of the best three generations did not celebrate this day either.


Do you think that all these people were ignorant of his rights or fell short with regard to them, until the later generations came and made up for this shortfall and made the truth complete? No, by Allaah. No wise man who understands the nature of the Sahaabah and how they followed the truth would say this. If you understand that the celebration of the Prophet’s birthday was unknown at the time of the Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and the time of his companions and the time of their earliest followers, you will realize that it is an innovation that has been introduced into the faith, and it is not permissible to do it, approve of it or advocate it, rather we must denounce it and warn people against it.
Majmoo’ Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn Baaz, 6/318, 319

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Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid saied:

acts of worship in Islam are based on an important principle, which is that no one is permitted to worship Allaah in any way except that which Allaah has prescribed in his Book or which was taught by His Messenger Muhammad :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Whoever worships Allaah by doing something that Allaah and His Messenger have not enjoined, Allaah will not accept that from him. The Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told us of that, as it was narrated that ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) said: “The Messenger of Allaah :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘Whoever innovates something in this matter of ours [i.e., Islam] that is not part of it will have it rejected.’(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, Kitaab al-Sulh, 2499).


Acts of worship include festivals. Allaah has prescribed two festivals or Eids for us to celebrate, and it is not permissible for us to celebrate any others.

With regard to celebrating the day on which the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was born, it should be noted that he :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not tell us to celebrate this day, and he himself :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not celebrate it, nor did his companions (may Allaah be pleased with them). They loved the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) far more than we do, yet despite that they did not celebrate this day. Hence we do not celebrate this day, in obedience to the command of Allaah Who has commanded us to follow the commands of His Prophet.

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And whatsoever the Messenger (Muhammad) gives you, take it; and whatsoever he forbids you, abstain (from it)”
[al-Hashr 59:7]

And the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “I urge you to adhere to my Sunnah [way] and the way of the Rightly-Guided khaleefahs. Adhere to it and cling tightly to it. And beware of newly-invented matters [in religion], for every newly-invented matter is an innovation and every innovation is a going-astray.” (Narrated by Abu Dawood, al-Sunnah, 3991; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood, no. 3851).

The extent to which a person loves the Messenger of Allaah :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is to be seen in how he follows him with regard to all that he commanded or forbade. That includes following him in not celebrating the day on which he was born.


Whoever wants to venerate the day on which the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was born should follow the alternative that is based on Islamic evidence, which is that one should fast on Mondays, not just the day that he was born but every Monday.

It was narrated from Abu Qutaadah al-Ansaari (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was asked about fasting on Mondays. He said, “On that day I was born and on that day the Revelation came to me.” (Narrated by Muslim, 1978).
On Thursdays deeds are taken up and shown to Allaah.

Conclusion: celebrating the Prophet’s birthday was not prescribed by Allaah or by the Messenger of Allaah :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), so it is not permissible for the Muslims to celebrate his birthday, in obedience to the command of Allaah and the command of His Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
We ask Allaah to guide you to the Straight Path.
And Allaah knows best.
 

Abu Sarah

Allahu Akbar
Staff member
Celebrating completing the Qur’aan (khatm al-Qur’aan)

Celebrating the completion of memorizing the Qur’aan is not Sunnah, because nothing of that nature was narrated from the Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or from any of his Sahaabah. Doing this on the grounds that it is part of religion is bid’ah. But people do it as a customary expression of joy for the blessing of having memorized Qur’aan, like celebrations for the return of one who has been away, or for finding work, or for moving to a new home. If the celebration for completing the Qur’aan is of this nature, then there is nothing wrong with it. If a passage from the Qur’aan is recited, from the beginning or the end, without having to recite a specific soorah or recite in a particular way such as joining the end to the beginning, then this is fine, because reciting from Qur’aan is the best thing that can be done in a gathering and it is a reminder for those who are present. With regard to making du’aa’ when completing the recitation of the Qur’aan, it was reported with a saheeh isnaad from Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him) that when he completed the Qur’aan, he would gather his family together and make du’aa’ with them. If the reader makes du’aa’ when he completes the Qur’aan, and those who are present say “Ameen” to his du’aa’, this is fine.

that there is no reason not to have the celebration you have described. There is no need to read from the end of the Mus-haf and then join it to the beginning. Doing something in this manner requires evidence (daleel), because reading Qur’aan is an act of worship, and acts of worship must be done only in the manner in which the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did them, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

Indeed in the Messenger of Allaah (Muhammad) you have a good example to follow for him who hopes for (the Meeting with) Allaah and the Last Day, and remembers Allaah much” [al-Ahzaab 33:21]

Written by Shaykh ‘Abd-Al-Rahmaan al-Barraak

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There is a hadeeth about the person who stops for a rest immediately carrying on, which was narrated by al-Tirmidhi (may Allaah have mercy on him) from Ibn ‘Abbaas. According to this hadeeth, a man said, “O Messenger of Allaah, which deed is most beloved to Allaah? He said, “Al-haal al-murtahil.” The man said, ‘What is al-haal al-murtahil?” He said, “The one who starts from the beginning of the Qur’aan until he reaches the end, and when he stops for a rest, he immediately carries on.”

But this hadeeth is da’eef (weak), as al-Tirmidhi (may Allaah have mercy on him) says after he quotes it: this is a ghareeb (strange) hadeeth which we only know from Ibn ‘Abbaas with this isnaad, and this isnaad is not strong.

Hence Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in al-I’laam (p.289, part2), after he mentioned this hadeeth: Some of them understood from this that when a person has finished reading the whole Qur’aan, he should then read al-Faatihah and three verses of Soorat al-Baqarah, because he stopped when he completed it, and he continued when he started again. But none of the Sahaabah or Taabi’een did this, and none of the imaams regarded it as mustahabb (encouraged). What is referred to in the hadeeth is when a person returns from one military campaign and immediately joins another, or every time he completes one good deed, he starts another which he completes as he did the first one. But what some readers do is not what was meant in the hadeeth at all.

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Rather what is narrated from the salaf is to make du’aa’ after completing the Qur’aan, without stipulating any specific du’aa’ or any particular way of doing it. So if the Muslim completes the Holy Qur’aan, whether in Ramadaan or at other times, it is mustahabb for him to raise his hands and call upon Allaah, asking Him for the best in this world and in the Hereafter.

Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked:

Is there a specific du’aa’ for completing the Qur’aan?

He said:

There is no evidence that there is a specific du’aa’ for this as far as I know. Hence it is permissible for a person to make du’aa’ as he wishes and to choose beneficial supplications such as praying to be forgiven, to be granted Paradise and to be saved from Hell, seeking refuge with Allaah from fitnah (temptation, tribulation), asking for help to understand the Qur’aan in the manner that Allaah is pleased with and to act upon it and memorize it, etc., because it was proven that Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him) used to gather his family when he completed the Qur’aan and make du’aa’.

Majmoo’ Fataawa Ibn Baaz, 11/358.

With regard to reciting that over food and distributing it, and doing that when someone dies and on Thursdays, all of that is bid’ah (innovation).

The Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) has commanded us to adhere to his Sunnah and the way of the Rightly-Guided caliphs, and he has forbidden us to introduce innovations into the religion. He has told us that this is misguidance, and that bid’ahs will be rejected and thrown back at the one who does them, and he will not be rewarded for them.

Abu Dawood (4607) narrated from al-‘Irbaad ibn Saariyah that the Messenger of Allaah :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever among you lives after I am gone will see great differences. I urge you to adhere to my Sunnah and the way of the Rightly-Guided caliphs. Adhere to it and cling firmly to it. And beware of newly-innovated matters, for every newly-innovated matter is a bid’ah, and every bid’ah is a going-astray.” Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood, 3851.


The Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever does any action that is not in accordance with this matter of ours (Islam) will have it rejected.”
Narrated by Muslim, 1718
 

Abu Sarah

Allahu Akbar
Staff member
Celebrating the night of the Isra’ and Mi’raaj

There is no doubt that the Isra’ and Mi’raaj (the Prophet’s Night Journey and Ascent into heaven) are two great signs of Allaah which point to the truthfulness of the His Messenger Muhammad :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and the greatness of his status before Allaah. They are also signs of the great power of Allaah, and of His exalted position above His creation.

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Glorified (and Exalted) be He (Allaah) [above all that (evil) they associate with Him]

Who took His slave (Muhammad) for a journey by night from Al‑Masjid Al‑Haraam (at Makkah) to Al‑Masjid Al‑Aqsa (in Jerusalem), the neighbourhood whereof We have blessed, in order that We might show him (Muhammad) of Our Ayaat (proofs, evidences, lessons, signs, etc.). Verily, He is the All‑Hearer, the All‑Seer”


[al-Isra’ 17:1]

There are mutawaatir reports from the Messenger of Allaah :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) that he was taken up into the heavens, and their gates were opened for him, until he passed beyond the seventh heaven, where his Lord spoke to him as He willed, and enjoined the five daily prayers upon him. At first Allaah, may He be exalted, enjoined fifty prayers, but our Prophet Muhammad :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) kept going back and asking Him to reduce it, until He made them five, so they are five obligatory prayers but fifty in reward, because each good deed is rewarded tenfold. To Allaah be praise and thanks for all His blessings.

With regard to this night on which the Isra’ and Mi’raaj took place, there is nothing in the saheeh ahaadeeth to indicate that it is in Rajab or in any other month. Everything that has been narrated concerning a specific date for these events cannot be proven to have come from the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) according to the scholars of hadeeth. Allaah has wise reasons for causing the people to forget it. Even if the date were proven, it would not be permissible for the Muslims to single it out for particular acts of worship, and it is not permissible for them to celebrate it, because the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and his companions (may Allaah be pleased with them) did not celebrate it and they did not single it out in any way. If celebrating it was something that is prescribed in Islam, the Messenger would have told his ummah about that, either in word or in deed. If any such thing had happened, it would have been well known, and his companions would have transmitted the information to us. They narrated from their Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) everything that his ummah needs to know, and they did not neglect any aspect of the religion, rather they were the first ones to do anything good. If celebrating this night had been prescribed in Islam, they would have been the first people to do so. The Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was the most sincere of people, and he conveyed the message to the people in full, and he fulfilled the trust. If venerating and celebrating this night were part of the religion of Allaah, then the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) would have done that and would not have concealed it. Since no such thing happened, it is known that celebrating it and venerating it is not part of Islam at all. Allaah has perfected this ummah’s religion for it and has completed His favour upon them, and He condemns those who introduce things into the religion which Allaah has not ordained. Allaah says in His holy Book, in Soorat al-Maa’idah (interpretation of the meaning):

“This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My Favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion”

[al-Maa’idah 5:3]

And Allaah says in Soorat al-Shoora (interpretation of the meaning): “Or have they partners with Allaah (false gods) who have instituted for them a religion which Allaah has not ordained?”


[al-Shoora 42:21]

In the saheeh ahaadeeth it is proven that the Messenger of Allaah :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) warned against bid’ah (innovation) and stated clearly that it is misguidance, so as to show the ummah how serious the matter is and put them off it.

For example, it is narrated in al-Saheehayn from ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) that the Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever introduces anything into this matter of ours that is not part of it will have it rejected.” In a report narrated by Muslim it says: “Whoever does any action that is not part of this matter of ours will have it rejected.”

In Saheeh Muslim it is narrated that Jaabir (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to say in his khutbah on Friday: “The best of speech is the Book of Allaah and the best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). The worst of matters are those which are newly-invented, and every innovation is a going astray.”
Al-Nasaa’i added with a jayyid isnaad: “and every going astray will be in the Fire.”

In al-Sunan it is narrated that al-‘Irbaad ibn Saariyah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) delivered an eloquent speech to us which melted our hearts and caused our eyes to flow with tears. We said: O Messenger of Allaah, it is as if it is a farewell address, so advise us. He said: “I advise you to fear Allaah, and to listen and obey, even if a slave is appointed over you. Whoever among you lives will see many differences, so I urge you to adhere to my Sunnah and the way of the rightly-guided caliphs who will come after me, and cling firmly to it. Beware of newly-invented matters, for every newly-invented matter is an innovation and every innovation is a going astray. And there are many ahaadeeth with a similar meaning.

Warnings against bid’ah (innovation) have been narrated from the companions of the Messenger of Allaah :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and from the righteous salaf after them, because this is no more than adding things to the religion and instituting a religion that Allaah has not ordained, and it is an imitation of the enemies of Allaah, the Jews and the Christians, in their additions to their religions and introducing into them things that Allaah had not ordained. It also implies that there is something lacking in Islam, and that it is not complete, and it is well known that this leads to great mischief and evil, and goes against the verse in which Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My Favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion”

[al-Maa’idah 5:3]

It also goes against the ahaadeeth of the Messenger :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) which warn against innovation (bid’ah).

I hope that the evidence we have quoted will be sufficient to convince the seeker of truth that this bid’ah is wrong, i.e., the innovation of celebrating the night of the Isra’ and Mi’raaj, and that it is not part of the religion of Islam at all.

Because Allaah has enjoined being sincere towards the Muslims and explaining what Allaah has prescribed for them in their religion, and because it is haraam to conceal knowledge, I thought that I should point out this innovation, which is so widespread in many regions that people think it is part of the religion, to my Muslim brothers. Allaah is the One Whom we ask to set the affairs of all the Muslims straight, and to bless them with knowledge of Islam, and to help us and them to adhere steadfastly to the truth, and to forsake everything that goes against it, for He is able to do that. May Allaah send blessings and peace upon His slave and Messenger, our Prophet Muhammad :)saw:) , and his family and companions.


Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him).
 

Abu Sarah

Allahu Akbar
Staff member
Celebrating innovated festivals

Firstly: ‘Eid (festival) is the name given to something which returns (ya’ood), and is used to describe gatherings which happen repeatedly, on a yearly, monthly or weekly basis, etc. So an ‘eid includes a number of things, such as a day which comes regularly, e.g., ‘Eid al-Fitr and Friday; gatherings on that day; and actions such as acts of worship and customs which are done on that day.

Secondly: any of these things which are intended as rituals or acts of worship aimed at drawing closer to Allaah or glorifying Him in order to earn reward, or which involve imitating the people of Jaahiliyyah or any other groups of kaafirs, is a prohibited bid’ah, an innovation which comes under the general meaning of the hadeeth: “Whoever innovates something in this matter of ours (Islam) that is not part of it, will have it rejected.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari and Muslim).

Examples of that include Mawlid al-Nabi (the Prophet’s birthday), Mother’s Day and national holidays, because in the first case there are innovated acts of worship which Allaah has not prescribed, and because it involves imitation of the Christians and other kaafirs. And in the second and third cases there is imitation of the kuffaar. But in cases where the intention is to organize work to serve the interests of the ummah and to put its affairs straight, or to organize programs of study, or to bring employees together for work purposes etc., which in and of themselves do not involve acts of worship and glorification, then these are a kind of benign innovation which do not come under the meaning of the hadeeth, “Whoever innovates something in this matter of ours (Islam) that is not a part of it will have it rejected.” So there is nothing wrong with such things, indeed they are allowed by sharee’ah.

And Allaah is the Source of strength. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad :)saw:) and his family and companions, and grant them peace.



Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 3/59
 

Abu Sarah

Allahu Akbar
Staff member
Celebrating Mother’s Day

Celebrating Mother’s Day is an innovated matter which the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and his companions (may Allaah be pleased with them) did not do. It is also an imitation of the kuffaar from whom we have been commanded to differ. Hence it is not permissible to celebrate it or to obey one's mother in that, because the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “There is no obedience if it involves sin; obedience is only in that which is right and proper.”
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 7257; Muslim, 1840.

He should continue to honour her and treat her with kindness, and keep trying to convince her that this celebration is a newly invented innovation. The Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The worst of matters are those which are newly-invented, and every innovation is a going-astray.” Narrated by Muslim, 867; al-Nasaa’i, 1578. Al-Nasaa’i’s report adds the words: “And every going astray will be in the Fire.”

The mother is entitled to respect and honour, and upholding of the ties of kinship throughout her life, so what is the point of singling out a particular day to honour her?

Moreover, this innovation has come to us from societies in which disobedience towards parents is widespread, in which mothers and fathers can find no refuge except old people’s homes, where they are left alone and no one visit them, and they spend their time in pain and sorrow. So they think that honouring their mothers for one day will erase the sin of their disobedience towards her during the rest of the year.

But we Muslims have been commanded to honour our parents and uphold the ties of kinship, and we have been forbidden to disobey our parents. In our religion mothers have been given something which has not been given to them in any other religion; the mother’s rights take precedence over those of the father, as al-Bukhaari (5514) and Muslim (4621) narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: A man came to the Messenger of Allaah :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said: “O Messenger of Allaah, who is most deserving of my good company?” He said: “Your mother.” He said: “Then who?” He said: “Your mother.” He said: “Then who?” He said: “Your mother.” He said: “Then who?” He said: “Then your father.”

Honouring one's mother does not come to an end even when she dies, for she is honoured in life and in death. That is done by offering the funeral prayer for her, praying for forgiveness for her, carrying out her last wishes and honouring her family and friends.

Let us adhere to this great religion and follow its etiquettes and rulings, for in it is sufficient guidance and mercy.

Shaykh ‘Ali Mahfouz (may Allaah have mercy on him) said, explaining how this celebration (Mother’s Day) is an imitation of the kuffaar:

Explaining the seriousness of celebrating festivals other than the Islamic Eids, the Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) stated that some peoples or groups in his ummah would follow the People of the Book in some of their rituals and traditions, as is narrated in the hadeeth of Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri (may Allaah be pleased with him), who said that the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “They will follow the ways of those who came before them, handspan by handspan, cubit by cubit, until even if they entered a lizard’s hole they will follow them.” We said: “O Messenger of Allaah, (do you mean) the Jews and Christians?” He said: “Who else?”
Narrated by al-Bukhaari and Muslim…

Love of imitation, even if it is something that exists in people’s hearts, is forbidden in sharee’ah if the one who is being imitated differs from us in his beliefs and thinking, especially is what is being imitated is religious beliefs or acts of worship, or it is a ritual or tradition. When the Muslims became weak in this time, their imitation of their enemies became more widespread and many western traditions and customs became widespread, whether that has to do with consumer goods or attitudes and behaviour. One of these customs is the celebration of Mother’s Day. End quote.

Shaykh Muhamamd ibn Saalih ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked about celebrating Mother’s Day and he replied:

All celebrations which differ from the Eids prescribed in Islam are innovated festivals which were not known at the time of the righteous salaf, and may also have come from the non-Muslims, in which case as well as being an innovation (bid’ah) they are also an imitation of the enemies of Allaah. The festivals which are prescribed in Islam are well known to the Muslims: they are Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, and the weekly “Eid” of Jumu’ah. There is no other festival in Islam apart from these three. All the festivals that have been invented apart from these are to be rejected because they are innovations and are false according to the laws of Allaah, because the Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever introduces anything into this matter of ours that is not part of it will have it rejected,” i.e., it will be thrown back at him and will not be accepted by Allaah. According to another version: “Whoever does any deed that is not part of this matter of ours will have it rejected.”

Once this is clear, then it is not permissible to show any of the signs of festivity on the celebration mentioned in the question, namely Mother’s Day. It is not permissible to show joy and happiness, or to offer gifts, and so on.

The Muslim should feel proud of his religion and adhere to the limits set by Allaah and His Messenger :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in this religion, which Allaah has chosen for His slaves, and he should not add anything or take anything away. What the Muslim should also do is to not to follow every new idea that comes along, rather his character should be in accordance with the sharee’ah of Allaah so that he will be a leader and example, not a follower, because the sharee’ah of Allaah – praise be to Allaah – is complete in all ways as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My Favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion”

[al-Maa'idah 5:3]

A mother’s right is greater than having just one day in the year to be honoured, rather the mother’s right over her children is that they should take care of her and obey her, so long as it does not involve disobedience towards Allaah, at all times and in all places.

Majmoo’ Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 2/301
 

Abu Sarah

Allahu Akbar
Staff member
Celebrating birthdays

The evidence in the Qur’aan and Sunnah indicates that celebrating birthdays is a kind of bid’ah or innovation in religion, which has no basis in the pure sharee’ah. It is not permitted to accept invitations to birthday celebrations, because this involves supporting and encouraging bid’ah. Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Or have they partners with Allaah (false gods) who have instituted for them a religion which Allaah has not allowed…?”
[al-Shoora 42:21]

“Then We have put you (O Muhammad) on a plain way of (Our) commandment. So follow that, and follow not the desires of those who know not. Verily, they can avail you nothing against Allaah (if He wants to puish you). Verily, the zaalimoon (wrongdoers) are awliyaa’ (protectors, helpers, etc.) to one another, but Allaah is the Wali (Protector, Helper) of the muttaqoon (pious).”
[al-Jaathiyah 45:18-19]

“Follow what has been sent down unto you from your Lord, and follow not any awliyaa’ (protectors, helpers, etc.) besides Him. Little do you remember!”
[al-A’raaf 7:3]

According to saheeh reports, the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever does something that is a not part of this matter of ours (i.e., Islam) will have it rejected”
(reported by Muslim in his Saheeh)

; and “The best of speech is the Book of Allaah and the best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). The most evil of things are those which have been newly invented (in religion), and every innovation is a going astray.” There are many other ahaadeeth that convey the same meaning.

Besides being bid’ah and having no basis in sharee’ah, these birthday celebrations also involve imitation of the Jews and Christians in their birthday celebrations. The Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, warning us against following their ways and traditions: “You would follow the ways of those who came before you step by step, to such an extent that if they were to enter a lizard’s hole, you would enter it too.” They said, “O Messenger of Allaah, (do you mean) the Jews and Christians?” He said, “Who else?” (Reported by al-Bukhaari and Muslim). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) also said: “Whoever imitates a people is one of them.”


Fataawa Islamiyyah, 1/115
 

Abu Sarah

Allahu Akbar
Staff member
celebrating ‘Aashooraa’ or taking it as a day of mourning

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked this question and he replied as follows:

‘Praise be to Allaah, the Lord of the Worlds. Nothing to that effect has been reported in any saheeh hadeeth from the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or from his Companions. None of the imaams of the Muslims encouraged or recommended such things, neither the four imaams, nor any others. No reliable scholars have narrated anything like this, neither from the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), nor from the Sahaabah, nor from the Taabi’een; neither in any saheeh report or in a da’eef (weak) report; neither in the books of Saheeh, nor in al-Sunan, nor in the Musnads.

No hadeeth of this nature was known during the best centuries, but some of the later narrators reported ahaadeeth like the one which says Whoever puts kohl in his eyes on the day of ‘Aashooraa’ will not suffer from eye disease in that year, and whoever takes a bath (does ghusl) on the day of ‘Aashooraa’ will not get sick in that year, etc.”

They also narrated reports concerning the supposed virtues of praying on the day of ‘Aashooraa’, and other reports saying that on the day of ‘Aashooraa’ Adam repented, the Ark settled on Mount Joodi, Yoosuf returned to Ya’qoob, Ibraaheem was saved from the fire, the ram was provided for sacrifice instead of Ismaa’eel, and so on. They also reported a fabricated hadeeth that is falsely attributed to the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), which says, “Whoever is generous to his family on the day of ‘Aashooraa’, Allaah will be generous to him for the rest of the year.”

(Then Ibn Taymiyah discussed the two misguided groups who were in Koofah, Iraq, both of whom took ‘Aashooraa’ as a festival because of their bid’ah).

The Raafidi group made an outward show of allegiance to the Ahl al-Bayt although inwardly they were either heretics and disbelievers or ignorant and bound by whims and desires. The Naasibi group hated ‘Ali and his companions, because of the troubles and killings that had occurred.

It is reported in Saheeh Muslim that the Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “In (the tribe of) Thaqeef there will be a liar and an oppressor [???].” The liar was al-Mukhtaar ibn Abi ‘Ubayd al-Thaqafi, who made an outward show of allegiance to and support of the Ahl al-Bayt, and killed ‘Ubayd-Allaah ibn Ziyaad, the governor of Iraq, who had equipped the party that killed al-Husayn ibn ‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased with them both); then he (al-Mukhtaar) made it clear that he was a liar, by claiming to be a prophet and that Jibreel (peace be upon him) brought revelation to him. People told Ibn ‘Umar and Ibn ‘Abbaas about this, and said to one of them, “al-Mukhtaar ibn Abi ‘Ubayd is claiming to receive revelation [annahu yanzilu ‘alayhi].” He said, “He is telling the truth, for Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): ‘Shall I inform you (O people) upon whom the shayaateen (devils) descend [tanazzalu]? They descend upon every lying, sinful person.’ [al-Shu’ara’ 26:221].” [Translator’s note: the words translated as “receive revelation” and “descend” both come from the same root in Arabic]. They said to the other: “Al-Mukhtaar is claiming that he receives inspiration.” He said, “he is telling the truth. ‘… And certainly, the Shayaateen (devils) do inspire their friends (from mankind) to dispute with you…’ [al-An’aam 6:121 – interpretation of the meaning].”

As for the oppressor , this was al-Hajjaaj ibn Yoosuf al-Thaqafi, who was opposed to ‘Ali and his companions. Al-Hajjaaj was a Naasibi and al-Mukhtaar was a Raafidi, and this Raafidi was a greater liar and more guilty of fabrication and heresy, because he claimed to be a prophet…

There was much trouble and fighting between these two groups in Kufa. When al-Husayn ibn ‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased with them both) was killed on the day of ‘Aashooraa’, he was killed by the sinful, wrongdoing group. Allaah honoured al-Husayn with martyrdom, as He honoured other members of his family, and raised his status, as He honoured Hamzah, Ja’far, his father ‘Ali and others. Al-Husayn and his brother al-Hasan are the leaders of the youth of Paradise. High status can only be attained through suffering, as the Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him said, when he was asked which people suffer the most. He said, “The Prophets, then righteous people, then the next best and the next best. A man will suffer according to his level of faith. If his faith is solid, he will suffer more, but if his faith is shaky, he will suffer less. The believer will keep on suffering until he walks on the earth with no sin.”
(reported by al-Tirmidhi and others).

Al-Hasan and al-Husayn achieved what they achieved and reached the high status they reached by the help and decree of Allaah. They did not suffer as much as their forefathers had, for they were born and raised during the glory days of Islam, and the Muslims respected and honoured them. The Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) died when they were still young, and Allaah blessed them by testing them in such a manner that they would be able to catch up with the rest of their family members, as those who were of a higher status than them were also tested. ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib was better than them, and he was killed as a shaheed (martyr). The killing of al-Husayn was one of the things that caused fitnah (tribulation) among the people, as was the killing of ‘Uthmaan, which was one of the greatest causes of fitnah, because of which the ummah is still split today.

Thus the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “There are three things, whoever is saved from them is truly saved: my death, the killing of a patient khaleefah, and the Dajjaal (‘antichrist’).”

Then Shaykh al-Islam (may Allaah have mercy on him) mentioned a little about the biography of al-Hasan and his just character, then he said:

“Then he died, and Allaah was pleased with him and honoured him. Some groups wrote to al-Husayn and promised to support and help him if he went ahead and declared himself khaleefah, but they were not sincere. When al-Husayn sent his cousin [son of his paternal uncle] to them, they broke their word and gave help to the one they had promised to defend him against, and fought with him against [al-Husayn’s cousin]. Those who were wise and who loved al-Husayn, such as Ibn ‘Abbaas and Ibn ‘Umar and others, advised him not to go to them, and not to accept any promises from them. They thought that his going to them served no useful interest and that the consequences would not be good. Things turned out just as they said, and this is how Allaah decreed it would happen. When al-Husayn (may Allaah be pleased with him) went out and saw that things were not as he had expected, he asked them to let him go back, or to let him join the army that was defending the borders of Islam, or join his cousin Yazeed, but they would not let him do any of these things unless he gave himself up to them as a prisoner. So he fought with them, and they killed him and some of those who were with him, and he was wrongfully slain so he died as a shaheed whose martyrdom brought him honour from Allaah, and so he was reunited with the good and pure members of his family. His murder brought shame on those who had wrongfully killed him, and caused much mischief among the people. An ignorant, wrongful group – who were either heretics and hypocrites, or misguided and misled – made a show of allegiance to him and the members of his household, so they took the day of ‘Aashooraa’ as a day of mourning and wailing, in which they openly displayed the rituals of jaahiliyyah such as slapping their cheeks and rending their garments, grieving in the manner of the jaahiliyyah. But what Allaah has commanded us to do when disaster strikes – when the disaster is fresh – is to bear it with patience and fortitude, and to seek reward, and to remember that all things come from Allaah and we must return to Him,
as He says (interpretation of the meaning):
“… but give glad tidings to al-saabiroon (the patient ones), who, when afflicted with calamity, say: ‘Truly, to Allaah we belong and turly, to Him we shall return.’ They are those on whom are al-salawaat (the blessings) (i.e., who are blessed and will be forgiven) from their Lord, and (they are those who) receive His Mercy, and it is they who are the guided ones.”
[al-Baqarah 2:155-157] .

It is reported in al-Saheeh that the Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “he is not one of us who strikes his cheeks, rends his garments and prays with the prayer of Jaahiliyyah.” And he said: “I have nothing to do with those who strike [their cheeks], shave [their heads] and rend [their garments].” And he said: “If the woman who wails does not repent before she dies, she will be raised up on the Day of Resurrection wearing trousers made of tar and a shirt of scabs.”

In al-Musnad, it is reported from Faatimah bint al-Husayn, from her father al-Husayn, that the Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “There is no man who suffers a calamity, and when he remembers it, even if it is old, he says ‘Innaa Lillaahi wa innaa ilayhi raaji’oon (Truly, to Allaah we belong and truly, to Him we shall return),’ but Allaah will give a reward equal to the reward He gave him on the day he suffered the calamity.”

This is how Allaah honours the Believers. If the disaster suffered by al-Husayn, and other disasters, are mentioned after all this time, we should say “Innaa Lillaahi wa innaa ilayhi raaji’oon (Truly, to Allaah we belong and truly, to Him we shall return),” as Allaah and His Messenger commanded, so as to be given the reward like that earned on the day of the disaster itself. If Allaah commanded us to be patient and steadfast and to seek reward at the time of the disaster, then how about after the passing of time? The Shaytaan made this attractive to those who are misled, so they took the day of ‘Aashooraa’ as an occasion of mourning, when they grieve and wail, recite poems of grief and tell stories filled with lies. Whatever truth there may be in these stories serves no purpose other than the renewal of their grief and sectarian feeling, and the stirring up of hatred and hostility among the Muslims, which they do by cursing those who came before them, and telling many lies, and causing much trouble in the world. The various sects of Islam have never known any group tell more lies or cause more trouble or help the kuffaar against the Muslims more than this misguided and evil group. They are even worse than the Khawaarij who went beyond the pale of Islam.

They are the ones of whom the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “They will kill the people of Islam and will leave alone the people who worship idols.”

This group cooperated with the Jews, Christians and mushrikeen against the members of the Prophet’s household and his believing ummah, and also helped the mushrik Turks and Tatars to do what they did in Baghdaad and elsewhere to the descendents of the Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), i.e., the ‘Abbaasid rulers and others, and the believers; the Turks and Tatars killed them, enslaved their women and destroyed their homes. The evil and harm that they do to the Muslims cannot be enumerated by any man, no matter how eloquent he is. Some others – either Naasibis who oppose and have enmity towards al-Husayn and his family or ignorant people who try to fight evil with evil, corruption with corruption, lies with lies and bid’ah with bid’ah – opposed them by fabricating reports in favour of making the day of ‘Aashooraa’ a day of celebration, by wearing kohl and henna, spending money on one's children, cooking special dishes and other things that are done on Eids and special occasions. These people took the day of ‘Aashooraa’ as a festival like Eid, whereas the others took it as a day of mourning. Both are wrong, and both go against the Sunnah, even though the other group (the Rafidis) are worse in intention and more ignorant and more plainly wrong… But Allaah commands us to be just and to treat others well.


The Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Those of you who live after my death will see many disputes. I urge you to adhere to my Sunnah and the sunnah of my rightly-guided successors (al-khulafa’ al-raashidoon) who come after me. Hold onto it as if biting it with your eyeteeth. Beware of newly-innovated matters, for every innovation is a going astray.”

Neither the Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) nor his rightly-guided successors (the khulafa’ al-raashidoon) did any of these things on the day of ‘Aashooraa’, they neither made it a day of mourning nor a day of celebration.

But “when the Prophet:saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came to Madeenah, he saw the Jews fasting on the day of ‘Aashooraa’. He said, ‘What is this?’ They said, ‘This is the day when Allaah saved Moosa from drowning, so we fast on this day.’ He said, ‘We have more right to Moosa than you,’ so he fasted on that day and commanded [the Muslims] to fast on that day.”

Quraysh also used to venerate this day during the Jaahiliyyah. The day on which people were ordered to fast was just one day. When the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came to Madeenah it was Rabee’ al-Awwal, and the following year he fasted ‘Aashooraa’ and commanded the people to fast.

Then in that year fasting in Ramadaan was made obligatory and fasting on ‘Aashooraa’ was abrogated. The scholars disputed as to whether fasting on that day (‘Aashooraa’) was waajib (obligatory) or mustahabb (encouraged).

Of the two best known opinions, the more correct view is that it was waajib, then after that whoever fasted it did it because it was mustahabb. The Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not tell ordinary Muslims to fast on ‘Aashooraa’, but he used to say, “This is the day of ‘Aashooraa’; I am fasting on this day and whoever wishes to fast on this day may fast.” And he said: “Fasting on ‘Aashooraa’ expiates for the sins of one year and fasting on the day of ‘Arafaah expiates for the sins of two years.”

When, towards the end of his life, the Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) heard that the Jews took the day of ‘Aashooraa’ as a festival, he said, “If I live until next year, I will certainly fast on the ninth”
– to be different from the Jews, and not to resemble them in taking the day as a festival.

There were some of the Sahaabah and scholars who did not fast on this day and did not regard it as mustahabb, but thought it makrooh to single out this day for fasting. This was reported from a group of the Koofiyeen (scholars of Kufa).

Some other scholars said that it was mustahabb to fast on this day. The correct view is that it is mustahabb for the one who fasts on ‘Aashooraa’ to fast on the ninth day [of Muharram] too, because this was the ultimate command of the Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), as he said: “If I live until next year, I will certainly fast on the ninth as well as the tenth.”

This was reported with a variety of isnaads. This is what is prescribed in the Sunnah of the Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).

As for the other things, such as cooking special dishes with or without grains, or wearing new clothes, or spending money on one’s family, or buying the year’s supplies on that day, or doing special acts of worship such as special prayers or deliberately slaughtering an animal on that day, or saving some of the meat of the sacrifice to cook with grains, or wearing kohl and henna, or taking a bath (ghusl), or shaking hands with one another, or visiting one another, or visiting the mosques and mashhads (shrines) and so on… all of this is reprehensible bid’ah and is wrong. None of it has anything to do with the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allaah :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or the way of the Khulafa’ al-Raashidoon.

It was not approved of by any of the imaams of the Muslims, not Maalik, not al-Thawri, not al-Layth ibn Sa’d, not Abu Haneefah, not al-Oozaa’i, not al-Shaafa'i, not Ahmad ibn Hanbal, not Ishaaq ibn Raahwayh, not any of the imaams and scholars of the Muslims.

The religion of Islam is based on two principles:
that we should worship nothing besides Allaah Alone, and that we should worship Him in the manner that He has prescribed, not by means of bid’ah or reprehensible innovations.

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“… So whoever hopes for the Meeting with his Lord, let him work righteousness and associate none as a partner in the worship of his Lord.”

[al-Kahf 18:110].

Righteous deeds are those which are loved by Allaah and His Messenger, those which are prescribed in Islam and in the Sunnah.

Thus ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allaah be pleased with him) used to say in his du’aa’: “O Allaah, make all of my deeds righteous and make them purely for Your sake, and do not let there be any share for anyone or anything else in them.”

(The above is summarized from the words of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah – may Allaah have mercy on him. Al-Fataawa al-Kubra, part 5).

Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid
 

Abu Sarah

Allahu Akbar
Staff member
wearing one's adornment on the Day of Aashooraa

It is not permissible for you to wear fancy clothes or anything else on Aashooraa because that may make ignorant people or those with ulterior motives think that the Sunnis are happy about the killing of al-Husayn ibn Ali (may Allaah be pleased with them both), Allaah forbid that that happened with the approval of the Sunnis.

With regard to your interactions with them by backbiting about them and praying against them, and other kinds of actions which are indicative of hatred, this serves no purpose. What we have to do is to strive to call them (to Islam) and to influence them and reform them. If a person is unable to do that, then he or she should turn away from them and leave the dawah activities for those who are able to do them, and not do anything that may put obstacles in the path of dawah.

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

Because of the killing of al-Husayn, the Shaytaan started to spread two kinds of bidah (innovation) amongst the people: the bidah of grieving and wailing on the Day of Aashooraa, striking the cheeks, screaming, weeping and reciting eulogies ; and the bidah of expressing happiness and joy. So some express grief and others express joy, so they started to like the idea of wearing kohl, taking a bath, spending on their families and preparing special kinds of food on the day of Aashooraa and every bidah is a going astray; none of the four imams of the Muslims or others approved of either of these things (either expressing grief or expressing joy)

(Minhaaj al-Sunnah, 4/554-556).

Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid
 

Abu Sarah

Allahu Akbar
Staff member
gathering to read Qur’aan together on the occasion of the death of ‘Ali (RA)

The action is an innovation (bid’ah), because there is no doubt that the people who are doing this are doing it as an act of worship by which they seek to draw closer to Allaah, and every action which is done as an act of worship must have evidence from the Qur’aan or Sunnah to show that it is prescribed, otherwise it is an innovation.

With regard to those who ask, how can reciting Soorat al-Faatihah be wrong?

It should be noted that innovations in religion are of two types: [/U]

1 – New innovations which have no basis in sharee’ah, such as those who invent a new prayer in a manner that has not been narrated in sharee’ah. This is an innovation for which Allaah threatens the one who does it with Hell.

2 – Innovations where something new is added to an action that has a basis in sharee’ah. For example, there are adhkaar (dhikr) which are prescribed following the prescribed prayers, which are well known, and no Muslim disagrees with this. But if a group of people comes along and says that so long as dhikr is prescribed following the prayer then we will remember Allaah together and recite dhikr in unison, this is bid’ah. We say to them, either you think that this way of reciting dhikr is better than the way of the Messenger :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and therefore that you are following a way that is more guided and better than his :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) – which no Muslim would say who testifies that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah – or this is wrong and is an innovation, so they should give it up.

Hence it is clear that regarding this matter as bid’ah does not mean at all that reciting al-Faatihah is wrong, rather what is wrong is reciting it in the manner mentioned in the question. We do not love the Sahaabah any more than those who came after them (the Taabi’een), and the Sahaabah were the people who had the greatest love for Allaah and His Messenger :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and it is not narrated that they did that for their Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) when he died. All goodness is to be found in following them and their way, and all evil is to be found in going against them and shunning their way. Moreover, the fact that these people single out ‘Ali and do this on the occasion of his death implies that they are exaggerating about him.
This may be one of the blameworthy innovations of Shi’ism, which is to be avoided altogether.

May Allaah make us and you steadfast in adhering to the Sunnah and avoiding bid’ah. Ameen.

Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid
 

Abu Sarah

Allahu Akbar
Staff member
a strange Sufi way of worship

a sufistic Qadriyanni belief in which they belief the Prophet Mohammed S.A.W was a Noor and a human. A Sufi Alim who is a Mufti gave them a type of Ibadah style book written in Urdu and Dua's in Arabic he told him to do this Ibadah in particular every single day and with Your children who are able to recite Quran and your wife loudly together.

The form of Ibadah goes as following before starting he told us to recite the words
"Allahumma Salliallah Muhamadin Wa'lihi Wa Itratihi beadadikuli malumilaka he refers to it as Darud Qadri
then he told us to recite these words 100 times "Subhanallahi wabihamdihi Subhanallahhilazeem Astagfirullahalazimalazi La Illaha Illa huwalhayalqayoom wa atoobu alayhi"
then he told us to recite 7 times surah fatiha
then he told us to recite 100 times "Allahumma Salliallah Muhamadin Wa'lihi Wa Itratihi beadadikuli malumilaka he refers to it as Darud Qadri
the he told us to recite 79 times Surah allamnashra
then recite surah Ikhlas 100 times
then recite 100 times these words "allahuma ya qadiyal hajate
then recite 100 times these words "allahuma ya dafi al balayati"
then recite 100 times "allahuma ya ah lal mushkalati
then recite 100 times "allahuma ya kafiyal muhimati
then recite 100 times "Allahuma ya mujeebadawati
then recite 100 times "allahuma ya shafi mar da'"
then recite 100 times "Allahuma ya khayranaseereena"
then recite 100 times "Bihrahmatikaya ya arhamarahimeen
then recite 100 times "Allahuma ameen"
the 2nd part to this Ibadah is the same thing accept some things changed around such as starting off with the words "hazbunallahu" 500 times and following it through the same way acept without Surah Allahmnashra or Ikhlas

after they do this supplication which is that i recite Surah 105 in the Quran and when it gets to a part where you say tarmihim to say tarmeem and take these rocks one by one bouncing them off of a metal bowl turned upside down covered with a red sheet to represent blood. and ask allah to strike down on the enemies of ours killing them off or something close to that
..............end Quoted of ther a strange Sufi way of worship..........





The purpose for which we were created is to worship Allaah alone with no partner or associate, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And I (Allaah) created not the jinn and mankind except that they should worship Me (Alone)”

[al-Dhaariyaat 51:56]

Allaah has not left us each to choose his own way of worship, rather He has sent His Messenger :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and revealed His holy Book, to show people the way and guide them. So there is nothing that is worship and goodness and guidance that Allaah loves, but it has been explained by the Messenger :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).

No two Muslims dispute that Muhammad :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is the best and most pious of mankind, the one who worshipped Allaah and turned to Him the most. Hence the one who is truly guided is the one who follows his path and walks in his footsteps.

Adhering to the path of the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is not something that is optional, rather it is an obligation that Allaah has enjoined upon His slaves, as He says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And whatsoever the Messenger (Muhammad) gives you, take it; and whatsoever he forbids you, abstain (from it). And fear Allaah; verily, Allaah is Severe in punishment”

[al-Hashr 59:7]

“It is not for a believer, man or woman, when Allaah and His Messenger have decreed a matter that they should have any option in their decision. And whoever disobeys Allaah and His Messenger, he has indeed strayed into a plain error”

[al-Ahzaab 33:36]

“Indeed in the Messenger of Allaah (Muhammad) you have a good example to follow for him who hopes for (the Meeting with) Allaah and the Last Day”


[al-Ahzaab 33:21]

The Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) stated that every innovated kind of worship would be rejected and thrown back at the one who does it, no matter what it is. He said: “Every action that is not in accordance with this matter of ours [i.e., Islam] will be rejected.”
Narrated by Muslim, 1718, from the hadeeth of ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her).

No deed will be accepted unless it is done sincerely for the sake of Allaah and in accordance with the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allaah :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). This is what is meant by the words of Allaah (interpretation of the meaning):

“that He may test you which of you is best in deed”

[al-Mulk 67:2]

Al-Fudayl ibn ‘Iyyaad said: (This means) that which is most sincere and most correct. They said, O Abu ‘Ali, what most sincere and most correct? He said: If a deed is not sincere and not correct, it will not be accepted. If it is correct but is not sincere, it will not be accepted unless it is both sincere and correct. Sincere means that it is done for the sake of Allaah and correct means that it is in accordance with the Sunnah.

Whoever wants to attain the pleasure of Allaah, he has to adhere to the Sunnah of His Messenger :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). All paths to Allaah are blocked, except this path, the path of His Prophet Muhammad :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).

Because the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was compassionate towards his ummah and cared deeply for them, he did not leave anything good without explaining it to them.

So whoever today invents an act of worship, dhikr or wird and claims that it is good, is accusing the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) – whether he realizes it or not – of not conveying the religion as Allaah commanded him to do.

Hence Imam Maalik (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Whoever introduces any innovation into Islam claiming that it is good is implying that Muhammad :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) betrayed the message entrusted to him, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My Favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion”

[al-Maa'idah 5:3]

So whatever was not part of the religion of Islam at that point should never be part of the religion of Islam today.

The Sahaabah, Taabi’een and imams issued many warnings against innovation.

Hudhayfah ibn al-Yamaan said: Every act of worship which the companions of the Messenger of Allaah :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not do, do not do it.

Ibn Mas’ood said: Follow and do not innovate, for the religion is complete. Adhere to the old way (i.e., the way of the Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and the Sahaabah)

The question which should be put to the one who invented this dhikr is:

Did the Messenger of Allaah :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) do this? Did the Sahaabah do this?

The obvious answer is that reciting these soorahs these number of times – 100 times or 7 or 79 – is something that was not narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), or from any of his companions. The same is true of the du’aa’s recited in this manner for the number of times mentioned.

It should be said to this innovator: do you think that you have discovered something good that was not known to the Prophet or his companions?

Or do you think that you or your shaykh have the right to introduce new laws and to define news dhikrs and when they should be said and how often they should be repeated, just as the Messenger of Allaah :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) had that right?

Undoubtedly both of these are manifest misguidance.

Let us think about the report narrated from ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Mas’ood by al-Daarimi in his Sunan,
according to which Abu Moosa al-Ash’ari said to ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Mas’ood:

O Abu ‘Abd al-Rahmaan, I have just seen in the mosque something new that I was not sure about, but I think I have not seen anything but something good, praise be to Allaah.” He said, “What was it?”

He said, “You will see it tomorrow.” He said, “I saw some people in the mosque sitting in circles waiting for the prayer. In every circle there was a man and in their hands were pebbles. He would say, ‘Say Allaahu akbar one hundred times,’ so they would say Allaahu akbar (takbeer) one hundred times. Then he would say, ‘Say Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah (tahleel) one hundred times, so they would say Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah one hundred times. Then he would say, ‘Say Subhaan Allaah (tasbeeh) one hundred times,’ and they would say Subhaan Allaah one hundred times.”

He said, “What did you say to them?”

He said, “I did not say anything to them. I was waiting for your opinion.”

He said, “Why did you not tell them to count their bad deeds and promise them that none of their good deeds would be lost?’ Then he went away and we went with him, until he came to one of those circles. He stood over them and said, “What is this that I see you doing?”

They said, “O Abu ‘Abd al-Rahmaan, these are pebbles with which we count the takbeer, tahleel and tasbeeh.”

He said, “Count your bad deeds, for I promise you that nothing of your good deeds will be lost. Woe to you, O ummah of Muhammad, how soon you have drifted into the way of doom even though the companions of your Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) are still alive amongst you, and his garments and the vessels he used are still not worn out or broken. By the One in Whose hand is my soul, either you are following a way that is more guided than the way of Muhammad :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), or you are starting a way that is the way of misguidance.”

They said, “By Allaah, O Abu ‘Abd al-Rahmaan, we did not intend anything but good.”

He said, “How many of those who intend good never attain it.”

Not everyone who seeks or intends good attains it and is guided to it. Not every act of worship is accepted, unless it is in accordance with the Sunnah of Muhammad :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).

This denunciation by Ibn Mas’ood (may Allaah be pleased with him) puts an end to the argument presented by innovators, because they always say, “What reason can there be not to recite dhikr, prayers and Qur’aan? We only intend good and to draw closer to Allaah.”


It should be said to them: Worship must be something that is prescribed in sharee’ah in essence and in its form and the manner in which it is done. If a specific number is prescribed in sharee’ah then no one has the right to go beyond that, and if no number or way is specified then no one has the right to invent a limit for it, because that implies that one is assuming the role of a lawgiver.

This is further supported by the report narrated from Sa’eed ibn al-Musayyib (may Allaah have mercy on him). He saw a man praying more than two rak’ahs after dawn had come (i.e., Fajr), and he told him not to do that. The man said, “O Abu Muhammad, will Allaah punish me for praying?!”

He said, “No, but He will punish you for going against the Sunnah.”



Look at the understanding of this great Taabi’i, may Allaah have mercy on him. That is because the regular Sunnah is to pray only two rak’ahs after the dawn has come, not more than that, then to pray the obligatory prayer of Fajr.

A similar report was narrated from Imam Maalik (may Allaah have mercy on him). A man came to him and said: “O Abu ‘Abd-Allaah, from where should I enter ihraam?”

He said, “From Dhu’l-Hulayfah, from where the Messenger of Allaah :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) entered ihraam.”

He said, “I want to enter ihraam from the Mosque, from near the grave (meaning the grave of the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)).”

He said, “Do not do that, for I fear fitnah (trial, affliction) for you.”

He said, “What fitnah is that? It is just a few miles I am adding.”

He said, “What fitnah is greater than your thinking that you have found something good that the Messenger of Allaah :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) failed to do?! I heard that Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

‘And let those who oppose the Messenger’s (Muhammad’s) commandment (i.e. his Sunnah legal ways, orders, acts of worship, statements) (among the sects) beware, lest some Fitnah (disbelief, trials, afflictions, earthquakes, killing, overpowered by a tyrant) should befall them or a painful torment be inflicted on them’

[al-Noor 24:63].”


This is the understanding of the Sahaabah, Taabi’een and Imams. As for the people of bid’ah, they say, “What fitnah? It is only dhikr and prayer and a few miles by which we seek to draw closer to Allaah.”

No wise person should be deceived by the words of these people, for the Shaytaan has made their deeds appear attractive to them, and they hate to go against their shaykhs and the leaders of their tareeqahs.

Sufyaan ibn ‘Uyaynah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Bid’ah (innovation) is dearer to Iblees (Satan) than sin, because a person may repent from sin, but not from innovation.

It should be noted that no one ever invents a bid’ah but he forsakes thereby a Sunnah that is equal to it or greater than it.

Hence those who favour innovated dhikrs are the most ignorant of people about the Prophet’s dhikr which the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) persisted in reciting. You will rarely find any of them who says in the morning and evening, Subhaan-Allaah wa bi hamdihi (Glory and praise be to Allaah) one hundred times; or Asbahna ‘ala fitrat il-Islam wa kalimat il-ikhlaas wa deeni nabiyyina Muhammad sall-Allaahu ‘alay wa sallim wa millati abeena Ibraaheema haneefan wa maa kaana min al-mushrikeen (We have awoken on the fitrah of Islam and the word of sincerity and the religion of our Prophet Muhammad :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and the religion of our father Ibraaheem, pure monotheism, and he was not of those who associate others with Allaah); or Asbahna wa asbah al-mulk Lillaahi Rabb il-‘Aalameen. Allaahumma inni as’aluka khayra hadha’l-yawm fa-thahu wa nasrahu wa noorahu wa barakatahu wa hudaahu, wa a’oodhu bika min sharri ma fihi wa sharri ma ba’dahu (We have awoken and dominion belongs to Allaah, the Lord of the Worlds. O Allaah I ask You for the good of this day and its goodness, support, help, light, blessing and guidance. And I seek refuge with You from the evil of what is in it and the evil of what comes after it): or Subhaan Allaah ‘adada khalqihi, Subhaan Allaah ridaa nafsihi, Subhaan Allaah zinata ‘arshihi, Subhaan Allaah midaada kalimaatihi (Glory be to Allaah the number of His creation, Glory be to Allaah as much as He is pleased with, Glory be to Allaah the weight of His Throne, Glory be to Allaah the extent of His words).

And there are other dhikrs with which you may be content, from the books that contain the dhikrs for the morning and the evening, etc.

The point is that it is not permissible to join any one in these innovated dhikrs and say them the number of times you mention.

With regard to what you mentioned about Soorat al-Feel and throwing stones when saying tarmeehim (striking them), this is a myth and is nonsense. It is not permissible to do this or to seek to draw closer to Allaah by doing it. How many enemies did the Messenger of Allaah :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) confront, and he did not pray against them in this manner. There is the fear that this is a way of drawing closer to the devils and seeking their help.

..................................

With regard to the belief that the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was light (noor), there is no basis for this and it was not narrated either in the Qur’aan or saheeh Sunnah. Allaah has told us that the Prophet Muhammad :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was a human being like us, except that Allaah favoured him with revelation and the message.

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Say (O Muhammad): ‘I am only a man like you. It has been revealed to me that your Ilaah (God) is One Ilaah (God i.e. Allaah)’”

[al-Kahf 18:110]

“Say (O Muhammad): ‘I am only a human being like you. It is revealed to me that your Ilaah (God) is One Ilaah (God — Allaah), therefore take Straight Path to Him (with true Faith Islamic Monotheism) and obedience to Him, and seek forgiveness of Him. And woe to Al‑Mushrikoon (the polytheists, idolaters, disbelievers in the Oneness of Allaah)’”

[Fussilat 41:6]

Some of the extreme Sufis believe that he was light, and that he was the first thing created by Allaah, and that the rest of creation was created from his light. This is a lie and is misguidance for which they have no evidence apart from a false, fabricated hadeeth.
 
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