Research on bid’ah and shirk in Detailed

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Abu Sarah

Allahu Akbar
Staff member
Specifying a No. of times to recite dhikr or du’aa’ that is not narrated in sharee’ah

There is no sound (saheeh) basis for reciting these adhkaar the number of times like "Ya lADIFU 29 TIMES Ya Qahharu 306 times, Hasbunallahu wa ni'imal wakeel 450 times e.t.c,". These numbers are usually stated by some of the innovators, most of whom are Sufis, who describe adhkaar and the number of times they are to be repeated, making that up themselves; they say whoever recites such and such will get such and such benefits and protection, and whoever recites such and such a wird will get such and such a reward.

Of course, these are matters which can only be known through wahy (revelation). So the basic principle in this case is that dhikr and du’aa’s are of two types:

1 – Adhkaar which were narrated in the Qur’aan and Sunnah, to be recited at a certain time, in a certain place or in certain circumstances. This type should be recited as prescribed, at the appropriate time, or in the appropriate circumstances or place, with the correct words or posture, without adding anything or taking anything away.

2 – All dhikr or du’aa’ in general that is not connected to certain times or places. These fall into two categories:

(i) Those which were narrated from the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), so they should be recited in the wording that he used. They should not be connected to any particular time or place, and they should not be connected to a specific number of times to be recited.

(ii) Those which were not narrated from the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), rather the person makes them up himself, or they were narrated from the salaf. It is permissible to say such words so long as five conditions are met:

1- He should choose the best and clearest words, for he is conversing with his Lord and God.

2- The words should be of an appropriate style.

3- The du’aa’ should be free of anything that is forbidden in Islam, e.g. it should involve any element of seeking help from anything other than Allaah, and so on.

4- It should be of the general kind of dhikr and du’aa’, not connected to a particular time, place or circumstances.

5- It should not be taken as a regular practice.

Adapted from Tasheeh al-Du’aa’ by Shaykh Bakr Abu Zayd (p. 42)

Based on the above, the words mentioned in the question are phrases that are narrated in the Qur’aan and Sunnah, but saying that they must be repeated this number of times is an innovated matter which should not be followed. Rather we should mention them during our du’aa’s and address Allaah by all His beautiful names, without singling out some names or stating that they should be recited a certain number of times or at certain times, making that up ourselves. We should adhere to what was narrated in sharee’ah concerning certain times, places or situations connected to a particular du’aa’; if no such details were narrated in sharee’ah then we should not make them up ourselves because that is encroaching upon the rights of Prophethood.

Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid
 

Abu Sarah

Allahu Akbar
Staff member
Fasting in the month of Rajab

Firstly:

The month of Rajab is one of the sacred months of which Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Verily, the number of months with Allaah is twelve months (in a year), so was it ordained by Allaah on the Day when He created the heavens and the earth; of them four are Sacred (i.e. the 1st, the 7th, the 11th and the 12th months of the Islamic calendar). That is the right religion, so wrong not yourselves therein”

[al-Tawbah 9:36]

The sacred months are: Rajab, Dhu’l-Qa’dah, Dhu’l-Hijjah and Muharram.

Al-Bukhaari (4662) and Muslim (1679) narrated from Abu Bakrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The year is twelve months, of which four are sacred: three consecutive months, Dhu’l-Qa’dah, Dhu’l-Hijjah and Muharram, and Rajab Mudar which comes between Jumaada and Sha’baan.

These months are called sacred for two reasons:

1- Because fighting therein is forbidden unless initiated by the enemy

2- Because transgression of the sacred limits therein is worse than at other times.

Hence Allaah has forbidden us to commit sins during these months, as He says (interpretation of the meaning):

“wrong not yourselves therein”

[al-Tawbah 9:36]

Although committing sins is haraam and forbidden during these months and at other times, in these months it is more forbidden.

Al-Sa’di (may Allaah have mercy on him) said (p. 373):

In the phrase “wrong not yourselves therein”, the pronoun may be understood as referring to twelve months. Allaah states that He has made them a measure of time for His slaves, which they may use for worshipping Him, and thank Allaah for His blessings, and they serve the interests of His slaves, so beware of wronging yourselves therein.

The pronoun may also be understood as referring to the four sacred months, and this forbids them to wrong themselves in those months in particular, as well as it being forbidden to do wrong at all times, because it is more forbidden at this time, but it is worse at this time than at others. End quote.

Secondly:

With regard to fasting the month of Rajab, there is no saheeh hadeeth to indicate that there is any special virtue in fasting all or part of this month.

What some people do, singling out some days of Rajab for fasting, believing that they are better than others, has no basis in sharee’ah.

But there is a report from the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) which indicates that it is mustahabb to fast during the sacred months (and Rajab is one of the sacred months).

The Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“Fast some days of the sacred months and not others.”
Narrated by Abu Dawood, 2428; classed as da’eef by al-Albaani in Da’eef Abi Dawood.

Even if this hadeeth were saheeh, it indicates that it is mustahabb to fast during the sacred months. So if a person fasts during Rajab because of this, and he also fasts in the other sacred months, there is nothing wrong with that. But singling out Rajab for fasting is not right.

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in Majmoo’ al-Fataawa (25/290):

As for fasting in Rajab in particular, the ahaadeeth concerning that are all da’eef (weak), and in fact mawdoo’ (fabricated). The scholars do not rely on any of them. They are not among the da’eef ahaadeeth which have been narrated concerning virtues, rather most of them are fabricated and false. In al-Musnad and elsewhere there is a hadeeth which says that the Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) enjoined fasting the sacred months, namely Rajab, Dhu’l-Qa’dah, Dhu’l-Hijjah and Muharram, but this has to do with fasting during all of them, not just Rajab. End quote.

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

Every hadeeth which mentions fasting in Rajab and praying during some of its nights is false and fabricated.” End quote from al-Manaar al-Muneef, p. 96

Al-Haafiz ibn Hajar said in Tabyeen al-‘Ajab (p. 11)

There is no saheeh hadeeth that would count as evidence which speaks of the virtue of the month of Rajab, or that speaks of fasting this month or part of it, or of spending any particular night of it in prayer.

Shaykh Sayyid Saabiq (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in Fiqh al-Sunnah (1/282):

Fasting in Rajab is no better than fasting in any other month, except that it is one of the sacred months. There is no report in the saheeh Sunnah to suggest that there is anything special about fasting in this month. Whatever has been narrated concerning that is not fit to be quoted as evidence. End quote.


Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked about fasting on the twenty-seventh of Rajab and spending that night in prayer.

He replied:

Fasting on the twenty-seventh of Rajab and spending that night in prayer is a bid’ah (innovation), and every bid’ah is a going astray. End quote.

Majmoo’ Fataawa Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 20/440
 

Abu Sarah

Allahu Akbar
Staff member
Umrah in the month of Rajab

Firstly:

There is no report from the Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) – as far as we know – to suggest that there is any particular virtue in performing ‘Umrah in the month of Rajab, or that it is encouraged. Rather it is proven that there is a particular virtue in performing ‘Umrah in the month of Ramadaan, and in the months of Hajj, which are Shawwaal, Dhu’l-Qa’dah and Dhu’l-Hijjah.

There is no report to prove that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) performed ‘Umrah in Rajab, rather that was denied by ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her), who said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) never performed ‘Umrah in Rajab. Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1776; Muslim, 1255.

Secondly:

Something that has been introduced into the religion is what some people do, namely singling out the month of Rajab for ‘Umrah, because no one should single out a specific time for doing an act of worship unless that has been prescribed in sharee’ah.

Ibn al-‘Attaar, the student of al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on them both) said:

What I have heard about the people of Makkah, may Allaah increase it in honour, is that they are accustomed to performing ‘Umrah a great deal in Rajab. This is something for which I know of no basis, rather it is proven in the hadeeth that the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “ ‘Umrah in Ramadaan is equivalent to Hajj.” End quote.

Shaykh Muhammad ibn Ibraaheem (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in his Fataawa (6/131):

With regard to singling out some days of Rajab for any kinds of ziyaarah etc, there is no basis for that. Imam Abu Shaamah stated in his book al-Bida’ wa’l-Hawaadith that performing acts of worship at specific times which were not prescribed by Islam is not right, because no time is better than any other, except times when it is prescribed to perform a certain kind of worship, or a time when all kinds of good deeds are better than at other times. Hence the scholars denounced the singling out of the month of Rajab for performing ‘Umrah a great deal. End quote.

But if a person goes for ‘Umrah during Rajab without believing that there is any special virtue in that, but it just so happens that it is easy for him to travel at that time, there is nothing wrong with that
 

Abu Sarah

Allahu Akbar
Staff member
‘ataaqah or reading Qur’aan for the dead

Reading Qur’aan is a purely physical act of worship, and it is not permissible to accept payment for reading Qur’aan for the deceased, or to give payment to one who reads, and there is no reward in that case, and the one who takes payment and the one who gives it are both sinning.

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said: It is not correct to hire someone to read Qur’aan and give the reward for that to the deceased, because that has not been narrated from any of the imams. The scholars said: The one who reads for money will have no reward, so what does he have to give to the deceased? End quote.

The basic principle concerning that is that acts of worship are forbidden; no act of worship should be done unless there is shar’i evidence to show that it is prescribed.

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And obey Allaah and the Messenger”

[al-Maa’idah 5:92]

The Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:

“Whoever does anything that is not in accordance with this matter of ours will have it rejected.”

According to another report:

“Whoever introduces anything into this matter of ours that is not part of it will have it rejected.”

This action – hiring someone to read Qur’aan for the dead – is something that it is not known that the Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or any of his companions did it, and the best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and the worst of matters are those which are innovated. All goodness is in following that which the Messenger :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) brought, with the proper intention.

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And whosoever submits his face (himself) to Allaah, while he is a Muhsin (good‑doer, i.e. performs good deeds totally for Allaah’s sake without any show-off or to gain praise or fame and does them in accordance with the Sunnah of Allaah’s Messenger Muhammad), then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold”

[Luqmaan 31:22]

“Yes, but whoever submits his face (himself) to Allaah (i.e. follows Allaah’s religion of Islamic Monotheism) and he is a Muhsin then his reward is with his Lord (Allaah), on such shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve”


[al-Baqarah 2:112]

All evil lies in going against that which was brought by the Messenger of Allaah :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and directing one’s intention in any deed to someone or something other than Allaah.

End quote from Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah.

There is no basis for this ‘ataaqah in sharee’ah; it is a reprehensible innovation that was not done by the Messenger :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and he did not tell us to do it, and none of his companions (may Allaah be pleased with them) did it either. Whatever is like that, no believer should do it.

Secondly:

What is prescribed is to say du’aa’ for the deceased, and to give charity on his behalf, as Muslim (1631) narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “When a man dies, all his good deeds come to an end except three: ongoing charity (sadaqah jaariyah), beneficial knowledge, or a righteous son who will pray for him.”

Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in Sharh Muslim: This indicates that the reward for du’aa’ will reach the deceased, as will that of charity. As for reading Qur’aan and giving the reward for that to the deceased, offering prayers on his behalf, etc, the view of al-Shaafa’i and the majority of scholars is that this does not reach the deceased. End quote.



So say a great deal of du’aa’ for the dead, and give whatever you can in charity on his behalf; if he did not do Hajj or ‘Umrah and you can do Hajj or ‘Umrah on his behalf, then do that. This is what will benefit him, by Allaah’s leave.

Another way of honouring one’s deceased father is to honour his/her friends and uphold ties of kinship.

Allaah makes sickness an expiation for His believing slave, and it may also be a means of raising his status, if he is patient and seeks reward thereby. The Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “No hardship, distress, worry or grief befalls a Muslim, not even a thorn that pricks him, but Allaah will expiate some of his sins thereby.
Narrated by al-Bukhaari (5642) and Muslim (2573).
 

Abu Sarah

Allahu Akbar
Staff member
al-waneesah

al-waneesah is means staying overnight at the grave on the first night after the burial, to give comfort to the deceased, as they claim. This is a kind of reprehensible innovation (bid’ah) which has no basis in the actions of the Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or of his companions. If it were something good they would have done it before us. Because no such thing has been narrated to us from them, even though so many people died during their lifetime, it may be understood that there is nothing good in this practice.

The basic principle concerning acts of worship is to follow only that which is narrated in the Qur’aan and Sunnah, and not to introduce new and innovated forms of worship. Allaah can only be worshipped in the manner that He has prescribed in His Book or on the lips of His Messenger :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).

There is no reward for doing acts of bid’ah, rather they will be rejected and thrown back at the one who does them, as the Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever innovates something in this matter of ours [Islam] that is not part of it, will have it rejected.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2697; Muslim, 1718).

It is also misguidance, as he :)saw:) said: “The worst of matters are those which are newly-innovated. Every innovation is a going astray.” Narrated by Muslim, 867. Al-Nasaa’i (1578) added: “And every going astray will be in the Fire.”

There is the fear that fitnah (trials, afflictions) will befall the person who practices this innovation, as 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]

Ibn Katheer (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in his commentary: “Let those who go against the command of the Messenger of Allaah :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), which is his way, his path, his Sunnah and his sharee’ah, beware, Words and deeds will be weighed against his words and deeds; whatever is in accordance with them will be accepted, and whatever goes against them will be rejected and thrown back at the one who says or does them, no matter who he is, as it was proven in al-Saheehayn and elsewhere that the Messenger of Allaah :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘Whoever does an action that is not part of this matter of ours [Islam] will have it rejected.’ And let the one who goes against the sharee’ah of the Messenger whether inwardly or outwardly beware ‘lest some Fitnah (disbelief, trials, afflictions, etc) should befall them’ i.e., lest their hearts be afflicted with kufr, hypocrisy or bid’ah, ‘or a painful torment be inflicted on them’ i.e., in this world by means of killing, a hadd punishment, imprisonment and the like.”

The deceased does not need any of the living to comfort him, because he is preoccupied with his own reckoning and being rewarded or punished for his deeds, as the Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) explained in the lengthy hadeeth of al-Baraa’ ibn ‘Aazib:


“When the believing slave is about to depart this world and enter the Hereafter, there come down to him from heaven angels with white faces like the sun, and they sit around him as far as the eye can see. They bring with them shrouds from Paradise and perfumes from Paradise. Then the Angel of Death comes and sits by his head, and he says, ‘O good soul, come forth to forgiveness from Allaah and His pleasure.’ Then it comes out easily like a drop of water from the mouth of a waterskin. When he seizes it, they do not leave it in his hand for an instant before they take it and put it in that shroud with that perfume, and there comes from it a fragrance like the finest musk on the face of the earth. Then they ascend and they do not pass by any group of angels but they say, ‘Who is this good soul?’ and they say, ‘It is So and so the son of So and so, calling him by the best names by which he was known in this world, until they reach the lowest heaven. They ask for it to be opened to them and it is opened, and (the soul) is welcomed and accompanied to the next heaven by those who are closest to Allaah, until they reach the seventh heaven. Then Allaah says: ‘Record the book of My slave in ‘Illiyoon in the seventh heaven, and return him to the earth, for from it I created them, to it I will return them and from it I will bring them forth once again.’ So his soul is returned to his body and there come to him two angels who make him sit up and they say to him, ‘Who is your Lord?’ He says, ‘Allaah.’ They say, ‘What is your religion?’ He says, ‘My religion is Islam.’ They say, ‘Who is this man who was sent among you?’ He says, ‘He is the Messenger of Allaah :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).’ They say, ‘What did you do?’ He says, ‘I read the Book of Allaah and I believed in it.’ Then a voice calls out from heaven, ‘My slave has spoken the truth, so prepare for him a bed from Paradise and clothe him from Paradise, and open for him a gate to Paradise.’ Then there comes to him some of its fragrance, and his grave is made wide, as far as he can see. Then there comes to him a man with a handsome face and handsome clothes, and a good fragrance, who says, ‘Receive the glad tidings that will bring you joy this day.’ He says, ‘Who are you? Your face is a face which brings glad tidings.’ He says, ‘I am your righteous deeds.’ He says, ‘O Lord, hasten the Hour so that I may return to my family and my wealth.’”

And he said:

“But when the disbelieving slave is about to depart this world and enter the Hereafter, there come down to him from heaven angels with black faces, bringing sackcloth, and they sit around him as far as the eye can see. Then the Angel of Death comes and sits by his head, and he says, ‘O evil soul, come forth to the wrath of Allaah and His anger.’ Then his soul disperses inside his body, then comes out cutting the veins and nerves, like a skewer passing through wet wool. When he seizes it, they do not leave it in his hand for an instant before they take it and put it in that sackcloth, and there comes from it a stench like the foulest stench of a dead body on the face of the earth. Then they ascend and they do not pass by any group of angels but they say, ‘Who is this evil soul?’ and they say, ‘It is So and so the son of So and so, calling him by the worst names by which he was known in this world, until they reach the lowest heaven. They ask for it to be opened to them and it is not opened.” Then the Messenger of Allaah :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) recited (interpretation of the meaning):

“for them the gates of heaven will not be opened, and they will not enter Paradise until the camel goes through the eye of the needle”

[al-A’raaf 7:40]

He said: “Then Allaah says, ‘Record the book of My slave in Sijjeen in the lowest earth, and return him to the earth, for from it I created them, to it I will return them and from it I will bring them forth once again.’ So his soul is cast down.” Then the Messenger of Allaah :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) recited the verse (interpretation of the meaning):

“and whoever assigns partners to Allaah, it is as if he had fallen from the sky, and the birds had snatched him, or the wind had thrown him to a far off place”

[al-Hajj 22:31]

He said: “Then his soul is returned to his body, and there come to him two angels who make him sit up and they say to him, ‘Who is your Lord?’ He says, ‘Oh, oh, I don’t know.’ They say, ‘What is your religion?’ He says, ‘Oh, oh, I don’t know.’ Then a voice calls out from heaven, ‘Prepare for him a bed from Hell and clothe him from Hell, and open for him a gate to Hell.’ Then there comes to him some of its heat and hot winds, and his grave is constricted and compresses him until his ribs interlock. Then there comes to him a man with an ugly face and ugly clothes, and a foul stench, who says, ‘Receive the bad news, this is the day that you were promised.’ He says, ‘Who are you? Your face is a face which forebodes evil.’ He says, ‘I am your evil deeds.’ He says, ‘O Lord, do not let the Hour come.’”


Narrated by Ahmad, 18557; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’, no. 1676
 

Abu Sarah

Allahu Akbar
Staff member
Ending the year with prayers for forgiveness and fasting

The Sunnah indicates that people’s good deeds are taken up to be shown to Allaah without any delay, twice each day: once at night and once during the day.

In Saheeh Muslim (179) it is narrated that Abu Moosa al-Ash’ari (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) stood up before us and told us five things. He said: “Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted, does not sleep and it is not befitting that He should sleep. He lowers the Balance and raises it; the deeds of the night are taken up to Him before the deeds of the day, and the deeds of the day before the deeds of the night…”

Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: The recording angels go up with the deeds of the night after it ends, at the beginning of the day, and they go up with the deeds of the day after it ends, at the beginning of the night.

Al-Bukhaari (555) and Muslim (632) narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The angels of the night and the day come to you in succession, and they meet at Fajr prayer and at ‘Asr prayer, then those who stayed among you ascend and their Lord asks them, although He knows best about them, ‘How did you leave My slaves?’ and they say, ‘We left them when they were praying and we came to them when they were praying.’”


Al-Haafiz ibn Hajar said: This indicates that deeds are taken up at the end of the day. Whoever is in a state of obedience at that time will be blessed in his provision and his work, and Allaah knows best. Hence we can see the wisdom behind the command to perform these prayers (Fajr and ‘Asr) regularly and pay attention to them. End quote.

The Sunnah indicates that deeds are also shown to Allaah (may He be glorified and exalted) twice each week.

Muslim (2565) narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “People’s deeds are shown [to Allaah] twice each week, on Monday and Thursday, and every believing slave is forgiven except a person between whom and his brother there is a dispute, and it is said, ‘Leave these two until they reconcile.’”

The Sunnah also indicates that the good deeds of each year are taken up to Allaah all at once in the month of Sha’baan.

Al-Nasaa’i (1257) narrated that Usaamah ibn Zayd (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: I said: O Messenger of Allaah, I do not see you fasting as much in any month as you fast in Ramadaan. He said: “That is a month concerning which the people are heedless, between Rajab and Ramadaan, but it is a month in which good deeds are taken up to the Lord of the Worlds, and I would like my deeds to be taken up when I am fasting.” Classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’.

These texts may be summed up by noting that people’s deeds are shown to Allaah in three ways:

· Daily, which happens twice a day

· Weekly, which also happens twice, on Mondays and Thursdays

· Annually, which happens once, during the month of Sha’baan

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: The deeds of the year are taken up in Sha’baan, as the truthful one :saw:(the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)) has told us. The deeds of the week are shown on Monday and Thursday, the deeds of the day are taken up at the end of the day before night comes, and the deeds of the night are taken up at the end of the night, before day comes. When a person’s life comes to an end, all his life’s deeds are taken up and the record of his deeds is closed. End quote from Haashiyat Sunan Abi Dawood.

The ahaadeeth which indicate that deeds are shown to Allaah indicate that it is encouraged to do more deeds of obedience at the times when the deeds are being shown to Him, as the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said concerning fasting in Sha’baan: “I would like my deeds to be taken up when I am fasting.”

In Sunan al-Tirmidhi (747) it is narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Deeds are shown (to Allaah) on Mondays and Thursdays, and I would like my deeds to be shown when I am fasting.” Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Irwa’ al-Ghaleel (949)

One of the Taabi’een used to weep in front of his wife on Thursdays and she would weep in front of him, and he would say: Today our deeds are being shown to Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted. (This was mentioned by Ibn Rajab in Lataa’if al-Ma’aazif)

From what we have mentioned it is clear that there is no suggestion that at the end of an old year or the beginning of a new year the records of deeds are closed and deeds are shown to Allaah. Rather deeds are shown to Him in the various ways that we have mentioned, and the texts describe other times for this. The texts also indicate that the way of the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is to do more acts of obedience at those times.

Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzaan (may Allaah preserve him) said concerning commemorating the end of the year: “There is no basis for that, and singling out the end of the year for specific acts of worship such as fasting is a reprehensible innovation (bid’ah).” End quote.

With regard to fasting on Mondays and Thursdays, if that is a person’s habit, or if he is fasting on those days because of the reports which encourage doing so, then he should not refrain from doing so because it coincides with the end or beginning of the year, so long as he is not fasting on that day because of that coincidence, or because he thinks that there is any special virtue in fasting on that occasion.
 

Abu Sarah

Allahu Akbar
Staff member
Reciting du’aa’ for forgiveness in unison following prayer

It says in Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah:

Saying du’aa’ out loud following the five daily prayers and the regular Sunnah prayers, or reciting du’aa’ after the prayers in unison as a regular practise is a reprehensible innovation (bid’ah), because it is not reported that the Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or his companions (may Allaah be pleased with them) did anything like that.

Fataawa Islamiyyah, 1/319
 

Abu Sarah

Allahu Akbar
Staff member
Making du’aa’ after the obligatory prayers

It says in Fatawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah:

Making du’aa’ after the obligatory prayers is not Sunnah if it is done by raising the hands, whether that is done by the imam alone or a member of the congregation alone, or it is done by them both together. Rather that is bid’ah, because it was not narrated that the Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or any of his companions (may Allaah be pleased with them) did that. With regard to making du’aa’ without doing that (raising the hands etc.), there is nothing wrong with it, because there are some ahaadeeth concerning that.

Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 7/103

The Committee was asked about raising the hands for du’aa’ after the five daily prayers – is it proven that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) raised his hands or not? If it is not proven, is it permissible to raise the hands after the five daily prayers or not?

They replied: It is not proven that the Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) raised his hands in du’aa’ after the obligatory prayers as far as we know, so raising them after the salaam of an obligatory prayer is contrary to the Sunnah.

Fataawa al-Lajnah, 7/104

The Committee also stated that saying du’aa’ out loud after the five daily prayers or regular Sunnah prayers, or reciting du’aa’ in unison as a regular practice is a reprehensible innovation (bid’ah), because it was not proven that the Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or his companions (may Allaah be pleased with them) did anything like that. Whoever makes du’aa’ after the obligatory or regular Sunnah prayers in unison is going against the way of Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa’ah, and for those people to accuse those who disagree with them of being kaafirs and not belonging to Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa’ah, is misguidance, ignorance and a distortion of the facts.

Fataawa Islamiyyah, 1/319
 

Abu Sarah

Allahu Akbar
Staff member
Dhikr recited in unison following the prayers

the Standing Committee was asked about du’aa’ and dhikr recited in unison, and they answered:

The basic principle concerning dhikr and acts of worship is that there is no room for adding or subtracting anything. Allaah should only be worshipped in the ways that He has prescribed; this applies whether it is something that can be done at any time or something that is limited to a specific time and how it is to be done and how many times it is to be done. With regard to dhikrs and du’aa’s that Allaah has prescribed and all kinds of worship that are not limited with regard to time and numbers, location or a particular way in which they are to be done, it is not permissible for us to adhere to a particular way, time or number; rather we are to do these acts of worship without restrictions as it was prescribed.

In matters where it isproven in the words or deeds of the Prophet:saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) that an action is to be done at a certain time or a certain number of times or in a certain place or in a certain manner, then we should worship Allaah in accordance with what has been prescribed. It has not been proven from the words or deeds or approval of the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) that he recited du’aa’ in unison with others following the prayers, or after reading Qur’aan, or following each lesson, whether that took the form of the imaam reciting du’aa’ and the congregation saying Ameen to his du’aa’, or whether they all recited du’aa’ together in unison. That was not known at the time of the Rightly-Guided Khaleefahs or any of the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them). Whoever adheres to the practice of reciting du’aa’ in unison following the prayers or after reading Qur’aan or after every lesson has innovated something and introduced into the religion something which is not a part of it. It was narrated that the Prophet :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.” And he said: “Whoever does something that is not in accordance with this matter of ours (Islam) will have it rejected.”

If it were prescribed to adhere to a certain way of doing it, the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and his successors (khulafa’) after him would have adhered to that. We have stated above that no such thing was proven from him or from his companions (may Allaah be pleased with them). All goodness is to be found in following the guidance of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and the guidance of the Rightly-Guided Khulafa’ (may Allaah be pleased with them); all evil is to be found in going against their guidance and following the innovated matters against which the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) warned us by saying, “Beware of newly-innovated matters, for every innovation is misguidance.”

May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad :)saw:) and his family and companions, and grant them peace.

Fataawa Islamiyyah, 4/178
 

Abu Sarah

Allahu Akbar
Staff member
Qur’aan on Fridays and du’aa’ before Fajr

We do not know of any evidence that this happened at the time of the Messenger :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and we do not know of anyone among the Sahaabah who did that (reading Qu’raan out loud on Fridays before Zuhr). Similarly the du’aa’s recited in a melodious over loudspeakers before the adhaan for Fajr are also bid’ah, and every bid’ah is a going-astray. It was proven that the Prophet:saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever innovates something in this matter of ours (Islam) that is not part of it will have it rejected.” (al-Bukhaari in al-Sulh, 2697; Muslim in al-Udhiyah, 1718)



Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah li’l-Buhooth al-‘Ilmiyyah wa’l-Ifta, 2/353
 

Abu Sarah

Allahu Akbar
Staff member
Making du’aa’ narrated in the Qur’aan & Sunnah, reciting them a certain No.of times

It is mustahabb for the Muslim to remember Allaah a great deal (dhikr), because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“O you who believe! Remember Allaah with much remembrance.

42. And glorify His Praises morning and afternoon”

[al-Ahzaab 33:41-42]

“…and the men and the women who remember Allaah much with their hearts and tongues. Allaah has prepared for them forgiveness and a great reward (i.e. Paradise)”


[al-Ahzaab 33:35]

And there are many similar verses. And the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) also encouraged us to do that, when he said: “Keep your tongue moist with the remembrance of Allaah.”
Narrated by al-Tirmidhi and classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi, 2687.

The dhikrs that were narrated from the Messenger :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) are of two types:

1 – Those for which a specific number has been narrated, in which case it is obligatory to keep to the number narrated from the Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), no more and no less – such as the dhikrs to be recited following the prayer, or saying Subhaan-Allaah wa bi hamdih (glory and praise be to Allaah) one hundred times morning and evening, or saying Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wahdahu la shareeka lah, lahu’l-mulk wa lahu’l-hamd, wa huwa ‘ala kulli shay’in qadeer (There is no god but Allaah alone, with no partner or associate; His is the Dominion, all praise be to Him, and He is Able to do all things) one hundred times each day, and so on.

2 – Those for which no specific number has been narrated, such as the general encouragement to say tasbeeh (‘Subhaan-Allaah’ – Glory be to Allaah), tahmeed (‘Al-hamdu Lillaah’ - Praise be to Allaah) and tahleel (‘Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah’ – There is no god but Allaah), and to recite Qur’aan and so on. This may be done in general terms, without keeping to any specific number, as prescribed by the Prophet:saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).

It says in Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah:

The basic principle with regard to dhikr and acts of worship is tawqeef (i.e., adhering to what is mentioned and prescribed in the Qur’aan and Sunnah and not worshipping Allaah in any way except that which has been prescribed on the lips of the Messenger of Allaah :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)). Based on this, in cases where a certain time, number of times, place or manner has been specified, we must worship Allaah in the way that has been proven in sharee’ah. But when Allaah has prescribed dhikrs, du’aa’ and other kinds of worship in general terms without specifying a particular time, number, place or manner, then it is not permissible for us to set limits with regard to the manner, time or number of times. Rather we should worship Him in general terms as it was narrated.

From: Fataawa Islamiyyah, 4/178.
 

Abu Sarah

Allahu Akbar
Staff member
The myth that visiting the grave of ‘Ali equals seventy Hajj

Visiting graves is a Sunnah which provides a lesson and a reminder. If the graves are those of Muslims, one should make du’aa’ for them… The Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to visit graves and make du’aa’ for the deceased, as did his companions, may Allaah be pleased with them. The Messenger :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Visit the graves, for they remind you of the Hereafter.” He used to teach his companions, when they visited graves, to say, “Al-salaamu ‘alayum ahl al-diyaar min al-mu’mineen wa’l-muslimeen, wa innaa in sha Allaah bikum laahiqoon. Nas’al Allaaha lana wa lakum al-‘aafiyah (Peace be upon you O inhabitants of the dwellings, believers and Muslims. If Allaah wills, we shall join you soon. We ask Allaah to keep us and you safe and sound.).”

According to the hadeeth of ‘Aa’ishah: “Yarham Allaah al-mustaqdimeena minna wa’l-musta’khireen (may Allaah have mercy on those of us who went first and those who will join them afterward).”

According to the hadeeth of Ibn ‘Abbaas “yaghfir Allaah lana wa lakum, antum salafuna wa nahnu fi’l-athr (May Allaah forgive us and you. You are our predecessors and we are following in your footsteps).”

Making du’aa’ for them in these or similar words is all good. Visiting them brings a reminder and a lesson to the believer to prepare for what has befallen them, i.e., death, for what happened to them will happen to him too. So let him make preparations and strive to obey Allaah and His Messenger :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and keep away from that which Allaah and His Messenger have forbidden. Let him repent from his previous shortcomings. This is how the believer is to benefit from visiting graves.

With regard to visite the graves of ‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him), al-Hasan, al-Husayn and others being equivalent to seventy Hajj – this is a lie and is falsely attributed to the Messenger :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and it has no basis.

Visiting the grave of the Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), who is the best of all, is not equivalent to one Hajj; this visit has its status and virtues, but it is not equivalent to Hajj, so how about visits to anyone else’s grave? This is a lie, as is the phrase “Whoever visits the members of my household (ahl bayti) after I die will have seventy Hajj recorded for him.”

All of this has no basis at all and all of it is false. All of it is lies made up by the liars. The believer has to beware of these fabricated things that have been falsely attributed to the Messenger :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). It is Sunnah to visit the graves whether they are graves of the members of his household (Ahl al-Bayt) or other Muslims; (it is Sunnah) to visit them, make du’aa’ for them, pray for mercy for them and then leave.

If they are the graves of kaafirs, they may be visited for the purpose of learning a lesson and being reminded, without making du’aa’ for them. The Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) visited his mother’s grave, but his Lord forbade him to pray for forgiveness for her. He visited her grave for the purpose of the lesson and reminder, but he did not pray for forgiveness for her. This applies to all other graves – graves of kaafirs – if a believer visits them for the purpose of the lesson and reminder, there is nothing wrong with that, but he should not greet them with salaams or pray for forgiveness for them, because they do not deserve that.



Majmoo’ Fataawa wa Maqaalaat Mutanawwi’ah li Samaahat al-Shaykh al-‘Allaamah ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him), vol. 9, p. 283
 

Abu Sarah

Allahu Akbar
Staff member
Saying “ ‘Ali karrama Allaah wajhahu (Ali, may Allaah honour his face)”

There is no basis for saying this specifically for ‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him). It is an example of the exaggeration of the Shi’a.

May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad :)saw:) and his family and companions, and grant them peace.



Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 3/69
 

Abu Sarah

Allahu Akbar
Staff member
Red Dot on woman's forehead

The red dot, which some women place on their foreheads specially in India, has nothing to do with Islam. It is an Indian custom, we were told, Hundos women ware the red dot to imply being married. We were also told that other peoples of India do imitate the Hundos.

We ask Allaah to show the righteous path.

Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid
 

Abu Sarah

Allahu Akbar
Staff member
Munkar actions during mourning ceremonies

There are jaahili customs, or reprehensible innovations, and you have to give them up and explain to others that they are wrong.


[1 ]With regard to reciting Qur’aan over the grave of the deceased, this is not permissible, and none of the Salaf did this. If it were good to do this, they would have done it before us. It has been reported that Soorat Yaa-Seen should be recited for the person who is dying, before his soul departs, but after he has died and when he is being buried and after the burial, there is nothing that should be recited, and one should not tell him to say “Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah” and so on.

[2]Offering condolences is Sunnah, but it need not be during the mourning ceremonies. Condolences may be offered to the family of the deceased in all places. There is nothing wrong with all the relatives of the deceased gathering together in one place so that people may come and offer their condolences, but they should gather for the purpose of food. Food should be prepared only for the immediate family of the deceased; it is makrooh for them to offer food to others.

[3]There is no need to gather this money from everyone, unless the family are poor, in which case they may be given zakaat funds.

[4]It is not permissible to slaughter this sheep, whether it is from the wealth of the deceased or from someone else. But if food is prepared for the family of the deceased, from one or more animals, there is nothing wrong with this.

[5]Collecting these pebbles, and making dhikr whilst doing so, and putting them on the grave – this is a reprehensible innovation (bid’ah) which must be given up and denounced.

[6]Raising one’s voice in wailing and lamenting, striking the cheeks and eulogizing the deceased are all bid’ah and actions of the jaahiliyyah. It was reported in a hadeeth: “He is not one of us who strikes his cheeks, rends his garments and calls with the call of the jaahiliyyah.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1294, Fath 3/163; Muslim, 103; Ahmad, 1/244).

[7]Wearing black as a sign of mourning for the deceased is bid’ah; but the wives of the deceased should avoid wearing fancy or adorned clothes, jewellery, makeup and perfume during their period of mourning.

[8]It is bid’ah for women to avoid their usual work and activities; the newly-widowed woman can still prepare food, clean the house, wash the dishes, do laundry, etc. There is nothing wrong with her doing that.


And Allaah knows best.



Al-Lu’lu’ al-Makeen min Fataawa al-Shaykh al-‘Allaamah ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Abd al-Rahmaan al-Jibreen, p. 37
 

Abu Sarah

Allahu Akbar
Staff member
saying Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah when parting from one’s friend

We do not know of any saheeh (sound) or da’eef (weak) hadeeth which speaks of this dhikr when parting or concluding a gathering. Hence persisting in it or believing it to be a dhikr that is prescribed on such occasions is a bid’ah that is be rejected, because the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever does any action that is not in accordance with our affair will have it rejected.”
Narrated by Muslim (1718).

The scholars have stated that singling out a particular time or place for an act of worship, or a particular manner in which it is to be done, with no proof from the texts, makes it a kind of bid’ah and innovation, in which case it is called bid’ah idaafiyyah. It is prescribed in principle, but is rejected because of the manner in which it is done. Acts of worship must be prescribed in and of themselves, the manner in which they are done, the time at which they are done and the number of times they are done, because Allaah can only be worshipped in the ways that He has prescribed in His Book or on the lips of the Messenger of Allaah :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).

Al-Shaatibi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
Bid’ah, therefore, refers to a fabricated religious way which competes with the way that is based on sharee’ah, whereby following it is intended to go to extremes in devotion and worship.

That also includes adhering to certain ways and forms of worship, such as reciting dhikr in unison, taking the day of the Prophet’s birthday as a festival, and so on.

It also includes adhering to a specific act of worship at a specific time for which there is no basis in sharee’ah, such as always fasting on the fifteenth of Sha’baan and spending that night in prayer.

End quote from al-I’tisaam (1/37-39).


Secondly:

It is prescribed to end a gathering by saying that which was narrated by Abu Dawood (4859) from Abu Barzah al-Aslami (may Allaah be pleased with him) who said: The Messenger of Allaah:saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to say, when he wanted to leave a gathering: “Subhaanaka Allaahumma wa bi hamdika, ashhadu an laa ilaaha illa anta, astaghfiruka wa atoobu ilayk (Glory and praise be to You, O Allaah, I bear witness that there is no god but You, I seek Your forgiveness and I repent to You).” And he said: “It is expiation for whatever happened in that gathering.”
Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood.

It is also prescribed for one of the people present to recite Soorat al-‘Asr when ending the gathering, because of the report narrated by al-Tabaraani in al-Awsat (5124) from Abu Madeenah al-Daarimi (may Allaah be pleased with him) who was a companion of the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). He said: When two men of the companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) met, they would not part until one of them recited “By Al‑‘Asr (the time), Verily, man is in loss” [al-‘Asr] over the other, then one would say salaam to the other.
Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in al-Silsilah al-Saheehah (no. 2648).

Look at how people have turned away from a proven Sunnah for the sake of the bid’ahs that they have introduced, confirming the words of the Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): “No people introduce a bid’ah but something equivalent will be taken away from the Sunnah.” Narrated by Ahmad (16522). Al-Haafiz said in al-Fath (13/253): Its isnaad is jayyid.

May Allaah enable us and you to follow the Sunnah and avoid bid’ah.

And Allaah knows best.
 

Abu Sarah

Allahu Akbar
Staff member
The bid’ah of Eid al-Abraar (the “festival of the righteous”)

One of the innovated things that happen in Shawwaal is the bid’ah (innovation) of “Eid al-Abraar” (the “festival of the righteous”), which is on the eighth day of Shawwaal.

After the people have completed the fast of Ramadaan, and they broke their fast on the first day of Shawwaal – the day of Eid al-Fitr – they start to fast the first six days of Shawwaal, and on the eighth day they celebrate an “eid” which they call Eid al-Abraar.

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “With regard to celebrating occasions which are not prescribed in sharee’ah – such as some nights in Rabee’ al-Awwal which are called ‘Mawlid’, or some nights in Rajab, or the eighteenth of Dhu’l-Hijjah, or the first Friday in Rajab, or the eighth of Shawwaal which the ignorant call Eid al-Abraar – these are innovations which were not approved of by the salaf and they did not do these things. And Allaah knows best.” (Majmoo’ Fataawa Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah, 25/298)

He also said: “With regard to the eighth of Shawwaal, it is not an Eid, neither for the righteous nor for the evil. It is not permissible for anyone to take it as an Eid or to do any of the things connected with celebrations on that day.”
(al-Ikhtiyaaraat al-Fiqhiyyah, p. 199)

The celebrations of this “eid” take place in one of the famous mosques, where men and women mix freely, shake hands with one another and utter words of Jaahiliyyah when they shake hands. Then after that they go and make some foods especially for this occasion.”
(al-Sunan wa’l-Mubtada’aat by al-Shuqayri, p. 166)



Al-Bida’ al-Hawliyyah by Shaykh ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Ahmad al-Tuwayjri, p. 350
 

Abu Sarah

Allahu Akbar
Staff member
Celebrations commemorating some of the scholars

Among the innovated matters that have appeared in some Muslim societies are celebrations to commemorate some of the dead, especially the scholars. These celebrations take place on the anniversary of the death of the person who is being commemorated, and they may take place a year or more after his death.

These celebrations vary from one person to another. If he was one of the common people or one of those who was thought to have knowledge even though he was ignorant, on the fortieth day after his death, his family commemorate his death, calling it “al-arba’een” (forty). They bring people together in a special tent or in the house of the deceased, and they bring Qur’aan-readers to recite Qur’aan, and they prepare a meal like a wedding feast, and they adorn the place with lights and comfortable furnishings. They go to great expense, and their purpose in doing this is to show off. No doubt this is haraam, because it involves wasting the money of the deceased for no legitimate purpose. It beings no benefit to the deceased himself and results in loss for his family. This is the case if there is no one among the heirs who is too young to be in charge of the money, so what do you think if there is someone like that among them! They may even finance that by means of a loan which involves riba (interest) – we seek refuge with Allaah from His Wrath.
(al-Ibdaa’, p. 228)

Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “One of the things that the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) taught was to offer condolences to the family of the bereaved, but it is not part of his teachings to gather together to mourn and read Qur’aan for him (the deceased), whether that is at the grave or elsewhere. All of that is bid’ah and a reprehensible innovation.”
(Zaad al-Ma’aad, 1/527)

‘Ali Mahfooz (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “What people do nowadays of offering food to the people who come to offer their condolences, and going to great expense on the nights of mourning, and subsequent occasions such as Friday nights and the forty-day anniversary of the death (al-arba’een), all of that is reprehensible bid’ah which goes against the practice of the Messenger of Allaah :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and the righteous salaf after him.”
(al-Ibdaa’, p. 230).

This celebration or commemoration is an innovation and a bid’ah, which was not narrated from the Messenger :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or from his companions (may Allaah be pleased with them) or the righteous salaf (may Allaah have mercy on them). The Sunnah in this case is to make food for the family of the deceased and to send it to them, not for them to have to make food and invite people to come and eat it. When news of the death of Ja’far ibn Abi Taalib (may Allaah be pleased with him) came, the Prophet :saw: (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “Make food for the family of Ja’far, because there has come to them that which will preoccupy them.” (Narrated by Ahmad in his Musnad, 1/205. Also narrated by Abu Dawood in his Sunan, 3/497, Kitaab al-Janaa’iz, hadeeth no. 3132. Also narrated by al-Tirmidhi in his Sunan, 2/234, Abwaab al-Janaa’iz, hadeeth no. 1003; he said it is a hasan hadeeth. Also narrated by Ibn Maajah in his Sunan, 1/514, Kitaab al-Janaa’iz, hadeeth no 1610. Also narrated by al-Haakim in al-Mustadrak, 1/372, Kitaab al-Janaa’iz; he said, it is a hadeeth whose isnaad is saheeh although they (al-Bukhaari and Muslim) did not narrate it, and al-Dhahabi agreed with him in his Talkhees).

Jareer ibn ‘Abd-Allaah al-Bajali said: “We used to consider gathering with the family of the deceased and making food to be a form of wailing.” (Narrated by Ibn Maajah in his Sunan, 1/514, Kitaab al-Janaa’iz, hadeeth no. 1612. Al-Busayri said in Zawaa’id Ibn Maajah (2/35): “This is a saheeh isnaad; the men of the first isnaad are according to the conditions of al-Bukhaari, and the men of the second isnaad are according to the conditions of Muslim.”)

But if the person whose death is being commemorated was one of the scholars, on the anniversary of his death, one or two years later, then they hold special celebrations. A group of researchers agree to write about his life and character, or his method of writing, and everything that has to do with him, then they present that research on that day, and publish his books, or the most important and most famous of them, and they are distributed in the marketplaces to keep his memory alive, or so they say, and to make known the efforts he made to spread and publish knowledge and so on.

If he was a king, ruler or president, this occasion is celebrated and the most senior of those who are present speak of his legacy and work in government, and some books about him may be published on this occasion. Some people may go to his grave and recite wird over it, or recite al-Faatihah for his soul, All of that is bid’ah for which Allaah has not revealed any authority.

There is nothing inherently wrong with publishing the books of a scholar, or writing his biography or writing about his methodology, or printing his books. These things should be done if he deserves that. But that should not be done specifically at a certain time, or be accompanied by celebrations, festivals and speeches etc. The same applies to kings and rulers.

Celebrations held to commemorate the death of scholars, rulers and some common folk are an innovation, and that is sufficient to condemn them.

There was no one who had more knowledge than the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and there was no one whose way of calling others to Islam was better. No one had a nobler status or a higher rank than he did (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), for he is the best of all creation. But despite that the Sahaabah did not commemorate his death, even though no person has ever been more dearly loved than the Prophet :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was loved by the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them) or the Taabi’een or the righteous salaf (may Allaah have mercy on them). If there had been any good in doing so, they would have done it before us.

Respecting the scholars is not done by holding celebrations in their memory; it is done by striving to benefit from the things they have written, by publishing and reading and commenting etc.

This applies if they are deserving of that, by virtue of their having lived according to the way of the righteous salaf, and kept away from the way of the deviant sects or the influence of the west, etc.

The memory and narrations of the scholars of the righteous salaf and those who came after them, and the knowledge that they presented to the people, have been preserved. The scholar may have died and departed from this world, but his knowledge remains and is passed down by the people from one generation to the next.

Because of the benefit that people gain from their knowledge, they pray for mercy for them and pray that they may be rewarded. This is the greatest way in which their memory can be kept alive.

But organizing celebrations in their memory, or seeking blessing by visiting the places where they lived and taught, and their relics, or circumambulating their graves – all of that is bid’ah, some of which may even reach the degree of shirk. We seek refuge with Allaah from that.

If these scholars, whose memories are celebrated and from whom people seek blessing by visiting the places where they lived and taught, were alive, they would denounce these things that are being done.

But some people have been misled by their own whims and desires and by the Shaytaan, and by those who advocate bid’ah for worldly purposes or to gain leadership over the people. So they have slipped in the maze of bid’ah from which there is no escape apart from returning to the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of His Messenger :saw:(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and adhering to them, and to that on which the scholars of this ummah are agreed, and giving up all newly-invented innovations which are evil in and of themselves and which lead to even greater evils and disasters.

We ask Allaah to guide us and them to the Straight Path, the path of those with whom Allaah is pleased, the Prophets, the Siddeeqeen, the martyrs and the righteous. May He keep us far away from the path of those with whom He is angry and those who have gone astray, for He is Able to do all things.



Al-Bida’ al-Hawliyyah li Shaykh ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Ahmad al-Tuwayjri, p. 350
 

Abu Sarah

Allahu Akbar
Staff member
Fasting in the month of Rajab

Fasting in the month of Rajab​

Praise be to Allaah.

Firstly:

The month of Rajab is one of the sacred months of which Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Verily, the number of months with Allaah is twelve months (in a year), so was it ordained by Allaah on the Day when He created the heavens and the earth; of them four are Sacred (i.e. the 1st, the 7th, the 11th and the 12th months of the Islamic calendar). That is the right religion, so wrong not yourselves therein”

[al-Tawbah 9:36]

The sacred months are: Rajab, Dhu’l-Qa’dah, Dhu’l-Hijjah and Muharram.

Al-Bukhaari (4662) and Muslim (1679) narrated from Abu Bakrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The year is twelve months, of which four are sacred: three consecutive months, Dhu’l-Qa’dah, Dhu’l-Hijjah and Muharram, and Rajab Mudar which comes between Jumaada and Sha’baan.

These months are called sacred for two reasons:

1- Because fighting therein is forbidden unless initiated by the enemy

2- Because transgression of the sacred limits therein is worse than at other times.

Hence Allaah has forbidden us to commit sins during these months, as He says (interpretation of the meaning):

“wrong not yourselves therein”

[al-Tawbah 9:36]

Although committing sins is haraam and forbidden during these months and at other times, in these months it is more forbidden.

Al-Sa’di (may Allaah have mercy on him) said (p. 373):

In the phrase “wrong not yourselves therein”, the pronoun may be understood as referring to twelve months. Allaah states that He has made them a measure of time for His slaves, which they may use for worshipping Him, and thank Allaah for His blessings, and they serve the interests of His slaves, so beware of wronging yourselves therein.

The pronoun may also be understood as referring to the four sacred months, and this forbids them to wrong themselves in those months in particular, as well as it being forbidden to do wrong at all times, because it is more forbidden at this time, but it is worse at this time than at others. End quote.

Secondly:

With regard to fasting the month of Rajab, there is no saheeh hadeeth to indicate that there is any special virtue in fasting all or part of this month.

What some people do, singling out some days of Rajab for fasting, believing that they are better than others, has no basis in sharee’ah.

But there is a report from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) which indicates that it is mustahabb to fast during the sacred months (and Rajab is one of the sacred months). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Fast some days of the sacred months and not others.” Narrated by Abu Dawood, 2428; classed as da’eef by al-Albaani in Da’eef Abi Dawood.

Even if this hadeeth were saheeh, it indicates that it is mustahabb to fast during the sacred months. So if a person fasts during Rajab because of this, and he also fasts in the other sacred months, there is nothing wrong with that. But singling out Rajab for fasting is not right.

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in Majmoo’ al-Fataawa (25/290):

As for fasting in Rajab in particular, the ahaadeeth concerning that are all da’eef (weak), and in fact mawdoo’ (fabricated). The scholars do not rely on any of them. They are not among the da’eef ahaadeeth which have been narrated concerning virtues, rather most of them are fabricated and false. In al-Musnad and elsewhere there is a hadeeth which says that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) enjoined fasting the sacred months, namely Rajab, Dhu’l-Qa’dah, Dhu’l-Hijjah and Muharram, but this has to do with fasting during all of them, not just Rajab. End quote.

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

Every hadeeth which mentions fasting in Rajab and praying during some of its nights is false and fabricated.” End quote from al-Manaar al-Muneef, p. 96

Al-Haafiz ibn Hajar said in Tabyeen al-‘Ajab (p. 11)

There is no saheeh hadeeth that would count as evidence which speaks of the virtue of the month of Rajab, or that speaks of fasting this month or part of it, or of spending any particular night of it in prayer.

Shaykh Sayyid Saabiq (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in Fiqh al-Sunnah (1/282):

Fasting in Rajab is no better than fasting in any other month, except that it is one of the sacred months. There is no report in the saheeh Sunnah to suggest that there is anything special about fasting in this month. Whatever has been narrated concerning that is not fit to be quoted as evidence. End quote.

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked about fasting on the twenty-seventh of Rajab and spending that night in prayer. He replied:

Fasting on the twenty-seventh of Rajab and spending that night in prayer is a bid’ah (innovation), and every bid’ah is a going astray. End quote.

Majmoo’ Fataawa Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 20/440.
 

Abu Sarah

Allahu Akbar
Staff member
‘Umrah in the month of Rajab

‘Umrah in the month of Rajab​


Praise be to Allaah.

Firstly:

There is no report from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) – as far as we know – to suggest that there is any particular virtue in performing ‘Umrah in the month of Rajab, or that it is encouraged. Rather it is proven that there is a particular virtue in performing ‘Umrah in the month of Ramadaan, and in the months of Hajj, which are Shawwaal, Dhu’l-Qa’dah and Dhu’l-Hijjah.

There is no report to prove that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) performed ‘Umrah in Rajab, rather that was denied by ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her), who said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) never performed ‘Umrah in Rajab. Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1776; Muslim, 1255.

Secondly:

Something that has been introduced into the religion is what some people do, namely singling out the month of Rajab for ‘Umrah, because no one should single out a specific time for doing an act of worship unless that has been prescribed in sharee’ah.

Ibn al-‘Attaar, the student of al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on them both) said:

What I have heard about the people of Makkah, may Allaah increase it in honour, is that they are accustomed to performing ‘Umrah a great deal in Rajab. This is something for which I know of no basis, rather it is proven in the hadeeth that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “ ‘Umrah in Ramadaan is equivalent to Hajj.” End quote.

Shaykh Muhammad ibn Ibraaheem (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in his Fataawa (6/131):

With regard to singling out some days of Rajab for any kinds of ziyaarah etc, there is no basis for that. Imam Abu Shaamah stated in his book al-Bida’ wa’l-Hawaadith that performing acts of worship at specific times which were not prescribed by Islam is not right, because no time is better than any other, except times when it is prescribed to perform a certain kind of worship, or a time when all kinds of good deeds are better than at other times. Hence the scholars denounced the singling out of the month of Rajab for performing ‘Umrah a great deal. End quote.

But if a person goes for ‘Umrah during Rajab without believing that there is any special virtue in that, but it just so happens that it is easy for him to travel at that time, there is nothing wrong with that.
 
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