O Muslims! Wake up…

by Seeker

O Muslims! Wake up from the sleep of heedlessness! How long will you make merry in this world? When will you realise the great loss of wasting the previous moments of your life in heedlessness? Are you not going to die?

Remember! A day will certainly come when you will be leaving this world. Death will put an end to all of your luxuries and pleasures. It will make you rest on soil in lieu (place) of your comfortable and cosy mattress. It will take you out of your beautifully decorated rooms full of entertainment devices and lead you to your dark grave, and then, it will be futile to regret. You have a chance now; repent sincerely of your sins and become punctual in your Ṣalāh and fasts.

Wearing a Ta’widh, permissible?

by Seeker

Is wearing a ta’widh (amulet containing writings of Qur’anic Verses and Duas) permissible?

Some groups of the deviants say that wearing ta’widh is impermissible whereas this is completely permissible. Example of this from a hadith is as follows:

Sayyiduna ‘Abdullah Ibn Mas’ud would teach his mature (one who has reached puberty/baligh) children a supplication (dua) to recite whilst going to sleep. For those children who were immature amongst them or those who were unable to memorise it, he would write the supplication and put its ta’widh in the necks of the children.

(Musnad Imam Ahmed bin Hanbal, volume-2, Hadith no.: 6708)

Grape from Paradise

by Seeker

Imām Tabarānī narrates from Umm ul-Mu’minīn Sayyidāh ‘Ayesha Siddīqah radiyAllāhu ‘anha that the beloved Messenger sall Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam once fed Umm ul-Mu’minīn Sayyidāh Khadījah radiyAllāhu ‘anha a grape from Jannah (Paradise).

~ Recorded by ‘Abd al-Baqi az-Zurqānī in his Sharh of Mawāhib (3:226).

A poem on the importance of the beard

by Seeker

A poem on the importance of the beard by Shaykh Jamil Ahmed al-Qadiri ar-Ridhawiy, may Allah have mercy on him.

 

Oh my brother! Stop shaving the beard!

Have God’s shame! Stop shaving the beard!

 

It’s just hair from the outward but it’s the light of Islam!

Make your face enlightened! Stop shaving the beard!

 

With your looks are displeased Allah and al-Mustafa

Seek their pleasure! Stop shaving the beard!

 

The Satan rejoices after looking at your face!

And he is your staunch enemy! Stop shaving the beard!

 

Has any Hindu ever cut off his braid? Tell me!

Why have you done this!? Stop shaving the beard!

 

Has anyone from the Household, Companions or Prophets done this?

Why are you distinct from them!? Stop shaving the beard!

 

It’s strange that even the women are influenced by this!

Thus shaving their heads! Stop shaving the beard!

 

You were born a man but you have become effeminate now!

Why have you sought this wrath? Stop shaving the beard!

 

Stop shaving the beard and even trimming it, for all this is prohibited!

Obey the order of al-Mustafa! Stop shaving the beard!

 

Let the plea of Jamil al-Qadiri be accepted Oh Lord!

Let the Nation of the Best of Abstemious Ones stop shaving the beard!

—

Translated by Sidi Najibullah al-Qadiri (Allah Almighty bless him)

I never again touched a bow without performing Wudhu (ablution)

by Seeker

Aḥmad bin Fadhūlia rađiyAllāhu ánhu (whose title was ‘Zāhid’) was an accomplished mujahid and archer. He states,

From the moment I learnt the Ḥadīth – that the beloved Messenger of Allah śallAllāhu álayhi wa sallam had also picked up a bow in his life, I never again touched a bow without performing Wudhu (ablution).

(Qāḍi Íyaḍ al-Malikī, ash-Shifa bi Tárīf Ḥuqūq al-Muṣtafa śallAllāhu álayhi wa sallam, vol. 2, pp. 44)

Sayyidunā Abū Bakr Siddīq raĎiyAllāhu ánhu did not sit on that part of the enlightened pulpit

by Seeker

Tabarānī has stated in Mújam al-Awsat with reference to Sayyidunā Ábdullah Ibn Úmar rađiyAllāhu ánhuma that throughout his life, Sayyidunā Abū Bakr Siddīq raĎiyAllāhu ánhu did not sit on that part of the enlightened mimbar [pulpit] where the beloved Prophet śallAllāhu álayhi wa sallam would sit. Similarly, Sayyidunā Úmar raĎiyAllāhu ánhu did not sit in the place of Sayyidunā Abū Bakr raĎiyAllāhu ánhu and Sayyidunā Úthmān raĎiyAllāhu ánhu did not sit in the place of Sayyidunā Úmar raĎiyAllāhu ánhu (Tārīkh al-Khulafa, pp. 72)

….when the news of Imām Abū Hanīfa’s death reached…Knowledge has gone away

by Seeker

In the year 150 AH, when the news of Imām Abū Hanīfa’s death reached Ibn Jurayj[1] one of the most famous Muḥaddith of the past, he said, “Knowledge has gone away.”[2] When the death of Imām Abū Hanīfa reached Shu’bah[3], he said Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi raji’oon, and added, “The Nūr(light) of ‘Ilm (knowledge) has been extinguished from Kufa. They will not see his likeness ever.[4]

—–

[1] Ibn Juraij is one of the greatest Muḥaddith of the past; he is also the teacher of Yahya Ibn Sa’eed Al-Qattaan. See ‘Umdat Ul-Qārī Sharh of al-Bukhārī’s, Sahīh by al-Hāfidh Badr ud-Dīn Abū Muhammad Mahmūd Ibn Aḥmad famous as al-Badr Ul-Aynī’, vol. 1, pp. 140.

[2] See Tabyeed us Sahīfah, pp. 114.

[3] Imām Aḥmad ibn Hanbal said that Shu’bah is a Ummah (nation) alone in this field, meaning in regards to Ruwaat (narraroters) of Ĥadīth, Shu’bah is in a department and rank of his own. Sufyan Ath-Thawri said that Shu’bah is Amīr Ul Mu’minīn in Ĥadīth. See ‘Umdat Ul-Qārī Sharh of al-Bukhārī, vol.1, pp.130.

[4] See al-Khayrāt ul-Hisān p. 127 by Ibn Hajar al-Haytamī.

Printing Nāsikh (abrogative) and Mansūkh (annulled) āyats in different colours

by Seeker

Question:

What is the ruling on printing the Nāsikh (abrogative) and Mansūkh (annulled) āyats of the Holy Qur’ân in different colours?

[Dr Khalid Rida Chicago U.S.A.]

Answer:

It is permissible but care must be taken to the colours used and it must be explained properly so that the general Muslim public [awām] doesn’t lose esteem for the Nāsikh and Mansūkh āyats.

—–

From Fatāwa al-Bareilly Sharīf – Markazī Dar Ul-Iftā’ Bareilly

Qiyām

by Seeker

Definition:

According to Urdu lexicographers the term Qiyām is understood to mean: standing upright in salāh. The essential element of a valid Qiyām is to stand upright in such a way that if the hands are stretched they should not reach up to the knee. The perfect Qiyām would be standing totally straight.

The duration of Qiyām and Qirā’at are the same. If the category of Qirā’at belongs to Fardh, Wājib, or Sunnah then the same category applies to Qiyām.[1]

Above decree is for all rak’âhs except the first. In the first rak’âh, Takbīr-e Tahrīma is a constituent of a fardh component of Qiyām while Ŝanā, Ta’awūz and Tasmīyah are considered as Sunnah components of Qiyām.

How must one stand in Qiyām?

In Qiyām, men should place their right hand over the left, below the umbilicus and encircle the right thumb over the left wrist and the remaining three fingers of the right hand should be placed on the dorsal aspect of the left wrist.[2]

Fardh element:

Qiyām is Fardh [obligatory] in all forms of salāh[3], aside from nawafil. If these salāhs are offered in a sitting position without a valid reason then the salāh will be rendered invalid.[4]

Sunnah element:

Imām Abū Hanīfa raĥimahullah has said that it is Sunnah to keep a four-finger space between both legs during Qiyām.[5]

It is also Sunnah to keep the body weight on either leg, one by one.[6]

Mustahab element:

It is mustahab [desirable] to keep eyesight at the place of Sajdah in Qiyām.[7]

Makruh element:

It is makrūh tanzīhī to oscillate [move back and forth] one’s body during Qiyām.[8]

It is makrūh tahreemī to do Qiyām on one leg, however if there is a valid reason then one may do so.[9]

Qiyām for sick and aged persons

If one is able to stand up even for a while, then it becomes obligatory to perform the Takbīr-e Tahrīmawhilst standing and then one may sit down and complete his salāh.[10]

It is very common today that if one is slightly weak, ill or aged then he often prays salāh in a sitting position from the beginning of the salāh. However the majority of people doing so are very capable of performing salāh in a standing position and doing so will not increase their illness or affect their ability to stand. Such individuals are generally found indulging in worldly affairs whilst standing; and they must be told that it is obligatory for them to offer salāh in a standing position.[11]

If a person is sick or weak but is able to stand with the support of a stick [asā], wall or servant then it is obligatory for him to offer salāh in a standing position with the support.[12]

If one is able to stand, but there is a definite/known risk of bursting abscess in doing Sajdah then, salāh may be offered in a sitting or standing position with sign [symbolic performance] of Sajdah.[13]

If one goes to the mosque for congregational salāh and is unable to stand up upright due to weakness, on the contrary if he prays the salāh at home and is able to stand thereafter, then, he should pray salāh at home. It is better if he prays in congregational salāh at home, otherwise he should offer it alone.[14]

If urine drips whilst in a standing position, but stops in a sitting position, then it is obligatory for one to offer salāh in a sitting position.[15]

Salāh in a sitting position

Supererogatory [nawafil] salāh can be offered in a sitting position even though one is able to stand. It is in a Ĥadīth that, salāh offered in a sitting position carries half the reward of a salāh offered in a standing position.[16] However, there will be no reduction of blessings if salāh is offered in a sitting position due to a valid reason. It is customary in today’s day and age to offer supererogatory salāh in a sitting position and many feel pleased in doing so, however this attitude is wrong. It is better to offer supererogatory salāh in a standing position and the blessings will be doubled in doing so. Thus, supererogatory salāh offered in a sitting position without a due reason is permissible but the blessings shall be halved to one performing in a standing position.[17]

The Beloved Prophet şallAllāhu álayhi wa sallam offered salāh in a sitting position and said,

I am not similar to you; my blessing is the same whether I offer salāh in a sitting or standing position.

Hence, it is better to offer supererogatory salāh in a standing position with double the blessings and there is no harm if offered in a sitting position.[18]

While offering supererogatory salāh in a sitting position, rukū’ should be done in such a way that the forehead reaches nearer to the knee but buttocks should not be lifted. It is Makrūh-e Tanzīhī to lift the buttocks whilst performing rukū’.[19]

Salāh may be offered in a sitting position on a moving boat.[20] In a moving vehicle for e.g. train or bus where one may feel dizziness or a vehicle in which it is not practical to stand up, salāh may be offered in a sitting position. However the salāh performed should be repeated after the completion of journey.[21]

—–

[1] Imām al-Haskafī, Durr al-Mukhtār

Sadr as-Sharī’ā, Bahār-e Sharī’ā, vol. 1, Part 3, pp. 37. Mumtaz Academy, Lahore

[2] Ghunyah Sharh Munyah

Imām Aḥmad RiĎā al-Qādrī, al-Atāya Nabawīyyah Fil Fatāwah Ridhwīyyah, vol. 3, pp. 46

[3] Fardh, wit’r, Eid and Sunnah of Fajr salāh

[4] Imām al-Haskafī, Durr al-Mukhtār

Imām Ibn Abidīn Shāmī, Radd al-Muhtār

[5] Imām Aḥmad RiĎā al-Qādrī, al-Atāya Nabawīyyah Fil Fatāwah Ridhwīyyah, vol. 3, pp. 51

[6] Imām Aḥmad RiĎā al-Qādrī, al-Atāya Nabawīyyah Fil Fatāwah Ridhwīyyah, vol. 1, pp. 448

[7] Sadr as-Sharī’ā, Bahār-e Sharī’ā

[8] Sadr as-Sharī’ā, Bahār-e Sharī’ā, vol. 3, pp. 173

[9] Sadr as-Sharī’ā, Bahār-e Sharī’ā, vol. 1, Part 3, pp. 37. Mumtaz Academy, Lahore

[10] Ghunyah Sharh Munyah

Imām Aḥmad RiĎā al-Qādrī, al-Atāya Nabawīyyah Fil Fatāwah Ridhwīyyah, vol. 3, pp. 52

[11] Imām Aḥmad RiĎā al-Qādrī, al-Atāya Nabawīyyah Fil Fatāwah Ridhwīyyah, vol. 3, pp. 53 & 424

[12] Ghunyah Sharh Munyah

Imām Aḥmad RiĎā al-Qādrī, al-Atāya Nabawīyyah Fil Fatāwah Ridhwīyyah, vol. 3, pp. 53

Sadr as-Sharī’ā, Bahār-e Sharī’ā, vol. 1, Part 3, pp. 37. Mumtaz Academy, Lahore

[13] Sadr as-Sharī’ā, Bahār-e Sharī’ā, vol. 3, pp. 69

[14] Imām al-Haskafī, Durr al-Mukhtār

Imām Ibn Abidīn Shāmī, Radd al-Muhtār

Sadr as-Sharī’ā, Bahār-e Sharī’ā, vol. 1, Part 3, pp. 37. Mumtaz Academy, Lahore

[15] Imām al-Haskafī, Durr al-Mukhtār

Imām Ibn Abidīn Shāmī, Radd al-Muhtār

Sadr as-Sharī’ā, Bahār-e Sharī’ā, vol. 1, Part 3, pp. 37. Mumtaz Academy, Lahore

[16] The Beloved Prophet şallAllāhu álayhi wa sallam said,

Someone who prays sitting down has only half the reward of someone standing.

Recorded by Imām al-Bukhârī in as-Sahīh, Ĥadīth 1065 on the authority of ‘Imrān bin Husayn rađiyAllāhu ánhu.

[17] Imām al-Haskafī, Durr al-Mukhtār

Imām Ibn Abidīn Shāmī, Radd al-Muhtār

Sadr as-Sharī’ā, Bahār-e Sharī’ā

[18] Imām Aḥmad RiĎā al-Qādrī, al-Atāya Nabawīyyah Fil Fatāwah Ridhwīyyah, vol. 3, pp. 461

[19] Imām Aḥmad RiĎā al-Qādrī, al-Atāya Nabawīyyah Fil Fatāwah Ridhwīyyah, vol. 3, pp. 51 & 69

[20] Ghunyah Sharh Munyah

[21] Imām Aḥmad RiĎā al-Qādrī, al-Atāya Nabawīyyah Fil Fatāwah Ridhwīyyah, vol. 3, pp. 627

Reasons for a strict stance against the Deobandis

by Seeker

Reason # 1 – Their Infidelity

The first and foremost reason is the infidelities and blasphemies of the Deobandī scholars – these in reality are the fundamental differences – these heretic beliefs are written in their books and are ingrained in the hearts of the Deobandī followers.

Reason # 2 – Difficulty In Identification

As far as following a madhab, the Deobandī’s also label themselves as Hanafī’s and followers of the school of thought of Imām al-Aázam Abū Hanīfa. They offer Salāh (prayer) as we do. Their calls for Salāh are the same as ours. In short, there are no zāhir [outward] signs from which the Muslims may differentiate with the Deobandī’s. There is every possibility that simple Muslims will misunderstand them. Therefore it is necessary that the beliefs of the Deobandī School are presented clearly to the masses, in order that there is no difficulty in identifying them.

As for the Shi’as, their call for prayers, their mode of prayer etc., are vastly different from that of Sunnīs – they are easily identifiable. The same is the case with the ghayr muqallids. It is evident enough from how they pray that they are followers of different beliefs and a self-made school of thought. Therefore the need to warn individuals of such deviated sects is not as essential as it is to educate them about the satanic Deobandī sect.

Reason # 3 – Their Methods of Corrupting the Faith of Sunnī Masses

By entering the ranks of our Sunnī masses, and impersonating to be on our side, they lure the Sunnī masses using many methods – and when they assume that they have been successful in doing so, they inculcate respect and adoration in their hearts for the elders of the Deoband school. Thereafter they begin to abhor all the beliefs and customs, which were dear to them like their faith – and consider the Sunnī belief as polytheism and heresy! [astagfirullah] Within a few days, their hearts are sealed with such wretchedness that they are not prepared to listen to any reference be it from the Holy Qur’ân or Ĥadīth.

In such circumstances, there is no other way left to save the masses from going astray from the Sirāt al-Mustaqīm the path of the blessed Sahâba and the saints, but to educate them about the corrupt beliefs of the Deobandī sect, their deceits and fraud.

Reason # 4 – The Hypocrisy of the Deobandī Sect

Researching into the traits of the Deobandī sect, it is clearly evident that they are truly the inheritors of the traits of the hypocrites mentioned in the Holy Qur’ân. For instance, the hypocrites were double-faced. One face was shown to their own group whilst the other was for the honourable Muslim Companions of the Holy Prophet şallAllāhu álayhi wa sallam. The Holy Qur’ân has narrated this trait in the following words: –

And when they meet with the believers, they say, “We believe”; and when they are alone with their devils, they say, “We are undoubtedly with you, we were just mocking!”[1]

The same is the case with the Deobandī sect. They too have two faces – one for the faithful followers of the beloved Prophet şallAllāhu álayhi wa sallam and the other for members of their own group.

—–

[1] Sūrah al-Baqarah, Verse 14

It is stated in Tafsīr al-Jalalyn, commenting on this ayah:

When they meet; those who believe, they say, ‘We believe’; but when they go apart, away from them and return, to their devils, their leaders, they say, ‘We are with you, in religion; we were only mocking, them [the believers] by feigning belief.

It is stated in Imdâd al-Karam:

When the hypocrites would meet the Muslims they would claim to have faith [in Islam], [however] when they would meet with the mukhalifīn al-Islam [the enemy/opponents of Islam] they would say in reality we are with you [and profess to what you believe in], we were only mocking the Muslims…