For example, when Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) asked one day; Muaz ibn jabal was riding on the camel of Prophet (Pbuh ) very close to him and the Prophet (Pbuh) asked him “Ya Muaz, hal tadri haq-u-lahu allal ibaad”? Oh Muad do you know what is the Haq, the right of Allah upon his servants? And Muaz (ra) was very close to Rasulallah and he could have answered this question because he was a man of imaan and a man of taqwa, he was a righteous and pious man; but his answer to Prophet (Pbuh) was “Allah wa rasoolahu alam” “Allah and his messenger know better”. The companions of Prophet (Pbuh) when they were asked such a question, they never thought to them selves that they could answer the question better than the Prophet (Pbuh), so they always returned it back to him to see what he will say. So he told him that the “The haq of Allah upon his Ibaad, is “La tushriku billahi shai aa” that they do not associate partners with Allah, that is with true almighty God”. Then he asked him another question, he said “Ya Muaz, Hal tadri haqul ibaad alalllah? “Oh Muaz, do you know the Haq, the right of servants upon Allah? Muaz again answered “Allah wa rasoolahu alam“ “Allah and his messenger know better”. And then Prophet (Pbuh) let the camel go a little further and he let Muaz think for a while and then he said “Izafaalu Allah la azzibahum“ “If they do this, that is, “La tushriku billahi shai aa”, that they do not associate any partners with Allah, then Allah will not punish them”.

The messenger of Allah said the best of my nation, the cream of my nation whom if you follow, there is no doubt of what they understood, there is no doubt of what they practice, there is no doubt of what they saw and there is no doubt of there commitment; he asked “who are they?” “Qarni, my generation, and summa yalunahum summa yalunahum and then he stopped. In another narration, he said “and after them will come another people, different people upon them will be some doubt they will do things that was not ordered or they would not do things that were ordered“. But about those three generations, the companions of Prophet (Pbuh), the tabayeen. and the at –ba –tabayeen; those men and women who were around Prophet (Pbuh), who supported, who followed, who listened, who obeyed, who  sacrificed for the messenger of Allah, they were the strangers. In a hadith reported by Muslim 2:175-176 and Ibn Maajah 2: 320, Reported by Abu Hurayrah (ra), The Prophet (Pbuh) said “Sa yao’odu li ghariban, Fatuba lighuraba Fatuba lighuraba Fatuba lighuraba” meaning “This religion, this deen, in the begining it came as a stranger (ghuraba), and it will return again as a stranger; so welcome glad tidings to the strangers (ghuraba)”.

Gharib is a person who is away from his hometown, family, relatives and friends. A gharib Muslim is a Muslim who lives in a society in which he has no friends or loved ones to understand him or to support him. He is not recognized or known in the town. He is a stranger (ghuraba). We are the strangers. Initially, Islam was strange in Makkah, the disbelievers did not know of it. The deen was strange, even the language was strange although it was the language of the Arabs but they did not know that even though they were Arabs they had not heard of these words. They knew the word zakat, but they did not know it like how Qu’ran describes it. Or for that matter, the ayahs from surah shams they did not hear anything of that kind. Even Umar bin khattab, who was a very great poet he did not understand what it meant. He asked others, how is Muhammad saying that, where is he getting that from because the language which Allah send to him was strange. This was kalam ullah and not kalam-un nas.

Prophet Muhammad, who was well known to his people he was known as Al-Ameen , Saddiq-ul- masdooq, they knew he was Muhammed ibn Abdullah and they knew he was al amen and they knew he was truthful. But when Allah sent him as a Prophet (Pbuh) and messenger and commissioned him with this Quran and ordered them to follow him and to listen to this word and to give up the idols and to obey Allah and worship Allah, they thought he was telling some thing strange and he said to them by there names, Oh Quraish! You know me if I told you that there was a army behind this mountain coming here to destroy you, would you believe me? They said yes we will believe you. Then he said “I am the messenger of Allah and you have the obligation to obey me”! Their response was that he is saying some thing strange. And so the Prophet (Pbuh) who was respected, who was trusted, who was loved, who was known by his people, even his uncles; that day he became a stranger (ghuraba). So those people who followed his message after him one by one, they were also well known whether they were slaves or free, whether they were rich or poor, whether they were black or white, whether they were Arab or non Arab, they were known, every one knew them. But one by one, when they choose to follow the Prophet (Pbuh), they too became strangers (ghuraba).

No one was more respected in Makah than Abubakr siddique. Every one knew him. But he too became a stranger. When Omar ibn khattab, the patriot among the arabs, the patriot among the Quraish, the man who was willing to kill Prophet (Pbuh) just because of his feeling of khaomiyah, he was willing to kill. But on that day, when he went to kill Prophet (Pbuh) he too became a stranger that very day. And we go on to the strangers, these are the people whom, we Muslims, the strangers today, we have to connect our selves to those strangers (ghuraba), We have to connect our children to those strangers, because it is these strangers that established this deen, they are the ones who forged their path for this deen, they are the ones who made sacrifice for this deen, they are the ones who Allah is speaking about when he says in the Quran in Surah Bayinath “These are the people “razialllahu anhum Wa razu’an”. We Muslims because we are reading the news paper, because we are educated, because we are living in the west, because we are Arabs or Pakistani or Somali or Sudanai or Moroccan or Indian, because we Muslims have our own roots, we have our own families, our own love, because we watch the television and cinema and we go to schools and our neighbors and we live in the west and we live in Australia and UK and USA and India; we develop a love, a following, a support for another group of people and they are not the strangers, they are the strangers to the deen they are not the strangers of the deen.

The Messenger of Allah said there are three characteristic who so ever has them, has tasted halawatul imaan. The first is that a person loves Allah and his Messenger more than anybody else. So Allah mentions to us after a special incident that took place. He says in Surah  Mujadilah 58: 22 “You will not find a people who believe in Allah and the Last Day having affection for those who oppose Allah and His Messenger, even if they were their fathers or their sons or their brothers or their kindred.”. So what is the asbabun nusul of this ayah. One day son of Abu bakar siddique RA, he came to his father after he became a Muslim and he said him “O father, I saw you at the battle field and I could have killed you but because of my love and respect for you, I could not do it”. And Abu Bakar siddique, he said to his son, “O my son, wallahi I never saw you, but if I had seen you, I would have killed you very easily for Allah because at that time you are among the kufar.” After this incident, Allah mentions this ayah for the love that Abu Bakar showed for Allah. This is the difference.

Today many Muslims here, you have relatives who are selling haram, doing haram, who live in your house and don’t pray and you don’t care, you say assalamalaikum how are you brother and you smile with them and drink coffee with them and smoke with them and listen to music and play dominos with them and you pass by them and greet as you greet any body else; But you don’t give them any Nasiha or advice. This is because you don’t have any love in your heart for Allah and his messenger. As the prophet mentioned the first Quality of imaan is to love Allah and his messenger more than anyone else. And so if we  love Allah and his messenger and if some one lives in our house and doesn’t pray and the are  Muslims; Every single day we will argue with them, we will talk to them, we will be at times even very rough with them, if they are our sons we will grab him as the Prophet (Pbuh) mentions in a hadith that if your son reaches the age of 7,  make him pray and when he reaches age of ten and if  he is lazy you beat him up a little bit, because that amount of admonishment will get fear of his father so if he develops fear of his father, maybe by the time he reaches the age of 14, 15, or 16; he will surely develop a fear of Allah. But if he has no fear of Allah when he is ten and he doesn’t fear his father, chances are that when he is big enough 13 .14 or 16,if his father grabs him he will fight with him because now he doesn’t fear or respect his father.

So now what’s happened to the Muslim community? They are living with there fathers and they are selling alcohol and drugs and there fathers are accepting that money because they cannot say nothing because they also lost there imaan. So Allah he warned us he said “Fear Allah and look what you sent forward for yourselves or tomorrow, that your sons that your daughters, you sent them and they come back and they forgot about Allah and you forgot about Allah, you did not forget his name, they did not forgot his name, they know Allah, they will say Allah and you will say Allah but you forgot the ahkam of Allah and they forgot the ahkam of Allah and because they forgot the ahkam of Allah, Allah caused them to forget there own legacy, there own identity, there own deen and so they become trash. You know and you see the trash all over the city, Muslim trash, Muslim Trash, they are Muslims, still there is the flame of Islam in them but they are sleeping, eating in the trash and they are bringing the trash back home, you know who they are and if some of them are here today, Alhamdulillah better for you to be here than any where else. The Prophet (Pbuh) said to one of his companion Abu zar “Ittakilla haisu ma kuntum, watbi asaiyyiah bil hasanah, tamhuha, wa khaliqeennas bi khulukhin hasanin”. “If you do a bad deed, then follow it with a good one that will wipe it out.” In case of doing haram or doing kabaer you have to make Taw bah, in case of saghaeer you have to do some good action like sadqa or fasting.

Dear Brothers and sisters, these strangers (ghuraba) are Abubakar siddique, Umar bin khattab, osman bin affwan, Ali bin abu talib, musab bin omer, Salaman alfarsi. Abu dhar gheefari, Bilal ibn rabba, Abdulllah ibn omar, sad ibn abiwaqas, Suhaib bin abiwaqas, Muad ibn jabal these are the names we should teach our children, they should be the heroes of our children not Micheal Jackson not Micheal Jordan, not the foot ball players or the basket ball players or the musicians which they are listening to every day or bollywood and Hollywood actors and actresses. Al Meaghdad  ibn omer, Said ibn amaar, Hamza ibn mutalib Abdullah ibn Masood, Hudaifa ibn jamal, Ammar ibn yassir, Obaida ibn asamad.

Subhanallah, if you and I took the time to read about just fifty of the companions of the Prophet (SAWS) the tabayeen ,at-batabayeen, just read about them and we learned just one or two line about each of them and we shut the television off for two or three hours a day and in place of that we just play a tape of them every day. We give to our children best food and we give them some money and we put it on the table put the money or food or nice gift on the table and tell them, after you have finished listening to this take that money and that gift and I have some more gifts which I will give you. Do that with them everyday for ninety days, that money you spent on them, the good food that you give them and the gift you give them; is an investment because now they will listen for ninety days, your children masahallah will have  a reference in mind. But if you did not make that investment, I will guarantee you something, some one else has given them some gifts and some one else has offered them good food and some one else will offer them lot of money for some other heroes. (You can read about 70 such heroes on this website here: http://peacepropagation.com/category/biographies)

We have to make the investment in the strangers (ghuraba). Osman bin masood  , Zaid bin haris ,Jaffar bin abi talib look at these people, tell your sons about Osama ibn zaid the sixteen year old boy whom the Prophet (Pbuh) said “There is none better than him except his father, so he appointed him as the ammer of a group, when Abu bakar siddique was living , Omar was living , Osman was living , Ali ibn abu talib was living and other companions of Prophet (Pbuh) were living, they were three times his age; but the Prophet (Pbuh) took that young boy and made him the commander of the army because he thought there was no one fit for job except his father ,and who was his father, Zaid bin haris, who had memorized the Quran directly from the Prophet (Pbuh). We need to tell them who Jaffar ibn abutalib was, the commander of the first muhajjirun,  those who went to habash, the prophet  hand picked him and sent them, those people to be their commander, to be their Amir and it was jaffar who spoke to the najashi, touched his heart and later on it was Jaffar who convinced him to become a Muslim, the king of a country and we know that he  became a muslim because when the prophet came to know that he died, he stood and he made salat ul janaza for him.

O Muslims! Khalid ibn walid, Ghaiyse ibn saad ibn  obaida .omaer ibn wahab. Abuzhaar ibn darda, talaha ibn obaidullah ,tell them about abu zhaar al ghefari that man Muhammad PBUH) said “Abu zar will walk alone and Abu zaar will die alone and Abu zaar will be raised on the day of judgment  alone not because he did something wrong but because Allah distinguished him that way”. Abu zaar, who was the worst of criminals, who used to lay down traps in different places to rob people,who was known and his people were known; but yet when Abuzar became a Muslim, he was the person, the  prophet said  “The believers are like mines of gold and silver, the best of them in the Jahiliyah will become the best of them in the day of Islam if they believe, if they believe and look at abu zaar when he became a Muslim. He said “ya rasullah I will go today to the haram and I will tell them la iiiaha illal lah Muhammad rasullah”. The prophet said “don’t say that they will beat you”. He said “I don’t care and I will do it and Abu zaar went to the haram and he faced them and he told them by their names, “I am Abu zaar and I say la illah ha illlal lah Muhammad rasulllah and asked who doesn’t like it?” and they jumped on him and beat him till they knocked him down and when he got his conscious he stood again and declared shada and they beat him up and knocked him down and he continued to do that until the prophet commanded Abu zaar to leave Makah because he knew they will kill him and abu zaar left and next time he came back, he came back with his entire tribe, all of them saying la illlaha illallah Muhammad rasulllah. This was abu zaar.

On the other hands look at us Muslims, we are Muslims for 20 yrs or 50 yrs old and we have not given a single shahada in the place where we live, we did not give one, because we say my family is Muslim, my father is Muslim, my grand father is Muslim, my great great grand father is a Muslim, Mashallah, but you don’t say it to the kafir who you work with and you don’t say it to the kafir you go to school with and you don’t say it to the non Muslim who enters your store with which you do business, you don’t say it to your neighbor who is a Non Muslim what Abu zaar said that is “la  illlaha illallah Muhammad rasulllah”, you don’t share the treasure of Islam with anyone.

The prophet said “There are three things who so ever has them, has tasted the sweetness of faith. First is that person loves Allah and his messenger more than all else. Second is that he/she loves a person only for the sake of Allah, he/she loves a person not because he is my country man, not because he is my family, not because I know him very well not because we hang together, not because we watch T.V together, not because we do business together, no we love a person because what? For the sake of Allah and you hate a person for, the sake of Allah. And third, you hate going back to kufur as you hate being driven in to a fire.

So when a Muslim thinks of the act of kufr (Read What is Kufr), because here it doesn’t mean to become a kafir but it means to do an act of kufr, so when the act of kufur, when you think of it, you think the fire is next to you and some one is pushing you in to it then, you know you have imaan. But if the idea of fawahish comes in to your mind and nothing comes inside of it you don’t have imaan. If you lied to earn money, the prophet never lied to earn money. If you steal from a kafir simply because he is a kafir any ways, then you don’t have Imaan. Because the prophet never stole from the kafir because if it was legitimate to steal from the kafir, he would have taken the money that he was holding for the Quraish, it was the money which the people of Quraish had given the prophet money,  trust and even they were hating him and his message, even though they were fighting him against his message, even though they were killing and torturing his followers and even though they had plotted to come to his house and kill him, not one time did they come to him and say, give me back my money. He was holding the money for them and the reason why he left Ali ibn Abi Talib in his bed, when they came they saw that Ali(R.A) could give them the money which he was holding, which belong to them. So if it was lawful for rasullah to take some money from the kafirs because they were kafirs, that was a good time to take, it but he did not because he was al ameen.

O Muslims! We must be willing and courageous to be strangers (ghuraba), being a stranger will result in change. People will change, simply because you start to practice, you begin to pronounce, you begin to establish your self around them as a Muslim. If you work for some Non Muslim and your name is Abdul rab; you tell him your name is Robbie. You open a store, your name is Haaris and you say my name is harry because you want to have a good relationship with them and you feel that being Muslim, you cannot have good relation with them, hence you hide your identity. Then one day you wake up, and you tell them, No! My name is not harry, my name is haaris so in fact my whole name is Muhammad haaris therefore don’t call me harry any more! They would say “No! we will call you harry we don’t care otherwise, we go to another store.” so you say “go to another store, I don’t care”. This happens because you woke up and you want to respect Allah,  you want to respect Muhammad, you want to respect this deen so there will be change in the attitude. If you work with a non Muslim and because you really don’t want to disturb them and you don’t want to create any problems with them, you don’t pray Zuhur, you don’t pray Asar,  you don’t pray Jummah. And when you do this, they will say “Abdullah is a moderate Muslim, I don’t know why the rest of the Muslims are not like Abdullah, the others are extreme, they grow their beard long, they wear these cloths and they got to go on Friday and they got to be praying on the job, these are extremist; but Abdullah he is a good guy he doesn’t do all that, he is a moderate Muslim; that’s why we like him”.

Now when one day Allah gives Abdullah Hidayah, He wakes up. And when at 12:30 every body goes for lunch, they say “come abdullah, join us for lunch”, he would reply “No I am going up stairs for prayer”. They say “what’s wrong with you abdullah!” Friday comes and abdullah leaves at 11:00 am, they say “were are you going?”. He replies “I am going for jummah”. And he says Allah said “ya ayuhal lazeena amanu noori as salatu alal jummah fasal zikarullah” and he translates the meaning to them. He further says “if you want to fire me, Fire me if you want me, I will do night shift, I will do mid-night shift, I will work on holidays, I will work Saturdays, I will work Sundays, I will work double shifts, any time; But jummah is Allah’s time, See you!”.

A couple of months later he grows a full beard, and they start telling “O abdullah, what’s happened to you, you are looking like Osama bin laden, you are looking like these Qaeda guys, what’s gone in to you, you have become extremist!”. Abdullah replies “I did not become extremist, I haven’t joined any group like that, this is the sunnah of prophet if you don’t like it I don’t care”. May be they will respect Abdullah even more going forward. Until he does that, he doesn’t realize that he is thinking that may be if he just goes around with them they will like it. No! they will not be satisfied with you abdullahs, muhammads or any other Muslims, until you leave this deen. And even when you leave this deen, they will still not be satisfied with you and they will say “I know you changed your religion but you are still a Muslim”. They will still not respect you. So the only respect we should look for is the respect of Allah. You will lose some money, you will lose some association, you will lose some people and even some family members will start telling you “why are you dressing like that, why are you getting up early in the morning disturbing us?”. And when we ask our own Muslims to bring themselves on the path of Allah, they say “it is not your business”. And this is what we have become. We have become big people, we have money, we got big name, we got big money, we got big house, we got big family, we also got big kebriya and we don’t have to come to the masjid, you see, we can just stay home. The only thing we have not become is a Muslim.

We must be willing and courageous to be strangers because those who are at the masjid at fajr and those who pray and leave there houses for isha at night to get the benefit of the 27 ajar, they are strangers too. We must be willing to be strangers and when we become a stranger, it will affect our livelihood because people misunderstand you and it will some times make you doubt you’re self. Why am I losing my friends? how come my wife wants a divorce, she is telling me I have become an extremist.

There is this case of a sister, she doesn’t cover herself she wears lipstick on the street, she wears perfume and she walks with the men and her husband likes her that way. And one day she wakes up and she wears niqab, she put her full cloths on, no more lipstick, no more perfume, she is not talking to the men, she is not working any more because she understands that she needs to keep her hayah, to keep her self she stays at home and her husband tells her “what happened to you”? she says “yesterday I read an ayah from the Quran, I read a hadith from the prophet and it made me cry to think about my religion and I am not doing it  no more”. So he says “Then I don’t want you, you have become an extreme!” so now she has become a stranger! Alhamdulilah if he leaves her, we ask Allah to give her another stranger to give her some one else who is also a stranger because strangers belong with strangers. It will challenge your Imaan will challenge your commitment, the issue of deen it distinguishes father to son, it distinguishes mother to daughter, the deen came to distinguish individuals from family, to separate families from the tribes and to separate tribes from the nation on the basis of what? Deen.  The prophet said “alaeku  wadeen wa sunnatu khulfa wa rasheeden wa mehdaen wadu ilahim bin nawajir”, hold on to them your teeth not front teeth but back teeth. Belief, commitment, sacrifice, knowledge, obedience fear of Allah, consistency, courage, steadfastness, loyalty,  respect, love for each other, brotherhood, discipline, patience, support and cooperation! These are the characteristics of strangers (ghuraba).

If we listen to the ayahs whom Allah gave to them (strangers), all of these ayahs were calling them to these characteristics. Imaan, sacrifice, knowledge ,obedience, love for each other, the prophet said “the strangers have love for each other”. So Allah says in one of the hadith us qudassi that those who love each other for my sake this day I will give them shade, the day there will be no shade except my shade. Oh Muslims brothers and sisters you and I we should want to be strangers, we want to be a part of the return, the strangers and we should realize that no matter what the non Muslims do , no matter what they do to blow out and extinguish the light of Allah by blowing with there mouths meaning there television, there cinema, there news paper,there books, there radio, whatever they do against Islam, the lies, the misconception what ever they do to wipe out Islam; they will never wipe Islam because Allah will perfect his light and he will perfect it through the strangers.

We pray that Allah make you and I strangers , we pray that Allah give our sons and daughters love for the strangers (ghuraba). We ask Allah that our sons and daughters who have taken of there cloths and go out in the jahiliyah world, who are selling drugs,  who are in the clubs, who have went astray, we pray Allah that they will come back to become strangers. When the Muslims in Palestine, Afghanistan, Somalia, Chechnya, Morocco, Egypt, Algeria and when the Muslims where ever they are, when they come out for prayers in the masjid as strangers then Allah will give them back there earth, there kuwa back to them,  because Islam then will be back. You should not ask for the reward of the strangers if you are not acting like the strangers and as long as the kufaar whom you associate at your jobs, in your neighborhood as soon as they like you, it should alert you as to why they like you. If the like you because you follow Islam properly, then well and good. If not, then there are things to change in yourself.

O Muslims! One of the most powerful thing that Allah gave strangers that made us Muslims one of the most powerful thing Allah gave to the strangers was and is the issue of Dawah (illal lah). You and I have the power in our mouth, we have the power in our chest, we have the power in our mind, we have more power more than any other bomb in this entire world. Yes the kufaar, they have neutron bomb, they have the hydrogen bomb, they have the atom bomb, they got this bomb and that bomb and they will blow every thing on this earth  but Allah did not give them the bomb that will allow the heart to explode but Allah gave us that bomb to us. It is the D bomb, the dawah bomb, it is the bomb that will not explode any buildings, it is the bomb that brakes no bones, it’s the bomb that doesn’t harm any one, rather it is the bomb that penetrates minds and hearts and causes people to explode inside and become strangers. You and I carry the bomb with us every day but we are talking about another bomb, we are reacting to the other bomb because we are fearing some one else beside the Allah. Allah has told us that the Izaath is for him Maan yata shahu wa uzilu manta yashaoo it belongs to Allah.

O Muslims make dua, ask Allah, come back to the deen and your respect will come to you, come back to the deen and all your power will come back to you, ask Allah and he will answer you. Teach your children about the strangers and you yourself learn about them!

- by Imran Ali (President – PPC)

A person can be categorized as Kaafir or Murtadd (meaning apostate) if the following twelve beliefs or actions are found in him. Everyone should be aware of what Kufr is so that we can save ourselves from its dangers. Not knowing about kufr may result in you thinking that you are a Muslim, yet in reality you come under the category of Kaafir (May Allah save us from such disgrace).

However, unless we have clear and irrefutable evidence, ensure not to haste in labeling a person who claims to be Muslim as a kaafir (disbeliever) or Murtadd (Apostate). Leave this job to the scholars of Islam. But when you feel the need of letting people know about the person’s kufr, you may mention that his actions portray kufr in them. The reason for not directly assigning a person the label of a kaafir (Disbeliever) is the warning from prophet (pbuh) in the below Hadith:

Ibn Umar (radiallahu ‘anhu) reports that the Prophet (sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said “Any person who called his brother ‘O Unbeliever’ (has in fact done an act by which this kufr) would return to one of them. If it were so as he (the accuser) asserted, (the kufr of the accused would be confirmed, but if the kufr was not true) then it returned to him (the man who called his brother Muslim a kaafir).” Muslim.

There are matters which may indeed indicate or even necessitate that a person be a disbeliever (kaafir) such as defiling the Qur’aan or cursing the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) regardless of what the person espouses and it is only Allah who knows the unseen. As humans we can only judge or make determinations from what is outwardly evident.

Kufr (disbelief) is of two types: action (‘amaly) and belief (‘itiqaady ), some of which may be termed “kufr doona kufr” that is, a degree of kufr less than the total kufr which does not necessarily put one outside of Islam although such a person’s Islam may be doubtful or in grave danger. This is the explanation of Qur’aan 5:44 by the companion Ibn Abbaas (radiallahu ‘anhu) collected by Ibn Jareer and quoted by Ibn Katheer on the authority of ‘Ataa.

1) To disavow Allah’s Lordship (Ruboobiyah) or Deity and singular right to be worshipped (Uloohiyah) [Qur'aan 4:48 & 116, 5:72, 39:2-3, 51:56] or the message of any of the Messengers of Allah (Tawheed) [Qur'aan 10:35, 16:36] or to claim that any Messenger or Prophet (Rasool or Nabiy) came after the Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam). [Qur'aan 6:93, 6:21, 7:37, 11:18-19, 18:15, 29:68, 33:40, 39:32, 61:8]

2) To deny or reject any of Allah’s Attributes or Names (Asmaa was Sifaat) i.e. Living, Knowing, Hearing, Seeing, Merciful, having a face and hands (though we know not in what manner yet certainly not like His creation), or to add to them that which is not mentioned in the Qur’aan or authentic Sunnah. i.e. Belief that Allah is not above His creation & that He is everywhere or in everything or to attribute any quality that is Allah’s alone to man [Qur'aan 4:48, 6:18 & 61, 10:3, 68 - 69, 20:5, 35:10, 42:11, 72:26 - 27, Ch. 112]

3) Setting up intermediaries between oneself and Allah, making supplication to them, asking their intercession, and placing one’s trust in them. Calling upon the dead, asking them for help, or offering them gifts or sacrifices is all shirk. [Qur'aan 2:165 & 255, 5:72, 30:52, 39:44]. To give any of the creation that which is due to Allah alone or to be pleased with being given worship besides Allah in any manner [Qur'aan 21:29] thus making or becoming a taaghoot (pl. tawaagheet).

4) To curse, abuse the Name of Allah, to deny or to revile Him or any of His Messengers or Prophets or Angels. [Qur'aan 2:285, 4:136, 6:10, 57:19]

5) To deny, stop, or reject any Fard (obligatory) duty of the Sharia (Divine Law) i.e. Salaah, Zakaah, Saum, Hajj, Kindness to parents, or Jihad. [Qur'aan 4:50, 64-65, 80] or to turn away from the religion by not learning or practicing it’s precepts. [Qur'aan 32:22]

6) To deem or to make permissible (halaal) what is clearly forbidden (haraam) -i.e. adultery, fornication, drinking alcohol, taking drugs, theft, murder, sorcery, magic; or to make what is halaal haraam – i.e. to eat meat or seafood, marry plural wives, women to veil, etc. [Qur'aan 2:102, 174-176,4:69, 6:157]

7) To deny or reject any chapter, verse, or letter from the Book of Allah (Al-Qur’aan) or to purposely give it deviant interpretations [Qur'aan 3:7, 6:21] i.e. not derived from the Qur’aan itself, the authentic Sunnah of Muhammad (sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) [Qur'aan 6:153, 16:64] or according to established methods of tafseer. Abu Hurairah (radiallahu ‘anhu) reported that the Rasool (sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said, “Don’t pursue that which you have no knowledge of”. Ahmed. [Qur'aan 4:59, 10:68-70].

8 ) To openly show disdain, scorn, contempt for, or treat with levity the Deen of Islam or it’s tenets, obligatory injunctions or it’s traditions. [Qur'aan 4:140] To ridicule and deride them or to treat the Qur’aan as a piece of garbage or filth or to trample or abuse it as an insult. [Qur'aan 4:83, 140, 6:4-5, 7:50-51, 9:63-66, 20:124, 41:26 27]

9) To disbelieve in the Resurrection, Punishment, or Goodly reward on the Day of Reckoning or that punishment and reward are only abstract, symbolic or spiritual. [Qur'aan , 56:1-2, 67:8-10, 69]

10) To say that the Righteous (Awliyaa’) are above the Prophets (‘alaihimus salaam) or that some of the Righteous are exempt from acts of worship prescribed by Islam according to the Sunnah of Muhammad (sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam). [Qur'aan 3:85, 8:34, 10:62-63]

11) To rule or judge by other than that which Allah revealed. This is of different types and the ruling differs depending on the beliefs and actions. Whoever rules by other than what Allah has revealed viewing it or believing it to be superior or better than Allah’s sharia is considered a disbeliever by all the Muslims. Likewise, the one who substitutes the sharia with man-made laws and views that as permissible, even if he says that to rule by the sharia is better, is a disbeliever because he has made halaal what Allah has made haraam. If one rules as described following whims or in opposition to someone (i.e. not viewing it as equal, a substitute or superior as described above) he is considered a major sinner. [2:120, 3:85, 4:115, 5:3, 44, 49, 50, 33:36, 45:18, 58:22]. [explained in detail in Fataawa Ibn Baz, Vol. 1 Rulings on 'Aqeedah, pg. 991]

12) To support or aid the polytheists (mushrikoon) against the Muslims. [3:28. 118, 4:51, 5:57]

Types of Kufr:

There are many types of Al-Kufr ul Akbar:

1. Kufrul-’Inaad: Disbelief out of stubborness. This applies to someone who knows the truth and admits to knowing the truth and admits to knowing it with his tongue, but refuses to accept it and refrains from making a declaration. Allaah subhanahu wa ta’ala says: Throw into Hell every stubborn disbeliever [Soorah Qaaf (50), Ayah 24]

2. Kufrul-Inkaar: Disbelief out of denial. This applies to someone who denies with both heart and tongue. Allaah subhanahu wa ta’ala says: They recognize the favors of Allaah, yet they deny them. Most of them are disbelievers. [Soorah Nahl (16), Ayah 83]

3. Kufrul-Kibr: Disbelief out of arrogance and pride. The disbelief by the devils (Iblees) is an example of this type of Kufr.

4. Kufrul-Juhood: Disbelief out of rejection.This applies to someone who aknowledges the truth in his heart, but rejects it with his tongue. This types of kufr is applicable to those who calls themselves Muslims but who reject any necessary and accepted norms of Islam such as Salaat and Zakat. Allaah subhanahu wa ta’ala says: They denied them (OUR SIGNS) even though their hearts believed in them , out of spite and arrogance. [Soorah Naml (27), Ayah 14]

5. Kufrul-Nifaaq: Disbelief out of hypocrisy.This applies to someone who pretends to be a believer but conceals his disbelief. Such a person is called a MUNAFIQ or hypocrite. Allaah subhanahu wa ta’ala says: Verily the hypocrites will be in the lowest depths of Hell. You will find no one to help them. [Soorah An Nisaa (4), Ayah 145]

6. Kufrul-Istihaal: Disbelief out of trying to make HARAM into HALAL. This applies to someone who accepts as lawful (Halal) that which Allaah has made unlawful (Haram) like alcohol or adultery.Only Allaah subhanahu wa ta’ala has the prerogative to make things Halal and Haram and those who seek to interfere with His right are like rivals to Him and therefore fall outside the boundries of faith.

7. Kufrul-Kurh: Disbelief out of detesting any of Allaah’s subhanahu wa ta’ala commands. Allaah subhanahu wa ta’ala says: Perdition (destruction) has been consigned to those who disbelieve and He will render their actions void. This is because they are averse to that which Allaah has revealed so He has made their actions fruitless. [Soorah Muhammed (47), Ayah 8-9]

8. Kufrul-Istihzaha: Disbelief due to mockery and derision. Allaah subhanahu wa ta’ala says: Say: Was it at Allaah, His signs and His apostles that you were mocking? Make no excuses. You have disbelieved after you have believed. [Soorah Taubah (9), ayah 65-66]

9. Kufrul-I’raadh: Disbelief due to avoidance. This applies to those who turn away and avoid the truth. Allaah subhanahu wa ta’ala says: And who is more unjust than he who is reminded of his Lord’s signs but then turns away from them. Then he forgets what he has sent forward (for the Day of Judgement) [Soorah Kahf (18), Ayah 57]

10. Kufrul-Istibdaal: Disbelief because of trying to substitute Allaah’s Laws. This could take the form of:

(a) Rejection of Allaah’s law (Sharee’ah) without denying it

(b) Denial of Allaah’s law and therefore rejecting it, or

(c) Substituting Allaah’s laws with man-made laws. Allaah subhanahu wa ta’ala says: Or have they partners with Allaah who have instituted for them a religion which Allaah has not allowed. [Soorah Shuraa(42), Ayah 8] Allaah subhanahu wa ta’ala says: Say not concerning that which your tongues put forth falsely (that) is lawful and this is forbidden so as to invent a lie against Allaah. Verily, those who invent a lie against Allaah will never prosper. [Soorah Nahl (16), Ayah 116]

[Source: Adapted from Tafseer Ibn Katheer]

Shaykh Al Albaani: My advice to you and to the youth, who are walking in a deviant line as we see it, and Allah is the most knowledgeable. That you do not waste your time talking about each other’s faults such as saying so and so said this and so and so said that.

For firstly, this has nothing to do with knowledge. And secondly, this way (type of talk) only Hardens the hearts and this only causes conflict and jealousy between the hearts.
(I advise you) To seek knowledge, For true knowledge will reveal if these are true mistakes, for there are plenty of mistakes.

For example, if this person is part of a innovation. But at the end we will have to see if he is an innovator we have no reason to be looking into this. I advise not to get into this subject for the facts are many people are complaining.

This group that is proclaiming to be from the Quran and Sunnah or as we call it “Daw’ah Al Salifia”, this group, Allah knows best the most (problems) are to restrain oneself which is inclined to evil. And it is not the different of opinions. This is my advice. May Allah reward you and May Allah reward you too.

Questioner: O Shaykh, The picture of what is happening between many youth these days is terrible, and we know for a fact that there are people who follow innovation or those who follow other than the sunnah or those who make mistakes. But the truth is now the youth are taking this personally by saying so and so said, but they do not realize how much time they are wasting and by causing hate between each other. They don’t look at this from this point of view and of course we know they have the right. But when I ask most of the youth that do this, how much of Quran have you memorized? They reply by saying less than three Ijza and how long have you been in this subject? (Defaming and talking about scholars), they reply by saying three years. They stay three years by saying he is an innovator he is not an innovator, He is a disbeliever, a believer, so and so said so, so and so is deviant (in error) and in some times he really could be a person who is part of a mistake or maybe this person is deviant. For example if someone would come to them and advise them not to waste their time in this, most of the time they will think this adviser is with them ( in their ideas and thoughts). Its something strange he only wants to advise them. A youth who is 17 years old, who memorized a small portion of the Quran, gets himself into the differences of opinions between great scholars, while the great scholars have left these differences of opinions such as shaykhul islam ibn Taymiyyah and other great scholars while these youth hasten themselves into getting into this subject. Me personally, a lot of the youth now come to me and ask me, what do you think of so and so?

Shaykh Al Albaani: What I understand from this, is that he is biased and maybe they are asking about our brothers and maybe from our brothers from the older generations, who are said (some of them) to be deviant.

And stand steadfast as you are commanded (Hud 11:111)

Seek knowledge, and this knowledge will differentiate for you between a righteous person and a sinner and wrong from right and don’t feel animosity for your brother simply because – I won’t say mistaken -but because he is deviated. But he is deviated in two or three matters, but in remaining matters he didn’t.

We find in the scholars of Hadeeth, that they accept many Ahadeeth from people who were Murjia, Khariji, Nasibi etc. These are all deviants, but they (scholars of Hadeeth) have a balance, to which they hold on and they don’t prefer exposing the sin over the good deeds, or two, three sins, over a lot of good deeds; the greatest of which is the testimony that “There is no deity worthy of worship except Allah and Muhammad (Pbuh) is his final messenger”.

End of Conversation.

[Source: This is the translation of Arabic version of Shaykhs Fatwa. The audio of this version can be found http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogoSEAsS9ho]

This is the reason why Allah repeatedly affirms that Jesus (Peace be upon him) is a slave of Allah like other prophets, in several places in the Glorious Quran. He affirms that it is He who molded Jesus  (Peace be upon him) in his mothers womb like every other creation of His. He also affirms that He created Jesus (Peace be upon him) without a father, just like how He created Adam (Peace be upon him) without a father and a mother.

Allah the Almighty said: Allah chose Adam, Nooh (Noah), the family of Ibrahim (Abraham) and the family of Imran above the Alameen (mankind and jinns) (of their times). Offspring, one of the other, and Allah is the All-Hearer, All-Knower.

Remember when the wife of Imran said: “O my Lord! I have vowed to You what (the child that) is in my womb to be dedicated for Your services (free from all worldly work; to serve Your Place of worship), so accept this, from me. Verily, You are the All-Hearer, the All Knowing.”

Then when she delivered her (child Mary), she said: “O my Lord! I have delivered a female child,” and Allah knew better what she delivered, – “and the male is not like the female, and I have named her Mary, and I seek refuge with You (Allah) for her and for her offspring from Satan, the outcast.”

So her Lord (Allah) accepted her with goodly acceptance. He made her grow in a good manner and put her under the care of Zechariah. Every time he entered Al-Mihrab (a praying place or a private room), he found her supplied with sustenance.

He said: “O Mary! From where have you got this?” She said: “From Allah. Verily, Allah provides sustenance to whom He wills, without limit.”

(Al Quran 3: 33-37)

Here Allah announces that He has elected Adam (Peace be upon him) and the elite of his progeny who are obedient to Allah. After this he mentions the family of Abraham (Peace be upon him) which includes the sons of Ishmael (pbuh), and the family of Imran, the father of Mary.

Muhammad Ibn Ishaaq stated that he was Imran Ibn Bashim, Ibn Amun, Ibn Misha, Ibn Hosqia, Ibn Ahriq, Ibn Mutham, Ibn Azazia, Ibn Amisa, Ibn Yamish, Ibn Ahrihu, Ibn Yazem, Ibn Yahfashat, Ibn Eisha, Ibn Iyam, Ibn Rahba am, Ibn David (Dawud).

The sister of wife of Prophet Zakariyah (Peace be upon him) had a daughter named Hannah. She was married to Imran, a leader of the Israelites. For many years,  she bore no children and the both remained childless. Her wish for a child increased whenever she saw another woman with a child. Although several years had passed,  But she never lost hope. She believed that Allah would one day bless her with a baby, on whom she would shower all her motherly love.

She turned to the Lord of the heavens and the earth and pleaded with Him for a child. She vowed to offer the child in the service of Allah’s house, in the temple of Jerusalem. Allah granted her request. When she learned that she was pregnant, she was the happiest woman alive, and thanked Allah for His gift. Her overjoyed husband Imran also thanked Allah for His mercy.

However, Imran passed away before even seeing his child. Hannah cried bitterly on Imran’s death saying that he did not live to see his own child for whom he  waited so many years. 

She gave birth to a girl, and again turned to Allah in prayer: “O my Lord! I have delivered a female child,” and Allah knew better what she delivered, – “and the male is not like the female, and I have named her Mary, and I seek refuge with You (Allah) for her and for her offspring from Satan, the outcast.”

(Al Quran 3: 36)

Now Although Hannah had promised to give her child in the services of Allah’s house, she had a big problem in reference to her promise to Allah, for females were not accepted into the temple. This worried her a lot. Her sister’s husband Zakariyah, comforted her, saying that Allah knew best what she had delivered and appreciated fully what she had offered in His service. She wrapped the baby in a shawl and handed it over to the temple elders. The question of her guardianship posed a problem for the elders since it was a girl. This was a child of their late and beloved leader, and everyone was eager to take care of her. Zakariyah said to the elders: “I am the husband of her maternal aunt and her nearest relation in the temple; therefore, I will be more mindful of her than all of you.”

As it was their custom to draw lots to solve disagreements, they followed this course. Each one was given a reed to throw into the river. They had agreed that whoever’s reed remained afloat would be granted guardianship of the girl. All the reeds sank to the bottom except Zakariyah’s. With this sign, they all surrendered to the will of Allah and made him the guardian.

To ensure that no one had access to Mary, Zakariyah built a separate room for her in the temple. As she grew up, she spent her time in devotion to Allah. Zakariyah visited her daily to see to her needs, and so it continued for many years. One day, he was surprised to find fresh fruit, which was out of season in her room. As he was the only person who could enter her room, he asked her how the fruit got there. She replied that these provisions were from Allah, as He gives to whom He wills. Zakariyah understood by this that Allah had raised Mary’s status above that of other women.

Thereafter, Zakariyah spent more time with her, teaching and guiding her. Mary grew to be a devotee of Allah, glorifying Him day and night.

Ali Ibn Abi Talib narrated that the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said: “The best of the world’s women is Mary (in her lifetime), and the best of the world’s women is Khadija (in her lifetime).” (Sahih Al-Bukhari)

Abu Musa Al-Ashari also narrated that the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said: “May among men attained perfection but among women none attained perfection except Mary the daughter of Imran, and Asiya the wife of Pharaoh, and the superiority of Aisha to other women is like the superiority of Tharid (an Arabic dish) to other meals.”

[Source: The story of Jesus ('Isa): Section 1; Stories of the Prophets by Ibn Kathir]

“O Humans revere your Guardian Lord, Who created you from a single person created of like nature its mate, and from this scattered (like seeds) countless men and women. Reverence Allah through Whom you claim your
mutual rights” [Surah Nisa 4:1]

The above Ayaths of the Quran lay out the framework as to what are the basis, the objectives and the goal of marriage in Islam. In the ultimate Wisdom of Allah we are first told that both partners man and woman are created from the same source. That this should be paid attention to as it is one of His signs.

The fact that we come from the same soul signifies our equality as humans, when the essence of our creation is the same, the argument of who is better or greater is redundant. To stress on this fact and then to talk about marriage in the same verse is of great significance for those of us who are in the field of marriage counseling.

The shift in this attitude of equality of genders as human beings cause a imbalance in marital relationship that leads to dysfunctional marriage. When ever one party considers themselves superior or above the law there is a shift in the balance of power that may lead to misuse or abuse of power as the less valuable partner is seen as an easy prey. Many marital difficulties are based on or caused by control and rule stratagem.

By stressing on the equality of all humans men or women and making it the basis of marriage, Allah in His infinite wisdom has laid the ground rules for establishing peace, as well as the assigning of different roles to husband and wife as functional strategy rather than a question of competence as humans.

Prophet Mohammad (peace and blessings be upon him) has stated that: “men and women are twin halves of each other” (Bukhari). This Hadith also brings home the fact that men and women are created from single source. Furthermore, by using the analogy of twin half the Prophet has underlined the reciprocal nature and the interdependent nature of man and woman’s relationship.

The objective and the goal of marriage in Islam according to the above Quranic verse is to enable us to dwell in peace and tranquility. It is important for us to reflect on these words and their significance in the Islamic frame of reference.

In order to have peace certain condition must be met. These prerequisites to peace are Justice, Fairness, Equity, Equality, and fulfillment of mutual rights. Therefore any injustice whether it is oppression, or persecution, cannot be tolerated if there is to be peace in Muslim homes.

In the domestic realm oppression is manifested when the process of Shura (consultation) is compromised, neglected or ignored. When one partner (in most cases the husband) makes unilateral decisions and applies dictatorial style of leadership, peace is compromised. Persecution is present when there is any form of domestic abuse being perpetrated.

Tranquility on the other hand is a state of being which is achieved when peace has been established. Tranquility is compromised when there is tension, stress and anger. It is a mistake to take tranquility to mean perpetual state of bliss. Since being Muslims does not make us immune to tragedies and catastrophes.

In fact Allah tells us in the Quran that we will betried (2:155,57). What a state of tranquility does is to empower us to handle life’s difficult moments with our spouses as obedient servants of Allah. Allah in His infinite Mercy also provides us with the tools by which we can achieve this state of peace and tranquility.

The second principle besides Shura on which the Islamic family life is based is Mercy (Rehma), and in this verse Allah is telling us that He has placed mercy between spouses. We are therefore inclined by our very nature to have mercy for our spouses. Mercy is manifested through compassion, forgiveness, caring and humility.

It is obvious that these are all ingredients that make for a successful partnership. Marriage in Islam is above all a partnership based on equality of partners and specification of roles. Lack of mercy in a marriage or a family renders it in Islamic terms dysfunctional.

Allah further states that He has also placed in addition to mercy, love between spouses. It should however be noted that Islamic concept of love is different from the more commonly understood romantic love so valued in the Western cultures.

The basic difference is that love between man and woman in the Islamic context can only be realized and expressed in a legal marriage. In order to develop a healthy avenue for the expression of love between man and woman and to provide security so that such a loving relationship can flourish, it is necessary to give it the protection of Shariah (Islamic law).

Marital love in Islam inculcates the following:

Faith: The love Muslim spouses have for each other is for the sake of Allah that is to gain His pleasure. It is from Allah that we claim our mutual rights (Quran 4:1) and it is to Allah that we are accountable for our behavior as husbands and wives.

It sustains: Love is not to consume but to sustain. Allah expresses His love for us by providing sustenance. To love in Islam is to sustain our loved one physically, emotionally, spiritually and intellectually, to the best of our ability (to sustain materially is the husbands duty, however if the wife
wishes she can also contribute)

Accepts: To love someone is to accept them for who they are. It is selfishness to try and mould someone as we wish them to be. True love does not attempt to crush individuality or control personal differences,
but is magnanimous and secure to accommodate differences.

Challenges: Love challenges us to be all we can, it encourages us to tap into our talents and takes pride in our achievements. To enable our loved one to realize their potential is the most rewarding experience.

Merciful: Mercy compels us to love and love compels us to have mercy. In the Islamic context the two are synonymous. The attribute Allah chose to be the supreme for Himself is that He is the most Merciful. This attribute of Rehman (the Merciful) is mentioned 170 times in the Quran, bringing home the significance for believers to be merciful. Mercy in practical application means to have and show compassion and to
be charitable.

Forgiving: Love is never too proud to seek forgiveness or too stingy to forgive. It is willing to let go of hurt and letdowns. Forgiveness allows us the opportunity to improve and correct our selves.

Respect: To love is to respect and value the person their contributions and their opinions. Respect does not allow us to take for granted our loved ones or to ignore their input. How we interact with our spouses reflects whether we respect them or not.

Confidentiality: Trust is the most essential ingredient of love. When trust is betrayed and confidentiality compromised, love loses its soul.

Caring: Love fosters a deep fondness that dictates caring and sharing in all that we do. The needs of our loved ones take precedence over our own.

Kindness: The Seerah (biography) of our beloved Prophet is rich with examples of acts of kindness, he showed towards his family and particularly his wives. Even when his patience was tried, he was never unkind in word or deed. To love is to be kind.

Grows: Marital love is not static it grows and flourishes with each day of marital life. It requires work and commitment, and is nourished through faith when we are thankful and appreciative of Allah blessings.

Enhances: Love enhances our image and beautifies our world. It provides emotional security and physical well being.

Selflessness: Love gives unconditionally and protects dutifully.

Truthful: Love is honesty without cruelty and loyalty without compromise.

The Muslim starts his day with suhoor before Fajr prayer. It is better to delay suhoor until the latest possible time of the night.

Then after that the Muslim gets ready for Fajr prayer before the adhaan. So he does wudoo’ at home and goes out to the mosque before the adhaan.

When he enters the mosque, he prays two rak’ahs (tahiyyat al-masjid – greeting the mosque). Then he sits and keeps busy making du’aa’, or reading Qur’aan, or reciting dhikr, until the muezzin gives the call to prayer. He repeats what the muezzin says, and says the du’aa’ narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to be said after the adhaan ends. Then after that he prays two rak’ahs (the regular Sunnah of Fajr), then he occupies himself with du’aa’ and reading Qur’aan until the iqaamah for prayer is given. He is in a state of prayer so long as he is waiting for the prayer.

After offering the prayer in congregation, he recites the dhikrs that are prescribed following the salaam at the end of the prayer. After that if he wants to sit in the mosque until the sun has risen, reciting dhikr and reading Qur’aan, that is preferable, and that is what the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to do after Fajr prayer.

Then about one-quarter of an hour after the sun has risen, if he wants he can pray Duha prayer (a minimum of two rak’ahs), and that is good. Or if he wants he can delay it until the preferred time, which is when the day has grown hotter and the sun is higher in the sky – that is better.

Then if he wants he may sleep to prepare himself for going to work, and he can intend by sleeping to strengthen himself for worship and earning a living, so that he will be rewarded for it in sha Allah. He should also follow the etiquette of sleep that is prescribed in sharee’ah, both actions and words.

Then he goes to work, and when the time for Zuhr prayer comes, he goes to the mosque early, before the adhaan or immediately after it, and he should get ready to pray beforehand. So he prays four rak’ahs with two tasleems (the regular Sunnah before Zuhr), then he keeps busy reading Qur’aan until the iqaamah for prayer is given, and he prays with the congregation, then he prays two rak’ahs (the regular Sunnah after Zuhr).

Then after the prayer he goes and finishes whatever of his work is left, until it is time to leave work. If there is a long time to go after finishing his work until the time for ‘Asr prayer, then he can rest. But if there is not enough time and he fears that if he sleeps he will miss ‘Asr prayer, then he should keep busy doing something suitable until the time for ‘Asr comes, such as going to the market to buy some things that his family needs and the like, or going straight to the mosque when he has finished his work, and staying in the mosque until he has prayed ‘Asr.

Then after ‘As, it depends on his circumstances. If he can stay in the mosque and keep busy reading Qur’aan, this is a great opportunity. But if he feels tired, then he should rest at this time so that he will be ready to pray taraaweeh at night.

Before the adhaan for Maghrib, he should get ready to break his fast, and he should do something at this time that will benefit him, whether reading Qur’aan, making du’aa’, or having a useful conversation with his wife and children.

One of the best things that he can do at this time is to take part in offering iftaar to those who are fasting, whether by bringing food to them or helping to distribute it to them and organizing that. This brings a great joy which no one knows except those who have experienced it.

After iftaar, he goes and prays in congregation in the mosque, and after the prayer he prays two rak’ahs (the regular Sunnah of Maghrib). Then he goes back home and eats whatever is available – without eating too much. Then he looks for a suitable way for himself and his family to spend this time, whether reading a book of stories, or a book on practical rulings, or a quiz, or permissible conversation, or any other useful idea that is of interest to the members of the family and will distracts them from the haraam things that appear in the media which regard this as their prime time, so you find the media transmitting their most attractive programs at that time, that may contain immoral and obscene material. Strive to turn away from that, and fear Allaah with regard to your “flock” (i.e., your family) concerning whom you will be questioned on the Day of Resurrection, so be prepared to answer the questions.

Then get ready for ‘Isha’ prayer, go to the mosque and keep busy reading Qur’aan or listening to the lesson being given in the mosque.

Then after that perform ‘Isha’ prayer, then pray two rak’ahs (the regular Sunnah of ‘Isha’), then pray taraaweeh behind the imam with humility and focus, pondering the meanings of what is recited. Do not finish until the imam finishes. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever stands (and prays) with the imam until he finishes, it will be recorded as if he spent the night in prayer.” Narrated by Abu Dawood, 1370, and others. Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Salaat al-Taraaweeh, p. 15.

Then after Taraaweeh you can make a program for yourself that is suited to your circumstances and personal commitments. But you should pay attention to the following:

Keeping away from all haraam things and whatever may lead to them.

Paying attention to ensuring that your family avoid falling into any haraam thing or whatever may lead to that, in a wise manner, such as preparing a program just for them, or taking them out for leisure trips to permissible places, or keeping them away from bad friends, or looking for good friends for them.

Keeping busy with things that take priority.

Then you should try to sleep early, whilst paying attention to the etiquette of sleep as prescribed in sharee’ah, both actions and words. If you read some Qur’aan or some beneficial books before going to sleep, that is something good, especially if you have not yet completed your daily portion of Qur’aan – so do not go to sleep until you have completed it.

Then wake up before suhoor, allowing enough time to recite du’aa’, because this time – the last third of the night – is the time when Allaah descends, and Allaah has praised those who seek His forgiveness at this time, and has promised those who call upon Him at this time that He will answer them, and that He will accept the repentance of those who repent to Him at this time. So do not neglect this great opportunity.

Friday

Friday is the best day of the week, so you should have a special program of worship on this day, in which you pay attention to the following:

Coming early to Jumu’ah prayer

Staying in the mosque after ‘Asr prayer, and keeping busy with reading Qur’aan and making du’aa’ until the last hour of this day, for that is a time when du’aa’s are answered.

Make this day an opportunity for completing some of your deeds that you did not finish during the week, such as completing your weekly portion of Qur’aan, or finishing reading a book or listening to a tape and other good deeds.

The last ten days of Ramadaan

The last ten days of Ramadaan include Laylat al-Qadr which is better than a thousand months. Hence it is prescribed for a person to observe i’tikaaf (“retreat” for the purpose of worship) in the mosque during these ten days, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to do, seeking Laylat al-Qadr. Whoever can observe i’tikaaf at this time, this is a great blessing from Allaah.

Whoever cannot observe i’tikaaf for the entire period should do as much as he is able to

If he is not able to do i’tikaaf at all, then he should try to spend the nights in worship. Praying qiyaam, reading Qur’aan, remembering Allaah and making du’aa’. He should prepare for that by resting during the day so that he will be able to stay up at night.

Note: This program is just a suggestion. It is a flexible schedule that each person can adapt to his own circumstances.

This program pays attention to the Sunnahs that are proven from the Prophet (Pbuh). It does not mean that everything mentioned here is an obligatory duty, rather it includes many things that are Sunnah and mustahabb.

The most beloved of actions to Allaah are those which are continuous even if they are little. At the beginning of the month a person may be keen to do acts of worship, then he may slow down. Beware of that, and strive to persist in all the actions that you do in this blessed month.

The Muslim should strive to organize his time in this blessed month so that he will not miss out on a great opportunity to do more good and righteous deeds. For example, a person should try to buy all the things that the family needs before the month begins, and he should buy day-to-day needs at times when the stores are not crowded, and visits to friends and family should be organized in such a way that they do not distract from acts of worship.

Make doing lots of acts of worship and drawing closer to Allaah your priority in this blessed month

Resolve at the beginning of the month to go to the mosque early at the times of prayer, and to complete the Book of Allaah, and to regularly pray qiyaam al-layl in this great month, and to spend (in charity) what you can of your wealth.

Make the most of the opportunity that the month of Ramadaan brings to strengthen your connection to the Book of Allaah, by utilizing the following means:

Read the verses correctly. The way to do that is to have your reading corrected by someone who knows how to read well. If you cannot do that, then by listening to tapes of expert readers.

Revise what Allaah has enabled you to memorize, and memorize some more

Read the tafseer (commentary) on the verses, either by looking up the verses you do not understand in reliable books of tafseer such as Tafseer al-Baghawi and Tafseer Ibn Katheer and Tafseer al-Sa’di, or by making a program to read a book of tafseer. Start first with the thirtieth Juz’ (section) of the Qur’aan, then mover on to the twenty-ninth juz’, and so on.

Strive to apply the commands that you read in the Book of Allaah, Inshallah.

Hope this should help you realise the correct way of spending the day during Ramadaan!

But those who fear Allah are aware of the real nature of fasting in the month of Ramadaan, so they start to prepare from Sha’baan, and some of them even start before that. Among the best ways of preparing for the month of Ramadaan are:

Repenting Sincerely

This is obligatory at all times, but because of the approach of a great and blessed month, it is even more important to hasten to repent from sins between you and your Lord, and between you and other people by giving them their rights, so that when the blessed month begins you may busy yourself with acts of worship with a clean heart and peace of mind. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And all of you beg Allaah to forgive you all, O believers, that you may be successful” [Al-Noor 24:31]

It was narrated from al-Agharr ibn Yasaar (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “O people, repent to Allaah for I repent to Him one hundred times each day.” [Narrated by Muslim (2702)]

Supplicating (Du’aa’)

It was narrated from some of the salaf that they used to pray to Allaah for six months that they would live until Ramadaan, then they would pray for five months afterwards that He would accept it from them.

The Muslim should ask his Lord to let him live until Ramadaan with a strong religious commitment and good physical health, and he should ask Him to help him obey Him during the month, and ask Him to accept his good deeds from Him.

Rejoicing at the approach of the blessed month

The arrival of Ramadaan is one of the great blessings that Allaah bestows upon His Muslim slave, because Ramadaan is one of the occasions of good in which the gates of Paradise are opened and the gates of Hell are closed. It is the month of the Qur’aan and of decisive battles in the history of our religion.

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Say: ‘In the Bounty of Allaah, and in His Mercy (i.e. Islam and the Qur’aan); —therein let them rejoice.’ That is better than what (the wealth) they amass” [Yoonus 10:58]

Discharging the duty of any outstanding obligatory fasts

It was narrated that Abu Salamah said: I heard ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) say: I would owe fasts from the previous Ramadaan and I would not be able to make them up except in Sha’baan. [Narrated by al-Bukhaari (1849) and Muslim (1146)]

Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: From her keenness to do that in Sha’baan it may be understood that it is not permissible to delay making them up until another Ramadaan begins.  Fath al-Baari (4/191).

Seeking knowledge in order to be able to follow the rulings on fasting and to understand the virtues of Ramadaan.

Hastening to complete any tasks that may distract the Muslim from doing acts of worship.

Sitting with one’s family members – wife and children – to tell them of the rulings on fasting and encourage the young ones to fast.

Preparing some books which can be read at home or given to the imam of the mosque to read to the people during Ramadaan.

Fasting some of the month of Sha’baan in preparation for fasting Ramadaan.

It was narrated that ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to fast until we said: He will not break his fast, and he used not to fast until we said: He will not fast. And I never saw the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) complete a month of fasting except Ramadaan, and I never saw him fast more in any month than in Sha’baan. [Narrated by al-Bukhaari (1868) and Muslim (1156)]

It was narrated that Usaamah ibn Zayd said: I said: O Messenger of Allaah, I do not see you fasting in any month as you fast in Sha’baan? He said: “That is a month that people neglect between Rajab and Ramadaan, but it is a month in which people’s deeds are taken up to the Lord of the Worlds and I would like my deeds to be taken up when I am fasting.”

Narrated by al-Nasaa’i (2357); classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Nasaa’i.

This hadeeth explains the wisdom behind fasting in Sha’baan, which is that it is a month in which deeds are taken up (to Allaah). Some of the scholars mentioned another reason, which is that this fasting is like Sunnah prayers offered beforehand in relation to the obligatory prayer; they prepare the soul for performing the obligatory action, and the same may be said of fasting Sha’baan before Ramadaan.

Reciting & Reading Qur’aan

Salamah ibn Kuhayl said: It was said that Sha’baan was the month of the Qur’aan readers. When Sha’baan began, ‘Amr ibn Qays would close his shop and free his time for reading Qur’aan.

Abu Bakr al-Balkhi said: The month of Rajab is the month for planting, the month of Sha’baan is the month of irrigating the crops, and the month of Ramadaan is the month of harvesting the crops.

He also said: The likeness of the month of Rajab is that of the wind, the likeness of Sha’baan is that of the clouds and the likeness of Ramadaan is that of the rain; whoever does not plant and sow in Rajab, and does not irrigate in Sha’baan, how can he reap in Ramadaan? Now Rajab has passed, so what will you do in Sha’baan if you are seeking Ramadaan? This is how your Prophet and the early generations of the ummah were in this blessed month, so what will you do?

How can we prepare for Ramadaan?

We can prepare for Ramadaan by taking stock of ourselves and recognizing our shortcomings in living up to the Shahaadatayn, or our shortcoming in fulfilling our duties, or our shortcomings in not keeping away from the desires and doubts that we may have fallen into…

We should set ourselves straight so that in Ramadaan we will have a higher degree of faith. For faith increases and decreases. It increases through obedience to Allaah and it decreases through disobedience and sin. The first act of obedience that a person should achieve is that of being a true slave of Allaah and believing that there is none that is rightfully worshipped except Allaah, so he directs all kinds of worship to Allaah and does not associate anyone else in worship with Him. Each of us should realize that whatever has befallen him could not have missed him, and whatever missed him could not have befallen him, and that everything happens by the will and decree of Allaah.

We should avoid everything that could undermine our commitment to the Shahaadatayn. This means keeping away from bid’ah (innovations) and things that have been introduced into the religion. We should also follow the principle of al-walaa’ wa’l-bara’ (loyalty and friendship vs. disavowal and enmity), by taking the believers as our friends and by regarding the kaafirs and hypocrites as enemies, and we should rejoice when the Muslims gain a victory over their enemies. We should follow the example of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and his companions and adhere to the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and the way of the Rightly-Guided Khulafa’ who came after him. We should love the Sunnah and love those who adhere to it and defend it, in whatever country they are and whatever colour or nationality they are.

We should take stock of ourselves and recognize our shortcomings in doing acts of worship such as praying in congregation, remembering Allaah (dhikr), paying attention to the rights of neighbours, relatives and the Muslims, spreading the greeting of salaam, enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil, urging one another to follow the truth and be patient and steadfast in doing so, being patient in avoiding evil actions and in doing good deeds, and accepting the decree of Allaah with patience.

We should take stock of ourselves and our sins and our following whims and desires. We should stop ourselves from persisting in that, whether the sin is great or small, whether it is a sin of the eye, by looking at that which Allaah has forbidden; or by listening to music; or by walking to things of which Allaah does not approve; or by using one’s hands to srike in a manner with which Allaah is not pleased; or by consuming things that Allaah has forbidden such as riba (usury) and bribes, or any other means of consuming people’s wealth unlawfully.

We should never forget that Allaah stretches forth His hand during the day to accept the repentance of those who sinned at night, and He stretches forth His hand at night to accept the repentance of those who sinned during the day. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And march forth in the way (which leads to) forgiveness from your Lord, and for Paradise as wide as the heavens and the earth, prepared for Al-Muttaqoon (the pious). Those who spend (in Allaah’s Cause) in prosperity and in adversity, who repress anger, and who pardon men; verily, Allaah loves Al-Muhsinoon (the good‑doers). And those who, when they have committed Faahishah (illegal sexual intercourse) or wronged themselves with evil, remember Allaah and ask forgiveness for their sins; — and none can forgive sins but Allaah — and do not persist in what (wrong) they have done, while they know. For such, the reward is forgiveness from their Lord, and Gardens with rivers flowing underneath (Paradise), wherein they shall abide forever. How excellent is this reward for the doers (who do righteous deeds according to Allaah’s Orders)” [Al ‘Imraan 3:133-136]

“Say: “O ‘Ibaadi (My slaves) who have transgressed against themselves (by committing evil deeds and sins)! Despair not of the Mercy of Allaah, verily, Allaah forgives all sins. Truly, He is Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful” [Al-Zumar 39:53]

“And whoever does evil or wrongs himself but afterwards seeks Allaah’s forgiveness, he will find Allaah Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful” [Al-Nisa’ 4:110]

By taking stock, repenting and seeking forgiveness, this is how we should welcome Ramadaan. “The smart man is the one who takes stock of himself and strives to do that which will benefit him after death, and the helpless one is the one who follows his own whims and desires and engages in wishful thinking, (assuming that Allaah will forgive him regardless of what he does and that he does not need to strive to good deeds).”

The month of Ramadaan is the month of great gains and profits. The smart trader is the one who makes the most of special occasions to increase his profits. So make the most of this month by doing lots of acts of worship, praying a great deal, reading Qur’aan, forgiving people, being kind to others and giving charity to the poor.

In the month of Ramadaan the gates of Paradise are opened and the gates of Hell are shut. The devils are put in chains and a caller cries out each night, O seeker of good, proceed, O seeker of evil, desist.

So, O slaves of Allaah, be among the people of good, following the path of your righteous forebears who were guided by the Sunnah of your Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), so that we may end Ramadaan with our sins forgiven and our righteous deeds accepted.

We should note that the month of Ramadaan is the best of months.

Ibn al-Qayyim said: Another of example of that – i.e., of the differentiation between the things that Allaah has created – is the fact that the month of Ramadaan is superior to all other months, and the last ten nights are superior to the other nights.”  Zaad al-Ma’aad, 1/56

This month is superior to others in four things:

1 – In it there is the best night of the year, which is Laylat al-Qadr. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Verily, We have sent it (this Qur’aan) down in the Night of Al‑Qadr (Decree). And what will make you know what the Night of Al‑Qadr (Decree) is? The Night of Al‑Qadr (Decree) is better than a thousand months (i.e. worshipping Allaah in that night is better than worshipping Him a thousand months, i.e. 83 years and 4 months). Therein descend the angels and the Rooh [Jibreel (Gabriel)] by Allaah’s Permission with all Decrees, (All that night), there is peace (and goodness from Allaah to His believing slaves) until the appearance of dawn” [Al-Qadar 97:1-5]

So worship on this night is better than worshipping for a thousand months.

2 – In this month was revealed the best of Books to the best of the Prophets (peace be upon them). Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“The month of Ramadan in which was revealed the Qur’aan, a guidance for mankind and clear proofs for the guidance and the criterion (between right and wrong)” [al-Baqarah 2:185]

“We sent it (this Qur’aan) down on a blessed night [(i.e. the Night of Al‑Qadr) in the month of Ramadan — the 9th month of the Islamic calendar]. Verily, We are ever warning [mankind that Our Torment will reach those who disbelieve in Our Oneness of Lordship and in Our Oneness of worship]. Therein (that night) is decreed every matter of ordainments.As a Command (or this Qur’aan or the Decree of every matter) from Us. Verily, We are ever sending (the Messengers)”
[al-Dukhaan 44:3-5]

It was narrated by Ahmad and by al-Tabaraani in al-Mu’jam al-Kabeer that Waathilah ibn al-Asqa’ (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The Scriptures of Ibraaheem were sent down on the first of the month of Ramadaan. The Tawraat was sent down on the sixth of Ramadaan. The Injeel was sent down on the thirteenth of Ramadaan. The Zaboor was sent down on the eighteenth of Ramadaan, and the Qur’aan was sent down on the twenty-fourth of Ramadaan.

Classed as hasan by al-Albaani in al-Silsilah al-Saheehah, 1575.

3 – In this month the gates of Paradise are opened and the gates of Hell are shut, and the devils are chained up.

It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “When Ramadan comes, the gates of Paradise are opened and the gates of Hell are closed, and the devils are put in chains.” (Agreed upon).

Al-Nasaa’i narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “When Ramadaan comes, the gates of mercy are opened and the gates of Hell are shut, and the devils are put in chains.”

Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’, 471.

Al-Tirmidhi, Ibn Maajah and Ibn Khuzaymah narrated in one report: “When the first night of the month of Ramadaan comes, the devils and rebellious jinn are chained up and the gates of Hell are closed, and not one gate of it is opened. The gates of Paradise are opened and not one gate of it is closed. And a caller cries out: ‘O seeker of good, proceed; O seeker of evil, desist. And Allaah has those whom He redeems from the Fire, and that happens every night.”

Classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’, 759.

If it is asked, how come we see many evil actions and sins committed in Ramadaan, for if the devils are chained up that would not happen?

The answer is that evil actions become less for those who observe the conditions and etiquette of fasting;

or that the ones who are chained up are some of the devils – namely the rebellious ones – not all of them;

or that what is meant is that evil is reduced in Ramadaan, which is a proven fact. If evil happens at this time, it is still less than at other times. Even if all of them (the devils) are chained up, that does not necessarily mean that no evil or sin will happen, because there are other causes of that besides the devils, such as evil souls, bad habits and the devils among mankind. Al-Fath, 4/145

4 – There are many kinds of worship in Ramadaan, some of which are not done at other times, such as fasting, praying qiyaam, feeding the poor, i’tikaaf, sadaqah, and reading Qur’aan.

I ask Allaah, the Exalted, the Almighty, to help us all to do that and to help us to fast and pray qiyaam, and to do acts of worship and to avoid doing evil. Praise be to Allaah, the Lord of the Worlds.

Humor and joking are permitted in Islam. We learn this from several ahadith of the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him. Abu Huraira radi allahu anhu said that the Prophet peace be upon him was told, “O Prophet of Allah, you are joking with us.” He said, “I only say what is true.” (Tirmidhi) Another Hadith relates that the Prophet would nickname Zainab bint Salama by repeatedly calling her ‘O Zuweinab’.

Other ahadith relate that the Prophet peace be upon him would play and joke with small children. Thus we see that joking is a Sunnah. Sufyan ibn Aiyna was asked, “Is joking prohibited?” He replied, “It is a Sunnah, but the point is that it must be done appropriately.” Many of the scholars agree. Umar said, “I admire a man who is like a child with his family (playful), and once he leaves them, he is more serious.” Thabit ibn Ubaid said, “Zayd ibn Thabit was one of the most humorous men in his home. Outside of his home, he was as serious as any man.” It is also related that Ibn Abbas asked some of his guests to have light and humorous conversation so that they would have a good time and not feel bored. Rabi’a said, “Virtue is made of six parts, three while in town (at the place of your home) and three while on journey. The first three are reciting the Qur’an, frequently being at the mosque, and spreading the way of Allah to other lands. The other three parts while traveling are spending, showing virtuous behavior and joking in what Allah has permitted.” Ibn Abbas said, “Joking appropriately is permissible. For the Prophet joked but he said what was true.” Al ibn Ahmad Al Faraheedi said, “People would feel imprisoned if they did not joke”

On the other hand, some of the scholars have prohibited joking and they are supported by some ahadith. It is related that the Prophet said, “Do not be vague with others and do not joke.” (Tirmidhi) Another Hadith states that the Prophet said, “Everything has a beginning and hostility begins with joking.” Ja’far ibn Muhammad said, “Beware of joking for it causes embarrassment.” Ibrahim Al Nakh’I said, “Joking shows foolishness and arrogance.” Imam ibn Abdul Bar said, “Some of the scholars denounced joking for what it causes of offenses, spite and malice between people.”

So how are we to compromise between these two views? Al Hafeth said, “What is prohibited is exaggerated or continuous joking as it distracts from worship of Allah and being serious about religious matters. This often leads to hardheartedness, envy and loss of respect. Useful joking, which aims to calm people or entertain or relieve them for a short time is permissible.”

Types of Joking

According to ibn Hayan, there are two types of joking. The first is preferred and defined as, “That which Allah has permitted, which commits no sin and does not lead to separation between people.” The second is the negative harmful kind, which is defined as, “Causes hostilities and sadness, and creates disrespect amongst people.” Outlining some of the benefits and harms of joking is beneficial in that it entertains, lifts the spirit and lightens the burdens of life, bringing people closer together. In describing this kind of joking, a man wrote, “Such humor does not hurt or criticize anyone. It leads a person from sadness to happiness, ceases the frown an allows people to relax and be themselves.” Joking defeats its purpose when it separates people, causes hostilities and envy between them.

Guidelines for Humor

• Joking should not deviate from the truth. The Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him said, “I only say what is true.”

• Joking should not become consistent in a person’s manner, for seriousness is also a virtue. Muhammad ibn Ar Rashid said, “The issues of Islam are more serious than to be dealt with jokingly. Smiling, joking, relaxing and laughing are certainly welcome at appropriate times and places. But at times of work, seriousness is called for.

• Bad language or reference to improper topics of conversation may not be subject of jokes.

• Joking must be at the appropriate time and place. Dr Adel Shuweikh said, “Humour is most welcome after the Fajr prayer. He is supported by what has been related by Sammak ibn Harb, “I asked Jaber ibn Samra if he spent time with the Prophet and he said, “Yes, the Prophet would often not leave the mosque after the Fajr prayer until the sun rose. They would be laughing and he would be smiling.” (Muslim).

He also said, “Another time for making light was after the ‘Isha prayer. Humour is permitted with family uncles and siblings. It is more preferred if it serves the purpose of advice and guidance, or if it creates friendship and warmth between people.” It is up to the person to decide whether the time is right for humour.

Thus it can be seen that it is the topic of humor and its effects, which determine whether or not it is permissible by Islam. Imam Nawawi said, “Joking is prohibited when it is excessive and consistent. It becomes ineffective and causes the heart to harden. It distracts a person from worship of Allah and concern with religious issues. It often causes harm, envy and disrespect. If these elements are absent from a joke, then it is what is permissible by Islam. The Prophet would use humor to reach people and draw them together.”

In any case, being modest and natural will, much of the time, serve the same purpose as joking. This is useful for people whom jokes do not come naturally. It is good to always remember in mind that humor must have a purpose in order to be fruitful. Joking is like adding salt to food. It must be measured and we must remember that some people do not eat food with salt. In other words, it is in appropriate to joke with some people.

Ad-Dhahabi related that Khalaf ibn Salim said, “We were at Yazeed ibn Haroun’s and he made a joke. Ahmad ibn Hanbal cleared his throat, and Yazeed said, ‘Who cleared his throat?’ When he found out who it had been, he put his hand on his forehead and cried, ‘Why didn’t you tell me Ahmad ibn Hanbal was here so I would not joke?”

At other times, joking may cause you to lose dignity. It is said, “Do not joke with children to the extent that they lose respect for you.” Ibn Hayan said, “Whoever jokes with an inappropriate person will lose that person’s respect, even if what he is saying is true. One should be selective with whom he jokes.” Ibn Al Muqafa’ said, “One should separate his behavior between two groups of people. One group is made up of public. Here he should be serious and purposeful with every word he speaks. The other group is made up of people who are closer to him. With this group, he should be humorous and caring. Each of these behaviors will be beneficial and productive in the right place.”

Try to understand the people you deal with, in order to decide whether or not it is appropriate to joke with them. Such was the way of the Prophet, for he would not joke with all his friends. Here are a few points to keep in mind. Although it may seem common sense that we should be respectful when joking but many of us end up hurting someone’s feelings unintentionally. Humor is a great way to diffuse a bad situation, or ease an uncomfortable one but it must be used appropriately. Just as a knife is useful and necessary to prepare food, so it can cause you to bleed. Many people don’t realize it, but sarcasm is anger thinly veiled.

Points to remember

• Is this time right time to joke?

• Is this an appropriate person to joke with?

• Is this an appropriate topic to joke about?

• Is this the right place?

Also remember these points while joking

• Never criticize while joking.

• Do not impose jokes if they do not come naturally.

• Beware of excessive joking with certain individuals.

• Show respect to the person you are joking with, as the Prophet Muhammad did when he told a man he was joking with, “In the eyes of Allah you are great.”

• Monitor yourself when you are feeling humorous.

• Maintain good behavior with people who make a mistake when joking with you. Do not answer harshly or stare back.

• It is better not to joke with someone when you meet for the first time.

We must be careful to maintain a Muslim code of behaviour and never harm another human through humiliation or insensitivity. While joking we should implement all the above-mentioned points and maintain a good Muslim personality.

Green Dome in Madinah

The dome over the grave of the Prophet (Pbuh) dates back to the seventh century AH. It was built during the reign of Sultan Qalawoon, and at first it was the colour of wood, then it became white, then blue, then green, and it has remained green until the present.

Professor ‘Ali Haafiz (may Allaah preserve him) said: There was no dome over the sacred chamber. There was in the roof of the mosque above the chamber a waist-high enclosure of brick to distinguish the location of the chamber from the rest of the mosque’s roof.

Sultaan Qalawoon al-Saalihi was the first one to build a dome over the chamber. He did that in 678 AH. It was square at the bottom and octagonal at the top, made of wood, and built on top of the pillars that surrounded the chamber. Planks of wood were nailed to it, over which plates of lead were placed, and the brick enclosure was replaced with one made of wood.

The dome was refurbished at the time of al-Naasir Hasan ibn Muhammad Qalawoon, then the leaden plates slipped, but they were fixed and refurbished at the time of al-Ashraf Sha’baan ibn Husayn ibn Muhammad in 765 AH. It fell into disrepair and was renovated at the time of Sultaan Qayit Bey in 881 AH.

The chamber and dome were burned in the fire that swept through the Prophet’s mosque in 886 AH. During the reign of Sultaan Qayit Bey the dome was rebuilt, in 887 AH, and strong pillars to support it were built in the floor of the mosque, and they were built of bricks to the correct height. After the dome had been built in the manner described above, cracks appeared in its upper part.  When it proved impossible to refurbish it,  the Sultaan Qayit Bey ordered that the upper part be demolished and rebuilt strongly using white plaster. So it was built solidly in 892 AH.

In 1253 AH, an order was issued by the Ottoman Sultan ‘Abd al-Hameed to paint the dome green. He was the first one to colour it green, and the colour has been renewed whenever necessary until the present.

It became known as the green dome after it was painted green. It was previously known as the white dome or the fragrant dome or the blue dome.  [Fusool min Tareekh al-Madeenah al-Munawwarah by ‘Ali Haafiz (p. 127, 128)]

Rulings thereon

The scholars, both in the past and in modern times, criticized the building of this dome and its being given a colour. All of that is because of what they know of sharee’ah closing many doors for fear of falling into shirk.

These scholars include the following:

1 – al-San’aani (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in Ta-theer al-I’tiqaad:

If you say: A great dome has been built over the grave of the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), costing a great deal of money, I say: This is in fact great ignorance of the situation, because this dome was not built by him (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or by his Sahaabah or by those who followed them, or by those who followed the Taabi’een, or by the scholars and imams of the ummah. Rather this dome was built over his grave (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) on the orders of one of the later kings of Egypt, namely the Sultan Qalawoon al-Saalihi who is known as King Mansoor, in 678 AH, and was mentioned in Tahqeeq al-Nasrah bi Talkhees Ma’aalim Dar al-Hijrah. These are things that were done on the orders of the state and not on the basis of shar’i evidence. End quote.

2 – The scholars of the Standing Committee for Issuing Fatwas were asked:

There are those who take the building of the green dome over the Prophet’s grave in the Prophet’s Mosque as evidence that it is permissible to build domes over other graves, such as those of the righteous and others. Is this argument correct or what should our response to them be?

They replied: It is not correct to quote the fact that people built a dome over the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) as evidence that it is permissible to build domes over the graves of the righteous dead and others, because those people’s building a dome over his grave (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was haraam and those who did it sinned thereby, because they went against what is proven in a report from Abu’l-Hayaaj al-Asadi who said: ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib (may Allaah be pleased with him) said to me: Shall I not send you on the same mission as the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) sent me? Do not leave any image without erasing it or any high grave without levelling it.

And it was narrated that Jaabir (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade plastering over graves, or sitting on them or building over them. Both reports were narrated by Muslim in his Saheeh. So it is not correct for anyone to quote the haraam action of some people as evidence that it is permissible to do similar haraam actions, because it is not permissible to go against the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) by citing the words or actions of anyone else. And because he is the one who conveyed the command from Allaah, and he is the one who is to be obeyed, and we must beware of going against his commands, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “And whatsoever the Messenger (Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) gives you, take it; and whatsoever he forbids you, abstain (from it)” [al-Hashr 59:7].

And there are other verses which enjoin obedience to Allaah and to His Messenger. And because building up graves and erecting domes over them are means that lead to associating their occupants with Allaah, and the means that lead to shirk must be blocked. [Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz, Shaykh ‘Abd al-Razzaaq ‘Afeefi, Shaykh ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Qa’ood. Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah (9/83, 84)]

3 – The scholars of the Standing Committee also said:

There is no proof in the fact that a dome was set up over the Prophet’s grave for those who take it as an excuse for building domes of the graves of the awliya’ (“saints”) and righteous people, because the building of a dome over his grave was not done on his instructions and was not done by any of his companions (may Allaah be pleased with them), or by the Taabi’een, or by any of the imams of guidance in the early generations whom the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) testified were good. Rather it was done by people of bid’ah (innovation). It was proven that the Prophet (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.” And it was proven that ‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him) said to Abu’l-Hayaaj: Shall I not send you on the same mission as the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) sent me? Do not leave any image without erasing it or any high grave without levelling it. Narrated by Muslim. As it is not proven that he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) built a dome over his grave, and it is not proven from any of the leading imams; rather what is proven shows that to be an invalid action, and no Muslim should feel any attachment to the action of innovators who built a dome over the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). [Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azzez ibn Baaz, Shaykh ‘Abd al-Razzaaq ‘Afeefi, Shaykh ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Ghadyaan, Shaykh ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Qa’ood, Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah (2/264, 265)]

4 – Shaykh Shams al-Deen al-Afghaani (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

al-‘Allaamah al-Khajandi (1379 AH) said, discussing the history of the green dome that was built over the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and explaining that it is an innovation that was done by some sultans and ignorant persons who erred and made a mistake, and that it is contrary to the clear saheeh ahaadeeth and reflects ignorance of the Sunnah, and that they went to extremes and imitated the Christians who are confused and misguided:

It should be noted that until the year 678 AH, there was no dome over the chamber which contains the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), rather it was built by the king al-Zaahir al-Mansoor Qalawoon al-Saalihi in that year (678 AH), when this dome was built.

I say: He did that because he had seen in Egypt and Syria the adorned churches of the Christians, so he imitated them out of ignorance of the command and Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), as al-Waleed imitated them by adorning the mosque, as was mentioned in Wafa’ al-Wafa’.

It should be noted that undoubtedly this action of Qalawoon was contrary to the saheeh ahaadeeth of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), but ignorance is a great calamity and exaggeration in love and veneration is a real disaster, and imitation of foreigners is a fatal disease. We seek refuge with Allaah from ignorance and exaggeration and imitation of foreigners. [Juhood ‘Ulama’ al-Hanafiyyah fi Ibtaal ‘Aqaa’id al-Qubooriyyah (3/1660-1662)]

The reason why it has not been demolished

The scholars have explained the shar’i rulings concerning the building of this dome and its obvious effects on the followers of bid’ah’ who have developed an attachment to this structure and its colour, and they praise and venerate it a great deal in their poetry and writings. Now it is up to the authorities to implement these fatwas, and this is nothing to do with the scholars.

The reason why it is not demolished is so as to ward off fitnah and for fear that it may lead to chaos among the ordinary people and the ignorant. Unfortunately the ordinary people have only reached this level of veneration towards this dome because of the leadership of misguided scholars and imams of innovation. They are the ones who incite the ordinary people against the land of the Two Holy Sanctuaries and its ‘aqeedah and its manhaj. They are very upset about many actions that are in accordance with sharee’ah in our view and contrary to innovation in their view.

Whatever the case, the shar’i ruling is quite clear, and the fact that this dome has not been demolished does not mean that it is permissible to build it or any dome over any grave, no matter what grave it is.

Shaykh Saalih al-‘Usaymi (Pbuh) said:  The fact that this dome has remained for eight centuries does not mean that it has become permissible, and being silent about it does not indicate approval of it or that it is permissible. Rather the Muslim authorities should remove it and put it back as it was at the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). They should remove the dome and the adornments and engravings that are found in the mosques, above all the Prophet’s Mosque, so long as that will not lead to an even greater fitnah. If it would lead to an even greater fitnah, then the ruler should postpone the matter until he finds an opportunity for that.  [Bida’ al-Quboor, Anwaa’uha wa ahkaamuha (p. 253)]

When you go to the Qur’an and you read a verse from the Qur’an and you explain that verse without having the proper knowledge, without following the proper methodology, you might be and only Allah knows, actually following your own hawaa, following your own desires, you might be following an inspiration from the Shaytaan, you might be following dhann (conjecture), which Allah speaks about in many places in the Qur’an, or it might actually be some kind of inspiration from Allah , but most likely it is not the last case. And why is it not the last case? Because as we will talk about it later, you did not follow the proper methodology of talking about the Qur’an and if you did not follow a proper methodology of talking about the Qur’an, then you have committed a sin already. Just by talking about the Qur’an, without proper knowledge, by giving interpretation of the Qur’an, without proper knowledge, without proper background, without being qualified to do so, then you’ve already committed a sin. And since you are committing a sin, it is very unlikely in most cases that Allah will bless you through that sin to give you the right interpretation of the Qur’an.

When you say that Allah means this or Allah means that in a specific verse, you are actually speaking or saying something on behalf of Allah , you are actually speaking about Allah , and if you are speaking without knowledge, without ‘ilm, this is one of the greatest sins that you could commit.

In fact, Ibn ul Qayyim said that it is the greatest sin. Ibn ul Qayyim said that speaking about Allah without `ilm is the greatest sin that you could commit. He bases it on this verse:

“Qul innamaa harrama Rabbi-l-fawaahisha maa Dhahara minhaa wa maa batan, wal-ithma wal-baghya bi ghayri-l-haqq, wa an tushrikoo bi-Llaahi maa lam yunazzil bihi sultaanaa, wa an taqoolo ala-l-Laahi maa laa talamoon.”

“Say: The things that my Lord has indeed forbidden are al-Fawaahishah (great evil sins, every kind of unlawful sexual intercourse, etc.), whether committed openly or secretly, sins (of all kinds), unrighteous oppession, joining partners (in worship) with Allah for which He has given no authority and saying things about Allah of which you have no knowledge.” [The Noble Qur'an, 7:33]

In discussing this verse, he says, first of all there are some sins which are haraam li-dhaatihi, forbidden due to their own evil nature, and (others which are) haraam li ghairihi, which are forbidden because they lead to some evil or have some evil in them.

And he said with respect to this verse, all of these four, they are haraam in dhaatihi, they are haraam in their own essence, because of the evil in them. Continuing his discussion, he said that Allah first mentions al-fawaahishah, and he says this is the least of the sins that He mentions, after that He mentions the sins of transpasses against the truth; this is a greater sin that the first one that Allah mentioned.

And then He mentioned making shirk, and finally He mentioned saying things about Allah of which you have no knowledge. He is saying that Allah is going from from the lesser to the greater. And the reason he says is that this last sin of saying about Allah without ‘ilm, which is actually what you do when you make tafseer without the proper background, without the proper methodology, he says it involves and it includes many things even more than what committing shirk involves. He says it involves and it includes:

• Ascribing something falsely to Allah
• Changing or altering the religion of Allah
• Denying what He has confirmed or
• Confirming what He has denied,
• Affirming something declaring false or
• Declaring something false as true, and it also includes
• Supporting something that Allah dislikes or opposes,
• Supporting something that Allah dislikes or opposes, and
• Liking something that Allah dislikes.

In other words, when you are speaking without ‘ilm, in the religion, in things which are related to the religion, then in fact you are changing the religion of Allah. And in fact, if you continue what he wrote – this is right from “Madaarij us Saalikeen”, 1:372-3 – you find that in fact speaking without `ilm is actually the real source of all kufr and shirk.

He said, for example, the polytheists claim what they are worshiping instead of Allah was something to take them closer to Allah, so the cause of their shirk was saying something about Allah without `ilm, something they did not know about Allah.

Similarly today, the greatest kufr that we have nowadays, among Muslims, but especially among non-Muslims, is secularism and the basis for that is saying that Allah doesn’t really care about what we do in worldly affairs, or hasn’t really given us guidance for worldly affairs, or the Deen that He sent is not meant for daily affairs; all of this is speaking about Allah without knowledge.

So in fact, it is one of the greatest sins, and Ibn ul Qayyim even included that it is in fact the greatest sin. And he also mentioned that every bid’ah, every innovation, also is based on some statement that has no support from the Qur’an and Sunnah, in other words every bid`ah also is based on some statement which is actually made without `ilm.

To think about this point even further, about just going to the Qur’an, and saying, I am a believer I am pious, I can go to the Qur’an, and read the Qur’an, and get its own meaning, if there was any people in the history of mankind who could have said that – maybe we could accept this from them – would be the Companions of the Prophet (saw), for many reasons:

• They witnessed the revelation of the Qur’an itself,
• They witnessed the events it was referring to, they were living the events that it was referring to,
• The Qur’an was revealed in their language, the language of their time,
• Allah chose them to be the Companions of the Prophet (saw),
• and he described them as the best generation.

So if anyone could actually make that claim that he has such a pure heart and such a close relationship to Allah or such a good understanding of Islaam, that he can go to the Qur’an and interpret the Qur’an simply by what his heart tells him or what they used to call ra’ee (personal opinion) – after the Soofees it became “What the heart tells you,” but originally it was called ra’ee or personal opinion, it would be the Sahaaba, but if we go to the Sahaaba we see that what they understood and what they learned from the Prophet (saw) in fact is the complete opposite. What they learned is that it is absolutely forbidden to speak about the Qur’an without proper knowledge.

And they made such statements. For example, Abu Bakr one time said, “What earth would give me place to live and what sky would shade me if I should speak about the Qur’an with my opinion or by something I do not know.” And `Umar ibn al Khattaab, he also said, “Beware of using your opinion in religious matters.” And Ibn `Abbaas, the one who the Prophet (saw) made du`aa for him to understand the Qur’an, to get the understanding of the Deen, and to be given by Allah the ta`weel or the understanding of the Qur’an, he also said, “All that there is to follow and obey is the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger. Whoever makes any statement after these two according to his opinion, then I do not know if you’ll find among his good deeds or among his sins.”

This is the style of Ibn `Abbaas, that he made in many statements. Meaning that even if what you did was something good, looks like something good, you will find it among your sins. And at-Tirmidhee, in his Sunan, he said it has been related from some of the people of `ilm, people of knowledge, the Sahaaba of the Prophet (saw) and others, that they that they were very strict when it came to speaking about the Qur’an without `ilm.

- By Jamal Zarabozo