Ibn Abbas: The Deceit of the Eyes…

يَعْلَمُ خَائِنَةَ الأعْيُنِ وَمَا تُخْفِي الصُّدُورُ

He knows the eyes’ deceit and what the chests conceal. (al-Mu’min: 19)

Ibn ‘Abbas said: “He is a man sitting with a group of people. A woman then passes by and he steals a glance at her.”

It is also related from him: “He is man who looks at a woman. When his companions look at him, he lowers his gaze; and when he sees that they are unmindful, he secretly engages in looking [at her]. Then when his companions look at him, he lowers his gaze. And Allah, azza wa jall, certainly knows that he wishes that he could look at her private parts.”

Ibn ‘Abbas said: “‘And what the chests conceal,’ means: Would he fornicate with her if he was to be secluded with her, or not?”

(al-Jami’ li Ahkam al-Qur’an)

Umar b. Abdul Aziz Reprimands His Son…

Umar Ibn Abdul Aziz RA heard that his son bought a ring for 1,000 dirhams, so he wrote a letter to his son, saying:

بلغني أنّك اشتريت خاتمًا وفصّه بألف درهم، فإذا أتاك كتابي هذا فَبِعْ الخاتم، وأشبع به ألف بطن، واتّخذ خاتمًا بدرهمين، واجعل فصّه حديدًا صينيًا واكتُب عليه: رحِم الله امرءًا عرف قدره

“It has reached me that you bought a 1,000 dirham ring, so when this letter reaches you, sell the ring and fill 1000 stomachs (i.e. charity). Then buy a ring for 2 dirhams and the inside of it should be of iron and engrave on it the following words: “May Allah have mercy on the person who knows his limits!”

{“Madarij As-Salikien”, 2/331}.

Prominent Non-Muslim Authors on Arabic…

When Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784), the dominating literary figure of the 18th century, was granted a pension by the British Government in 1762, he is reported to have exclaimed the following:

Had this happened twenty years ago, I would have gone to Constantinople to learn Arabic as P. Edward did.
[Samuel Johson, WikiQuote]

Turning to the far West, we find that in Moorish Spain, too, the Christian subjects had fallen under the ’spell’ of Arabic Language and literature. Many of them were so deeply imbued with the Arabic culture that we find a contemporary writer, Alvaro, Bishop of Cordova, bitterly deploring this state of affairs.

“My fellow Christians delight in the poems and romances of the Arabs; they study the works of Mohammedan theologians and philosophers, not in order to refute them, but to acquire a correct and elegant Arabic style. Where today can a layman be found who reads the Latin commentaries on Holy Scriptures? Who is there that studies the Gospels, the Prophets, and the Apostles? Alas! The young Christians who are most conspicuous for their talents have no knowledge of any literature or language save the Arabic; they read and study with avidity Arabic books; they amass whole libraries of them at a vast cost; and they sing everywhere the praises of Arabian lore. On the other hand, at the mention of Christian books they disdainfully protest that such works are unworthy of their notice. The pity of it! Christians have forgotten their own tongue, and scarce one in a thousand can be found able to compose in fair Latin a letter to a friend. But when it comes to writing Arabic, how many there are who can express themselves in that language with the greatest elegance, and even compose verses which surpass in formal correctness those of the Arabs themselves!
[Spanish Islam.  English translation by F.G. Stokes Page #268 (London, 1913)]

When John Beckmann (1739-1811), wrote a history of inventions, in reference to the scientific achievements of the Arabs and to the importance of Arabic in this connection he said the following:

What a noble people were the Arabs. We are indebted to them for a great deal of knowledge and many inventions of great utility; and we should have still more to thank them for, were we fully aware 0f the benefits we have received from them. What a pity that their great works should be suffered to molder into dust, without being made available to us; what a shame that those conversant with their rich language should meet with little encouragement. Had I still twenty years to live and could hope for an abundant supply of Arabic works, I would gladly learn Arabic.

[John Beckmann (1739-1811), who wrote a history of inventions, in reference to the scientific achievements of the Arabs and to the importance of Arabic in this connection]

Source: Wmin Islamic Society

Abu Gamrah: Father’s Criticized for the Wrong Things…

Imam Ibn Abu Gamrah, an eminent scholar, criticized the scholars who always tackle a father’s responsibility towards his family only in terms of his obligation to provide them with a dwelling place and a means of sustenance, while disregarding his responsibility to enjoin on them obedience to Almighty Allah.

According to Imam Ibn Abu Gamrah, the man’s responsibility for guiding his family to the right path is to be given priority over providing them with food, a dwelling place, and so on, especially since he may not be accounted for the obligation of providing for them if he really cannot afford to do so, but he is not to be exempted from the responsibility of guiding them to the right path at any rate.

(Bahjat An-Nufus, vol. 2, p. 47).

Source

Every dispute will be brought before Allah

Ibn Abi Hatim, may Allah have mercy on him, recorded that Ibn Az-Zubayr, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “When the Ayah

[ثُمَّ إِنَّكُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَـمَةِ عِندَ رَبِّكُمْ تَخْتَصِمُونَ ]

(Then, on the Day of Resurrection, you will be disputing before your Lord.) was revealed, Az-Zubayr, may Allah be pleased with him, said, `O Messenger of Allah, will we repeat our disputes’ He said,

«نَعَم»

(Yes.) He (Az-Zubayr) said, `This is a very serious matter.”’ Ahmad recorded from Az-Zubayr bin Al-`Awwam, may Allah be pleased with him, that when this Surah was revealed to the Messenger of Allah :

[إِنَّكَ مَيِّتٌ وَإِنَّهُمْ مَّيِّتُونَ - ثُمَّ إِنَّكُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَـمَةِ عِندَ رَبِّكُمْ تَخْتَصِمُونَ ]

(Verily, you will die, and verily, they (too) will die. Then, on the Day of Resurrection, you will be disputing before your Lord.) Az-Zubayr, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “O Messenger of Allah, will the sins that we committed against others in this world be repeated for us” He said,

«نَعَمْ، لَيُكَرَّرَنَّ عَلَيْكُمْ حَتْى يُؤَدَّى إِلَى كُلِّ ذِي حَقَ حَقُّه»

(Yes, they will be repeated until everyone who is entitled will have his rights restored to him. ) Az-Zubayr, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “By Allah, it is a very serious matter.” It was also recorded by At-Tirmidhi, who said “Hasan Sahih.” `Ali bin Abi Talhah reported that Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said:

[ثُمَّ إِنَّكُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَـمَةِ عِندَ رَبِّكُمْ تَخْتَصِمُونَ ]

(Then, on the Day of Resurrection, you will be disputing before your Lord.) means, the truthful one will dispute with the liar, the oppressed will dispute with the oppressor, the one who is guided will dispute with the one who is misguided and the weak will dispute with the arrogant. Ibn Mandah recorded in Kitab Ar-Ruh that Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “The people will dispute on the Day of Resurrection, to the extent that the soul will dispute with the body. The soul will say to the body, `You did such and such,’ and the body will say to the soul, `You told me to do it and you tempted me.’ Then Allah will send an angel to judge between them, and he will say, `You two are like a man who cannot walk but can see, and a man who cannot see but can walk.’ They went into a garden and the one who could not walk said to the one who was blind, `I see fruit there, but I cannot reach it.’ The blind man said, `Climb on me and get it.’ So he climbed on him and got it. So which of them is the wrongdoer They will say, `Both of them.’ The angel will say to them, `You have passed judgement against yourselves.’ The body was a means of transportation for the soul.” Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that Sa`id bin Jubayr said that Ibn `Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “This Ayah was revealed and we did not know what it was revealed about:

[ثُمَّ إِنَّكُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَـمَةِ عِندَ رَبِّكُمْ تَخْتَصِمُونَ ]

(Then, on the Day of Resurrection, you will be disputing before your Lord.)” He said, “We said, what will we dispute about There is no dispute between us and the People of the Book, so what will we dispute about Until the Fitnah occurred.” Then Ibn `Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “This is what our Lord promised us we would dispute about.” This was recorded by An-Nasa’i.

Source: Muslimology

Good & Honest article on Moder Day Tasawwuf

The Legalization of the Deviation of Tasawwuf
by Sh. Abdul Haqq Bewley

Full Article: http://www.muslimsofnorwich.org.uk/?p=390

Excerpt:
I hope that what will have become clear from these five examples – and any number of other examples which could also have been elicited from every epoch of Islam – is that the primary task of the people of tasawwuf in each era is to take every single necessary step, no matter what the cost, to ensure the complete integrity of Islam and the greatest possible implementation of Allah’s deen, inwardly and most importantly outwardly, in the particular time and place where they find themselves...

Unfortunately the majority of both the leaders and the followers of the great Sufi tariqas, who in fact at the same time constitute the vast majority of the world’s Muslims, have themselves fallen into this trap and are falling over themselves in the race to be categorised as Good Muslims rather than Bad ones. Some have done this out of a purely venial motivation, chasing after the considerable funding available for groups who encourage moderation and tolerance among their followers. Others do it for political reasons in order to align themselves with the anti-terrorist, pro-democracy policies of their governments and their governments’ paymasters.

Regarding Engaging in Dangerous Activities for Fun and Sport…

The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “If a person spends the night on a roof which has no surrounding wall, and falls down and dies, no one is responsible for his death and if a person travels by sea when it is stormy and dies, no one is responsible for his death.” (Narrated by Imam Ahmad in his Musnad, 20224)

Ibn Battaal (may Allah have mercy on him) said: What it means, in sha Allah, is that he is no longer under the protection of sharee‘ah, because he brought his own destruction upon himself and he exposed himself to danger, and did not protected himself, so he is not protected by sharee‘ah, and no one could be regarded as not protected by sharee‘ah except in case of kufr.  (Sharh al-Bukhaari, 5/89)

Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) said:  It is permissible when there is no risk. This is the well-known scholarly view. And if it is thought that it is most likely safe, then land and sea are regarded as the same. End quote. Fath al-Baari, 6/88

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen was asked:  Is it permissible to take risks or put oneself in danger, as we see nowadays in some kinds of extreme sports which may lead to the death of those who engage in them?
He replied:  This is haraam. It is not permissible for a person to risk his life in doing things in which there is the fear of death or harm, because Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “And do not kill yourselves (nor kill one another). Surely, Allaah is Most Merciful to you” [al-Nisa’ 4:29]. If Allah has forbidden that and said “And do not kill yourselves”, then anything that leads to death or leads to harm is also haraam. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Your blood, your wealth and your honour are sacred to one another.” Just as it is not permissible for a person to transgress against others, it is not permissible for him to transgress against himself by exposing himself to that which may cause death or harm. End quote.
Fataawa Noor ‘ala al-Darb, 13/252

SUMMARY: The person who does this kind of action or takes this kind of risk, if it is for the purpose of training in modern methods of fighting in order to prepare strength against the enemy, there is nothing wrong with him doing that; rather it is enjoined in sha Allah, but the one who is in charge of that should choose those who are suited for this kind of mission and are physically and mentally prepared for it and able to do this kind of mission and train them properly before letting them embark on this kind of mission for real. 

If he dies or is harmed by doing that, he is not killing himself; rather he will be rewarded for his intention and his action, in sha Allah. 

As for doing it as a sport and for fun, as is common nowadays, it is not permissible. 

And Allah knows best.

Source: IslamQ&A

Salafi Scholars on Ibn Taymiyyah’s Takfir of the Rulers…

Ibn Taymiyyah’s “most famous” fatwa was issued against the Mongols (or Tartars), in the Mamluk’s war. Ibn Taymiyyah declaring jihad upon the Mongols not only permissible, but obligatory. He based this ruling on the grounds that the Mongols could not be true Muslims despite the fact that they had converted to Sunni Islam because they ruled using ‘man-made laws’ (their traditional Yassa code) rather than Islamic law or Shari’ah, and thus were living in a state of jahiliyya, or pre-Islamic pagan ignorance outside the folds of Islam.

Classical Period: Acceptance of Ibn Taymiyyah’s fatwa.
Ibn Kathir and Ibn al-Qayyim accepted the above at face value and stated that anyone who judges with other than Allah’s laws is outside the fold of Islam.

Pre-Modern Time: Acceptance of prior opinionsSh. Ahmed Shakir (d. 1958) & Sh. Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al-Shaikh (the first Grand Mufti of Saudi prior to Sh. Abdullah b. Baaz, d.1969) both explicitly stated that anyone who judges by other than Allah’s law is not a Muslim.

Shakir: There should be no confusion about such a person, for example the laws that are being imported into Egypt, there should be no doubt that a person who judges by these laws is not a Muslim.

Ibrahim al-Shaikh; The worst type of judgment that can possibly be done is to create a combination between Shariah and man-made laws. “What greater kufr is there than this kufr”.

Modern Era: Shift away from classical opinions with each holding differing opinions that didn’t agree with classical perspectives.

Sh. Abdullah Bin Baaz (d.1999): Disagreed with his teacher (Sh. Muhammad ibn Ibrahim) and said that judging by man-made law is not kufr unless it is accompanied by istihlaal, a condition of accepting the position in one’s heart. Also, he added how will you know the inner thoughts of a ruler and therefore a ruler can not be pronounced as kafir. When asked about his opinion disagreeing with that of his teacher, he replied, ‘My teacher was only a human, no matter how great he was, the evidence is in the Quran and Sunnah.’

Sh. Salih Uthaymeen (d.2000): Would not discuss the topic in public or answer it for the masses. Judging by other than Allah’s law is kufr even if there is no istihlaal. However, one who doesn’t understand the importance of Allah’s law may be excused for their ignorance. He then states that the rulers of our time can not be called kafir b/c they do not know the status of Islam or Islamic law.

Sh. Nasiruddeen Albani (d.1999): In all situations and scenarios, judging by other than Allah’s laws is not kufr.

And finally, the odd one out…

Sh. Abu Muhammad Asim al-Maqdisi: Represents classical understanding and adheres to early and classical opinions says “modern democracies are nothing more than mongol nation resurrected in our times”. [Note: al-Maqdisi is considered to be a 'Jihadi-Salafi' by many other mainstream Saudi Salaf scholars.]

Source: Qadhi, Yasir, “The Reception of IbnTaymiyya’s Fatwa on “Ruling by Other than God‟s Law‟ Amongst Modern Salafi scholars.” Presented at 2009 UK Conference: Rethinking Jihad: Ideas, Politics and Conflict in the Arab World & Beyond

Ibn Masud RA: Whoever is to follow someone…

Ibn Masud RA: Whoever is to follow someone, then follow those who have passed away because the lives are not safe from trials.

Ibn Uthaymeen: Do not tie the truth to men. I don’t want the truth to be attributed to indivduals. Firstly, men can stray. If you attribute the truth to men, a person could be deceived by himself and adopt wrong ways. Man is not safe from mistakes and trials. Everyone makes mistakes. Secondly, he will die as no one remains alive.If we attribute the truth to individuals and this person dies, the people will fall into desperation. Thirdly, the son of Adam may be deceived if he sees people honoring and flocking to him, He may be deceived. He may think he is infallible or claim that he is and believe everything he does is the truth and every path that he takes is permissible. This could reach to (his) destruction. A man praised another man at the presence of the Messenger of Allah SAWS. The Prophet SAWS told him, “Woe to you, you have cut the neck of your friend.”
–
Abdullah ibn Masud RA used to look after the needs of the Prophet SAWS, which entitled him to receive a unique training in the household of the Prophet SAWS, and it was said of him, “He was the closest to the Prophet in character.”

Muhammad SAWS said: “Learn the Qur’an from four persons: Abd-Allah ibn Mas’ud,Salim Mawla Abu-Hudhayfah, Ubayy ibn Kab and Muadh ibn Jabal.

Umar b. Khattab: Regarding the obese person…

Umar ibn Khattab RA said: O People! Be aware of overeating, because it makes you lazy in your prayer, makes your body weak, and it makes you unhealthy. Allah dislikes the obese man. You should be modest in your food because that is closer to righteousness and further from excess and makes you stronger in worshipping Allah.  You will perish when your desires become dearer to you then your religion.

Once a man approached Umar with a big belly. Umar asked him, ‘What is this (referring to his stomach)?’ He replied, ‘This is a blessing from Allah.’ Umar responded, “Rather this is a punishment from Allah.”