Author: Islam Seychelles

How to contemplate over the Qur’aan to attain benefit

Shaykh-ul-Islam ibnu Taymiyyah said:

“Whoever contemplates over the Qur’aan, seeking guidance from it will clearly recognise the true path”

Shaykh ibnu Uthaymeen comments:

A powerful statement in meaning. It contains two affairs (conditions);

(1) contemplation and (2) seeking guidance.

Therefore, “contemplation” is the action (required) and “seeking guidance” is the good (sincere, truthful) intention (required) and “will clearly recognise the true path” is the clause that expresses the result (of the two conditions being met).

Tafsir Surah Al-Qasas v. 1-3

What to do if a person who is argumentative and fond of debating comes to you?

Imam Malik said:

“If a debater comes to you, then make clear the sunnah to him but do not debate him”

Shaykh ibnu Uthaymeen comments: Because if you made clear the sunnah to him, then you have placed the proof upon him between his hands (before him). If he then (still) debates, then he is debating Allah (as the proof/sunnah is from Allah) and he is not debating you. So clarify the sunnah to him and refrain from debating about it (the issue), because what is compulsory upon the one whom the sunnah has been made clear to is to accept it without debating.

Tafsir Surah An-Nisaa V.63

Maintaining silence and avoiding hastiness

How much chaos can be prevented by maintaining silence and avoiding hastiness

Abu Haatim said:

الواجب على العاقل أن يلزم الصمت إلى أن يلزمه التكلم،فما أكثر من ندم إذا نطق وأقل من يندم إذا سكت.

What is imperative upon the intelligent (& sane) is to maintain silence until it is a must for him to speak. How many have regretted when they’ve uttered and how few regret when they’ve remained silent.

روضة العقلاء ونزهة الفضلاء (ص43)

The 3 types of Patience

Shaykh ibnu Uthaymeen said:

Patience is of three types:

1. Being patient upon obeying Allah.

By restraining yourself (from things) to carry out actions of obedience.

For example: A man wants to pray, then his soul attracts him to laziness or to sleep or to eat what he has no need for or to talk with friends but he instead made it binding upon himself to pray. This is patience upon Allah’s obedience.

2. Being patient upon not disobeying Allah.

By restraining yourself from doing something impermissible even with the presence of the means attracting you to it.

For example: A man’s soul tells him to fornicate, so he prevents himself from doing so. So we say this is patience in not disobeying Allah. Also what occurred to Prophet Yusuf (alayhissalaam) with the wife of Al-Azeez when she tried to seduce him in the most powerful of ways as she locked all the doors and called him to her. He did not do it even with the strong seducing call and absence of that which could prevent him (alone/doors locked). This is patience upon not disobeying Allah.

3. Being patient upon Allah’s decree.

Indeed Allah decrees for his slave that which is agreeable to his nature and that which is not agreeable. That which is not agreeable is in need of patience, that he retrains himself from resentment of the heart, in speech (wailing) or in action (tearing his clothes) if a calamity befalls him and that he should (instead) say that he is pleased with his lord.

Summarised – Explanation of Nawawe’s 40 Hadith by Shaykh Uthaymeen

Why were the Wives of the Prophet Referred to as “Mothers of the Believers”? Shaykh ibnu Uthaymeen

They were called mothers of the believers in regards to respect and having high regard for them and this motherhood does not indicate anything that is impermissible or permissible except for respect because indeed it is obligatory upon all Muslims to respect them. As for the impermissibility of marrying them after the Prophet then that is regarding the impermissibility of demeaning the status of the Prophet wherein his wives are not permissible for whosoever is after him forever.

For this reason the legislator has placed four months and ten days (waiting period) for one whose husband passes away as a form of showing respect for the rights of the deceased husband, for indeed that is from the rights of the deceased. And what indicates this is that a woman waits for four months and ten days even if she still has menstrual cycles or barren. And it is not opposing to this that the waiting period of the pregnant women whose husband dies ends with giving birth to the child even if it is less than four months, because we say: when the waiting period passes she is separated from her husband and is free from him and therefore there is no connection that remains for the husband to her. This is why the waiting period ends by the birth of the child.

Shaykh ibnu Uthaymeen – Fataawaa nur alaa ad-darb v.12 p.261

When was the K’abah built? By who? And why was it called the K’abah?

Shaykh ibnu Uthaymeen:

Allah says: {And (remember) when Ibrahim (Abraham) and (his son) Isma’eel (Ishmael) were raising the foundations of the House (the Ka’bah at Makkah)…} [Al-Baqara #127]. Therefore Ibrahim is the one who built the K’abah with the partaking of his son Isma’eel. It has come in some narrations that the K’abah was built in (Prophet) Adam’s time but it (later) collapsed then Ibrahim rebuilt it. And Allah knows best.

As for why it was called K’abah, because it is a squared shaped building and every squared shaped building which has four pillars is referred to as (كعبة) k’abah.

Fataawaa nur alaa ad-darb v.12 p.257

What is required to enter Islam?

Shaykh Abdur-Razzaaq Al-Abbaad said:
Entering islam is not achieved by merely acknowledging Allah’s lordship; that he is The Creator, The Sustainer, The bestower of blessings and The Disposer of all affairs, but rather it’s a must along with this to come with the obligations of this recognition, which is none other than that He, the Most High is singled out with worship and that obedience is made specifically for him alone and that he is not given any partners along with him and that the religion (all religious duties) is performed purely for him.
Explanation of the 4 principles p.31

A reflection upon the worship that many of the people do

Shaykh Abdur-Razzaaq Al-badr said:
If the intention for other than Allah and giving a share to other Allah along with him enters into worship what will it become? Will it be the worship that Allah created the creation for? He (Allah) has said: {And I did not create the jin and mankind except to worship me} [Adh-Dhaariyaat v.56]. This worship which Allah created the creation for, is it those actions which many of the people practise? They ask Allah and they ask the stones, they worship Allah and they worship the domes, the stones, the trees and other than these. Is this the reason they were created for? Is this the meaning of his saying: {And I did not create the jin and mankind except to worship me} ? Never and certainly not. This is not worship but rather it is shirk (ascribing partners and equals to Allah), because of this worship does not become (true) worship except with Tawheed.
Explanation of the 4 principles p.20

The importance of Tawheed regarding our worship

Shaykh Abdur-Razzaaq said:
And this is a major principle which every single muslim should know and for this reason i mentioned to you that ibnu Abbas said: “Every command for worship (in the Qur’aan and Sunnah) is a command for Tawheed”, because worship does not become (true) worship except with Tawheed.
Explanation of the 4 principles p.20

The Virtue of giving in Ramadhan

Shaykh Saalih Al Fawzaan said:

Indeed, giving from the goodness of wealth and halal earnings for the sake of Allah is from the most exalted forms of worship. As worship can be by way of actions of the limbs, similarly it can also be by way of wealth. For this reason Allah, the exalted, has placed zakah as a pillar of Islam, which is giving a known portion of your wealth to those who are needy and underprivileged.
So Allah placed zakah which is a type of giving in charity from the pillars of Islam.
So it is upon a Muslim to know this and to fulfil what Allah has made obligatory upon him regarding the known right (of the poor) from his wealth. And that he gives in charity voluntarily from that which he has as a surplus and that he should not deprive himself of its reward, especially during this blessed month (of Ramadhan) and the seasons of goodness.
A person should not look down upon giving in charity if it is the case that it is little (i.e. If what he is able to give is little, he should not be discouraged and refrain from giving it). For indeed Allah, the exalted, saves a person from the Hellfire by their giving of half of a date in charity.

The Prophet (sallaaAllahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “Protect yourself from the Hellfire even if it is by giving half of a date in charity, for whosoever cannot find it, then by saying a good word“. [Al-Bukhari # 1413, 3595 and Muslim #1017]
Allah accepts the giving in charity from his believing slave and multiplies its reward for him until it may become like an enormous mountain. Therefore let not a person despise anything that he can give as charity from his wealth even if it is little, so what about if he can give a lot? (i.e. If the reward of a small charity can be multiplied so greatly by Allah, then think about what one could earn by giving more or a lot).
With good wealth (given in charity) Masjids are able to be built, also schools, spreading of good and striving in Allah’s cause. So therefore that wealth could be spent in so many things, its opportunities of spending is vast and the good that it brings for those who spend it in Allah’s obedience is numerous.

Allah says: {The likeness of those who spend their wealth in the Way of Allah, is as the likeness of a grain (of corn); it grows seven ears, and each ear has a hundred grains. Allah gives manifold increase to whom He pleases. And Allah is All-Sufficient for His creatures’ needs, All-Knower}. [Al-Baqarah verse: 261]

Therefore a person must not allow the love of (keeping) wealth overcome (and control) him and also being scared of his wealth decreasing or being stingy, and that he should not deprive himself from (spending and earning the rewards of) his wealth for indeed your wealth is a loan in your hands and Allah may give you an opportunity to spend a portion of it in charity and to spend it on yourself. So if a person prevents himself from giving charity and he just accumulates it, then indeed eventually he will depart from this world and he will leave it behind and its benefit will be left for others whilst the fatigue of acquiring and counting it was upon him. So why would a person deprive himself of it? Why did he acquire and gather this wealth? And he knows that he will soon be departing (from this world) and that he would not benefit from this wealth except that which he puts forth for himself (as reward) before his death or after his death as an ongoing charity which benefits him (with reward) after his death.
The Prophet (sallaaAllahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “When the son of Adam dies, his actions are cut off except for three: an ongoing charity or knowledge which is benefited from or a righteous child who supplicates for him”. [Muslim #1631]

Then a Muslim should know that Allah the Exalted is good and he does not accept anything except that which is good. So a person should not spend in charity from haram wealth and repugnant earnings. For indeed, Allah does not accept these.
Likewise, (it is better that) a person should not give in charity from the worst of his wealth which is small in benefit.
Allah says: {O you who believe! Spend of the good things which you have (legally) earned, and of that which We have produced from the earth for you, and do not aim at that which is bad (radee) to spend from it, (though) you would not accept it save if you close your eyes and tolerate therein. And know that Allah is Rich (Free of all wants), and Worthy of all praise}. [Al-Baqarah verse: 267]

The meaning of bad (radee) here in this verse is not that which is Haram, but that in the case where a person does not want his food which is unpleasant so he goes and gives it as charity. And Allah has prohibited this: {and do not aim at that which is bad (radee) to spend from it} (verse above). Therefore a person should not (aim) to give in charity only his thobes that he finds torn or ripped and cannot be worn or can only be used for a short time. Likewise, for food, he should not give in charity only that which he does not desire. This is not true (giving in) charity, it is instead merely getting rid of things (that are unwanted). And this (with this intention) does not benefit a person before Allah, the Exalted.
Allah says: {By no means shall you attain Al-Birr (piety, righteousness, it means here Allah’s Reward, i.e. Paradise), unless you spend (in Allah’s Cause) of that which you love; and whatever of good you spend, Allah knows it well}. [Aali Imran verse: 92]
And Allah says: {And they give food, inspite of their love for it (or for the love of Him), to Miskin (poor), the orphan, and the captive} [Al-Insaan verse: 8]
They give food which they want and love for their own selves, but they give precedence to Allah’s love over the love for their own selves. {By no means shall you attain Al-Birr (piety, righteousness, etc., it means here Allah’s Reward, i.e. Paradise), unless you spend (in Allah’s Cause) of that which you love; and whatever of good you spend, Allah knows it well}. [verse above]

This is what is befitting for a person to spend from, which are things that are beneficial, especially if he loves it himself. He gives it in charity whilst he loves it himself. This is a sign of his eemaan and a sign of him giving precedence to Allah’s pleasure (over himself). As Allah, the Exalted, says about the Ansaar: {And (they) give them (emigrants) preference over themselves, even though they were in need of that. And whosoever is saved from his own covetousness, such are they who will be the successful}. [Al-Hashr verse: 9]
We ask Allah to guide all to that which he loves and is pleased with. May Allah’s mention be upon our Prophet Muhammad.

Partly summarised

Majaalis Shahr Ramadhan 21-24